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April 1 - 15 • 2014
AZTEC
•
BLANCO
A C O M M U N I T Y - I N P U T N E W S PA P E R
•
BLOOMFIELD
•
CEDAR HILL
•
CENTER POINT
•
FLORA VISTA
S I N C E 19 93
• NAVA JO DAM • LA PLATA
2014
Vol. 22 No. 7
TALON
PO BOX 275 • AZTEC, NEW MEXICO 87410 • 505-334-1039
505-334-1039 (main) • 334-1551 (fax/phone) • e-mail: aztecnews@sisna.com • www.aztecnews.com
PRESORTED
STANDARD
US POSTAGE
PAID
AZTEC, NM
PERMIT #106
FREE
twice
a month
In this issue
• Letters: 2,3 • Cartoon: 2 • Superintendent’s Corner: 4
• Crossword Puzzle, Sudoku: 9, 21 • Living Local: 15
• Bird Talk: 16 • Classifieds, Advertisers: 22 • Events: 23
BLM holds scoping meeting in Aztec
The Farmington Field Office of The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held a
series of public scoping open house meetings recently in Farmington, Aztec, and
Lybrook to disburse information in preparation for the possible new oil boom in
Northwest New Mexico. The public meeting in Aztec was held at the Aztec Senior /
Community Center on March 20th. The attendees were encouraged to visit with
numerous BLM officials who were stationed at tables displaying photos, charts, maps
and informational materials.
BLM is planning to amend the 2003 Resource Management Plan (RMP) in preparation for the potential Mancos Shale/Gallup Sandstone oil and gas boom. Quoting the
March 2014 BLM newsletter: "The 4.2 million acre planning area is comprised of federal, state, and private lands as well as Indian reservations overlying the
Mancos/Gallup formations within portions of San Juan, Rio Arriba, McKinley and
Sandoval Counties in New Mexico...."
The BLM is gathering information in order to analyze potential impacts on our
area's air quality, water resources, wildlife, etc. The planning area includes lands in the
Aztec, Farmington, Bloomfield, Lindrith, and Lybrook areas. Some experts say that
the new boom could be similar to the New Mexico Permian Basin boom or the
Bakken Shale boom in North Dakota and Montana. "Improved" horizontal drilling
technology and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has provided companies a more economical way to drill for oil and natural gas in the Mancos/Gallup formations.
Hundreds of new wells with associated roads and pipelines are projected to be developed.
Natural gas prices are down so the main focus is on increased oil exploration and
production.
Some of the concerns include impacts on human health and safety, fracking, safety
of water resources, flaring emissions, further pollution of our air, loss of wildlife habitat, impacts on Chaco Canyon and numerous other cultural sites, increased truck traffic
and heavy equipment transport, light and noise pollution, etc.
The scoping period for the Farmington Mancos-Gallup RMP/Environmental Impacts
Statement has been extended to May 28, 2014. For more information, the project website is www.blm.gov/nm/mancos or contact Lindsey Eoff at BLM, (505)564-7670.
You can email comments to BLM_NM_FFO_RMP@blm.gov
or you can mail comments to:
Mancos-Gallup RMP Amendment Comments c/o Lindsey Eoff
Bureau of Land Management, Farmington Field Office
6251 N. College Blvd. Suite A, Farmington, NM 87402
by Shirley McNall
“New Beginnings” at the Aztec
Chamber of Commerce - Join us!
Join us in celebrating “New Beginnings” at the Aztec Chamber of Commerce
Banquet on April 5th at the Aztec Community Center. This is an exciting time for the
Aztec Chamber of Commerce as we highlight the new vitality and energy flowing
from the current Aztec Chamber of Commerce Board and Committees. We hope you
will join us in honoring the top Businesses, Educators and Citizens of the past Year
who have helped make the Aztec Community what it is.
The evening will begin at 6 pm with a social hour and cash bar. Begin your stroll
through the Live and Silent Auction items on display as you visit with old acquaintances and meet new ones. During the evening you will be treated to “A Taste of
Tuscany” in atmosphere and entrees. The Hiway Grill will be pulling out all the stops
for a wonderful Tuscan meal. The evening will also include live music and dancing
with MD and The 20/20s, guest speaker Dorothy Nobis and presentation of the annual
awards. As part of the “New Beginnings,” a first this year, will be the presentation of
an Economic Development Award to a local business who has been supportive, creative and aggressive in making new development a reality for Aztec. For this award
the Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the City of Aztec’s Economic
Development Advisory Board (EDAB), and the award will be presented by the EDAB
Chairman, Mr. John Faverino.
Tickets are available at the Aztec Chamber of Commerce office at 110 N Ash Ave,
Aztec Floral Design & Gifts in Westside Plaza or at Finish Line Graphics until end of
day Thursday, April 3rd. $30/person, $250/table of ten. For additional information call
334-7646.
Thanks to
San Juan
Regional
Medical
Center and
Four Corners
Good
Samaritan
Society for
their generous sponsorships of the
Aztec
Chamber of
Commerce’s
“New
Beginnings”
Banquet.
A lesson in nutrition in Mrs. Martinez’s Class
The students in Mrs. Martinez kindergarten class at McCoy Elementary participated
in learning about nutrition with Marcia Fulks, a Nutrition Educator with the “I CAN
Program” for the San Juan County Extension Department. The students were presented with lessons on eating healthy and participated in tasting a variety of healthy
fruits. The students discovered that their favorite fruit was a “carambola” better
known as a “star fruit.” The star fruit is an exotic tropical fruit that acquired its name
from the five pointed star shape when cut across the middle. The star fruit is juicy
and pleasantly sweet.
The students also discovered that a 20 ounce soda contained 17 3/4 teaspoons of
sugar. The students visually watched the amount of sugar poured as they counted the
teaspoons of sugar contained in the soda. The student also counted 11 teaspoons of
sugar in a bag of candy. They were amazed at the amount of sugar in a snack of soda
and candy compared to a better snack choice of a star fruit or an apple, which contained less than 2 teaspoons of natural sugar.
The students in Mrs. Martinez’s class enjoyed learning about making healthy snack
choices and the classroom visits made by Marcia Fulk, as she shared her knowledge
of eating healthy.
Self Defense Class for seniors
Aztec Senior Community Center is hosting a Self Defense Class for the seniors on
April 8th at 10:00 am.
Are you concerned for your safety?
We invite you to come and explore the areas of developing your own personal protection.
Our senior safety class will answer questions like:
• How do I protect myself against cons and scams?
• What are my options if I am grabbed?
• How do I react when strangers approach me?
• How do I tell if I am overreacting?
• What steps have I taken to secure my house?
• What if I have already been a victim, what do I do now?
Plus lots more.
Safety begins with education.
Come out, have fun and learn some valuable safety tips. You might be surprised to
learn there are many options when it comes to protecting yourself.
Our instructor will be Connie Johnston, a detective with the San Juan County
Sheriff’s Office. She has taught personal safety for many years and is passionate
about helping you protect yourself. Come learn from her years of knowledge and
experience.
Please call to sign up, 505 334 2881.
PAGE 2
Questions? Answers?
Contact Candy, 334-1039
aztecnews@sisna.com
TALON notes
• Thanks to those who contribute to
TALON via aztecnews@sisna.com. It is
appreciated!
• Find TALON on Facebook,
www.facebook.com/TheAztecLocalNews
VA’s homeless
programs
More information about VA’s homeless programs is available at
www.va.gov/homeless. Details about the
Supportive Services for Veteran Families
program are online at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp. Veterans who are homeless
or at risk of becoming homeless, and
their family members and friends can call
VA’s National Homeless Veterans Call
Center at 1-877-4AID-VET
Aztec Schools
Child Find
If you have any questions or
concerns about a child 3-5
years of age, screenings will
be held every Monday.
To make an appointment for a
screening, contact your local
Aztec Municipal School
District Pre-K site.
McCoy Elem. 334-6831
Ext# 1970 or
Lydia Rippey Elem. 334-2621
Ext# 1850.
Flora Vista Mutual
Domestic Water
Association
will have their Annual
Membership Meeting
Monday April 28th, 2014
@ 7:30 pm. The meeting will
beheld at the office located
at 2C Road 3499
Info: Contact the office
at 505-334-6045
Advertise in
TALON!
Call for ad rates:
334-1039
THE MAIL (AND E-MAIL) ROOM
Attention Aztec High Aztec Senior /
School Class of 1964! Community Center
A 50th class reunion "Lost in the 60s"
has been scheduled for June 19 through
June 22, 2014. We want to reach as many
of you as possible. Please plan to attend
if you can and get the word out to all our
classmates. For more info and itinerary,
contact: Paula Gonzales at 303-249-0224
or vpgonzales@comcast.net; Victor
Gonzales at 303-324-1986; Leroy
Sanchez at 505-320-6565; Joe Jaquez at
505-327-2958.
looking for
volunteer drivers
You can be a substitute driver for home
delivery routes or you can take a group
swimming or maybe to a play. How
about an out of town day trip?
For more information call 334-2881.
PUBLIC NOTICE
BLOOMIELD IRRIGATION DISTRICT
Quarterly Board Meeting
To be held on Tuesday April 1, 2014 at 6:30 PM at the
Bloomfield Irrigation District Office. Please note the BID Office
has changed location to 1205 E. Broadway!
Items on the agenda include: District #3 Board Appointment.
Oath of Approval.
If you are an individual with a disability who needs special
arrangements, please contact Stacy at the Bloomfield Irrigation
District Office 632-2800 or 1205 E. Broadway in Bloomfield
Farmers Irrigation
District
will hold their
2nd quarterly meeting
on
Wednesday, April 2nd
at 6:30 pm at the
Flora Vista Fire Station #1,
#2 Road 3275.
Spirit of Women
Dancing Spirit Community Arts Center
invites you to Spirit of Women, a celebration of women through art in a variety
of media, Friday, April 4th, 5pm - 8pm.
Musical entertainment by flutist Nathan
Strong Elk followed by singer and guitarist Gabe Tate. At 7:00pm, Mantaholla
Moon Belly Dance troupe takes the stage
to share their passion and love of dancing. Try some fabulous ethnic and personal favorite dishes and put your vote in
for People's Choice best dish.
For more info on Dancing Spirit, go to
DancingSpiritCommunityArtsCenter.org
755 Goddard Ave, Ignacio
970-563-4600
An evening with
James Junes
Koogler Middle School and AMSD
Indian Education Department invite all
parents and students to enjoy an evening
with James Junes, comedian/actor, on
motivational and inspirational topics on
Thursday, April 3, 2014.
A Navajo Taco Dinner is at 4:45 pm
and the assembly is at 5:30 pm in the
gymnasium.
For more information, please contact
Christina Tyler at 505-334-9474.
Annual Community
Health Fair
The Sycamore Park Community Center
will host their 5th Annual Sycamore Park
Community Center Health Fair on
Saturday, April 5, 2014 from 11:00 a.m.
to 2:00 p.m.
This will be a free event offered to the
community to highlight the healthcare
options available in the Farmington area.
Get free blood pressure checks, body
mass index tests, and much more.
In addition to free screenings, there
will be information on preventative
health, health education, and healthy living options available in our community.
Enjoy fun family activities and door
prizes.
The Sycamore Park Community Center
is located at 1051 Sycamore in
Farmington, NM.
If you are interested in being a vendor,
please call (505) 566-2481. For additional information on the Annual Sycamore
Park Community Center Health Fair, call
(505) 566-2480.
Toddler and Thee
The Aztec Presbyterian Church has a
new community outreach program and
we would like to get the word out!
Toddler and Thee is a program for
parents with small children (under 5),
looking for a place to gather with other
parents with children of similar age, so
the children have a chance to play while
moms and dads have time to socialize
and trade "parenting notes."
The program is free and happens on
Monday mornings from 8:30-9:30 at
the Aztec Presbyterian Church (205 N
Church) in the Fellowship Hall.
For more information, interested parties may contact the church @ 334-2816.
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
• T h e TA LO N R e g u l a r s •
Susan Barnes, Natural Health
Bert Bennett, What the Blazes
334-9271
Recreation with Ryno
tryanlane@gmail.com
Mike Heal, Chief’s Corner
334-7620
Robert Oxford, Water Rights
330-2284
John Rees, Bird Talk
632-8335
Emma Deyo, SJ Soil & Water
334-3090
Bruce Salisbury
334-2398
Cindy Iacovetto, Senior Center
334-2881
Elisa Bird, Sustainable Living,
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 April 9th
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
aztecnews@sisna.com
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
aztecnews@sisna.com
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.
6200 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
Proofreaders: Linda Lawson, Debbie Israel,
Annette Tidwell Abend
© Copyright 1993-2014 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
Taking issue with
the issues
In the coming elections in Farmington and San Juan
County, we, the voters, should take issue to the issues.
There are candidates who propose an increase in the
minimum wage to $10.50 per hour and are using that as
part of their campaign platform.
Let us use a not too out of the ordinary scenario to
examine that issue.
Enter a 30-something woman, let us call her Eve, who
has been working for many years, interrupted only by
the birth of her children and the brief periods that would
normally follow. Eve is now working as an administrative assistant and has been at that position with the same
company for, let us say, 5 years. She is the single parent
of two children, both under the age of 16. When Eve
started with the company, the employer offered her
slightly more than the then minimum wage, which was,
shall we say, $7.35 per hour. She has earned increases
through merit raises and cost of living increases to
where she is now earning $10.00 per hour. Eve types at
around 80 words per minute and she can properly file
any document or form in its proper place. She is well
versed in the current computer programs found in most
offices and can create a spreadsheet or form letter that is
both complex and neat. Rarely sick, her sick days are
used to care for her children when they are sick. Her
vacation days are typically spent taking workshops or
attending seminars to improve her skills. She has taken a
few classes at the college. She is working directly for
the business owner. Eve is the type of employee every
business would like to have several of.
Now meet Adam. Adam is 17 or 18 years old and has
not graduated high school, because either he has
dropped out or he has not yet completed the requirements to graduate. Adam is unskilled but does have a
job where he has been for 3 to 6 months. Adam has a car
that is 5 years newer than the one Eve has. A car bought
for him by his parents. Eve is still making payments on
her car. Adam has more than the minimum insurance on
his car because his parents pay for it while Eve has the
minimum she can afford. If Adam needs gas money, he
goes to his parents. If Eve needs gas money, she goes
without something until payday. Adam gets an
allowance each week that amounts to more than the
child support Eve receives each month. Adam works at a
retail establishment that has cash registers that will tell
him how much change to give so he has never had to
learn to count back change to the customer. Adam wears
the latest designer clothes while Eve shops at the thrift
stores.
Now, the afore mentioned political candidates, would
increase the minimum wage to $10.50 per hour for
unskilled workers like Adam (or Jack or Jill or Jane).
Yes, Eve will also get an increase to $10.50 per hour so
all is good, right? Would Eve think so? Adam certainly
would but then Adam is not old enough to vote.
Farmington, or for that matter, San Juan County is not
Santa Fe or Santa Fe County or Albuquerque or
Bernalillo County where minimum wage has similarly
been increased or proposed. We are the mostly rural
city/county in the corner of the state, well away from the
problems experienced by Santa Fe or Albuquerque.
Increasing the minimum wage does little to benefit the
skilled workers like Eve. Raising the minimum wage
will increase the cost of goods so the essentials that Eve
buys, those things the cost of living is based upon, will
increase in cost as a consequence.
It is not being suggested that you should not cast your
ballot for a candidate just because they propose an
increase in minimum wage. What is suggested is, there
are more important issues that the candidates need to
address, and we, the voters, need to ask the important
questions that will reveal those issues and the position
the candidate has on them.
Be very careful friends and neighbors. Don’t buy the
car just because it has a shiny new coat of paint. Know
the important issues and vote for those who will address
what is truly important.
Vote! It’s your right and the right thing to do.
Tim Slade, Farmington
Bloomfield Library
After School Time
B.L.A.S.T
Enjoy Spring
Flowers!
Delivery Available
See Our
New
Location!
February Teen of the Month
The Aztec Boys & Girls Club Teen Center is proud to
present their February recipient of the “Teen of the
Month Award.” Alexis York, a 6th grader at Koogler
Middle School, has been an outstanding member of the
Aztec Teen Center. Alexis’ favorite color is blue and her
favorite animals are dogs! She is a dancer, and loves
modern lyrical dance best. Her favorite place in the
world is California and she loves getting her nails done.
Alexis is kind, hardworking and fun and we love having
her at the Teen Center! CONGRATS ALEXIS!!
The Great Detective
is at it Again
The AHS PlayMakers will be presenting their last play
of the year, C.P. Stancich’s Sherlock Holmes and the
Spinsters of Blackmead,
April 24, 25, 26, May 1,
2, and 3 at 7:00pm in
the Aztec High
School’s Multi-purpose Room, 500 East
Chaco.
This story takes
place in 1897, when
Sherlock is summoned
to Blackmead Manor
due to mysterious happenings. What at first
seems to be just an interesting case turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse. Can
they find the killer before the killer finds them?
This will be a final showcase for our senior
PlayMakers. Charles Dobey, last seen as the Narrator in
Suessification, will be filling the title role. Other seniors
joining him in taking a final bow are: Kortney Anthony,
Erika McReynolds, Eric Lang, and Hannah Elsbury.
These five have appeared in many PlayMaker productions- please come and experience the magic of theatre
with them one last time.
Sherlock Holmes and the Spinsters of Blackmead is
being produced with special arrangements with Heuer
Publishing, Inc. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at the door, or in advance from any AHS
PlayMaker. Group prices are available for any group of
ten or more. Please call Sidley Harrison at (505)-3349414 ext. 1327 for more information."
Rabies Clinic
Sunday, April 6th
San Juan Animal League will be hosting their
THIRD Rabies Clinic Sunday, April 6th at
the Bloomfield Multicultural Center
333 S First Street, Bloomfield
from 12 – 4
Remember shots are available on a “first
come-first serve” basis. SJAL is now offering
Micro chipping (Pet ID) .
B.L.A.S.T is a free after school program the library offers for children
between the ages
of 6 years and 12 years old on
For additional information regarding our
Clinics, other services and volunteer
opportunities, check our web site at
www.sanjuananimalleague.webs.com or call
505-325-3366 or we’re on FACEBOOK.
At the Bloomfield Public Library
333 South First Street
Bloomfield, NM 87413 • 632-8315
505-325-3366 SJAL HOT LINE
Tuesdays from 4-5pm.
Shanna Baird - SJAL
Clinic Coordinator
1409 W Aztec Blvd, Suite 2, West Side Plaza
Jump into
Spring
with a
new “DO”
Relax • Renew • Revive!!
(505) 334-TIPS
PAGE 4
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
Superintendent’s Corner
by Kirk M. Carpenter,
Superintendent Aztec Schools
Student and Parent Input into High Stakes Teacher Evaluations
Aztec Senior Center News
~April 2014~
What’s cookin’ at the Aztec Senior Center?
