FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2008
AS THE SOUTH TULAROSA FIRE REMAINS UNCHANGED IN SIZE FOR SEVERAL DAYS … THE NUMBER OF PERSONNEL WORKING THE BURN AREA IS CUT IN HALF. ABOUT ONE-HUNDRED FIFTY PEOPLE ARE ASSIGNED TO THE SMOLDERING FIRE. LIKE YESTERDAY … TODAY BRINGS ANOTHER RED FLAG WARNING TO THE REGION. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS WINDS AND DRY AIR WILL CREATE EXTREME FIRE GROWTH POTENTIALS. THE RED FLAG WARNING FOR THE CAPITAN AND SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS AREA BEGINS THIS AFTERNOON … AND GOES THROUGH TEN TONIGHT. THE STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED TO CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS AGAIN SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING … AS WELL AS POSSIBLY ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY.
A BAER … BURNED AREA EMERGENCY RESTORATION TEAM … WILL BE COMING IN TO DEAL WITH THE AFTERMATH OF THE SOUTH TULAROSA FIRE. FIRE SPOKESPERSON TOM LAVAGNINO SAYS SOME TREE REPLANTING WHERE THE FIRE BURNED VERY HOT IS LIKELY … IN THE NAME OF EROSION CONTROL. HE SAYS MUCH OF THE FIRE WAS “A NICE COOL UNDERBURN” … WHICH BURNED THE UNDER-STORM … LEAVING TREES INTACT. LAVAGNINO SAYS THERE ARE SOME THINGS THE BAER TEAM CAN HELP WITH … AND THEY’LL SOON BE AT THE LOCATIONS FOR AN EVALUATION. BAER TEAMS HAVE BEEN USED IN THE AREA IN THE PAST. THE SOUTH TULAROSA FIRE BURNED A BIT MORE THAN 38-HUNDRED ACRES … MOSTLY DURING ITS FIRST TWO DAYS A WEEK AGO.
AFTER A SPLIT PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION APPROVED PRELIMINARY PLANS FOR A BIG CONDOMINIUM PROJECT … THE CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION CALLS FOR SOME PROCEDURAL POLICIES. DURING TUESDAY’S PUBLIC HEARING THERE HAD BEEN QUESTIONS THAT DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS COULD HAVE ANSWERED. GLEN BARROW SAYS HE WANTS REPORTS FROM THE DIRECTORS … AND THEIR PRESENCE. SOME ON THE COMMISSION ALSO HAD ISSUES WITH THE HEIGHT OF THE PROPOSED FIVE STORY BUILDING … AND WHETHER A FIRE DEPARTMENT LADDER TRUCK COULD REACH TO THE TOP FLOOR. THE VILLAGE COUNCIL IS CALLED UPON TO DEAL WITH THE HEIGHT PROPOSAL ADVANCED BY THE COMMISSION LAST YEAR.
THE LINCOLN NATIONAL FOREST WILL STAY CLOSED … UNTIL THERE’S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RAIN. THAT’S THE MESSAGE FROM FOREST SUPERVISOR JACQUELINE BUCHANAN. SHE SAYS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IS NEEDED TO EASE THE EXTREMELY DRY CONDITIONS AND REDUCE THE RISK OF WILD-FIRE TO A MANAGEABLE LEVEL. THE CLOSURE … WHICH WENT INTO EFFECT EIGHT DAYS AGO … EXCLUDES USES LIKE HIKING … OFF HIGHWAY VEHICLE USE … HORSEBACK RIDING … PICNICKING … AND OTHERS. BUCHANAN SAYS RECENT RED FLAG FIRE CONDITIONS REINFORCE THE NEED TO CONTINUE THE FOREST CLOSURE ORDER.
LINCOLN COUNTY IS HOPING THE FEDS DELIVER JUST OVER A MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDING. THE ANNUAL PILT … PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES PROGRAM … DELIVERED A BIT MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS LAST YEAR. PILT PAYS COUNTIES FOR THE TAX EXEMPT FEDERAL LANDS IN THEIR JURISDICTIONS … SUCH AS THE LINCOLN NATIONAL FOREST … OR B-L-M HOLDINGS IN THE FORT STANTON AREA. THE MILLION DOLLARS VISION IS IN THE COUNTY’S PRELIMINARY BUDGET. THE LAST THREE YEARS THE PAYMENT HAS NARROWLY SCALED THE MILLION DOLLAR WALL. OTERO COUNTY HAS SEEN CLOSE TO ONE-POINT-NINE MILLION DOLLARS … BECAUSE OF FEDERAL LANDS THAT INCLUDE MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.
