Walter Risdon Biebelle III (67) of San Lorenzo, NM passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, March 26.

Walter was born a twin with Barbara Jane Biebelle on June 2, 1949 to Walter and Frances Biebelle in Silver City, NM.

The Biebelles were a long time ranching family.

Walter played football at Cobre High. He graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics in 1971. He worked in Arizona, and then moved to Carlsbad, New Mexico, where he ranched for over twenty years. He returned to the Mimbres Valley and lived on the family farm until his death.

Walter was an excellent horseman and was gifted with a knowledge of cattle and the land. He loved the outdoors and hunting. He enjoyed being a character.

He is survived by his daughter, Patricia Zane Biebelle, his son, W.R. Biebelle IV, his sisters, Margaret Dines and Mary Campbell, and numerous family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter R. Biebelle Jr. and Frances, and his twin sister, Barbara.

Services will be held in Deming, NM at the United Methodist Church 1020 S. Granite St on Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 2:00 PM. Interment will follow at the Deming Cemetery.

Bright Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, "Traditional Services and Care for your family and friends," 210 W. College Ave., Silver City, NM 88061.

Online remembrances may be made at www.brightfuneral.net

So far, 2017 has seen a great deal of activity in Western states around the issue of the transfer of federal land to willing states. Many western state Representatives and Senators have introduced legislation to consider and study the possibility.

In Montana, two proposed (joint) resolutions were introduced in opposition to the idea but were roundly rejected by House and Senate committees in late February. Utah's HB407 would set up a framework in the state to keep public lands public.

At the national level, in January the U.S. House made a simple change in its procedural rules that will facilitate bringing public land management closer to home. Currently, there are discussions of the budget for the federal government's 2018 Fiscal Year. In his comments on the budget, Rob Bishop, Chairman of the House National Resources Committee, stated "It is time to reconsider how the federal government can be more responsive to the needs of the nation's counties and provide for them a greater say over how these lands in their backyards are managed." (Bishop's remarks are well worth reading.)

As a result of all this positive activity, news media outlets have also raised doubts about the motivations and potential outcomes of the Transfer of Public Lands (TPL). As outlined in its public policy statement, the American Lands Council advocates the transfer of ordinary public lands to willing states: NOT wilderness areas, NOT national parks, NOT monuments, NOT areas of special concern, and NOT Indian Reservations. Once transferred, ALC advocates that these transferred lands are retained as public lands. (BTW: Watch this video of green groups who oppose legislation to keep public lands public.)

Here are responses to some of the questions arising from recent media discussions, and we hope they are useful for you.

Who supports the TPL?

ALC'S RESPONSE: The people most eager for change are in America's communities and counties surrounded by federal government lands, which have become increasingly unhealthy, unsafe, inaccessible and unproductive. They want to experience the benefits of good stewardship combined with more local accountability. Around the country, a growing movement of people understand that this is a much needed change of course.

Over recent months an artificial dissent has been stirred up by well-funded and well-heeled green groups whose vested interests fundamentally are at stake in this debate. Subjecting current federal lands to more state and local control would diminish their influence. So they continue to advocate the status quo, with hardly any constructive solutions to bring to the table. They seek to marginalize anyone who might have a different view or experience.

Wouldn't the TPL undermine our nation's federal lands heritage?

ALC's RESPONSE: The U.S. federal government has proved to be a distant, unaccountable, archaic and inefficient landlord. Green groups have targeted its land management agencies with a persistent combination of regulation, frivolous lawsuits and other litigation, lobbying and intimidation techniques. Their "lock it up" agenda has become the default approach to policy, rather than the idea of "multiple use".

Consider the U.S. Forest Service, which acknowledges that at least one-third of its own lands are in desperate need of treatment. Catastrophic wildfire (CW) is a real and imminent threat on those USFS lands, because mismanagement and lack of due care has caused fuels to become unnaturally dense.

The environmental impacts of CW cannot be understated: sterilization of soil, harm to watersheds, erosion, devastation of wildlife habitat. (Not to mention the threat of human devastation through loss of property, livelihoods, infrastructure, economic and recreation opportunities.)

Year on year, the USFS finds itself unable to cope with the financial burden of fighting CW on its lands. In FY2016, over half of the agency's budget ($3.9 billion out of $7 billion) was related to wildfire management.

Adding to these woes, the USFS once returned money to the U.S. Treasury; now the U.S. taxpayer subsidizes the agency. With its multi-billion dollar maintenance backlog (just like the National Park Service and Dept. of the Interior), the situation can only get worse – especially when more and more of the agency's budget is consumed by fire suppression costs.

