Man arrested after scuffle at Cowgirl

A man was arrested about 10:30 p.m. Sunday after, police say, he walked into the Cowgirl BBQ and Grill at 319 Guadalupe St., ordered a drink and refused to pay for it.

Police say the bouncer escorted Julian Gonzales Chavez outside, but he returned with two bricks and threw them at the bouncer, missing him.

Chavez, who has a general-delivery address in Santa Fe, then fled on foot into the Santa Fe River area where he was caught by police officers who charged him with aggravated assault, falsely obtaining services and resisting arrest.

Groups offer free well testing

Several agencies will provide free testing of private domestic water wells in Santa Fe.

The New Mexico Environment Department asked the agencies for help after it discovered previously unknown or higher than normal levels of natural contaminants like arsenic, nitrate and uranium in well water in the area.

Groups conducting the free testing include the department, the City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and the Good Water Company.

The department is urging those with private domestic wells to partake of the testing, which is valued at about $1,000.

The test area includes the city of Santa Fe, north to Tesuque, east to Cañoncito and Glorieta, south to Lamy, Eldorado and La Cienega and west to the Rio Grande. Field tests will be conducted from June 23-25. Residents of those areas should contact Jessica Tapia at 476-8602 to arrange details.

Three N.M. high schools earn 'Newsweek' nod

Three New Mexico high schools were recognized in the top 6 percent by Newsweek's 2009 "America's Top Public High Schools" report.

Santa Fe High School, along with Moreno Valley and Hobbs high schools, were included in the top 1,500 U.S. high-school list, said Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia in a press release.

Schools were chosen based on their number of advanced placement, international baccalaureate or Cambridge test scores as well as by the number of graduating seniors.

"The principals and teachers at these high schools should be honored for challenging their students with high expectations, advanced courses and a college prep curriculum," Garcia said. "Students and parents should be proud of the hard work they've put into creating a successful learning community."

City workers to shorten workweek

Santa Fe city workers who are part of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are on track to temporarily shorten their workweek beginning later this summer.

A new union contract making its way through the City Council's committee process would, if approved, allow about 800 union members to work 38.5 hours per week instead of 40. The deal was negotiated by city management and union leaders as a way for workers to be awarded promised raises but to preserve the city's shrinking resources.

If the City Council approves of the contract as the Finance Committee did on Monday, the shortened work week would begin in late July. Regular working hours would resume if in six months or a year the city's gross-receipts tax revenues begin to show growth again.

City Human Resources Department Director Kristine Kuebli said the deal won't necessarily mean City Hall is vacant on Friday afternoons or Monday mornings.

"Each department, each division will have its own methodology that will ensure service impact is kept to a minimum," she said.

City to begin bus pass giveaway

City buses will offer tickets this week so riders may enter a drawing for one of 25 free monthly bus passes.

The giveaway, in recognition of Dump the Day on Thursday, is aimed at encouraging people to ride Santa Fe Trails public transportation to save money, protect the environment and reduce dependence on foreign oil, according to a city announcement.

"America is facing a number of significant economic challenges right now," said Transit Division Director Jon Bulthuis. "People who use public transportation are helping to answer those challenges for themselves and for their country ... Public transportation also has an important role to play in the energy and environmental debate," he said.

Santa Fe Trails offers nine routes throughout the city, including one that goes into Santa Fe county on the south side. For more information about bus schedules and routes, visit www.santafetrails.santafenm.gov or call 955-2001.

Annual repaving projects begin

Workers began Santa Fe's annual summer street repaving projects Monday and expect to resurface 13 streets before July 15.

Streets scheduled for work are: Murales Road, from Old Taos Highway to Bishops Lodge Road; Cienega Street, from Palace Avenue to Marcy Street; Lincoln Avenue, from Palace Avenue to S. Federal Place; Marcy Street, from Otero Street to Paseo de Peralta; West Marcy Street, from Grant Avenue to Lincoln Avenue; Grant Avenue, from Paseo de Peralta to Griffin Street.

Also included are Park Avenue, from Guadalupe Street to San Francisco Street; Camino Cabra, from Canyon Road to Camino Cruz Blanca; Sawmill Road West from St. Francis Drive to Rodeo Road; Alameda Street, from St. Francis Drive to Camino Alire; Agua Fría Street, from Osage Avenue to Henry Lynch Road; Richards Avenue, from Rodeo Road to Camino del Prade; Richards Avenue, from Durango Drive to Vereda Alta.

Cutler Repaving, Inc., on contract with the city, is supposed to hand-deliver fliers to neighborhoods about schedules of work. Each project normally lasts one day, according to a city announcement. Motorists are asked to seek alternate routes on work days, and vehicles will not be able to use the streets or parking areas during repaving.

Direct inquiries to the Streets and Drainage Maintenance Division at 955-2415.

Shipley named to N.M. Film Office

Pahl Shipley, spokesman for Gov. Bill Richardson's administration, has been appointed head of publicity and media relations at the New Mexico Film Office, the Governor's Office said.

Shipley most recently had been working as a spokesman for the New Mexico Office of Recovery and Reinvestment but had served in various positions with the governor, including on his presidential campaign.

He started his new job Monday.

Richardson's office said Shipley is expected "to increase global visibility for New Mexico's film program and expand the office's communication and outreach efforts."

State GOP picks new director

The state GOP has chosen Sergio Garcia as the party's political director and deputy executive director. Garcia, who lives in Corrales, has extensive political experience, according to a release from the party.

Among other things, Garcia was a member in 2004 of the Republican National Committee's Bush-Cheney 72-hour legal task force. In 2000, he was appointed southern California's Hispanic grassroots director for the Bush-Cheney campaign. Eight years before that, Garcia worked as the RNC's college Republican grassroots coordinator for southern California.

Garcia, a native Spanish speaker, also worked in Nicaragua as the country's director for the International Republican Institute, according to the release. While there, "he supported 147 mayoral candidates in their bids to thwart an authoritarian regime led by Dictator Daniel Ortega," the release stated.

Garcia also worked at the U.S. Department of State, where he was deputy political counselor at the Bureau for Western Hemisphere Affairs. He also worked for the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as a senior policy adviser for Latin America and Multilateral Affairs.