Socorro News

To the Editor:

Regarding "Socorro Electric Co-op updates members," a recent letter published in the Mountain Mail.

As one of two SEC trustees who chose not to sign the subject letter due to its mendaciousness, I offer the following points.

* Regarding the issues of redistricting: The signatories continue to ignore the duty of assuring equitable representation on the board, which is a board duty described in Article 5 of the co-op's bylaws.

It is the link to the constitution's equal voting rights. They place self-interest first when they fail to comply (see SEC minutes of June 13, 2007 and Jan. 9, 2008).

Francisco Pino, 48, has been charged with 18 felony counts and two misdemeanors in connection with a search of his home that produced dynamite by federal agents, the Magdalena Marshal's office and the Socorro County Sheriff's Department last Wednesday.

According to the criminal complaint, Pino is charged with 16 counts of possession of destructive devices by a felon.

In 2002, Pino pled no contest to his fourth DWI, a fourth-degree felony.

The criminal counts include possession of one stick of slurry dynamite, nine blasting caps, three plastic ammonium nitrate/fuel oil sticks and a total of 36 feet of detonation primer cord.

Two men were arrested Sunday in connection with the alleged rape of a Socorro woman.

Police Captain Mike Winders said Frank Marble, 48, and Dennis Lopez, 45, both of Socorro, were taken into custody Sunday morning after the discovery of a partially-nude woman on a California Street sidewalk.

According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched at 11:35 a.m. June 29 to the corner of California and Sixth streets on the report of a woman lying on the sidewalk wearing only a T-shirt.  

Socorro has a strong supply of fireworks going into the Fourth of July holiday as more and more stands have popped up around town. There are currently 10 fireworks stands in Socorro and one in Magdalena, while fireworks also are available at two stores in Socorro.

That equals 13 places in the county where people can buy fireworks, or about one for every 1,400 people.  

There also is a lot of demand for fireworks in the Socorro area, where Independence Day celebrations seem to stretch out over several weeks as fireworks light up the sky every night.

The secretary of state's office has revised procedures for recounts in close primary election contests, including a state Senate race in which some ballots are missing in one county.

A charge of murder has been dropped against one of three brothers arrested in the June 5 stabbing death of a New Mexico Tech student.

Wildfire danger is high in the county and Socorro County Fire Marshal Fred Hollis urges residents to use adequate precautions when lighting fireworks in the next couple of weeks.

In a special meeting Hollis called at the County Annex building Tuesday, city, state and federal agencies discussed fireworks and the increased danger of wildfires.

Cindy Wolfe of the Cibola National Forest's Ranger Station in Magdalena said it's important for the public to keep fireworks safety in mind.

"It is very dry now, and according to the weather service the monsoons will be late this season," Wolfe said. "In Magdalena we're already hearing fireworks going off, and everyone needs to be aware of the danger of incendiary devices landing in fields and setting off a grass fire."

Every summer, the Junior Olympics Program puts on local, regional and national sporting events for youngsters between 8 and 13.

The events were started to give kids the chance to test their skills and athleticism.

Socorro held its own event early this spring. Young athletes from Midway, San Antonio and Magdalena elementaries also came to participate in Socorro's local event.

Participants competed separately in four athletic events: basketball, soccer, tennis and track and field.

The inmates who were transferred to McKinley and Cibola counties following a jail break are expected to be back in Socorro sometime next week.

Socorro County Detention Center administrator Evangel Maldonado said maintenance and repairs to the Socorro jail facility were nearly complete on Tuesday.

"Most of the maintenance will be finished soon," Maldonado said. "We're just waiting on the cameras."

There was no surveillance camera in operation to record a June 12 incident in which two inmates beat up a detention center guard, took his keys and fled.

The community is invited to join the hula-dancing chameleons and many other original characters at Friday's Seaside Resort on Saturday when the Missoula Children's Theatre and more than 50 local students present the Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.

The Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe will be presented at 3:00pm and 5:30pm at the Finley Gym. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for youth and are available at the door.

The local cast features John Carilli as Robinson Crusoe, Jeriana Contreras as Wilson, his sole companion, and Tita Marrero-Van Fleet as Leonard the Leopard.  

Three people were arrested last weekend in separate drug-related incidents. Two women were arrested and charged after Socorro police officers executed a search warrant at a Loma Vista apartment on El Camino ...

For most, it is difficult to imagine life during the Great Depression. While the Depression began at the end of the 1920s, the entire nation suffered most dramatically during the period between 1929 and 1933.

To obtain an eyewitness account of that era, we must listen to "the voices" - of those courageous children - now in their 80s and 90s.

This was their life during the Great Depression.

The people of the depression gained a new outlook on life and many survivors still hold those same virtues today.

May 23

* An officer was dispatched at 11:56 p.m. to the 900 block of Ake Avenue on a report of individuals passing the residence making threats. The suspect drove into the driveway and pointed something in the direction of the victim, who said he was unable to identify what the object was. When contacted, individuals in the vehicles indicated to the officer there was no gun. Following a search of the vehicle, an air pistol that resembled a gun was found under the passenger seat. The passenger admitted he also had a handgun. All denied pointing any sort of gun at anyone.

El Paso Times Living Editor Paula Monarez Diaz and foodie Felipa Solis blog about great eateries.

To the Editor,

There are so many people out there who want to quit smoking or using spit tobacco.

Spit tobacco includes chewing, dipping, or using snuff. The statistics show that 70 percent of the people who smoke want to quit.  

What are the reasons a person who smokes or uses spit tobacco would want to quit?

The reason could be one or more of many: They already know it is unhealthy for their bodies and want to become healthier, they don't want to get lung, mouth, larynx or esophagus cancers, they don't want to be at a higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease than non-smokers, they do not want to get emphysema or bronchitis.  

Chuck Harvell, a resident of Catron County for about 12 years, is a craftsman who creates unique figurines from horseshoes.

"I enjoy sculpturing horseshoes into cowboys, vaqueros, and other works of art," Harvell said. "I've always had an imagination. I used to make robots out of nuts and bolts as a child."

Harvell took lessons in welding about four years ago and started creating artwork using horseshoes.  

He and his wife of 15 years, Lori, travel to county fairs and art festivals displaying and selling his wares.

At the June 10 commission meeting, Bobbi Jo McIntire from Socorro County Options Prevention and Education presented the results of SCOPE's domestic violence survey to Socorro County Commissioners.

UNM Press author Pari Noskin Taichert and other contributors to the mystery blog Murderati were recently nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Mystery Website.

Most inmates of the Socorro County Detention Center were transferred to other counties after two illegal aliens escaped from the facility early Thursday morning.

Friends and family members are remembering a New Mexico Tech student who was stabbed to death last week.