Instead of being treated like an asset, the federal lands have become a burdensome liability and the American taxpayer gets stuck with the bill for mismanagement, increasing costs and declining revenue streams. This should worry all of us, given the trillions of dollars of debt that our government has racked up – like a credit card bill of $260,000 for every American family, says Rick Mulvaney, head of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Will States be able to afford to manage the lands that are transferred?

ALC'S RESPONSE: States need to possess the ability to balance economic development, revenue generation and environmental amenities. The TPL can bring management closer to home and enable far greater accountability in decision-making.

Today, America's states and counties have little if any say over the management of federal lands within their boundaries. The federal government hasn't been paying its way either: the "Payment in Lieu of Taxes" is almost negligible, and the Secure Rural Schools Act was not renewed by Congress. Generating self-supporting finance should be a management priority for any lands that are transferred.

The evidence indicates that western states are far better than the federal government at generating revenue off their own lands (i.e. school trust lands). Thorough analysis shows that states are less bureaucratic, more nimble, accountable and productive in managing their assets. As noted by economists Terry Anderson and Peter Hill, "the discipline of the bottom line is crucial to changing government land management. Unlike national agencies, state land managers do not have a bottomless trough from which to draw their budgets."

By contrast, the four agencies managing public lands don't have to generate their own operating revenue, since their budgets are granted by Congress. As such, the federal government spends a vast amount of money and still runs a financial deficit – such as the $18 billion maintenance backlog across those four agencies, for things like roads, buildings, trails, bridges and other structures.

Inevitably there will be issues associated with any transition of management. With land that might potentially be transferred to states, ALC seeks to equip relevant agencies with resources to enable a successful transfer. In those areas where the federal government has caused problems because of its neglectful mismanagement, it must equally assume fiduciary responsibility for the problems it has caused – for example, with resources to fight catastrophic wildfire, until that situation can be rectified.

Will the TPL mean that recreation revenue dries up and disappears?

ALC's RESPONSE: A balanced stewardship approach would enable many tangible and intangible outputs to result from public lands – for employment, for generating revenue for county, state and federal government entities, for a healthy environment, abundant wildlife and ample recreation opportunities.

The "recreational user" lobby (which seems to be a combination of influential green groups working with retailers of outdoor goods and services) has positioned itself as paramount to all other public lands users, implying that the TPL to willing states will entail lost opportunities and lost revenue.

Of course, the "lock it up" tactic of recent decades has by necessity meant that the federal government has not facilitated multiple use, and recreation revenue is perhaps one of the more visible outputs today. This revenue results from, effectively, a huge subsidy, as argued recently by Terry Anderson: "For every dollar that the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management spent on recreation from 2009-13, they took in less than 30 cents" (See "Divided Lands" study for more info.)

Because of road and trail closures and maintenance backlogs, recreational users of the public lands increasingly have been blocked from access. On that topic, recreation and green groups mostly are silent.

Blog post URL: http://www.americanlandscouncil.org/tpl_progress_in_2017

American Lands Council

South Jordan, Utah

http://www.americanlandscouncil.org

Santa Fe, NM - The New Mexico Economic Development Department will host the next FUNDIT meeting on April 25 to help local leaders identify funding for economic development projects. New Mexico FUNDIT, is a streamlined approach to help communities identify funding opportunities in one centralized location by bringing local, state and federal funding agencies together to analyze and compare proposals for capital projects. The state is calling on communities to submit project proposals by April 14 for review during its upcoming meeting.

New Mexico FUNDIT is an informal group of funding agencies that meets regularly to review potential projects. Over 13 Federal and State entities are represented in the group. Their goal is to improve the effectiveness of project review and support, while ensuring communities have the information they need to obtain full funding for projects.

The types of projects to be considered include:
• Business Development
• Community Development
• Infrastructure Development
• Housing Projects
• Downtown Redevelopment

The meeting will take place from 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, at the Bataan Building - Red Room 407 Galisteo Street Santa Fe, NM 87501. For more information, or to submit a project application or to RSVP contact Johanna Nelson, Johanna.Nelson@state.nm.us, 505-827-0264.

Santa Fe, NM – Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced New Mexico will receive the largest tobacco settlement payment in April 2017, a total payment in excess of $50 million. This is due to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) securing an additional $14.5 million after a judge agreed with the OAG that New Mexico was being shortchanged by Big Tobacco. The cigarette industry didn't want to make the increased payments it owed to New Mexico, but could not identify any legal basis for stopping enforcement of a prior order obtained by the Office of the Attorney General for the extra $14.5 million. Late yesterday, First Judicial District Court Judge Ortiz agreed with the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General.

