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Last modified:
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Headline
News
for the week of May 23, 2003
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Murder
charge filed
in Hodovan death
CLICK
ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE
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New Mexico
State Police Wednesday, May 21, filed a murder charge against an
81-year-old Truth or Consequences man in connection with the suspicious
death of Joseph Hodovan at the victim’s residence Tuesday.
Posted
5-21-03
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Man
charged in vehicle crash related death
Charges
of accident involving death or personal injury and tampering with evidence
were filed Monday in the Sierra County Magistrate Court against a Truth or
Consequences man.
Posted
5-20-03
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NM
Boundaries Commission approves
city's
annexation of 5.5-mile strip to airport
The City of Truth or Consequences has suddenly grown by about 6,200
acres.
Posted
5-21-03
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What
to do with $17M in funds
to
address WMD incidents in NM
What
will New Mexico’s 33 counties do with about $16.9 million to equip
themselves for addressing such a thing as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD)
incident?
Posted
5-22-03
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NADBank
awards
$4 million to EBID
Senator
Pete Domenici last Friday praised a $4 million award to the Elephant Butte
Irrigation District for water conservation projects, funding the Senator
believes should have a beneficial, long-term impact on a region racked by
years of drought.
Posted
5-19-03
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Ground
breaking set
May 31 for Vets Park
The
public is invited to a ground breaking ceremony for the City of Truth or
Consequences new Veterans Memorial Park at 9:15 a.m. Saturday, May 31.
Posted
5-22-03
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El
Camino Real focus of Santa Fe meeting,
highlighting
U.S./Mexico cultural connections
Nearly
forgotten for years while the Santa Fe Trail and Route 66 basked in the
limelight, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is finally getting its due
recognition, and in a big way.
Posted
5-22-03
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Gila
National Forest this Friday
to impose fire & smoking restrictions
The Gila National Forest will implement fire and smoking
restrictions at 8 a.m. this Friday, May 23.
Posted
5-21-03
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BLM-Las
Cruces issues
fire & smoking restrictions
The
Bureau of Land Management today (Tuesday, May 20) issued a Fire
Restriction Order for public land in Hidalgo, Otero, Luna, Dona Ana,
Sierra and Grant Counties, according to BLM-Las Cruces Field Office
Manager Amy Lueders.
Posted
5-20-03
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Health
Secretary schedules
visit to T or C this Thursday
The State Health & Human Services Initiatives town hall meeting
will take place in Truth or Consequences from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 22, at the T or C Civic Center.
Posted
5-20-03
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Murder
charge filed in Hodovan death
By Bill Johnson of
the Desert Journal
New
Mexico State Police today (Wednesday, May 21) filed a murder charge
against an 81-year-old Truth or Consequences man in connection with the
suspicious death of Joseph Hodovan at the victim’s residence Tuesday.
Besides the
murder charge, a count of tampering with evidence also was leveled against
Edmond Evans of 325 Marr Ave. in T or C in the Sierra County Magistrate
Court.
The criminal
complaint filed by State Police Agent James Frietze says Evans allegedly
bludgeoned his friend Hodovan, 55, to death with a hatchet sometime
Tuesday at Hodovan’s residence at 1303 S. Broadway in Truth or
Consequences.
The arrest
of Evans and the filing of the criminal complaint followed Tuesday’s
day-long police probe on Hodovan’s property after Hodovan was found dead
on the floor next to his front door. Police said Hodovan was face down and
had visible injuries around his left knee cap. The wound was found later
to be consistent with a blow from a hatchet, according to the statements
of facts in support of the criminal complaint.
Police said
a wooden handle with duct tape wrapped on the end also was underneath
Hodovan’s body. Blood, tissue and human hair also were found on the
handle, police said.
A struggle
was apparent in the area that Hodovan’s body was found, according to
Agent Frietze’s statement.
Acquaintances
of Evans, Harry Whatley and Shirley Hatfield of T or C, told police they
saw Evans and Hodovan speaking to each other on the middle of Marr Avenue
across from Evans’ residence on Monday afternoon, May 19. They also told
police that Evans and Hodovan were “good drinking buddies.”
Brandye
Bordelon told police she sold a 1982 white four-door Mercury car with
Texas plates to Evans on May 19 for $800 cash. She told police she had no
bill of sale but was able to describe Evans as the one who purchased the
vehicle, which investigators found stuck on Hodovan’s property Tuesday
after it apparently hit a couple of pontoons from boats and spun out a
wheel until the bottom part of the tire got buried. Bordelon said the man
who purchased her car went by the name of “Jack.”
