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A C O M M U N I T Y - I N P U T N E W S PA P E R
March 1 - 15 • 2012
•
BLANCO
•
BLOOMFIELD
•
CEDAR HILL
•
CENTER POINT
•
FLORA VISTA
Vol. 20 No. 5
AZTEC
S I N C E 19 93
• NAVA JO DAM • LA PLATA
BULK RATE
2012
PERMIT #106
TALON
PO BOX 275 • AZTEC, NEW MEXICO 87410 • 505-334-1039
505-334-1039 (main) • 334-1551 (fax/phone) • e-mail: [email protected] • www.aztecnews.com
US POSTAGE
PAID
AZTEC, NM
FREE
twice
a month
In this issue
• Letters: 2 • Living Green: 7 • Booknook: 14 • Bird Talk: 16
• City of Aztec: 19 • Obits, Crossword: 21
Classifieds, Advertisers: 22 • Events: 23
Mission Haiti 2012: Home from Haiti - “Bondye bon!”
by AliceMarie Slaven-Emond, part 1
Two girls from the orphange wearing their new pillowcase dresses made by Pam Madison and flip flops all
courtesy of our Four Corners community.
Right: Lilia, translator at the clinic.
The older kids take care of the younger
at the new orphanage
In Creole that means “God is good!” Things are better
in the little town of Ouanaminthe, Haiti where I have
gone for the last three years to provide health care services. This year the trip to Haiti was from January 27th to
February 5th. There is a new sewer pipe system being
installed, they were regularly cleaning out the main
street “trough,” there is a new second garbage truck for
waste disposal, things were less littered, there were no
UN troops seen and there was a uniformed policeman on
the main street. The refugees from the quake zone seem
to have been absorbed.
The staff in the clinic were pleased to see us. For the
doctors, we lighten their loads. We do needed surgeries.
I come in with an orthopedic mission team. They do surgery and I do primary family care.
We see typhoid, malaria, anemia, skin ulcers, respiratory infections, skin infections (especially body fungus
in the orphans), malnutrition, dehydration from diarrhea,
goiters, arthritis, parasites, lymph node infections,
abscesses on the body, premature infants, scabies, HIV,
STD’s, bleeding disorders, diabetes, high blood pressure,
We are always on the look out for cholera and leprosy.
As a mission team we bring some medications with us
but the majority can be found in the Univers Centre
Pharmacy or local pharmacy. Our team this time had a
pharmacist with us.
We bring many supplies with us and you may recall
the threat of the cost of transporting the 19 supply bags
was astronomical. In the end, the cost was minimal and
the money has been returned to the local account.
Money donated has been spent on the following: digital thermometers, protein bars, brown baby dolls, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, children’s vitamins, children’s fever medicines, peanut butter, blood
pressure cuffs, border crossing fees and transportation
for the team, girl’s volleyball teams under garments, our
pharmacy bill, paying for surgeries ($14 each), paying
for transportation of the patients to other facilities and to
home after surgery on the motorbike “taxis,” team medication, team costs to the Institution (room and board),
baggage fees, duffel bags for transporting supplies,
translators, spoons and plates for the children at the
school, children’s tuition, high school (adult night
school), tuition for one female adult translator, and still
have money to send remaining supplies that were donated late. We left money in a special fund for clinic fees
for the orphans in two homes.
Who gave the most? Truly, widowers and the elderly
people of our community. Many good business people
donated monies without even being approached.
Healthcare providers sent supplies by the boxful. (We
still have plenty to ship off to the flying missionary
services. We’ll need sponsors for the boxes and the air
freight from Florida base.) Our community, as usual,
The eagles have landed
by Park Ranger Andrew Swan
Thank you Up With People
The Aztec Boys & Girls Club would like to thank Up
With People for sending volunteers to the club to do
community service on Wednesday, February 15th.
Seventeen volunteers between the ages of 17 – 29 from
all over the world came and spent half of the day painting the “much-needed” gymnasium. The group of students was in positive spirits the whole duration and did
an amazing job.
A total of 120 volunteers spent the week of February
13th through 17th completing community service projects across San Juan County. The group’s visit concluded with an international cultural show produced and performed by the students on Friday, February 17th at the
Farmington Civic Center. All the proceeds were donated
to the Aztec Boys and Girls Club, the Boys & Girls
Clubs of Bloomfield and Farmington, the Kirtland Youth
Association, and the San Juan College Foundation.
The winter is a quieter time at Aztec Ruins. The summer crowds have long since returned to their other lives,
and a blanket of white snow gently settles on these
ancient buildings. There is, however, one new visitor to
the ruins. Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) have
returned from somewhere north to fish the Animas River
and gaze down at the ruins from high above.
Today, as I walk from the main ruin (Aztec West) to
the East Ruin (unexcavated) I can see a pair circling
high above. It’s January, and every day the rangers have
noticed these two sitting on a branch above the Animas
River. If you turn onto Ruins Road from the highway
you may see them on your right – stoically watching for
any movement in the water. Eagles are sight predators,
with at least four times better vision than people. They
can see a fish in the water from hundreds of feet up. But
why are they circling above the ruins today?
Suddenly, a third one joins them. This one is a juvenile and lacks the white head and tail. It usually takes 45 years for eagles to gain their white mantle and tail.
They frequently spend this time around their parents –
learning more of the skills they will need to survive.
There are other, smaller birds around them – buzzing the
eagles repeatedly. All birds of prey face this same
harassment by other birds, trying to defend their nests.
I don’t know if any of these birds will nest in the area
The children love having new visitors!
Dishes done by
the children, ready
for the next meal.
Sleeping quarters at the new orphanage
stepped to the plate to help those they don’t even know.
(“When you do this to the least of my brethren, you do
unto Me!”…that’s putting the good Book into action!)
For more information on the institutions, go online
and Google the following: Danita’s Children (or Hope
for Haiti’s Children Center), Coalition of Children in
Need Association (or C.O.C.I.N.A. or Institute Universe)
and www.newjerusalemfound.org (this is the newest and
poorest of the orphanages). You can Google the United
Nations site for the NGO’s (non-government organizations) in Ouanaminthe, Haiti.
I will be available to speak with a short Powerpoint
presentation to any group who invites me to come. My
office phone is 564-3628 and my e-mail can be reached
through the TALON editor. More stories to come in
future additions.
this year. It’s rare
in New Mexico.
New Mexico State
Fish and Game has
documented several
nests in the past –
at least one was in
San Juan County.
The nest, or aerie,
is usually located
in the tallest tree
they can find and
can be enormous.
Some documented
nests have been nine feet in diameter and weighed over
a ton. Typically, eagles lay two eggs (sometimes three)
but often only the stronger chick survives. This juvenile
was probably one of those stronger chicks from a previous year.
The Ancestral Pueblo people may have held a special
place for eagles. Their descendants certainly do. Eagles
are thought to be symbols of rain and lightning (important for a farming culture) and many modern Pueblos
honor them with an Eagle Dance. If you visit one of the
pueblos during a feast day, you may see one of these
dancers. With the mask of an eagle and actual feathers
trailing down their arms, the dancers spread their wings
and seem ready to take flight. I watch as the two eagles
soar higher and higher – disappearing into the light of
the sun. They’ll be back.
PAGE 2
Questions? Answers?
Contact Candy, 334-1039
[email protected]
CASA volunteers
needed
The San Juan
Court Appointed
Special Advocate
(CASA) volunteer
program is
recruiting people
interested in helping children who have been the victims
of abuse and neglect. CASA’s mission is
to support effective volunteer advocacy
for the best interest of abused and neglected children and to assist in helping a
child to reach a safe and permanent
home. Interested individuals willing to be
a powerful voice in a child’s life can contact Amy O’Neill or Jeannie Wright at
the San Juan CASA Program, 592-0168
or 592-0167. Our Spring CASA PreService Training will start April 10th.
CASA volunteers provide hope for a
brighter future for our children! Please
help us make a difference!
Financial
Literacy Classes
ECHO HOPE will be holding Financial
Literacy Classes on March 6 through
April 24, 2012 at San Juan College. The
classes will be held each Tuesday from
6:00 to 8:30pm. Learn to empower yourself and control your finances. Discover
ways to improve you credit score.
Understand how your emotions affect
your financial attitude. Learn the steps
needed for homeownership.
Call San Juan College at 505-566-3214
to reserve a space.
The cost of the class $15.00.
• Happy 21st Birthday to our young
man, Dakota on February 27th! We love
& miss you so much. Love, Mom, Dad,
Jeremy & Kaylee
• Happy belated Birthday to our sweet
great-niece, Danica Joy Wilmer, born on
Valentines Day, 7 years ago. We couldn't
have received a sweeter Valentine. Love
always, Auntie Melody, Uncle Kevin,
Jeremy, Dakota & Kaylee
• Happy birthday to our amazing stepmom, Pat Turner! You are a saint in our
book. I guess that's why you were born
on St. Patricks Day...that says it all. We
love you and hope your day is the best.
Love, Melody & family, April, Kenny &
Nancy and family
Belated February Birthdays:
Dakota Ahlgrim
Danica Wilmer
Martha Parker
Jill Zurface Herrin
Josh Harris
Jake Harris
Rachael Lierz
Warren Abernathy
Yvette Goldsmith
Paula McSharry
Rhonda Stephenson
Ruth Truby
Donnie Herrington
Happy March Birthdays:
Pat Turner
Ricky Turner
Jasmine Mobley
Riva Titus
Dustin Titus
Vicki Atencio
Jonasee Woods
Cory Parker
Jesse Parker
Bobbi Freeman
Barbara Hensley
Carla Hazen
Lee Crane's 89th birthday is March 3!
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
THE MAIL (AND E-MAIL) ROOM
Rose Garden work Senior Citizens do
the Library
day March 12th
A volunteer work day has been scheduled for the Aztec Memorial Rose
Garden on Monday March 12th starting at 10a.m. Work will include cutting
back the dead growth from last year, and
getting a head start on weeding for this
year.
If you are interested in helping you can
show up at the Garden that day, or contact Matthew Clark at 634-8273 for more
information. Water will be provided. If
you have tools you like to use please
bring them.
For more info on the Rose Garden visit
us on Facebook at www.facebook.com.
aztecmemorialrosegarden.
Near-sighted people
For some years now I have spoken to
newspaper editors about an idea for the
obituary page.
Placing a small military logo to identify the military service in which a veteran
served would be a salute to that veteran
and make it easier for “near-sighted” and
“short-sighted” readers to identify those
quiet heroes.
In most big town newspapers it sets a
family back something like $1.00 a line
to buy an obituary. One would think that
placing an easily recognizable Veteran ID
there (for no cost) would be appreciated
by a public that scans more often than
reads news.
Bruce L Salisbury, © 03 February 2012
Are you a Veteran or a
Veteran with a family at
risk of homelessness?
Goodwill Industries of New Mexico
offers a program that can help to improve
very-low-income Veteran families' housing stability.
You may qualify for assistance if you
are a homeless Veteran or at risk of
homelessness, who was discharged under
conditions other than dishonorable.
Goodwill may be able to help you and
your family with:
• Case Management.
• Assistance with obtaining VA and
other public benefits.
• Temporary financial assistance,
which may include: time-limited payments for rent, utilities, moving expenses,
security and utility deposits, transportation, child care and emergency supplies.
• Linking to needed healthcare services, daily living services, financial planning, housing counseling, job development, child care, legal services, fiduciary
and payee services.
To learn more, call 326-6116 or visit us
at 1861 Hutton Rd. in Farmington.
OOPS!
In the last issue of TALON we mentioned that Christina Tillia, who is a massage therapist at Harmony Naprapathic,
did nutritional counseling. Our mistake,
she doesn't do nutritional counseling but
she does have magic hands to soothe out
your knotted muscles!
We also neglected to mention
Christina's direct phone line. To make an
appointment with Christina you should
call her at: 505-330-0727.
Annual Member Meeting
There will be an election of officers.
Southside Mutual Domestic Water Assoc.
300 S. Ash St. Aztec, NM
March 20, 2012 • 7:00 pm.
Feelin' the winter blahs
oh what a bummer
Can't wait for Blues Fest
coming this summer
A Senior couple had wanted to read a
much-talked about new book that they
had long awaited!
They tried to borrow the book from the
“small-town” library but were rebuffed
with this message: “We have but one
copy of this book and it is out on loan.”
They finally decided they would go to
the library and have the book put “on
hold.” Yes! That should do it!
Arriving at the front desk in the library
building the lady pulled her library card
from her purse and handed it to the person-in-charge, asking her to: “place me
on the waiting list for this book.” That
was when she was notified that her
library card had run out and would have
to be renewed!
Quick as a wink her husband stepped
forward and handed his own library card
to the lady. Guys are like that! After a
quick records search the woman told the
old gentleman: “Your card has not run
out, but you do owe a book fine.” The
lady announced that his fine amounted to
sixteen dollars and some cents. They
realized that their own copy of the book
could be purchased for fewer than twenty
dollars at Amazon Dot Com.
One day years ago that same lady had
shared a side-splitting story about when
she and her spouse were conducting a
Yard Sale in their home, and with things
being slow they were sharing the work.
One would read the “library book” while
the other vended yard-sale items. When
they had finished the day, an inventory
found that one of them had sold that
library book.
Bruce Salisbury, © 30 January 2012
Remember me!?
My name is Frances Taylor Henson.
My bro Don and I graduated from AHS
in 1954. I've just discovered the fun of an
ipad. I would love to contact any of you
who are interested who were part of my
life in the "good old days."
I OFTEN get out my 1954 TIGER’S
ROAR and wander down Memory Lane.
I am an R.N. and married to Doyle who
is a John Deere mechanic. I'm looking
forward to hearing from you. Reach me
at ;;;[email protected].
Style Show benefit
There will be a Style Show to benefit
Masada House on Saturday, March 31st
at Bethany Christian Church – 711
East 30th Street. It will begin at 3 PM –
fashions by DeNaes and Dillards –
refreshments will be served. $10 donation, FMI call Maxine at 325-3789.
Don’t Forget to VOTE!!
Aztec Municipal
Elections
March 6, 2012
City of Aztec candidates
for commissioner and
judge municipal election
City Commissioners & Municipal Judge
MARCH 6, 2012 – Election Date
Commissioner District #1: (4 year term)
Sheri L. Rogers
Diana C. Mesch
Roberta S. Clover
Commissioner District #3 : (4 year term)
Sherri A. Sipe
Pamela Jean Wright
Municipal Judge (4 year term)
Carlton P. Gray
Mike R. Fauteaux
James T. Wright
Jesse Kuzma
www.aztecnm.gov/election
• T h e TA LO N R e g u l a r s •
Susan Barnes, Natural Health
What the Blazes, Bert Bennett
334-9271
Recreation with Ryno
[email protected]
Mike Heal, Chief’s Corner
334-7620
Robert Oxford, Water Rights
330-2284
Marti Kirchmer, SJCE
334-3831x200
John Rees, Bird Talk
632-8335
Emma Deyo, SJ Soil & Water
334-3090
Bruce Salisbury
334-2398
Cindy Iacovetto, Senior Center
334-2881
Ron Price, Marriage Matters
327-7870
Sustainable Living, Elisa Bird
716-3915
These folks share their time on a regular basis
to write in their field of interest. If you have subjects and tidbits they might be interested in, give
them a call. If you would like to try your hand at
writing, give us a call at 334-1039. Many others
have submitted stories, poems and information on
an occasional or one-time basis. Thanks to everyone, it sure makes for good reading.
Don’t Be Left Out
Next Preferred Deadline
is March 7th
You are encouraged to be early, but
send items in even if it’s past deadline - if there’s space, there’s a way!
505-334-1039
TALON, PO Box 275, Aztec 87410
[email protected]
Dropbox at Zip & Ship
SINCE
1993
TA L O N
The Aztec Local News
PO Box 275 • Aztec,
NM 87410
• 505-334-1039 •
fax/voice 334-1551
[email protected]
web page:
www.aztecnews.com
The Aztec Local News (TALON) is published semimonthly, on the 1st and middle
of each month. As a community-input newspaper, serving the Aztec, Bloomfield, Cedar
Hill, Center Point, Flora Vista, La Plata,
Navajo Dam, and Blanco areas, we welcome stories, news, events, poetry, photos,
etc. from area residents.
6500 copies of The Aztec Local News are
delivered to over 150 locations in the area
for free pickup and mailed to those who
prefer the convenience of a subscription.
Editor & Publisher: Candy Frizzell, 334-1039
Writers: Katee McClure, 330-4616,
Debra Mayeux, 320-6512
Advertising info: 505-334-1039
Distribution: Lee Potter,
Stephanie Sandoval, Melody Ahlgrim
Proofreaders: Gina Martinez, Linda Lawson,
Debbie Israel
© Copyright 1993-2012 by The Aztec Local News.
All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced without the
written permission of the editor.
Printed by The Gallup Independent.
The Aztec Local News is a compilation of
articles, poems, stories, opinions, etc. written by area
residents. The opinions expressed in these articles
are those of the individual authors, and do not
necessarily reflect those of The Aztec Local News.
If information is presented as fact and it is relevant
to you, verify it. Although we strive for correctness and
honesty, this community paper does not have the
resources to check all incoming info. Be aware also
that what’s in TALON, ends up on the internet.
Subscribe to TALON
Make it easy on yourself and get The Aztec
Local News delivered to your house or
business, relative or friend.
Name: __________________________
Address: ____________________
City, State, Zip: ____________
Send a check for $16 / year (24 issues) to:
TALON, PO Box 275, Aztec, NM 87410
City of Aztec
Pot Hole Hotline
334-7660
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 3
The Governor and the State Engineer have failed San Juan County
I once thought public officials and government
employees were there to serve the public. The new State
Engineer, Scott Verhines, apparently thinks otherwise.
He was appointed to that position, I believe in October
of 2011. He began showing up for work in December, so
on Dec. 28 I wrote him, Ariane Singer, and John Utton,
lawyers for the State Engineer, and Estavan Lopez, head
of the Interstate Stream Commission staff, a letter with
questions and concerns about the Navajo Settlement
Agreement. I have called Mr. Verhines six times over a
two week period in January 2012 and his secretary
assured me she had given him the message to return my
calls but to date the new State Engineer is refusing to
address my concerns. None of the other officials I sent
copies of this letter to have called me or bothered to
address my issues. Apparently they do not have any
good answers and choose to hide out on these issues I
brought up. I find that the State Engineer and Santa Fe
officials are not discharging their duties as they should
in my opinion. They have bought into the idea they must
align themselves with the Federal Government water
officials and the Navajo tribe on the Navajo Water
Rights Settlement because John Whipple, previous ISC
Engineer, and John Utton, a contract lawyer for the
State, negotiated a deal that is adverse to state law, in
my opinion. The settlement clearly has allotted too much
water for what the Navajos are using, ever used, or will
put to use in the future. This leaves the Navajo tribe
with excess water, not used, to market to the highest bidder, and this is probably Nevada or California. Why
should we, in San Juan County, want our water marketed out of state, or even to the Rio Grande Valley? The
State and the Navajo’s have appeased the City of
Farmington into not opposing the Navajo Settlement,
just as happened when Navajo Lake was built and
Farmington got a small power pittance, instead of concessions for Storage of Water in Navajo Reservoir for
San Juan County.
Politics and hardball have been played in San Juan
County to the detriment of irrigators and Aztec and
Bloomfield. The State Engineer and his counsel are
placed there to protect the State’s water, incidentally
because the State and public own the water flowing
through the State, and especially San Juan County, and
only grants users the right to use the water. If this settlement goes through, as written, 606,000 acre-feet diversion, out of about 650,000 acre-feet consumptive use as
our compact limit to put to use will be lost to ever be
returned to the State of New Mexico. It will be owned
and controlled by the Navajo Nation and Federal
Government, as proposed in the Settlement agreement,
and the State of New Mexico has lost control when your
State Water Engineer, and even your governor, Susana
Martinez, has failed to protect our water.
Robert E. Oxford
505-330-2284.
Robert E. Oxford is a Professional Engineer and former
head of the Aztec/ San Juan Basin Office of the
State Engineer (1988-2000)
Every day’s a good day
to send flowers!
Elect Sheri Rogers
TALON is read in Far Out Places
by Far Out People!!
In September 2011,
Kenny Turner and his
wife, Nancy Rhien, flew
to Georgia to visit his
dad and step-mom,
George and Pat Turner.
While there, they decided to make a trip to
Tybee Island, Georgia
and ended up spending
3 days there. It is 18
miles from historic
Savannah. Tybee Island
is 3 miles long, consisting of pure white sandy
beaches, beautiful views
of the Atlantic Ocean
and lots of fine wine
and dining to be had by
all. It's a must-see destination that will not disappoint. They are definitely planning a return
trip in the near future.
Vote
March
6th!
Aztec City
Commissioner
District 1
The right person, at the right time,
for the right reason.
Pam Wright
for City Commissioner
District 3
Vote March 6th
Aztec Urgent Care is a
Certified Urgent Care
• Lifetime Aztec Resident
• Masters Degree in Social Work
• Masters Degree in Public Administration
Paid for by citizens to elect Pam Wright
Aztec Urgent Care located in
Aztec, New Mexico has been designated as a Certified Urgent Care by
the Urgent Care Association of
America. Aztec Urgent Care has
met all the Certified Urgent Care
criteria as established by the Urgent
Care Association of America. The
Urgent Care Association of America has established the
Certified Urgent Care designation to identify urgent care
facilities whose operating model is consistent with standard expectations for urgent care.
Aztec Urgent Care treats illness and injury that
requires immediate, but not emergency care. Aztec
Urgent Care’s providers can fill a need for patients that
exists between a primary care physicians and the hospital emergency department, especially during times when
an appointment at a primary physician is not available.
Aztec Urgent care is equipped with diagnostic x-ray
and lab services and has a provider available during all
hours of operation to perform minor procedures such as
setting fractures and suturing lacerations.
