Owens pleads not guilty

Scott Owens' lawyer on Wednesday filed a waiver of arraignment and a not-guilty plea on his behalf so he does not have to show up at a court hearing Monday.

Owens, 29, of Eldorado has been jailed since June 28 when his car collided with another on the Old Las Vegas Highway, killing four teenagers and critically injuring another.

Four hours after the crash, his blood alcohol content was tested at twice the legal limit.

Time limits governing Owens' case have been extended four times while defense attorney Dan Cron negotiated with prosecutors. Last month, the District Attorney's Office charged Owens with four counts of vehicular homicide and one of causing great bodily harm.

Cron described his latest motions as routine. He said an arraignment hearing usually satisfies the constitutional right of a defendant to know the charges against him and the potential penalties and to enter a plea, but this can also be done in writing so no court appearance is necessary.

County closes on land purchase

Santa Fe County has no immediate plan for the 470 acres of undeveloped land near La Cienega it bought for $7 million Wednesday.

County Manager Roman Abeyta said the county purchased the property for its "historical and cultural value," and plans to hold discussions with the public and elected officials about its future use.

The county purchased the property — part of a larger parcel formerly called La Bajada Ranch — from local developers Rick Borrego and James Borrego and former mayoral candidate David Schutz.

The developers had originally planned to build a housing development called Santa Fe Canyon Ranch on the approximately 1,300-acre tract, but faced strong opposition over water use and density from area residents.

County Attorney Steve Ross said the county first began considering the purchase after learning that The Trust for Public Land has an option to buy 700 acres of the ranch and preserve it as open space.

If the trust sale goes through, Ross said, the developers will be left with about 100 acres of land, but there are restrictive covenants on that parcel that will prohibit them from dividing it into lots smaller than 12.5 acres.

Preserve receives land donation

The Thornton family has donated 600 acres of open space to the Santa Fe-based nonprofit Commonweal Conservancy, a conservation-based community development organization.

The donated land, valued at $1.86 million, is in the center of the 13,522-acre Galisteo Basin Preserve.

The Commonweal Conservancy placed a conservation easement on the land and donated it to the Santa Fe Conservation Trust.

"This 600-acre gift ensures that the heart of the Galisteo Basin Preserve will be permanently protected," said Ted Harrison, president of Commonweal Conservancy, in a statement. "It is a gift that will be forever celebrated by residents and visitors to this remarkable region."

The Thornton family has been selling its ranch to the Commonweal Conservancy in phases since 2003. So far, the family has donated 9,135 acres for the preserve, most of which will be conserved as open space, including 50 miles of public hiking, biking and equestrian trails. The Santa Fe Conservation Trust will hold conservation easements over the preserve's larger open spaces to ensure their permanent protection.

Valles Caldera to host 4-H event

The Valles Caldera National Preserve has been selected to host a national 4-H program next summer, where hundreds of youth will learn about managing wildlife habitat.

The 2010 National 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program Invitational will bring 4-H students together with ecologists, land managers and others for five days at the 89,000-acre preserve and Los Alamos.

"4-H WHEP provides an opportunity for young people to experience real world natural resource management issues and the science that informs management decisions," said Sam Smallidge, New Mexico Extension Wildlife Specialist and co-chairman of the 2010 New Mexico Invitational committee.

The National 4-H WHEP Invitational is a competitive event focusing on wildlife and natural resource education.

Two waterlines break in city

City Water Division crews on Wednesday had to deal with broken waterlines in two separate parts of Santa Fe.

A crew worked all day and into the evening to repair a broken water main on Upper Canyon Road. Randy Sugrue of the Water Division said he expected water service would be restored in the east-side neighborhood by 7:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, a second waterline break was discovered on the city's south side when water began welling to the surface on Camino San Patricio.

Sugrue said a crew was able to isolate that break and restore water service to the neighborhood by the end of the afternoon. But workers planned to return Monday during regular working hours to complete repairs, he said.

As for the cause of the problems, he attributed the incidents to "just aging infrastructure."

N.M. sees more swine flu deaths

ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico Health Department officials say four more people have died from swine flu, bringing the statewide total this year to 40 deaths.

The latest deaths include a baby boy from Quay County and a 49-year-old man from Bernalillo County, both without chronic medical conditions.

A 54-year-old woman from Curry County and a 74-year-old woman from Valencia County who had chronic medical conditions also died this past week.

The state Health Department has found that American Indians are over-represented in deaths related to swine flu, also known as H1N1. This ethnic group represents 10 percent of New Mexico's population, but accounts for 20 percent of the deaths. The department will target vaccination efforts toward American Indians.