Wireless opponents claim victory

Santa Fe's proposed telecommunications ordinance has been delayed for two months — a move opponents of wireless systems called a victory. On Wednesday, Councilor Patti Bushee suggested postponing consideration until May 12 to give city staff more time to consider changes to the bill.

The proposed ordinance — amended to require public hearings on each new telecommunications system — already has been so changed that it should be readvertised and sent back through the committee process, and a new public hearing should be held, Bushee said.

Councilor Miguel Chavez seconded Bushee's motion, but tried to get her to agree to a provision directing staff to encourage the public to participate in drafting the ordinance. "I think we're being rushed into this," Chavez said, eliciting applause and shouts of approval from wireless opponents who say the ordinance does not adequately regulate telecommunications and could lead to a citywide wireless system.

But Bushee said the normal committee process already gives opponents adequate chance to weigh in on the bill. The council then passed her motion unanimously.

State tax changes could penalize city

Santa Fe's lobbyist says city government will lose $600,000 in annual revenues if Gov. Bill Richardson signs the bill reauthorizing gross-receipts taxes on groceries.

Mark Duran told the City Council on Wednesday that the tax bill calls for the state portion of the gross-receipts levy to rise from 5 percent to 5.12 percent, but the amount it would share with the cities would decrease.

"I think it's an understatement to say we are in extremely difficult financial times," Duran told the mayor and councilors.

Despite the loss, he said, the regular and special sessions resulted in millions in capital outlay funds for Santa Fe, including $6 million for city water projects and $5 million for the state to purchase city land next to the College of Santa Fe campus.

Palace Press publishes poet laureate's book

The Palace Press is publishing a limited edition of a poem by Santa Fe Poet Laureate Valerie Martínez.

This is How it Began is printed in two colors on warm-toned, handmade papers. The binding features marbled-paper covers by the press director Tom Leech and a calligraphic title page by Santa Fe artist Patty Hammarstedt. The edition, printed on a historic press, is limited to 75 copies priced at $100 apiece, according to a news release from the Palace of the Governors.

As poet laureate for the past two years, Martínez has appeared at more than 45 public events including readings, performances, workshops and short courses. She read from This is How it Began at the swearing-in ceremony earlier this week for mayor and council. Her last public reading as poet laureate will be a free public event from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Santa Fe Arts Commission Gallery, 201 W. Marcy St. The book will be available for purchase.

Crews to finish Siler extension work

Beginning today, crews will be working on the shoulder of the new Siler Road extension on Santa Fe's west side.

A city announcement said workers will build a 42-inch retaining wall near the roundabout where Siler connects with West Alameda Street.

The project will continue until March 19, weather permitting, the statement said.

The Siler extension north from Agua Fría Road across a new bridge over the Santa Fe River was substantially complete last November. However, a news release said the contractor, A. S. Horner, plans to complete final details in the next couple of weeks.

Bingaman rejoins Armed Services panel

U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., has been re-appointed to the Senate Armed Services Committee for the remainder of the 111th Congress, which ends in December.

Bingaman served on the panel from 1983-2000, and again in 2001-2002. But his office said he had to leave the panel when he joined the Senate Finance Committee because the two committees are considered so powerful that a senator typically can only serve on one at a time.

A statement issued Wednesday said Bingaman was asked to re-join the panel to maintain the ratio of Democrats to Republicans after newly-elected Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., sought appointment to Armed Services.

Bingaman's office noted that the committee is responsible for writing the Senate's version of the Defense Authorization Act — legislation that gives the go-ahead to spend funds at New Mexico's two national laboratories and military installations.

New Mexico's senior senator also chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and serves on the Finance, Joint Economic, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees.

Shirley: Ancestors knew how to prepare

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. told a conference at Pojoaque Pueblo this week that if Navajos can remember the lessons of their grandparents, they can avoid many of the problems associated with severe weather emergencies that tend to occur year after year.

"Growing up, I don't remember any talk about emergencies," he told some 300 participants at the 2010 Navajo Division of Public Safety and Emergency Management Conference at Buffalo Thunder Resort. "Fifty to 60 years ago, there was no such thing as an emergency."

According to an account of his remarks issued by Shirley's office, the Navajo president said families who lived in remote areas got themselves ready to have access cut off.

Every Navajo family knew how to prepare for the coming winter by storing food from the fall harvest, gathering a large supply of firewood when the weather was good, and putting up enough livestock feed for several months, his statement said.

"After that was done, families held ceremonies and prayed for snow, rain and were unconcerned about mud," the statement said.

Commissioners disperse community funds

Santa Fe County commissioners on Tuesday approved spending $500 worth of "community funds" to rent portable restroom facilities for the pilgrimage to the Santuario de Chimayó.

The money comes from funds allocated to each commission district each year to be spent as the commissioner from the district sees fit. Each commissioner is currently allocated $37,500 per year. The $500 expenditure approved at Tuesday's meeting will come from funds allocated to be spent at the discretion of Commissioner Harry Montoya.

Median work to affect I-25 traffic

Work in the Interstate 25 median will restrict traffic between the Old Pecos Trail and Cañoncito exits southeast of Santa Fe during the next three months, the state Department of Transportation says.

Starting Friday, crews are scheduled to install post and cable structures in the median, Monday through Saturday, for about three months, an announcement said.

The agency said to expect northbound single-lane closures between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, and southbound single-lane closures from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. On weekends, watch for single-lane closures in both directions from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the announcement said.

The department also is imposing a restriction on the width of loads hauled through the work zone. Anyone hauling a load wider than 16 feet must call 505-670-9096 to coordinate travel through the zone.