Local news in brief Nov. 20

Staff and wire reports |

11/19/2008 - 11/20/08

Pojoaque Valley High to give Luján send-off

Ben Ray Luján, newly elected to Congress from New Mexico's 3rd District, will be given an official send-off to Washington on Tuesday from his high school alma mater — Pojoaque Valley High.

"He's one of our students who has risen to a prestigious position," Principal Vera Ortiz said of Luján, who graduated in 1990. Luján, 36, is the son of state House Speaker Ben Luján and grew up in the Nambé area.

Ben Ray Luján will address students in the Ben Luján Gymnasium at 11 a.m. and then be feted in a small ceremony.

He will be introduced by Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya, also a Pojoaque graduate, and student body president Eric Chavez.

Ben Ray Luján most recently was a member of the state Public Regulation Commission.

"He has done very well, and we are very proud of him," Ortiz said.

Jail locked down over missing metal device

The Santa Fe County jail was locked down most of Wednesday while officials looked for a piece of metal that might have been taken into the facility from a holding cell at Santa Fe County Magistrate Court, Undersheriff Robert Garcia said.

A court cleaning crew reported that a piece of metal used in drywall construction was missing from the holding cell, Garcia said. Court authorities notified the jail, and jail officials searched the cells of inmates who had been at the court Tuesday, Garcia said.

One inmate reported seeing the piece of metal sticking out but denied taking it, Garcia said. Officials later learned that another member of the cleaning crew might have removed the metal piece and were trying Wednesday afternoon to confirm that information, he said.

Meanwhile, daily arraignments at the court were canceled Wednesday.

Police seek robber armed with knife

LOS ALAMOS — Los Alamos police are looking for a man who used a knife to rob a business in the community last weekend, according to a news release.

The man — described as about 5-foot-10 with a thin to medium build and wearing a mask — entered Mountainair Cleaners about 1:10 p.m. Saturday, held the clerk at knife point and demanded money, the release says. The man was wearing a hooded jacket with a patch or logo on the right sleeve, dark pants, white tennis shoes and a ski mask.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the man's capture, while the business owners are offering an additional $500, according to the release. Los Alamos Crime Stoppers can be reached at 412-5169.

Call center to address Web site hacking

After discovering someone got unauthorized access to its Web site, the state Human Services Department has set up an information center to help clients and employees enroll in a free, three-month fraud alert system.

The department said earlier this month that hackers between September 2006 and July 2008 accessed customer data from its child-support enforcement and income-support systems.

The department has worked with the FBI and the state's Department of Information Technology to determine the extent of the hacking.

The call center will operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For in-state calls, the number is 877-719-3337.

Blackout sends show outdoors

A power outage Wednesday afternoon interrupted a student production of Alice in Wonderland at the James A. Little Theatre at the New Mexico School for the Deaf.

Four hundred schoolchildren had to be evacuated after the theater building went dark about 12:40 p.m. The troupe reportedly moved its show outside and performed on the portal of the building, with the audience sitting on the grass and surrounding sidewalks.

"In my 18 years of directing shows, this is the first time a power outage left us completely without the ability to resume the show," Pandemonium Productions director Christopher Leslie said.

Leslie said utility crews were working in the area at the time of the outage, which affected the entire campus at the School for the Deaf.

Two final performances of the show are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For tickets, call 982-3327.

TV show to focus on economy, city

Santa Fe City Manager Galen Buller is among guests scheduled to talk about how the economy is affecting municipalities on KNME-TV's In Focus program this weekend.

Santa Fe's minimum-wage law will also be a topic during the show, which airs at 7 p.m. Friday and again at 6:30 p.m. Sunday on the local public television station, Channel 5.

A news release said other scheduled guests include Corrales Mayor Philip Gasteyer, Rio Rancho Mayor Tom Swisstack and Anna Lamberson, chief financial officer for the city of Albuquerque.

Inn of the Anasazi gets new manager

Andrea Gates, currently hotel manager of The Carlyle in New York City, is the new managing director of the Inn of the Anasazi in downtown Santa Fe.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, which owns both properties, announced that Gates will replace Marcie Lieberman, who has been promoted to senior corporate director of operations at the company's Dallas headquarters after three years in charge of the Inn of the Anasazi.

The announcement said Gates began her career with Rosewood in 1992 at the company's flagship property, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas as Rooms Division director. She became manager of The Carlyle in 2006.

Rosewood manages properties worldwide.

Gov. backs late voter registration

Gov. Bill Richardson is backing a proposal to allow New Mexicans to register and vote on Election Day.

Supporters say it could increase voter turnout.

"We need to make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote has the best opportunity to vote," Richardson said Wednesday.

Verified Voting New Mexico, a group that supported the state's switch to a paper ballot voting system in 2006, is among those urging the Legislature to allow for registration on Election Day.

That practice has been in place in Minnesota for more than 30 years.

Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Maine, North Carolina and Iowa also permit Election Day registration.

AG, feds promote authentic art

A new collaborative, called "Take Home a Treasure From Indian Country: Buy Authentic New Mexico Indian Arts and Crafts," will promote buying the real thing.

The New Mexico Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Department of the Interior's Indian Arts and Crafts Board announced Tuesday that they have published a consumer protection brochure tailored to the state's Indian arts and crafts market.

It gives information on laws designed to protect sales of authentic Indian arts and crafts along with tips for buyers to determine the authenticity of items.

The federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 makes it illegal to sell arts or crafts in a way to falsely suggest they're made by American Indians when they're not.

People can get the free brochure by contacting the state attorney general's Consumer Protection Division at 800-678-1508.