"I will continue to aggressively hold Big Tobacco accountable for the harms cigarettes cause to New Mexicans, and our record $50 million payment for 2017 includes an additional $14.5 million we won for New Mexico," Attorney General Balderas said. "At a time of severe budget shortfalls and economic crisis, this record recovery will ensure additional funds go to New Mexican children, Medicaid programs, HIV patients, and smoking cessation programs."

The New Mexico Legislature has determined that tobacco settlement money should be spent primarily on healthcare and education, including the additional $14.5 million that the Office of the Attorney General has secured for 2017. The largest recipient of tobacco settlement money is Medicaid and children make up nearly two-thirds of New Mexico's Medicaid population. Other vital programs funded by tobacco settlement money include cancer screening, services for HIV patients, and smoking cessation programs.

Copies of pleadings in this matter available upon request.

Silver City, NM: Over a third of nonprofits realize that employee retention is their greatest weakness, according to the 2016 Nonprofit Employment Practices Survey conducted Nonprofit HR. Long hours working with clients in crisis and trying to change policies in stagnate systems leaves many nonprofit employees at risk for "burn out," a state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by long-term stress resulting from a person's career.

Many people enter the nonprofit field to give back to their community or to follow their passion. Unfortunately, nonprofit employees face many of the same perils as employees at for-profit businesses: shrinking budgets, increased workloads and stagnate salaries. These factors contribute to nearly 45% of nonprofit employees who reported that they planned to leave their organization in the next two years, according to a survey conducted by the human resource company, Nonprofit Talent.

Stacey Cox is aware of the perils nonprofit employees face, having experienced it first hand. Cox worked for over 15 years as a Chief Executive Officer of a large social justice nonprofit when she realized she was burned out. Physically ill and exhausted, she wondered how a profession she saw as her life's calling could leave her in such a beleaguered state.

After some time off to recuperate, Cox returned to school and focused her studies on how working in a high need environment with little reward leads to burnout. Now Cox has dedicated her career to help nonprofit employees steer clear of burn out, and help those who have already burned out to recover.

Cox will share her insights and experiences at one-hour brown bag training on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, at noon in the College Street Plaza, Suite #5, 301 W. College Ave., in Silver City. The training is offered at no cost by the Nonprofit Resource Group. Limited seating is available so please RSVP your seat by registering today.

For a full schedule of the NRG training calendar for 2017 and a listing of services visit their website at www.NResourceGroup.org.

Registration is required for all NRG trainings. For more information, call Kendra Milligan at (575) 597-0035 or email NRG@swchi.org.

Stacey Cox offers insight into avoiding burnout to nonprofit employees at upcoming training.About the Nonprofit Resource Group (GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION)

The Nonprofit Resource Group (NRG) is a program of The National Center for Frontier Communities (NCFC). Nonprofits and other organizations form an essential piece of the larger social safety net and are on the front lines of identifying and delivering essential human services in frontier communities. To do all this, nonprofits need to be strong, resilient and innovative. NRG staff and consultants are dedicated to helping build and sustain nonprofit and other community organizations so that they can fulfill these roles effectively and sustainably, in partnership with private business and government.

For more information visit: www.NResourceGroup.org.

About the National Center for Frontier Communities (GENERAL ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION)

The National Center for Frontier Communities (NCFC) is a research and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health and quality of life in frontier America. NCFC gives a voice to people and programs in frontier communities and raises awareness of frontier issues to policy makers, agencies, and the public.

Headquartered in Silver City, NM, NCFC serves as a central point of contact for referrals, information exchange, and networking among geographically separated communities.

For more information visit: www.frontierus.org.

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall vowed to fight President Trump's short-sighted executive order to rip apart U.S. efforts to fight climate change. Udall will be cosponsoring legislation to rescind the executive order, and signed a letter with Western Democratic senators emphasizing the importance of combating climate change and investing in renewable energy jobs. Udall released the following statement:

"With this executive order, President Trump is killing our country's best efforts to fight the urgent threat of climate change in order to benefit big polluters. He may deny that climate change is real, but the science is clear, and New Mexico and the Southwest are in the bull's eye when it comes to the devastating effects of global warming. Rising temperatures, more frequent droughts, and increasingly severe wildfires are jeopardizing our water supply, economy and health. New Mexicans of all backgrounds understand that climate change poses a grave threat to our way of life, and that we need to take action.