Police said
the car’s doors were unlocked and that they found no key either in the
vehicle, area or on Evans’ person.
Police said
they located Evans at S & S Auto Garage off State Road 187 near
Williamsburg and that he was in possession of a black 1990 Chrysler coupe
convertible with “Mazerati” on the windshield.
State Police
Agent Freddie DeLaO said he looked through the black car’s window and
saw a hatchet with a wooden handle on the floorboard. He said the hatchet
appeared to have blood on the blade.
The injury
sustained by Hodovan on his knee was consistent with a strike from a
hatchet like object, according to Agent Frietze’s statement.
Police said
Evans’ shirtsleeve had apparent bloodstains on it and that Evans had
several fresh scrapes and scabs on his arms and head.
Police said
Evans consented to an interview at the state police office in T or C.
Evans allegedly told police he spent 10 hours with Hodovan on May 19. He
said he took the Mercury he recently bought over to the victim’s
property for mechanical servicing, according to the agent’s statement.
Evans also,
according to the statement supporting the criminal complaint, took a
bottle of whiskey and some cigars to sell the victim on the idea of
working on the car. Evans at that point expressed his desire to end the
interview and leave the state police office.
But police
first collected his clothing for evidence and photographed additional
abrasions and scabs that were on Evan’s back, upper arms and legs.
Police said the injuries were consistent with those sustained in a
physical altercation.
After
executing a search warrant on the Chrysler convertible in Evans’
possession, officer found a red hatchet on the floorboard along with
bloodstains on its blade and inside the vehicle, according to the
statement. Police said they also found a shovel in the rear of the vehicle
and that several gray human hairs were stuck on its tip. Police said the
hair color was consistent with the victim’s.
Police also
executed a search warrant at Evans’ residence on Marr where they found
bloodstains on the outside of a closet door and the corner of a wall in
the hallway. They also found a couple of articles of clothing soaking in a
bucket in the bathtub.
Police said
two of the shirts that were in the bucket appeared to contain bloodstains.
Police said they also found a handwritten note signed by “Brandye”
that informed “Jack” she had left the keys and title for the car in a
secure place, according to the agent’s statement.
No bond has
been set and arraignment for Evans is expected to be held later this week
in the Sierra County Magistrate Court.
<<<
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(posted
5-21-03)
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New
Mexico State Police Criminal Investigation Division agents probe for clues
surrounding the suspicious death of Joe Hodovan, discovered Tuesday
morning at his home on South Broadway in Truth or Consequences.
DJ Photo by Bill
Johnson |
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State
police investigating
suspicious death of T or C man
Joe
Hodovan, a well known prospector,
was
a stringer for the Desert Journal
Desert
Journal Staff Report
New
Mexico State Police this evening (Tuesday, May 20) were still
investigating the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a
Truth or Consequences man at his home.
Agent
Norman Rhoades of the State Police Criminal Investigation Division said
late this evening he still could not confirm whether homicide was involved
in the suspicious death of Joe Hodovan, 55, at 1303 S. Broadway located
across the street from the Full Gospel Tabernacle. The incident may have
happened last night or early this morning.
Rhoades,
District Attorney’s Office Investigator Ron Hays and local State Police
Investigator Freddie De La O were still processing the scene for a
possible homicide late into the evening.
City
Police Chief Russell Peterson said Detective Ron Huff notified the
relatives of Hodovan earlier today either in Ohio or Iowa. Peterson said
he turned over the crime scene to state police because the death appeared
very suspicious.
For
example, a white car, which investigators were dusting for prints on the
premises this evening, had spun out on the property and got stuck after
hitting a couple of pontoons from a boat. It’s not certain when the tire
dug itself into a pit, but the collision with the pontoons scraped up a
pile of fresh dirt, which was still evident at the crime scene.
Agent
Rhoades said he expected to work at the scene late into the night.
Hodovan
had reported for The Courier in Hatch, a regional newspaper that
grew in popularity until it folded about four or five years ago. Hodovan,
a prospector who loved to hunt for gold and other treasures, also was a
stringer for the Desert Journal, having written a few or several articles
mostly about prospecting in Sierra County.
“I
loved Joe’s stories and I’m going to miss him greatly. He knew how to
draw the reader into his stories and he always had a great angle or twist.
