Diaz pleads not guilty in hit-and-run

Pojoaque Pueblo Lieutenant Governor Linda Diaz pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court in Albuquerque to charges related to a fatal hit-and-run accident on U.S. 84/285 in April.

Diaz was indicted by a federal grand jury on a felony charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and failing to render aid. According to a Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department report, Phillip Espinoza of Chimayó died from a massive blow to his head after being hit by a car. Diaz called tribal police the morning after the accident and told them she had "done something very wrong."

Investigators found a hair, consistent with Espinoza's, on the windshield of Diaz's car and black leather, possibly from a jacket that Espinoza was wearing that night, in the glass.

Investigators ID 3 children from submerged car

ALBUQUERQUE — Three children whose bodies were found, along with that of an adult, in a car submerged in Cochiti Lake last week have been identified as brothers from Albuquerque who disappeared eight years ago with their father, authorities confirmed Thursday.

The boys were 12-year-old Richard Sanchez Jr., 9-year-old Daniel Sanchez and 2-year-old Christopher Sanchez, said Amy Boule, spokeswoman for the state Office of the Medical Investigator.

Authorities say the boys' father, Richard Robert Sanchez of Albuquerque, took them for a weekend custody visit in August 2001 and never returned. Boule said the OMI is still trying to identify the adult found in Cochiti Lake because dental records could not be located.

The state police dive team spotted the car earlier this month in about 15 feet of water during an unrelated search.

State police said within days of the car's discovery that the case was likely linked to the disappearance of Sanchez and his sons. They also said the car's condition indicated it had been in the lake at least a year but there was a strong possibility it had been there for eight years. Richard Sanchez and his wife were reportedly going through a divorce when he and his sons disappeared and he had an agreement under which he could take the children for a few days at a time.

Tourism increase expected for holiday weekend

The Rocky Mountain region is the only part of the country that will see an increase in tourism during the July 4 weekend, according to the American Automobile Association.

The AAA forecasts tourism in the seven-state region, including New Mexico, should increase 1.2 percent from the year before, compared to a decrease of 1.9 nationwide.

Of the 2.5 million travelers in the Rockies, nearly 2.1 million will drive, while 250,000 will fly and 250,000 will take buses or trains, says AAA.

Nationwide, it says, the number of people traveling by car should decline by 2.6 percent due to cheaper air fares. But while gasoline prices have increased in recent months, AAA says prices are leveling off.

Statewide, Thursday's average price for a gallon of unleaded fuel was $2.66, compared to $2.67 nationally, $2.60 in Albuquerque and Las Cruces, and $2.65 in Santa Fe. A year ago, the average cost in New Mexico was $3.97. It reached its state all-time high on July 17, 2008, at just below $4.01.

Big Brothers Big Sisters seeking used clothing, toys

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern New Mexico is participating in a donation drive to raise more funds to help match children with adult mentors.

Residents are asked to bag or box gently used clothing and small household items, bedding, drapes and toys and place the goods on the curb by 7 a.m. the day of pickup. A truck will then pick up the items. Donors should put a card identifying the goods as being for BBBS and the driver will leave behind a tax-deductible receipt.

Cards are being mailed to Santa Fe-area residents to let them know when the trucks will be on their street. Or to schedule a pick-up, call 888-575-2464.

Donations will be sold to Savers Thrift Stores, with proceeds going back to BBBS. To learn more, call 983-8360.

One-stop, online summertime calendar premieres

Summer vacation doesn't have to be a drag. Kids can try making shadow puppets at the Museum of International Folk Art. Or relive the days of Billy the Kid at the Lincoln State Monument. Or learn how to live like a mountain man.

These are some of the events on a list of activities during July and August at the state's museums and monuments. The list is online at www.100reasonstogo.org. Most of the events are free or free with admission or membership.

The New Mexico History Museum and the Museum of Art are also free every Friday night. And mark your calendars for the come-one, come-all birthday party celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Museum of New Mexico on Milner Plaza in late August. Dates and times will follow.