1st Beef Steak Fingers
16th Meat Loaf
2nd BBQ Chicken
17th Chicken Fajitas
3rd Beef Stew
18th CLOSED
4th Fish Sandwich
21st Spaghetti & Sauce
7th Chicken Fried Steak
22nd Roast Beef
8th Pork Loin
23rd Ham and Beans
9th Chili Cheese Dog
24th Frito Pie
10th Hot Turkey Sandwich 25th Chicken & Noodles
11th Cheese Ravioli
28th Sweet & Sour Pork
14th Beef & Cheese Burrito
29th Green Chili
15th Green Chili Cheese
Cheeseburger
Enchiladas
30th Tacos
What’s happening at the
Aztec Senior / Community Center?
101 S. Park Ave.
505-334-2881 • 801-0373
Menu hotline 505-334-7618
E-mail: ciacovetto@aztecnm.gov
www.aztecnm.gov
CSFD upcoming distributions
Free Food for Kids & Seniors:
Blanco Senior Center – Wednesdays (check time with
Senior Center): April 16
Bloomfield Multi Cultural Center – Thursdays (1112:30) May 15, July 24
(Also distribution for residents of Zia Vista Apartments
in Bloomfield on same dates at 10-11am)
Aztec Senior Center – Tuesdays (11:45-12:30) on
May 13 & July 15
(Also distribution for residents of Cielo Azul Apartments
in Aztec on same dates at 10-11:30 am)
If you miss a distribution, pick up at ECHO
Warehouse, 401 S. Commercial, Farmington, open 7:005:30, Monday through Thursday. CLOSED Fridays &
Holidays. Closed 12-12:30 for lunch. The only program
exclusion is WIC for moms or children. We are closed
holidays and at 3:00 p.m. the last business day each
month. NOTE: Clients can’t pick up at the warehouse on
the same day as the scheduled off-site distribution, as
records will be on the truck.
For more information, call 325-8222 or visit the website at www.echoinc.org.
CSFP is an Equal Opportunity Programs for income
eligible New Mexico residents, funded by USDA, N.M.
Department of Health, and sponsored by ECHO, Inc.
USDA prohibits discrimination in any of its administered
programs. If you feel you have been discriminated
against, write Office of Civil Rights, USDA, Alexandria,
VA, 22302.
We all have heard about how the evaluations of our
teachers and our principals have changed, but now, input
from parents and students is not an option, it counts on
our teachers’ evaluations. Surveys will play a part in the
overall evaluation for our teachers and principals
No longer will teachers be marked as either meeting
or not meeting competencies. Instead they will fall into
one of five categories based off a 200 point system. This
system is composed of three major areas: 1) Student
Achievement –which once fully implemented will count
as 50% (100 points) of the overall evaluation score of a
teacher; 2) Observations – which is 25% (50 points) of
a teachers evaluation; and 3) Multiple Measures –
which is 25% (50 points) of a teachers’ evaluation.
Teachers will have an overall rating of Ineffective,
Minimally Effective, Effective, Highly Effective and
Exemplary. Though the survey totals will impact the
overall effectiveness ratings very minimally, the feedback itself can be very useful if the surveys prove to be
beneficial in informing teachers about their instructional
practices. These surveys will be computer based surveys
and, after this first year of implementation, 95% of the
students’ parents will have to complete the survey in
order for the teacher to get points from the outcome of
the survey. The survey will have a rating scale from 1-5,
with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest and
there will be a scale developed that will award points
according to the overall outcome that will be reported on
the teachers’ summative scoring sheet to help determine
their overall rating.
Parent Surveys
We all know that students below grade three cannot be
asked to fill out a survey on their teacher, so parents will
be asked to fill out a survey on their child’s teacher.
Most parents are very involved with their child’s education at the early grades, so this input can prove to be
very fair and more importantly can provide some meaningful feedback. Here is what parents in grades K – 3
will be asked to rate on their child’s teacher as part of
their overall evaluation: 1) My child's teacher expects
my child to do his/her best; 2) My child's teacher checks
that my child understands the work; 3) My child's
teacher can tell me about my child's strengths and weaknesses; 4) My child's teacher includes me in helping to
improve my child's reading and math skills; 5) My
child's teacher provides clear instructions for homework;
6) My child's teacher answers my questions; 7) My
Aztec Commission meetings
The City of Aztec is a Commission-Manager form of
government and serves as the County Seat for San Juan
County. Commission meetings are held the second and
fourth Tuesday of every month, beginning at 6:00 pm.
Periodically a workshop precedes a meeting and may
begin sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. The meetings are held at City Hall in the city municipal complex
on 201 West Chaco, Aztec.
A final agenda is posted 24 hours prior to the meeting.
Copies may be obtained from City Hall, 201 W. Chaco,
Aztec 87410. Those needing auxiliary aid or service
may contact the City Clerk’s office, 334-7600, prior to
the meeting. www.aztecnm.gov/commission.
Current Aztec Commissioners:
District #1: Roberta S. Locke rlocke@aztecnm.gov
District #2: Sally Burbridge (Mayor)
sburbridge@aztecnm.gov
District #3: Sherri Sipe (Mayor Pro-Tem)
ssipe@aztecnm.gov
District #4: Katee McClure kmcclure@aztecnm.gov
(505) 330-4616
District #5: Sheri L. Rogers srogers@aztecnm.gov
All Commissioner correspondence can be mailed to:
City of Aztec, 201 W Chaco St.
Aztec, NM 87410, Attn: Commissioner "Name"
child's teacher provides regular
feedback about my child's learning; 8) My child's teacher provides
regular feedback about my child's
behavior; 9) My child's teacher
notices when something is bothering my child; 10) My child's teacher invites me to the
classroom.
Student Surveys
There has been plenty of research that supports having
input from students on the effectiveness of their teacher.
The important part of this aspect is the quality of the
questions. For the first time in our district students will
have not only feedback on the evaluation of their
teacher, but it will also count as well. These surveys will
be computer based surveys, so students will be able to
take this at home, or at school. They will be able to take
them only one time on each teacher but must take them
on all teachers. After this year, since this year is a baseline year, a teacher must have 95% of the students take
the survey for the results to count. The questions will be
written at the appropriate grade level and will consist of
the following and will be rated in a similar fashion as
described above: 1) I know what I should be working on
in class; 2) My teacher introduces a new topic by connecting to things I already know; 3) My teacher checks
to see if I understand; 4) My teacher wants me to
explain my answers; 5) My teacher knows when I
understand, and when I do not; 6) My teacher explains
things in different ways so I can understand; 7) My
teacher wants me to try to correct my mistakes; 8) My
teacher takes the time to summarize what I learn each
day; 9) My teacher expects me to do my best; 10) My
teacher notices when something is bothering me.
As we get through this baseline year of evaluations, it
will be interesting to see what the data shows.
Arts are alive in
San Juan County!
The Connie Gotsch Arts Foundation is celebrating its
first year of supporting the arts in San Juan County, and
the public is invited. At 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 12,
join us for an evening of entertainment at the
Farmington Museum, 3041 Main Street. The evening
will feature live music by the jazz group Delbert
Anderson Trio and the Connie Gotsch Arts Foundation
ensemble, as well as choreography provided by the
Mann Dance Academy. Additional entertainment will be
provided by some of the 2013 recipients of Connie
Gotsch Arts Foundation grants and scholarships. Enjoy
complimentary appetizers; beverages from Wines of the
San Juan will be available for purchase.
This is a great opportunity to meet local artists and
learn more about upcoming foundation-sponsored projects. For more information, call (505) 326-2737, e-mail
CGartsfoundation@yahoo.com, or visit our website at
http://www.cgartsfoundation.com/.
Auction, preview,
and raffle
The Farmington Museum Foundation and the
Farmington Museum invite you to the Annual Navajo
Rug Auction benefit, beginning at 4:00 p.m. on
Saturday, April 5 at the Farmington Museum at
Gateway Park. Enjoy the story of each rug as it is woven
into the excitement of this live auction.
The public can preview nearly 200 rugs of all sizes,
styles, and price ranges on Friday, April 4 from Noon to
5:00 p.m., and Saturday, April 5, from Noon to 4:00
p.m. at the Farmington Museum.
Anyone interested in quality Navajo rugs should
attend one of the auction previews for this exceptional
offering. Take the opportunity to decide which of these
works of art are on your “must have” list before they are
shown at the auction. MTK Auctioneers of Bloomfield,
NM will conduct the sale.
Raffle tickets are on sale now at the Farmington
Museum and from Farmington Museum Foundation
Board members for a rug created in the Two Grey Hills
style by Ester Atcitty and the book “The Master
Weavers” by Mark Winters. The drawing will be held at
the Annual Rug Auction on Saturday, April 5. Only 500
raffle tickets will be sold. Tickets are $10 or three tickets
for $25.
The Farmington Museum Foundation sponsors this
event to support local Native American artists. In addition, proceeds raised by this benefit auction will be used
to support the programs, exhibits, and collections for the
new wing and expansion of the Farmington Museum.
For additional information about the benefit Navajo
Rug Auction, contact the Farmington Museum, 3041 E.
Main St., Farmington, at (505) 599-1174, or the
Farmington Museum Foundation at (505) 599-1173.
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
Need Money?
Aztec Summer Job Openings
The City of Aztec is currently accepting applications for the following positions. A complete job
description may be picked up at Aztec City Hall or
viewed on website: www.aztecnm.gov
FOUR (4) TEMPORARY YOUTH
CONSERVATION CORPS CREW LEADERS
This is a 40-hour per week, Monday through
Thursday, position which will end in August.
$10.50/hr – 1st year Crew Leader
$11.00/hr – 2nd year Crew Leader
$11.50/hr – 3rd year Crew Leader
$12.00/hr – 4th year Crew Leader
• Must be 18-25 years of age and a NM resident.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be
currently unemployed.
TWENTY-THREE (23) TEMPORARY YOUTH
CONSERVATION CORPS MEMBERS
This is a 32-hour per week position for ages 1415, and 36-hr per week position for ages 16+,
Monday through Thursday, which will end in
August.
$8.50hr - 1st year Members
$9.00/hr - 2nd year Members
$9.50/hr - 3rd year Members
$10.00/hr - 4th year Members
• Must be 14-25 years of age and a NM resident.
• If over 16, must have a valid driver’s license
and be currently unemployed.
• If under 16, a work permit is required and must
be currently unemployed.
FIRST REVIEW of applications
will be on April 3, 2014
INTERVIEWS scheduled for the
week of April 14 through 17, 2014
Medical marijuana for
city personnel by Joe Hubbard
Marijuana is now legal in New Mexico for those with
a medical prescription. However, government employees
risk losing their income, along with insurance and retirement benefits, should they use this approved remedy for
a wide variety of maladies. These people must choose
between obeying existing policy in order to preserve
their employment, or risk losing financial security by
defying established rules. In regards to cancer, this could
translate into picking between the possibilities of a slow
painful death or economic ruin.
Some job classifications must never be compromised
due to medical marijuana for safety reasons. For example, construction, equipment operation, and emergency
response require sobriety. However, some jobs can allow
workers the use of medical marijuana without compromising safety in the workplace. Clerks, receptionists,
librarians, and city commissioners are all possibilities as
long as motor vehicle operation is not needed.
Utilizing an Early Return to Work (ERW) policy has
been a proven method of cost reduction for both work
related injuries and temporary disability. In these cases,
valuable employees are retained despite their short-term
health setback. In regards to the unfortunate employees
that contract cancer, these people can be temporarily
reassigned to another job while suffering from
chemotherapy, which will minimize the use of sick
leave. Because the City of Aztec does not have an ERW
policy in effect, a recent litigation case involving the
Public Works Department could have been avoided had
ERW practices been a possibility.
A few years ago an employee with the city suffered
from cancer. Their supervisor at that time kept this individual employed despite his inability to perform his job
at times. When outside contractors took advantage of a
situation as constant observation was not present, it
resulted in additional costs for the citizens because this
firm was not scrutinized. Had ERW been in place, this
man would have been reassigned to a supportive role,
while a competent replacement would have protected the
community from contractor shortcuts. Also, if medical
marijuana had been available, a possibility exists that
this man might be a cancer survivor today instead of
suffering from the effects of the disease and his
treatment.
The possibility of establishing a medical marijuana
exception for City personnel is a topic worthy of discussion and debate. However, the community and the City
Commission must decide on this issue.
NM Freedom of Information Hotline:
1-800-284-6634
http://www.nmfog.org.
PAGE 5
Let the games begin!
The Bonnie Dallas Senior Center invites anyone 50
years of age or older to participate in the 2014 San
Juan County Senior Olympics. The festivities kick off
on Tuesday, April 15 with a Basketball Free Throw, and
conclude Friday, May 16 with the Awards Picnic and
Fun Relays. Pick up a Calendar of Events and application NOW at any San Juan County Senior Center or
online at www.fmtn.org/prca.
This 31st annual event started in 1983, and it is still
going strong. The activities are tailored for mature adults
50+ years of age for active and passive participation of
sports events with other competitors. The focus is exercise and fun to generate the most enjoyable experience
possible.
The series of activities culminate with an awards picnic at Bonnie Dallas Senior Center to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments. Awards will be presented for
first, second, and third place in all events. We hope the
Senior Olympics will encourage participants to meet
new people and promote fitness at the same time. Some
of our seniors even go all the way to the Nationals!
Many thanks to our sponsor BP America Production
Company. Our local coordinator for the Senior Olympics
is Larry Bomberger, Administrator for the Bonnie Dallas
Senior Center. The seniors look forward to participating
in the Olympics under his direction, and many of the
seniors volunteer their time to assist him with the games
as scorekeepers.
Pre-registration is required to participate. Registration
forms are available online at www.fmtn.org/bdsc, the
Bonnie Dallas Senior Center at 109 E. La Plata Street,
or any area senior center. The $7.00 registration fee covers all events entered; the dance contest, awards picnic,
and includes an official 2013 San Juan County Senior
Olympic T-Shirt. Wearing the t-shirt will be your pass to
participate in all the events. FMI, call (505) 599-1380.
Paid for Committee to Elect Gary M. McDaniel Magistrate Judge, John Faverino, Treasurer
Magistrate Judge Division # 1
• Vote "BRENT BYRUM" •
Fair • Equal • Considerate • Concerned
Lucky # "7" on the Ballot
Primary Election ** June 2, 2014
General Election Nov. 4, 2014
If I can answer any of your questions please contact me
Thank you for your time and vote.
Brent Byrum • 505-427-8385
POB 124, Aztec NM 87410
Dear Editor:
Some people fail time and time again to do their
homework, others fail to learn from their mistakes and
others never grow up. It seems to me that Joe Hubbard
may just fall into these categories. I know that I make
mistakes all the time, in fact the plaque presented to me
by the city when I stepped down as a commissioner
says, “that constructive criticism is not only to be
expected but sought, that smears are not only to be
expected but fought,” Margaret Chase Smith. I find no
constructive criticism in Hubbard’s latest article and I
intend to fight his smears.
Commissioners are not involved in personnel issues
except when it comes to the city manager who reports
directly to us. Of course Hubbard would not know that
because once again he did not do his homework. As to
Josh Ray’s “dubious accomplishments” in the headlines
of the Farmington Daily Times, the Daily Times failed to
give the entire story and how we commissioners dealt
with Mr. Ray is the business of the commission and the
commission only. It certainly is not Hubbard’s to judge.
The commission is the legislative branch of the government, as I stated before we do not deal with personnel problems nor do we interfere with the everyday tasks
of the city. But I am interested in what Hubbard is doing
with a Citation and Notification of Penalty from NMED
Occupation Health and Safety Bureau? Can I assume
that Hubbard turned in fellow employees to this Bureau
without going through the entire chain of command in
the city? Commissioners Burbridge, Sipe, and Clover
(now Locke) would have no way of dealing with this
citation. Was Russ Burbridge Hubbard’s boss and did he
talk to him first before running off to the Bureau? Did
he talk to Ken George, acting City Manager, and the
Electric Department Director at that time (at least three
years ago)? And who else did he share “a few of the
condemning documents” with?
Who is the “third party” entity Hubbard so readily
condemned in the Animas fire? Apparently the PRC
Pipeline Safety Bureau choses to not identify this so
called “perpetrator of the “Widow Smith’s” fire on
Animas Street here in Aztec and yet Hubbard assumes
that the City of Aztec is to blame. Was he there, and did
he fight that fire and is he qualified to make such judgments? If not then I suggest that Hubbard refrain from
making such accusations. And once again Hubbard ran
to Commissioner Clover (Locke) who has nothing to do
with this event and was not even a commissioner when
this fire took place approximately five years ago and
who certainly cannot interfere with personnel business
other than that involving the City Manager.
As to communication within City Hall needing to
improve between the City Manager, the City Attorney
and the City Commission, when I was commissioner
there was excellent communication between all of us in
matters in which we had control. If we needed to be
informed of anything by either Mr. Ray or Mr. Thrower,
they did so in a timely manner to all commissioners and
that information is not any that Hubbard would be privy
to as an employee unless all employees were informed.
Of course Hubbard would not know what information
that might be because he has never been a commissioner. Once again Hubbard has not done his homework.
Hubbard seems so intent on bringing up things that
happened years ago and when he was employed by the
City of Aztec. Is it his intent to try and destroy this city
government by dragging up the past and without sufficient proof? If so then I suggest that he provide better
information and do his homework. Maybe his present
employer should be warned that he is possibly going to
do the same to them. It’s time to look to the future for
Aztec and quit dwelling on the past. Hubbard should
find something constructive; he is starting to bore me;
other than that have a nice day.
Diana C. Mesch
PAGE 6
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
A reflection on interning with wolves by-Emily Wieser
It’s January, and my mom and I stepped out of our car.
As we started to walk up the icy road to our destination,
I heard a howl and paused. Moments after the first, a
couple more joined in, and soon enough it seemed like
the entire hillside was vocalizing our arrival at
Wolfwood Refuge. In fact though, the hill wasn’t
singing, it was the wolves that were.
My first visit in January was to meet Paula Watson,
the head honcho of Wolfwood and my mentor-to-be for
the three-week period in March called the Leading
Internship for New Knowledge (LINK) program at
Animas High School. As part of the credits needed to
graduate from AHS, each junior is required to take on an
individual internship, which involves contacting a mentor and pursuing professional career paths they may be
interested in. It all sounds very dry when I explain it, but
in reality it’s an opportunity for students to create a fresh
perspective of their community as well as experience
what they’re eventually going to enter into as “grownups.” Throughout LINK they create a project proposal,
blog daily via their digital portfolio, interview their mentor, and create a project that’s exhibited at the end of the
three weeks.
