DWI checkpoint set for Saturday

Law enforcement officers plan to conduct a DWI checkpoint somewhere in northern Santa Fe County on Saturday, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office announced.

Undersheriff Robert Garcia said his office will be assisted by officers from the New Mexico State Police, Santa Fe Police Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs Police Department and Pojoaque Tribal Police Department.

"Deputies and officers will not only be looking for impaired drivers but for other traffic violations as the vehicles pass through the checkpoint location," the announcement said.

Send us your best winter tale

It's that time again — get your pen and paper or your computer keyboard ready and start writing a short story, an essay or a poem for The New Mexican's 2009 Winter Tales writing contest. Winning entries will publish in Pasatiempo on Dec. 25.

The categories include: adults (ages 19 and up) 500 to 1,200 words; teens (ages 13 to 18) 500 to 1,200 words; children (through age 12) 350 to 1,000 words. Poems should be 800 words or less. Cash prizes range from $25 to $100 for each category.

Mail entries to: Sandra Baltazar Martínez, Winter Tales, c/o The Santa Fe New Mexican, 202 E. Marcy St., Santa Fe, NM 87501 or e-mail them to smartinez@sfnewmexican.com.

Electronic submissions are highly recommended.

The rules: Entries must be received by 10 a.m. Dec. 4. No exceptions. We reserve the right to edit winning stories. Submissions must include name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, age and category (short story, essay or poem). For a complete list of rules, e-mail Sandra Baltazar Martínez or call at 986-3062.

Plaza pushcart sites offered

Four spaces are available for pushcart vendors on the Santa Fe Plaza.

The city is accepting applications to fill those spaces. Application packets can be picked up at the Constituent Services Office in Room 118 on the first floor of 200 Lincoln Ave., or downloaded from the city's Web site at www.santafenm.gov. The application can be found on the left side of the home page.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. Dec. 11. For more information, contact constituent services representative Jenna Martinez at 955-6949.

Drain retrofit work to close pools

A project to retrofit drain covers will cause temporary closing of pools at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center.

A city news release said the work is required to comply with federal safety requirements.

The therapy pool, spa and sauna will be closed at noon Sunday and are scheduled to reopen Dec. 7.

The project will also require draining of the leisure pool, which will be closed Dec. 4 and reopen "as soon as possible."

Work on the center's 50-meter pool will be accomplished through the use of scuba gear and won't require drainage. The pool will be available for the duration of the project for lap swimming only.

GCCC memberships will be honored at the city's Salvador Perez Pool for recreational swimming.

Water shut-off set on Alamo Drive

Water service will be shut off Monday on Alamo Drive while crews insert plugs to retire existing water mains on Placita Loma and North Plata Circle, a city news release said.

The city Water Division and TLC Plumbing and Utility will shut off water from 9 to 11 a.m. between Rio Vista and Placita Loma, and again from 1 to 3 p.m. between Placita Loma and Sombrio Drive/North Luna Circle, the announcement said.

"Every effort will be made to restore water service by the scheduled times," the statement said. "However, unforeseen circumstances may delay water restoration as scheduled."

The city advised residents to draw water for personal use prior to the shut-offs. The city also advised residents not to try to use water during the shut-offs in order to avoid potential plumbing problems.

Theater group lands major grant

Theatre Communications Group has awarded Theater Grottesco, a Santa Fe-based ensemble known for its physically driven sociopolitical works, a New Generations: Future Leaders grant of $76,000 to fund a mentorship program within the company. Grottesco, which was founded in Paris in 1983 and relocated to Santa Fe in 1996, recently produced the dark comedy The Richest Dead Man Alive. The grant money will allow Grottesco artistic director John Flax to mentor the company's managing director, Kate Kita, in various creative fields over the course of two years.

TCG is a theater service organization based in New York City that works to support and nurture professional theater companies around the nation. The New Generations program was founded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in 2001 to financially support and cultivate diversity in theater.

Land Office to boost hospital income

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico Land Office says 10,260 acres of newly acquired state trust land has been designated to boost income for Carrie Tingley Children's Hospital in Albuquerque.

Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons said Wednesday that the hospital owns no developed mineral resources and receives no income from the Land Grant Permanent Fund.

The hospital was founded in 1937 by former first lady Carrie Tingley to care for children suffering from polio in what is now Truth or Consequences. The hospital moved to Albuquerque in 1981.

The hospital's lands have generated only $32,000 during Lyons' nearly seven-year tenure.

The land is part of 59,180 acres in Torrance County that the Land Office obtained through a land exchange with Union Pacific Railroad.