He was truly a genuine writer of the Great Southwest,” said Bill
Johnson, editor of the Desert Journal.
“The
town of Truth or Consequences is saddened by Joe’s death – and will
miss him dearly,” Johnson said.
City
police were called to the scene at about 7:20 a.m. and Chief Peterson said
he decided to call for state police assistance because of their expertise
and resources available for probing into deaths of a suspicious nature.
Other
details were sketchy as of press time Thursday night.
Rhoades
said Hodovan’s cause of death will be determined with an autopsy by the
Office of the Medical Investigator.
<<<
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(posted
5-20-03)
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Man
charged in vehicle crash related death
Desert Journal Staff
Report
Charges
of accident involving death or personal injury and tampering with evidence
were filed Monday in the Sierra County Magistrate Court against a Truth or
Consequences man.
City police leveled the
third and fourth degree felony charges against Nelson Miramontes, 23, of
305 Austin Ave. No. 3, in connection with the April 3 vehicular death of a
motorcyclist, Eric Boeck, at Foch Street and Austin Avenue in T or C. Bond
for Miramontes was set at $10,000.
Detective Ron Huff of the
TCPD said he arrived at the accident scene after someone reported the
incident at about 12:50 p.m. April 3. Huff said he saw the damaged
motorcycle on the road next to the curb on the southwest corner of the
intersection. A second vehicle however was not at the scene, Huff said.
A citizen, Steve
McConnell, flagged down police to tell them the driver of the motorcycle,
Eric Boeck, was in the alleyway at the rear of Sierra Auto Parts building
about a half block south of the collision.
Det. Huff said he noticed
Boeck was breathing but that his skin color was poor. Ambulance crews
started treatment on the victim while Huff investigated the accident
scene.
Witnesses reportedly told
Huff the second vehicle involved in the accident was a black Chevrolet
S-10 blazer with low rider tires. Huff said the description of the vehicle
matched one he knew belonged to Miramontes.
Huff said he was notified
by city police officer Tom Schalkofski that Miramontes wanted to talk
about the collision and Huff went to his apartment a block east of the
accident scene.
Miramontes reportedly
told the detective he left his blazer at his sister’s home on Gibson
near the Pineknot Bar. Police then seized the vehicle for evidence.
Police said the damage on
the blazer’s front was consistent with the collision. During an
interview with police, Miramontes said he was driving around his
neighborhood, looking for one of his dogs that got loose and was running
at large, according to Det. Huff’s affidavit for an arrest warrant.
Miramontes said he was
northbound on Foch approaching Austin and made a tight left turn into the
opposing lane of traffic. He said after the motorcycle and his vehicle
collided, the motorcycle then hit a telephone pole and came to rest on the
street, according to the affidavit.
Miramontes said the
driver then got out from underneath his motorcycle and ran down the
sidewalk to the end of the building. He said he then drove down the alley
to look for the motorcycle driver and when he couldn’t find him, he
decided the other driver didn’t want the accident reported so Miramontes
added that he then drove to his sister’s house on Gibson. He said his
vehicle was having mechanical problems so a friend drove him home, the
affidavit said.
Once there, Miramontes
said he turned on his police scanner to learn that police were looking for
him, so he called Officer Schalkofski.
District Attorney
investigator Ron Hays interviewed a witness who reported she was working
at Sierra Auto Parts when she heard the collision. She said she looked out
the store window to see the blazer back up and continue traveling
westbound on Austin.
Steve McConnell, a
maintenance man for nearby apartments, told police he was working on an
air conditioning unit and heard glass breaking and then slamming sounds.
He said he saw the driver of the motorcycle run southbound toward the
alley while the other vehicle was leaving the scene.
McConnell said he then
found the motorcycle driver with his head between the gas meter and
building. He said the vehicle with “low rider tires” then shot out of
the alley way, traveling eastbound, and cross Foch Street.
Miramontes’ sister,
Serina Castenada, told Hays on April 10 that she went home for lunch at
about 1 p.m. April 3 and when she pulled into the driveway she saw her
brother’s Blazer parked on the north side of her house – an unusual
location for Miramontes to park his vehicle, according to Huff’s
affidavit.
She said she called
Miramontes and he told her that he was involved in an accident and that he
would call her later. She said he sounded scared, the affidavit stated.
Huff said that on April
18 he talked with Ellyn Hayden about an incident that occurred on April 3.
