Silver City Daily Press http://scdailypress.com/site Gateway to the Gila Wilderness Wed, 20 Sep 2017 19:00:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1 Baking contest returns to fair http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/20/baking-contest-returns-to-fair/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/20/baking-contest-returns-to-fair/#comments Wed, 20 Sep 2017 19:00:47 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36892 (Press Staff Photo by Robin Austin) District 38 Rep. Rebecca Dow shows off a pie entered in last year’s baking contest at the Grant County Fair. The contest is back this year, with three more categories for bakers to enter.

(Press Staff Photo by Robin Austin)
District 38 Rep. Rebecca Dow shows off a pie entered in last year’s baking contest at the Grant County Fair. The contest is back this year, with three more categories for bakers to enter.

Grant County bakers, roll up your sleeves, throw on an apron, and get ready to show off your sweet side with goodies from the oven in the Grant County Fair’s second annual baking contest this Saturday.

The idea for the contest started with New Mexico House District 38 Rep. Rebecca Dow, who was running for office last year. Dow, who is from Sierra County, had participated in the fair in that county and wanted to get involved with the Grant County Fair. She proposed the idea of a baking contest, and Grant County Commissioner Billy Billings, who was also a candidate for office last year, joined her in sponsoring the event.

Last year’s was a huge success, with 13 entries in the adult division and 12 in the youth, some as simple as good old-fashioned apple pie, others as elaborate as a root beer float cake, a green chile caramel apple pie with a cheese crust, and a lemon zest cake decorated with an elaborate farm scene.

This year, bakers have even more opportunity to win prize money and bragging rights with the addition of three more categories. Cakes and pies will share the table with cookies/brownies, yeast breads and quick breads. Even the judging panel is expanding this year with 10 local business owners joining last year’s 4-H youths tasked with the tough job of tasting the delectable entries and choosing the winners.

But you don’t have to be a judge to get to sample the goodies. Servings will be sold for a few dollars each with the proceeds going toward a $500 scholarship for a senior 4-H member.

The scholarship is not dependent on bake sales alone.

“We have a number of additional baking contest sponsors in the works this year, including New Mexico Gas Company, who will be contributing toward the scholarship,” said Dow.

Not only will everyone have a chance to try the entries, but a total of $850 in cash prizes will be awarded to 30 talented bakers. First place will earn $50, second place $25, and third place $10. Once the judges have sampled all the homemade goodness and made their decisions, the baked goods will be sold by the slice or piece. It’s a win-win situation for the community.

But expect this year’s competition to be stiff, with even more bakers expected to enter.

“We’re opening up the contest to the neighboring counties of Catron, Sierra, Hidalgo and Luna, as a number of last year’s fair visitors from those areas expressed an interest in participating,” said Grant County Extension Director Judy O’Loughlin.

Although there were close to 40 entries last year, there could be plenty more, since the contest has also been changed from Friday to Saturday.

So get your oven mitts out and bring your best baked goody to the Grant County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall in Cliff between 9 and 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Judging begins at 11 a.m. and will be based on appearance, flavor and consistency, originality, and if made from scratch. For safety reasons, no cream, custard, whipped cream, cream cheese, or highly perishable food items are allowed, including meat pies.

There will be two age groups — 18 and under, and those over 18. Prizes will be awarded in each age group and category.

As the contest this year promises to be bigger and even more fun than last year’s, Dow said she continues looking forward to making future contests even more engaging. She’s hoping to work with the New Mexico Environment Department to be able to include items like jams, butters and even ice cream to complement the baked goods.

“I just love county fairs,” said Dow. “It gives me a chance to get to know some of the kids, and I’m so grateful to the community for their participation.”

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County approves use of OHVs http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/20/county-approves-use-of-ohvs/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/20/county-approves-use-of-ohvs/#comments Wed, 20 Sep 2017 19:00:17 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36884 After two hours of discussion, a public hearing, and numerous amendments, Grant County commissioners approved an ordinance allowing off-highway vehicles to operate on paved county roads.

Four people spoke during Tuesday’s public hearing on the issue.

Richard Maynes was the lone supporter of the ordinance, and he came armed with a lemon to illustrate his point.

