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Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Top News Stories 2008With 2009 right around the corner, El Defensor Chieftain invites our readers to take a look back at some of the biggest stories that occurred during 2008. From an institute of higher learning's tangles with open records issues to the local movie theater's short-lived demise and some wild-and-woolly stories in between, the year has been nothing short of exciting for Socorro and the people who call the area home. Our top picks for 2008 — presented in no particular order — appear below.
Back-to-back champs While many area high school athletic teams had great seasons in 2008 (see story on B1), none finished the year better than the Socorro High School girls golf team. The Lady Warriors won their second consecutive Class 1-3A state championship last May with ease, outdistancing second-place West Las Vegas by 61 strokes. Socorro posted scores of 394 and 392 at the two-day, 36-hole tournament at the New Mexico State University Golf Course for a total of 786. Socorro was led by senior Kayla Cline, who won the individual title with a score of 158. She opened with a first-round score of 81 and finished up with a 77. Cline's teammate, Haley Raymond, finished second individually with a score of 89-83--172. Rounding out the scoring for SHS were Brittani Webb, who shot 224, and Brittni Romero, who carded a 232. The team was coached by Margaret Stanley-Gonzales.
Out of the Doghouse A talking dog would describe the first few months of the year as "ruff" at the Socorro Animal Shelter. A newly hired director was let go amid allegations she was assaulted by a volunteer. The shelter operated without a permanent director in place for five months. During that time, the shelter was temporarily closed due to a parvo outbreak. But the shelter eventually got back on all fours and the talking dog is waging its tail. Jan Gribble of Escondida was awarded a three-month contract to serve as an interim director in March. She came in just in time to deal with the parvo outbreak, began initiatives to get the shelter up to standards and worked on developing a volunteer program. The shelter got help from the Animal Protection Association of Socorro, which donated its animal shelter equipment to help keep it running. The city went to work to seal the floors at the shelter to reduce the reoccurrence of the parvo virus and planned other improvements. In the meantime, the city council developed a job description for the director's position and then hired Juanita Gordon for the job in June. The shelter is now adopting out more animals and has fewer euthanizations.
Rocking the Vote In a year that saw United States voters place their confidence in Barrack Obama — the nation's first black president — local voters also heeded calls for change on the local front. Four new faces graced the Socorro City Council following the March 5 municipal election. Toby Jaramillo, Mary Ann Chavez-Lopez and Michael Olguin Jr. unseated the incumbents to earn their place on the council while Peter D. Romero was elected to Dan Armijo's post after he opted not to seek re-election. The election marked the first time the city utilized paper ballots and posted results online. Meanwhile in Magdalena, Carmen Torres and Barbara Baca secured village trustee positions, taking over for the departing Della Benavidez and Bill Fuller. Eight months later, when Democrats were celebrating Obama's big win, Socorro County was welcoming a Republican majority to its commission. Republicans Danny Monette, Juan Jose Gutierrez and Rumaldo Griego were victorious in their bids for commission seats, which replaced Jay Santillanes, Stanley Herrera and Charles Gallegos. Also victorious in the general election were Rebecca Vega (county clerk), and Genevie Baca (county treasurer).
Curtain Down, Curtain Up Socorro residents were caught by surprise and temporarily left in the dark after it was announced that the Loma Theater — one of the state's oldest movie theaters — would close its doors. Citing a lack of profitability, Storyteller Theaters Corporation opted to terminate its lease with Trans-Lux Loma Corporation and First State Bank on Oct. 23. First State Bank's Holm Bursum III mounted an effort to rustle up support for the theater — something he said is as critical to a small town as its newspaper — one that eventually bore fruit thanks to an El Defensor Chieftain article. "I came across your article on a Web site and, about a day before the theater was set to close, I called Holm Bursum III and flew down to New Mexico the next day," Nevada businessman Todd Bloomhuff said last month. Bloomhuff — owner of Bloomhuff Entertainment Inc. and Bloomhuff Theaters — is finalizing details to re-open the theater as the New Loma Stadium Cinema. Although he hoped for an early December opening, a construction snag stalled the grand re-opening.
Rapier 'Writ' Few stories have boasted the staying power of the ongoing dispute between Socorro County Treasurer Genevie Baca and the Socorro County Commission over computer issues. In April, technological problems surfaced with Baca's antiquated computer system and the treasurer demanded some action. Wrangling ensued and plenty of barbs were thrown before Baca filed a writ of mandamus action and the saga wound up before 7th Judicial District Judge Edmund "Ted" Kase III. In his decision, Kase ordered the county to upgrade the treasurer's hardware from MS-DOS to a Windows platform and provide her with appropriate software to conduct her duties. The county has appealed the judge's decision, but opted to move forward with the upgrades. As a pair of software companies continue to customize a package that allows Baca to accurately track tax payments, local taxpayers are still waiting for their 2008 property tax bills to be produced.
