Missing man found dead; no foul play suspected

A 39-year-old local man who'd been missing for days was found dead Monday in a vacant lot near the new Siler Road extension, Undersheriff Robert Garcia said Tuesday.

However, investigators don't believe foul play was involved in the death, he said.

Vincente Martinez's father found him dead in a small valley near the new pass-through between Agua Fría and Alameda streets after checking a route his son used to go and get alcohol, Garcia said. "I understand he was a heavy drinker," the officer said.

Martinez had been missing for 10 days, though his father didn't report him missing until Monday. He hadn't been reported missing before because Martinez had a history of disappearing for days, Garcia said.

An autopsy is scheduled for today.

Bandelier seeks input on improvements

Bandelier National Monument wants to upgrade campsites and control erosion on Frijoles Mesa, among other improvements, and is looking for some public comment on the plans.

Park Superintendent Jason Lott announced an environmental assessment is available for public review until Feb. 28. The proposed improvements to the park will be paid for through the federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. "The project improvements evaluated in this plan include facility projects at Juniper Campground and at the housing and maintenance areas within the Frijoles Mesa area," said Lott.

Comments on the plan may be submitted electronically at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/band or by mail to Draft Frijoles Mesa Improvements EA, Superintendent, Bandelier National Monument, 15 Entrance Road, Los Alamos, N.M. 87544. Printed copies are available for review at: the Santa Fe Public Library, 145 Washington Ave.; Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce, 109 Central Park Square; Los Alamos public libraries; and at the Bandelier National Monument Temporary Visitor Center.

Outdoor Adventure opens at state fairgrounds

Hunters, anglers and other outdoor adventurers will find an array of new gear and information at the 12th annual Bob Gerding Outdoor Adventure, Hunting and Fishing Show from noon to 6 p.m. Friday and all weekend at the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish will provide hunting applications, new big-game rules and advice on the best places for hunting and fishing.

The department also will set up an all-terrain vehicle simulator to teach ATV safety and ethics. "The purpose of the simulator is to give people of all ages a hands-on learning experience in a completely controlled environment," said David Chester, off-highway vehicle coordinator for the Department of Game and Fish. "A student can actually learn proper riding techniques on the simulator and feel the sensational differences that leaning or standing incorrectly will cause on different terrain."

High schools to showcase programs

Santa Fe Public Schools will hold a High School Showcase from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the old Alameda Middle School, 450 La Madera St.

Members of the public will have a chance to visit with administrators, teachers and students in a variety of programs including: Advancement Via Individual Achievement; athletics; CASA (arts and entertainment); CAST (medical and business); culinary arts; Education 2020; Math, Engineering, Science Achievement; ROTC; and visual and performing arts programs.

Solar plant to open in Albuquerque

Solar Distinction Inc. plans to open a solar photovoltaic panel manufacturing plant in Albuquerque and expects to hire 300 workers in its first three years of operation.

Solar Distinction, a company of the Albuquerque-based Noribachi Group private equity fund, will operate a 25-megawatt solar panel manufacturing plant. Solar Distinction also plans to put its solar power generation research and development operations at the Albuquerque site.

The Noribachi Group funds renewable energy businesses. It has incubated, funded and is building out 10 such firms, including Albuquerque-based Visible Light Solar and Qnuru, both solar lighting companies. The company was founded in 2007 by Farzad and Rhonda Dibachi, who also started the Niku Corp. in California, according to Noribachi's company Web site.

Other principals include Jonathan Schneider, founding director of the Atalaya Institute in Santa Fe and former vice president of energy risk management with Goldman Sachs. One of the company's advisers is Joseph L. Cecci, dean of the engineering school at The University of New Mexico.

The politics behind climate change

Daniel M. Kammen, founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley, will discuss the science, technology and policy of climate change at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Santa Fe Preparatory School, 1101 Camino de Cruz Blanca.

Kammen is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the international team that periodically produces reports on the causes and concerns over global climate change. A theoretical physicist, he is a professor in the Energy and Resources Group and in the Goldman School of Public Policy at Berkeley. His research interests have ranged widely in the science, engineering and environmental impacts of energy generation, energy forecasting and rural resource management.

His seminar is sponsored by the Sierra Club.

Commission OKs community funds

Santa Fe County Commissioners approved spending about $9,500 worth of "community funds" at a meeting Tuesday.

The money comes from funds allocated to each commission district each year to be spent as each commissioner sees fit.

Some confusion arose Tuesday over the total amount of community funds available to each district.

In the past, the amount was $40,000 per commission district. In September, county staff said the amount had been reduced to $30,000 per commissioner and would be further reduced to $28,500 in the new year. But when asked Tuesday how much each commissioner had to spend, staff said the amount is $37,500.

The following expenditures were approved Tuesday: $500 for Santa Fe County's DWI Program youth conference, Commissioner Harry Montoya; $500 for Santa Fe County's DWI Program youth conference, Commissioner Liz Stefanics; $2,500 for portable toilets in Madrid and Cerrillos, Commissioner Michael Anaya; $500 for Santa Fe County's DWI Program youth conference, Commissioner Kathy Holian; $500 to the Santa Fe Botanical Garden to bus public school students to the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, Commissioner Liz Stefanics; $5,000 for Madrid Ball Park renovations, Commissioner Michael Anaya.