“I’ve been advocating for the use of UTVs, not ATVs, on streets. People don’t understand the use of ATVs and UTVs,” he said, holding up his lemon. “See this lemon, it’s bitter, sour, not very tasty, but maybe something good can come of this.”

He talked of people who use UTVs to help clean up the streets, neighborhoods, and cemeteries in Santa Clara.

“You can turn it into something wonderful, useful and productive for Grant County,” he said of the ordinance.

“I wish there was a way for farmers or other workers to allow them to have a special permit,” said Sherry Wilcox of Arenas Valley.

One of her concerns was with ATVs running close to horses.

“Not all horses are used to ATVs,” she said. “When ATVs ride close to horses, bad things happen.”

Carol Fugali said she was concerned there would be an increase in violations and the ordinance would lead to confusion as to which roads are allowed.

Another woman said ATVers like to go out and “drink lots of beer and go out into nature and tear it up and stress out animals.”

She quoted statistics that reported when ATVs are allowed on public roads, incidents of death go up.

“If we allow this, when they see acreage that belongs to you or me, they will just ride on it. It just seems like the typical behavior.”

Some commissioners had concerns that the ordinance would overburden law enforcement with enforcing it, but Undersheriff Kevin Flamm disagreed.

“The only thing this ordinance is going to do is to keep the honest people honest,” he said.

He said, just like in a vehicle, law enforcement has to have probable cause to stop a person on an ATV or UTV.

“I don’t think it’s going to increase the workload,” he said. “I think in some ways it’s going to make the workload easier because we are not going to chase them off-road,” if the vehicles are permitted on all county roads.

After numerous changes to the draft ordinance — many of which are more stringent than the state statute requires — commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance.

Cancer center audit 

The board also approved a resolution supporting an audit of the cancer center contract process.

“This has been a train wreck,” Commissioner Billy Billings said early in the meeting when Gila Regional Medical Center CFO JoBeth Vance was giving the board an update on the hospital’s financial situation.

“We were told there was going to be a transition process; there was no transition,” Billings said. “I’m getting calls from people about things that are taking place in the cancer center but the bottom line is, cancer treatment is not taking place there.”

While Vance rattled off losses to the tune of $1.6 million a month, Commissioner Alicia Edwards asked if the board could get the reports in writing, and mentioned she had previously asked for that.

“At the last meeting, I believe we requested that in writing,” she said.

Vance said the board would have to submit a public records request, but Commission Chairman Brett Kasten corrected her.

“That is not true,” he said. “Two CEOs ago, we got the whole board packet prior to your meeting.”

Edwards also pointed out that the numbers were “basically meaningless” without historical comparisons. Billings agreed, saying he would like to have historical finances from month to month.

“A $1.6 million loss in one month is concerning,” he said.

During public input, Linda Nichols expressed her concerns about the lack of transition during the cancer center changes and said she was concerned about what she saw as a conflict of interest by Gila Regional Board Chairman Jeremiah Garcia.

“The RFP [for the cancer center] was issued on February 2, with the final award to be in March, then it wasn’t signed until July,” Nichols said. “That tells me that they [Gila Regional Medical Center board of trustees] had no idea what they were doing or they just didn’t care,” she said.

“The numbers speak volumes,” she said, presenting the commissioners with a sheet showing cancer center, lab, imaging and pharmacy revenue, which all showed a steep decline since January.

“The [GRMC board] members have zero accountability,” she said. “Surely, there is something you can do.”

“My concern is this isn’t going to audit what needs to be audited,” Billings said of the resolution, “because you can’t audit common sense.”

He also said he was skeptical that the state auditor would show up but the commissioners approved the resolution supporting the State Auditor’s Office reviewing the legality and propriety of the RFP process of choosing a cancer center provider by the Gila Regional Medical Center board of trustees.

In other business, the commissioners rejected a bid by Lawley Ford for the purchase of a truck for $30,442 because County Manager Charlene Webb told them they could purchase the same truck on state procurement contract for $22,000.

“There is an advantage to purchasing locally,” Commissioner Harry Browne said, “but not a 27 percent advantage.”

“I would like it noted for the record the county did make an effort to purchase locally,” Edwards said.

Christine Steele may be reached at christine@sc  dailypress.com.