Park Service to study taking over preserve

New Mexico's U.S. senators on Thursday asked the National Park Service to study the potential for including the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera National Preserve near Los Alamos in the National Park System.

A National Park Service preserve is managed similarly to a national park, but allows for hunting.

Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, both Democrats, said the congressional mandate establishing the preserve as public land managed by an independent board of trustees will expire in 2020 unless it is extended. Future management of the preserve should be discussed now, the senators said in a media release.

The Valles Caldera Trust that manages the preserve has faced opposition from people who believe it has been managed primarily for cows and not other uses at a cost greater than that of other public lands. Congress approved the purchase of the preserve in 2000, to be run by the trust as an "experiment in land management." The trust's mandates included protecting natural resources, supporting public access and use, and managing the preserve as a "working ranch." The trust also was to strive to make the preserve financially self-sufficient by 2015, a unique requirement for public land.

The senators asked the National Park Service to complete their study within a few months.

Interim president named at Northern

David Trujillo has been named the interim president of Northern New Mexico College, the board of trustees announced Thursday.

Trujillo, the college's Dean of Grants Development and Special Initiatives, will start his term July 13.

Seventeen people from around the region have been nominated to serve on the search committee which will find a permanent replacement for outgoing president José Griego, who submitted his letter of retirement to the board June 23.

Disabled vets can buy discount hunting licenses

New Mexico veterans with service-connected disabilities will be able to get discounted hunting and fishing licenses starting next Wednesday.

The Department of Game and Fish says the annual combination fishing and small-game hunting license will cost $10. It normally sells for $33.

The 2009 Legislature approved the special license. The veteran must present a Veterans Administration awards letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs stating the veteran has been granted a disability and it was service-connected.

The special license does not replace a free general hunting and fishing license available to New Mexico veterans who are 100 percent disabled.

Fire restrictions lifted for parts of Cibola forest

MOUNTAINAIR — The Cibola National Forest is lifting fire restrictions on the Kiowa and Rita Blanca national grasslands and the Mountainair ranger district at 8 a.m. Friday.

Forest officials say fire danger has lessened because of rain and higher humidity. However, they're still telling visitors to be careful with campfires and chain saws. They say people building campfires need to make sure they're away from hanging branches, steep slopes, rotten stumps, logs, dry grass, pine needles and leaves.

They also urge campers and picnickers not to leave campfires unattended and to drown the fire with water and dirt, stir the remains and repeat the process.

Farmers say recent rains not enough

CLOVIS — Farmers and ranchers in Roosevelt and Curry counties say they've been helped by recent rains, but it's not enough.

Clovis-area farmer Frank Blackburn says the area has had 2.45 inches of rain so far this year — but it usually sees 7 inches by July, so underground water reserves are low.

Curry County Extension agent Stan Jones says everything needs rain this time of year. Jones says much of the milo in Curry County has been planted, and the rain will help it come up. He says farmers need rain every week or two until harvest, which ranges from September to November depending on the crop. He also says ranchers need two to three inches of rain for grass to grow for their cattle.

Farmington woman sentenced for tax fraud

FARMINGTON — A judge has sentenced a Farmington woman to 18 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to one count of tax fraud.

The state Taxation and Revenue Department says the sentence handed down Tuesday by state District Judge Sandra Price for Patricia Shelton will run concurrently with a 10 1/2 year term Shelton received last week on related fraud and forgery charges. Shelton also has been ordered to pay restitution and to file correct tax returns.

Carlsbad to start spending bond revenue

CARLSBAD — Carlsbad city officials expect to have money from $8.3 million in gross receipts tax revenue bonds within a month, and have designated projects to spend it on.

City administrator Harry Burgess says $4.8 million will be used for streets and the rest will go to upgrade the city's water and sewer system.

City councilors on Tuesday authorized issuing the bonds dedicated to the projects. Burgess says the bonds will be paid off over the next 20 years.

Carlsbad voters approved the gross receipts infrastructure tax last September, and it went into effect Jan. 1. Burgess says city officials expect to issue a second bond for $14 million in about two years.