Since junior high, I had secretly kept the wolf as what
some people would call a “spirit animal,” (although I
still prefer not to call it that). Their agility, strength, and
fierceness had quietly stirred an inspiration inside of me.
Yet, it was something I was shy to speak about. I decided that I wouldn’t express it and therefore keep it as
sacred and personal as possible. When Wolfwood
Refuge became an opportunity for my internship, I
quickly realized it was a way for me to enter into a com-
Studio East Art Gallery
Opening Friday, April 4th • noon - 6 pm
Featuring Native Contemporary Artist
James Joe
308 East Chuska St. • Aztec
505-330-6537 (fmi)
Gallery will remain open Fridays and
Saturdays from noon to 6 pm
munity that respected the wolves and their situation just
as much, if not more than, I did. I had heard horrible
stories of the conflicts between wolves and ranchers up
in Montana, Wyoming, and even New Mexico. This, as
well as the rhetorical hate and misunderstanding that
ultimately (and literally) shoot the creatures down.
Joining Wolfwood would also be a personal way for me
to directly contribute to the wolves’ cause, I decided.
I was also hoping that this would help enable me to
come into contact with my own wild nature as a growing woman, and as a youth who needed direction, the
type of direction that’s different from what teachers or
college counselors will give you. In total, I was hoping
that maybe, just maybe, the wolves could teach me
something about myself. So in reality, this internship
wasn’t about finding a career path or introducing myself
into the professional world. It was simply about the
sanctity of my own soul, and those of the wolves I was
to work with.
My first day came and went. I was nervous as all
newbie interns are. I didn’t get to interact with any of
the wolves until the second day though. I arrived early
in the morning, and soon enough I was paired with an
experienced volunteer. Tuesdays and Saturdays are feeding days, which basically comprise of picking up poop
and feeding the animals. It’s also a time for volunteers to
socialize with the wolves. I met numerous characters,
and probably went into the largest amount of pens per
day I ever had while interning. I got the special Pan and
Echo treatment. A ritual of sorts: Pan, a male wolf-dog,
will vigorously rub his head against yours while Echo,
his sister, licks any and all possible cosmetics off of
your skin. It’s the wolfy head massage and facial! Come
get it today folks!
A routine quickly fell into place. Tuesdays and
Saturdays were feeding days, followed by a wonderful
lunch that Paula home-cooked. Tuesdays also comprised
getting dog food from an off-site location. Thursdays
were when dogs, wolf-dogs, or wolves that had a special
diet or medication were treated and fed. More often than
not, there were also numerous tours, in which I would
be what I call “The Doorman” for people. This involved
opening and closing the gates for people as they went in
and out of the wolf pens. It was fun, and Paula did a
good job of keeping me involved. On the days I wasn’t
at Wolfwood, I would spend time reading my two books
or watching documentaries on wolves.
There were things l learned from Paula that directly
transmitted to how I acted with the wolves. I learned
from her that I shouldn’t be hesitant with them, but
instead confidently aware. The awareness part was
important. As each wolf, wolf dog, and dog is individual
in personality, I needed to watch my behavior as well as
theirs. How they cocked their ears, positioned their tail,
or moved their mouth became direct signals as to how I
should treat them. How I acted also created a mirror to
how they could act. If I was too cautious, they could
Emily Wieser and her Wolfwood friends
sense it, and therefore not approach me. If I got spooked
by them and jumped, they would get spooked by me and
jump as well. This was a dance of sorts: A dance of
respect and awareness on my side, and a dance of
curiosity and responsiveness on theirs.
As I reflect back on my internship now, I realize that
in the beginning I could have never comprehended what
wolves are and how they entwine themselves into our
lives. During one point of my mentor interview with
Paula, I asked her if Wolfwood was a decision she made,
or something that happened organically. Her response
was: “The vision grew, and a part of that I think, is
because the wolves had the intention. I was just sort of
part of their intention.” What she says is something that
I empathize with incredibly. These creatures have just as
much of an individual soul as humans do. They all have
their own stories, their own personalities, and their own
preferences. As a result, they have this power to show us
how to treat them. There are guidelines though: you
have to watch carefully, listen intently, and most of all
be in the present moment. If your thoughts are of yourself or elsewhere, a part of the connection is lost. I didn’t “find myself” in the way I was expecting. Instead I
found a connectedness to the wolves, something that
branched outside of my own desires and needs.
Ultimately, I have discovered - inside of me – an extroverted awareness of life’s intentions that extend past my
own introverted ones.
FMI on Wolfwood: www.wolfwoodrefuge.org.
Contact: 970-946-9606
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 7
WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, PART II
Joey Nyce, Deputy with the Sherrif’s Department
Joey and Tim grew up neighbors, playing together as
children. Joey remembers the day Tim tossed a bottle
rocket at her, knocking her off a fence. "Right," said
Tim, "and I got in trouble for that." ... and then childhood was behind them and they began to make life
choices. Joey moved to Texas, went to college and
earned her bachelors in history with the idea of teaching,
only to find that the economy had plunged and jobs
were scarce. The ads in the paper indicated that her
options were nursing, law enforcement or the military.
Then, modern technology took a hand in Joey’s future.
While on Facebook one day, she ran into her childhood
buddy, Tim, who had by this time five years of law
enforcement under his belt. As they chatted back and
forth, they renewed the bond they had as children and
their adult friendship blossomed. When Joey asked Tim
for advice about her career choices, he strongly advised
her to seriously consider police work - not only were
women needed in the field, but knowing her personality
he thought it would be a good fit.
After much deliberation, Joey entered the Police
Academy, did well, graduated and became a Deputy.
When she told her 12 year old daughter she would be
doing this, her girl loved the idea saying she thought it
was "cool." Joey, however, received quite a different
response from her 18 year old son. "He didn’t speak to
me for three whole days, he was scared, I think," said
Joey.
In time, Joey moved back to the Farmington area. She
and Tim were married and often worked together. I
wanted to know if this brought up any problems and
Tim replied that being married was an asset in police
work - "at the end of the day if there are things you
can’t mentally dispose of, you can compare notes and
bounce things off each other."
"Do you worry about one another?" I asked. "We
don’t think about being worried. We trust in the training
and that we know what we’re doing." Then Joey added,
"You react to a situation and be done with it. There are
days that it gets to you, then you think tomorrow will be
better." Tim added, "We see a lot of trauma, trusting
people can be hard. But when I turn my truck off at
night I know there is a little white dog who wants to be
petted. You either be the person who lets it go or you
leave. You have to have faith and believe in God - so
often there is no ‘why’, no answer to why people do
what they do. Criminals make choices. Our job is compliance - we work towards a better outcome."
I asked Joey how she felt now about her decision to
enter law enforcement. "I love it; it was an excellent
decision. I always knew who I was. I feel my age was a
big advantage as I brought everything I had learned
before - the sum total of my life experiences to this job.
A career change in an older person can be used to an
advantage."
"We need more women in law enforcement. Women
bring so much to this field that men just don’t have."
Joey said. She continued, "recently a professor in an
Investigative Interview Class stated, ‘If you ever have a
chance to have a female as a partner, utilize that. They
will always see something or feel something that men
will overlook.’” It was easy to see how Joey and Tim
Nyce could work so well together.
by Jaqui Jacobs
The Computer
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Since Your Time is Valuable,
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(505) 320-5304
Joey Nyce
Below: Joey & Tim Nyce
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505-334-2539
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Again I noted, the deputy in front of me was a very
attractive woman. One would be a little surprised to find
her with a badge and gun. Her quick smile and rich red
hair did little to reveal the seriousness of her profession.
But she exuded a confidence and ability that left no
doubt as to her capabilities as a woman in law enforcement.
Foster homes needed!
Please stop by any of the Durango Joe's locations and
take a close look at your coffee sleeve!
Durango Joe's and
Citizens Bank have
partnered with
Childhaven to help
find loving foster
families for the children in our community.
If you would like
more information on
how you can provide
a safe, loving home
for a child in need,
please visit our website at www.childhavennm.org or contact Susan Mullin,
(505) 325-5358.
BLUEGRASS JAM
1ST & 3RD SATURDAYS,
1-3PM at HIWAY GRILL
INFO: 326-7571
BHS presents THE MUSIC
MAN April 24-26, 2014
Bloomfield High School will present Meredith
Willson’s Broadway classic, The Music Man, April 24,
25, and 26, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the Bloomfield High
School Auditorium.
The Music Man is a community effort, involving students from several schools in the district and adults from
the community, including Dr. Christian Anderson of
Sundance Dental Care of Bloomfield and Alan Wolfard,
youth pastor at Bloomfield Assembly of God Church.
The choreography is by Sean Keil of Renaissance
Movement.
Audiences will love classic love songs like
“Goodnight My Someone” and upbeat dance numbers
like “Seventy-six Trombones” and “Shipoopi.” With a
men’s barbershop quartet and the “Pick-a-little” ladies in
the cast, this is a fun-filled salute to small-town Iowa in
1912.
Tickets are available online at www.BHSTheatre.org or
call 505-632-3415. Tickets are also available at the door
for all performances. Don’t miss this family classic!
PAGE 8
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
Women in Law Enforcement and the men
who love and support them by Jaqui Jacobs (continued from March 16-31, TALON)
DEPUTY BRIAN JOHNSTON
9th Annual
Barbara
Sanchez
Walk-A-Thon
Saturday, April 12, 2014
PLACE: Mesa Alta Cafeteria
329 N Bergin Lane, Bloomfield
TIME: Registration: 8:00 am
2 mile walk begins at 9:00 am
COST: $20.00 per person
(T-shirt w/registration)
All monies earned will go towards the
“Barbara Sanchez Scholarship” award.
We would like to give out more than one
scholarship for the 2013-14 year.
COME WALK FOR YOUR HEALTH AND
SUPPORT OUR YOUTH!
Questions call (505)632-4317
The two men were pummeling each other and in a
dedicated fist fight when he arrived. Almost immediately they decided he would make a better target and they
both focused their attention on him. Somehow his baton
had been ripped away - his mind was racing as he
sought a solution... Just another day in the life of Deputy
Brian Johnston.
"For me, law enforcement was just a natural progression from the military and the action I had seen in the
Persian Gulf. It was shortly after that I began considering police work for a career." I asked Brian if he viewed
his position as dangerous. "Maybe when I was younger,
now that I’m older I’m better prepared to anticipate in
situations."
Brian is married to Detective Connie Johnston. When
I asked him if he thought marriage was conducive to his
career, he replied, "I think it makes it easier being married to someone in law enforcement. As your partner
they know and understand what you are experiencing,
what you need. When queried if he worried excessively
about his wife, "I think when I was younger I worried
more, now I have a different and calmer concern. While
on the job there is a void of personal attachment and my
wife is like any other fellow officer. When emotions
become part of it, that’s where things go wrong. You
need to have your life in order and don't forget your
family.”
Right now their work with the Sherrif’s office consumes much of their time, but they both hope the day
will come when their family increases and their dream
of being foster or adoptive parents can come true. "We
want to be 90 years old with our kids just graduating.
We look forward to the days of using our own strategies
and techniques," said Brian. "We need more young people in law enforcement, but they need to stay in school
and get a good education and/or go into the military
first." As to future goals, "With age I look at things differently. In a few years I will look at the existing community and also at what opportunities present themselves. Currently we offer concealed carry classes and
our group brings a lot of experience and training to this
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Balancing by Kay Murray
“Here comes Peter Cottontail hoppin’
down the bunny trail, hippity hoppin’,
Easter’s on its way” . . . . Gene Autry’s
rendition of this perky Easter song was so
popular that one could almost believe he
had dreamed up the Easter bunny concept
himself. In 1950 when composers Steve
Nelson and Jack Rolllins asked Autry to record
their song, they could not have foreseen how
high it would HOP on the charts: No. 3 in U.
S. Billboard Hot Country Singles and No. 5 on
the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Peter Cottontail is an American rabbit with a
short fluffy tail that is white underneath. Autry,
Nelson and Rollins made him the royal prince
of spring retail merchandising of marshmallow
bunnies, candy eggs, pastel toys, and artificial grass.
Long before Peter rose to sugary fame,
rabbit and hare fantasy characters had been
depicted as bringing Easter eggs to children in Germany. Originating among
German Lutherans, the Easter Hare played
the role of a judge deciding whether children had been good or disobedient at the
start of Eastertide.
According to legend
first mentioned in
1682, the animal carried colored eggs,
candy and sometimes
toys in his basket to
the homes of children
on the night before
Easter.
Eggs, like rabbits and hares, are fertility
symbols of antiquity. Since birds lay eggs
and rabbits and hares give birth to large litters in the early spring, these became symbols of the rising fertility of the earth at the
March Equinox.
Although of the same family, rabbits are
much smaller than most hares. Burrowing
creatures, they are characterized by soft
fur, long ears, a stubby tail, and birthing
naked young. Hares are described as swift
mammals with large ears, a cleft upper lip,
a short tail and long, powerful hind legs.
Larger than rabbits, they do not burrow and
their young are born furry and active.
Rabbits and hares are both prolific
Deputy Brian Johnston
effort. We are a huge proponent of the Second
Amendment," added Brian.
As I sat talking to Deputy Johnston, I was taken by
not only his firm commitment to his career, but to his
spiritual beliefs as well. I thought how lucky our community is to have the protection of an officer whose
partner is God. Brian concluded, "He’s my backup. I
rely on my faith in almost any situation and I remember
where I came from. These beliefs are what keep me
grounded."
breeders.
The idea of an egg-laying bunny came to the
U.S. in the 18th century.
German immigrants in the
Pennsylvania Dutch area
said that only good children would receive gifts
of colored eggs in the
nests that they made in
their caps and bonnets. In
1835, Jakob Grimm wrote
of long-standing similar
myths in Germany.
Further back in time, not everyone was so enamored
with hares. In the sixth century, a real or legendary
Greek author of fables named Aesop wrote a simple
short story “The Hare and the Tortoise.” This account of
a race between unequal partners has attracted conflicting
interpretations. The story concerns a bullying hare who
ridicules a slow-moving tortoise, a turtle who lives on
land, and challenges the tortoise to a race. The hare soon
leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning,
takes a nap midway through the course. When the hare
awakes however, he finds that his competitor, plodding
slowly but steadily, has finished before him. The moral
of Aesop’s fable is “Plodding wins the race.”
An old Greek source comments that 'many people
have good natural abilities which are ruined
by idleness; on the other hand, sobriety,
zeal and perseverance can prevail over
indolence.
Lord Dunsany brings out another view in
his "The True History of the Tortoise and
the Hare" (1915). There the hare realizes
the stupidity of the challenge and refuses to
proceed any further. The obstinate tortoise continues to
the finishing line and is proclaimed the swiftest by his
backers. But, continues Dunsany, the reason that this
version of the race is not widely known is that very few
of those that witnessed it survived the great forest-fire
that happened shortly after. It came up over the weald
by night with a great wind. The Hare and the Tortoise
and a very few of the beasts saw it far off from a high
bare hill that was at the edge of the trees, and they hurriedly called a meeting to decide what messenger they
should send to warn the beasts in the forest. They sent
the tortoise.
“Hippity hoppity happy Easter Day!” . . . . . . Enjoy!
www.gmwatch.org
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
AZTEC MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS
Common Core State Standards
Math and English Language Arts Shifts for Parents, Students and Educators
Lynn Gabehart, AMS Reading Coach • 3/19/2014
New Mexico and forty-six other states have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
for kindergarten through 12th grade education. There are six shifts in the CCSS that require of us
as parents, students and educators, to shift instructional practices and study habits if we are to
truly prepare students for success in college and careers. This month we are focusing on the
CCSS shifts in math and literacy. If you would like more information about the Common Core
State Standards visit www.achivethecore.org, www.corestandards.org.
Shifts in English, Language Arts, and Reading
Teachers understand that classrooms are places where students access the world—science,
Shift 1:
Increase Reading
of Informational
Text
Shift 2:
Text Complexity
Shift 3:
Academic
Vocabulary
Shift 4:
Text-based
Answers
Shift 5:
Increase Writing
from Sources
social studies, the arts and literature—through both informational and literary texts. In the
elementary grades, at least 50% of what students read is informational. In middle school it
is 55%, and by the end of high school it is 70%. (CCSS Introduction p.5)
Students learn to read for a purpose, understanding that some texts are for entertainment
while others provide us with information.
Parents understand that reading informational texts helps prepare their children to read
college and career level texts and help them practice whenever possible.
Teachers create more time in the curriculum for close, careful reading and provide
appropriate support to make the text accessible to all students.
Students read the central, grade appropriate texts around which instruction is centered.
(see exemplars and sample tasks in Appendix B of the CCSS)
Parents understand that in order for students to prepare for college and careers, they must
continue to increase the level of complexity in the texts they read. (See text complexity
grade-level bands in Appendix A of the CCSS.)
Teachers Focus strategically on vocabulary comprehension, constantly helping students
learn to use newly acquired vocabulary in speaking and writing.
Students constantly build their ability to better understand the language in complex texts.
Parents support student learning and expanding vocabulary through frequent discussions,
literature and other rich experiences.
Teachers ensure classroom experiences stay deeply connected to the text and that students
develop habits for making statements based on evidence from the text. Show the proof!
Students have rich and rigorous conversations which are dependent on reading a central
text. They must be able to show proof of what they say.
Parents have practice conversations with students, in which evidence from a text, video or
other source is referenced. Show the proof!
Teachers use short, focused research projects and writing practice that emphasizes use of
evidence to inform or make an argument based on ideas, events, facts and arguments
presented in the texts they listen to and read.
Students develop college and career readiness skills through assignments that require
them to write for a purpose.
Parents encourage children to practice legible handwriting, journaling and writing for fun
at home. (see examples in Appendix C of the CCSS)
Teachers of all content areas, i ncluding, but not li mited to, math,
sci ence, social studi es, and technology teachers emphasize reading and writing
Shift 6:
Literacy
Instruction in all
Content Areas
in their planning and instruction for teaching the content.
Students learn through reading domain-specific texts in history/social studies, science,
and technical subjects by writing informative/explanatory and argumentative pieces (CCSS
Introduction, p.3)
Parents help their children understand that in life, we must learn to read a wide variety of
texts such as; instruction labels, news, traffic signs, menus, novels, poetry, comics,
informational texts, medical forms, job related material and much more. Each type of text
requires a different type of reading comprehension. When reading a novel or comic strip one
can read for entertainment. When reading a recipe, one must read for direction and
incorporate mathematical knowledge. When reading a label on a medicine bottle, one must
read for accuracy. When reading traffic signs, one must read for information. Constant
practice in real-life situations is priceless.