Aztec Urgent Care is open from 8 am till 6 pm every
day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday. They
are located at 604 S. Rio Grande in Aztec, across from
the post office. Their phone is 505-334-2664 and the
website is www.aztecurgentcare.com.
Call 334-1039 or email
[email protected]
to get your stories, ads, events, etc. in TALON
Please Vote on Tuesday, March 6th
PAGE 4
Aztec Fire Dept.
What the Blazes! by Bert Bennett
Volunteer Firefighters
For our February report we have made a total of 43
runs, there were 8 fire calls and 35 rescue calls as of the
23rd of the month.
I never know when the tones will sound, making my
heart race and pound.
Leaving my family with a shout GOOD BYE- I LOVE
YOU.
Gone again, they don’t know where or why.
It could be a fire, or just an alarm.
But we will be there, to keep you from harm.
We want you to know you are never alone.
We will pull you to safety and save your home.
Some people call us basement or foundation savers, and
yet we still respond to save those neighbors
We may not get paid for doing this chore. Bet we do it
better than before.
Even if fire strikes in the middle of the night we will be
there to win the fight.
The fire could turn out to be an all-nighter.
But that is the life of a Volunteer Firefighter
We train all the time, on a regular basis, not only in
fire but also as emergency medical providers. Our
department has 7 licensed EMS providers and we are
working hard to get more since a majority of our calls
are medical. But just because we have nonlicensed
members does not mean they are not highly trained, they
go through the same monthly training as the EMS members.
The reward for us is to bring smiles to sad faces. So
even when disaster is near we will be there to wipe
away your tears.
So when things are at their worst and you don’t know
what to do you can always call on us.
We will see you through.
And if all we can do is make your life a little brighter
We want you to know this is the job of, your neighbor,
a VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER.
A note to all the firefighters out there: if you have
anything you would like to have in this column get it to
me and I’ll do my best to get it in (sometimes I’m a little slow and forgetful, an old age thing I guess).
All Volunteer • Since 1925 • All The Time
Your Aztec VOLUNTEER fire department and the citizens of Aztec need your help. Our membership is down
a little. We could use a few more good dedicated men &
women (5 to 10) to help care for and protect our city.
We need some more First Responders & EMT’s, especially for day calls. If you can help, come by the main
fire station on Ash Street behind Blake’s and your firefighters will tell you everything you want to know about
becoming a VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER.
THE MOST REWARDING JOB YOU CAN FIND
THAT YOU WON’T GET PAID FOR.
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
Superintendent’s Corner
by Kirk M. Carpenter, Superintendent Aztec Schools
Bullying and How to Combat It
Unfortunately bullying is something that many kids go
through as they grow up. This is a problem that is very
hard to combat and it is going to take all of us to change
this unnecessary evil that exists in our society. Bullying
fosters a climate of fear and disrespect that can seriously
impair the physical and psychological health of its victims and create conditions that negatively affect learning. Over half of the children that attend school fall victim to a bully during their school years. In almost all of
the most violent school tragedies that have occurred in
schools across our country, such as Columbine, those
that committed these acts were victims of bullies. All
public schools in the state of New Mexico are required
to have policies and programs against bullying. Our
schools in Aztec are no different and we do take a strong
stand against bullying, but often bullying is unreported
which makes it difficult to respond appropriately.
Both boys and girls bully, but their approach is different. Girls are more likely to bully in groups, are more
indirect, utilize emotional forms of bullying, use more
verbal forms and usually bully other females. Though
this has been the trend, research is showing that bullying
by girls is becoming more physical. Boys use more
threats and physical intimidation on both boys and girls.
We all pay for bullying as it is a societal issue.
Research by “Fight Crime/Invest in Kids” reports that
60% of the boys who bullied from first to ninth grade
were convicted of at least one crime by age 24 and 40%
of them had been convicted three or more times by the
same age.
Bullying is very difficult to detect because the average
episode lasts about 37 seconds and teachers and other
school staff only intervene about 25% of the time. The
victims of bullying can be both a bully and a victim and
as a result, they start inflicting some of the same behaviors on others. Believe it or not, those that bully are at a
higher risk for depression, high conflict relationships,
substance abuse, hyperactive behavior and school truancy. For various reasons, very often those who witness
bullying incidents do nothing to intercede. We have to
change this culture. It is a sad time when bystanders
reach for a cell phone to video, instead of calling for
help or stepping in to help. We can encourage students
who are brave enough to report bullying by ensuring
that they remain anonymous.
Write your own history book
What do you do with those interesting glimpses of
people in your family that your kids will never get to
know? You write a book. Yes you can. DonnaLee
Wheeler will present this program at Totah Tracers
Genealogical Society on Saturday, March 10, 2012, at
10 A.M. at San Juan College Health & Human Resource
Building in Room 55321. Visitors are welcome. For further info, please call 505-860-2020.
So how do students and parents combat bullying?
If students are bullied they should:
1) Tell parents. Telling is not tattling. 2)
Tell a trusted teacher, counselor, principal, or have their parents talk to school officials. 3) Do
not retaliate or get angry. 4) Respond evenly and firmly
or say nothing and walk away. 5) If it's happening
online, don't reply but print out a copy of the posting or
email. 5) Develop friendships and stick up for each
other. 6) Act confident. 7) If the harassment is happening on the way to or from school, take a different route.
8) Avoid unsupervised areas of school. 9) Do not bring
expensive items to school.
Parents also play an important role: 1) Encourage
your child to share problems with you with the assurance that it is not tattling. 2) Praise and encourage your
child - a confident child is less likely to be bullied. 3)
Help your child develop new friendships - new peers
can provide a new chance. 4) Maintain contact with your
child's school. Keep a detailed record of bullying
episodes and communication with the school. 5)
Encourage your child to participate in sports or physical
activity to improve self-esteem.
This is not where it stops. Victims need to continue to
report to teachers and administrators and should be specific about what is going on, who is doing the bullying,
any witnesses, where it is taking place and give any
other information to school administration that they feel
will be useful. This will allow schools to set up plans to
prevent or observe the bullying that is taking place. That
will not only help to end the bullying, but will allow
schools to provide services to the bully as well. Schools
can do many things to try and combat the bullying, but it
takes constant communication from students and parents.
If we are going to break this trend of bullying then we
must all take action and break the silence. This is not
something that will go away by itself so it is going to
take continued education, but more importantly more
action to make it stop.
You can also use the Aztec High School tip-line, 3349414 extension 1399, to report incidents of bullying.
Senior Citizens Prom
Senior Citizens can dance the night away, when San
Juan College Student Activities department hosts their
annual “Senior Prom.” This year’s theme, Night of the
Luau; Hula Into Spring will be held Saturday, March
10, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., in the San Juan College
Sun’s Room and Mary’s Kitchen.
The dance is open to the community and admission is
free. The Grant and Randy Band will provide dance
music. Refreshments will be served. Pictures will be
available for $1.
FMI, contact San Juan College Student Activities at
566-3403.
Healthy lifestyle changes can combat state's growing childhood obesity problem
by Debra Mayeux
The statistics are out and the results are startling. New
Mexico's children are suffering from obesity and the
health-related problems that go along with it.
The Department of Health recently released the 2011
Childhood Obesity Report compiled by Healthy Kids
New Mexico. More than 3,600 kindergarten and thirdgrade students from 28 New Mexico elementary schools
were monitored for the report. It was stated that 15 percent of the state's kindergarten students are obese and
21.9 percent of third graders are obese.
"Unfortunately, the report tells us that we are facing a
public health epidemic regarding children who fall into
the overweight and obese categories," Health Secretary
Dr. Catherine Torres stated in the report. "We also found
that obesity is occurring at very young ages among children, signifying that they are developing unhealthy eating habits earlier, which makes it more difficult for them
to adopt a healthy lifestyle later."
Children also are weighing more than they should as
they get older. Amongst the third grade students measured it was found that the obese student's average weight
was 101 pounds, with some children weighing as much
as 140 pounds. The weight of an average-sized third
grader should be approximately 60.4 pounds.
The Department of Health has made childhood obesity
one of its main priorities over the past four years, and
organizations such as Healthy Kids New Mexico offer
ways to combat the problem.
Parents, schools and the community can work together
to reverse the effects of obesity. It all starts in the home,
where children today have sedentary lifestyles and typically eat unhealthy foods and drink sugary, carbonated
beverages. Changes in eating and exercise habits could
turn this trend around, according to advice from the
state.
New Mexico's schools already are monitored by state
and federal government programs that encourage healthy
eating habits. Carbonated beverages are not allowed in
the schools and school meals are tailored to meet USDA
standards for recommended servings of proteins, grains,
fruits, vegetables.
"We have to applaud what's being done and build on
it," said Elisa Bird, of Sustainable San Juan, an organization dedicated to promoting a sustainable lifestyle in
the local community.
Bird encourages schools and the public to shop local
for foods and that means purchasing fruits and vegetables from local growers. "Local food systems give your
kids the healthiest, freshest food around," she said. "You
need nutritious foods to help kids grow."
Buying local foods also gives children a better understanding of their community. "It connects our children
with where their food comes from," Bird said.
Farm to School is an organization that supports this
type of work, and since San Juan County is an agricultural region, there are farms such as Sutherland Farms,
Elder's Greenhouse and Kerby Orchards that can provide
education and fruits and vegetables to school children
Other initiatives include community gardening, where
the children and their families have access to land,
where they are encouraged to grow their own produce
for consumption. By learning how to grow their own
food, families also discover the seasonal aspects of food.
They will find out what vegetables and fruits are available during different times of the year, so that grapes are
not being imported to New Mexico from Argentina.
Once families learn to grow fruits and vegetables, the
NMSU Cooperative Extension Service offers pamphlets
and educational materials on how to can and preserve
those fresh foods for winter months.
Once people start eating locally grown foods, they
would be consuming less preservatives and more organic foods, cutting out such things as genetically engineered produce, explained Bird, who said, "Genetically
manufactured organisms (GMO) are a health risk to our
children. Getting non-GMOs in the schools is really
important."
Food is only half of the problem. Children need exercise and it is recommended that they are active for at
least 60 minutes per
day. Parents can support this lifestyle by
changing daily habits.
Farmington Walk
and Roll encourages
parents to allow their
children to walk or
ride their bikes to
school. They can get
exercise themselves by
walking or riding with
their child.
Studies show that
children who walk to
school get their blood
pumping and are better prepared to learn once they enter
the classroom. With physical education and recess during the day at school, they would only need to walk
home in the afternoon to meet the 60 minutes of activity.
Walking children to school is not just a health alternative to driving. It is safer for pedestrians and better for
the environment. Less cars around the school means less
pollution and less traffic congestion, according to
Farmington Walk and Roll, a local chapter of Safe
Routes to School.
Local governments can get involved by providing
trails and safe walking routes to and from schools. Aztec
has been successful in developing a trail system that is
continually being improved upon.
The problem must be addressed by the community as
a whole, according to the Department of Health report,
which said that "genuine solutions to the challenging
and complex problems of childhood obesity require the
concerted efforts of families, schools, communities and
state government."
Once everyone is on board and involved healthy
lifestyle changes can be made. "It's a real re-education,
and we've got to make it fun," Bird said.
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
Operation 550 nets
arrests and citations
There were 420 citations issued between Jan. 27 and
Feb. 25, 2012, on U.S. 550 as part of the joined efforts
of the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, the New
Mexico State Police and Navajo Law Enforcement. The
three organizations developed Operation US 550 to
combat recent drunken driving accidents on the highway.
During the one-month operation, there also were five
DWI arrests, four felony arrests, seven misdemeanor
arrests and 20 seatbelt and child restraint violations.
The State Police encourage anyone traveling on US
550 to be aware and pay close attention to all vehicle
traffic you encounter. If you suspect an impaired driver
please call the Drunk Buster hotline #DWI (#374) or
877-394-4258.
Worley gets his day
on Leap Year
By Debra Mayeux
An Aztec man, who tirelessly works to recognize area
veterans, was taken seriously by the mayor of
Farmington over a Leap Year request.
Bruce Salisbury sent an email to Mayor Tommy
Roberts asking him to take the once-in-every-four-years
opportunity to recognize a young man often forgotten much like Feb. 29. "Kenneth Worley was forgotten over
and over and over," Bruce told the Farmington City
Council on Feb. 28, when he accepted a proclamation
from Roberts.
"I took Bruce up on his suggestion and wrote a proclamation," Mayor Roberts said. The proclamation dated
for Feb. 29 recognizes Lance Cpl. Kenneth Lee Worley
Day in the city of Farmington. Worley was born and
raised in Farmington, leaving the community as an
orphan at the age of 14. Bruce's siblings knew the young
man and regarded him highly.
Unfortunately after Worley left, the town forgot him,
never claiming him until November 2009, when he
received a plaque at the All Veterans Memorial Park in
Farmington. You see, Worley received the Medal of
Honor for Valor in service to the Marine Corps in the
Vietnam War. He died Aug. 12, 1968, in combat, saving
many of his comrades by throwing his body on an active
grenade and taking the full force of it.
A recently published book by Terance W. Barrett
chronicles Worley's short life in Farmington and in the
military. Councilor Mary Fischer said of the book: "I
thought it was a wonderful read about about a very sad
young man, who was a credit to our community."
That is why Mayor Roberts asked the community to
remember Worley.
PAGE 5
New programs at
Bloomfield Family
Aquatic Center
The Friends of
the Bloomfield
Pool are sponsoring some new programs at the
Bloomfield Family
Aquatic Center.
Senior low
impact moving-in-the-water classes begin Mondays
and Wednesdays, March 5, at 1:30 p.m. at the
Bloomfield Family Aquatic Center. Admission is $2.
Swim suits or shorts and T-shirts and a bath towel
needed. These classes will be guided by volunteer
teachers.
Additional time in the water is available for selfguided exercise Mondays-Thursdays 1:30-3:30. You
may water walk, use the pool equipment, walk the
deck, swim laps, or whatever you wish. Admission
for these sessions is $2, also. For best results, bring a
buddy to encourage you to get out of the recliner and
into the warm water!
We are starting a Mom & Tot class on Tuesdays
and Wednesdays at 9:30-10:30 a.m. Admission is $2.
Please call the pool at 632-0313 to register for the
Monday & Wednesday classes. Other times are not
classes.
Volleyball Registration at
Aztec Boys & Girls Club
The Aztec Boys & Girls Club will start Girl’s
Volleyball Registration for grades 4 - 7 on Monday,
March 5, 2012 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Registration
will continue Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.
– 6 p.m. at the Club located at 311 S. Ash St. in
Aztec. The cost is $30 for members and $40 for
nonmembers. Volleyball will start April 9, 2012.
There will be a $10 late fee if you are not registered
by March 31, 2012.
*Note – We will not accept registrations from
3p.m – 4 p.m.
Worldly Wedding
200 Hermosa Drive
Aztec, New Mexico 87410
EORFN 1RUWK RI 2OLYHU·V
Phone: (505) 333-7147
http://www.worldlywedding.com
Call Today For An Appointment
Prom Tuxedos and
Jewelry!!!
10%
discount
with
Student
ID
The Aztec Local News is a community-input newspaper.
Thanks to everyone!! 334-1039
N
Answer on page 23
PAGE 6
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
Connected to Community Homeland Security meets with local officials, offers assistance
The City of Farmington department of Parks,
Recreation, & Cultural Affairs (PRCA) will host their
2nd annual Volunteer Fair at the Farmington Civic
Center, 200 W Arrington, on Thursday, March 8 from
4:00 to 7:00 p.m. FMI, 599-1197.
This Volunteer Fair will showcase all of the volunteer
opportunities within PRCA. Volunteers are an integral
and vital part of PRCA and the theme of the fair is
“Connected to Community.” PRCA invites the community to drop in, meet and speak with representatives
from across the department, meet and speak with volunteers, learn what the department does, and discover the
rewards volunteers enjoy by investing their time and talents in their community. Representatives will be on hand
from the following organizations:
Farmington Animal Services
Farmington Civic Center • Farmington Museum
Farmington Clean & Beautiful
Pinon Hills & Civitan Golf Courses
E3 Children’s Museum & Science Center
Riverside Nature Center
Parks Operations • Farmington Aquatic Center
Brookside Pool • Lions Pool
Farmington Recreation Center
Bonnie Dallas Senior Center
Sycamore Park Community Center
Attendees will also learn about volunteer opportunities
for such events as the Connie Mack World Series,
Renaissance Faire, Road Apple Rally, Outdoor Movie,
and the Totah Festival Indian Market.
Hot Nails!
by Amy
Find Amy at
Johnny’s
Wild Hare
at 2012 Hutton Rd.
in Farmington
793-6245 Cell
Eight ways Monsanto fails
at sustainable agriculture
From the Union of Concerned Scientists
Detailed article online at www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/science_and_impacts/impacts_genetic_engineering/eightways-monsanto-fails.html
Monsanto Company is the dominant player in commercial genetically engineered (GE) crops, the biggest
seed company in the world, and - to hear them tell it - a
leader and innovator in sustainable agriculture.
Monsanto aggressively touts its technology as vital to
achieving laudable goals such as ensuring adequate food
production, responding to the challenge of global warming, and reducing agriculture's negative impacts on the
environment.
The reality is not so flattering. In fact, Monsanto has
held back the development of sustainable agriculture,
and continues to do so, in several ways:
#1: Promoting Pesticide Resistance
Monsanto's RoundupReady and Bt technologies lead
to resistant weeds and insects that can make farming
harder and reduce sustainability.
#2: Increasing Herbicide Use
Roundup resistance has led to greater use of herbicides, with troubling implications for biodiversity, sustainability, and human health.
#3: Spreading Gene Contamination
Engineered genes have a bad habit of turning up in
non-GE crops. And when this happens, sustainable farmers—and their customers—pay a high price.
#4: Expanding Monoculture
Monsanto's emphasis on limited varieties of a few
commodity crops contributes to reduced biodiversity
and, as a consequence, to increased pesticide use and
fertilizer pollution.
#5: Marginalizing Alternatives
Monsanto's single-minded emphasis on GE fixes for
farming challenges may come at the expense of cheaper,
more effective solutions.
#6: Lobbying and Advertising
Monsanto outspends all other agribusinesses on efforts
to persuade Congress and the public to maintain the
industrial agriculture status quo.
#7: Suppressing Research
By creating obstacles to independent research on its
products, Monsanto makes it harder for farmers and policy makers to make informed decisions that can lead to
more sustainable agriculture.
#8: Falling Short on Feeding the World
Monsanto contributes little to helping the world feed
itself, and has failed to endorse science-backed solutions
that don't give its products a central role.
By Debra Mayeux
Created in 2011 with the merging of 22 federal agencies, Homeland Security became the federal governments law enforcement agency. The New Mexico office
has 119 agents, who work out of Deming, Las Cruces
and Albuquerque. The next location the agency could
see expanding its operations into is San Juan County.
Assistant Special Agent In Charge Kevin Abar told
law enforcement and elected officials that he would like
to place two agents in Farmington, and those same two
agents have been working in the region for the past five
months.
Those agents and Homeland Security in general have
assisted the Region II Narcotics Task Force with
upwards of 20 cases that involved drugs, gangs and
guns. Those cases were forwarded to the U.S. Attorney
for prosecution, Abar said.
The agents also assisted Region II with the gathering
of intelligence, because the agency has 69 international
offices in 47 countries. "Our offices are very good at
getting information back to local law enforcement,"
Abar said.
So why would Homeland Security decide to set up
operations in San Juan County?
"We know there's a lot of organized crime in the area
that we can address," Abar said. The agency also has an
interest in providing support to law enforcement by providing agents for investigations and arrests, if necessary.
"We have 323 agents in this region. If needed we
could have 323 agents up here," said Dennis Ulrich, special agent in charge. He oversees the El Paso office,
which includes jurisdiction in Texas and New Mexico.
These agents provide security forces overseeing 156,000
square miles that includes 800 miles bordering Mexico.
The agents also specialize in solving a variety of
crimes including human trafficking and human rights,
child exploitation, intellectual property rights, weapons
violations, identity theft and smuggling of drugs, antiquities and cash.
Homeland Security wants to come into San Juan
Depression The Way Out
by Ron Price, Marriage Matters
Those of you who are regulars to this column may
experience a little bit of Déjà Vu all over again. It was
last July that I wrote about an upcoming course called
Depression the Way Out. This is an 8 week course that
absolutely helps folks overcome depression and anxiety.
It also helps participants make better sense of issues and
challenges they have faced all their lives.
Let’s face it. None of us click on all 8 cylinders in life.
We all have stuff in our lives which keep us from functioning at our best. One of the most common is that we
have believed lies about ourselves for years. Decades for
some of us.
As children we experienced hurts and rejections which
led us to believe we just aren’t really good enough – at
least in comparison to others. Just about everyone of us
has heard that internal voice telling us we’re not this
enough or we’re too much that and that if anyone really
knew who we were they wouldn’t approve of us.
Most of us have been able to overcome those lies and
to function rather well in life. But they do have a way of
reappearing from time to time. My personal theory is
that we all experience some degree of PTSD, which
stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We experienced some form of trauma in our childhood, whether
intentional or otherwise. We are now post that stress
producing experience and for some the memories can be
disabling.
The Depression The Way Out course can help folks
address issues related to PTSD, provided the damage is
not dreadfully severe. (Call me some time if that is a
concern for you as I am aware of resources in San Juan
County which are designed to help in those cases.) The
course is not designed to address deep seated psychological disturbances such as Schizophrenia, Borderline
Spring Break at the Aztec
Boys & Girls Club
The Aztec Boys & Girls Club will be open for Spring
Break from March 19th through March 23rd. The Club
opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 6:00 p.m. The cost is
only $5 per day. Make sure to send a lunch or money
for the concession stand. We will be doing some great
activities during this time to celebrate National Boys &
Girls Club week. All children attending must be members. Our annual membership fee is only $10. If you
would like more information on Spring Break or want to
know how to make your child a member of the Aztec
Boys & Girls Club, please call 334-8861. Also, don’t
forget that summer will be here before you know it.