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Silver board to examine construction manager hire http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/20/silver-board-to-examine-construction-manager-hire/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/20/silver-board-to-examine-construction-manager-hire/#comments Wed, 20 Sep 2017 19:00:12 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36888 The Silver Consolidated Schools Board of Education held off on approving a construction manager for more than $20 million worth of bond projects until they could get more information and some documentation on how the method the architect suggested works.

The board heard a presentation Tuesday night from Rob Price, chief architect with ASA Architects in Las Cruces, on a method of managing the bond projects that uses a Construction Manager At Risk. As the architect, Price said he would still oversee the projects, but a construction manager would work with the subcontractors on the job and is better qualified and more plugged in to the construction market.

“The contractor has his hand on the pulse of the subcontractor market,” he said. “This method creates cooperation. A $20 million construction project is not an easy thing.”

He said the entities on the project would have biweekly meetings throughout the course of the construction phase. Price gave a verbal presentation but no documentation, leaving at least one board member with questions.

Frances Vasquez made a motion to table the measure in order to have time to get information about how the process works.

“This is the first time I have heard of this,” she said. “I’m not ready to make a decision tonight.”

Candy Milam, associate superintendent of finance and federal programs, asked if the board would like to sit down with Price for an hour to get more detail. She said when she and Finance Director Michelle McCain first heard it, they were confused too, but after talking with Price some more, they were convinced.

Vasquez said no, actually, she would like to hear about the method from another source. Board member Ashley Montenegro suggested the board talk to other school districts that have used the method, and mentioned that Lordsburg had. Vasquez noted that the districts would be together next week at the Region 8 meeting, which is being held in Cliff, so that would give board members an opportunity to discuss the idea with other school districts.

“I would like to see some sort of document,” board President Mike McMillan said.

The board voted unanimously to table the measure in order to give them time to get more information.

Superintendent Audie Brown addressed the board about the situation with the district’s school grades. Four of Silver’s eight schools dropped at least one letter grade and one school dropped two grades, while three others remained the same, with La Plata earning an F for the third straight year. Silver High saw the only improvement in the district — going up from a D to a C. Jose Barrios Elementary was the only school that earned an A.

“The goal is to reach a minimum of a B grade at each of our schools district-wide,” Brown said.

How they plan to get there will be in the hands of those individual schools, he said. That is the process he has used since he was a principal, and then superintendent in the Estancia School District, he said.

“People will support something they helped create. Based on my experience, that has been the best approach,” Brown said.

Silver Consolidated Education Association President Kat Bustillos brought the board up to speed on what is going on with the union, including, among other things, a wish by employees to continue discussions on moving to a four-day week.

Truancy officer Bianca Padilla gave a presentation and presented the board with some encouraging truancy numbers, which are down substantially from last year, she said, thanks to a grant that has helped provide resources to address truancy in the district.

Vasquez gave the board an update from the Finance Committee, noting that the district will see $1.4 million less in funding from the state this year due to declining enrollment, but they are also spending $1.2 million less in salaries this year, now that staffing has been adjusted to meet the lower enrollment.

“We were overstaffed last year because we had a decline in enrollment,” Vasquez said.

In other business, the district approved the graduation dates and times for all district high schools. Brown said the three principals all chose May 18 as their graduation dates, with Opportunity High School holding theirs first at 11 a.m., followed by Cliff at 5:30 p.m. and Silver High at 7:30 p.m. They also approved the District Wellness Policy and proposed changes to the increment schedule.

The next regular Silver school board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Oct. 17, with a work session starting at 5:30 p.m.

—Christine Steele

 

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Mimbres man arrested in sexual assault of minor girl http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/19/mimbres-man-arrested-in-sexual-assault-of-minor-girl/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/19/mimbres-man-arrested-in-sexual-assault-of-minor-girl/#comments Tue, 19 Sep 2017 19:00:31 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36870 Grant County sheriff’s deputies arrested a Mimbres man last week for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

Cary D. Hartman, 54, was arrested Thursday, Sept. 14, and charged with one count of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, a second-degree felony; one count of false imprisonment, a fourth-degree felony; and two counts of battery, both misdemeanors.