PAGE 9
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Bubba’s Tax Services
404 Aztec Blvd. NE
(across from Hiway Grill)
FREE E-FILE (WRP)
334-3061
Hot Nails!
by Amy
Find Amy at
Johnny’s
Wild Hare
at 2012 Hutton Rd.
in Farmington
793-6245 Cell
Aztec Cemetery website
Searching for the gravesite of a relative? Doing
genealogical research? Want to make a donation to assist
with the upkeep of a grave? The Aztec Cemetery website is now operational. The site, www.azteccemetery.org,
was built in cooperation with Aztec Media, and enables
visitors to get information on a variety of subjects.
Those visiting the site can learn something of the history, the organization, the rules and regulations, the costs,
and the location of graves. Questions regarding the
cemetery can also be posted. The site is easily accessible
at any time, so check it out.
Shifts in Mathematics
Teachers understand how the CCSS emphasizes concepts prioritized in the standards, time
Shift 1:
Focus
Shift 2:
Coherence
Shift 3:
Procedural
Fluency
Shift 4:
Conceptual
Understanding
Shift 5:
Application
Shift 6:
Balanced
Emphasis
and energy spent in the math classroom is focused on critical concepts in each grade.
Students develop strong foundational knowledge and deep conceptual understanding and area
able to transfer mathematical skills and understanding across concepts and grades. (CCSSM,
2010, p. 3-5; NMAP, 2008, p. 15-20)
Parents understand the importance of the ability to use mathematical skills across grades and
subjects.
Teachers carefully connect learning within and across grades. A strong understanding of
learning progressions helps them monitor a student’s progress and intervene in a timely basis.
Students build new understanding onto foundations built in previous years. Students are
aware of learning progressions to enable them to productively monitor their own progress and
take responsibility for improving their skills.
Parents understand that awareness of learning expectations at their child’s grade level,
monitoring their child’s progress, and supporting their learning at home is a key to student
success.
Teachers help students study math problem solving procedures (algorithms) so they can gain
insights to the structure of mathematics. (e.g., organization, patterns, predictability).
Students are efficient and accurate in performing foundational computations. Students are able
to apply a variety of appropriate procedures to solve problems.
Parents understand that helping their child master basic math procedures will help them
understand more complex concepts later.
Teachers understand the Standards for Mathematical Practice that describe the student
expertise needed to develop a deep understanding of mathematics.
Students know more than isolated facts and methods, they have conceptual understanding,
meaning they know why a mathematical idea is important and how to use it.
Parents understand that deep conceptual understanding, rather than isolated facts and methods,
is necessary for college and career readiness.
Teachers identify opportunities for students to apply math concepts to “real world” situations.
Students are expected to use math and choose appropriate math applications for problem
solving.
Parents understand that the ability to use and apply mathematics is key in life, work, and
decision making.
Teachers create opportunities for students to participate in authentic practice and make use of
skills.
Students both practice and understand mathematics.
Parents understand that it requires practice and energy to understand and use mathematics and
help their children find opportunities to apply math skills to real life situations.
Solution on
page 21
PAGE 10
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
Museum caboose part of railroad history
Get your ads in TALON!
Call 334-1039 or email
aztecnews@sisna.com
to get your stories, ads,
events, etc. in TALON
The railroad caboose on display at Aztec Museum was
built in Chama by Master Cabinetmaker Clifford Palmer
of Chama. The caboose was hauled to Aztec Museum on
a truck.
It is a replica of a caboose that would have been used
by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. The railroad
once operated a narrow gauge railroad connecting
Farmington, Aztec, Durango, Silverton and Alamosa.
From Alamosa there was a connection to Denver.
The train was for freight and passengers. The replica
caboose was built on the frame of an old Denver and
Rio Grande Railroad boxcar.
“It was built out of all new quality wood, prime
tongue and groove,” said railroad artist John Coker of
Bayfield, Colo. (www.rrart.com), who painted the lettering on the caboose. Restoration of the caboose exterior
was completed after Pioneer Village was flooded by
heavy rains in September.
Coker has a 1932 railroad schedule that shows a train
leaving Durango at 1 a.m. and arriving in Farmington at
4 a.m. The tracks stopped at Farmington.
At 5:15 a.m. the train would leave Farmington and
arrive in Durango at 8:30 a.m., in time for passengers to
make the connection to Alamosa and continue on to
Denver.
“Somebody could leave Farmington at 5:15 a.m. and
be in downtown Denver 24 hours later,” Coker said.
Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village plans to reopen in
May, 2014 after flood cleanup and repairs are
completed.
SJC 4H clubs looking for
shooting equipment
Stop by for a hot
fresh cup of coffee.
No fooling.
It's great coffee!
104 W. Aztec Blvd.
Thanks San Juan County - You
have always been a great supporter
of our 4H clubs.
We are in need of your help. Our
shooting sport program is really
growing and is in need of equipment. We are asking for donations
of .22 caliber rifles, bolt action or
10/22, rifle scopes 1 inch tube 6x and up, shotguns 12
and 20 gauge any action, shooting vests, ammo box's,
hard rifle cases, range bags, mats, rifle peep sights,
youth size compound bows, target blocks, bow sights,
arm guards, shooting gloves, any .22 pistol, pellet air
rifles (There are more stipulations on the air rifle, so
please call if you have one).
Donations can be given a receipt of fair market value
for tax deductions and will become property of SJC 4H
Council and never be resold. Help us to continue teaching our youth personal responsibility, safe firearm usage,
ethical development and lifetime recreational skills.
Please call John Korte for pick up arrangements. 505360-1881.
Easter Celebration
“The Door”
Farmington, New Mexico, Sunday, April
20, 2014– Join Cross Roads Community
Church at the Farmington Civic Center for;
Sunrise Service at 7:00 A.M.
Easter Celebration at 10:00 A.M.
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
Senior Safety By Luann Dunlap
Senior citizens are one of our most treasured, valuable
and vulnerable populations.
With advanced age come deteriorating health, compromised mobility and a host of other concerns that can create safety hazards that are not always readily apparent to
the untrained eye.
As part of our continual focus on, and concern for, the
safety of the elderly, we would like to take this opportunity to increase awareness of potential pitfalls and dangers that affect our older population.
If we know what to look for, and remain mindful of
our senior neighbors’ and fellow residents’ needs, we
can do our part to help maintain their safety and prevent
potential accidents and tragedies.
Falls can be especially deadly for the elderly. Loose
rugs and floor coverings that are not flush against the
floor or that slip due to a slick surface underneath can be
hazardous to those with mobility and sight issues. Most
people become less agile with age and many suffer from
poor vision. Others may have suffered from strokes,
which can affect a person’s ability to lift his or her feet
high enough to step over a rug with a loose corner.
Walkers and canes can easily snag on loose floor coverings, as well.
Even the smallest items can cause some of the biggest
problems for our senior population. Keep hallways and
walkways that seniors use free of pebbles, tacks and
paper, all of which can cause a person who is unsteady
on his feet to lose his balance if stepped on.
By age 60, the average person requires 15 times more
lighting than they did when they were 10 years old.
Make sure lighting is adequate in areas frequented by
seniors and in the home. Motion sensor lights outdoors
are especially helpful, as well as under-cabinet lighting
in the kitchen and nightlights throughout the home.
Outdoor safety hazards abound. Call attention to
uneven sidewalks, large cracks and excessive gravel on
paved surfaces that can make it difficult for the elderly
to walk without the fear of tripping.
Help an elderly neighbor keep areas of ingress and
egress free and clear of large branches or excessive
sand. Stooping and bending can be challenging, due to
arthritis and other conditions. Be mindful of those who
may not be able to perform tasks that the rest of us take
for granted.
Spring means unpredictable weather, often ushering in
violent wind and rainstorms that can create lingering
power outages. Help older people secure outdoor furniture that, if loose, can cause damage to the home. Ask if
they have a flashlight and extra food on hand in case of
emergencies.
Anatomy of Gas-pump prices...Part 62
The following notes are from a former Colorado state
representative, Mark Larson, who became executive
director of the Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers
Association. A Durango, Colorado oil and gas attorney
wrote, "[Mark] was one of those increasingly rare elected officials who anyone could talk with, and know that
Mark would honestly listen - on whatever the issue."
"[T]hanks for the segment on gasoline retailers. You
were right on about cents per gallon revenue...seldom
more than a dime. Credit card service charges are now
the second largest expense for retailers...behind labor.
And the 'banksters' keep getting greedier...
"Good segment on 'marker islands'. These ‘boutique
fuels’, as we call them, that are formulated only for a
specific environmental community cause havoc in distribution systems. Denver has one refinery (actually two
rolled into one at Suncor) that accounts for 33% of the
total state market. All the rest comes from pipelines. The
problem with boutique fuels is that every cocktail for-
by Susan Franzheim
OIL & GAS Basics
mula is different to match that regions particular air
quality condition and geography. If Denver goes to an
RFG (Reformulated Gasoline) requirement, we will be
hurting indeed. With 67% coming from the pipeline system, the refineries at that the production end do not have
to make our expensive cocktail and put it in the pipe.
They can send their product to other places that don't
have a boutique blend. Accordingly, we are looking for
other emissions reduction capabilities, like eliminating
the 1# ethanol waiver or utilizing other Reid Vapor
Pressure enhancers to oxygenate the fuel. Many factors
must be considered before going to an RFG for us!
People don't realize that even with that unachievable
RFS2 goals for renewable fuels, etc. that by 2035 we
will still have to depend on 88% petroleum products to
fuel our country’s energy needs. While renewables may
be a component of a long term energy policy (which we
still do not have), renewables will only play a minor
role. And we haven't even discussed the 180 degree turn
on ethanol by some environmental groups, have we?"
PAGE 11
If you see an elderly neighbor raking leaves or pulling
weeds, offer to help. Older folks want to retain their
independence and often stubbornly attempt to do tasks at
the same pace and in the same way they did when they
were younger, even though their health may be compromised. Seniors with health issues can over heat or easily
injure themselves when performing manual labor. Offer
to lend a hand or arrange to find volunteers to lighten
the load.
The elderly are, by and large, creatures of habit and
find comfort and safety in routine. If you notice that an
elderly neighbor suddenly stops picking up his paper at
the same time every morning or fails to head out the
door for several days for her morning stroll, pay them a
visit or give them a call. A few minutes of your time and
attention could mean a life saved.
Senior citizens are a precious resource to our families,
our community and our nation, and must be protected
accordingly. Do your part to ensure their safety by
becoming aware of their needs and the environment
around them.
Aztec Urgent Care
opens Occupational
Medicine Clinic
Aztec Urgent Care has opened Four Corners
Occupational Medicine offering start-to-finish comprehensive treatment of work-related injuries as well as
other services including drug & alcohol testing and
physicals. Walk-in treatment is available for acute
injuries with scheduled appointments available. It is
open 8AM to 6PM, 7 days a week and is located at
Aztec Urgent Care’s 604 S. Rio Grande Avenue location,
across from the post office.
Aztec Urgent Care is a walk-in medical center that
treats patients for a wide variety of non-life threatening
illnesses and injuries.
Aztec Urgent Care and Four Corners Occupational
Medicine are owned by Suzanne Cartier Bowker, Jack
Cartier and Paula Dunne. Bryan Vincent is the practice
administrator.
More information is available online at aztecurgentcare.com or by calling 505.334.7759.
NM Animal Cruelty
Taskforce Hotline:
888-260-2178
Obituaries
PAGE 12
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
Miller
Former Durango resident, Florence
Miller, 97, died Wednesday, March 19,
2014, at the Good Samaritan Nursing
Home in Aztec. She was born to James
and Mabel Cheshire on Dec. 10, 1916,
in Ferron, Utah, the youngest of five
children.
Florence went to schools in Ferron and Park City,
Utah before the family moved to Montrose, Colorado
where she graduated from the 8th grade.
Florence met Oliver Miller in 1934 in Montrose. They
traveled to Nucla where they were married. Florence and
Oliver had three daughters and one son. The oldest
daughter, Norma, was killed by a speeding automobile
in 1942.
Oliver worked in ranching and mining in areas of
Southwest CO. In 1952 the family relocated to Durango.
Oliver worked for the Vanadium Corp. Florence was a
homemaker and enjoyed gardening and canning fruit
and vegetables each year. Oliver’s health worsened each
year and Florence went to work for the Durango Herald
print shop in the late 1950’s until 1967. Oliver died from
a heart attack in 1964. Florence continued working for
the Durango Herald until she moved to California in
1967.
In Modesto, CA, Florence worked in the housekeeping department for City Hospital, as a teacher’s aide in
an elementary school and as a health caretaker for two
separate families before she retired. She enjoyed reading, crocheting afghans and making other stitchery
items.
Florence is survived by her daughters, Mary
Richardson, Bonnie (George) Russell; son, Jim (Nancy)
Miller; six grandsons, 13 great-grandchildren and three
great-great-grandchildren.
Interment was March 28th at Crestview Memorial
Gardens Cemetery, east of Durango.
A memorial service was held March 28th at Bethel
Baptist Church, Aztec. Pastor Bob Schlauger officiated.
Florence loved reading God’s word so, in lieu of flowers, please make donation to The Gideons International,
PO Box 140800, Nashville, TN.
Florence’s care was entrusted to Cope Memorial
Chapel of Aztec. Those who wish to express their condolences may do so at www.serenityandcompany.com.
Sewer sludge for your garden? by Mary Girardi
It's true! At one time you could get sewerage sludge
from the sewer treatment plants as fertilizer for your
garden or field. However, per a Farmington Sewerage
Plant employee, due to dangerous chemical contamination of the ground water table, both the Federal EPA
and the New Mexico State Environment Department
have adopted regulations that have made the liability
for its use prohibitive. Yet, the very same state department is telling us that a sewerage lagoon located near
domestic water intakes will only pose a problem for
pollution of our water if the sewerage lagoon is
breached or leaks. With a water table at only three to
five feet deep, no matter how the sewerage becomes a
contaminate, it will be in the water table. Any potential source of pollution should not be allowed close to
domestic water sources.
Hopefully, you, the readers, are not tired of hearing about the proposed "Poo Lagoon" for Payne RV Park north of
Aztec. In an email to Representative Bandy, the NM Environment Department (NMED) stated that due to continued
input from concerned citizens, they will hold a public hearing.
The hearing date is April 23, 2014, at 9:00AM in the County Commission Room.
It is time for the public to get their questions and statements ready for the NMED. Here is a sampling of questions
that come to mind:
1. Can the NMED actually enforce any of the regulations without a court order? What time frame would this
involve?
To submit an obituary for a person in the Aztec,
2. How long after a leak is detected will it be before corrective action is taken if the owner does not fix the
Bloomfield, Flora Vista, Cedar Hill area, email to
problem?
aztecnews@sisna.com, mail to POB 275, Aztec,
3. At the information meeting, NMED stated that it would take a tornado to damage the sewerage lagoon. Can the
sewerage lagoon withstand a four foot wall of water when it comes down the canyon and across the highway? Can it
or drop in dropbox at Zip & Ship in Aztec.
withstand a large sized boulder washed down on it?
There is no cost.
4. How can one monitoring well actually monitor the ground water contamination
when the ground water is at 3 to 5 foot throughout the property? Why is the monitoring well purged three times before a sample is taken?
5. Looking at the purposed park layout above, doesn't this appear to be highly
concentrated spacing for the area? Neither Colorado nor New Mexico Environment
Departments allow sewerage lagoons for 2000 gallons or less for sewerage treatment. If the park was not slated for this many spaces, how would the sewerage have
been handled? If the Payne RV Park stops their expansion after phase one with only
24 RV spaces, will we and the NMED have been hoodwinked? At a discharge rate
of 50 gallons a day, 24 RV's would only have a 1,200 gallons a day output. Well
below the allowed discharge rate for a sewerage lagoon.
6. Why was the property in question removed from the floodplain? The new location of the sewerage lagoon is now out of the floodplain. A rose by any other name
is still a rose and a floodplain is still a floodplain. Just try to tell Mother Nature that
it isn't in the floodplain.
7. Since the Payne RV Park is under an LLC, if there is a sewerage lagoon
breach or leak and the clean up cost is prohibitive, who will pay for it if the Payne's
decide the property is not worth the cost and walk away?
7KH$]WHF0XVHXP$VVRFLDWLRQ%RDUGRI'LUHFWRUV QHHGV
8. At the information meeting, NMED told us that the Paynes want to be good
\RXUKHOSLQUHVWRULQJ3LRQHHU9LOODJHíWKHUHSOLFDIURQWLHU
neighbors. Do good neighbors devalue the surrounding property? Do good neighWRZQ RQ WKH PXVHXP JURXQGV í DQG KLVWRULF RXWGRRU
bors put in a sewerage lagoon that by NMED's own admission will stink and is
RLO DQG QDWXUDO JDV GULOOLQJ H[KLELWV GDPDJHG E\ VHYHUH
practically in the front yard of the home next door? Do good neighbors use a sewerage system that could pollute water sources when there is a safer way?
ÀRRGLQJGXULQJKHDY\UDLQVRQ6HSWHPEHUWKDQGWK
9. Why is it that a lined pit for a gas well's water is not allowed by NMED close
to a water source, but a sewerage lagoon is ok?
10. Will our elected officials allow this potential disaster to become a taxpayer's
:RUNLVXQGHUZD\WRUHPRYHWRQVRIVLOWVDQGDQGPXG
burden, as has historically been the norm?
WKDWZDVKHGRQWRWKHPXVHXPJURXQGV)LQDO UHVWRUDWLRQ
We are at a crossroad. It is time to close the barn door before the horse gets out,
rather than waiting for another mess for the county and state to clean up at taxpaySODQVKDYHEHHQDSSURYHGE\WKH%RDUGRI'LUHFWRUVDWD
er's expense.
FRVWRIIRUODERUDQGPDWHULDOV
There are pages of questions that haven't been asked and more that haven't even
been
thought of yet. There are folks out there that have personal memories of this
2XWGRRUZDONZD\VZDVKHGDZD\E\WKHÀRRGVDUHEHLQJ
property being flooded. We urge you to read the permit application, list your quesUHSODFHG DV LV YHJHWDWLRQ DQG ODQGVFDSLQJ WKDW ZDV
tions, come to the hearing and voice your concerns and questions. A good turn out
GHVWUR\HG 3ODQV FDOO IRU OLJKWLQJ VHDWLQJ DQG VLJQDJH
for this hearing will convince the NMED that we are very concerned about our
water quality safety.
UHSODFHPHQWUHTXLUHGIRUYLVLWRUVHUYLFHVDQGVDIHW\
This is NOT an Aztec area only problem. This is a STATE problem. Please do not
let living in Farmington, Bloomfield, Kirtland, Shiprock or any where else in the
'21$7( 72'$< DW DQ\ &LWL]HQV %DQN WR WKH 3LRQHHU
state keep you from helping us to protect our water sources from pollution. More
9LOODJH)ORRG)XQGRURQOLQHDWZZZD]WHFPXVHXPRUJ
chlorine is not the answer.
