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10/13/2008 - 10/14/08
Grant aims to boost Valles Caldera accessA $200,000 federal grant is supposed to help the Valles Caldera Trust devise ways of improving public access to the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera National Preserve.
The money will be used to plan for future public access such as entrances, facilities, trails, fishing streams, picnic areas and a visitor center.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., on Friday announced the grant from the Federal Transit Administration to the trust. Bingaman had written to the agency's administrator in support of the grant request.
"This funding will be used to contract with professional transportation and recreation planners to help improve public access and enjoyment of the Valles Caldera Preserve," Bingaman said.
Congress purchased the preserve in 2000 from private landowners. The mandate creating the preserve required that it remain a "working ranch," protect natural resources and be financially self-sustaining by 2015.
The members of the presidentially appointed Valles Caldera Trust are responsible for managing the ranch and developing programs for public access and use.
Explanation offered on Buckman water project
Wondering about how safe water will be from the planned Buckman Direct Diversion project on the Rio Grande?
City and Los Alamos National Laboratory staff will discuss the project and answer questions from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Hilton Hotel, 100 Sandoval St.
The Buckman project will divert water from the Rio Grande, treat it and pipe it to city and county customers. The project is expected to reduce the amount of water the city pumps from its wells and preserve water in the two municipal reservoirs.
Speakers include Rick Carpenter, the Buckman diversion project manager, Danny Katzman, head of LANL's Stewardship Project, and Robert Gallegos, the city's environmental compliance specialist. The event is sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Lunch is $15. Reservations are required. Call 982-9766 by noon Friday.
River otter training offered to volunteers
New Mexico could have river otters back on the Upper Rio Grande if a reintroduction program this year is successful.
The Bureau of Land Management, the state Department of Game and Fish, nonprofit Amigos Bravos river-advocacy group and the New Mexico Friends of River Otters, is hosting an otter monitoring workshop for volunteers from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Taos BLM Office.
The training will teach volunteers how to look for and recognize river otter signs. Volunteer spotters will be needed to track how the otters are faring once they are reintroduced.
To sign up, contact rconn@amigosbravos.org or 575-758-3874.
Arapahoe ski area opens Wednesday
KEYSTONE, Colo. — The Arapahoe Basin ski area plans to open for the season Wednesday, with one lift running.
This would be the third year in a row that the Colorado ski area is the first in the nation to open, if no one else beats it.
The lift is set to begin running for the public at 9 a.m. The ski area says skiers and snowboarders will have access to an intermediate run with an 18-inch base, plus some terrain park features.
The nearby Loveland ski area hasn't said when it will open yet. It traditionally tries to open in October.
Body artists need new licenses
A Nov. 12 deadline is approaching for businesses specializing in tattoos and body piercings to apply for state licenses.
Body artists and owners of body art facilities must have submitted applications for licenses with the state Regulation and Licensing Department's Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists by the deadline.
The new rules passed by state legislators in 2007 will safeguard public health by ensuring proper hygienic standards.
Applicants must pay a $100 fee and pass a test on the new legal requirements.
After Nov. 12, the process will become more difficult.
Regulation and Licensing Superintendent Kelly O'Donnell says applicants will then have to complete a 40-hour theory course, a state board exam and provide proof of a 1,500-hour apprenticeship.
Curry County fugitive captured
CLOVIS — A sixth man who escaped from the Curry County jail in August has been recaptured in Clovis.
Michael England, 29, was captured about 11:30 a.m. Monday without incident at an apartment complex, Undersheriff Wesley Waller said. Clovis police found him hiding behind a bed.
Three other people were arrested at the apartment on charges of harboring and aiding a fugitive, the Sheriff's Office said.
England was being held at the time of the escape on a charge of tampering with evidence in connection with a 2007 homicide.
Authorities have said eight men escaped from the Curry County Adult Detention Center on Aug. 24 by climbing water pipes in a plumbing compartment and cutting a hole in the roof.
Police said Edward Salas, 21, and Louis Chavez, 18, remain at large.
Salas has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted in the 2005 shooting death of a 10-year-old Clovis boy. Chavez was jailed on charges of aggravated burglary, larceny and other charges.
Last week, England contacted authorities and attempted to negotiate a surrender if authorities would drop charges against family members. District Attorney Matt Chandler said his office would not negotiate with England.
Gunship has to adjust to new base
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE — An AC-130 gunship squadron moving from Florida to Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis will have to adjust to the Eastern New Mexico base's elevation, temperature and air density, its operations officer says.
The 16th Special Operations Squadron is taking steps to ensure safe operations at Cannon, said Lt. Col. Jason Miller. He said he's aware of an anonymous letter sent to the secretary of defense about concerns that Cannon's elevation, temperature and air density will hamper the aircraft's performance in New Mexico.
Miller, who is stationed at Hurlburt Field, Fla., where the squadron has been based, noted Florida sits at sea level, where "the air is relatively dense and the airplane performs well. However, when it gets warmer and the air becomes less dense, the airplane doesn't perform as well."
One of the reasons Cannon was chosen for a special operations base was because its climate and terrain is similar to Middle East countries.
The squadron will lower the aircraft's operating weight by carrying less fuel, gear and personnel at Cannon, he said. Training exercises also will be shorter but more frequent.
Cannon's elevation is 4,295 feet.
Balloon victim's van is burglarized
ALBUQUERQUE — A van used by the surviving victim of last week's fiery balloon crash was burglarized Monday. Several items were missing, including a laptop computer and digital camera.
Keith Sproul of North Brunswick, N.J., jumped 60 feet from a burning gondola Friday after his balloon, Wings of Wind, struck power lines. He is hospitalized in critical condition after surgery to repair punctured lungs and a broken leg.
Sproul's co-pilot, 49-year-old Steve Lachendro of Butler, Pa., died in the crash.
On Monday, Sproul's crew members discovered a broken window in the van, which was parked at a hotel near Balloon Fiesta Park.
Balloon Fiesta organizers opened a bank account to help with Sproul's expenses.
New editor at Hobbs newspaper
Richard Trout, who has been the business reporter and assistant editor at the Hobbs News-Sun, has become the paper's managing editor.
Trout, who has been with the newspaper for more than seven years, is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the newsroom, including its staff and story content.
Publisher Kathi Bearden said Trout appreciates the area and knows the issues that are important to the newspaper's readers.
The News-Sun announced the appointment this month, but said Trout had been fulfilling the duties of managing editor for about two months.
Trout, 39, has a bachelor's degree in English writing from Knox College in Illinois, a master's in English from Illinois State University and a master's in journalism from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Before joining the News-Sun, he was an assistant directory editor and copy editor for six years at Business Insurance magazine, a publication of Crain Communications in Chicago.
Observatory earns $9 million grant
SUNSPOT — An observatory in Sunspot has received a $9 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
The Apache Point Observatory will use the money to map the distribution of quasars and galaxies in space and the distribution of stars in our own galaxy.
Jim Murphy, head of the Astronomy Department at New Mexico State University, says the Sloan Digital Sky Survey project will provide wonderful research opportunities for students, staff and faculty.
Apache Point site director Kurt Anderson says the observatory has been ranked the most scientifically productive such facility in the world based upon citations to scientific publications.
