Missing woman still sought

State police late Thursday were still searching for a woman from the El Rito area who has been missing for weeks.

Lt. Eric Garcia said Joanne Marie Ocana, 44, was last seen on the evening of Aug. 15 walking along N.M. 110 in El Rito and asking for money.

She was described as 5-feet-4-inches tall, weighing 127 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. When last seen, she was wearing gray warm-ups, a white T-shirt and possibly white tennis shoes. Ocana is a diabetic, police said.

Garcia asked that anyone with information on Ocana or her whereabouts call the state police office in Española at 505-753-2277.

Committee delays acequia decision

The Santa Fe Archaeological Review Committee on Thursday declined to vacate an easement for a west-side acequia. The committee also voted unanimously to postpone the issue until Oct. 1, so more information can be gathered.

The city red-tagged developer Lawrence Boyd in July after he obliterated a portion of the unused and barely visible Acequia de las Joyas through one of 16 lots in the Casas de Cipriano development. The La Joya Neighborhood Association accused Boyd of violating a 32-foot wide protective easement it had negotiated in 2005 with Boyd and the original developer, Dennis Branch.

Boyd responded by asking the committee to vacate the easement. He said he was preparing to build a retaining wall to protect the lot from soil and debris from an uphill property. La Joya neighbors urged the committee to enforce the easement and penalize Boyd.

But committee members said they lacked jurisdiction to penalize anyone. They approved member James "Jake" Ivey's motion to postpone the issue pending a report from the city attorney on the effect of state and local laws on the situation, their ability to maintain or alter the easement, why the easement was violated and other relevant points.

Governor to attend border meeting

Gov. Bill Richardson today will attend a conference of border governors in Monterrey, Mexico. He will deliver the conference's closing remarks and return to New Mexico tonight, his office said in a statement.

Richardson is a frequent attendee at the annual conference of governors of states on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. A spokesman said the state is paying for the trip, but he didn't know who else is going besides the governor.

Buckman project will get millions

An appeal of a state funding decision won't keep Santa Fe from getting money it was promised.

The state Water Trust Board will provide $4 million this year for the joint city/county Buckman Direct Diversion water supply project now that the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority has agreed to drop its appeal, according to Kyle Harwood, a contract attorney for the project.

Albuquerque water officials had claimed the board violated the state Open Meetings Act when it made decisions about funding this year. According to a settlement agreement reached last week, Santa Fe's funding won't be affected this year, but next year's Water Trust Board plan will have to include a specific amount for Albuquerque.