According to a news release the Grant County Sheriff’s Department sent out Monday, Sept. 18, deputies were dispatched to the Mimbres on Sept. 10 in reference to a complaint of criminal sexual penetration involving a 13-year-old female victim. Detectives investigated the case and investigators were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Hartman.

On Sept. 14, just before 2:30 p.m., deputies and investigators arrived at his residence in Mimbres to serve the arrest warrant and execute a search warrant. Hartman was taken into custody at that time. He was transported to the Grant County Detention Center, where he was booked without incident and is being held without bond.

During his first appearance in Bayard Magistrate Court on Friday, Hartman was determined to be indigent and a public defender was appointed for him. However, court records show that on Monday, Hartman retained attorney Jess Lilley of Lilley and O’Connell Law Offices in Las Cruces. He is scheduled for a bond hearing today in Silver City District Court, and a preliminary hearing on Sept. 22 in Bayard Magistrate Court.

The Sheriff’s Department noted in their release that the investigation is ongoing and detectives are currently following up on all investigative leads and are asking anyone with more information to call Central Dispatch at 575-388-8840 or the Grant County Sheriff’s Department at 575-574-0100.

—Christine Steele

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Man to face trial for 2015 murder http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/19/man-to-face-trial-for-2015-murder/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/19/man-to-face-trial-for-2015-murder/#comments Tue, 19 Sep 2017 19:00:12 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36866 A man scheduled to stand trial next year for first-degree murder in Grant County could also face life in prison in a related federal case.

Defense attorneys for Steven “Syklone” Morales told District Court Judge J.C. Robinson by telephone on Monday that they are on track to go to trial on the homicide charge in January 2018. Attorneys Stephen Taylor and Michael Rosenfield of the Capital Crimes Unit in Albuquerque are defending the case. Chief Deputy District Attorney George Zsoka, from the Sixth Judicial District, is prosecuting the case for the state.

Morales, 38, has been in Department of Corrections custody since Jan. 28, 2015, awaiting trial for the Jan. 14, 2015, murder of Estevan Ortega, 22, who was found shot to death in his car on Radio Tower Road in Pinos Altos.

According to court documents, on Jan. 13, 2015, Morales messaged a woman on Facebook requesting a ride. She told him she couldn’t give him a ride, but at 3 a.m. he allegedly knocked on her door, and Ortega, who had been at the residence with the woman, offered to give Morales a ride.

Another woman told sheriff’s deputies she was picked up in the early morning hours at a home in Silver City by Morales and another man, who was driving, and Morales promised to give her a tattoo. The three headed up N.M. 15 toward Pinos Altos and Morales allegedly told the driver to turn up Radio Tower Road so they could “smoke a bowl of weed.” However, once they had parked, Morales told the other man that he had disrespected him over a clown tattoo.

According to witness testimony at the preliminary hearing, the woman told the court that the two men were talking about getting clown tattoos on their hands.

“You better get to smashing if you want clowns on your hands,” Morales said, according to the witness’s testimony.

Clown tattoos on the hands are common among Latin and Asian gang members, according to CorrectionsOne.com, a corrections resource website.

That’s when the argument got physical, the witness said, and Morales allegedly jumped over to the driver’s seat from the passenger seat and began to fight with Ortega.

The witness told deputies that Morales told her to tie Ortega up with some speaker cord that was in a backpack on the back seat and she did, tying it around Ortega’s neck and the car seat. She said she heard gunshots and then ran from the vehicle, allegedly losing a sneaker in the back seat in the process. The witness said Morales then caught up with her in the darkness and pulled off her other shoe and threw it in a ditch alongside the road. She said Morales called another woman for a ride, and she was dropped off at another residence in Silver City. She said she was told to do exactly what Morales told her to do and to be where he told her to be or he would kill her children.

Morales was arrested by U.S. marshals on Jan. 28, 2015, on Paseo Del Norte in Albuquerque, after he led U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents on a chase the day before. That chase — during which Morales allegedly had a female friend and her two children in the car with him — began after Morales was asked to pull over for a secondary inspection at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Hatch. They sped through Hatch at speeds up to 100 miles an hour, and the chase ended with Morales getting away on foot, after he allegedly told the woman he didn’t want to pull over because he had a gun on him.