Call and ask about making payments for our Summer
Program.
County, look at particular problems and address them.
For example, there may be someone in the community
that you think is doing something wrong, but you are not
sure what it is – his agents would address that, Abar
explained.
"Even if it's not our jurisdiction, we will be here to
provide assistance," he said.
Abar has made a commitment to have a "full-time"
presence in San Juan County by providing agents and
support. The agents have enjoyed working with Region
II and even requested an opportunity to be relocated
here.
"We have agents who are volunteering to move here –
self-funded – paying their own way," Ulrich added.
He soon will approach his superiors in Washington
D.C. and request the opportunity to place those agents in
Farmington. This was something law enforcement and
elected officials welcomed with open arms.
In fact, San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen
offered office space for the agents, who also can work
out of the Region II offices in Farmington.
"For many years we've been waiting for an agency
like Homeland Security to come along. ...I'm excited
about this. It opens up the doors," Christesen said. "We
should never carry the burden by ourselves. We welcome the federal help."
Aztec Mayor Sally Burbridge echoed that sentiment
offering the agents a thank you for their time and efforts,
while Aztec City Manager Josh Ray said there was a
great benefit to having the agents in this community. It
would provide residents a peace of mind to know that
they could go about their lives and have a sense of security.
The local law enforcement has "embraced" the
agency, according to Abar, who said, "They want to
work with us."
He said it is a "symbiotic relationship" that will not
only assist Homeland Security in catching the criminals
breaking federal laws, but it also helps the area.
"We do want to impact the community," Abar said.
"We do want to make a difference."
Personality Disorder, or other ailments which require
highly specialized intervention.
It is well designed, however, for the most of us who
deal with moments of despair and seem to battle the
same internal conflicts over and over. So even folks who
do not battle depression or anxiety can benefit.
The brains behind the course is Dr Neil Nedley, a
board certified MD from Ardmore, Oklahoma. Through
extensive research Dr Nedley determined that there are
10 causes for depression. Of these there are 2 which you
cannot change or address in any form or fashion. The
other 8, however, can be addressed and brought to a
higher level of functioning.
So why am I writing about this course in a column
that’s supposed to be about marriage? Simply because as
each spouse becomes more physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually healthy, he or she is far better
able to contribute to the overall success of his or her
marriage.
So please don’t get hung up on the title. It definitely is
a course which has been shown to help people get off
medications with the advice and consent of their physician. (I can readily think of 3 or 4 from the last class,
but my hunch is that there are more of whom I am not
aware). But it is so much more than that. Among the
topics we will cover are: nutrition and the brain, stress
without distress, living above loss, and much more.
There will be an orientation meeting on Monday,
March 12th at 6:30pm at 5001 Foothills Drive in
Farmington. The actual course will begin on
Monday, March 26 and will run for 8 consecutive
Mondays from 6:30pm – 8:30pm. There is a cost for
materials, but some scholarship funds are available to
offset some of this cost. I urge you to consider attending
the orientation to get more information and to find out if
this course is right for you. You have very little to lose
and so, so much to gain. For specific questions or for
more information please send an e-mail to [email protected].
Ron Price MA is the owner/operator of Productive
Outcomes and the Executive Director of the Four
Corners Coalition for Marriage & Family. He has been
happily married to Maridell for 31 years. He can be
contacted at 505 327-7870 or [email protected].
Odd Centennial
Happenings
A lady was visiting with me the other day and she
asked: “How long does a Centennial last, on average?
With only a trace of a smile I replied: “Well, about 100
years – except during “leap centuries.” Satisfied with my
sage explanation she answered the siren-call of her cellphone, and staggered off into a fog of her own making
to communicate and learn - in this modern world she is
so enamored of.
Bruce L Salisbury, © 12 February 2012
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 7
Living Green in
San Juan County
Elisa Bird - Resource Specialist
[email protected]
When to start seeds and when to plant seedlings
Part of garden planning is to decide if you will start
your own plants from seeds, planting seeds directly into
the ground, (some plants don’t start well this way) or
plant seedlings bought at one of our local nurseries.
If you choose to start seeds at home, it is important to
know when to plant your seedlings outdoors. Planting
dates for the gardens depend on the hardiness of the
vegetables planted and the length of time the plants need
to reach maturity. Start seeds six to eight weeks
before planting them in the garden as
seedling/transplants.
Hardy Vegetables - Cool Season Crops – can handle the cold: Plant these crops as soon as the
ground can be worked in the spring – usually in
March: salad greens, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage,
celery, Chinese cabbage, turnips, collards, lettuce, kale,
spinach, onions, peas, radishes, rutabagas, mustard,
leeks, parsley, bok choy.
Semi-Hardy Vegetables: Plant these near the average date of the last killing frost – usually in late
April. beets, carrots, cauliflower, endive, parsnips, potatoes, Swiss chard, some herbs like chives and mint.
Tender Vegetables - Warm Season Crops – like
warmth: Plant these after all danger of frost. These
vegetables can not tolerate any frost. May 15th is our
traditional late frost date. The last two years we have
had some frost at the end of May: snap beans, lima
beans, summer squash, winter squash, chile, eggplant,
sweet corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, okra, bell pepper,
watermelon, cucumbers, honey dew, sweet potato,
pumpkin, black-eyed peas.
Hardy and Semi-Hardy Vegetables: Plant in
August for the fall garden: broccoli, Chinese cabbage,
kale, radish, turnips, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, garlic, lettuce, and I would say Swiss chard.
Participants at a Sustainable San Juan gardening class,
work on planting seeds.
"Trash" the video
March 12th
6-8, Aztec Library
Wilann Thomas has a "aaha" moment at a Sustainable
San Juan gardening class.
“The new seed starters handbook” – Nancy Bubel
“Starting Seeds Indoors” - Ann Reilly
“How To Start Plant Seedlings On Top Of The
Fridge” video on you tube
For help with planting, check our locally owned nurseries and the County Extension Office – 334-9496.
RESOURCES
“Home Vegetable Gardening in New Mexico,
Circular 457” – from NMSU found on line or through
the County Extension Office – 334-9496
Brownie Quest
Over the last 4 months Girl Scout Troop 10175 has been working on their Brownie Quest. The girls worked hard to earn the
Discover key by learning about themselves - what they believe,
their families values and qualities. Next they earned the Connect
Key by learning how to E.L.F (explore, link arms and fly into
action) as a team. They created a Brownie team promise on how
to cooperate together. Finally to earn the Take Action Key the girls
learned about Aztec and what they could do to improve their community. To finish the quest the girls needed to improve something
in the community of Aztec. The girls chose to ask the city to
replace a broken down, dangerous picnic table near city hall. They
wrote a letter explaining why they wanted it fixed, and how they
would like to help. A few weeks later the City of Aztec delivered a
new table for the girls to assemble. Thank you COA for supporting us and our quest to make the world a better and brighter place!
The girls of troop 10175,
Madison, Maddison, Kyli, Lauren, Isabella, Madalynn, Josalynn
Discussion on recycling will follow
the video showing of "Trash"
Sustainable San Juan's March meeting.
All are welcomed.
334-1840
PAGE 8
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
Event looks at ways to support our locally
owned businesses and increase our economy
Photo and Story Elisa Bird
Well, the time is quickly approaching for the city election.
March 6th is the day we the candidates have been working so
hard toward. The signs are everywhere and hopefully you the
citizens of Aztec have gotten to know a little about each candidate and what they stand for.
I have walked the streets each day visiting with you and
getting to know what issues are of the most concern. The one
thing that continually comes to my attention is the problem we
face in this state with repeat offenders, especially repeat drunk
driving offenders. Most everyone I visit with has told of a
loved one or close friend that has been directly affected by a
drunk driver. I too have lost several friends to this deadly
ongoing problem. Although other topics come up in these conversations, this is the one that brings out the most anger and
frustration.
I decided to join this campaign in hopes of becoming the
next municipal judge because I know the main reason the
repeat offender problem continues. In the municipal court system, most first, second and third offense DWI arrests made in
the city of Aztec will come before the municipal judge. The
offender in nearly all of these cases will be represented by an
attorney. Either the police officer making the arrest or the city
attorney will prosecute the case for the city. The state has set
the punishment for each offense and as the offense climbs from
first to third the punishment gets more severe. The first offender usually will not get any jail time for his sentence and in
most cases I agree with this conclusion. The punishment for the
first offense is not easy by any means. The offender will be put
through many steps that will make his or her life very difficult
for up to a year. This includes their ability to drive a motor
vehicle. The sentence is made to open the eyes of the driver
and let them know that they have made a serious mistake and
once they have completed the courts orders they hopefully will
learn never to make it again.
I know that we all make mistakes, I make them, you
make them, it’s just a fact of life. In the case of repeat offenders, the first time you are convicted, that is your mistake. The
next time is a beginning of a pattern. The punishment gets
harsher with each conviction and this is where the problem
begins. The defense attorneys will try to get a plea bargain
from a second or third offense dropped down to a first offense
so the punishment is also for a first offense. My view on this is
simple, they didn’t learn from the punishment the first time so
why would they learn from it the second time. If I am elected I
have a warning for repeat offenders and that warning is this; if
you are arrested for DWI in the city of Aztec you will have to
be represented for the offense you are arrested for. I will not
agree to any plea bargains that drop the degree of the offense.
If you are convicted of 2nd or 3rd DWI you will most likely
spend some time in jail. I am going to help you break this pattern of driving drunk on our streets.
I believe that probation and community service have a
definite need in our society. This was not designed for repeat
offenders that are trying to avoid going to jail. These programs
were designed for those of us that make mistakes and understand there are consequences for those actions. Not everyone
needs jail time to understand this. I will continue these programs for the cases that deserve leniency but not for repeat
offenders. I know some people will think this is a hard line to
take but I, like you, am sick and tired of the news stories about
deaths caused by people with multiple drunk driving convictions. Please get down to city hall on March 6th and vote to
make a change and make a difference.
Welcome to GMWatch
Keep up to date with the latest news on the issue of genetically modified
(GM) food and crops and find out about the deceptive PR campaigns
being used to promote GM worldwide.
www.gmwatch.org
Local, independently owned businesses,
once the back bone of our communities, have
seen a dramatic drop in their sales with the
presence of box stores and chains, with many
small businesses closing their doors.
However, small businesses are more and
more being seen as a way to increase our
economy. At a recent San Juan Local First
event - Strength in Numbers - held in
February at the Farmington Civic Center,
participants and presenters explored ways we
can help our locally owned businesses thrive
which will lead to a stronger local economy
and a vital, sustainable community.
Keynote presenter and facilitator, Jeff
Milchen, of American Independent Business
Alliance, spoke how economic development
is high on our radar these days, and suggested looking at ways we can stop the flow of
our dollars going out of the community by
utilizing small businesses. San Juan Local
First board members presented tools currently available through SJLF to benefit its members and the community; a website, mobile
applications, Facebook, networking opportunities and promotional events.
Strength in Numbers facilitator, Jeff Milchen, leads a
group of participants in a discussion on ways to
further encourage shoppers to purchase locally
more often and skills to assist business owners in
growing their business.
There is the momentum to turn our economy around
and support a vibrant local economy of small, locally
owned businesses. Strength in Numbers’ object was to
assist our community in building a voice for independent businesses and to engage citizens to shop local. And
with the enthusiasm of participants and the leadership of
San Juan Local First, we are going strong in that direction. To learn more or become involved with this effort
contact San Juan Local First at their website,
www.SanJuanLocalFirst.org.
Updated counterfeit Home Country by Slim Randles
check database
The most recent fake checks circulating
New Mexico are now posted on the New
Mexico Attorney General's Counterfeit Check
Database. Consumers have turned the newly
added fraudulent documents over to the AG's
Consumer Protection Division for review and
each check has been deemed counterfeit.
Recipients of these bad checks reside in
Clovis, Rio Rancho, and Albuquerque.
Consumers can view a variety of bogus
checks at www.nmag.gov/checkscams/
default.aspx.
Fraudulent checks that have been added to
the AG's Counterfeit Check Database in one
day range in amount from $971.52 to
$4,750.00
Fake checks can be scanned and emailed to
[email protected].
AG King's Consumer Protection Division
has staff members who are trained to identify
fraudulent checks. The simplest way for consumers to protect themselves if they receive a
counterfeit check is to not cash the check.
Consumers may mail suspicious checks to:
Office of New Mexico Attorney General
Gary K. King
Consumer Protection Division
408 Galisteo St., Santa Fe, NM 87501
Back Country Horsemen
The Four Corners Back Country Horsemen
will hold their monthly meeting on
Thursday, March 8th, at the La Plata
County Fairgrounds. Social time will begin at
6:30 p.m. and the meeting will start at 7:00.
Guests are always encouraged to attend.
Get ready for those summer bugs by coming to a presentation on biological fly control
for horses by Lee Anne Merrill from the M &
R Durango Insectary. There will be insect
samples and a microscope to get a closer
look. Lee Anne will also touch on other pest
insects and their control around the home and
farm. Don’t miss this one – your horse will
thank you! FMI: www.4cbch.org or contact
Bob Volger, chapter president, at 970-8834004 or [email protected].
The Club didn’t last long.
It wasn’t the dues, which
were nothing. It wasn’t
being worried about being
elected recording secretary
or something if you missed
a meeting. There were no
officers, no directors and no
meetings.
It was born of an idea that
occurred to Doc one day. He said the members of the
Mule Barn truck stop’s philosophy counter and world
dilemma think tank should organize.
After his third cup, Doc turned to the others and said
sitting there having coffee day after day without any real
purpose just didn’t seem right.
Doc said, “There are so many things a real organization can do.”
“What would those things be, Doc?” Steve asked.
“Giving shoes to orphans,” Doc said. “Or curing
hunger in third world countries. Or we could watch TV
and file complaints.”
Then Dud piped up. “Would we have to wear funny
hats and have a secret handshake and a password?”
“Absolutely,” Doc said. “Otherwise, how would you
know who was one of your brother club members and
who wasn’t?”
Mavis said, “What’s your secret password? Regular or
decaf?”
“I don’t think we should let women join,” said Bert.
Nobody nodded until after Mavis had topped off the
cups, and had gone into the bowels of the kitchen.
“Okay,” Steve said. “Let’s get this straight. No meetings. No name for The Club, right? No officers. No dues
to pay. All we have to do is give our shoes to some
orphans, right?”
“And feed kids in third world countries.”
“I don’t know any kids in third world countries. Could
we feed one or two around here, just to kinda e-e-e-ease
into it?”
“I don’t think so,” said Doc. “We gotta come up with
a third world country and then find out who’s in charge
of feeding kids. Then we can send them something.”
“I move we adjourn this meeting,” said Steve.
“There are no meetings,” said Doc.
Since no one could name a third world country without a map or listening to National Public Radio, The
Club died a quiet death.
----------To buy Slim’s books, go to www.slimrandles.com
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 9
Aztec Senior Center news
28th Chicken and Noodles
29th Catfish
30th Round Steak
~March 2012~
What’s happening at the
Aztec Senior Community Center?
What’s cookin’ at the Aztec Senior Center?
1st Ham & Noodles
2nd Tacos
5th Salisbury Steak
6th Chicken Fajitas
7th Meat Loaf
8th Pork Chops
9th Chicken Fried Steak
12th Lasagna
13th BBQ Chicken
14th Beef Fajita
15th Pork Ribs
16th Roast Beef
19th Beef Tips
20th Pork Loin
21st Sour Cream Enchilada
22nd Honey Dijon Chicken
23rd Navajo Taco
26th Beef Brisket
27th Pork Posole’
• See our Senior Shenanigans on this page.
101 S. Park Ave.
505~334~2881 • 801-0373
Go to our city web site for a full disclosure of
our menu and Activity Calendar.
Menu hotline 505~334~7618
E-mail: [email protected]
Hey Everyone, Let’s Dance!
(or just come down to listen to the music)
Aztec Community Center Thursday Night Dances.
This is a family activity! $4 adult, $3 under 15, under 5
free, for a clean, fun evening of
dancing for the whole family.
Refreshments will be served
Live entertainment!
From 7:00 pm to 9:30ish.
FMI, call Cindy 334-2881/801-0373.
Our annual Valentine’s Day Random Hearts Royal
Celebration was spectacular. The royal thrones, done in
gold, were set center stage on the lower level where Ken
English and Sue Dodson, last year’s King and Queen,
bestowed the Royal Crowns and scepters to our 2012
King, Dennis Vaughn, and Queen, Laverne Ludington.
The regal pair received some very nice gifts and a
reminder of their royal duties - mopping the Center
floors every day for a year (LOL.) Four other seniors
also received gifts from our random ticket drawings.
Dave Barron was on hand to entertain us with his
singing, and music from the nostalgic “Rat Pack” era.
Roshana Moojen, Aztec’s Community Development
Director, assisted Cindy as Maître’ d’ as they honored
VIP (Very Inspirational People) January winners with a
candlelight luncheon. New VIP winners caught in random acts of kindness for the month of March are
• Ed Sandoval - playing the piano for the Seniors
• Pauline Jacquez - giving Evelyn Smouse a teddy
bear
• Manny & Aurora Valencia - donating for Bingo
• John Morgan - carrying a glass of water for Mrs.
Elkins
• Everett & Margaret Lee - Donating for Bingo
• Clarence Cheasebro - donating magazines
• Helen Cheasebro - bringing Clarence to the Center
• William Abe - for saying kind words of appreciation
to staff
• John Austin - for a kind gesture that meant a lot to
the Director
God’s Steadfast Love
AARP is preparing tax files for Aztec seniors on
Tuesday and Thursday mornings through April 12th.
Sarah Teofanov and Sheri Korte, both Master
Gardeners, attended February’s Aztec Senior Board
Meeting. Sheri’s daughter’s 4-H Club and students from
McCoy Elementary School will be participating in an
intergenerational project, along with some of our seniors, in cultivating mini-gardens, both vegetables and
flowers, at the Senior Center.
Be sure to check the Senior’s monthly activities calendar for all the regularly scheduled senior activities plus
all the extra activities that are planned. You can find
these at the Center, pick one up at City Hall in the
brochure rack, or go to our city web page.
Thursday night dances are changing, creating new fun
for the whole family. $4.00 per adult, $3.00 under fifteen, and under five is free. Each Thursday presents
something different: (1) 1st Thursday – Variety Night –
pre-recorded music/lessons available. (2) 2nd Thursday
– Country Night – with live music. (3) 3rd Thursday –
Latin Night – instructional video and dancing. (4) 4th
Thursday – Kickin’ Country – a dance for the younger
crowd. For more information, call 334-2881 or 8010373.
Congratulations to Sharon Hughes, who after only ten
days of trying to decipher the clues in our Crazy Heart
Rootle, figured out where the heart was hidden and won
a dinner certificate to spend at Rubio’s. We might have
another mind bending puzzle in May and another great
prize.
Join us on March 2, at 6:30 p. m. for an interesting
and educational night of free entertainment. Mike
Fauteaux, Master Falconer, will be featuring Simon the
Peregrine Falcon, and Katie, a Harris Hawk, along with
a golden eagle and other birds of prey.
Along with March come the winds. Stay warm and
follow St. Paddy’s advice: “Keep yer heads down and
yer caps battened squarely lest ye lose yer Donegal.”
By Marie Merrick, Aztec Senior/Community Center
By Jeff Symonds, Pastor of Aztec United Methodist Church
A while ago I overheard a conversation between two
young women at the table behind me in a restaurant.
“I’ve unfriended Tracy,” one of the girls said.
“Seriously?” came the shocked reply. “She has really
messed up this time. Our friendship is over for good.”
Apparently, the act of “unfriending” - removing someone’s name from a list of friends on an internet social
networking site - has become so common that the term
unfriend is now included in some dictionaries, although
my computer spell-check doesn’t recognize it. How
unfortunate that friends can be tossed aside with a few
strokes on a keyboard and some unkind words. No wonder so many people feel hurt and unloved in today’s
world. The truth is, we all stumble from time to time
and say or do things we wish afterwards we hadn’t said
or done.
Unlike people, however, we have a God who will
never unfriend us, no matter what it is that we’ve said or
done! God continues to love us with what the Bible in
Psalm 118 calls His steadfast love. God pours out His
forgiveness, His Grace and love that we can depend
upon even when the world turns its back on us. All of us
mess up. No one is perfect. Even when we have made
mistakes and loved ones no longer love us, God’s
unconditional love reaches out to us with comfort and
encouragement. The good news is that God will never
“unfriend” you, no matter what others do. If you have
been away from Him for a while, this is a good time to
renew your relationship. All of the area churches are
there to help you get to know Him better. Check Him
out in His Word, the Bible. The Psalms are the ancient
Hebrew’s prayers. Some are prayers of thanks and
praise, like Psalm 118. Others express the hurt feeling
we feel when lost and alone. All of our human emotions
are there somewhere. The Psalms are a good place to let
God speak to you and offer help in expressing you feelings to Him. Psalm 118 verse 19 says, “Open to me the
gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and
give thanks to the Lord.” That is what the Bible as a
whole and the Book of Psalms in particular will do for
you.
You have a loving friend in God who will never let
you down. Get to know Him better.
Great Gobs of Green
The Sycamore Park Community Center will host St. Patrick’s Day Madness on Friday, March 16, 2012 from
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The community center will be green, green, green for this free family fun event to get people
in the mood for St. Patrick’s Day.
All are invited to drop in for fun, games, and refreshments. Featured during the event will be the “Most Creative
Green Worn” contest. The person who attends the event wearing the most creative green outfit will win.
The Sycamore Park Community Center is located at 1051 Sycamore in Farmington, NM.
FMI on the St Patrick’s Day Madness event, contact the Sycamore Park Community Center at 566-2480.
