Tribute to the 'cowboy governor'

MORIARTY — There were old political allies as well as some old political opponents. There were officeholders, judges, state officials and candidates past and present — Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives and those in between. Governors, congressmen, even a former president. They filled a high-school gym Saturday to pay their last respects to former Gov. Bruce King. About 2,000 showed up for prayers, hymns and bagpipes. There were also lots of memories shared among King's friends ...

Tourist train crossing is outdated

The New Mexico Rail Runner slips into Santa Fe on new tracks with modern signals to guard crossings. But the old tourist train travels to Lamy on outdated infrastructure. That discrepancy was highlighted recently when the Santa Fe Southern Railway tourist train collided with a car crossing the spur line on Rabbit Road, just south of the city limits. The driver, who was cited with failure to yield, said she didn't see the flashing lights or hear the ringing bells on the signal as she ap ...

PRC ethics survey leads to changes

The recent ethics survey of employees at the Public Regulation Commission has already led to a few changes at the agency, including unspecified internal investigations. At the same time, an ethics subcommittee is working to craft an ethics curriculum for employees, and PRC chairman Sandy Jones said he's looking into getting training for commissioners as well. Issues raised in comments written by employees on the surveys led to the investigations, although that's all a spokesman cou ...

Move over, Rockettes — three Elkettes headed to the Big Apple

Shenisha Espinoza, Megan Lopez and Carmelita Roybal always liked seeing the Radio City Rockettes and the giant cartoon balloons in the TV broadcast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But never did they think they'd actually be in the parade. On Friday, the girls flew to New York to do just that. After attending a Universal Cheer Association camp at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, last summer, the Pojoaque Valley trio found that they were eligible to apply to participa ...

Meet the next generation of Hispano talent

Performer Candace Vargas, 17, is confident she would have gotten into the music business without the exposure she received at the New Mexico Hispano Music Association's Youth and Children Talent Showcase. But the experience certainly didn't hurt. Eight years ago, Vargas showcased her talent at the annual event and took home two titles: Child Song of the Year and Child Artist of the Year. Her victories earned her a trip to Las Vegas, Nev., to perform at the then-new Palms Hotel with the Albu ...

News in brief, Nov. 21, 2009

Lab demolishing old buildings LOS ALAMOS — Los Alamos National Laboratory plans to demolish a two-story, former administration building that is among a number of Manhattan Project and Cold War-era structures slated for cleanup. The lab will use federal stimulus money on the project. Laboratory, congressional and other dignitaries plan a ceremony Dec. 1 marking the demolition of the former administration building, the first major demolition funded by stimulus money. A large excava ...

Bruce King, 1924-2009: 'New Mexico politics at its best'

Friends and colleagues of former Gov. Bruce King mourned New Mexico's longest serving governor Friday, recalling the Democrat as a model of integrity who defined face-to-face, retail politics in a rural state. A stream of people passed through the Capitol Rotunda, where King was lying in state. He died last week at his ranch in Stanley at the age of 85. King's two sons, Bill and Gary, shook hands and hugged the mourners — many of them legislators and former government workers who had s ...

Panel: Efforts to prolong life of nukes is successful

ALBUQUERQUE — An independent panel says the United States can extend the life of aging nuclear weapons for decades with existing programs, a finding that activists contend means there's no need for the nation to design replacements for the nuclear arsenal. The findings of the JASON committee are classified, but an unclassified summary released Thursday said current methods are sufficient to keep weapons reliable in the absence of nuclear testing. The committee, made up of independent s ...

Richardson decries White Peak swap

Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday weighed in on the controversial land swap proposal involving White Peak, a popular hunting spot in Northeastern New Mexico, calling the idea "a behind-the-scenes deal." The area known as White Peak, sometimes referred to as Whites Peak, is a checkerboard of private property and state trust lands between the small towns of Ocate and Springer. Trust lands are managed by the State Land Office, which collects on 24 grazing leases and gets $200,000 a year from the ...

Students celebrate after receiving their GED diplomas, plan to continue education

The message was clear: It's never too late to go back to school. Paola Martínez, 32, had dropped out of high school in Mexico. Last year, she decided to give school another chance. She completed her GED in May, and on Friday night she walked into Santa Fe Community College's GED graduation ceremony alongside her stepson, Jeremy Sanchez, 18, who also received his GED diploma. They were among nearly 40 students who walked into a room where family, friends and faculty greeted them with ap ...

A final salute for a hero

The people who buried John Quincy Lott on Friday afternoon in Santa Fe National Cemetery didn't know him, only that he was a fellow military veteran. They made sure that the World War II veteran and 25-year military serviceman received at least the minimum ceremony befitting a comrade — an honor guard, a white-laced draped table, a folded American flag, prayers and a rifle salute. Born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1917, Lott died Oct. 12 at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Albuquerq ...

• + Related: Many veterans indigent, homeless

Trail Dust: Looking back to the glory days of stagecoach travel

In our era of high-speed transportation by road, rail and air, it is difficult to recall the days when one's chief means of public transit was by stagecoach. The full saga of stagecoaching in New Mexico has yet to be written. In a general way, we know the story began when the first mule-drawn wagon carrying passengers and the U.S. Mail left Independence, Mo., on July 1, 1850, bound for New Mexico's capital over the Santa Fe Trail. Riders paid a $100 fare for the trip that covered almos ...

Religion in brief Nov. 21, 2009

'Messiah' to benefit Food Depot At 7 p.m. today at the United Church of Santa Fe, 1804 Arroyo Chamiso, a special presentation to benefit the Santa Fe Food Depot will be held. The Rev. Talitha Arnold, United Church senior minister, with Tom Hall, conductor of the Santa Fe Symphony Chorus, will present "Hallelujah! How G.F. Handel Handled the Bible, the Clergy, and the Music to Create His Messiah." The presentation is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted to benefi ...

Understanding Your World: The Netanyahu factor

Other than outright war, seldom have things looked grimmer for Israel and the Palestinians. There are always two sides to a story, of course, and in the Middle East there are often more than two. But in this case, the latest plunge into darkness must be laid squarely at the feet of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The conservative leader is undoubtedly the Prince of Darkness when it comes to Middle East peace talks. In short, he's against 'em. That's not what he says, of course, but th ...

How they voted Nov. 21, 2009

WASHINGTON — Here's a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week. House votes House vote 1 Requiring crime reporting by cruise vessels: The House approved the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (H.R. 3360), sponsored by Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., to create crime reporting and safety requirements for cruise vessels. Proponents said that "American families have unknowingly been at risk when embarking on cruise vacations" as cruise ships registered under f ...

N.M. Supreme Court orders release of 29 jailed in Taos contempt case

The New Mexico Supreme Court on Friday ordered the immediate release of 29 people jailed overnight in three lockups in Santa Fe and Taos counties after a Taos judge held them in contempt of court. Twenty-eight of the people jailed following a courtroom disturbance are members of Taos Pueblo. The order, issued by Justices Patricia Serna, Richard Bosson and Charles Daniels, vacated the arrest order handed down by 8th Judicial District Judge Sam Sanchez on Thursday afternoon. The just ...

Local news in brief Nov. 21, 2009

Water line breaks at Eldorado A main waterline break in Eldorado left about 125 families without water for more than a day. The line broke on Bosque Loop near an arroyo on Thursday morning. Crews worked all night to bring in supplies and reach the pipe under concrete. About 100 feet of pipe in the arroyo needed to be replaced, according to the Eldorado Area Water and Sanitation District, which services the Eldorado area. The ground was wet, making it hard for crews to get to the ...