"This short-sighted executive order also seeks to undermine our work to limit the waste of publicly owned natural gas resources and reduce the methane hotspot hanging over the Four Corners region. Leaking and inefficient oil and gas wells on federal land waste enough natural gas to power a city the size of Chicago every year. Not only does this mean taxpayers are losing out on tens of millions of dollars in royalties each year, but the methane produced is a powerful greenhouse gas, and the associated smog poses a clear public health threat. While President Trump says this order is about ending job-killing regulations, there's simply no evidence that rules to limit natural gas waste hurt job growth. In fact, these rules create good jobs in an emerging waste mitigation industry, while helping states pay for schools, law enforcement and other services.

"President Trump is wrong: today's order won't create new demand for coal and oil — it will just flatline U.S. efforts to do our fair share to stop global warming. The claims by President Trump and other Republicans that Obama-era pollution control rules hurt energy production and jobs are also false. According to data from the Energy Information Administration, domestic oil production went up by over 70 percent, natural gas production by over 30 percent, and utility scale renewable electricity by 60 percent during the course of the Obama administration.

"With this executive order and his proposal to slash federal funding for clean energy, President Trump is missing a huge investment opportunity and handing the competitive advantage to China and other countries. Nationwide, the demand for clean energy is up, and global market signals show the future is in renewables. That's one reason New Mexico has become a leader in the clean energy economy, creating thousands of new, good-paying jobs in wind, solar, and other alternative energy arenas. I will fight this executive order and work for smart policies to combat global warming and allow New Mexico and the United States to lead in the global clean energy economy."

Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2017) – U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) sent a letter to President Trump urging him to rescind the Executive Order issued today that attempts to reverse multiple major U.S. initiatives to combat climate change.

The Senators joined eight other U.S. Senators from six Western states in writing that the Order "fails to bring clean energy jobs to our rural communities, ignores the impacts that extreme weather will have on our economy and our national security, and does not decrease our reliance on foreign oil."

"We stand ready to work with you and your Administration in reaching a balance between achieving energy independence, promoting innovation, and growing our rural economies," the Senators wrote in the letter. "Unfortunately, your Executive Order takes the nation in the wrong direction. In order to account for the unique needs of our Western states, we respectfully request you rescind the Energy Independence Executive Order."

The Senators outlined several reasons the President should rescind the Order, including that it fails to:

• Address the issue of creating jobs, or account in any way for a real and effective solution to support coal communities to revitalize their local economies and create 21st century job opportunities.
• Support the clean energy industry, one of the fastest-growing sources of new jobs in the country and New Mexico. (Collectively, the wind and solar industry accounts for nearly 144,000 jobs and more than $83 billion in existing capital investment in Western states.)
• Consider the economic impacts of extreme weather events on rural communities, such as increasing crop premiums for farmers and loss of snowpack for the ski industry,
• Make our country more secure and less reliant on foreign oil.

U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-N.V.), Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) signed the letter.

Full text of the letter is available here.

Rio Rancho, NM - Today Governor Susana Martinez joined local officials and Safelite Group® executives to celebrate the grand opening of Safelite Solution's new Rio Rancho contact center. Since June, Safelite Solution's has created 517 full-time and 288 part-time jobs. Originally projected to create 400 full-time jobs by the end of 2018, Safelite is roughly two years ahead of their hiring schedule and will hire more than 1,000 employees in Rio Rancho by the end of the year.

"Today, the power of New Mexico's business incentives are on full display," said Governor Susana Martinez. "When we create a business-friendly environment, we attract companies like Safelite that make an incredible difference in our communities by creating great jobs and great opportunities for New Mexicans."

Safelite cited New Mexico's talent-rich workforce and business-friendly environment as some of the reasons for choosing New Mexico for their new contact center. Safelite's new facility represents the largest single job creation in New Mexico since 2009.

"For 70 years, Safelite AutoGlass has been known for leading the way in the vehicle glass repair and replacement industry, but that's not all we do," said Safelite Group President & CEO Tom Feeney. "As our services grow and diversify, it's a fantastic time to work at Safelite. Our people will have a chance to grow with us as we seek to be the greatest, most trusted and admired service brand."

Safelite Solution's VP of Client Service Delivery Brian O'Mara added, "We have found people who demonstrate our Safelite Spirit - a service mindset, can-do attitude and caring heart, which will allow us to continue to offer the best possible experience to our customers and our fleet and insurance clients who continually look for us to support their growing needs."