RYAN LANE
Attorney at Law
Aztec Native Proudly Serving
the Four Corners Community
•
• Civil Litigation
• Business Law
• Trusts
• Wills
• Guardianships
325-1804
304 N. Behrend • Farmington
$$ LET’S DO TAXES $$
Bubba’s Tax Services
404 Aztec Blvd. NE
(across from Hiway Grill)
FREE E-FILE (WRP)
334-3061
Hut Town - Students
raise funds for Kenya
SPRING BREAK - FARMINGTON
During Spring Break, the middle school and high
school students of Piñon Hills Community Church in
Farmington are simulating a four-day Kenyan experience at Hut Town! Students will live at Hut Town and
experience similar accommodations as our friends in
Kenya.
Nearly fifty local students have agreed to take part in
their church’s World Project 2012: Kenya - Houses
of Hope, which directly reflects the church’s mission to
Reach, Grow, Serve.
Upon their arrival at Hut Town, students are required
to surrender all personal convenience and food items,
including cell phones, mp3 players, etc. Participating
students will be supplied with meals and snacks that
strictly adhere to the traditional Kenyan fare.
“Following the overwhelming success of our Tent City
[benefitting Haiti] over Spring Break last year, our students were enthusiastic about participating in another
world project fundraiser this year. As soon as our PHCC
World Project 2012 was set in stone, preparations for
another Spring Break fundraiser began to take shape,”
said Keith Neil, Student Ministry Director at Piñon Hills
Community Church.
“Many of the students participating this year are also
raising money for their mission trip to Kenya planned in
May,” added Neil.
The students, however, will not just be sitting in camp,
roasting marshmallows. They are going to be put to
work! Each day a bus will pick up the students from
camp and transport them to a local non-profit organization, Masada House, a sober-living, transitional housing
facility. While there, they will be landscaping the back
portion of its property. We will be working with local
businesses and individuals to turn this area into a private, relaxing setting that will help facilitate the continued rehabilitation and transition of the residents. The
positive outcomes from this endeavor will not only help
to beautify the facility but also assist in teaching students the hands-on aspects of differing trades. The students will be helping with construction, plumbing, electrical, dirt work, planting shrubs, trees, flowers and gardening.
The success of this local project will generate support
and community awareness of the church’s global vision
for Kenya in 2012. All funds raised through corporate
and individual sponsorships will go directly to the
PHCC World Project 2012: Kenya - Houses of Hope,
and are tax-deductible.
FMI about the project or to learn how you can get
involved, contact Keith Neil at 505-325-4541.
PAGE 10
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
Awards for AHS Student Council
Aztec High School Student Council received the following awards at the State Student Council Convention
at West Mesa High School – February 9-11, 2012.
Platinum Council of the Year
1st Place Roll Call – Judges Choice
1st Place Scrapbook – Judges Choice
1st Place Council of the Year –
Delegates Choice
Top 3 Banner – Delegates Choice
Hannah Jones was elected as the
NMASC State President.
Seven qualify for international competition!
Hannah Jones, NMASC
State President
The AHS PlayMakers recently attended the New Mexico Thespian Festival in Santa
Fe. In order to compete at the International Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska you must
qualify at the state level. Kimmy Blake qualified in Costume Design, Dana Austgen in
Lighting Design, Alexia Baca in Set Design, Shane Kirkland and Charles Dobey in
Duet Acting, Charles Dobey in Monologue, Zoe Pike in Monologue, and Jessica
Chavez in Costume Design.
These students will be headed to Lincoln in June. They will be doing several fund
raisers in order to pay for the trip. If you would like to make a donation, please contact
Sidley Harrison at 334-9414 ext. 1350.
The tough conversations all couples should have
By Thomas Payne State Farm® Agent
If asked, most couples would say it's important to
protect the financial future of their families in the event
of a spouse's unexpected death. Yet 74 percent of couples rarely or never discuss the topic of life insurance as
part of their financial planning strategy, according to a
2010 State Farm® Life Insurance Study.
A 2011 study from finance research firm LIMRA
revealed that 41 percent of U.S. adults don't even have
life insurance. That doesn't mean it's not on their minds.
Sixty-two percent of respondents said uncertainty in the
economy makes having life insurance even more important than it had previously been. Bringing up the subject
can be difficult. It may be that discussing the unexpected
death of a spouse is awkward. Or that one spouse
already feels the pressure of being the primary wage
earner. Or that a spouse who has recently lost a job will
react negatively to the topic. But whatever the obstacles,
talking about life insurance is critical to both partners -even if one earns substantially more than the other, or
one doesn't earn an income.
HealthCare.gov
Take health care into your own hands
Find Insurance Options
See which public, private and
community programs meet your needs
http://finder.healthcare.gov/
Monday - Friday: 7:30 am - 4 pm
To start the discussion, try these tips:
• Talk before you're in a financial crisis. Pick a
time when you're not stressed, and treat the topic as you
would any other aspect of your financial planning.
• Make a plan that incorporates life insurance as a
primary component of your overall financial strategy.
Having a plan in place can be reassuring if your circumstances change.
• Set a monthly budget and learn what options you
can afford. Schedule follow-up evaluations and adjust
your coverage as your needs, family situation and
income changes.
• Consult an insurance expert who can provide an
outside perspective and make the discussion less stressful.
• Focus your discussion on the love you have for
your family and your desire to protect it from financial
burdens, rather than on the possible death of a spouse.
A qualified life insurance professional can assist you
in your calculations and show you policies that may fit
your needs. Life is ever changing. Protecting your family from financial struggles after you are gone is what
life insurance is all about.
PLAY BALL!
The Farmington Recreation Center, 1101 Fairgrounds
Rd., will begin registering Men’s Slow Pitch teams who
participated in the 2011 season, from Friday, March 16
through Friday, April 13.
For anyone missing the April 13 deadline or wishing
to enter a new team in the league, we ask you to attend
the New Teams Meeting on Monday, April 16, 7:00 p.m.
at the Farmington Civic Center, 200 W. Arrington.
The cost is $350 per team plus a $20 per player fee.
For additional information, (505) 599-1184
“Strange But True Tales of
New Mexico” Chautauqua
• FLU SHOTS •
• Drug Screens • DOT Physicals
• Respirator Fit Tests • PFTs
The New Mexico Council for the Humanities and
Bloomfield Library will sponsor a Chautauqua event
March 27th at 6:00 p.m. in the Bloomfield Cultural
Center. Mary Diecker will present Strange But True
Tales of New Mexico. New Mexico is a vast and varied
land blessed with a fascinating history, diverse people,
and rich cultures. Storytelling has long been a tradition
in the Land of Enchantment, helping provide a link
between those people and their cultures and conveying
the lessons and stories of New Mexico's past.
This presentation is a collection of 'strange but true'
stories - some humorous, some poignant - that illuminate the state's history. Mary Mortensen Diecker is a
native New Mexican, and has written two books entitled
“Roadrunner Tales,” and “Roadrunner Tales 2.0.”
Call 632-8315 for more information.
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 11
What really controls our lives… and why we
should pay attention Submitted by #Occupy Farmington, compiled by Cornelia de Brun
Since the so-called housing bubble burst, the economy, peoples’ financial needs, and the uneven spread of
wealth in America have been under the spotlight. People
understand how important the issues are, but most don’t
clearly understand the subtleties of the world of high
finance. The more information people who follow the
news are exposed to, the more confused they become.
Those folk who care enough to try to understand the
ins and outs of the world of finance don’t know the
highly specific language that describes it. They also hear
references to regulations they don’t fully understand, at
best, or have never heard of. But they sense the importance of the regulations and the potential effects those
regulations have on their lives.
Finance at the global level is a highly specific subject
that most people know nearly nothing about. And why
should they? The ins and outs of high finance are not
taught in public schools. Wall Street trading, credit
derivative swaps, and so on remain to most of us a
murky, confusing world. Most of us don’t have enough
cash to enter in to the high-stakes money game. Besides,
truth be told, most of us are too busy trying to get by in
as decent a manner as we can.
The world of high finance is a place that only the very
rich can go. Members of the Occupy movement — of
which I am one — call those people “the 1 percent.”
The rest of us, those of us who make less than, say,
$300,000 annually, are “the 99 percent.” But whether
you are a player or not, you are as affected by the
machinations of money as are the people whose cash
and deals are shaping your world.
One step forward and three steps back
America once had a robust middle class. The middle
class that evolved in America after World War Two was
the envy of millions of people around the world. But
during the decades between the 1970s and 1980s, and
present time, numerous countries — China and India
among them, have bypassed America’s once rock-solid
middle class.
The divide between the richest and poorest in America
is much worse than it is in almost all of Europe and Asia
and much of Africa according to Robert Greenwald of
Brave New Foundation, writing in a recent news analysis.
“It’s about as bad as in Rwanda and Serbia, and it’s
bad for our economy,” Greenwald said in a recent posting on the CommonDreams.org Web site. America’s
middle class has been foreclosed upon, had its post
schooling dreams derailed and left homeless, jobless and
hopeless.
It’s not an accident. The chasm that separates the
group Occupy describes as the 1 percent — the dizzyingly wealthy, and the rest of us — the 99 percent who
make less than a quarter-million dollars annually is the
result of a slew of policies our government methodically
chose to implement and follow.
What’s the history, and how did it evolve?
During the 1930s — the years when the Great
Depression brought our nation to its knees — President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt restored the middle class. He
accomplished that feat largely by passing a regulation
called the Glass-Steagall Banking Act in 1933. The
regulation created the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, a measure guaranteeing that money people
deposited in a bank would be protected — and replaced
— if the bank went belly-up. The Act also introduced
banking reforms, some of which were designed to control speculation. It also allowed the nation’s Federal
Reserve banking system to regulate interest rates in savings accounts.
Bank depositors had not had such a guarantee before.
That’s why, when Wall Street crashed in 1929 — the
original Black Friday — millions of people lost their life
savings and were left completely, horrifyingly, on their
own. Roosevelt’s passage of Glass-Steagall ensured that
would never happen again.
Or so he thought.
Mr. Roosevelt may well be rolling over in his grave.
The Glass-Steagall Act was repealed in 1999 by
another regulation called the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
It removed the separation between investment banking
and commercial banks — the very reform originally
intended to control speculation. The Gramm-LeachBliley Act also removed conflict-of-interest rules that
had prevented investment bankers from serving as officers of commercial banks. The repeal of the original
prohibitions dictating what bankers could and could not
do likely contributed to the financial crisis of 2007 to
2011 by preventing depositors’ money to flow to risky
developments.
Before the repeal of Glass-Steagall in 1999, however,
the middle class was hugely successful. It grew to
become the backbone of America, and a highly influential voting bloc. These were the blue-collar workers who
gave an honest day’s work for a day’s fair pay and job
security: the envy of workers the world ‘round.
The implementation of ‘Trickle-Down’ economics:
With the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, however,
the solidity that was America’s middle class changed —
radically, and possibly permanently. President Reagan
implemented “trickle-down” economics: the practice of
enabling the rich to amass more money with the
assumption that they would use those funds to build factories and hire more workers so that the wealth they created would “trickle down” to the workers.
Reagan’s approach was brand-new, worldwide. But in
order to implement his economic theory, the President
had to drop tax rates on the very wealthy from 70 to 50
percent in 1981, and further to 28 percent of income by
1988. The result of Reagan’s tax cuts for the wealthy
was that the nation fell in to the greatest debt in the history of the world. Alan Greenspan, one of the president’s
conservative friends, suggested that he could hide part of
the debt by borrowing “a few hundred billion dollars a
year” from the Social Security Trust Fund, according to
Thom Hartman in his book The Thom Hartman Reader.
Today’s Social Security crisis is directly linked to
Reagan’s action: the government borrowed all the
money in the fund from 1982 to present time to cover
Reagan’s budget deficit.
The rich continued to increase their wealth under
Reagan. The income of the wealthiest segment of society, the top 5 percent, rose by 25 percent. People in the
bottom 40 percent of wealth brackets saw their incomes
stay flat. It’s true that Reagan’s presidency saw the creation of millions of jobs, but nearly all of them
employed people overseas. Despite the then-popular
“Buy Made in America” campaign of the 1980s, U.S.
manufacturing dwindled to a ghost of its former self. If
you read the “made in” labels on the goods and clothing
that you purchase, you will find that the items come
from countries you may never have heard of.
At the same time, the Reagan administration deregulated the broadcast industry by doing away with the
Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to give
the same amount of air time to public service announcements and news that more lucrative programs generated.
This, I remember. I was a broadcaster during that period.
The result of the Reagan administration’s actions was to
open the door for huge broadcast companies to purchase
radio and television facilities and use them to broadcast
uniform programming. Think of the Clear Channel network here. Listeners, or viewers in the
case of television, had a choice of one
type of programming instead of a quirky
set of radio/television stations from which
to pick.
At about the same time, Reagan vowed
to do away with the nation’s Department
of Education, and hired his friend William
Bennett to undertake the chore. Although
the department still exists, it, too, is a
ghost of its former self. The result of the
changes in education and broadcasting
left the majority of Americans with few
opportunities to improve their lives and
little funding available to pay for such
opportunities if they found some.
Illiteracy began to soar.
If you search the Internet for proof of
the Reagan administration’s actions, you
won’t find it. Between the administration’s changes and the present, negative
comments about the Reagan years have
been scrubbed from sites such as
Wikileaks. Newspaper archives contain
the information, as do books such as
Hartman’s. In my case, I lived through the
era and thus have first-hand knowledge of
the events.
Democratic presidential administrations
were not immune from taking actions that
continue to affect our nation’s economy.
At the turn of the century, 2000, president Bill Clinton signed into law the
Commodity Futures Modernization
Act of 2000. Also know as “The Enron Loophole,” the
act allowed for the creation in U.S. financial markets, of
a new kind of derivative security, a type of financial
contract an investor can use to shield himself from risk.
More easily described as a single-stock futures trade, the
contracts had been prohibited since 1982 by an agreement between the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading
Commission. Sen. Carl Levin, a Minnesota Democrat,
tried to close the “loophole” in 2007, but president
George W. Bush vetoed the action. Bush was overridden
by both the house and Senate, and the measure was
enacted into law in June 2008. Just days later, thenSenator Barack Obama blamed the “Enron loophole” for
allowing speculators to run up the cost of fuel by operating outside of federal law.
Continued next issue
PAGE 12
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
Happy 100th Birthday Girl Scouts! From Aztec Troop 10175!
• Personal
My name is Carlton Gray. I’ve been married for 26 years to
Carol Sue. We have 2 children, Alicia and Adam. We have
lived in Aztec since 1988. I have enjoyed serving the Aztec
community since that time. I am running for the position of
Aztec Municipal Judge and would greatly appreciate your
vote on March 6, 2012.
• Professional Experience
Appointed Aztec Municipal Judge October 2010
Appointed Alternate Aztec Municipal Judge November 2008
Retired from the Aztec Police Dept as Lieutenant July 2008
Started the D.A.R.E. program in Aztec Schools in 1991
Started with Aztec Police Dept 1988
• Civic Involvements
Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor 15 years
Board Member Aztec Boys & Girls Club 2001 to Present
(past Board President)
NMAA Football Official 2002 to Present
Graduate of Leadership San Juan
Everything you want
Everything you need
Right here at
Aztec Feed!
Hi my name is
Maddison and I am a
member of Girl Scout
Troop 10175 in Aztec.
This very month on
March 12th, 1912, the
very first Girl Scout
meeting was held by
Juliette Gordon Low
in Savannah,
Georgia!! Happy
Birthday Girl
Scouts!!! That is a Century of Sisterhood!
To celebrate this my troop and I are collecting 100
items a month for local charities! We have lots of work
ahead of us but we are full of Brownie power and determined to make our world a better place! March is my
month and I am collecting 100 blankets/ towels and
used clothing for the Aztec Animal Shelter!
The animals need clean bedding to keep warm and
healthy. If you would like to help we would appreciate it
very much. You can drop off any type of bedding (towels, blankets, sheets, old clothes) to the Aztec
Restaurant, Aztec Animal Shelter or The Joyful Being
Zumba Studio on Main Ave.
If you are unable to drop them there you can contact
my leader for a different drop off. Her name is Sarah
and her number is 330-0738.
Thank you for your support! ~ Maddison
Bloomfield Senior Center
St. Patrick's Day Bake Sale Fund Raiser for the senior center will be held on Friday, March 16, 2012 starting
at 10am. There will be lots of yummy (green) baked goods for purchase just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!
Free AARP tax preparation is going on at the senior center on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:00am-12:00
noon. This service is free to everyone of all ages. Tax preparation will continue on these days through April 12.
March Menu: Lunch is served Mon-Fri 12 noon-1pm
Mar. 1—Pork & Beans Mar. 9—Beef & Bean Burrito
Mar. 19—Spinach Blanco Lasagna Mar. 27—Smothered Steak
Mar. 2—Navajo Taco
Mar. 12—Spaghetti
Mar. 20—Frito Pie
Mar. 28—Ham Salad Sandwich
Mar. 5—Swiss Steak
Mar. 13—Baked Pollock
Mar. 21—Roast Beef
Mar. 29—Beef Tips & noodles
Mar. 6—Chicken Fajitas Mar. 14—Chicken Stew
Mar. 22—Beef Fajitas
Mar. 30—Chicken Pot Pie
Mar. 7—Pork Chop
Mar. 15—Sweet & Sour Pork
Mar. 23—Chicken Breast
Mar. 8—Meatloaf
Mar. 16—Hamburger on a Bun Mar. 26—Green Chili Stew
We are looking forward to seeing you soon! 124 West Ash, Bloomfield, 505-632-8351.
Little Shop of Horrors
Aztec Feed & Supply
216 S. Main • Aztec • 334-8911
The San Juan College Theatre Department presents
the spring musical Little Shop of Horrors, March 1-3
and 8-10 at 7:30 p.m., and at a matinee performance,
Sunday, March 11, at 2:30 p.m., in the Henderson Fine
Arts Center Performance Hall.
The rock musical was inspired by a 1960s cult classic
B-movie of the same name, directed by film master
Roger Corman and co-starred Jack Nicholson. The book
and lyrics of the musical are by Howard Ashman and the
music is by Alan Menken.
The performance opens on Skid Row with a town desperate for relief from their impoverished lives. Seymour
Krelborn, the protagonist, is not exempt from this reality. The orphaned man finds a home in a flower shop
where he spends his days fawning over the beautiful
shop assistant, Audrey, and being berated by his boss,
Mr. Mushnik.
One day he discovers a mysterious, unidentified plant
which he buys and names Audrey II. It is not long
before Seymour discovers the plant’s rather unique
appetite. The plant seems to have a craving for human
blood and soon begins to sing for his supper. FEED ME!
It seems that no one is safe from the grip of this plant.
Will Seymour beat Audrey II and finally win the love of
his life?
This masterpiece first made its debut off-Broadway in
1982; it was the third-longest running musical and the
highest-grossing production in off-Broadway history.
Don’t miss this fun musical comedy. Tickets are $10
for adults and $8 for seniors and students. 566-3430.
Don’t forget! Daylight Saving Time
starts March 11th this year.
Come in for our eye-opening great coffee!
Stop by
our Aztec
location
104 W. Aztec Blvd.
A Quiet Valentines Day
On the 14th of February 2012, my sweetheart and I
decided to go to the Plaza and spend some time daydreaming about the past, and the present, and our hopes
for the future. As is our habit we bought a dozen red
roses and took them with us to stroll along the beautiful
All Veterans Memorial Plaza in Farmington.
The sun came out to share its warmth and because I
remembered to stop at a bathroom before driving from
Aztec to the plaza, I was not challenged by the shocking
sight of no portable restroom to be seen! The walk along
the curved pathway of crushed red rock was a pleasant
arm-in-arm stroll and as we neared the river we heard
the geese in conversation. The river was very low and
the geese stood in the deepest part of the stream with
their skinny “goose-knees” visible above the water.
Dottie and I visited with a lady for a few minutes and
then shared roses with Medal Of Honor Heroes:
Kenneth Lee Worley, Harold (Greg) Miller and Jose
Valdez. Placing one blood red rose on each man’s
memorial marker, and another was placed in the talons
of the Eagle atop the Valor Column. That is our way of
sharing with those Heroes that we love, beyond death.
Did you think that I was going to tell a story about
Cupid, and hand holding, and being in love? This is
such as story! We have been in love since first we met
back in 1952 and we will love each other when we
move to our “property” up at Home Lake, Colorado to
sleep side by side beneath military headstones. We love
our warriors who are willing to fight and die for us, and
the little naked kid with the bow and arrow can share the
day with us - if he is quiet and respectful.
Bruce L Salisbury, © 14 February 2012
Feelin' the winter blahs
oh what a bummer
Can't wait for Blues Fest
coming this summer
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 13
Aztec Commission and Municipal Judge candidates
answer questions at Candidates Forum
by Katee McClure
On Monday, February 13th, five Commissioner candidates and three Municipal Judge candidates gathered at
the Aztec Senior/Community Center to answer questions
generated in large part by the Aztec Chamber of
Commerce board.
The audience turnout was poor. Hardly any citizens
showed up who weren't either related to the candidates,
city employees, affiliated with the Chamber of
Commerce or members of the press.
Each candidate was given four to six questions to
answer and allowed an opening and closing statement.
The five people running for Aztec City Commission
include two incumbents, Sherri Sipe and Diana Mesch.
New candidates are Sheri Rogers, Pamela Wright and
Roberta Clover.
Sheri Rogers has lived in the area her entire life and
in Aztec since 1996. She loves the friendly small town
atmosphere of Aztec. She has worked for 18 years in the
SJC Communication Center which handles all calls that
go out to the sheriff, police and EMTs. She says she has
the energy and enthusiasm to serve as Commissioner
and stresses being involved with city employees and the
citizens of Aztec. She wants to encourage tourism and
improve infrastructure in the town. She decided to run
after hearing rumors about the possible disbanding of
the Aztec Police Dept. She felt that was a wrong move
and wanted her voice heard.