She said she was a passenger in a vehicle when a blazer passed at a high
rate of speed and turned down the alley between Austin and Broadway. The
vehicle was going so fast that it splashed muddy water into the interior
of the vehicle she was in, the affidavit said. The driver confirmed the
statement, Huff said.
On April 24, Miramontes
in an interview with Hays and State Police Criminal Agent Norman Rhoades,
said he left the accident scene because he didn’t want to get into
trouble. He said he first drove to his residence via the alleyway and
after being home five minutes he drove his vehicle to his sister’s house
and parked it there.
Det. Huff said in the
affidavit that his felony case is supported by circumstances surrounding
the accident and the fact that the motorcycle driver died as the result of
injuries he sustained in the collision.
City police arrested
Miramontes on Monday on the charges. Arraignment is expected to be held
later this week in the Sierra County Magistrate Court.
<<<
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Posted
5-20-03
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NM
Boundaries Commission approves
city's
annexation of 5.5-mile strip to airport
By
Fred Mramor of the Desert Journal
The
City of Truth or Consequences has suddenly grown by about 6,200 acres.
The New
Mexico Municipal Boundaries Commission today (Wednesday, May 21) approved
the city’s petition to annex an irregularly shaped, 5.5-mile strip of
land from the city’s now old borders to the T or C Municipal Airport.
City
officials wished to annex uninhabited Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and
State Land Office (SLO) land in order to garner gross receipts taxes from
the airport, avionics company Peppin and York, a leased hangar and any
other businesses that may develop at the airport.
With
guidelines provided by the New Mexico Attorney General’s office, the
three-member board was satisfied that the city will meet annexation
requirements to provide police, fire, ambulance, planning and zoning, road
maintenance and any other services if and when they are needed.
Neither the
BLM nor the SLO objected to the city’s annexation and both entities will
be able to continue using their land as they have been.
SLO land
having been annexed and later zoned without the state agency’s
participation before, SLO representative Ken White said the Land Office
will look forward to working with the city if it desires to zone SLO land
now within T or C city limits.
<<<
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What
to do with $17M in funds
to
address WMD incidents in NM
Just
ask SCEMO Director Dale Harrison
Desert
Journal Staff Report
What
will New Mexico’s 33 counties do with about $16.9 million to equip
themselves for addressing such a thing as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD)
incident?
Just ask
Dale Harrison, director of the Sierra County Emergency Management Office (SCEMO)
who is encouraging all of the county’s and its municipalities’
emergency departments – fire, wildfire, hazmat, search & rescue,
ambulance, police, etc. – to submit their funding requests with
priorities before the state’s June 9 deadline for applications.
Emergency
departments actually must develop and prioritize their plans and email
them to ichabold@zianet.com
or dial 894-8594 and ask for Don. Requests from within Sierra County must
be submitted no later than May 27 to Don, Harrison said.
“I’ve
been working on equipment needs for two years. As of yet, I haven’t
received a penny for a screwdriver,” Harrison told EMS, fire and rescue
and police during a meeting of the Local Emergency Planning Committee
Tuesday afternoon.
Eventually,
however, the 33 counties will receive an average of $512,000 to begin
addressing their WMD equipment needs and training.
John Denko
Jr., Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Public Safety (DPS), wrote
in a May 9 letter to Harrison that he’s seeking assistance to build the
state’s homeland security response capability.
“In order
to ensure each area of the state is protected from terrorist threats, we
are requesting a prioritized list of first responder equipment shortages
that would be required by your jurisdiction to respond to a WMD or
terrorist related incident,” Denko said.
To meet the
timelines required by the Department of Homeland Security, counties and
municipalities must turn in their equipment lists to the DPS Office of
Emergency Services and Security no later than the close of business on
June 9, Denko said.
The lists
will be used to allocate Office for Domestic Preparedness fiscal years
2002, 2003 and 2004 supplemental funding to purchase first response
equipment for the different jurisdictions throughout the state.
Denko said
also that counties and municipalities are encouraged to combine their
equipment requirements to standardize and avoid duplication of equipment
readily available through mutual aid agreements, thus allowing for more
efficient use of limited grant funding.
“However,
where this is impracticable, municipalities may submit their requirements
separately,” Denko said.
“Municipal
equipment requirement lists must combine and prioritize requirements from
all municipal response agencies. Individual agency (police, fire, EMS,
public works, etc.) requests will not be accepted. County equipment lists
must include equipment needs of unincorporated areas,” Denko said.