Bombs Away A writ of mandamus of another kind was issued in the case of Kokopelli Ranch vs. New Mexico Tech. District Court Judge Kevin Sweazea issued an alternative writ of mandamus in July that ordered Tech to produce documents dealing with the possibility of establishing an air-drop training zone and weapons testing range near U.S. 60 west of "M" Mountain. The university was obliged to turn over documents, correspondence and contracts between Tech and various entities involved in establishing the drop zone and an environmental assessment of the area. It further commanded the university to answer allegations dealing with the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center's interactions with the U.S. Air Force and Tech's handling of requests for information. A group of citizens energized efforts to get questions answered by forming the "Drop Zone Group" and members of the group frequently spoke in opposition of the drop zone at public meetings. The drop zone issue was a hot topic as it made its rounds at local government meetings. The Village of Magdalena Board of Trustees passed a resolution opposing the drop zone. The Socorro city counsel rejected a resolution request and the county commission declined to address the issue.
He's the Man! There are tens of thousands of people doing volunteer work for wildlife groups in America. But Socorro County's John Bertrand stood out above them all. In March it was announced that Bertrand was selected as the 2008 Volunteer of the Year for the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. Most of the volunteer work he continues to do is performed on behalf of the Friends of the Bosque and the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Bertrand founded the Friends of the Bosque in 1993 and has served continuously as a member of the public relations committee and has functioned as de facto media relations director for the Festival of the Cranes ever since. Bertrand has had a hand in countless activities supporting the Friends and the Refuge. At last count, he had logged more than 11,600 volunteer hours at Bosque del Apache. Bertrand has also been active with Socorro's chapter of Ducks Unlimited.
It's In the Water In what remains a "fluid" situation, the City of Socorro took steps to come back in compliance with regulations for levels of arsenic in drinking water. Socorro's water system failed four consecutive quarterly tests after new state and federal requirements went into effect in July 2007. Acceptable levels were established at 10.5 parts per billion or less of arsenic, and Socorro's levels measured at 16 ppb overall. While the Evergreen Well met standards at 9 ppb, the Socorro Springs Well measured at 40 ppb and the Industrial Park Well registered 18 ppb. The city council ultimately listed arsenic removal as a close second to the landfill on its Infrastructure Capital Improvement Project priority list. Options the council considered through the summer included drilling two new wells or constructing a treatment plant. In October the council approved an engineering agreement to recommend a method of removal. Mayor Ravi Bhasker said earlier this month about $1.5 million would be needed to get the arsenic down to acceptable levels. To help pay for the solution, the council approved an increase in utility rates, some of which went into effect Nov. 1.
Business as Usual All seven incumbents up for re-election on the Socorro Electric Cooperative's Board of Trustees retained their seats. Leroy Anaya, Paul Bustamante, Jack Bruton, Leo Cordova, Manny Marquez, Milton Ulibarri and Dave Wade were reelected to four-year terms. The board came under scrutiny by the public and the press with regard to benefits trustees receive and expenses they incur, the manner in which meetings are conducted and the balance of representation. A reform group was formed by co-op members who supported redistricting and reducing the number of trustees from 11 to seven, among other changes. The group began circulating a petition calling for reform on a number of issues. In September, Lemitar resident Charlene West, who headed the petition drive, was served a restraining order amid allegations from trustees that she had been "threatening" and "intimidating" toward them. She was later allowed to attend meetings after a temporary injunction was granted by District Judge Matt Reynolds. Board members also found themselves on the defensive against fellow trustee Charlie Wagner, a supporter of the reform group whose motions frequently failed to receive support during board meetings. Despite the opposition, all seven incumbents prevailed by comfortable margins in district elections held in October.
On the Lam Two inmates escaped from the Socorro County Detention Center in the early morning hours of June 12. Juan Gonzales, 21, and Marco Marquez, 24 — both awaiting deportation to Mexico — made their break after they attacked and overpowered a guard, and took his keys. The breach prompted county and jail officials to immediately evacuate the complex and ship all prisoners to other facilities around the state while multiple security deficiencies were addressed. The inmates finally returned to the renovated facility by early July. Four months after the escape, Marquez — who was originally jailed January 2008 on charges of receiving a stolen vehicle, driving with an open container of alcohol and no driver's license — was finally apprehended by Colorado State Patrol. To date, Gonzales — who was arrested in February for DWI, felony fleeing from an officer and aggravated assault — remains at large.
Trash Talking Trash talking and politics are often synonymous, especially when it comes to discussions regarding landfills. In Socorro, there was plenty of talking trash after the New Mexico Environment Department, in late July, denied a permit for a planned regional landfill for what it called a history of noncompliance. "Given the poor record of performance at the registered landfill, the city may not have the ability to oversee the more complex construction, management and operation involved in a permitted landfill," said New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ron Curry in a press release. That sent city officials scrambling to clean up its mess — including the installation of a litter fence, the purchase of a new bulldozer, purchase of a tire shredder and begin the practice of covering refuse daily — and eventually place construction of a new landfill to the top of the city's Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan. In early December, the city council reaffirmed its ICIP priorities. Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker said a total of $3 million is needed to bring the facility up to speed; a huge chunk of that cost will go toward the installation of a new, state-of-the-art landfill liner.
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