To date, Safelite has been awarded $873,292 in Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) funds and New Mexico will invest $3 million in Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) funding to invest in infrastructure improvements to accommodate Safelite's expansion. LEDA serves as New Mexico's closing fund, and is a valuable tool for recruiting new businesses to the state while helping those that are already here grow and thrive. Governor Martinez fought to grow the closing fund to $56 million, up from nearly zeroed out when she took office.

"We are appreciative of the State of Mexico and local officials who have been great partners, they were a large factor in selecting Rio Rancho as our new home," said Feeney. "Our commitment is to be a long-standing partner to the Rio Rancho community. Our business is expanding, and we've opened this facility to support our growth. By extending our service, we see great potential to continue to make a real difference in the lives of the people we serve and the communities in which we live and work."

As a people-focused organization, Safelite offers a dynamic work environment and caring culture with programs that support the professional and personal well-being of their employees such as paid training programs, professional development and tuition reimbursement.

"By creating such a huge impact in a short amount of time, Safelite has truly shown how important our incentives are for New Mexico," said Economic Development Secretary Matt Geisel. "With tools like LEDA and JTIP, we are able to not only create jobs but also create opportunities for the development of our workforce."

About Safelite Group
Safelite Group® is a leading service organization reaching record-growth thanks to a People Powered, Customer Driven strategy. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the company, which has been in business since 1947, is comprised of three major business operations whose services include Safelite AutoGlass®, the largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services in the U.S.; Safelite® Solutions, the nation's leading fleet and insurance claims management services; and Service AutoGlass®, a vehicle glass wholesale and distribution operation. Together, the businesses serve 10 million customers annually through more than 9,200 MobileGlassShopsTM and facilities. Safelite Group employs nearly 14,000 people throughout the United States. For more information, visit Safelite.com, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Washington, DC (March 28, 2017) Congressman Steve Pearce today released the following statement after President Trump signed the Energy Independence Executive Order:

"The Obama Administration continuously attacked our nation's production of reliable energy resources, which crippled economic opportunity in New Mexico and across the nation. Today's Executive Order by President Trump revamps our nation's energy production by declaring an end to the War on Coal, the BLM's hydraulic fracturing rule, the BLM's venting and flaring rules, and the EPA's methane rule. Overturning these job-killing regulations will reduce government overreach and return the power back to the states where it belongs."

Rep. Pearce continued to state, "New Mexicans deserve affordable energy and greater access to good-paying jobs that comes with domestic energy production. Relieving our nation of some of these harmful Obama-era energy regulations allows us to move towards an ‘all of the above' energy plan that stimulates job growth and reinvests in New Mexico's resource production. This means more money for schools teachers, hospitals, law enforcement, and other essential services our local economies rely on. Today's actions will also allow New Mexico to have the opportunity to become a stronger leader in our nation's energy development."

As a longtime member and current Chairman Emeritus of the Congressional Western Caucus, Rep. Pearce has supported efforts to relieve families, small businesses, farmers, and ranchers in New Mexico from burdensome environmental regulations. Most recently, Rep. Pearce has applauded moves by President Trump to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline permit and rollback the BLM's Planning 2.0 rule that limited local community input on land management decisions.

Edward "Lalo" Manuel Carbajal, 54, a resident of Lordsburg, NM entered eternal rest Friday, March 17, 2017 at Los Lunas Detention Center in Los Lunas, NM.

He was born March 20, 1962 in Bellflower, CA to Ralph Carbajal and Bessie Herr.

He is survived by two daughters, Christian Katlyn Carbajal and Laura Renee Carbajal; one granddaughter; one brother, Ralph Carbajal III and wife Melissa of Silver City; two sisters, Lillian Morales and husband David of Las Cruces; Luzelena Carbajal of Silver City; nieces, Jessica, Allyssa, Anisa, Jazmin, and Kendra; nephews, Kenneth, Charlie, Jesse Ja, Andy, Anfernee, Austyn, Justyn, Ralph IV, Randy, Rafael, and Ernesto.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will be Thursday, March 30th from 5 - 6 p.m. at Terrazas Funeral Chapels. The funeral service will be Friday, March 31st at 11 a.m. at Terrazas Funeral Chapels with Pastor Floyd Robertson officiating. Concluding service an interment will follow at Santa Clara Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Ralph Carbajal III, Lillian Morales, Luzelena Carbajal, Erie Pettengill Sr., Kenneth Richards and Charles Hernandez.

Arrangements are with Terrazas Funeral Chapels "Trusted care for the ones you love" ~ 575-537-0777. To send condolences, visit www.terrazasfuneralchapel.com.