Equipment
lists received after June 9 will not be considered until Homeland Security
FY 04 funding is made available, Denko said.
Communications
equipment and safety gear appeared to top the SCEMO director’s
priorities for addressing Sierra County’s WMD incident needs. Harrison
said he has kept reminding the county’s fire chiefs and put information
in their boxes the last six months.
“We must
be prepared for mass casualties – from either biological, chemical,
nuclear or even conventional weapons of mass destruction,” Harrison
said.
For specific
details on how to compile lists and prioritize lists for the three years
2002-04, call Robert Redden at 505-476-9676 or Cyndi Guthridge at
505-476-9649.
<<<
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(posted
5-22-03)
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Elephant
Butte Dam sits pretty with $4 million going to the Elephant Butte
Irrigation District for irrigation system upgrades to save billions of
gallons of water for the Rio Grande Project.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson
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NADBank
awards $4 million
to
Elephant Butte Irrigation District
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S.
Senator Pete Domenici on Friday praised a $4 million award to the Elephant
Butte Irrigation District for water conservation projects, funding the
Senator believes should have a beneficial, long-term impact on a region
racked by years of drought.
The EBID award was
announced Friday by the North American Development Bank (NADBank), which
is issuing the funding through its Water Conservation Investment Fund (WCIF).
The funding will be used
by the EBID to begin replacing 16 miles of irrigation canals with
pipelines to supply fields without incurring seepage.
"I am very pleased
with this award, and I applaud the Elephant Butte district for making the
leap to convert irrigation canals to a system that should help save tens
of thousands of gallons of water,” Domenici said.
“The recent agreement
to meet the water compact with Texas has resulted in a lot of stress in
Sierra County. But I believe this type of water conservation work does
give us a ray of hope that there are ways to improve our situation,"
Domenici said.
Domenici last Wednesday
met with NADBank officials to discuss its progress in investing in water
and wastewater projects in U.S. and Mexican communities near the Southwest
Border. The applications were reviewed by the Border Environment
Cooperation Commission.
The EBID, which covers
Sierra and Dona Ana counties, has proposed a five-year effort to replace
existing irrigation canals with 48-inch aluminized steel pipeline
throughout its three systems.
Based on a study
conducted by New Mexico State University and Texas A&M University, the
project could reduce seepage losses by about 10,700-acre feet a year. (One
acre foot of water amounts to enough water to cover one acre with one foot
of water, about 325,851 gallons.)
The EBID would provide
cost-share funding toward the project.
The EBID award is taken
from the nearly $40 million the NADBank could distribute from its WCIF
account. The single award to New Mexico is among 20 grants awarded to help
finance such projects as head works, municipal water reuse for irrigation,
drainage and soil recuperation, irrigation equipment and other works to
improve efficient use of water resources affecting the Rio Grande.
The EBID award is among a
number of projects being supported by NADBank in New Mexico, including
water and wastewater infrastructure programs in southern Dona Ana County
at San Pablo, La Union, Salem-Ogaz, and a central system to serve Vado-Del
Cerro, La Mesa-San Miguel, Berino and Chamberino.
The NADBank funds are
provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Border
Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF).
Domenici serves as a
member of the Senate Appropriations Committee's subcommittee that funds
the EPA, and has worked over the years to provide the funding needed to
fully capitalize NADBank.
NADBank is a bi-national
institution established under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),
to provide financing for high priority environmental infrastructure along
the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. More information is available at
www.nadbank.org.
<<<
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Posted
5-19-03
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Ground
breaking set
May
31 for Vets Park
The
public is invited to a ground breaking ceremony for the City of Truth or
Consequences new Veterans Memorial Park at 9:15 a.m. Saturday, May 31.
The local
Chamber of Commerce is asking everyone to turn out to show their support
for the park and to greet local, state and federal representatives who
will also be attending.
<<<
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(posted
5-22-03)
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El
Camino Real focus of Santa Fe meeting,
highlighting
U.S./Mexico cultural connections
"Roads
such as El Camino Real serve as the channels by which cultures transmit
new possibilities to one another." - Frances Levine
SANTA FE -
Nearly forgotten for years while the Santa Fe Trail and Route 66 basked in
the limelight, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is finally getting its due
recognition, and in a big way.
The
President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities was meeting in Santa
Fe on Thursday, May 22, to highlight the important role El Camino Real has
played in American history, as both a living artifact of the convergence
of people, communities, art, history, music, and traditions; and as a
metaphor for the strong and historic cultural ties that bind the United
States and Mexico.