On July 17, 2017, Morales, who was listed as having an Albuquerque address in the federal press release, pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a round of ammunition when he was picked up in 2015. According to the indictment, Morales was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his numerous felony convictions. According to court filings, Morales has at least five felony convictions for burglary, larceny, criminal damage, receiving stolen property, escape from jail, possession of methamphetamine, disarming a police officer and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer.

During the federal proceedings, Morales pleaded guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement. At sentencing, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, unless the court determines that he is an armed career criminal. In that case, he will face an enhanced sentence of a statutory mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison.

He is being prosecuted as part of a federal anti-violence initiative that targets “the worst of the worst” offenders for federal prosecution. Under this initiative, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement agencies work with New Mexico’s district attorneys and state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to target violent or repeat offenders primarily based on their prior criminal convictions for federal prosecution with the goal of removing repeat offenders from communities in New Mexico for as long as possible.

That case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A. Hurtado is prosecuting the case.

While Morales awaits sentencing in his federal case, his state case will continue to move toward trial, according to Zsoka.

“At this point, we anticipate going forward either way,” Zsoka said. “We will be ready to go to trial in January.”

One of the main witnesses did not appear during witness interviews, the attorneys said, so they will track that person down before the trial.

Morales was found not guilty by a Grant County jury in February 2014 on charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon over another incident involving disrespect and tattoos.

Christine Steele may be reached at christine@sc dailypress.com.

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Diversity on display at WNMU http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/19/diversity-on-display-at-wnmu/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/19/diversity-on-display-at-wnmu/#comments Tue, 19 Sep 2017 19:00:04 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36874 (Press Staff Photo by C.P. Thompson) Jason Stahlhut holds a ladder while Michael Acosta climbs up to straighten the American Samoa flag recently added to the many national flags hanging in Miller Library at WNMU. Looking on is Nathaniel Siquieros. The 44 flags represent the home countries of the diverse student body and faculty that make up the university.

(Press Staff Photo by C.P. Thompson)
Jason Stahlhut holds a ladder while Michael Acosta climbs up to straighten the American Samoa flag recently added to the many national flags hanging in Miller Library at WNMU. Looking on is Nathaniel Siquieros. The 44 flags represent the home countries of the diverse student body and faculty that make up the university.

To make international and Native American students feel more at home and to celebrate the diversity of the college, Western New Mexico University hung eight more flags alongside the 36 already hanging in Miller Library on Monday. The flags represent the many different countries that students and faculty are from.

The eight new flags are for the countries of Japan, Thailand, South Korea, the Czech Republic, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Taiwan and Barbados.

At the beginning of the event, nine college football players from American Samoa showed up to represent their country. One of those was Curtis Soliai.

“I feel pride when I walk in here [Miller Library],” said Soliai, who is part American Samoan and Western Samoan. “I was homesick when I didn’t see my flags here. This is a good moment and I am happy.”

Soliai was born in Pago Pago, American Samoa, which is east of Australia. However, he is part Western Samoan because his grandmother was from there. Soliai, a sophomore, plays offensive and defensive line on the football team and is majoring in sports medicine.

“Silver City is a nice little city,” he said. “I like to see the different culture. It is good that this shows the multiculturalism of students. I feel ecstatic seeing my flags. Some schools don’t show culture. It is a nice presence.”

Students are not the only reason the flags are hung in the library. There are several faculty and staff members who are not from the United States. Takahiro Sato, a native of Japan, is an assistant professor of kinesiology.

“After five years of being here, I get to see my nationality on campus,” he said.

Sato was born in Japan and came to the United States in 2003. He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a PhD in sports psychology. He is teaching four classes at WNMU this spring.

“Western is a small community,” he said. “You get to know people on a deeper level.”

Abe Villarreal, WNMU director of communications, brought the idea of hanging the national flags to the university about five years ago. Since then, 44 national flags have been added to the Miller Library ceiling. Last semester, a Native American flag, representing all the native tribes, and an Italian flag were hung.

“It is a magnificent sense of welcoming,” said Gilda Ortego, WNMU library director. “It makes you realize a whole ’nother world is out there.”

Other national flags hung in Miller Library represent the countries of Mexico, Canada, Cameroon, Germany and the United Kingdom. Cindy Renee Provencio, program manager at the library, said three other flags are on their way — Costa Rica, Rwanda and Honduras.