We have available a DVD with clips of the flash flood last year, personal inter$]WHF0XVHXP$VVRFLDWLRQ%RDUGRI'LUHFWRUV
views with previous property owners, and clips from the NMED information meet'DOH$QGHUVRQ
9HUQ+HQVOHU
-LPP\0LOOHU3K'
ing. If you would like a DVD, please call 334-3120 and we will be happy to get one
to you. Public showing of the DVD will be at the Aztec Library on Saturday,
-RKQ$XVWLQ
'DOH+RXVWRQ
+DUW3LHUFH
April 5, 2:00 PM and again on Tuesday, April 8 at 6 PM. Hope to see you
-DFRE&KDYH]
0LFKHOOH/LQGVD\
9LFN\5DPDNND(G'
there.
7RP'XJDQ
.HYLQ/RPEDUG3K'
-DFN6FRWW
Please remember April 23, 2014. The NMED needs to hear from YOU!
%U\DQ+HJDUW\
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THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 13
Quick Lube
Fast Service
Kids Talk Book Review
Title: Dork Diaries: Tales From A-Not-SoFabulous Life
Author: Rachel Renee Russell
Genre: Humor
Copyright date: 2009
Other books by the author:
Tales from a not-so-popular party girl book 2
Tales from a not-so-talented pop star book 3
How to dork your diary book 3 ?
Tales from a not-so-graceful ice princess book 4
Tales from a not-so-smart Miss Know-It-All book 5
Tales from a not-so-happy heartbreaker book 6
The main character is Niki J. Maxwell. She is in 6th
grade and she loves to draw. She got a scholarship to a
middle school in a rich area of town. She is smart and
she calls herself a dork. She really wants to be popular
so she asks her mother to buy her an iPhone before she
starts going to her new school. Instead her mom buys
her a diary. She writes and draws in her diary every day.
It is hard for her to make friends because she is so dorky
but finally she becomes friends with two girls named
Chloe and Zoey who are also dorks.
One day a boy named Brandon sees her drawings in
her diary and tells her how good they are. He tells her
she should draw tattoos on kids. She has a huge crush on
Brandon, so she does what he says. Kids start to like her
more because of her tattoos.
There is one person Niki does not like. Her name is
Mackenzie and she is the most popular girl in school.
Mackenzie always looks great and never does anything
stupid while Niki continues to be humiliated by her own
dorky acts, like falling down in the lunchroom and getting food all over her.
There is an art contest where the winner will win
$500.00, so Niki wants to enter the contest so she can
win the money and finally get an iPhone. She finds out
that Mackenzie already entered the contest. Niki brings a
By Mya Pina, 5th grade at Park Ave.
Eco friendly - drop off your
used oil to be recycled
1549 W. Aztec Blvd. • 334-5575
Stop by and see our newly remodeled facility
Mya Pina, Park Ave.
If you've lost (or found) an animal in
San Juan County, contact ...
San Juan Animal League 325-3366
Farmington Animal Shelter 599-1098
Aztec Animal Shelter/Control 334-6819
Animal Friends Humane Assoc. 334-2087
Four Corners Humane Society 564-8519
painting to enter, but when she gets out of her father’s
truck she drops it and he runs over it. Now she has nothing to enter into the contest.
Does Mackenzie win the contest?
You will be shocked by how this book ends!
I liked this book because it made me
laugh and when I am having a bad day I
just have to read some of this book and
it makes me smile. I will be going to
Koogler next year so I know what to
Get A GREAT DISC OUNT ON YOUR CAR INSURANCE*
look out for.
Brent Byrum runs for Magistrate
Judge Division # 1
Division #1 takes in a large portion of San Juan
County. This area includes all of Aztec as well as
Flora Vista, north to the state line, and east to the
Navajo lake area. At this time I am running for
the position of Magistrate Judge, Division #1. I
have lived in the Aztec area for approximately
thirty years. I have owned a rental business, been
in law enforcement for over 20 years (Aztec
Police Dept. for 12 years). I have been the Under
Sheriff of a mid-eastern New Mexico county and
worked my way to sargeant in two departments.
For the last seven years I have worked locally in Brent & Twila Byrum
the oil and gas industry. My wife Twila and I currently operate a small auction and equipment business. I believe that my law
enforcement career gives me an appreciation of the court system and my
work away from law enforcement gives me a view from the people's side.
I would appreciate your consideration and vote in the primary, June 2, and
general election, November 4, 2014. If I can answer any of your questions,
please contact me. Thank you for your time and vote. Remember Lucky # "7"
on the Ballot!
Brent Byrum, POB 124, Aztec NM 87410, 505-427-8385
San Juan College welcomes
Gavin Bondy to Jazz Festival
The San Juan College Big Band and the San Juan College Super
Combo will be backing up Gavin Bondy to highlight the 15th Annual
Jazz Festival, on Friday, April 4 at 7 p.m., in the Henderson Fine Arts
Center Performance Hall at San Juan College.
Bondy is currently the trumpeter of the Pink Martinis, a 15-member
“mini orchestra” whose six albums have gained international acclaim
and awards. The Pink Martinis have appeared on soundtracks for movies
such as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, featuring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and
television shows including The West Wing and The Sopranos.
Bondy began studying trumpet in Portland, Oregon, at the age of nine
and piano at 12. He has a hand-written music catalog that features some
of the greatest music of the twentieth century. including 27 full-band
transcriptions of the early Louis Armstrong performances.
Bondy has studied under Diane Schuur, Al Andalus and Al Green and
has performed with The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The New York
Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic and The Cleveland Orchestra.
The ensembles will be under the direction of Dr. Keith Cochrane. This
is the 15th Jazz Festival under Dr. Cochrane’s direction and will be his
final, as he will be moving on to new adventures at the end of the summer. Don’t miss a great night of jazz and homage to Dr. Cochrane’s 21
years of dedication to San Juan College.
Tickets for the Jazz Festival are $12 for adults and $10 for students
and seniors. For more information, call the San Juan College Box Office
at 505-566-3430.
For more info about the City of Aztec
websurf to www.aztecnm.gov.
AZTEC
ANIMAL
SHELTER
825 E. SABENA
AZTEC, NM
87410
505-334-6819
Noon - 4:00 pm Seven days a week
This is a four hours classroom course for age 55 plus
AARP membership not required to take the course
*Upon completion you may be eligible to receive
an auto insurance discount for three years.
Ask your agent for details. Plus there is no test to pass!
Fee $15 for AARP members $20 for non-members
CURRENT CLASSR O OM S CHEDULE
Bonnie Dallas Senior Center, April 11, 2014- 8am
Aztec Public Library, April 12, 2014- 9am
Upper Fruitland Senior Center, April 28, 2014 -10am
To Register: call 505-947-6795
PAGE 14
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
Bloomfield Senior Citizens’ Center happenings
124 West Ash, Bloomfield • 505-632-8351
Lunch served Monday-Friday, Noon-1:00pm.
April Menu:
Apr. 1
Shepherd’s Pie
Apr. 2
Navajo Taco
Apr. 3
Pork & Beans
Apr. 4
Chicken Salad
Apr. 7
Baked Chicken Breast
Apr. 8
Beef Stew
T
There's
here's N
Noo P
Place
lace LLike
ike H
Home
ome
505-325-8231 800-687-3929
AZTEC ANIMAL SHELTER
825 E. Sabena Street • Aztec
505-334-6819
Noon - 4:00 pm • Seven days a week
Lost a pet?
Looking to Adopt?
Come see us!
Who is Northwest New
Mexico Seniors, Inc.?
Northwest New Mexico Seniors, Inc. is a private nonprofit organization and has been incorporated since
1991. For nearly 20 years, Northwest Seniors has been
providing services to seniors in San Juan County.
7 programs are managed by Northwest Seniors:
Congregate Meal Program
Home Delivered Meal Program
Transportation Program
Homemaker Program
Respite Program
Senior Employment Program
Senior Companion Program
Northwest New Mexico Seniors, Inc. operations are
guided by the Older Americans Act and the Non-Metro
Area Agency on Aging.
There are 5 seniors centers under the auspice of
Northwest Seniors that provide direct services with
meals and transportation in San Juan County: Aztec
Senior Community Center, Blanco Senior Center,
Bloomfield Senior Center, Bonnie Dallas (Farmington)
Senior Center, and Lower Valley Senior Center.
The Aztec Senior Community Center is open Monday
thru Thursday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and 8:00 am to 2:00
pm on Fridays. We serve lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 daily.
We also provide a variety of activities and offer volunteer opportunities. Please call us at 505 334 2881 or
come pick up an activity calendar. You can also find
information on our website: www.aztecnm.gov
Harleys one-liners...
Did you ever notice: When you put the two
words “The” and “IRS” together, it spells
“Theirs...”
Apr. 9
Apr. 10
Apr. 11
Apr. 14
Apr. 15
Sloppy Joe
Ham Salad
Frito Pie
Meatloaf
Chicken Fajitas
All mea
ls are
tasty, h
ealt
and dia hy,
betic
friendl
y.
Friday Knitting Group meets every Friday morning at the Bloomfield Senior Center from 9:30am-11:30am.
Whether you are an experienced knitter or just a beginner, come by the center and spend 2 hours with us on your
project. Those wanting to learn are welcome and this group is open to the public of any age! Other types of handwork such as crochet and embroidery are welcome as well.
Spring is in the air! We are getting restless to take some trips even if they are close by. Come by the senior center
or give us a call to see what trips we are planning for spring and summer. 632-8351
Senior Center Community Garden is getting prepared for planting. Come by the center or call us and see what
you can do to help. You need not be a senior citizen to help out in the garden. 632-8351
Monthly Movie! The senior center hosts a monthly movie the last Friday of the month. Give us a call and find out
what the April movie will be. Movie begins at 1:00PM and we provide free popcorn!
Medicare can help you find the
regional public affairs officer
right health care providers Byfor Bobthe U.S.Moos/Southwest
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
How many times do we rely on the Internet to answer
life’s little questions, such as which movies to see or
where to go for dinner? So, why not use it to help settle
some of the bigger questions, like which nursing homes,
hospitals and doctors to turn to for our care?
Four in five Internet users already search the web for
information about diseases or medical problems. Taking
that one step further and using the Internet to compare
health care providers seems perfectly reasonable, as long
as you can trust the websites you’re visiting.
Medicare’s “Compare” website fills the bill. It’s a
good place to begin your research when looking for a
nursing home, hospital, home health agency, dialysis
facility or physician.
Nursing Home Compare (medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare) gives you detailed information on 17,000
nursing homes nationwide. You can find out about a
facility’s recent health and safety inspections, its staffing
levels and how well it prevents problems like urinary
tract infections and pressure ulcers. The website uses a
star-rating system to point out the differences in quality
between nursing homes. The best homes score five stars;
the worst receive one.
Hospital Compare (medicare.gov/hospitalcompare)
puts 4,700 hospitals under the magnifying glass, allowing you to see how facilities fare on many indicators of
quality care. You can learn, for example, how often
patients who were admitted to a particular hospital
because of heart attacks return within a month of discharge. An unusually low, or high, percentage could say
something about how well, or poorly, the hospital treated the problem during the first stay.
In an emergency, you need to go to the nearest hospital. But when you do have time, it’s worth discussing
with your doctor which hospital best meets your needs.
If you’re considering one facility, you may want to
know what recent patients thought of their care. Hospital
Bucket List
The other day I got to thinking about
how many of my aging friends are talking about their personal “bucket list.”
Because I don’t have, nor want, a bucket list, I sat down the other night to ponder about my lack of desire for such a
list. It didn’t take long until the answer squirmed its way
up to the surface and I recalled clearly why it will never
be on my agenda. When we were little children our family was so poor that the old folks would say “we didn’t
have a pot (or bucket) nor a window to throw it out of.”
In the mid forties we began to gather enough money so
that we moved into a house with a flush toilet. Some
time after I joined the military and was home on leave, I
found a familiar bucket hanging in the shed and decided
to see if it could be salvaged since we were thrifty in
those days. I took the bucket with me and walked down
to the river where I washed it out and scoured it with
sand. It really wasn’t in bad shape, but as I sat there the
words of a song echoed in my head:
Yea! my bucket’s got a hole in it
Yea! my bucket’s got a hole in it
Yea! my bucket’s got a hole in it
I can’t buy no beer
This bucket didn’t have a hole in it, but the thought of
it being full of beer did not please me, so with no regard
for recycling, I tossed that container into the muddy
river and walked away. When I got to town I stopped at
a hardware store and bought a new bucket that looked
pretty much like the old one and whistled all the way
home, where I surprised our Mom with a shiny new
bucket.
Bruce L Salisbury, © 24 March 2014
Compare measures customer satisfaction by using survey responses from patients. You can find out, for
instance, how well a hospital’s patients thought the doctors and nurses keep them informed or managed their
pain.
Home Health Compare (medicare.gov/homehealthcompare) lets you locate home health care agencies in
your area and check on the types of services they offer
and the quality of their care. Your doctor, hospital discharge planner or social worker can make some recommendations. But the statistics on Home Health Compare
will help you follow up and confirm how well an
agency’s patients recover from illnesses or injuries and
resume their everyday activities.
Dialysis Facility Compare (medicare.gov/dialysisfacilitycompare) describes all Medicare-certified dialysis
facilities. Convenience is important, so look at facilities
near your home. Pay close attention to the quality-ofcare measures. Some facilities will have higher ratings
because of the type of patients they serve. Make sure
you understand what the numbers mean before you
make a decision. Ask the dialysis facilities about their
quality rating when you visit. And talk to your physician.
Physician Compare (medicare.gov/physiciancompare) allows you to search for doctors who provide
Medicare-covered services. You can find basic information about individuals and group practices, such as their
business addresses, medical specialties, clinical training
and hospital affiliations. You can also check how well
certain group practices perform specific tasks, like controlling blood sugar in patients with diabetes. More performance data on doctors will be posted over time.
As helpful as the “Compare” website is, it isn’t meant
to be the final word on a nursing home or a hospital or a
physician’s quality of care. It’s simply a screening tool
that lets you focus on a few providers that interest you,
so that you can make an informed decision about your
care.
Prayer to the
Virgin Mary
(never known to fail)
Oh most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful
vine, Splender of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the
Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my
necessity. Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show
me here you are my Mother. Oh Holy Mary,
Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I
humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart
to succour me in my necessity. Make request.
There are none who can withstand your power. Oh
Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have
recourse to Thee. Three times say this prayer for
three consecutive days and then you must publish
it and it will be granted to you.
The Red Cross in Northwestern
New Mexico needs you!
Join a growing team of volunteers
making a difference in your community.
Apply online…Go to www.redcrossnewmexico.org. Click on the word "Volunteer." Find the
applications for adults and youth at the center of the
page and complete the one for you. Be sure to follow all
the instructions for registering with Volunteer
Connection. This will connect you with Red Cross volunteers across the State. We'll be looking for you!
Living Local in
San Juan County
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 15
Elisa Bird - Resource Specialist
director@sustainablesanjuan.com
716-3915
Becoming Resource Managers
April is my favorite time to write on sustainable living
because it is the month Earth Day is celebrated, now
observing its 45th year. It gives us an opportunity to
reflect on our relationship with Mother Earth. A recent
book has come out to question just how healthy is that
relationship, “The Sixth Extinction; an Unnatural
History” by Elizabeth Kolbert.
Scientists have identified five great mass extinctions
during the history of our planet, resulting in the profound loss of biodiversity. Korbert reports some scientists now are asking if we are in the midst of a sixth
mass extinction with species die-off accelerating at an
unprecented rate. These extinctions are brought about by
the activities of humans, with Kobert equating humans’
impact on the planet to that of an asteroid hitting Earth.
Faulted is Co2 emissions, our consumerism, loss of
continuous habitats from deforestation and most stunning is the introduction of new species to a bio region.
When we travel around the globe, thousands of species
and micro-organisms also move with us. It is like continents colliding and instantaneously bringing into contact, species that evolved separately over millenniums
with devastating consequences. This is very sobering
with one national figure stating, “without tanks or
drones, we will wipeout most species on the planet by
the way we humans are treating the Earth.”
Becoming Resource Managers
Americans, major consumers of resources, can do our
part to begin to heal the Earth by changing the way we
consume and by becoming informed managers of the
resources we use daily. There is the saying, “live simply
so that others may simply live.”
We can begin to be resource managers by being
aware and conscious of the resources we use; water,
air, soil, food, energy, transportation.
1. How do we use our resources?
Do we unplug appliances when not in use?
Do we recycle?
Is the food we eat grown sustainably and
locally with concern for the soil and other
life forms?
2. How are the goods we consume produced?
3. Do we pick one resource at a time to monitor and
change our habits to be a more responsible member of
Earth’s community?
When we observe how we use our resources, as we
strive to conserve, we develop a relationship with these
very resources that support us. Conserving does take
time and effort, which might be challenging in our busy
lives. But, this planet we call home depends on us taking
action.
As we try to reverse this current, unfolding disaster
and return to a verdant environment, we need to recognize the importance of being in harmony with the Earth,
that our actions do impact and that we are part of the
whole, not above any other species. As a local resident
said “now’s not the time to be complacent, but to do
something about this environmental crisis that affects all
of us.”
So here’s to being dedicated resource managers and to
healing the earth, our shared home. And here’s to many
more Earth Days here in our beautiful Middle San Juan
Watershed of Northwest New Mexico.
Proudly promoting the
Ty Waybourn Memorial Rodeo
May 16-17, 2014
McGee Park, Farmington
Dan Smeal of NMSU shows how to be a resource manager of our water by utilizing a gravity fed water storage tank for use in drip systems for our gardens and
landscape design. Dan demonstrated at the Good
Samaritan Village Community Garden in Aztec.
Aztec Feed & Supply
216 S. Main • Aztec • 334-8911
A large crowd turned out to hear Monea Monroe and
her sons Elijah and Gabriel speak on starting a seed
saving library in San Juan County. Monroe is from
Southwest Seed Library located at the Discovery
Museum up river in Durango.
Harvest Funders Presentation on
Funding Agriculture
Projects
Monday
April 14, 6-8
San Juan College East Campus
Harvest Funders is a local, new platform to help the agriculture community
obtain funding for their projects using
crowdfunding. Bring your ag project
ideas to this presentation.
This is the April meeting of Sustainable
San Juan. FMI 716-3915
Four Corners Woman to
Woman Conference
"A Plan A Woman Living in
a Plan B World"
Saturday, May 3rd
9am to 3pm
(lunch included!)
Speaker: Debbie Taylor Williams from Kerrville, Texas
Tickets: $20 (Includes lunch)
Contact Cross Roads Community Church to
purchase your tickets by May 2nd!