Most of the readers of my articles are aware I am from Louisiana. One thing I like to do is cook. But I don't use recipes. Brown a little of this. Add a little of that. Mix in some of those. Taste it... then add more seasoning as to get that perfect flavor. And there it is... a perfect meal with no name and no recipe to ever make it again. It's just a full pot of comfort food. My wife will attest to the fact that she is often amazed how I can take almost nothing and turn it into a decent meal.

At the Chamber of Commerce, we are cooking on a whole bunch of burners all the time. We have the July 4th Celebration, the First Annual Murray Ryan Golf Tournament, possibilities at the Grant County Business and Conference Center, upcoming tourism conferences, new chamber members, open houses and ribbon cuttings. Our pots and pans stay full. The trick is to keep from burning any of the things we are cooking. You know what I mean. There's nothing worse than having the smoke alarm go off at the busiest time.

So what are a few of the things we are cooking up in the coming weeks? This evening we are attending the Open House for Silver city Care Center. We are meeting the staff and exploring the facility. We are learning more about Silver City Care Center and all the things they are able to do. On April 6, we will have a Board of Directors meeting and our monthly Chamber of Commerce Lunch meeting at the WNMU Student Cafeteria Sunset Room. On Friday – April 7, we will help with a Grand Opening Celebration and ribbon cutting for Elemental Artisans, a new hand-made jewelry and photography studio at 406-B Bullard Street in downtown Silver City. On April 19, the Chamber of Commerce will assist Hidalgo Medical Services with their opening of the new full-service on-site pharmacy at 1007 North Pope Street in Silver City.

Between these events, the Chamber of Commerce office will continue mailing relocation packets and tourism packets across the United States. We will continue taking telephone calls and emails from folks asking all kinds of questions and requesting lots of various types of information. We will continue being an advocate for businesses and our community. We will sit with individuals and help them through their important issues. We will visit with businesses discussing their issues and learning what their needs are for the present and future. We will continue marketing the Silver City – Grant County area as a great destination for tourism, retirement, and work. We will continue to work with state, county, and local governments in an effort to build toward great successes in the future. We will continue to promote Western New Mexico University as the excellent higher education facility that it is a great economic driver for the future of Grant County. And we will even continue trying to support some type of coalition to ensure the preservation of Fort Bayard.

By the way, the Village of Santa Clara has volunteers coming in a couple of weeks with the AmeriCorps program. They will be doing lots of work on the old officers' homes and buildings to help preserve them from weather and vandalism. The windows will be boarded up... but they will be painted to look like windows. Access to basements and upstairs areas will be closed off. This work will take lots of materials that cost almost $8000 dollars. They will need 220 sheets of plywood and 50 gallons of paint. If you or your business can help by donating materials or money to be used to purchase the materials, please contact Sheila Hudman, Santa Clara Village Clerk. Her phone number is 537-2443 ext. 5.

Running the Chamber of Commerce is somewhat like cooking. All the burners are being used and we are mixing a lot of stuff in at any given time. Hopefully, and I think our track record is pretty good, but hopefully at the end of the day we have cooked up something that works well for our members, for our community and for all the people who contact us each day. If you want a taste of what we do, call me at the Chamber of Commerce office. Our phone number is 575-536-3785 or send an email to sterry@silvercity.org. I am the president of the Chamber of Commerce 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Senior Harry Wetton ended up leading the way Tuesday, but the Western New Mexico University men’s golf team wasn’t able to gain any ground as they finished 12th after the third and final round of the St. Edward’s Invitational at the par 70, 6,530-yard Onion Creek Club Course.

It was a tough final round overall for the Mustangs as they fired a 309, coupled with earlier rounds of 294 and 294 to finish with a 897 to come in 12th. Midwestern State passed Cameron to win the 13-team tournament with an 849, three-strokes ahead of the field. Midwestern State’s Jared Baker also won the individual title in a playoff as he tied with Missouri Southern’s Connor Neil as both carded 204’s.

Wetton led the way with a final round 76, as he opened with rounds of 72 to finish with a 220 to tie for 35th. He came away with four birdies on the day. Freshman Pedro De La Vega and junior Ross White each tallied third round scores of 78. De La Vega ended up in a tie for 43rd as he shot scores of 70-73-78 for a 221. White ended up in 53rd as he recorded rounds of 73 the first day before finishing with a 78 for a 224.

He posted one birdie during the final round. Freshman Gonzalo Pan De Soraluce was strong following a tough first round 82, he came back with scores of 76 and 77 for a 235 to finish 67th. Rounding out the five for the Mustangs was freshman John Gallegos as he carded a 250 (79-81-90) to land in 71st.