C.P. Thompson may be reached at cp@scdaily press.com.

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Pride Festival brings fun to Gough Park http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/18/pride-festival-brings-fun-to-gough-park/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/18/pride-festival-brings-fun-to-gough-park/#comments Mon, 18 Sep 2017 19:00:47 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36854 (Press Staff Photo by Christine Steele) Vivika D’Angelo Steele, of the Diamond Divas of Tucson, performs for the crowd at Silver City’s second annual Pride event, held Saturday in Gough Park.

(Press Staff Photo by Christine Steele)
Vivika D’Angelo Steele, of the Diamond Divas of Tucson, performs for the crowd at Silver City’s second annual Pride event, held Saturday in Gough Park.

Couples, families and friends came together at Gough Park for a day of entertainment, food, music, vendors and more as Grant County LGBT hosted its second annual Pride Festival.

“The idea of the event was to have a safe place,” said Ted Tufares, who coordinated the event. “It is a safe place to be who you are. We are part of the community and we want everyone to know that.”

Throughout the Saturday event, folks laughed and gave out $1 tips to the drag queens who kept the event alive with music, jokes and dancing.

“I’m in love with the event,” said Vivika D’Angelo Steele, one of three drag queens who came from Tucson to perform at the event. “There are twice as many people this year. It is an amazing vibe.”

Jessica Michaels and Holly Woodland, members of the Diamond Divas along with Steele, also performed for the crowd. Michaels emceed for a bit and gave the crowd a few laughs in between shows. This was her second time performing at the event.

“It is exciting coming back,” said Michaels, who was dressed in a red dress and high heels. “It’s nice to see all ages here. There is love out here.”

While Justin Blanton played classic hits, 40 vendors were set up across the park. Some vendors were Silver Regional Sexual Assault Support Services, the Grant County Democratic Party, Silver City Church of Christ, Elemental Artisans, and the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce. One vendor, Phillips Second Street Studio, came from as far as away as Roswell, N.M.

“Silver City has more diversity than many places,” said Bob Phillips, as he sat underneath his canopy. “It is more accepting than other places in New Mexico. It is a family friendly place — it’s hard to beat.”

As the drag queens took a break, the crowd got ready for the Doggie Drag Show. Dogs had on ballerina costumes, cowboy hats, fairy wings, sunglasses and wigs. Three judges, including one drag queen, chose top dogs in categories such as Mr. Congeniality, Ms. Congeniality, Biggest Diva and Best in Show. Patsy Madrid’s two dogs, Leroy and Max, won Best in Show. The two were dressed in colorful blue and red dresses.

“I love the event,” said Madrid. “It is a happy place and everybody loves everybody, which makes Silver City a great place to live.”

The Pride Festival rolled on with four lip-syncing performances, including one by Grant County Assessor Raul Turrieta. The crowd got a laugh as Turrieta, dressed as Polly Tickle, for his 30 years in politics, shook his hips to “Politics of Dancing,” by Re-Flex, while wearing a red dress, black wig, lipstick and makeup.

“It is important that this celebrates pride and who they [LGBT] really are,” said Mayor Ken Ladner, who spoke at the event. “I feel the love, friendship and peace here. I look around and see people at peace.”

C.P. Thompson may be reached at cp@scdaily press.com.

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Town to hold second welcome sign meeting http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/18/town-to-hold-second-welcome-sign-meeting/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/18/town-to-hold-second-welcome-sign-meeting/#comments Mon, 18 Sep 2017 19:00:15 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36846 Silver City and Grant County residents have another opportunity to let their opinions be known on the submissions for welcome signs the city has been considering since late last year.

The town’s Community Development Department has already held one open public meeting last week and will hold another at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the conference room on the second floor of the City Hall Annex, 1203 N. Hudson St.

In this second round of submissions, 12 different people submitted designs, with one individual submitting 10 different versions of his design.

The designs have been up on the town of Silver City’s website, www.townofsilvercity.org, and the Community Development Department’s Facebook page, which was launched this spring, and people can go review the submissions and comment and vote on them.

They can also do so in person at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Community Development Director Jaime Embick said the meeting will be held open house style, with no formal presentation, but large-scale drawings of each of the designs will be posted around the room and staff will give people instructions on how to vote on their favorites.