505-325-2600
You will not want to miss this dynamic Christian
speaker sharing what God has taught her about
being a Plan A woman living in a Plan B world!
Gather your friends and join us!!
Margaret A. Brown
Cross Roads Community Church of the Nazarene
2400 N. Butler • Farmington
PAGE 16
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
Robert Retherford,
Attorney at Law, P.C.
Social Security Disability, Small
Businesses, Probate, Wills, and other
Estate-Planning
With a Fine Art Gallery
120 East Chaco Street, Aztec • 334-5750
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
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/
Hummingbirds returning by John and Jan Rees
We welcome April in part for the return of the Blackchinned hummingbirds that will nest locally and the
Broad-tailed that are on their way to higher elevations in
San Juan County or points farther north. This is a good
time to review feeders along with plants that will provide nectar for the hummers in our yards. Excellent
online resources deal with feeders, feeding, plants, and
the hummingbirds themselves, and the National
Audubon Society’s newest citizen science effort with its
focus on hummingbirds.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds online
offers important tips in “Feeding Hummingbirds.” Never
add red food color to the sugar water used in feeders,
and avoid commercial mixes with red dyes. The red
color of commercial feeders is all that is needed to
attract hummers, and there is widespread concern that
red food coloring may be unsafe for the birds to consume. The recommended mixture is one part sugar to
four parts water, especially when weather is hot and dry.
This recipe may be changed to one third cup of sugar
per cup of water if rain or fog makes fresh water abundant. According to Cornell, “Concentrations of sugars in
natural nectars vary within about that range.”
Also from Cornell—make the sugar mixture with
boiling water if you are mixing and refrigerating
bigger batches, but it is unnecessary to boil the
water if you are mixing smaller amounts every
day or so. Honey mixed with water should never
be offered because it is a perfect setting for bacterial and fungal growth. To prevent fermentation
and growth of bacteria and mold in sugar water,
solutions should not be left in feeders for longer
than two or three days, and they should be
changed daily during “very hot weather.”
Cornell tells us a primary consideration in choosing a
feeder is ease of disassembly and cleaning. All internal
parts of the feeder should be reachable with a bottlebrush inserted through the “fill hole.” Information at
http://hummingbirds.net/ advises bleaching feeders
monthly or soaking them in full strength white vinegar.
Scrubbing with a bottle brush and thoroughly rinsing
with hot water between times is a good plan; some
sources say to use soap to clean, but others believe this
is a bad idea.
Cornell advises placing four “tiny” feeders with one
feeding port each in different locations to reduce hummingbird territorial clashes; such separation was
Aztec City Warrants
Here is a list of warrants issued between 02-16-14 to 03-15-14 by by the
Aztec Municipal Court. If your name appears on the list, please contact the
court at: (505) 334-7640 to clear up the warrant.
NAME
LAST KNOWN ADDRESS
D/M of B
Barber, Normalea
400 N Light Plant Rd # 105, Aztec, 87410
12/28
Bitts, Kesha
40A Road 27770, Aztec, NM 87410
11/23
Blancas, Samuel
35 Road 3004, Aztec, NM 87410
2/5
Carpenter, Averie M 2608 Highland PL, Farmington, NM 87401 1/27
Chavez, Kristie C
2412 Hutton Ave, Farmington, NM 87401
9/16
Cochran, Arminda E 610 E 30h St # 13, Farmington, NM 87401 8/18
Denny, Delphine
3500 N Butler Ave Apt 9204, Farmington
12/17
Dukes, Aaron B
162 Road 2755, Aztec, NM 87410
5/9
Fierro, Nicole A
PO Box 21, Aztec, NM 87410
8/19
Francisco, Brent I
1304 Plumtree Circle, Bloomfield, NM 87413 2/14
Giles, Justin
2990 E 24th, Farmington, NM 87401
8/16
Henry, Ysotahna J
PO Box 1126, Sheep Springs, NM 87364 12/20
Joe, Gilbert
609 Sabena St, Aztec, NM 87410
2/1
Johnson, Joel R
245 Road 133, Hesperus, CO 81326
6/30
Journey, Calvin J
PO Box 376, Bloomfield, NM 87413
3/20
Kennedy, James C
62 Road 5500 Sp 13, Farmington, 87401
11/16
King, Amanda G
2 Road 3191, Aztec, NM 87410
9/28
Knight, Walter
20 Road 3003, Aztec, NM 87410
12/30
Lozoya, Jessie A
2480 Almon Dr, Farmington, NM 87401
5/1
Lyavety, Logan K
1070 Shadow Valley Ln, Farmington, 87401 12/15
Marquez, Antonio
21 Road 5758, Farmington, NM 87401
5/29
Miller, Adam M
9 Road 4991, Bloomfield, NM 87413
1/2
Mott, Jonathan
1055 Avenida Del Sol, Durango, CO 81301 12/18
Moya, Emily
220 S Park Ave, Aztec, NM 87410
7/10
Nez, Kimberly N
208 E Apache, Farmington, NM 87401
5/5
Reed, Joria J
PO Box 784, Aztec, NM 87410
7/10
Roper, Marissa Y
PO Box 507, Blanco, NM 87412
8/30
Schmidlkofer, Joshua L 601 Navajo # 401, Aztec, NM 87410
2/21
Sillers, Clifford
PO Box 175, Flora Vista, NM 87415
3/13
Stamper, Daniel R
321 Misty Dr, Aztec, NM 87410
9/8
Stephens, Daniel K
94 Road 2575, Aztec, NM 87410
7/23
Tafoya, Patrick A
204 1/2 Willow Lane, Aztec, NM 87410
5/6
Valdes, Jeanene C
1724 E 22nd St, Farmington, NM 87401
10/24
Velarde, Louis J
22 Road 3308, Aztec, NM 87410
8/26
Wancura, Tyler C
182 Cox Circle, Ignacio, CO 81137
3/28
Werito, Shaun
PO Box 933, Aztec, NM 87410
11/22
Wilder, Tristan K
1908 Robin Avenue, Farmington, NM 87401 12/6
If you clear up your warrant(s) from this ad you will receive $20
OFF the BENCH WARRANT FEE! You must tell us you got your
information from TALON in order to take advantage of this offer!
believed to draw more hummers than did one large feeder
with eight ports. However, our
feeding set-up of three or four
smaller feeders, each with multiple ports, hanging within
a few inches of each other, hosts large numbers of hummers although chases are common. Friends have attracted big numbers of hummers by placing a few large,
multi-port feeders in close proximity to each other.
Ants, bees, and wasps often become nuisances at feeders; some even crawl inside. One response is to hang
commercial ant guards filled with water above the hummingbird feeder, so ants either do not cross the water, or
they drown. There is belief the saucer style hummingbird feeders with feeding ports in the top are the best
answer for keeping bees and wasps away; hummingbird
tongues reach deeper than those of insects. This style,
also termed basin feeder, often has an “ant moat” in the
center surrounding the hanging rod; there is no inverted
bottle. Another recommendation to reduce feeder appeal
to bees is to cover feeders’ yellow parts with red nail
polish.
Landscaping with plantings for hummingbirds, especially native plants, will also bring
these amazing birds to your yard. HUMMINGBIRDS.NET lists several cultivars and native
plant species and suggests planting “a
variety…that flower at successively later dates”
to provide ample nectar. Avoid using pesticides;
chemicals that kill garden pests also kill the
small insects hummers need for protein. The
birds themselves could sicken or die if they
swallow these pesticides.
If you would like to be a citizen scientist for a project
designed to help researchers learn more about hummingbirds, Audubon’s Hummingbirds at Home is a place
where you can report hummingbirds and their feeding
behavior at any time of year via http://www.hummingbirdsathome.org/ on your computer or via a free mobile
app. Two videos plus several informative screens
describe sign-up and the project. While the website is
being updated, no hummingbird or plant observations
can be accepted, and we were unable to complete signup. This effort appears to be a great way to add much
needed data for researchers while participants learn, as
well.
We hope you welcome the returning hummingbirds
and that you will consider becoming a citizen scientist.
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
Harley’s Humor
This guy goes into a doctor's office. The doctor
says, "Oh, Mr. Jones! We have the results of your
test. Do you want the bad news first or the very bad
news?"
The guy shrugs and says, "Well I guess I'll have the
bad news first."
"Well the bad news is, you have 24 hours to live,"
the doctor replies.
The man is distraught, "24 hours to live? That's
horrible! What could be worse than that? What's the
VERY bad news?"
The doctor folds his hands and sighs, "The very
bad news is...I've been trying to contact you since
yesterday."
PAGE 17
Harley’s Helpers
Youth Health
www.youthhealthlink.org
This website is a one-stop-shop portal for youth
health information, linking numerous websites and
resources for youth and youth partners to access
throughout NM.
Youth Health encompasses the physical, emotional,
spiritual and social well-being of adolescents ages 1024 years old. Good health of young people is vital and
significant in order to increase capacity and development of youth involvement today and in the future.
This is accomplished through providing:
• Safe and supportive environments
• Skills, motivation and opportunities to learn all the
time (academically and professionally);
• Opportunity to fully participate as valuable members of their communities.
These outcomes prepare youth to assume adult roles
in their families, communities and work environments.
As Luke’s website says, “Have Yo-Yo - Will Travel...
Anywhere in the World...” Luke with the
Leaning Tower of Pisa in the background
DIY water bottle
Create a thrifty watering
can by puncturing holes
in the top of a used milk
bottle
http://ajourneytoadream.b
logspot.co.uk/2012/03/hel
pful-yet-simple-diy-forspring.html
TALON is Read in Far Out Places
by Far Out People!
Lisa and Isadora "Izzi" Renner read TALON in the
Roman Forum in Rome, Italy.
This was the center of activity and many government activities during the Roman
empire. The Forum is a short walk from the Roman Coliseum where the
gladiator fights were held.
PAGE 18
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
The Book Nook
Your Aztec Library news!
aztecpl@aztecnm.gov • www.azteclibrary.org • 319 S. Ash, 505-334-7657
National Library Week April 13th-19th
National library week is coming up and you are
encouraged to join our celebration and let us know how
libraries have changed your life. Fill out a speech bubble
about your library and get a ticket to get your name in
for a drawing for a camera. Speech bubbles are available
now, so stop by and pick one up.
We are also offering amnesty for fines that week. If
you have overdue books or have fines already accrued
on your library card, bring your card to the circulation
desk and we will forgive your fines. Let’s all start with a
clean slate and enjoy what’s offered @ your library!
Monday the 14th there will be a kickoff party with
an open house for the children’s area. There will be
drawings and refreshments will be served.
Tuesday April 15th is National Library Worker’s
Day. From 5:00-7:00 pm, there will be an intermediate
computer class for Microsoft Word.
Wednesday April 14th from 4:00-6:00 pm, we have
iPad training and training for our eCollections, including
eBooks and online magazine downloads.
Thursday April 17th is Support Teen Literature Day.
The library will be closing at 6:00 pm for Teen night.
There will be fun for the teens at the library!
We will be offering an open computer lab/job searching from 5:00-6:00 pm to provide help with resumes and
online job searching .
From 6:00-8:00 pm, we will be offering a class on
film editing (video marketing) from 6:00-8:00 for adults.
Luke Renner will be the instructor for this class. This
class has limited seating so please be sure and call to
reserve a seat. There will be room for 20 students.
Need A New Author? Why Not Try…
Andy Weir
The Martian
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of
the first people to walk on Mars.
Now he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew
to evacuate the planet while thinking him dead, Mark
finds himself stranded on Mars’ surface, completely
alone, with no way to signal Earth that he’s alive. And
even if he could get word out, his supplies would be
gone years before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, Mark won’t have time to starve
to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely
to kill him first.
But Mark’s not ready to quit. Armed with nothing but
his ingenuity and his engineering skills-and a gallows
sense of humor that proves to be his greatest source of
strength-he embarks on a dogged quest to stay alive,
using his botany expertise to grow food and even hatching a mad plan to contact NASA back on Earth.
As he overcomes one seemingly insurmountable
obstacle after the next, Mark begins to let himself
believe he might make it off the planet alive.
But Mars has plenty of surprises in store for him yet.
Grounded in real, present-day science from the first page
to the last, yet propelled by a brilliantly ingenious plot
that surprises the reader again and again, The Martian is
a truly remarkable thriller; an impossible-to-put-down
suspense novel that manages to read like a real-life survival tale.
Altered Book Club
Transform a discarded book into a creative work of art
that encompasses a theme and utilizes a variety of media
and techniques. Altered books may be as simple as
adding a drawing or text to a page, or as complex as creating an intricate book sculpture.
The Altered Book Club will meet next on Thursday
April 3rd and then again on April 17th from 6:00-8:00
pm. There is no charge for this program. Please join us
for some crafting fun. All levels of artist/crafter are welcome; there are no experts. Questions? Call 334-7657.
Digital Resources
With all the new digital readers available now, the
library is happy to offer materials that you can check out
and download to your device. We have a collection of ebooks and e-magazines available to you using your
library card. If you go to our website
www.azteclibrary.org and click on the Ebooks and
Digital Media tab it will walk you through how to get
set up and use our e-resources. We also offer a class on
the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 4:00-6:00 pm at
the library.
New for Digital Download
Deadwood
Pete Dexter
Takedown Twenty
Janet Evanovich
The Ravenglass Eye
Tom Fletcher
Chilled to the Bone
Quentin Bates
Innocence
Dean Koontz
Still Life with Bread Crumbs
Anna Quindlen
Debbie Macomber
The Way to a Man’s Heart
An Ocean Apart
Robin Pilcher
Private LA
James Patterson
The Ghost Runner
Parker Bilal
New for Young Adult Download
Enclave
Ann Aguirre
Outpost
Ann Aguirre
Grimspace
Ann Aguirre
Divergent
Veronica Roth
Veronica Roth
Insurgent
Allegiant
Veronica Roth
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
Teen Night @ Your Library
On the third Thursday of the month (April 17th) the
library will host a teen night. The library will be closed
to the public and will be available only to teens ages 1319 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The library will also be open for
special library clubs in the meeting room. The main part
of the library will be open to the teens only. Join us for
study time, talent nights, digital resources, crafts,
snacks, video games and more! Don’t forget to bring a
friend! For more information you can call 334-7657.
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.
Apr 3rd: Turtle Splash! And a turtle craft.
Apr 10th: Green Wilma. Color stories and a color
craft.
Apr 17th: Oink-A-Doodle-Moo. Farm stories and a
lamb craft.
Apr 24th: The Spaghetti-Slurping Sewer Serpent by
Laura Ripes. And a spaghetti craft!
It’s not just about reading! Story-times help to turn a
trip to the library into “an event.” If you treat story-time
as a special family time that you look forward to, your
child will be just as excited about it as they are about
your other special family outings, whether those are to
movies, the park, or baseball games. They will think of
reading as an exciting social activity. One of the key literacy skills is “print motivation” – if kids believe that
they will find fun and excitement in stories, they will
want to read books. Questions? Call Miss Angela at 3347657.
Library Hours
The library will be closed April 18th for Good
Friday. We will reopen on the 21st for regular business
hours. The book drop is available at the back of the
building for book returns.
Computer Classes @ Your Library
Computer classes will be offered the 2nd and 3rd
weeks of the month. During the second week, we will be
holding beginner classes from 3:00-6:00 pm. For April
we will offer:
Wednesday, April 9: Word Basics
During the third week we will offer intermediate
classes from 5:00-7:00 pm.
Tuesday, April 15: Microsoft Word
Thursday, April 17: open computer lab/job searching
to provide help with resumes and online job searching.
We will also offer classes for digital devices like iPads
and e-readers on Wednesdays of the third week (April
16) from 4:00-6:00 pm. The library offers downloadable
books, e-books and e-magazines for your devices and
the expert will be on hand to help you learn how to
download them. Questions? Call 334-7657.
To prepare future farmers,
ranchers, agribusiness leaders
AgriFuture to be hosted in
Albuquerque, May 12-14
Agricultural organizations and agencies in New
Mexico are looking to expand upon an exciting new
trend: more young people are taking up farming, ranching, and other careers in agricultural production in the
Land of Enchantment.
New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) and
a dozen other agencies and organizations involved in
New Mexico agriculture are coordinating and hosting
the 2014 AgriFuture Educational Institute for beginning/future farmers and ranchers, as well as those aiming for other careers in agriculture. The institute will be
hosted May 12-14 in Albuquerque.
“The goal of the AgriFuture Educational Institute is to
inform, inspire, and connect the people who will produce our food and fiber going forward,” said New
Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte. “And how
the Institute aims to achieve that lofty goal is by bringing together future ag producers and current ag producers, and really facilitating a conversation among that
diverse group.”
According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture released
by USDA last month, New Mexico saw an increase in
the number of people age 34 and younger who are agricultural producers, from 818 in 2007 to 1,200 in 2012.
At the same time, the census showed a slight uptick in
the average age of farmers in New Mexico from 59.6
years old in 2007 to 60.5 years old in 2012.
“Taken together, what those two statistics tell us is
that we’re headed in the right direction in terms of getting more young people into agriculture, but that we still
have work to do,” Witte said.
Access to land and capital are often said to be the
major roadblocks for young people who want to join the
ranks of today’s farmers and ranchers. Witte said that
topic will be one of many addressed in the breakout session piece of the institute. Then attendees will board
several buses to take private tours of a wide variety of
agricultural businesses in and around Albuquerque.
“New Mexico depends on agriculture, and thus we
depend on future generations getting involved with the
entire spectrum of agriculture from farming and ranching to banking to teaching to communications and much,
much more,” said Caren Cowan, executive director of
the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, one of the
institute’s organizers and sponsors. “[AgriFuture] hopes
to expose young people to the wide range of possibilities.”
The institute is open to future agricultural producers age 40 and under; veterans are encouraged to
attend. It is also open to current agricultural producers of all ages in hopes that they will serve as mentors going forward. Witte said the idea of community is
critical in agriculture, because people often develop their
best practices on the farm or ranch by talking with others rather than by, say, reading a handbook.
The registration fee for future agriculture producers is
only $50 for the Institute, while the fee for current agriculture producers (those who can potentially mentor
beginning farmers and ranchers) is only $100. Institute
activities are also being funded in part by such sponsors
as Farm Credit of New Mexico, which is also helping
organize the institute.
The institute agenda and registration are available at
www.nmda.nmsu.edu. People can also join the Facebook
event page (via www.facebook.com/NMDepartmentofAg)
to stay tuned for institute updates and connect with other
attendees. If you wish to help sponsor the institute in
any amount, you are asked to call NMDA at
575-646-3702.
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 19
What’s the Deal with Repenting in Lent?