Diana Mesch has been a Commissioner for the past 8
years and wants to continue serving her community in
that capacity. She would like to put more improvements
into our Fire Dept. and also continue on with all of the
infrastructure and beautification of the city. She notes
that it is important to listen to the citizens and be available to them at all hours. She feels it is important to
serve on joint boards and committees in order to hear
other points of view and build positive relationships
with local businesses. She would support the expansion
of the free internet zone in the city to make the area
more attractive to tourism and to help businesses.
Roberta Clover is a fourth generation citizen of
Aztec. She feels that her networking skills and communication abilities would be an asset as Commissioner.
Her goal would be to draw businesses and tourism to the
area. Her focus would be on improving the city's infrastructure which she feels is dilapidated. With more gross
receipts money coming in via new businesses she feels
that the intended arterial route could get finished more
quickly instead of having to wait on Federal money to
complete the project. Her roots are deeply set in Aztec
and she wants to be a true representative of the people.
Sherri Sipe has served as Commissioner for the past
4 years and feels she can be effective as she now knows
the inner workings of the city and how to get things
done effectively. She feels the city is now headed in a
great direction and wants to continue with the reservoir
park, arterial highway and the aesthetic improvements to
the city. Two of her goals is to keep the city fiscally
strong and improve the roads. She would like to encourage city departments to be more business friendly and
wants the commission to be more proactive instead of
reactive. A city wide free internet she feels would
encourage visitors to stay a little longer in town. She has
a vested interest in the city she was raised in and is very
proud of her town.
Pamela Wright decided to run for commissioner after
hearing that the Police Dept. might be disbanded. She
strongly supports a local Police Department. Pamela
holds two masters degrees and feels it is very important
to have effective communication not only with city
employees but also with the citizens. She would like to
encourage business growth which in turn will generate
revenue for the city. She also feels that the culture of the
city is an asset and can be used more effectively to generate interest to visitors. Pamela feels it is necessary to
collaborate with all local municipalities and that communication with everyone is the key to successfully run
a city.
The three candidates running for Municipal Judge are
incumbent Carlton Gray, Mike Fauteaux and write-in
candidate Jesse Kuzma.
Carlton Gray is the current Municipal Judge in
Aztec. He worked for 20 years as an officer in the Aztec
Police Department and was appointed in his current
position as judge in 2010. He feels that integrity and
honesty are most important in a court room. He says that
the people that enter his courtroom want to know that
they are going to get a fair shake. He feels his extensive
law enforcement background gives him the knowledge
to effectively do the job as judge. Working as a judge
with the Aztec Police Dept. should be one of professionalism and respect. He started the D.A.R.E. program in
the Aztec Municipal Schools and feels that as a judge he
must get involved with the youth and be a role model.
Mike Fauteaux worked as an Aztec Police officer for
5 years before he returned to working in the private sector. Right now he is working on his bachelor's degree in
criminal justice and police science. Most important to
Kelly Eaves, Agent
Home - Auto - Life - Business
1308 W. Aztec Blvd. • Aztec
505-334-2539
[email protected]
• For all your insurance needs •
Scott Michlin ( standing) hosted the Commissioner
Forum. Commission Candidates left to right are
Pamela Wright, Sherri Sipe, Roberta Clover,
Sheri Rogers, Diana Mesch
,W·V7LPH
To check your
heater
Judges Forum, left to right: Jesse Kuzma, Carlton Gray,
Mike Fauteaux and Tracy Marquez (who dropped out of
the race and did not participate in forum). Tracy will be
persuing a magistrate judge position.
'RQ·WJHW OHIWLQWKHCOLD
Call
Five Star Mechanical
At
505-334-7220
When you think Five Star you think Quality
the job, according to Fauteaux, is being able to listen to
people. People want their voices to be heard. He
believes that a person is innocent until proven guilty and
that it is up to the officer who in essence is a prosecutor
in a case to prove guilt and not up to the defendant to
prove innocence. He will be tough on DWI
offenders and would like to start a program
where kids sit in on DWI sentencing cases to
see the devastating and serious consequences
of driving while drunk.
Jesse Kuzma is a write-in candidate for
Municipal Judge. He holds a Bachelor's
Degree in psychology and currently runs a
scuba diving business in Aztec. Jesse also
worked as an Aztec Police officer for two
years and therefore has a good understanding
of the justice system. He would like to add
proactive programs to the municipal judge
department like a teen court in order to educate students. Teen courts have been tested
and prove effective in other municipalities and
help the overburdened juvenile court system.
Jesse feels that communication and shared
training is key to working with our local
police department and that continuing education is absolutely essential in being a good
judge.
In closing, it needs to be noted that on average the percentage of Aztec citizens who actually vote in city elections is less than 17%. In
plainer terms that means that only about 500
people vote out of the approximately 3,500
registered voters.
If you live within the city limits then your
vote is important. It is up to you, the voters, to
have a voice in how your town is run via the
commissioners and judges that you elect.
Voting day is March 6th from 7am-7pm at
Aztec City Hall in the commission room and
early voting is through March 2nd at the city
clerk's office.
We’re “Steppin’ it up” at the Aztec Community Center
EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT is DANCE NIGHT • 7:00 P.M. TO 9:30 P.M.
~fun for the whole family~
$4.00 per adult ~ $3.00 under 15 under 5 free
for more info call 334-2881 or 801-0373
1st Thursday: Variety Night - pre recorded music/lessons available
2nd Thursday: Country Night - with Live music
3rd Thursday: Latin Night - instructional video and dancing
Salsa~Merengue~Cumbia~Bachata
4th Thursday: Kickin’ Country - a dance for the younger crowd
- Refreshments served -
“Mind Your Manners or
Get the Boot !”
PAGE 14
KD’s Video movie reviews
MARCH 6
FOOTLOOSE starring Kenny Wormald, Julianne
Hough-PG-13-Comedy/Drama. A remake of the 1984
classic with big city teen Ren who moves to a little
town & challenges a ban against loud music & dancing
& romances the rebellious daughter of the minister who
put the ban in place.
IMMORTALS starring Henry Cavill, Stephen DorffR-Action. An epic tale of vengeance & destiny. King
Hyperion is on a maniacal quest to obtain the legendary
Epirus Bow that gives the power to unleash war on
both Heaven & Earth. But he must deal with Theseus, a
young villager chosen by the gods.
JACK & JILL starring Adam Sandler, Katie HolmesPG-Comedy. Jack is a successful advertising executive
with a wife & kids who dreads one event each year:
Thanksgiving, when his needy, passive-aggressive identical twin sister visits.
RECOIL starring Steve Austin-Danny Trejo-RAction. A cop turns vigilante after his family is murdered, exacting vengeance on the killer & then on all
criminals who have slipped through the system.
TOOTHFAIRY 2 starring Larry the Cable Guy-PGComedy. When Larry upsets a small boy with a loose
tooth where Brooke, the love of his life, works, he is
"sentenced" to become a real Tooth Fairy.
MARCH 13
BAG OF BONES starring Pierce Brosnan, Jason
Priestley-NR-Drama. After the sudden death of his
wife, Mike returns to the couple's lakeside retreat,
where he becomes involved in a custody battle between
the daughter of a young widow & the child's wealthy
grandfather, all the while knowing that his late wife is
trying to tell him something.
DESCENDANTS starring George Clooney-Beau
Bridges-R-Drama. Matt, a wealthy land owner, indifferent husband & father of two girls, takes his daughter on
a search for his wife's lover after she suffers a boating
accident.
HAPPY FEET TWO starring voices of Elijah Wood,
Pink-PG-Family. Mumble returns with the love of his
life Gloria and their son Erik. But Erik is struggling to
find his own particular talents & it’s going to take
everybody in penguin nation to work - and dance - to
help.
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN starring Michelle
Williams, Eddie Redmayne-R-Drama. In 1956, third
assistant on the set of "The Prince & the Showgirl,"
Colin Clark, escorts Marilyn Monroe away from
Hollywood hangers-on & the pressures of working for
an idyllic week.
THE THREE MUSKETEERS starring Logan
Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen-PG-13-Action. After discovering an evil conspiracy to overthrow the King, the
Musketeers, Porthos, Athos, & Aramis, come across a
young aspiring hero - D'Artagnan and take him under
their wing.
YOUNG ADULT starring Charlize Theron, Patrick
Wilson-R-Comedy. Mavis Gary, a 37-yr-old former
prom queen & current writer of young adult novels,
returns home to relive her glory days & win back her
now-married high school sweetheart.
All these and many, many more at KDs Video in
Bloomfield. 632-8579
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
The Book Nook
Your local Aztec library news!
e-mail: [email protected]
webpage: www.azteclibrary.org
319 S Ash, 505-334-7657
Need a New Author? Why not try….
Matthew Reilly
Scarecrow Returns
Deep in the Arctic, a long-forgotten Soviet military
base enshrouds a weapon of unimaginably destructive
force - a Cold War doomsday device with the power to
obliterate the planet.
When a mysterious and brutal terrorist group known
as the Army of Thieves seizes control of the remote base
and unleashes the weapon upon an unsuspecting world,
there is only one team close enough to sabotage them: a
ragtag band of Marines and civilians led by Captain
Sane Schofield, call sign “Scarecrow.” Outnumbered,
outgunned, and with the fate of humanity hanging in the
balance, Scarecrow has only a few short hours to bring
down the Army of Thieves - or see the Earth go up in
flames.
Filled with nonstop action and told in Matthew
Reilly’s characteristically white-knuckle prose,
Scarecrow Returns is a work of gripping suspense and
complete exhilaration.
One Click Digital from Recorded Books
The Aztec Public Library is now offering downloadable audio books! All audiobooks are iPod and MP3
compatible. One click download to your portable player
and no frustrating holds on popular titles! Simply go to
www.azteclibrary.org, click on the OneClick Digital icon
and set up an account for use! Easy as pie! When you
check out Recorded Books:
• You hear the best performances by talented professional actors with years of stage and screen experience.
These dramatic performances are recorded in our stateof-the-art studios in New York City and have earned
numerous prizes including Audiofile magazine
"Earphone" awards for excellence and Audie Awards
(the audiobook industry equivalent of the Oscar) from
the Audio Publishers Association.
• You get exceptional unabridged recordings. Every
element of our production process is checked and
rechecked for quality in our digital sound studios, fully
staffed with technicians, researchers, and producers.
Stop by the library if you need help getting an account
set up. We will be happy to help you. Questions? Call
334-7657.
It's 3 O'clock! Do you know where your children are?
School is out. Are your children at the Boys and Girls
Club's after-school program? Or the skate park? or the
playground? They may possibly visit the library in the
hours between the school bell and being picked up for
the evening. The library is delighted to welcome students for study and recreational reading in that interim
period.
However, while the Boys and Girls Club functions as
a structured after school activity program, the library
operates under a different code of conduct for children.
For instance, did you know the library has a written
policy that addresses the issue of unsupervised children?
This policy can be viewed in its entirety at: www.azteclibrary.org. If your child visits the library in the course of
his or her after-school time period, please take time to
familiarize yourself with this policy. If you do not have
access to a computer you may pick up a copy of the
policy at the library.
The library must make every effort to maintain a
quiet study environment for school children as well
as its many other patrons who may visit the library
at any given time. Unruly students who create an
environment that impedes such pursuit will be subject to parental notification. If your child engages in
unacceptable behavior at the library you may
receive a notification in the mail asking you to telephone library staff to discuss your child's behavior.
If the behavior can be alleviated or re-directed by the
parents and the staff working together, the child will be
allowed to continue to use the library unsupervised after
school. If the unacceptable behavior continues, library
staff may request that the child be accompanied by a
parent or guardian when using the library.
Storytime @ Your Library
The Aztec Public Library offers preschool story time
on Thursdays from 9:30-10:30. Join us for stories, crafts,
snacks and good fun @ your library. It’s a good chance
for children and mothers to socialize and get to know
one another.
March 1: Puff the Magic Dragon. Stories and songs!
March 8: Touch and Feel Fire Engine. Books with textures.
March 15: St Patty’s Day stories and a rainbow craft!
March 22: Hello Animals!
March 29: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes.
Storytime is a fun way to introduce your child to the
fabulous world of books and libraries!
Questions? Call Miss Angela at 334-7695.
Library Board
We are inviting interested parties to submit a letter of
interest for one open position on the Aztec Library
Advisory Board. If you are a library advocate please
give consideration to being a board member. You must
live within the city limits of Aztec and be available for
evening meetings. Please respond by Tuesday March 6,
2012.
Dale Evans @ Your Library March 14th!
Mark your calendars for a new Chautauqua event!
Dale Evans appears as a Chautauqua character in "The
Way You Ride the Trail." The stage portrait, presented by Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann of Ruidoso, takes
its title from a line in "Happy Trails to You," the theme
song Dale composed for her husband, Roy Rogers. The
audience meets Dale at two stages in her life: as a film,
television, and recording artist while raising a blended
family of seven children; and as an inspirational author.
March 14, 2012 at 6:00 pm, join us for a really fun
night.
Lyrics to "Happy Trails" by Dale Evans Rogers:
Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.
Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It's the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here's a happy one for you.
Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Happy trails to you, keep smilin' until then.
Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.
Happy trails to you, 'till we meet again.
Health and Wellness Program:
Come join the Aztec Public Library Walking Group!
Kick off 2012 with a healthy life style. Bring comfortable shoes, water and warm clothing. Learn more about
injury free fitness and prepare for your first 5K competition. Eating the right foods and watching your nutrition
can make you feel good. This program is to promote
health and wellness in our community.
Location: Aztec Public Library
319 S. Ash in Aztec
Time: March 10th from 10:00-11:00 am
We meet the 2nd Tuesday of every month at
the same time of day
Bring friends and family and walk your way to good
health! Questions? Call 334-7695.
Computer Classes @ Your Library
The Fast Forward Computer Classes are still going
strong. These computer classes are FREE!
March class schedules are available at the library! Or
you can go to our website at www.azteclibrary.org and
look at the calendar.
Anasazi Antics
The Anasazi Foundation will host the 2nd annual Anasazi Antics fundraiser at the
Farmington Civic Center, 200 W. Arrington, on Saturday, March 3, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. to
benefit Sandstone Productions.
The stage performance will feature many talented people from the community. As with
the performances from the 2011 event, this year is set to be entertaining and very humorous. Proceeds from the event will benefit the 2012 season for Sandstone Productions.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children under age 12. There will also be a raffle
for door prizes.
The Sandstone Productions 2012 season includes “Fiddler on the Roof” based on
Sholem Aleichem stories by special permission of Arnold Perl – book by Joseph Stein,
music by Jerry Brock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and brought to you by Sandstone
Productions.
Sandstone Productions is still operating without a General Fund budget from the City of
Farmington, and relies on fundraising events such as Anasazi Antics, volunteers,
donations, and attendance to bring this professional stock theater company to the community. For additional information on the Sandstone Productions and the Anasazi Antics,
contact Shawn Lyle at (505) 599-1140.
ABOUT SANDSTONE PRODUCTIONS – Sandstone Productions is a professional
regional theater company that improves the quality of life in Farmington, NM through
outstanding theatrical productions. Sandstone Productions is a division of the City of
Farmington department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs.
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 15
Recreation with Ryno
By Ryan Lane
Creativity, imagination, and the ability to dream are
important and unique aspects of being human. However,
being able to bring to fruition what was once only
thought of as a dream or imagination is, perhaps, an
even more remarkable aspect of being human.
Along these lines, imagine with me for a moment a
place where our youth could engage in meaningful outdoor activities that they actually find enjoyable; a place
that also provides a safe environment for our youth;
where they could go to interact with animals, certainly,
but also learn to care for and show love to a particular
animal while creating a special bond with that animal;
and along the way they could learn certain absolute values such as honor, truth, and responsibility. Now, what if
I told you that someone had such a vision and has
brought it to fruition right here in the Four Corners area?
Oh, and they are offering such a place free of charge.
Ride Ready Youth Ranch is hosting its grand opening
on April 21, 2012. Ride Ready Youth Ranch gives children ages 3-16 years the opportunity to learn how to
both ride and take care of horses, including grooming
and cleaning up after one. According to Donna Wade,
the founder of Ride Ready Youth Ranch, her vision is
“to provide children with stress free enjoyment and a
wholesome outdoor activity, while learning to groom
and ride a horse, participating in ranch chores, and
learning the good ol’ cowboy values of honor, truth,
self-reliance and self-confidence.”
After parents contact Ride Ready Youth Ranch, a time
is set up for their child to visit the Ranch. Upon arrival,
the child is paired with a mentor who spends one-to-one
time with the child, explains the rules of the Ranch, and
guides the child through a set of chores typically conducted on the Ranch. The mentor then takes the child to
meet a special horse—one chosen for its gentleness and
affability with children—and the child participates in
grooming the horse and learns how to properly saddle
the horse. The mentor and child then take their special
horse for a ride in the “Golden Rule Corral.” Wade
states that the typical experience at Ride Ready Youth
Ranch ranges between an hour to an hour-and-a-half.
Parents are required to stay on the premises but are
encouraged to themselves relax by watching the activities or sit in one of the Ranch’s benches or swings while
enjoying their favorite book. She urges that all children
are welcome to participate regardless of experience with
horses and that frequent return visits are encouraged.
And regardless of the number of times your child visits
Ride Ready Youth Ranch, such visits are completely free
of charge.
Wade hopes to replicate a similar program founded in
Oregon at the Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, where she
first learned of the idea of providing a place for children
and horses to bond to one another. The success of the
Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch is well documented, and as
Wade hopes to accomplish at Ride Ready Youth Ranch,
success there is not measured by the numbers of visitors,
but by the number of children whose lives are positively
impacted by being able to spend time riding and caring
for horses.
Ride Ready Youth Ranch is located at 208 Road 4800
near Bloomfield. You can contact the Ride Ready Youth
Ranch at 505-333-7375 for more information or to
schedule a time for you and your child to visit.
Although the grand opening takes place on April 21, the
Ranch will be open throughout the summer.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Readers may contact Ryan via email at
[email protected] with questions or comments concerning a particular column, or with suggestions for a
future column.
Eagles on Ruins Rd. by Mike Fauteaux
If you have driven down Ruins Rd. this winter, you have probably noticed the pair of Bald Eagles sitting in the trees across the
river from the Oil Conservation office. We are very lucky here in
Aztec to be able to witness our National bird in its wintering
grounds. These beautiful creatures grace us with their presence
each year beginning around the end of November and stay until
early March. Although they do not nest here, they do migrate
from as far away as Canada to fish in our Animas River and winter in our moderate climate.
Bald eagles, along with their cousin the Golden eagle, usually
pair up for life but do not necessarily stay together during the
winter months. They will however almost always fly back to the same nesting area and meet up with each
other to raise a new family. These two Bald eagles look to be both females. This can be determined by their
size as the female is usually a third larger than the male. The Bald eagle is very recognizable by its spectacular white head and tail which it does not get until it is four to seven years old. If you are lucky you might get
the chance to see them actually catch a fish as they seem to favor this particular fishing hole.
NMCSA and NMSSA pledge assistance in developing
effective teacher and principal evaluation
550 N. Mesa Verde, Aztec, New Mexico
C@DNNDJIRDGG>JQ@M{
N
N
N
(505) 334-6261
Safeway Pharmacy - Free Classes and Nicotine Replacement Therapy
(1-800-784-8669)
Smoking Cessation Classes
(SPM Wire) Catch the excitement of March Madness, even if
you’re a basketball novice. There are many ways to predict NCAA
Tournament brackets without needing to know the difference between
a layup and a dribble.
Pick by Mascot: Sure, this is the clichéd way to pick winners. But
when else can you choose between an Orangeman and Blue Devil?
Pick by Personal Connection: Second cousin went to Purdue? Go
Boilermakers! Once drove through Madison? Wisconsin’s the pick.
Pick Against Your Basketball Obsessed Friends: The NCAA
Tournament is unpredictable. No matter how much people may know,
one upset will derail their brackets faster than they can say
“Gonzaga.” Plus, with a surprise win, you’ll have bragging rights
through next March.
LENTEN
N
PARISH
H
MISSION
N
March 18-22, 2012, 7pm at St. Joseph Church
N
Call the Help Line:
1-800-QUIT NOW
Are you ready for
March Madness?
Want to quit smoking?
The New Mexico Coalition of School Administrators (NMCSA) and the New Mexico School
Superintendents Association (NMSSA) wish to congratulate Governor Susana Martinez on the passage
of a bipartisan supported budget for the state of New Mexico and the Secretary Designate Hanna
Skandera for her success in obtaining the Federal NCLB waiver for New Mexico. The waiver will provide much needed flexibility for use of Title I funds and will alleviate other requirements so districts can
best decide how to meet the needs of their lowest performing students.
We understand that the Governor and the Secretary Designate want to continue their work in developing an effective teacher and principal evaluation system. Our associations have many school and district
leaders with great expertise in this area who have been studying and researching such evaluation systems. We stand ready to bring our best and most creative thinking to work with the Governor, Ms.
Skandera, and the team at the Public Education Department to create an evaluation system that will put
New Mexico at the forefront of national education reform. We believe that working together we can
truly put Kids First so New Mexico Wins both academically and economically.
ALL ARE INVITED
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PAGE 16
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
First Baptist Church
of
Aztec
•Sunday Services•
8:00 AM - Sunday School -9:30 AM - Worship
9:30 AM - Sunday School -11:00 AM - Worship
Evening Worship - 5:30 PM
Nursery Provided
700 Navajo Street • 334-6833
You are cordially welcome
Make sure
your family
stays warm
this winter!
Have your heating system
tuned up or replaced now!
We also have a Service Plan to fit your needs!
Call Home Plumbing &
Heating & A/C
Aztec • 334-9353
Quality
parts and
service
for that
special car
Signs of Spring! by John & Jan Rees
While the March calendar marks one day as the first
day of spring, birds give us signs of spring throughout
the month regardless of lingering ice on lakes and reservoirs, snow covered fields, and snowstorms on
Colorado’s La Plata and San Juan Mountains. Our field
notes from past Marches chart the return of several
species absent during winter months, birds singing,
migrants passing through to points north, and residents
already nesting.