A highlight
of the meeting was the presentation on exciting contemporary cultural
exchange projects between the United States and Mexico. This is the first
time in many years the President's Committee, a nonpartisan, nonpolitical
committee, has met outside of Washington, DC.
New Mexico
Governor Bill Richardson officiated at the meeting.
"I live
on El Camino Real, so I've long been aware of the richness of the culture
that comes to our country from the south," said Adair Margo, chairman
of the President's Committee.
“It is a
historic road, but it is also a metaphorical road representing all that
ties all of us together, the indigenous, the Spanish, the Mexican, and the
Anglo populations. Our meeting in Santa Fe will help us recognize how we
are all connected by El Camino Real, and allow us to build relationships
and forge new international alliances,” Margo said.
The idea for
the President's Committee meeting to focus on El Camino Real, both
literally and metaphorically, originated out of discussions that took
place during Margo's recent visit to Mexico.
She met with
the country's cultural officials, including Sari Bermudez, presidenta del
CONACULTA (president of the National Council for the Arts and Culture of
Mexico), and discussion quickly turned to El Camino Real, the symbolic
link between the two nations. Bermudez provided commentary at the PCAH
meeting.
"One of
the intended goals of the meeting is to honor a shared cultural heritage
and recognize the unity and similarities among our cultures," Margo
said. "Meetings such as these have the potential to contribute in
meaningful ways toward improving international relations, which is one of
the primary goals of our committee."
Members of
the arts communities, anthropologists and historians have been invited to
provide a range of perspectives. An expert on El Camino Real, Gabrielle
Palmer, who is president and founder of El Camino Real Project Inc. and
Hernán Lara Zavala, literature professor at the National University,
Mexico City, who is one of the most outstanding storytellers of his
generation, offered valuable insights through their participation in the
meeting's program.
Presentations
on current cultural exchange programs between the United States and Mexico
were delivered by Jaime Nualart, coordinator de asuntos internacionales,
Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA); Jefferson T.
Brown, minister counsellor for information and cultural affairs, U.S.
State Department, Embassy of the United States, Mexico City; Earl A.
"Rusty" Powell, director of the National Gallery of Art, and
Horacio Lecona, director of the U.S.-Mexico Fund for Culture in Mexico
City.
For example,
Lecona highlighted programs and special projects led by his organization,
which was created in 1991 to enrich cultural exchange and collaboration
between Mexico and the United States.
The
U.S.-Mexico Fund for Culture has assumed a leadership role in both Mexico
and the United States through projects such as The Gateway to the
Americas, with a premiere event in Mexico City beginning June 11 to build
relationships among performing arts professionals in both countries, and
The Bi-national Alliance of Regional Arts Organizations, which was formed
to create a cultural network between the United States and Mexico using
regional arts organizations.
The program
is administered in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts,
Mexico's National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA), and the U.S.
Embassy in Mexico.
The meeting
also provided a rare opportunity for the heads of the President's
Committee, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for
the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the
National Gallery of Art to join together with their Mexican counterparts
to review a broad range of current and planned exchange initiatives.
Stretching
from Mexico City to Santa Fe, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro has been
largely forgotten in the cities, although still remembered in the towns
and pueblos along its route. Over the last decade, interest has been
renewed in this historic artery that some historians and anthropologists
consider the most important route in the development of this continent.
Author
Douglas Preston wrote in his book, The Royal Road: El Camino Real from
Mexico City to Santa Fe, "…El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was
probably the most significant of all the early trails on the North
American continent. It was the first road in America, and for nearly a
century the longest."
“If the
President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities has its way, El
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro will never again be forgotten, but instead,
will live on in the minds of all - Mexicans and Americans alike - as a
symbol of the cultural ties that enrich and unite us,” Margo said.
“And
perhaps most importantly, cultural exchange programs will continue to
increase between Mexico and the United States, and will contribute in a
profound way toward fostering closer relations between the two
countries,” Margo said.
The
President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, created by
Presidential Executive Order in 1982, identifies issues and develops
initiatives in the arts and the humanities.
It bridges
the interests of federal agencies and the private sector, supports special
projects that increase participation, and helps to incorporate the
humanities and the arts into White House objectives.