As a team, the Mustangs posted a 3.44 average on par-three, 4.41 on par-four and 5.11 on par-five. They compiled 141 pars, 26 birdies and an eagle. Individually, Pan De Soraluce led the team in par-three scoring at 3.27, Wetton in par-four at 4.10 and White in par-five at 4.89. De La Vega led the Mustangs in pars with 33 and Wetton led in birdies with 11, just two off the top spot. De La Vega was also one of 10 golfers to score an eagle.

WNMU will return to action Apr. 3-4 when they host the Mustang Intercollegiate at the Palm Valley Golf Course in Goodyear, Ariz.

Silver City, NM, March 29, 2017—For Immediate Release—The Gila National Forest, Silver City Ranger District personnel will be opening five campgrounds for the season on Monday, April 3. The campgrounds are:

· Iron Creek Campground, located in the Black Range Mountains off NM State Highway 152

· Upper Gallinas Campground, located in the Black Range Mountains off NM State Highway 152

· Railroad Canyon Campground, located in the Black Range Mountains off NM State Highway 152

· Cherry Creek Campground, located off NM State Highway 15

· McMillan Campground, located off NM State Highway 15

Gila National Forest officials remind visitors that weather and conditions can change suddenly in the high country and to be aware of potential hazards in campgrounds and on forest roads.

Always practice these campfire safety guidelines:

· Clear all flammable material away from the fire for a minimum of five feet in all directions

· Make a fire only if you have a shovel and sufficient water to put it out

· Never leave your campfire unattended

· Do not make a campfire during the windy part of the day

· Drown your campfire with water, stir with dirt making sure all burned materials are extinguished. Feel it with your hand to make sure it’s out cold

· Every campfire will be put DEAD OUT before leaving it

Silver City, NM, March 28, 2017—For Immediate Release. The Gila National Forest Silver City Ranger District, which is co-located with the Supervisor’s Office, is pleased to announce a change to their office hours beginning April 3.

The Gila National Forest offices located in Silver City receive a lot of visitors who wish to get information about the forest, in addition to buying maps and permits. The offices are located at 3005 Camino del Bosque St. in Silver City, just off the 32st Bypass Rd. The new hours for the Silver City Ranger District/Supervisor’s Office are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, except for Federal Holidays.

LEGAL NOTICE
The Town of Silver City Recycling Advisory Committee will hold a meeting on Thursday, April 6, 2017 at 3:00 PM at the Office of Sustainability, 1106 N. Pope St. The public is invited to attend. The complete agenda is available on the Town's website at www.townofsilvercity.org. If you are an individual with a disability who needs a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the meeting, please contact the Town Clerk at 534-6346 at least one week prior to the meeting or as soon as possible. Public documents, including the agenda or minutes, can be provided in various accessible formats. Please contact the Town Clerk if a summary or other type of accessible format is needed.

March 29, 2017 (Silver City, NM) – For the first time in the Tour of the Gila history, stage 1 will have a flat finish on Whitewater Mesa with no King or Queen of the Mountain points or jerseys awarded. Instead, sprint points and bonus times will be awarded. The changes come due to infrastructure repair taking place in the historic town of Mogollon, negatively affecting road conditions leading up the final climb.

“This is the first time in our history that we have had to alter the route,” Race Director Jack Brennan said. “We lost 2.9 miles of climbing which is the iconic part of Mogollon. It’s so incredible and beautiful up there but we don’t have it this year. It’s going to change the whole dynamics of the race.”

Silver City - Silver City’s Public Works Department is gearing up for various road improvement projects on College Avenue, Silver Street and 32nd Street. Though repairs won’t begin until late spring, the department was busy throughout the winter planning the upcoming projects, and making a number of improvements to Cooper Street and the Vista de Plata affordable housing subdivision.

Cooper Street improvements include a new wall in front of El Grito School, new sidewalks with ramps that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), new fencing and on-street parking. The federally funded project cost was $289,000.

In the Vista de Plata affordable housing subdivision a $993,000 state-funded project is now complete, which includes drainage, new paving, curbs and gutters, ADA-compliant sidewalks and ramps, lighting improvements, signage and pavement striping. The improvements span Camino de Sueños from 10th Street to Kelly Street, and Kelly Street from Camino de Sueños to Gold Street, said Peter Peña, director of the town’s Public Works Department.

“Our hope is that these improvements will help spur more home construction,” he said. “Vista de Plata is a great opportunity for low-to-moderate income families to become home owners.”

Most 2017 street projects kick off in May, once requests for proposals are publicized, construction bids received and contracts awarded, explained Peña.