Two male Cinnamon Teal were early March arrivals
at Zink’s Pond south of Durango. Mid and late month
trips brought additional sightings of this species on
Morgan Lake, Zink’s Pond, and the Animas River. On
the 31st at Pastorius Reservoir southeast of Durango we
watched a male Cinnamon Teal pumping its head up
and down in the presence of a female. Head pumping is
both an aggressive display commonly employed by
males of this species during encounters with other males
and a courtship display as described in the species’
account in Birds of North America Online (BNA). BNA
tells us that pairs form mainly from late February to
May, supporting the courtship idea. Late March,
American Coots interacted aggressively with necks
stretched low to the front, wings raised, and white lines
below the tails enlarged.
Single Greater Yellowlegs were early shorebird
migrants observed mid-March at Farmington Lake and
the 31st at Pastorius. These birds travel from winter
ranges in the southern United States together with New
Mexico and points south of the border to breeding
grounds in Canada and Alaska. A locally common
shorebird and a species that breeds throughout much of
the lower 48 including our corner of New Mexico as
well as Canada is the Killdeer, probably our best-known
shorebird. March sightings of this species extend
through the month. Although they are found along lake
shores, Killdeer also inhabit croplands and shortgrass
prairie. Our birds occupied pastures as well as lake
shores; they could have been migrants or potential
breeders. Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA) cites
confirmations for this species statewide in suitable open
habitat even to very high elevations and reaching above
timberline in Colorado’s Flat Tops Wilderness where
Hugh Kingery sighted a few in June around an elk wallow.
Tree Swallows, primarily insectivores, amaze us by
returning when there is still a real threat of cold temper-
atures and snow. We watched a
couple at Zink’s Pond March
25th when temps were still
cold enough that nearby
Pastorius Reservoir was frozen
over. The BBA reports that this
species appears in the Colorado mountains at higher elevations such as Winter Park and Vail Pass when snow
still covers the ground. According to BNA, Winton
Weydemeyer found the average date of return for Tree
Swallows in Montana was March 25th based on his 46
year observations of this species’ arrivals. BNA mentions that Tree Swallows return much earlier than other
swallows, possibly because Tree Swallows consume
vegetable matter when insects are not available. These
swallows eat bayberries in many states, but this plant is
not found in many states, among them Colorado and
New Mexico. We learned that Tree Swallows eat seeds
as well, but even so, their early push north can become a
fine line between life and death. Birds of Nova Scotia
cites an incident where swallows starved following a
three day snowstorm with temperatures holding a little
below freezing, an example of the risk these early
migrants face.
Several Red-tailed Hawks occupied nests in tall cottonwoods during March. BBA notes that researchers
determined that these hawks lay their first eggs mid to
late March in interior North America as stated in work
reported in 1993. Prior to egg laying, nests may be
newly built, or nests from past years may be repaired
before one is selected for the current year. Atlasers
found Red-tails on nests from April 1st through August
1st.
Sage Thrashers signaled spring with their shrub top
songs, and Western Meadowlarks vocalized on the
Navajo Irrigation Project mid-March. Male Red-winged
Blackbirds, now separated from their winter flocks, sang
in cattail marshes to establish territories and attract
females. It is hypothesized that the males with the best
songs are the most fit and therefore will be the best
mates. Regardless of the reasons for songs, we humans
enjoy hearing them!
More signs of spring were returning Turkey Vultures,
migrating Franklin’s and Bonaparte’s Gulls, a Myrtle’s
subspecies of the Yellow-rumped Warbler, Burrowing
Owls on the irrigation project, Canada Geese chasing
competitors, and increasing numbers of Say’s Phoebes.
Seeing which species are back, which are singing, displaying, or nesting are intriguing ways to celebrate the
changing seasons.
Shedding light on a blinding Aztec issue
Well, we have a new business in town, and for the
revenue, this is good news.
However, besides the revenue, we want businesses
that are also good neighbors. A good neighbor respects
112 West Chaco • Aztec, NM • 505-334-9407
the people in the area where it “resides”.
As a resident of the new Dollar General's “neighborMon-Fri: 7:30 - 5:30 • Sat: 8 - 6
hood,” I know that the lights turned on February 21st are
www.dusenberys.com
neither appropriate for the neighborhood nor the site.
Dollar General has a tiny parking lot that
is lit by 3 pole lamps from above. They
also have security lights surrounding the
building that cover the lower level of the
Here is a list of warrants issued between 1-16-12 to 2-15-12 by the Aztec
space. That's plenty. BUT the insane
Municipal Court. If your name appears on the list, please contact the court
thing is that they also have six mercury
at: (505) 334-7640 to clear up the warrant.
vapor flood lamps on the roof of the
NAME
LAST KNOWN ADDRESS
D/M of B building.
Bernard, Jason, T
245 CR 3050 Aztec, NM 87410
4-May
The problem is that these six (6!)
Betz, Dione
28 CR 3103 Aztec, NM 87410
31-Dec
whoppers are angled in such a way that
Blackmon, Taylor
306 Bessie PL Aztec, NM 87410
14-Feb
1) they point at drivers and are a safety
Carillo, Jessica, M
20 Rd 2935 Aztec, NM 87410
26-Jul
hazard 2) they do not comply with NM
Chavez, Angel
2807 W 22nd St Apt Farmington, NM 8740116-Jan
Dark Skies Act that requires lights to
Cornford, Cheyanne, H 36 CR 3143 Aztec, NM 87410
21-Feb
point down (here is NM's online version
Ehart, Victoria
#43 CR 5415 Bloomfield, NM 87413
31-Mar
of the international law, at
Garcia, Caitlin
409 Jordan St Bloomfield, NM 87413
6-May
www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/09%20
Garrett, Daniella
1216 W Aztec Blvd #49 Aztec, NM 87410 17-Sep
Regular/final/HB0362.pdf), and 3) these
Giles, Jerramiah, D
120 CR 3050 Aztec, NM 87410
16-Aug
lights are bright enough to prevent
Gosnell, Donald
106B CR 4903 Bloomfield, NM 87413
24-Jul
neighbors from sleeping, because they
Hall, Troy
702 Chamiza #4 Aztec, NM 87410
27-Jun
shine right into the bedrooms and homes
Hamlin, Jaeson
93 CR 3451 Flora Vista, NM 87415
11-May
of the neighborhood.
Hazen, Brenda, L
1 CR 3074 Aztec, NM 87410
14-May
Heuser, Jason
50 Rd 3063 Aztec, NM 87410
17-Sep
Hudgens, Don, R
8659 Hwy 550 #18 Durango, CO 81303
1-Oct
Montoya, Leandra
413 N Frontier Bloomfield, NM 87413
9-Aug
Munoz, Kimberly
102 CR 4903 Bloomfield, NM 87413
18-Aug
Newby, Cynthia, J
512 Honeylocust Bloomfield, NM 87413 19-Mar
Rafael, Leroy
430 CR 2800 Nageezi, NM 87037
15-Nov
Get in shape and have fun this sumRobinson, Nicholas, W 1908 Finch Ave Farmington,NM 87401
15-Oct
mer with WALK & TONE offered thru
Rogers-Wilson, Andrew 200 Crandall Dr Aztec, NM 87410
12-Jan
San Juan College East - Aztec,
Rowlands, Brandon, L 2122 W Aztec Blvd Aztec, NM 87410
21-Jan
Instructor: Kelly Hegarty
Scott, Kirstie, L
3522 Hwy 64 Sp 3 Waterflow, NM 87421 14-Jan
Class meets in Aztec Monday/
Shurtliff, Cory
320 Meadow Brook Dr Bayfield, CO 81120 3-Feb
Wednesday/Friday 9-10 a.m. starting
Slavens, Patricia
33254 Rd M Mancos, CO 81328
14-Sep
May 16th thru July 13th (no class on
Snyder, Bethanie
368 CR 232 Durango, CO 81303
15-Jan
memorial day or 4th of July)
Spencer, Dylan, S
2320 E 12th St Farmington, NM 87401
5-Jan
Cost is $37 plus fees for the full 8
Wade, Tammara, D
19 CR 6317 Kirtland, NM 87417
29-Nov
week class. Senior discount available.
Watson, Robert, A
4454 CR 203 Durango, CO 81301
1-Dec
This class qualifies for credit toward a
Wisenbaler, Gregory, E 705 Apache Aztec, NM 87410
20-Jan
degree, but may also be taken as an
audit with no grade given.
If you clear up your warrant(s) from this ad you will receive $20
For more information contact SJC
OFF the BENCH WARRANT FEE! You must tell us you got the
East @ 334-3831.
information from TALON in order to take advantage of this offer!
Aztec City Warrants
WALK & TONE
PHED 299-002
One of those bedrooms is mine. And since I haven't
slept well since, I've had lots of time to think about why
the city would accept such an arrangement, since these
lights are clearly neither appropriate nor necessary. Well,
one reason is that no city commissioners live in this
neighborhood... another might be that the city is so desperate for businesses, that they are willing to compromise the citizens' rights.
Aztec codes are online:
www.aztecnm.gov/citycode/book.htm and each separate
area is accessible by topic. I have researched the sign
ordinance, but somehow this lighting problem is not
addressed there.
However, it needs to be addressed, because this new
neighbor is making its neighborhood suffer, and the city
needs to protect the citizens' quality of life now and for
the future. I strongly believe that Aztec can sustain businesses without compromising the rights of its residents.
To that end, I've contacted police, code enforcement,
the office formerly known as planning, commissioners,
and city manager. Not much response...hopefully by the
time this goes to press, the issue will be resolved. If not,
I encourage concerned citizens to speak out!
Virginia (Ginny) Jones, current Aztec Sorehead
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 17
Local high school seniors honored by DAR
Cooper, Cameron
Service & Repairs
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Remodeling
Residential
Commercial
NM License #91085
Rising Sun Plumbing
“We’re here to help!”
505-333-2550
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Open Afternoons and Evenings
By Appointment ONLY: 564-3628
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A tale of
two miracles.
In 2007, Fort Lewis College professor Cameron
Cooper learned he had a brain tumor the size of a
flattened softball. Immediate surgery was required.
Fortunately for Cameron, exceptional neurosciences
are right here at San Juan Health Partners and
San Juan Regional Medical Center. Neurosurgeon
Dr. Ted Maurin was able to surgically remove most
of the tumor. A team of chemotherapy and radiation
experts at San Juan Regional Cancer Center provided
additional treatment and care. Cameron’s survival was
nothing less than miraculous. Then, despite extensive
radiation, the Coopers were blessed with a second
miracle—the birth of their son Ian Maurin Cooper,
who they proudly named after their neurosurgeon.
Today, the Cooper family is doing fine.
A Division of
San Juan Regional
Medical Center
BRAIN TUMOR
DR
DR. MAURIN NEUROSURGEON
SanJuanHealthPartners.com or SanJuanRegional.com
MIRACLES
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Coop
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NUEROSCIENCES
The Daughters of the
American Revolution held their
annual senior high school Good
Citizens reception honoring nine
San Juan County seniors on
February 12 at San Juan College
Henderson Fine Arts Building.
The Daughters of the
American Revolution selected
four qualities that any good citizen exhibit: DEPENDABILITY,
SERVICE, LEADERSHIP AND
PATRIOTISM. Each of the Good
Citizens were recommended by
their own high school to receive
this award. Each of the Good
Citizens also applied for the
$500 scholarship that the DAR
was awarding at the reception.
San Juan area High School Dar Good Citizens for 2012
The high schools submitting
Front row: Evelyn Gutierrez, Bloomfield High; Alison Fuller, Kirtland Central
Good Citizens were:
High; Maggie Gomez, Farmington High; Eryka Peterson, Navajo Preparatory
Aztec High School:
School.
2nd row: Zadeea Harris, New Mexico State DAR Regent; Linda Smith,
Toria Kovacs, daughter of
Good
Citizen
Chairman; Toria Kovacs, Aztec High; Shelbi Allen, Grace Baptist
Pamela Kovacs and Michael
Academy; Jerea Curtis, Rocinante High; Judith Wooderson, Chapter Regent.
Kovacs of Bloomfield, was the
Back: Matt Detmer, Piedra Vista High.
recipient of this year's scholarship. Toria is a member of the
of need they know they can rely on her.
San Juan County Safe Communities UMATTR Team.
Piedra Vista High School
This team is made up of 12 seniors who are selected to
Matt Detmer is the son of Doug and Anna Mae
be role models for students. Their goal is to encourage
Detmer
of Farmington. Matt is president of both
young people to make the right decisions about not
the
Drama
Club and the Cross Country Track
using drugs and alcohol. They also talk with children
Team. He has excelled in math and science at his
about bullying and showing respect for parents and
teachers. She volunteers at the Boy's and Girl's Club as a school. He completed all the requirements for
graduation in math his freshman year but continvolleyball coach and works with the Big Brother's and
ued to take AP classes in advanced math since
Big Sister's organization.
then. He has achieved recognition at the National
Bloomfield High School:
Science Fair four years in a row. He was selected
Evelyn Gutierrez is the daughter of Juan and Melva
to All State Choir and his choir director says he is
Gutierrez of Bloomfield. Evelyn serves as mediator
a devoted team player and compelling leader.
between conflicting sides in the organizations to which
Rocinante High School
she belongs, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, United Blood
Jerea Curtis is the daughter of Jerry and Kelly
Drive, and as President of New Mexico MESA. Evelyn
Curtis
of Farmington. Jerea's application is filled
is a Master Tutor at Bloomfield High School. She was
with
all
the ways she has served her school, comnominated by every teacher on her schedule to do peer
munity and the Navajo tribe as Miss Indian
tutoring during school hours to help struggling students.
Farmington for two consecutive years. She has
She strives to help others realize they are capable of
worked with the Leukemia and Lymphoma
more than they think .
Foundation, MADD-Sticker shock, and Miss Teen
Farmington High School:
Navajo Ambassador. She is also a blood donor for
Maggie Gomez is the daughter of Anthony and
the school blood drive.
Therese Gomez of Farmington. Maggie is also a memShiprock High School
ber of the UMATTR San Juan County Team. They make
Samantha Peters is the daughter of Virgil Peters
trips to elementary and middle schools and demonstrate
and Kelly Miller from Shiprock. Samantha is
how fun life can be without bad influences. Through her
President of the Student Council this year at
gift of music she has written a song called "You Matter
Shiprock High. She has been on the varsity basketto Me" which she sings when at activities for young
ball team for four years and captain for her junior
people. She plays guitar and sings in her youth group.
and senior years. She has been in the National
She is section leader in her high school choir where she
Honor for three years. She serves her school as a
helps her peers with their music.
peer tutor. Outside of school but representing stuGrace Baptist Academy:
dents, she has been the Secretary for the
Shelbi Allen is the daughter of Russell and Tracy
Community Committee for Native Students. Her
Allen of Aztec. She has been a care giver to an elderly
teachers recognize her as a strong leader and role
lady for four years. She does house chores, shopping
model for Shiprock High.
and errands for this woman. Shelbi is a secretary for
Triple Eagle Properties where she collects rent, shows
apartments and other random jobs. Using her music talent she has reached out to at risk children whom she
regularly spends time with. She goes to Cedar Ridge
once a month to sing, eat with and do crafts with the residents there. Shelbi's letters of recommendation say she
is a person you can count on.
Kirtland Central High School
Alison Fuller is the daughter of Nathan and Arcilia
Fuller of Kirtland. Alison is on the 12 member UMATTR team as a spokesperson. She has served as chair of
the "Purple Ribbon Week," a week dedicated to raising
awareness of domestic abuse and teen dating violence.
She arranged for a speaker to talk to the students about
unhealthy relationships. Alison worked to organize a
toy/book drive for children in shelters in Farmington and
Shiprock.
Navajo Preparatory School
Eryka Peterson is the daughter of Leroy and Michele
Peterson of Farmington. Eryka was president of the
Junior class and is president of the National Honor
Society. Her class sponsor, Lesley Duffus, said she is
excellent at leading and speaking with her classmates
and in the classroom setting. She has leadership roles in
Student Senate, Recycling Program, Peer tutoring and
Big Brothers and Big Sisters. It is her desire to develop
a trust bond with those whom she works so that in times
PAGE 18
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
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Call Shelley (505) 330-2681
to schedule an appointment
This beautifully built 3
bdrm, 2 bath home has a
nice, open floor plan and
has never been lived in. It
is located in a new subdivision which is in a very quiet
and desirable area of
Aztec. Must see to appreciate this lovely home.
100 N.
Main
Aztec
334-6187
Great truths that little
children have learned:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2) When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her
brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They
always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same
time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's
lap.
Harley’s Humor
Quick Irish Wit
There was a poor old Irish cobbler whose shop was
next door to a very upscale French restaurant.
Every day at lunch time, Mike, the Irish gent, would
go out the back of his shop and eat his soda bread and
maybe a kipper or piece of Irish blue cheese while
smelling the wonderful odors coming from the restaurant’s kitchen.
One morning, the Irishman was surprised to receive an
invoice in the mail from the adjoining restaurant for
“enjoyment of food.”
Mystified, he marched right over to the restaurant to
point out that he had not bought a thing from them.
The manager said, “You’re enjoying our food, so you
should pay us for it.” The Irishman refused to pay and
the restaurant took him to court.
At the hearing, the judge asked the restaurant to present their side of the case. The manager said, “Every day,
this man comes and sits outside our kitchen and smells
our food while eating his. It is clear that we are providing added value to his poor food and we deserve to be
compensated for it.”
The judge turned to Mike and said, “What do you
have to say to that?”
The old Irishman didn’t say a thing but smiled and
stuck his hand in his pocket and rattled the few coins he
had inside.
The judge asked him, “What is the meaning of that?”
The Irishman replied with a mile wide grin, “I’m paying for the smell of his food with the sound of my
money.”
The Queen of Bingo
The comedy stage show “The Queen of Bingo” will
show in the Miriam M. Taylor Theater at the Farmington
Civic Center, 200 W Arrington, on Monday, March 19,
2012 at 7:30 p.m.
In the tradition of the hilarious Harvey Korman and
Tim Conway sketches from the old Carol Burnett Show,
comes the stage comedy “The Queen of Bingo!” 'Sis'
and 'Babe,' two sisters on the other side of 50, want to
add a little fun and excitement to their lives...but where
to find it? BINGO!
Jeanne Michels and Phyllis Murphy's “The Queen of
Bingo” explores the worlds of Bingo, family ties, diet
crazes, widowhood, hot flashes and winning! The audience joins in the fun during the "Middle Bird Special" a real Bingo game where some lucky audience member
wins a FREE 10 lb. frozen turkey at every performance!
Theatregoers young and old will howl with laughter as
two zany guys, playing two crazy gals, light up the stage
in the comedy hit “The Queen of Bingo!”
Tickets are available online at www.fmtn.org/prca or
at the Farmington Civic Center.
FMI about “The Queen of Bingo,” contact the
Farmington Civic Center at (505) 599-1148.
Specials
Monday - Friday
302 N. 1st St. Bloomfield • 632-8579
Phone cards available
(Order your AVON products here!)
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 19
City Chatter
RELAY FOR LIFE
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
3 Annual Shoots & Ladders Basketball Competition
When: Thursday, March 15, 2012 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Where: Aztec High School Gym
Come out and watch the Aztec Police Department, reigning champions,
try for a three-peat championship as they defend their title against the
Farmington Police Department, San Juan County Fire Department, and
the Bloomfield Fire Department.
Changes to Business Licensing
For those of you who own businesses in Aztec or who know someone
that owns a business in Aztec, you may have questions about the new
business licensing process. In October 2011, the Aztec City
Commission adopted changes to Chapter 11 of Aztec Municipal
Code. This section of code regulates licensing and business
regulations within the City of Aztec and required updates and
revisions to address statutory regulations not previously addressed in
Municipal Code.
rd
Entertainment: The state cheerleading competition will be held on
Friday, March 23rd and Saturday, March 24th in Albuquerque, NM at
the
Santa Ana Star Center. So come watch the cheerleaders perform their
state routines for the first time:
N
N
N
Bloomfield High School cheerleading
Aztec High School cheerleading
Kirtland High School cheerleading
Also performing:
N
N
Elite Dance & Danz Force Groups
Wiggle and Jiggle Gymnastics
As a result of these changes all new business license applications and
business license renewals must be reviewed by the Community
Development Department to ensure the existing or proposed business
meets land use requirements for its designated location. For example,
a manufacturing business does not meet land use requirements for a
residentially zoned parcel and is not allowable in a residential zone
district. In the City’s process of reviewing business license renewals
for the 2012 calendar year, numerous existing businesses have been
identified as nonconforming uses within a particular zone district. In
these cases, the City issues a six-month temporary business license
for the business and works with the business owner to resolve the
land use conflict.
In some instances a Special Use Permit is sought for a nonconforming
$3.00 per person; $5.00 per couple; $10.00 per family.
business to ensure the business can continue to operate in its existing
Concession provided by Aztec Key Club. Look for other Relay For Life location with no adverse impact to the business. These permits are
teams that will have tables with lots of goodies to buy!
most appropriate for businesses that have been in the same location in
our community for decades but that may now be in an area that no
longer has a commercial use or zone designation. Special Use Permits
AZTEC - MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
typically expire when a business ceases operations, when a business is
Spring Fling 2012
sold, or when a land parcel is sold. In other instances the City works
Aztec Community Cleanup Week
with landowners to rezone a particular parcel of land to ensure the
April 14 – April 21
zone designation fits the best and most appropriate use for that area of
The City of Aztec is excited to announce this year’s Community
the City. Zone changes for businesses are appropriate in areas of the
Cleanup Week. The City, in conjunction with WCA Transit Waste
City that have an older or outdated zone designation associated with it
Authority, will conduct a Community Cleanup April 14th through April
(i.e. an agriculturally zoned area that no longer has an agricultural
21st Earth Day. Look for more information to come.
use).