By Jeff Symonds, Pastor at Aztec United Methodist Church
In previous centuries, it was more common than it is
nowadays to perform public acts of penance. Repenting
literally means “to turn around or go in another direction.” It involves recognizing places in one’s life where
one has sinned or messed up somehow and then not just
feeling remorse or guilt, but turning toward God and
away from those past mistakes. Years ago, it was not
uncommon for persons to perform acts of humiliation
undertaken willingly as a penalty for sin and to show
true devotion and penitence to God. Some examples of
this might be walking in a public place barefoot or wearing sackcloth, marking one’s face with ashes, or by the
person approaching a holy place on their knees.
Historically, there have been instances of leading figures in society undertaking such public penance. For
example, when King Henry II was implicated in the
murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket, he walked barefoot, clothed in sackcloth and covered with ashes, to
Canterbury Cathedral, where he was flogged by the
monks. Processions of robed and hooded penitents are
still a common sight in Spain and in Chimayo, New
Mexico during Holy Week (the week before Easter). The
Passion Play of the Four Corners “He’s Alive” which is
moving this year to the McGee Park Convention Center,
having outgrown the downtown Farmington Civic
Center, is a way to experience the Biblical story of
Jesus’ last week, crucifixion and resurrection. This has
become an important spiritual journey for many people in our area, and across the world where our local
folks have helped other communities to put on their
own Passion Plays.
Actually, the process of repenting is all about God’s
gift of beginning again, or being born again, as the
third chapter of John’s Gospel puts it. World War II
concentration camp survivor Elie Wiesel wrote,
“When God created us, God gave Adam a secret – and
that secret was not how to begin, but how to begin
again. In other words, it is not given to us to begin;
that privilege is God’s alone. But it is given to us to
begin again – and we do it every time we choose to
defy death and side with the living.” I really like
Wiesel’s idea that God has been giving us human
beings the opportunity to turn around and start over
again (what we used to call a ‘do over’ when we were
kids) ever since the very beginning in the Garden of
Eden. With Jesus we see an even clearer invitation to
leave behind us all those things that weigh us down
with guilt and shame. Christians use the 40 day period
of Lent to ready ourselves to accept once again the
gift of forgiveness and new life that Jesus gave us in
His resurrection at Easter. We have an Aztec
Community Worship Service outdoors at the
Ruins at sunrise each Easter (which will be April 20
this year). Join us there or at your favorite church on
the Lord’s day for worship and find out what God’s
peace and gift of new life can do for you!
Group now being formed
to look at starting a local
seed saving library
A group looking at forming a seed saving library has
been organized following the recent discussion on seed
saving libraries at the Aztec Library hosted by
Sustainable San Juan and Southwest Seed Library.
What Are Seed Saving Libraries: In 2010 seed saving libraries began to increase around the U.S.
Community members sign up for a free Seed Library
Card, checking out seeds for free from drawers of seed
packets. Borrowers plant seeds, and let some of them go
to maturity, harvesting that next generation of seeds, and
return them to the library so other people can check
them out. A part of a seed library is education on gardening, seed saving, food preservation, bee keeping.
Location of Seed Saving Libraries: Can be at a
Public Library, like the Aztec Library or at a Museum.
Can be organized by librarians, churches, others are
partnerships between libraries or other community
organizations, non-profits or individuals.
Why Seed Saving Libraries in San Juan County:
To create a network of seed libraries to support home
gardeners and local/ small scale market growers, to have
locally adapted seed source, seed purity – no GMO,
maintain our heirloom and cultural seeds
Where will seeds come from: From individuals who
have adapted seeds to our locale, heirloom, folks who
like to save seeds.
To learn more about being a part of building a seed
saving library in San Juan County, call 716-3915 –
Sustainable San Juan.
To learn more about seed saving libraries: Southwest
Seed Library – southwestseedlibrary.wordpress.com,
Richmond Grows –richmondgrowsseeds.org, or richmondgrows.org
Summer Music Festival 2014, Bringing
World Music to the High Desert
Jam-out your summer with rockin’ music when San Juan College hosts Summer Music
Festival 2014, Bringing World Music to the High Desert, Saturday, June 21, in the Learning
Commons Plaza at the Farmington campus. Opening at 2 p.m., the festival will kick off with
San Juan College’s Super Rock Combo, led by Keith Cochrane.
The college is offering an early bird ticket special, March 31 through April 25. During
this period, tickets are $4 for students with student ID, seniors 60-plus, and children 13-17;
$6 for San Juan College staff and faculty; and $8 for general admission. Children, ages 0-12,
are free with the purchase of an adult ticket. Beginning March 31, tickets can be purchased at
the San Juan College Box office or at www.sanjuancollege.edu/summermusicfest.
Headlining bands will be announced throughout the month of April. For up to date information regarding the San Juan College Summer Music Festival, like the Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/sjcmusicfest.
One 60-minute performing slot has been held to showcase the best in local talent. Local
artists are encouraged to submit audition video, mp3 or website links to
musicfest@sanjuancollege.edu, including contact information by Friday, April 25.
Audition materials can also be dropped off in the Student Activities Office at San Juan
College. All performers should plan to perform a 60-minute set of original music.
The family friendly event also will include a shaded children’s area and kids’ activities
throughout the afternoon. Food and drinks will be available to purchase at the festival.
Vendor booths are available for all non-food vendors. For more information about booth
availability, the event, auditions or tickets, call the San Juan College Student Activities office
at 505-566-3403.
It’s Tax Time!
We May Prepare Your
2013 Return With
NO Money Upfront!
No Time to Wait?
Drop off Service is Available
Come see our
Friendly Staff at the...
AZTEC OFFICE 334-2552
606 S Rio Grande, Ste A
Open
M-F 9AM to 6PM
Saturday 9AM to 5PM
Groom & Bloom
Landscaping
Shaping your hedges, cut or edge
Tending your roses from bud to bed
Rake, hoe, lop or mow
Hauling all debris as we go...
Call Kelijo
320-2773
for free estimates
and to schedule
your yard
maintenance
Around-the-clock nursing advice
(877) 725-2552
7 days a week in English and Spanish.
PAGE 20
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
Get Golf Ready
Piñon Hills Golf Course has brought back the program
Get Golf Ready group golf lessons. The first session will
take place Tuesday, April 8 to Friday, April 11, 2014
each day from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
This is not just an instructional program. This clinic is
designed to teach everything you'll need to play golf in
just a few short lessons. Participants will begin on the
putting green, move to the practice range, and finish on
the golf course. During the course of a week, the student
will be introduced to both Civitan and Piñon Hills Golf
Courses.
This program is targeted towards new players, but
could be a great refresher course for anyone looking to
get more out of the game of golf. There will be four
days of instruction at the putting green and practice
range with a final day on the course.
Clinics are open to men and women interested in
learning more about the game of golf. Class size will be
a minimum of 6 students and a maximum of 12. The
cost is only $65. No equipment is required or needed. If
you the student does not have equipment, the course will
provide everything needed. Register at Piñon Hills Golf
Course or online at www.pinonhillsgolf.com.
Additional clinics are scheduled into the spring and
summer as well as a ladies only class and special group
outings for graduates.
Piñon Hills Golf Course is located at 2101 Sunrise
Pkwy in Farmington, NM. Civitan Golf Course is located at 2200 Dustin in Farmington, NM.
For additional information on Get Golf Ready, contact
the Pro Shop at (505) 326-6066.
BLM dunes area to close 5
days for motocross event
Local teachers recognized by Kelly Eaves Insurance Agency
Mrs. Janice Baxter is our March Teacher of the Month from Lydia Rippey.
Mrs. Baxter teaches third grade. She has been a teacher for twelve years and has been teaching at Lydia Rippey for
11 years. The recent project in her class allowed the students to choose a state and report on it. It is amazing to think
that these kids are already putting together a PowerPoint and presenting their report in front of the class.
Mrs. Baxter always wanted to be an English teacher but then decided to become an accountant instead. She then
retired from accounting and fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher. She just loves working with children and is
doing a great job. Thank you, Mrs. Baxter.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Dunes OffHighway Vehicle Recreation Area will be closed from
1 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 6,
for the ninth annual running of the Wannabe Racing
Hare Scramble motocross race. The BLM has issued
race organizers an exclusive use special recreation permit for the event.
The temporary closure is for public safety during the
event. The race promoter has established spectator areas
throughout the recreation area for those who plan to
attend. A map of the race course is available at the BLM
Farmington District Office at 6251 College Boulevard in
Farmington or on the website at:
www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recreation/farmington/Dune
s_OHV_Area.html.
FMI contact Outdoor Recreation Planner Janelle
Alleman at 505-564-7676 or email jalleman@blm.gov.
TALON is a community-input newspaper.
THANKS to Everyone!
Independently owned since 1993.
Ms. Maggie Ashby, our March Teacher of the month, teaches 5th grade
at Park Avenue Elementary School. She has been teaching for two years now.
She dreamed of being a teacher since she was in kindergarten. She teaches
science because it is her favorite subject. Her students recently conducted a
debate on alternative energy. This was a lot of hands-on work for the kids and
a great way for them to get up in front of people and present their case. She
loves doing science experiments with the kids and says when you create fun,
creative ways for the kids to learn, they absolutely love it!
Thank you to Ms. Ashby for teaching our children!
New Flood App brings safety info
The American Red Cross has announced its new Flood App to help save
lives and reduce losses from floods and flash floods.
This free app gives iPhone, iPad and Android smart phone users instant
access to local and real-time information, so they know what to do before,
during and after a flood. The content is available in English and Spanish
based on the user’s language settings on their mobile device. The app
includes location-based, audible NOAA flood and flash flood watches and
warnings – even if the app is closed.
“Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States, and
people can use the Red Cross app to create emergency plans so all household
members know what to do if flooding threatens,” said Rahim Balsara,
Regional CEO of The American Red Cross in NM. “The audible alerts in the
app can save lives - even when users are away from a radio or TV.”
Other features of the app include:
• One-touch “I’m safe” messaging that allows users to send a message letting family and friends know that they are out of harm’s way;
• Preloaded content that gives users instant access to critical action steps,
even without mobile connectivity;
• Toolkit with flashlight, strobe light and audible alarm to let others know
where you are;
• Locations of open Red Cross shelters;
• Real-time recovery resources for returning home and cleaning up; and
The app is the latest in the series of Red Cross emergency preparedness
apps that put lifesaving information right in the hands of people whenever
and wherever they need it.
The Flood App, along with the others, can be found in the Apple App Store
and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross
or by going to redcross.org/mobileapps. People can also visit
redcross.org/takeaclass for Red Cross class information and to register.
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 21
Celebrate, bark, and dash! Blanco Senior Center
Celebrate Life-Saving
Organ Transplants during
National Donate Life
Month this April
This April marks the 11th annual National Donate Life
Month, a celebration commemorating those who have
given the gift of life through organ, eye and tissue donation. For those whose lives have been saved or healed by
a transplant, National Donate Life Month provides a
chance to share their story to encourage more people to
register as donors.
The story of Weldon Bradshaw, a 64-year-old English
teacher and track coach, proves that you can never be
too old to save a life. In the eleventh hour of his chronic
and deadly liver disease, he and his family received the
greatest news they could hope for; a liver had been
donated by an 84-year-old woman, and Weldon’s life
was saved.
Evan Miller’s experience with donation and transplant
happened much sooner in his life. Ten days after he was
born, his parents were told that their son had a devastating rare genetic disorder, and a liver transplant was the
only way to save his life. Evan received a life-saving
liver transplant on his second birthday. “We are forever
grateful to Evan’s donor and family; their decision to
donate saved our son. They are in our thoughts and
prayers everyday” said Teddi Miller, Evan’s mother.
“The transplant waiting list is made up of people of all
ages,” stated Wayne Dunlap, Executive Director for
New Mexico Donor Services, the organ and tissue
recovery agency serving New Mexico. “It’s important to
show that people of any age can make a powerful difference in someone’s life by being a donor. Donation saves
and heals lives every day, but it can only happen when
someone makes the important decision to register as an
organ, eye and tissue donor. You can make that lifesaving difference by registering your decision on your driver’s license or on the Donate Life donor registry at
NMdonor.org.”
There are now 112 million registered donors in the
United States, including 1 million from the state of New
Mexico. Still, the number of people in need of transplants continues to outpace the supply of donated
organs. More than 120,000 people are currently awaiting
a transplant, including 750 New Mexicans. Sadly, an
average of 18 patients die every day, because the organ
they needed was not donated in time. The solution to
this problem is to continue educating the public about
the lifesaving effects of donation and transplantation and
encourage them to sign up through their state donor registry.
Facts to know about registering as an organ, eye and
tissue donor:
- Saying “Yes” to donation will not affect your medical care.
- You are never too old or too ill to register as a donor.
- There is no cost to the donor or their family for
donation.
- All major U.S. religions support organ donation.
FMI about organ, tissue and eye donation call 505843-7672 for a free brochure or visit NMdonor.org.
Honor all pets at the Animal Welfare Celebration on
Saturday, April 5, 2014 from 11:00 – 3:00 p.m. There
will be a variety of educational and entertaining activities for the whole family, and pets, held in Animas Park,
next to the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter.
Held in conjunction with the Animal Welfare
Celebration will be Bark in the Park and the Doggie
Dash, starting at 9:30 a.m. Run, Romp or just play in
Animas Park with your favorite canine friend before
joining the Animal Welfare Celebration festivities. The
Doggie Dash loop in the park is approximately 2 miles.
Pre-registration for the event will be Monday,
March 17 through Friday, April 4 and guarantees
you a t-shirt and your walking pal a doggie bandanna. Day-of registration will be from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m.,
but no shirt will be included. Shirts will be for sale
when the Animal Welfare Celebration begins. Register
online at www.fmtn.org/recreation.
The Animal Welfare Celebration, Bark in the Park,
and Doggie Dash are free events. Some fees may apply
to various activities. All proceeds will benefit the
Farmington Regional Animal Shelter through the
Regional Animal & Pet Shelter Foundation.
Farmington Regional Animal Shelter is located at 133
Browning Parkway, Farmington, NM 87401. Regular
business hours are (7) days a week, from 11:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m.
FMI call (505) 599-1098 or go online at
www.fmtn.org/animalservices. “Like Us on Facebook” at
www.facebook.com/FarmingtonAnimalServices.
The Vagina Monologues
The Empanadas present The Vagina Monologues on
Friday April 4 @ 7pm, and Saturday April 5 @ both
2pm and 7pm. Tickets are $10 and are on sale now at
Farmington's Civic Center, 505-599-1148. This is a
fundraiser for Navajo United Methodist Center's New
Beginnings and Sexual Assault Services of NWNM.
This is an award winning off-Broadway show used to
raise over $75 million for women's nono-violence, nonprofit agencies. Eve Ensler wrote the play over 15 years
ago. Since then it has been translated into over 48 different languages and seen worldwide.
From over 200 interviews with women, ages 6-60,
Eve Ensler was able to distill about 10 common themes
of female experiences. One woman will tell a tale at a
time. There is humor, joy, triumph as well as some eyeopening episodes in the 90 minute program.
Join us as we rise for justice ...until the violence stops.
The doors open a half hour before the performance.
Zebras will be there. A silent auction is part of the
fundraiser with donations accepted for appetizers at the
event.
Blanco Senior Center is accepting new seniors.
Seniors must be 60 years old or older. We serve lunch
Monday - Friday starting at noon. We also offer home
delivered meals for those that cannot come into the
center. We are closed on holidays.
We have transportation for those who cannot drive.
For more information on meals or transportation
services, please call Mary Jane at 505-632-9146. We are
located at 7338 US Hwy 64, Blanco, NM.
Bingo - Every Monday & Wednesday
Pool Tables - Open 7 am - 2 pm everyday
Come play cards Monday thru Friday
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
Four Corners Back
Country Horsemen
The Four Corners Back Country Horsemen will hold
their monthly meeting on Thursday, April 10, 7:00
p.m.at the PineRiverSeniorCenter in Bayfield.
Guests are always encouraged to attend.
Ben Rockis from Back Country Experience will be
discussing and demonstrating equipment for packing
light in the back country.
The Four Corners Back Country Horsemen works to
perpetuate commonsense enjoyment of public lands by
horsemen and pack stock users. To learn more, go to:
www.4cbch.org or contact Pat Amthor, chapter president,
at 970-382-0980 or pamthor2014@gmail.com.
Answer to Sudoku puzzle
on page 9
Harleys one-liners...
Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you
stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
SJ County Sheriff's Office 3
Gun Charity Challenge
The San Juan County Sheriff's Office Foundation and San Juan
Wildlife Federation will be hosting a Shooting Competition on
April 5 & 6 at the Wildlife Federation. This is a Charity Event benefiting the Volunteer Programs of the Sheriff's Office and the
Wildlife Federation. The match is limited to 100 competitors and is
open to the public. There will be a large prize table and a gun raffle.
FMI visit: www.sjcsofoundation.com/3gun.
New Beginnings Fundraiser
NUMC New Beginnings domestic violence transitional shelter is
having a yard sale to raise money for the women and children of
New Beginnings and are seeking donations. Need room from
spring cleaning? Items can be donated by calling the center at 505325-7578.
The sale will be April 5, from 7am to 2pm, located at the World
Harvest Center, 1024 N Butler in Farmington. Enjoy a lunch from
"Hot Dig it Dee Dogs" or some bake sale goodies. They will also
have freshly brewed Navajo Tea from the New Beginnings Navajo
Tea project.
The New Beginnings program offers transitional housing and support to women and children who are victims of domestic violence
for up to one year. This is the only shelter of this kind in the San
Juan County area. In the last year THREE women were killed by
their abuser in San Juan County.
The New Beginnings program offers hope and a chance to
become self sufficient and survivors of this horrible epidemic.
To invest or learn more about the New Beginnings program, visit
the new website numcnewbeginnings.org; it’s equipped with Paypal
to make donating easy.
Answer on page 23
PAGE 22
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
TALON classifieds
No charge for no frills 20 word personal classified.
Business Classifieds
$5 ad - 15 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 - 3.35 X 1.5 - deco type, single line frame
$30 ad - 3.25 X 2 - deco type, frame, graphic
Send your ad with payment and tax of 6.3125% to The
Aztec Local News, PO Box 275, Aztec, NM 87410, or
drop in the drop box at Zip and Ship.
Patty Clements, owner
Support our
advertisers!
Without them, there is no TALON!