RUIDOSO IS STILL LOOKING TO FILL SOME TOP VILLAGE HALL POSITIONS. VACANT SINCE LAST FALL … APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE FINANCE DIRECTOR’S OFFICE. AND THE VILLAGE IS LOOKING TO HIRE A BUSINESS MANAGER … SOLID WASTE MANAGER … AND A WATER .. WASTE-WATER COLLECTION DIRECTOR. KEN MOSLEY JUST RETIRED FROM THAT POSITION … THOUGH HE’S ON CALL UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH. AND SOLID WASTE DIRECTOR LEONARD CORONA RETIRED LAST MONTH. THE VILLAGE ALSO NEEDS A PLANNER IN ITS PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT … AS WELL AS A DOZEN OTHER POSITIONS ACROSS VILLAGE GOVERNMENT.
AN ADVOCACY GROUP THAT SERVES LOW INCOME NEW MEXICANS IS GETTING INVOLVED IN THE ZIA NATURAL GAS RATE ADJUSTMENT CASE. COMMUNITY ACTION NEW MEXICO FILES AS AN INTERVENOR IN THE GAS UTILITY’S PERSUIT OF INCREASED RATES. THE GROUP CALLS THEMSELVES … AMONG OTHERS … A UTILITY WATCH-DOG ORGANIZATION. IN A FILING WITH THE STATE’S PUBLIC REGULATION COMMISSION … COMMUNITY ACTION NEW MEXICO IS ASKING ZIA FOR INFORMATION ON SCORES OF FRONTS. ZIA NATURAL GAS … EARLIER THIS YEAR … ASKED THE P-R-C FOR HIGHER RATES … ESPECIALLY IN THE BASE MONTHLY CHARGE. THE CASE IS SCHEDULED TO GO TO A HEARING THIS SUMMER.
LETTER CARRIERS IN THE AREA WILL BE HELPING THE LINCOLN COUNTY FOOD BANK TOMORROW … IN AN EFFORT TO STAMP OUT HUNGER. THOSE WITH HOME DELIVERY CAN PUT FOOD DONATIONS NEXT TO THEIR MAIL-BOXES. DONATIONS WILL ALSO BE TAKEN AT POST OFFICES AND TURNED OVER TO THE FOOD PANTRY AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN RUIDOSO DOWNS. THE DROP OFF BOXES WILL BE IN PLACE ON SATURDAY. RAY ALBORN … PRESIDENT OF THE LINCOLN COUNTY FOOD BANK … SAYS ESPECIALLY NEEDED ARE SMALL BAGS OF SUGAR AND FLOUR … OATMEAL … RICE … CANNED MEAT … SPAGHETTI SAUCE … VEGETABLE OIL .. DRY PINTO BEANS … AND CANNED BEANS.
A FORMER SOUTHERN NEW MEXICAN IS RETURNING … TO TAKE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S POSITION AT THE RUIDOSO VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. SANDI AGUILAR IS A FORMER NATIONAL TOURISM SALES MANAGER FOR THE ALBUQUERQUE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU. THE PAST TWELVE YEARS SHE’S LIVED IN KANSAS AND IDAHO. AGUILAR REPLACE BRAD TREPTOW … WHO WAS THE DIRECTOR FOR ALMOST FIVE YEARS. HE’S TAKEN A P-R POSITION WITH THE LINCOLN COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER.
THE LINCOLN COUNTY SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY AND P-N-M ARE TEAMING UP TO OFFER FLOURESCENT LIGHT RECYCLING. THE LIGHT TUBES AND COMPACT BULBS CONTAIN A SMALL AMOUNT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE … LIKE MERCURY. THE RECYCLING PLAN SEEKS TO KEEP THE ITEMS OUT OF THE REGIONAL LANDFILL. THE FLOURESCENTS CAN BE DROPPED OFF AT THE P-N-M CONSTRUCTION YARD … JUST NORTH OF THEIR MECHEM DRIVE PAYMENT CENTER … ON THE FIRST FRIDAY AND SATURDAY MORNING OF EACH MONTH … FROM EIGHT UNTIL TEN.
THE MANAGER OF THE MESCALERO APACHE SAWMILL IS HONORED BY A REGIONAL TIMBER GROUP. THE WESTERN WOOD PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION BESTOWS THE 2008 MASTER LUMBERMAN TITLE TO JIMMY BRIDGE WITH MESCALERO FOREST PRODUCTS. TWO OTHER ALSO GET THE DISTINCTION. BRIDGE HAS LONG BEEN A LUMBER GRADER AT MESCALERO. THE WESTERN WOOD PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION REPRESENTS LUMBER MANUFACTURERS IN THIRTEEN WESTERN STATES.
THE HISPANIC HERITAGE OF THE HONDO VALLEY COMES ALIVE TOMORROW. THE HONDO FIESTA PROVIDES A DINNER AND DANCE CELEBRATION. THE EVENT … AT THE HONDO VALLEY SCHOOL … STARTS WITH DINNER AT FOUR … AND FOLK DANCES AND MUSIC AFTER THAT. IT IS THE FIFTY-SIXTH YEAR FOR THE HONDO FIESTA.
Questions or comments, or to deliver a news tip, phone the KWES-KBUY newsroom at 575.258.2222, or news director Jim Kalvelage at home – 575.336.8448. The newsroom’s e-mail address is news@kwes.net