1st Annual 5K Tiger Run/Walk
June 2nd
The City of Aztec Employee Association is excited to announce this
year’s First Annual 5K Tiger Run and Walk to be held in Conjunction
with the Aztec Fiesta Day activities on June 2, 2012. Look for more
information to come.
It is not the intent of the City to shut businesses down or to push
businesses out of the City. Local businesses play a vital role in our
community and we strive to support businesses and ensure their
success. If you have additional questions on business licensing or its
relation to land use regulations please do not hesitate to contact the
Community Development Department at (505) 334-7604.
Ever in need of information about the City of Aztec government? Then
visit the City’s web site 24/7: www.aztecnm.gov
AZTEC PUBLIC LIBRARY
AZTEC CODE COMPLIANCE
CHAUTAUQUA EVENT
Program Title: “The Way You Ride The Trail”
Character Name: Dale Evans
March 14, 2012 @ 6:00 pm
The Code Compliance Office will be starting a new volunteer program
this spring called Adopt-A-Neighbor. The program is designed to assist
Aztec residents with compliance issues that they struggle to solve on
their own due to age or disability. As we identify these residents
through the compliance process we will work to match them with
volunteers who will provide basic yard maintenance to bring the
property into compliance. If you, or your organization, are interested in
becoming a volunteer please contact Matthew Clark at 334-7697.
Although the work will not begin until the spring, organizing volunteers
now will allow us to be prepared when the growing season begins. So
be a part of making Aztec a better place to live, and adopt-a-neighbor
now!
AZTEC RECYCLE CENTER – NEW HOURS!
The City of Aztec is pleased to announce the new hours of the
Recycling Center located at 303 S. Ash Ave. The Recycling Center is
now open:
N Monday Closed
N Tuesday through Thursday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
N Friday and Saturday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
N Sunday 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Visit the City of Aztec website to see what items the recycling center
takes: www.aztecnm.gov
New Employee
Meet Susan Kerschion, our
new library assistant at the
Aztec Public Library.
Susan worked for 26 years
at Wal-Mart in Farmington
before deciding on a career
change. She is the
grandmother of 10
grandkids! Susan enjoys
bowling and is a
professional spectator with
all the activities that her
grandkids are involved in.
Susan is diligently working
toward getting her
Bachelor’s Degree in
Business Administration.
Stop in and say hello when
you’re in the
neighborhood!
Stay informed through the following: Website: www.aztecnm.gov Twitter: CityOfAztec Facebook: www.facebook.com/aztecnewmexico
PAGE 20
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
Robert Retherford,
Attorney at Law, P.C.
Social Security Disability, Small Businesses,
Probate, Wills, and other Estate-Planning
With a new Fine Art Gallery
120 East Chaco Street, Aztec • 334-5750
Would you like your place
of business to be a
TALON pick up place?
Call 334-1039
It’s All about Living!
by Deb Jacupke, Dir. of Marketing,
Good Samaritan
Society – Four Corners Village
Senior Housing… With services?
When you work in Senior Housing, you get used to a
lot of misconceptions about exactly what “Senior
Housing With Services” means. My office is located at
Cottonwood Apartments and recently I joined the
“Cottonwood Bunch” (their name for themselves, not
mine) for lunch. Since there are only 12 apartments, the
residents are all very good friends and enjoy a wonderful lifestyle together. They are a light hearted, close
group and I always enjoy myself when I have lunch with
them.
You really couldn’t find a more diverse group but
everyone enjoys the fact that they live in a setting that
allows them to spend more time focusing on the things
they enjoy and the things that truly matter. Separate
from the rest of the campus, Cottonwood residents are
surrounded by the beautiful vistas and picturesque views
of the snow-capped La Plata mountains.
The apartments offer one and two bedroom
units but most importantly, they offer the
amenities and fellowship of a thriving community for persons 55 and older. The units are
fully appointed with full kitchens, an emergency response system, carpeting, heat & airconditioning and include utilities. Each resident
has furnished their unit according to their own
taste.
The services include a daily noon meal in the
dining room (served restaurant style, including
a salad bar); weekly housekeeping, social activ-
Cottonwood Senior Apartment at Good Samaritan
Society – Four Corners Village in Aztec.
ities, scheduled and coordinated transportation, free onsite laundry, apartment and grounds maintenance. Free
internet is also provided in the parlor.
A resident once told me, “When I left my house, I had
no idea that I would ever find somewhere that felt like
home again. I was wrong! This IS home – only better.”
Cottonwood Apartments has a one bedroom apartment
becoming available, if you are interested in joining the
“Cottonwood Bunch” for carefree senior living (with
services), contact Deb Jacupke at 970-946-7870.
The Basics of Estate Planning, Part I
Let me help you get the coverage you need.
People who switched to Allstate saved money
and got more protection. Dollar for dollar, nobody
protects you like Allstate. So don’t wait! Call me
today.
KELLY J BERHOST
(505) 334 6177
1415 W AZTEC BLV #9
AZTEC
[email protected]
Come and compare your current policy
with one from Allstate.
Coverage and savings based on policy features selected and are subject to terms, conditions and availability.
Allstate Fire And Casualty Insurance Company: Northbrook, IL. © 2010 Allstate Insurance Company
by Robert Retherford, Attorney at Law
This is the first in a series in The Talon on
common legal issues. The author, Robert
Retherford, took over Karen Townsend's practice in 2006. His law office is at 120 East
Chaco Street in Aztec, next to Wells Fargo.
He practices general civil law and specializes
in estate-planning and probate, disability,
child abuse and neglect, small business, and
collections. He has lived in Aztec since 2004,
and is really happy to be able to walk to work
in this friendly little town.
People often have horror stories about what
happened when a loved one or acquaintance
passed away without making any advanced
plans. A person’s passing can be devastating
to his or her friends and family. When you do
estate planning, you are
putting plans into place
that are intended to
make things as clear and
as easy as possible.
A Last Will and
Testament is the traditional way to ensure
people know your wishes for your estate, burial,
and other matters. It is
very important to leave
instructions for your
next of kin –who inherits what, and if anything
special should go to a
specific person – to
reduce the possibility of
disputes.
If someone passes
away without a Last
Will and Testament, they
are dying “intestate”:
without a statement
about what should happen. New Mexico law
provides a system to fol-
O
ur senior community features
some wonderful amenities. Seniors.
The way we see it, it’s all about living! The Village offers
a full complement of services for every stage of life.
To learn more about senior
living at Four Corners Village,
call (505) 334-9445.
All faiths or beliefs are welcome. 11-G0759
low what the average person would
want to have happen: a specific percentage to the surviving spouse,
another percentage to any living
children, and so on. Only if someone
has no family would the State end
up with the property.
Probate happens when a court has to appoint someone
to do things that the person who died would normally
have done him or herself: transfer title for land, distribute property, pay bills, etc. Probate is not the end of the
world, but it can involve time and money that you might
be able to avoid with careful planning.
A lot of property in New Mexico can be passed on
without a will, though. Anytime you put a beneficiary on
something, it can pass without probate when a death certificate is filed. It’s like putting a name tag and directions on that particular item. Life insurance and investments commonly have beneficiaries.
Like an insurance policy, you can set up your bank
accounts to be “payable on death.” Just ask your bank
for the form. You can put a beneficiary on real estate by
filing a “transfer on death” deed with the county clerk;
talk to an attorney about preparing one of these. There is
even a state form to pass on your vehicles if there is no
probate.
The more property you can pass without a will, the
less need for a probate case – or the less complicated
that probate case might be.
You can also pass on assets now. Some people start
giving monetary gifts at birthdays and holidays as a way
to pass on their estate before they themselves pass on, so
that they pay down their assets while also seeing the
happiness generated by their generosity.
Whatever you decide to do, talk to the attorney of
your choice and to an accountant as you plan. Tax attorneys are very specialized practitioners, and most attorneys cannot give detailed advice on tax issues.
In the next column, I will talk about how trusts work
and when they might be a good idea. After that, I plan to
cover powers-of-attorney for financial and health care
needs before moving on to other areas of civil law. If
there are any specific questions you have, please contact
the attorney of your choice.
Battlefield and Ice Cream
The Sycamore Park Community Center will host a Mother Son Dodgeball
Tournament and Ice Cream Sundae Bar on Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 1:00
p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
This 2nd annual event is the Mother/Son event at the community center for
2012. The special event is for mothers and sons to build memories that will last a
lifetime.
Mothers and sons will compete with and against each other, enjoy an ice cream
sundae bar, and take away a complimentary portrait to commemorate the day.
Tickets are $4 per person and must be purchased in advance. Tickets are available
online at www.fmtn.org/prca or at the community center.
The Sycamore Park Community Center is located at 1051 Sycamore in
Farmington, NM.
For additional information on the Mother Son Dodgeball Tournament, contact
the Sycamore Park
Community Center at
AZTEC ANIMAL SHELTER
(505) 566-2480.
825 E. SABENA • AZTEC, NM 87410
505-334-6819
Noon - 4:00 pm - Seven days a week
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
Obituaries
Bertrand
Morene Bertrand, 74, of Aztec, died on Sunday, Feb.
19, 2012, in Aztec. Morene was born Nov. 18, 1937, in
Olney, Texas.
Cremation has taken place.
Services are pending with Alternative Choice, 804 N.
Dustin Ave., Farmington.
Blake
Nickie Marie Blake, 87, of Aztec, died on Friday, Feb.
24, 2012, in Aztec. Nickie was born Sept 10, 1924, in
Moses, near Clayton, in Union County.
Services are pending with Cope Memorial Chapel of
Aztec.
Bonnell
Susan E. Bonnell, 59, of Aztec, passed away on
Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, in Aztec. She was born Aug. 13,
1952, in Ponca City, Okla., to Edward and Marion
Popplewell.
Susan graduated from Farmington High School with
the Class of 1970. She worked at Jesco Corporation,
Animas Credit Union and Western Bank for several
years.
She was active in church both as a teen and throughout her adult life. One of her passions was being
involved in church music programs.
Her life was spent taking care of her grandchildren
and loving them more every day. With her care and support, her children are now a police officer, a firefighter
and a nurse, who owe so much to her.
Susan was preceded in death by her grandparents,
Albert and Helen Vradenburg and John and Florence
Popplewell.
She is survived by her husband, Dwight Bonnell;
sons, John Bonnell, Travis Bonnell and Eric Stovall;
daughters, April Stovall, Kathy Bonnell and Amy
Bonnell; her parents, Edward and Marion Popplewell;
brother, Edward Popplewell; and sister, Lois DeMar.
Also surviving are 11 grandchildren, and three greatgrandchildren.
Memorial services for Susan were held Feb. 17 at
First Baptist Church of Bloomfield.
Susan was in the care of Brewer, Lee & Larkin
Funeral Home, Farmington.
Davis
Dustin Dwayne Davis, 21, of Aztec, left this Earth to
bring laughter and music to the Heavens on Sunday,
Feb. 12, 2012. He ran like the wind and now he is the
wind.
Dustin attended schools in the Four Corners, participating in many sports, but excelling tremendously in
football, and in track and field. While at Aztec High
School, he earned numerous medals and trophies for his
awesome accomplishments in sports. He graduated from
Aztec High School with the Class of 2008.
In 2009, Dustin moved to Tulsa, Okla., where he
attended the Spartan School of Aeronautics to earn his
Associate Degree in NDT. In 2010, he graduated in the
top 2 percent of his class.
Upon moving back to New Mexico, Dustin and his
close friends formed a band called Casket of the Pious,
in which Dustin played the lead guitar. It was a fantastic
talent that he learned from his father at a very young
age.
PAGE 21
When he did not have a guitar in his
hand, Dustin worked at his father's
machine shop during the day, and always
found time for his friends in between.
Everyone who met Dustin loved him and
was embraced by his kind heart and friendly nature. No matter where he went, he
always made a new friend.
As a child, Dustin attended Four Corners
Encampment, a summer camp in Colorado,
run by the Church of Christ. It is here that
dozens of kids and adults come together,
not only to worship God, but to have an
amazing time and learn great life skills.
Kids who attended formed lasting friendships and family bonds. Dustin loved Four
Corners Encampment and always counted
down the days during summer when he
could finally go back to camp.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to an account set up at Four Corners
Community Bank in Dustin Davis' name.
Proceeds will go to Four Corners
Encampment.
Dustin was an amazing young man with
so many accomplishments and an astounding talent. Dustin was loved very much by
all his friends and family and he will be
sorely missed. Please help us celebrate his
memory and life.
He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Charles Davis; great-grandmothers,
Ruth Terrill and Bernice Schmitz; and
great-grandfather, Jude Schmitz.
He is survived by his parents, Dwayne
Davis and wife, Flo, and Saundra
Pazuchanics and husband, George; brothers, Tim and Steven; sister, Sam; greatgrandmother, Annabel Davis; grandmothers, Linda (Larry) Castillo and Judy Reed;
uncles, Darrel and Donald Davis and David
Reed; aunts, Diana (Pat) Smith and Donna
(Cody) Winn; aunt, Carolyn; numerous
cousins and hundreds of friends.
Services were held Feb. 20, at Piñon
Hills Community Church, Farmington.
Pastor Keith Corley officiated.
Graveside services followed at the Aztec
Cemetery.
Pallbearers were David Reed, Donald
Davis, Tim Pazuchanics, Cody Winn, Ryan
Winn and Patrick Smith.
Honorary pallbearers were Darell Davis,
Steven Moore, George Pazuchanics, Josh
Morales, Fermin Lopez, Cody Burch,
Adam Buchanan, Aaron Kahwajy, James
Ribera, Joshua Turnbull, Darren Martinez,
Dalen Chapman, Mike Coulson, Jason
Johnson and Wesley Johnson.
Arrangements were with Cope Memorial
Chapel of Aztec.
Dawes
Audrey Dawes, 21, of Aztec, died on
Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012, in Farmington. She
was born Oct. 11, 1990, in Shiprock. Her
parents are Monte and Keren Maxwell and
Answer on page 23
Tim Dawes and Tyra Quevedo.
Audrey was a full-time student at San Juan College. She worked
for the Bureau of Land Reclamation.
Audrey loved playing flag football. She volunteered her time to
local youth, coaching youth soccer, judging science fairs and helping
in her church nursery.
She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends who will
miss her deeply, but who are happy she is with the Lord.
She is survived by her parents, Keren and Monte Maxwell and Tim
Dawes and Tyra Quevedo; brothers, Bryan Dawes, Mackenzy
Maxwell and Mikal Quevedo; sisters, Celeste Dawes and Jocelyn
Maxwell; grandparents, Curtis Howerton, David and Vinica Medlin,
Toney and Sandy Dawes, Mario and Sandra Quevedo, Larry and
Debi Maxwell and Doc and Diana Lancaster.
Funeral services were held Feb. 17, at Piñon Hills Community
Church in Farmington.
Pallbearers were Bryan Dawes, Mackenzy Maxwell, Mikal
Quevedo, Tierney Staley, Bryce Grady and Anthony Stallings.
Arrangements were with Cope Memorial Chapel of Aztec.
Hood
Lois Eilene Hood, 92, of Aztec, died on Feb. 12, 2012, in Aztec.
She was born Sept. 11, 1919, in Kearney, Neb.
Arrangements are pending with Angel Valley Funeral Home in
Farmington.
Friends may view and leave condolences online at www.angelvalleyfuneralhome.net.
Nieto
Ambrielle Simone Nieto Welch, daughter of Armando Nieto and
Charlsie Welch of Aztec, was stillborn on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, in
Farmington.
Cremation has taken place.
Memorial services were held Feb. 25, at The Journey Church.
Pastor David Florez officiated.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in care of
Cope Memorial Chapel of Aztec.
Arrangements were with Cope Memorial Chapel of Aztec.
Rowe Jr.
Leland Paul Rowe Jr., 68, of Aztec, passed from this life on Feb.
12, 2012, in Farmington. He was born Dec. 2, 1943, in Garden City,
Kan., to Leland Paul Rowe Sr. and Lilian Pauline Roper Rowe.
Leland graduated from Bel Air High School, and earned a BBA
from UTEP in El Paso, Texas. He was a member of Phi Tappa Tau
Fraternity.
Leland was in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
He retired from D & H Pump Service Company in Farmington.
Leland will be most remembered for his love of nature, the great
outdoors and all forms of art and music.
He was an avid storyteller of his adventures in life. His spirit will
live on through all his stories, especially "Rufus the squirrel."
He was preceded in death by his parents; and a grandchild, Austin
Scott Thomas.
He is survived by his significant other, Eloise Fourmy Guinn; son,
Nashu Barnard of Haslet, Texas; daughters, Amoret (Jon) Nyce and
Shannon (Jerry) Tensfield, both of Aztec; Nannette (Mark) Velasquez
of Midland, Texas, Ginny (Frank) Parsons of Springfield, Va., and
Tina (Louis) Schreiber of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; sisters, Carolyn
McKinney of DeQueen, Ark., and Susan Miesner of Suisun, Calif.;
15 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The family memorial will be private.
Memorials may be made to the Farmington Public Library, Arbor
Society or a charity of your choice .
Arrangements were with Cope Memorial Dustin Chapel,
Farmington.
Tavenner
Retired teacher from LaPlata County,
Co., Vera Francis Newton Tavenner,
passed away on February 26, 2011. She
has been living in Aztec, N.M. since 1994.
Vera, with her parents, Pleasant Harrison
(Buster) and Katherine H. (Katie) Newton
and younger brother, William M. (Jack),
came to the Colorado area while Wolf
Creek Pass was still being worked on. It
didn't open until the following year and
the Model A Ford basically had to be
pushed over the pass a great amount of the
way. Vera's older brother, Eldred, followed the family later. The family lived on the Dryside, then, later moved to the Thompson Park
(Cherry Creek) area as farmers.
Vera Newton was born on May 18, 1917 near Gadson, Al. She
graduated from Durango High School and went to Ft. Lewis College
in Hesperus for two years before starting her teaching career in a
one-room, 12 class school.
She continued teaching and going to school earning her BA Degree
in 1960 from Adams State College in Alamosa, Co. Her last few
years of teaching were at Fort Lewis Mesa School but during her 30
years of teaching, she taught in Ignacio, Marvel and at Riverview in
Durango. She believed in teaching the "basics" mostly to 3rd, 4th,
and 5th graders.
Mrs. Tavenner's favorite subject was poetry and she volunteered
teaching poetry in the schools for many years after her retirement.
She is remembered by many as "The Poetry Lady." Her greatest wish
was to be remembered as a "good teacher."
Mrs. Tavenner was preceded in death by her parents, both brothers,
and her husband, Gerald S. (Jerry) Tavenner, who passed away in
1988 shortly after their 50th wedding anniversary. Remaining family
members are her son, Gerald S. (Steve) Tavenner and his wife Diana,
daughter Sandra S. (Sandy) Tavenner Jefcoat, and son James A. (Jim)
Tavenner and his wife Katherine (Kitty) Kasal Tavenner. She left
eight grandchildren, seventeen greatgrandchildren and five great
great grandchildren as well as many friends that will miss her radiant
smile and presence. Mrs. Tavenner requested cremation and a memorial service will be held at a later date.
PAGE 22
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
TALON classifieds
No charge - No frills 15 word personal classified.
$5 ad - 20 words, $1 each additional 10 words.
$10 ad - 3.25 X .75, single line frame
$15 ad - 3.25 X 1, deco type, single line frame
$20 ad - 3.25 X 1.5 - deco type, single line frame
$30 ad - 3.25 X 2 - deco type, frame, graphic
Send your ad with payment to The Aztec Local News,
PO Box 275, Aztec, NM 87410 or use the drop box at
Zip and Ship. 334-1039.
Most Winter
Clothing
25¢ and up!
• Books 1/2 price
Come in & check us out
Yesterday and Todays
Thriftshop
1067 Hwy 516 • Aztec • 333-2258
Open Wed., Thurs, Fri: 9 - 5
Support our
advertisers!
Handyman Services:
Winter is here, but no matter, inside
repairs and chores need attention.
Carl @ 333-2443.
Concrete work: Make deteriorated steps like new.
Very experienced. 330-1432.
Housecleaning, call Rose, 334-1493, experienced.
For sale: big boys bicycle, new, $75. Hwy frontage in
Flora Vista w/ mobile home & second hookup, 1.5 acres.
$160,000. Chain saw, $75. 334-2086.
Valets Wanted Northern Edge Casino
Casino Valet Drivers Wanted at the Northern
Edge Casino. Seeking reliable, positive,
friendly, well groomed, customer service driven, clean driving record and ability to drive a
manual transmission. Base Wage plus tips.
A.M., P.M. and overnight shifts. For more info
call 1-800-419-2975 or apply online at
www.americanvalet.com.
New Harvest Christian Fellowship of Aztec is now
offering the following at 207 S. Main in Aztec:
• Worship Services Sunday at 10:00 am – we’re currently going through the book of Acts
• Daughters of Truth Women’s Ministry Bible Study
Fridays at 9:30 am – we’ll be studying Philippians
using “Experiencing God’s Peace” by Elizabeth George
• Sunrise Prayer Friday mornings at 6:30 am – all who
are interested are welcome to join us
• Discipleship Training Wednesdays at 7:00 pm – Call
505-333-7048 for more information
Without them, there is no TALON!
AliceMarie Slaven . . . . . . . . . . 17
All About Style, LLC . . . . . . . . . 12
Allstate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Aztec City Chatter . . . . . . . . . . 19
Aztec Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Aztec Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Aztec Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Aztec Urgent Care . . . . . . . . . . 18
Bubba’s Tax Service . . . . . . . . . . 9
Business Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Carlton Gray, candidate . . . . . 3,12
Cottonwood Storage . . . . . . . . 22
Diana Mesch, candidate . . . . . . . 3
Dusenberys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Farmers Insurance, Eaves . . . . 13
First Baptist Church . . . . . . . . . 16
Five Star Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Five Star Mechanical . . . . . . . . 13
Good Samaritan Society . . . . . . 20
Home Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Hot Nails by Amy . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Inland Kenworth . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Local Computer Solutions . . . . . 22
McDonalds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Mercy Medical Center . . . . . . . . 5
Mike Fauteaux, candidate . . . . . . 8
Pam Wright, candidate . . . . . . . . 3
Priscilla Shannon, Atty . . . . . . . 23
Ramsey Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Relay for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
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Sheri Rogers, candidate . . . . . . . 3
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Sky Ute Casino . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
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• Cuts • Perms
• Highlights • Color
Doing hair in Aztec for 28 years!