Once all the feedback has been taken in, staff will sit down with the Design Review Committee and they will look at all of the public input and develop a scoring mechanism to narrow the choices down to a few, Assistant Town Manager James Marshall said. Staff will then have the engineers do a cost estimate to produce three of the signs for each of the entrances to Silver City  — one on U.S. 180 coming down from Cliff, one on U.S. 180 in Arenas Valley, and one on New Mexico 90 heading up from Lordsburg. The signs will meet all New Mexico Department of Transportation safety regulations, Marshall said. Then staff will present to the council to decide upon.

This is the second round of decision-making on the sign designs after the public weighed in late last year and said local artists should have should have had the opportunity to submit designs when the town presented designs from two different design firms, Occam Engineers, and Community By Design, Marshall said.

At that time, the engineer’s estimate for the cost to design the signs was a little steep for the town’s at-that-time uncertain budget, Marshall said, at $60,000 for the three signs. The project was put on hold while the town’s budget situation was uncertain prior to the special legislative session and what was going to happen with the Hold Harmless payments from the state. The council tabled the project at its Jan. 10 meeting after failing to get a consensus on a design. They will take it up again once the recommendations have been presented to them later this fall.

Christine Steele may be reached at christine@sc dailypress.com.

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Spectacular cars shine at car show http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/18/spectacular-cars-shine-at-car-show/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/18/spectacular-cars-shine-at-car-show/#comments Mon, 18 Sep 2017 19:00:12 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36850 (Press Staff Photo by C.P. Thompson) Lordsburg resident Fernando Chavez polishes his ’64 Chevy during the Lowriders, Hoppers and Hotrods Car Show on Sunday at WNMU. The show featured over 60 cars, including some from Deming, El Paso, Texas, and Morenci, Ariz. The event was one of several the university is holding to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. A photography exhibit of the same name will be up in the Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art through Oct. 5. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday.

(Press Staff Photo by C.P. Thompson)
Lordsburg resident Fernando Chavez polishes his ’64 Chevy during the Lowriders, Hoppers and Hotrods Car Show on Sunday at WNMU. The show featured over 60 cars, including some from Deming, El Paso, Texas, and Morenci, Ariz. The event was one of several the university is holding to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. A photography exhibit of the same name will be up in the Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art through Oct. 5. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday.

Cool classic and modern cars celebrating the Chicano car culture were on display in the Juan Chacon parking lot at Western New Mexico University on Sunday, showing off their slick engines, paint and rims during the Lowriders, Hoppers and Hotrods Car Show.

“It was a fantastic success,” said Faye McCalmont, special assistant to the president for Cultural Affairs. “There is a great crowd and a lot of people went through the [photography] exhibit [in the Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art]. The car show was to reach out to a diverse audience. It brought people from far and wide to the campus and to the McCray Gallery.”

The car show brought in car lovers from Deming, Lordsburg, El Paso, Texas, and Morenci, Ariz. Cecil O’Dell brought his blue ’65 Ford, also known as “Millennium Falcon,” from Duncan, Ariz. O’Dell soaked up every moment of the car show.

“Everything has been perfect,” he said as he sat in a folding chair next to his beauty. “Everyone has been great. Silver City has nice weather. It is perfect here.”

Locals also parked their prized possessions outside the Juan Chacon Building. One local was Silver City resident Tony Ramirez, who brought his ’47 Ford pickup. He bought the vehicle five years ago and has spent around $5,000 on it.

“All my life I have been into cars,” he said. “It’s good to see something old come back to life.”

Car owners paid a $20 fee to enter the contest and more than 60 cars showed up. Norman Castrillo, who coordinated the car show, and Ernie Alanza chose the winners — first, second and third — in categories such as Lowrider Street, Custom Car, Original, Under Construction and more. The winners received trophies, which were donated by WNMU.

“It was a good turnout,” said Castrillo. “There are a lot of good and custom cars.”