<<<
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(posted
5-22-03)
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…An
unusual visit
A
thick-billed parrot perches on a tree on the Armendaris Ranch in Sierra
County. Native to the mountains of northern Mexico, the parrot was last
confirmed sighted in New Mexico in the 1960s. |
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Gila
National Forest this Friday
to
impose fire & smoking restrictions
SILVER CITY
- The Gila National Forest will implement fire and smoking restrictions at
8 a.m. this Friday, May 23.
The level of
restrictions is based on the current fuel and weather conditions in the
local area. These conditions, combined with the recent reports of the
discovery of a number of abandoned campfires over the last six weeks
warrant the implementation of fire and smoking restrictions.
Paul
Boucher, Gila National Forest Fire Management Officer, said Wednesday,
"With recent wind events, seasonal spring drying trend and the
increased number of abandoned campfires, we feel it is appropriate to
enter into the first level of restrictions for public and firefighter
safety, and of course, to help protect our valuable natural
resources."
The official
order has been signed imposing the following restrictricions:
It is
prohibited to build, maintain, attend or use a fire, campfire, or stove
fire.
Smoking will
be allowed only in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation
site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is
barren or cleared of all flammable material.
No welding
or operating of acetylene torch or other devices having open flames.
Do not
operate or use any engines without spark arresting devices that have been
properly installed, maintained and are in effective working order.
It is
prohibited to use explosives.
The use of
fireworks is always prohibited on federal lands.
Some
exemptions include the use of petroleum fueled stoves, lanterns, or
heating devices that meet Fire Underwriters' specifications for safety;
having campfires within a pre-constructed Forest Service fireplace within
designated campgrounds and picnic areas; and Federal, State, or local
officers, or members of organized rescue or firefighting forces while
performing official duties.
The New
Mexico State Forestry Division and Bureau of Land Management will also be
implementing fire restrictions that will be effective Friday, May 23.
For fire
restriction updates and fire information, please check the website:
www.fs.fed.us/r3/fire, or call toll free 1-877-864-6985.
<<<
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(posted
5-21-03)
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BLM-Las
Cruces issues
fire
& smoking restrictions
Sierra
County and other
southern
NM
counties affected
LAS
CRUCES - The Bureau of Land Management today (Tuesday, May 20) issued a
Fire Restriction Order for public land in Hidalgo, Otero, Luna, Dona Ana,
Sierra and Grant Counties, according to BLM-Las Cruces Field Office
Manager Amy Lueders.
The
restrictions, effective this Friday, May 23, until further notice,
prohibit:
·
Burning
of solid fuels, except that which is inside established campfire rings and
grills within the Aguirre Spring Campground and the La Cueva picnic area
(petroleum-fueled stoves, lanterns or heating devices that meet Fire
Underwriters Labs specifications also may be used);
·
Smoking,
except within an enclosed vehicle or building;
·
Welding
or using an acetylene torch with an open flame;
·
Operating
a chainsaw without an approved spark arrester, a fire extinguisher of
not-less-than 8-ounce capacity and a round-point shovel; and,
·
Using
explosives on all BLM-managed public land.
The
order applies to about 5 million acres of BLM-managed public land in the
six southwestern New Mexico counties.
The
restrictions are expected to help prevent wildfires during current
high-fire danger conditions.
The
fire restrictions complement restrictions in place in the Gila and Lincoln
National Forests and other local jurisdictions, Lueders said.
Violators
may be fined up to $500 or imprisoned for not more than six months. The
BLM-Las Cruces last issued such an order in April 2002.
<<<
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(posted
5-20-03)
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Health
Secretary schedules
visit to T or C this Thursday
The
State Health & Human Services Initiatives town hall meeting will take
place in Truth or Consequences from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May
22, at the T or C Civic Center, 400 W. 4th St.
The
morning will include a general session with presentations from each of the
four Secretaries. Each will speak for about 20 minutes about their
department initiatives.
After
the presentations, time will be spent on a question and answer period.
Then the groups will break up into the four Health & Human Services
Initiatives for further discussion and again there will be time in these
smaller groups for questions and answers.
Secretary
Montoya will then meet with Department of Health and New Mexico State
Veterans Home staff from 1:30 to 3 p.m. to discuss their programs,
initiatives, unique community issues or concerns that they’re involved
in or need help in addressing their issues.
Staff
members of Maternal Child Health and other DOH programs are invited to the
afternoon discussion.
Teams
need to be ready to address community health priority issues during the
afternoon session with the Secretary.
<<<
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(posted
5-20-03)
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