• 334-3008 •
Open Tues - Sat
101 W. Aztec Blvd.
Patty Clements, owner
(next to Subway)
Starting a business or project? Let me assist: office
administration, project development, resource specialist,
green living specialist, 25 year resident of area - Elisa
Bird 716-3915
For sale: Small business in Farmington; perfect for
someone with a medical background. 436-8465.
Sustainable San Juan March Meeting - March 12, 68, Aztec Library. Discussion on recycling will follow the
video showing of "Trash." All are welcomed - 334-1840
RV spaces at McGee Park. 326-6349.
Horse stalls for rent, in barn, have walker. Located at
McGee Park. 326-6349.
For sale: 1994 Jayco Eagle 22’ 5th wheel. Sleeps 5-6,
full bath, microwave, stove and awning. Everything
works, in great condition. Half-ton towable hitch included. $4200. 320-5802.
Help Wanted: The Aztec Boys & Girls Club is seeking
a part-time cleaning person. Please apply in person at
311 S. Ash St. in Aztec or call 334-8861. Pay DOE.
Bunk beds & Loft beds, custom made by local craftsman. Starting at $295.00. 505-608-8494
Reflex Spray-in Bedliners. The Best Bedliner Money
Can Buy-in Farmington. 505-326-5022
Will clean out houses, storage units, etc. of your
unwanted items. I do not haul trash or oversized items,
but do have folks who will. Call Dianne 635-5685
Mobile Blood Drives
Aztec/Bloomfield • March 1-31, 2012
March 09, 2012: Friday***
Where: Aztec Community ~ Masonic Lodge Hall
Time:
12:30pm – 5:00pm
Address:
1020 NE Aztec Blvd. Aztec NM
Drawings will be held for prizes @ this blood drive!
March 29, 2012: Thursday
Where: First Baptist Church of Aztec, Fellowship Hall
Time:
3:00pm – 7:00pm
Address:
700 Navajo St., Aztec NM
Farmington Office
475 E. 20th St. Suite A, Farmington
Weekly Draw Hours:
Monday & Tuesday: 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Thursday, CLOSED
Friday, 8:00 am to 12 Noon
Saturday, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Any donor that wishes to donate at any of the New
Mexico drives can call to set an appointment or get
more info at 325-1505, Monday - Wednesday, 9 – 6,
Friday, 9 – 2, Saturday 9 – 1:00 PM.
Or, sign up online at www.bloodhero.com.
Tuesday - Thursday:
10 am - 4 pm
Friday & Saturday:
9 am to 4 pm
Sunday: noon to 4 pm
Aztec Recycle Center
303 South Ash Street (behind the metal building)
Aztec Cottonwood Storage
• Good Rates • Different sizes
• RV and Open Space available
Limited hours: 2- 6 pm, Call 334-6111
or 334-7175, leave message
The Aztec Municipal
School District is looking
for Substitute Teachers.
If interested, please call
334-9474 and ask for Patty
Is your computer slow? We can fix it ... FAST!
Do you need help with writing/editing academic
papers, articles, grants, resumes, speeches, books,
or creative writing? Create your ideas and polish
them professionally!
Contact Cuppadreams at [email protected]
or call 505-860-9381; Virginia A. Jones, independent literary consultant."
Sewers and Drains $75
7 am - 7 pm, no OT charges
Monday - Saturday
• 334-9353 (reference #3)
San Juan Animal
League Rabies Clinic
Sunday, March 11th
12:00 - 4:00
(or while supplies last)
Sycamore Center
1051 Sycamore • Farmington
Questions? 505-325-3366
We are now on Facebook.
For any questions please go to
www.sanjuananimalleague.com
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 23
UPCOMING E•V•E•N•T•S I P
AZTEC, BLOOMFIELD, FARMINGTON
MARCH - APRIL – ANNUAL PHOTO SHOW. Visit the
Riverside Nature Center, in Animas Park off Browning
Parkway, for this annual exhibit of pictures taken in Animas
and Berg Parks. Scenery, wildlife, events, still life, people,
and pets are just some of the subjects in this display of
works by regional photographers, both professional and
amateur. 505-599-1422
MARCH 1 - 31, "A CUP OF JOE" ART SHOW. This art
show will be at Artifacts Gallery in downtown Farmington
through March 31, 2012. 505-327-2907
MARCH 1 – 30, DOUG MILLER ART SHOW. This exhibit
will be in the SJC Henderson Fine Arts Gallery. 566-3464
MARCH 1 – April 6, SANDY NELSON ART SHOW AND
RECEPTION. This exhibit will be held in the San Juan
College Humanities Art Gallery with an opening reception
from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on March 1st. 505-566-3464
MARCH 1 – 3, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS - SAN
JUAN COLLEGE SILHOUETTE PERFORMING ARTS
SERIES. Performance will start at 7:30 p.m. in the San Juan
College Henderson Fine Arts Performance Hall. Matinee at
2:30 p.m. on March 11th. Tickets: $10 adults, $8
students/seniors. 505-566-3430
MARCH 2, JEANETTE MACDONALD: THE QUEEN OF
SONG AND THE MOVIE OPERETTA IN AMERICA.
VanAnn Moore presents Jeanette MacDonald: The Queen of
Song and the Movie Operetta in America as part of the
Chautauqua Series Teaching American History Grant.
Singing team Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy helped
the audiences of the Depression years forget their problems
and dream about a more hopeful time. Performance begins
7 p.m. in the San Juan College Little Theatre. 334-9325
MARCH 2 – 3, SAN JUAN COUNTY HOME EXPO. More
than 80 vendors from across San Juan County will be at
McGee Park Convention Center for this annual Home Expo.
Come for ideas and advice on everything from decorating to
financing projects from industry experts. 327-2678
MARCH 8 - 11, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS - SAN
JUAN COLLEGE SILHOUETTE PERFORMING ARTS
SERIES. Performance will start at 7:30 p.m. in the San Juan
College Henderson Fine Arts Performance Hall. Matinee
performance at 2:30 p.m. on March 11th. Tickets: $10
Adults, $8 Students/Seniors. 566-3430
MARCH 9, CROWNPOINT RUG AUCTION – 300 to 400
hand woven Navajo rugs are auctioned off each month at
the Crownpoint Elementary School, 72 miles south of
Farmington on Hwy. 371. Native American art & craft vendors also onsite. Auction sponsored by Crownpoint Rug
Weavers Association, rug viewing 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and auction begins at 7 p.m. 505-786-5302 or 505-786-7386 or
www.crownpointrugauction.com
MARCH 16, SUNGAZE. See sunspots, prominences,
flares and other daytime astronomy in the San Juan College
Courtyard from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. 505-566-3361 or
www.sanjuancollege.edu
MARCH 19, QUEEN OF BINGO. This comedy takes the
stage of the Farmington Civic Center at 7 p.m. Tickets: $25,
$20, $15, and $10. 505-599-1145
MARCH 30, JAZZ FEST - SAN JUAN COLLEGE SILHOUETTE PERFORMING ARTS SERIES. San Juan
College Jazz Fest Concert will be performed in the San
Juan College Henderson Fine Arts Performance Hall at 7
p.m. Tickets: $12 Adults, $10 Students/Seniors. 566-3430
MARCH 30, ASTROFRIDAY. “Destination Tomorrow 25:
Mars Explorers” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. and again at
7:30 p.m. in the San Juan College Planetarium. A stargaze
follows, weather permitting, at 8:30 p.m. The Planetarium
reserves the right to substitute shows. This is a free event,
but seating is limited. 505-566-3361 or www.sanjuancollege.edu
MARCH 31, ARC ATTACK - SAN JUAN COLLEGE SILHOUETTE PERFORMING ARTS SERIES. Using high tech
wizardry, Arc Attack presents an electrifying performance
with two custom Tesla coils that throw out electrical arcs up
to 12 feet long, as well as live instruments that produce rock,
electonica and indie with a splash of punk and a dash of
metal served with a side of pop. The concert will be at the
San Juan College Henderson Fine Arts Performance Hall at
7 p.m. $15 Adults, $12 Students/Seniors. 505-566-3430
MARCH 31, FUNNY BUNNY FEST. From 10 a.m. to
12noon, enjoy fun the whole family can participate in at the
Farmington Recreation Center, 1101 Fairgrounds Road.
There will be games to play, crafts to make and the family
can meet the Funny Bunny. 505-599-1184
Alzheimer’s Association
Support Groups
1st Support Group - 2nd Wednesday, 6 pm
San Juan Regional Medical Center
South Campus: 2325 E 30th Street, Farmington
2nd Support Group - 2nd Thursday, 10 am
Bloomfield Multicultural Center
333 1st Street, Bloomfield
Contact: Tammy @ (505)326-3680
Want to buy USA goods?
www.madeinusaforever.com
NM Animal Cruelty
Taskforce Hotline: 888-260-2178
Northstar Water Users Association, 334-9375
Board meeting 3rd Thursday, 1:00 pm, 511 Aztec Blvd. NE
Southside Mutual Domestic Water Association
Meets regularly on the second Thursday of every month,
7pm, 300 S. Ash St. Aztec,NM 87410 334-1414
Annual Member Meeting: Election of officers
March 20, 2012 7 pm.
Lower Animas Community Ditch meetings
Lower Animas Community Ditch monthly meeting is the 3rd
Thursday of each month, 4:30 PM at the Chipman's
Accounting Office Board Room. To be placed on the Agenda
please contact Earnest Smith 505-215-2907 one week prior to
the meeting date.
Navajo Dam Water Users Association
Priscilla A. Shannon
Attorney at Law
Divorce, Child Custody
Grandparents Rights
Guardianships, Probate and Wills
• 333-2055 •
105 East Chaco • Aztec
We sponsor The Meth Impact Panel,
The DWI Victim Impact Panel and
Project Graduation for the High Schools.
Let’s work together to stop drug abuse
and learn ways to cope with it and overcome drug addiction. All who are interested in making a difference are invited to attend the
monthly meetings of Drug Free San Juan County.
We meet every second Thursday evening at 7:00 PM
at The Civic Center, 200 W. Arrington, Farmington.
For info, contact (505) 325-7022.)
Flora Vista Mutual Domestic Water Association
will have its regular monthly Board of Directors
Meeting on the 3rd Wednesday of the month
at 5:30 pm. 334-6045
Visit us at our website: www.floravistawater.com
9-12 Project/Tea party
The SJC 9-12/TEA Party Patriot Lunch Meeting
is Friday, March 2 at 11:30am at Los Hermanitos East
restaurant on east Main St in Farmington. This is a
forum meeting where attendees are encouraged to participate. You will be updated on current issues that impact
us all.
The next General Meeting will be held at the Totah
Theater, 315 W. Main St., Farmington, at 7 p.m. on
Tuesday, March 6. The primary speakers will be the
Aztec Mayor and City Manager, addressing recent
changes and issues in the community and San Juan
County. There will be information about the NM political party conventions coming ahead of the primaries.
Candidates from both parties have been invited to attend
this and other meetings to address issues of interest to
the voters present.
The Desert
Gold Chapter of
the Daughters of
the American
Revolution will
meet March 8,
2012 at San Juan College, Henderson Fine Arts Bldg.,
Room 9006. Program: Candy Making, Emily Rue
FMI contact Judith Wooderson at 505-320-7876.
Board meetings on the 2nd Tuesday, #4 CR 42670 at 6 pm.
All members welcome. Janie, 632-2386.
Aztec Lions Club
Meets the first & third Monday of each month at the Lions
Hall, 219 S. Park Ave. at 7 pm. We want your used eyeglasses.
AL-ANON United Methodist Church, 123 E. Chaco, Aztec
• Thursdays, 7 pm.
Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings, Aztec Group
Held at First United Methodist Church, 123 E. Chaco, Aztec
(enter Educational bldg. on Church St.) FMI, 327-0731
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 6:15 am, Attitude Adjustment
Tuesday at noon • Tuesday, 7 pm, open 12X12
Friday, 7 pm, open, candlelight
Saturday, 7 pm, open, big book
Sunday, 7 pm, open discussion
The San Juan Masonic Lodge #25
2nd & 4th Tuesday, 7:30 pm, Lodge bldg., 1020 N. Aztec Blvd.
Aztec Kiwanis Club
Meets every Thursday morning at 7:00am at Aztec
Restaurant. FMI contact Debbie Klein at 330-4631.
San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District
Board Meetings 1st Tuesday, 6:00 pm, at the Walsh
Engineering office, 7415 E. Main, Farmington. 334-3090 x108.
Four Corners Blue Star Mothers
Monthly meetings of the Blue Star Mothers are held for all
family or friends of active military members. Sharing and packaging meetings are held the 1st Monday at 7 P.M., at the
Farmington Civic Center and the business meeting is held the
3rd Tuesday at 7 P.M. at Mesa View Middle School, 4451
Wildflower Dr., Farmington. FMI or to donate items for care
boxes, contact Judye Leczel at [email protected] or
505-716-1480.
Better Breathers Meeting, 334-1811
Come one, come all! Join George on March 5, 2012 for a
trip through Pulmonary gadgets and tricks that will make your
every breath go farther and do more for you. Come learn how
to be a Better Breather.
FMI, call Anne Cottrell, president, 334-1811.
American Legion Post 93
Meets 2nd Saturday each month at 10:30 a.m., Farmington
Civic Center, 200 W. Arrington. FMI, call Donna, 632-3403.
Aztec Volunteer Fire Dept.
Meets every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. at the Aztec Fire
Station, 200 N. Ash Street, Aztec. Volunteers Needed!
Narcotics Anonymous Meetings
For current information on local NA meetings, call the hotline
(505-324-1807) or online www.riograndena.org.
San Juan County Democratic Party
General Monthly Meeting, 2nd Wednesday of the month,
7:00 PM. Farmington Civic Center, Arrington Street,
Farmington, 7:00 PM. Contact Scott Nickolay, Chairman at
505-327-2111
Sustainable San Juan February Meeting
March 12, 6-8, Aztec Library, All are welcomed. 716-3915
San Juan Newcomers Club
The San Juan Newcomers Club will meet for the
Morning Out For Coffee at Aztec Restaurant, 107 NE,
Aztec Blvd, Aztec, at 10:00 a.m., on March 14, 2012.
The luncheon meeting will be held March 28, 2012 at
11:30 am at Zebadiah's Restaurant, 2210 E. 20th St., in
Farmington. FMI, call Roberta (801-450-1460)
The Four Corners Women's Cancer Support Group
Will meet Saturday, March 3 at 10 AM at the Umbach Cancer Center at 731 W. Animas. Rhenna St
Clair, Acupuncturist, will speak to the group. All women who have, or had, cancer are invited to attend.
No dues, no officers, just an opportunity for friendly discussion with others in a similar situation. Info:
Nellie Sandoval at 326-5143 or Gail Williams at 334-3060.
See more events: www.farmingtonnm.org/pages/events.html
Things happen, events are cancelled, etc., be sure to confirm
date, time & place of events you plan to attend.
R CLUBS & MEETINGS
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San Juan County
Historical Society
The San Juan County
Historical Society will be
having their annual meeting March 14 at 6:00 PM
at the Aztec Senior Center.
Barbara Yarborough from
the Farmington Animal
shelter will be speaking
about her 27 years of
working at the Farmington
Animal Shelter.
Refreshments will be
served. For more information call 334-7136.
PAGE 24
MARCH 1 - 15 • 2012
Vets attack Russian olive
U.S. military veterans are clearing invasive
Russian olive trees on public land in Pump
Canyon east of Navajo Lake in a program to
put veterans back to work.
“The work is really brutal on the chainsaws and on the body,” said Tim Foulkes of
the nonprofit Southwest Conservation Corps
(SCC) in Durango, Colo., who leads the veterans crew of four men and two women.
The crew is part of the SCC’s Veterans Fire
Corps - a back-to-work program for military
veterans that employs veterans for projects
that improve the health of public lands. SCC
is a nonprofit agency built upon the legacy of
the Civilian Conservation Corps of the
1930s.
The Bureau of Land Management, through
a cooperative agreement with the SCC, is
funding the project on BLM land in Pump
Canyon. The project also receives support
from the nonprofit Veterans Green Jobs in
Denver, Colo.
For six weeks the veterans have been cutting through walls of thorny Russian olive
trees that seem more like one big bush than
thousands of small trees. The handling of
thorny debris as the trees are stripped of their
branches and stacked in piles, must be done
carefully to avoid injury.
Russian olive trees were brought to the
United States in the late 1800s as an ornamental plant and a windbreak. With no natural enemies in North America, the trees grow
Remember
Celebrate
Fight Back
Shoots & Ladders Basketball
Saturday, March 10
out of control throughout much of the West. Their
growth is mostly in riparian areas, where the Russian
olive trees choke out natural vegetation such as cottonwood trees and willows.
“We have a really strong, motivated crew,” Foulkes
said, noting that last year he supervised a veterans crew
in the Colorado mountains, thinning Ponderosa pine.
“This is a different world here, working in a riparian
environment.”
Within minutes of a Russian olive tree being cut, an
herbicide is applied to the stump so the chemical is
absorbed into the plants’ root system for an effective
kill.
Chainsaw wielding veteran Trevor Peterson - a 2010
graduate of Fort Lewis College who majored in environmental biology - said he had a hard time finding a job
before he joined the Southwest Conservation Corps’
Veterans Fire Corps. Peterson served in Iraq as an Army
infantryman with the 101st Airborne.
“I was looking for all sorts of jobs,” Peterson said. “I
was basically unemployed.” He plans to use skills he has
learned over the past year with Veterans Fire Corps, to
become a wildlands firefighter for the U.S. Forest
Service.
Sarah Scott, BLM Farmington Field Office riparian
coordinator, said this is the second year of the cooperative agreement with the SCC. She said the BLM is providing $150,000 this year for Southwest Conservation
Corps to be the fiscal agent for job training for veterans.
The veterans have been cutting Russian olive in Pump
Canyon since early October. They don’t plan to stop
until the end of March, then move on to another project.
Roll out the purple - Decorate homes, schools, businesses,
streets, cars, clothes - you name it! Be creative! Purple power!
Tuesday, March 13
4:30 pm, Aztec & Bloomfield
Boys & Girls Clubs
Entertainment:
Creation of Colorful Hand
Printed Trees of Hope.
At the Shoots & Ladders
game...don’t miss the
Cheerleaders Exhibition
Thursday, March 15
6:00 pm to 8:30 pm, AHS Gym
$3 / person • $5 / couple • $10 / family
Concession available
3rd Annual
Shoots & Ladders
Basketball Competition.
Come out and watch the Aztec Police
Department, reigning champions, try for a
three-peat championship as they defend
their title against the Farmington police
Department, San Juan County Fire Department
& the Bloomfield Fire Department.
The State Cheerleading Competition
will be held on Friday March 23rd &
Saturday March 24th in
Albuquerque @ the Santa Ana Star
Center, so come watch the
cheerleaders perform their State
routines for the first time
Aztec High School Cheerleading
Bloomfield High School
Cheerleading
Kirtland High School Cheerleading
Also performing will be
Elite Dance & Danz Force Groups
Wiggle and Jiggle Gymnastics
Concession provided by Aztec Key Club
• 50/50 Raffle
• Relay for Life team tables with
lots of goodies to buy!
Saturdayy Marchh 100 - Fridayy Marchh 16,, 2012
Aztecc • Bloomfield
Purple Sponsors: TALON, City of Aztec, Sunland Construction,
Clear Channel, Aztec Methodist Church, Hiway Grill
Re l a y f o r L i f e o f A z t e c , N M • C o n t a c t ( 5 0 5 ) 3 2 0 - 4 175
w w w. r e l a y f o r l i f e . c o m / a z t e c n m . . . o r r e a d TA LO N
• 50/50 Raffle • Cheerleaders Exhibition
Purple Power!
Paint Our Town
Purple Week
Trees of Hope
Relay for Life
of Aztec, NM
Trevor Peterson of the Veterans Fire Corps cuts
Russian olive trees in Pump Canyon.
Paint Our Town
Purple Week by 2012 Aztec Relay for Life
March 10-March 16
Wouldn’t life be better if everything was purple? We
think so! That’s why during the week of March 10March 16, Aztec & Bloomfield will turn purple. During
this week long community event, some fun activities,
fundraisers, business specials, and more will be taking
place to raise awareness of Relay for Life and our community fight against cancer.
We call on everyone to join in by decorating your
house, yard, and business with purple. From a simple
purple ribbon around a front yard tree or fence, to purple
lettering painted on a business window, to a house
decked out in purple lights, you choose how elaborate
you want to get.
Don’t forget to pull out your favorite purple sweater,
scarf, hat, or gloves and wear them during the week.
Plus, tie a purple ribbon on your car antenna so it doesn’t feel left out of the fun.
We have a grand vision that during this week the town
will become bright with purple as we honor and show
our love and respect for those that have and continue to
battle cancer.
Will you help us?
Here’s more information on some activities planned
for the 3rd Annual - Paint Our Town Purple Week:
• Aztec PD Shooters - winners of the 2010& 2011
Relay for Life Shoots and Ladders competition.
Can they hold on to the title?
• Cheerleading teams from Aztec, Farmington,
Kirtland, and Piedra Vista join the Regional Champions
Bloomfield Cheerleading team at the 3rd Annual Shoots
and Ladders Basketball Game being held at the Aztec
High School Gym on March 15th from 6:00 - 8:30 pm.
All proceeds benefit Relay for Life of Aztec NM. For
more information, call 320-4175.