Joe Gonzalez played some classic ’50s music, while folks strolled the parking lot and checked out the cars. When owners weren’t talking car gossip to one another, they invited viewers to sit in the driver’s seat to feel the custom leather or vinyl. Others were invited to chat and have a good laugh on 95.1 The Mixx with Grant County Assessor Raul Turrieta. Kids kept begging their parents to buy model cars from one particular vendor — Romax, who came from El Paso and sold action figure toys, paintings and more. To satisfy their stomachs, folks headed to Los Compas Burgers and More for a bite to eat.

“This is one more event where we [WNMU] are expanding our connection to the community,” said Jack Crocker, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs.

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Western New Mexico University is hosting a number of events, including the photography exhibition “Lowriders, Hoppers and Hotrods: Car Culture of Northern New Mexico,” which will be up at the Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art through Oct. 5. The building is open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday. The university also hosted a performance by Mexico Vive Mariachi on Saturday and the car show on Sunday.

More events are planned for next month, including a forum celebrating DACA at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, in Miller Library, and a showing of the Spanish language movie “Sin Nombre,” at 6 p.m. at Light Hall on Thursday, Oct. 5. Admission is free. A Chicano Street Fest is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, at Old James Stadium, with live music, food vendors, family games and more. This event will be a fundraiser for WNMU’s MEChA Club.

—C.P. Thompson

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Students learn to make their garden grow http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/16/students-learn-to-make-their-garden-grow/ http://scdailypress.com/site/2017/09/16/students-learn-to-make-their-garden-grow/#comments Sat, 16 Sep 2017 19:00:39 +0000 http://www.scdailypress.com/site/?p=36830 (Press Staff Photo by C.P. Thompson) Fourth-grade students Jacob Arias and Abcde Zavala pull weeds to get ready to dig a garden at G.W. Stout Elementary on Friday afternoon. The students are working on a raised bed to grow salad greens like lettuce and spinach.

(Press Staff Photo by C.P. Thompson)
Fourth-grade students Jacob Arias and Abcde Zavala pull weeds to get ready to dig a garden at G.W. Stout Elementary on Friday afternoon. The students are working on a raised bed to grow salad greens like lettuce and spinach.

On a hot Friday afternoon, Julie Dunning-Farmer and her 23 students got their hands and knees dirty, putting in some sweat equity as they dug a brand-new garden at G.W. Stout Elementary.

“I really wanted the kids to have an opportunity to be exposed to agriculture,” said Dunning-Farmer, a fourth-grade teacher at Stout.

Before the fun began, kids got a muscle workout as they carried nearly a dozen bags of topsoil and cement blocks to the garden area. With their blood already flowing because of all the excitement and hard work, the students then picked up either a shovel, rake, garden fork, hoe or cultivator and, in no time, raked out the rocks, took out some asphalt and pulled out weeds to get the garden ready.

The kids then placed the cement blocks, creating a 12-foot-by-3-foot square for the soil to be poured into.

“It is a very exciting day, surely,” said fourth-grader Ivy Stephens Etheridge, as she held her shovel. “I like shoveling the dirt and flattening it. I can’t garden at my house because the deer eat it all, so I can use this as my garden.”

Dunning-Farmer said the project will not only teach the students how to garden, but will also give them a good workout while installing it. The class will spend an hour a day every Monday working on the garden until it is complete.

“This is a great project for the kids to have true hands-on learning,” said Principal Jason Ping. “Kids will also work as team members. This grows a culture in the school, by working together and having a common goal. There is a lot of positive that comes out of this.”

Ten parents showed up to help and support their kids. Parent Bertie Vesely said the project opens up a new window of learning for the students.

“This gives them responsibility and is a good life lesson,” said Vesely, whose son Joshua helped work on the garden. “This is a great opportunity for kids to participate in.”

The funding for the project came from a school garden grant that was given to the Volunteer Center by Rotary, said Alicia Edwards, coordinator for Healthy Kids Healthy Communities, who works a lot with the Volunteer Center on children’s activities like school gardens.

Edwards will be at Stout every Monday when the students work on the garden.

“The kids have been excited about this for the last two weeks,” she said. “It is important to teach them about vegetables, and they will learn about math, science and how to grow food.”

The garden will be a raised bed, which is appropriate for smaller plants, like the salad greens like lettuce and spinach that the students planted on Friday. The students will get to reap some of the fruits of their labor this fall when the garden begins to grow.

-—C.P. THOMPSON

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