To advertise, call 334-1039
AARP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
All About Style, LLC . . . . . . . . . 3
Allstate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Aztec Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Aztec Floral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Aztec Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Aztec Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . 15
Aztec Rubbish Removal . . . . . 22
Aztec Urgent Care . . . . . . . . . 24
Basin Home Health . . . . . 4,9,14
Big O Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Brent Byrum, candidate . . . . . . 5
Bubba’s Tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Comfort Keeper . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Cottonwood Storage . . . . . . . . 22
Crash Music . . . . . . . . . . . 16,17
Desert View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Elite Paint & Body . . . . . . . . . . 13
Farmers Insurance, Eaves . . . . 7
First Baptist Church . . . . . . . . 16
Five Star Mechanical . . . . . . . . 3
Gary McDaniel, candidate. . . . . 5
Good Samaritan Center . . . . . 14
Groom & Bloom . . . . . . . . . . . 19
H&R Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Hot Nails by Amy . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Inland Kenworth . . . . . . . . . . . 10
McDonalds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Priscilla Shannon, Atty . . . . . . 22
Ramsey Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Rising Sun Plumbing . . . . . . . 15
Robert Retherford . . . . . . . . . . 16
San Juan College . . . . . . . 10, 18
San Juan College East . . . . . . 14
San Juan Regional . . . . . . . . 20
Solar Phone Charger . . . . . . . . 7
State Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Studio East Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 6
Style Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The Computer Works! . . . . . . . 7
Ty Waybourn Rodeo . . . . . . . . 11
Vanilla Moose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Waybourn Feed . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Wildwood Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Zip and Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Our advertisers support TALON &
the free services it offers. 334-1039
I build patios, trim trees and cut lawns, plus
handyman work. Call Brian, 444-0620
Handy Man: Spring time chores, pruning, swamp cooler set up and repair,
painting, tile repair, and other “honey do
list” items. Reliable and proud to be an
American. Carl @ 333-2443
Yard work - have trailer, will haul. Also do concrete
work and house work. 505-486-0342. Ask for Leon.
I do housecleaning, 333-7135.
Listen live online to progressive radio:
www.chicagosprogressivetalk.com.
Elementary teacher (retired last year) seeks employment. Full or part time. Will tutor or informally test (K3) in home. 334-5121.
Home Remodel & Repair. Experienced in all phases of
construction. Guaranteed quality with references. Free
estimates. Choice Remodel & Painting. 505-258-5391.
Site built home for sale: #56 CR 3400, Flora Vista,
NM. 2700+ square feet, spacious 3 bdrm, 2 bath. 2.56
irrigated acres (horse property). $249,000 with carpet
allowance. Call 505-860-5556.
In home caregiver for hire. Elderly or children. Many
references available. Also math and algebra tutoring.
505-360-9571
Wanted: Lawn & garden small engine mechanic. Part
time. No phone calls. Apply in person, or pick up application, 10 AM to 2 PM (Tuesday to Friday only), at
Mike's ATV's, 301 N Ash St., in Aztec.
Wanted by private collector: W.W.II items. Will not
be resold. 334-0901
For sale: mobile home on 3/4 acre 6 miles west of
Aztec. $60,000 cash or cash and motorhome. 505-5923196
For sale: 4 tires (245/70R17 Kelly Safari ATRs), rims,
and hubcaps, used one year, $300. White X-box 360 w/
two controllers and memory card, $100. Contact Bill,
505-215-1665.
Yard Sale - April 4 & 5, 9-5. Riding lawn mower,
furniture and lots more. 115 Road 3000, Aztec.
Employment Wanted; administrative assistant, also
have a back ground in program development and event
planning. 716-3915
The Red Cross in
NW New Mexico
needs you!
Proudly promoting the
Ty Waybourn Memorial Rodeo
May 16-17, 2014
McGee Park,
Farmington
FOR SALE: 10 acre wooded homesite with mountain
views in Hart Canyon, adjacent power line. $30,000.
John Cain, 970-261-7868 or john.cain@bresnan.net.
FOR SALE: 432 acres, Hart Canyon. Homesite with
spring water, power, phone, 30' x 60' metal barn.
$699,000. John Cain, 970-261-7868.
I do ironing. Call 634-6978.
Personal caregiver for elderly in Aztec area.
505-436-4208.
Substance Abuse Helpline
Call (505) 277-4505 or 1-855-505-4505 if you or someone
you love is struggling with substance abuse issues.
Substance Abuse Specialist available from 5 - 9 pm Mon-Fri.
Sponsored by City of Albuquerque and Agora Crisis Center.
Aztec Rubbish
& Junk Removal
Light Hauling
• 258-9865 •
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
Priscilla A. Shannon
Attorney at Law
Join a growing team of volunteers
making a difference in your community.
Apply online…Go to www.redcross.org. Click on the
word "Volunteer." Find the applications for adults and
youth at the center of the page and complete the one for
you. Be sure to follow all the instructions for registering
with Volunteer Connection. This will connect you with
Red Cross volunteers across the State. We'll be looking
for you! Or call the local office at 505-325-9605.
Puzzle on page 21
Personal Classifieds
Divorce, Child Custody, Adoption
Grandparents Rights
Guardianships, Probate and Wills
• 333-2055 •
105 East Chaco • Aztec
Need more
storage?
Have shelves and
cabinets custom fit
to the strangest spaces.
Home Repairs & Remodels
Additions * Remodels * Repairs
Painting * Drywall * Decks
Tilework * Door installation
Wildwood Trim & Remodel
Remodeling • Repairs • Large or Small Jobs
General Contractor • NM lic 16778 • 30+ YEARS EXPERIENCE
505-330-2960
THE AZTEC LOCAL NEWS
PAGE 23
UPCOMING E•V•E•N•T•S I P
Farmington Convention &
Visitors Bureau Calendar
AZTEC, BLOOMFIELD, FARMINGTON
APRIL 4, PEOPLE’S CHOICE ART WALK. Enjoy a nice
spring evening in Historic Downtown Farmington from 5:00
p.m. to 9:00 p.m. People's Choice is a unique art exhibit.
Downtown businesses will display art from regional artists.
The public is invited to view the art and vote on their favorite
piece March 15 - April 4, at the end of the voting period cash
prizes will be awarded to the top winners. 599-1419
APRIL 4-5, BENEFIT NAVAJO RUG AUCTION. The
Farmington Museum Foundation is pleased to announce the
Benefit Navajo Rug Auction to take place at the Farmington
Museum at Gateway Park, 3041 E. Main St., at 2 p.m. The
public can preview nearly 200 rugs of all sizes, styles, and
price ranges starting Friday, April 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and
Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 505-599-1180
APRIL 5, CRAFT FAIR. Shop for handmade art, crafts and
gifts and support a wonderful organization! IGW Pediatric
Cancer Foundation will host this Craft Fair from 9am to 3pm
at the Summit Church, 180 building off 30th Street in
Farmington. The only pediatric cancer treatment center in
New Mexico is located in Albuquerque. This non-profit
serves the families forced to relocate or travel for long periods of time to receive treatment for their children. All proceeds raised go to help raise awareness and support for
families with children who are fighting cancer. 505-258-8148,
505-327-0918 or www.OurLaborOfLove.org
APRIL 11, ASTROFRIDAY. “Speed” 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
APRIL 11 – 13, SAN JUAN COLLEGE CONTEST POW
WOW. San Juan College and the Native American Center
present this annual contest Pow Wow at the McGee Park
Memorial Coliseum, between Farmington and Bloomfield on
Hwy 64. Arts and Crafts and food booths will be on site both
days. Call for admission prices and a detailed schedule.
505-566-3321
APRIL 18, SJC JAZZ AND ROCK COMBO CONCERTS.
Join the Silhouette Performing Arts Series at San Juan
College Performance Hall for this amazing performance.
Show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 adults, $6 students
and seniors. 505-566-3430 or www.sanjuancollege.edu/silhouette
APRIL 18, BUFFALO SOLDIERS: MILITARY HEROES
OF THE SOUTHWEST. Mr. Fred Hampton and troopers of
the Buffalo Soldiers Society of NM, along with more than 50
artifacts used by Buffalo Soldiers, bring the history of the
Black cavalry to life. From Medal of Honor recipients to the
common trooper, this small number of Black troopers affected the lives of law-abiding citizens. Performance is at 7 p.m.
in the San Juan College Little Theatre. This free event is a
part of the Chautauqua Learning Series. 334-9325
APRIL 18 – JUNE 22, LIVE HORSE RACING. SunRay
Park & Casino, located off Hwy. 64 between Farmington and
Bloomfield, brings live horse racing to Farmington through
June 22. Races are held on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays
and Tuesdays. Simulcast horse racing year-round. 5661200, www.sunraygaming.com
APRIL 21 – MAY 2, SENIOR OLYMPICS. The Bonnie
Dallas Senior Center, 109 E. La Plata St., Farmington,
brings you the 2014 San Juan County Senior Olympics. $7
will enter you in the events, get you a great T-Shirt and be
your pass for the awards picnic where we celebrate the winners and those who played. There will be events for everyone 50+. 505-599-1390
APRIL 25, SAN JUAN COLLEGE CHOIR CONCERT
WITH COMPANY. Join the Silhouette Performing Arts Series
at San Juan College Performance Hall for this amazing performance. Show starts 7 p.m. Tickets $8 adults, $6 students
and seniors. 566-3430 or www.sanjuancollege.edu/silhouette
APRIL 26, ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION AT
AZTEC RUINS NATIONAL MONUMENT. Organizations and
businesses that have found ways to help us minimize our
impact on the environment present interactive displays from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We also learn from the techniques of
ancient people with activities like adobe brick making and
heritage gardening. This fun event held at Aztec Ruins
National Park includes crafts, games, fuel efficient cars,
music, a food vendor, and much more! 334-6174 or
www.nps.gov/azru.
See more events and more details:
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.
Aphasia Support Group
(individuals who have difficulty using speech/language
to communicate) meets the second Wednesday of every
month from noon - 1:00 pm at the San Juan Regional
Rehabilitation Hospital. FMI, Joyce Lameire, 609-2645.
Want to buy USA goods?
www.madeinusaforever.com
Cedar Hill Farm Local
Serves as an educational, cultural entity to promote
agriculture and community service. We care for the historic Cedar Hill School House as well. We meet every
third Monday of the month at 6:00pm in the school
house for potluck and to conduct our meetings. All in
the surrounding area are invited. FMI, email
cedarhillschoolhouse@gmail.com or call Theresa 3343511, Chopa 635-0180 or Amy 334-8489.
Alzheimer’s Support Group
Sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, New
Mexico Chapter, the group will meet the third Monday
of every month from 7-8 p.m. at the Bloomfield
Community Center. FMI, contact the Alzheimer’s
Assoc., at 326-3680, or visit www.alz.org/newmexico.
San Juan Newcomers Club
For more info call Diane 427-9217.
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
Project/Tea Party Patriots
The SJC 9-12/TEA Party Patriots General Meeting
will be Tuesday, April 1st, 7pm at the TOTAH Theater.
Our San Juan County Senators and Representatives in
the New Mexico Legislature will tell about the recent 30
day session. Come hear their personal reflections on the
session problems and successes.
The SJC 9-12/TEA Party Patriots Lunch Meeting
will be Friday, April 4th, 11:30am at Los Hermanitos
East restaurant. This is a forum meeting where all present can bring up subjects of interest for group discussion.
The May meetings are going to be on Friday, May
2nd, and Tuesday, May 6th. These meetings will be
for candidates in the June 3rd Primary Elections to
address the crowds about why they should be the candidates in the November election. This is a good opportunity for the voters to meet candidates.
Better Breathers Meeting, 334-1811
Come! Listen to the continuation of George’s plan to help
“Better Breathers Breathe Better!”
Come to Better Breathers and visit with George, 1:30 pm on
April 7th at SJRMC Cardio-Pulmonary Rehab. FMI, call Anne
Cottrell, president, 334-1811.
San Juan Assoc. of Retired Educators
R CLUBS & MEETINGS
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
Lower Animas Community Ditch meetings
Lower Animas Community Ditch May meeting is the 3rd
Tuesday, April 15, of the month, 4:30 PM, at Chipman's
Accounting Office Board Room. To be placed on the agenda,
contact Earnest Smith 215-2907 one week prior to the meeting.
Navajo Dam Water Users Association
Board meetings on the 2nd Tuesday, #4 CR 42670 at 6 pm.
All members welcome. The agenda will be available 72 hours
prior to meeting. Janie, 632-2386.
Aztec Lions Club
Meets the first & third Monday of each month at 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 Ave.) FMI, 327-0731
Monday - 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 Tues., 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
Meets 1st Monday of each month at 7pm Farmington Civic
Center. Meets 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7pm at the
Farmington VFW. FMI: PO Box 917, Flora Vista, NM 87415
Judye Leczel at Judye.Leczel@aps.com 505-716-1480
or Cindy Castle at fcbsmnm1@yahoo.com 505-320-6119
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.
Four Corners Women's Cancer Support Group
THE FOUR CORNERS WOMEN'S CANCER SUPPORT
GROUP will meet Saturday, April 3 at 10 AM at the Umbach
Cancer Center at 731 W. Animas. Donal Key, Mental Health
Specialist will present on “Dealing with our Emotions in times
of Hardship.” 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.
The retirees will meet at 11:30 am on Tuesday, April 8,
2014 at the CATE Center, 301 N. Court Avenue. Todd Thomas
of SJRMC Joint Care will be the guest speaker. The deadline
for reservations is noon Tuesday, April 1, 2014. For reservations and information, please call 505-632-3981.
Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
Tres Rios chapter of The Compassionate Friends meets on
the second Monday of every month, April 14th, at the PMS
Hospice building, 608 Riley, across from Farmington Municipal
offices at 6:30-8, refreshments served. Call Ginny 860-9381 or
Tracey 516-9325 for outreach support or info.
Group now being formed
to look at starting a local
Seed Saving Library
The Compassionate Friends
Breast Cancer Support Group:
Meets the second Wednesday of each month at noon in the
San Juan Regional Cancer Center (731 W. Animas). Call
609.6089 for more info.
Parkinson’s Disease Support Group:
Meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 11:00 a.m. to
noon at the San Juan Health Partners Neurosciences conference room (407 South Schwartz Avenue, Suite 202). FMI,
Theresa at 609.6575.
Stroke Support Group:
Meets the second Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to
11:30 a.m. at the San Juan Regional Rehabilitation Hospital
Conference Room (525 South Schwartz). FMI: 334.1647.
Dialysis Support Group:
Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. in the
Meditation Room on the 2nd Floor at San Juan Regional
Medical Center (801 West Maple St.). Dialysis patients and
their family members are welcome to attend. FMI 609.6059.
CUUPS: Covenant of Unitarian
Universalist Pagans
Meet the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at the UU Church,
Bowman Hall building, 419 San Juan Drive in Durango.
6:30 - 8:30 pm. CUUPSDurango@ gmail.com or
(970) 385-9597
Drug Free San Juan County
Invites you to come to our educational meetings the 2nd
Thursday of every month at the Farmington Civic Center at
7:00 PM. We also sponsor Project Graduation, a Meth Impact
Panel and a DWI Victim Impact Panel. FMI call Nila Hamblin
at 325-7022 or 486-7929.
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!
San Juan Chapter 9 meets during the winter months on the
first Saturday of each month at 2 p.m. The DAV Chapter and
the DAV Auxiliary both meet at that time at the chapter house
at #12 CR 3073, Aztec, NM 87410.
A group looking at forming a seed saving library has
been organized following the recent discussion on seed
saving libraries at the Aztec Library hosted by
Sustainable San Juan and Southwest Seed Library.
What Are Seed Saving Libraries: In 2010 seed saving libraries began to increase around the U.S.
Community members sign up for a free Seed Library
Card, checking out seeds for free from drawers of seed
packets. Borrowers plant seeds, and let some of them go
to maturity, harvesting that next generation of seeds, and
return them to the library so other people can check
them out. A part of a seed library education on gardening, seed saving, food preservation, bee keeping.
Location of Seed Saving Libraries: Can be at a
Public Library, like Aztec Library or at a Museum. Can
be organized by librarians, churches, others are partnerships between libraries or other community organizations, non-profits or individuals.
Why Seed Saving Libraries In San Juan County:
To create a network of seed libraries to support home
gardeners and local/ small scale market growers, to have
locally adapted seed source, seed purity – no GMO,
maintain our heirloom and cultural seeds
Where will seeds come from: From individuals who
have adapted seeds to our locale, heirloom, folks who
like to save seeds.
To learn more about being a part of building a seed
saving library in San Juan County. 716-3915 –
Sustainable San Juan
To learn more about seed saving libraries: Southwest
Seed Library – southwestseedlibrary.wordpress.com,
Richmond Grows –richmondgrowsseeds.org, or richmondgrows.org.
PAGE 24
APRIL 1 - 15 • 2014
REPURPOSE – REUSE –
RECYCLE – RECREATE
You are invited to participate in the annual Recycled
Art Show hosted by the Feat of Clay Gallery located in
Aztec from Friday, April 25th, 2014 through Friday,
May 16th, 2014.
The recycle art show represents the celebration of
Earth Day. Art work must include a minimum of 70%
recycled materials. (These materials must be repurposed
– used for something other than what they were originally intended.)
Art work submitted must be accompanied by an
inventory sheet including title, price, media and a
gallery contract must be signed at the time of dropping
off the work. Work must be dropped off at the gallery
between 10 am and 5 pm, Wednesday, April 16th
through Saturday, April 19th.
There will be an artist reception on Friday, April 25th
from 5pm to 7pm.
All unsold artwork must be picked up from the Feat of
Clay on Saturday, May 17th, 2014.
The Feat of Clay is located at 107 S Main St Aztec.
Phone 505 334 4335. Gallery hours: Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10am – 5 pm.
Questions and information regarding the recycle show.
Contact Fiona Clarke at 326-5162 or 320-4591.
Blazing fire in Aztec destroys house By Katee McClure
On Friday evening March 21st, an abandoned house
on East Blanco was engulfed in flames. By the time
neighbors saw the blaze the roof was a raging inferno.
Fifteen firefighters from Aztec, Center Point & Flora
Vista had the fire completely contained within 15 minutes according to Aztec Fire Chief Kevin Simpson.
The building has been vacant going on thirty years
said Simpson. The Aztec Fire Dept has used it for training purposes in the past so the inside of the home no
longer had any interior walls. Back in September when
the wicked rain storm did so much destruction in town a
large tree limb came down on the structure and put a
hole through the roof. Says Simpson, “once the fire
started there was nothing to slow it down.”
There was a report of some kids running out of the
building before the fire. The police department was told
that the cause of the fire was suspicious so there is an
ongoing investigation to find the culprits.
A while back there were huge cottonwood trees on the
property that had been cut down. The surrounding
neighbors were thankful for that during the fire because
it may have been an entirely different scenario if the
trees had caught fire. Immediate proximity homes were
evacuated and the occupants stood across the street
watching as the firefighters did their job.
Thankfully no one was hurt and the only property
damage was to the abandoned home.
The Aztec Fire Department is an “All Volunteer”
department.
If you are over 18 and are interested in helping your
community, the Aztec Fire Department is actively seeking more volunteers.
To join, come by the fire station at 200 North Ash
(behind Blake's) any Wednesday night at 7:00 pm. Your
help is needed and you can make a difference!