Phase Two of College Avenue improvements will happen from Cooper Street west to E Street, and include new pavement and drainage, curbs and gutters, and new ADA-compliant sidewalks. WNMU is partnering with the town on this state-funded project to add colored crosswalks, new lighting and landscaping. The project is expected to begin June 1 and be completed by late fall.

The third phase of Silver Street improvements will impact traffic from Silver Heights Blvd. to just north of 20th Street, with new paving, curb and gutter improvements, ADA-compliant sidewalks including driveway entrances, signage and pavement striping for a bicycle lane, which will complete the bike lane from 32nd Street to Silver Heights Blvd. This project is slated to begin mid-May to early June, and will take approximately 90 days to complete.

The goal, Peña added, is to complete these projects to make way for the State Department of Transportation’s $6 million project on Highway 15 from Silver Heights Blvd. to 32nd Street, which includes new paving, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, storm drainage, lighting, pavement striping and bicycle lanes. This project won’t likely begin until late this year, and will take approximately nine months.

The Town of Silver City will also fund an estimated $125,000 “chip and fog seal” repair project across more than five miles of streets north of Silver High School, and a sidewalk improvement project on 32nd Street this year, added Peña, along with survey and design for future ADA improvements to side streets in the historic downtown area between Market and Yankie streets, including Texas, Pinos Altos, and Arizona streets. The projected cost: approximately $100,000.

“We’re always trying to make Silver City better,” said Peña. “We want to make sure that we have viable and serviceable streets that serve the needs of everyone, including cyclists and pedestrians.”

ALBUQUERQUE – Crystal Medina Gomez, 50, of Silver City, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 30 months of imprisonment for her methamphetamine trafficking conviction. Gomez will be on supervised release for three years after completing her prison sentence.

Gomez was one of twelve defendants charged with methamphetamine trafficking offenses as the result of a multi-agency investigation targeting a drug trafficking organization led by Daniel Lee Jacquez, 35, of Silver City, that distributed methamphetamine in Grant County, N.M. The investigation concluded in April 2015 with the filing of a 34-count indictment against Gomez, Jacquez and ten co-defendants.

Extremely Critical Fire Weather Conditions Possible On Friday...

.A strong upper low will be moving out of the Great Basin and into the Four Corners region on Friday. Very strong west-southwest winds will increase ahead of this system to 25 to 35 mph.
Warm temperatures and dry low levels will contribute to relative
humidities falling into the upper single digits to lower teens
which when combined with the winds will create extremely critical fire weather conditions. Cooler temperatures will move in for the weekend.

New Mexico Fire Weather Zone 110
Southwest Mountains/gila Nf/apache Nf/glz-
New Mexico Fire Weather Zone 111
Southwest Deserts And Lowlands/las Cruces Blm/glz-
New Mexico Fire Weather Zone 112
South Central Lowlands And Southern Rio Grande Valley/blm/glz-

By Barbara Jorgen Nance

Why can’t deer just put on their PJs at night and lounge around like the rest of us do? But, no. They insist on running around in the dark and crashing into our cars and trucks. That is exactly what happened to us.

In my last column we were off to Oregon to help my Mom, as she can no longer live alone. We were planning on taking our big, King Cab Ford truck, all three dogs, tools, weedeater, etc., to work around the property and prepare Mom’s house for sale. Well, a large deer changed all those plans. My husband, Sherwood, and his friend were coming home one eve from Arizona and had just passed the Wrangler on 180, when something big crashed into the driver’s side of truck. They didn’t know what hit them at first, as the driver’s side window imploded covering them in glass shards. They first thought someone was shooting at them. The police came and made a report of the incident. There was plenty of deer fur evidence imbedded in the side of the truck and the poor, dead deer was lying in the road.

A day or so later, our good friend Bob had a similar accident happen to his truck coming home from Lordsburg after dark. A big buck ran into the front of his truck. Bob is going to need serious repair work done to his vehicle as well. As Bob stood in the middle of the road estimating the damage to his truck, a second car came over the knoll and hit the same deer. Now, a second vehicle was disabled. At that time, two guys stopped and told Bob they wanted the deer’s antlers. As Bob was standing up for the deer’s rights, a third car came over the knoll and ran into the same deer again! This time it shattered the deer’s antlers, sending pieces everywhere. Bob likened it to shrapnel. Oh, deer! Needless to say, the two hunters had no use for antler shrapnel fragments, so they left the scene. I’m sure our deer stories aren’t the only ones out there. Be cautious if you need to drive at night.

Well, we did make it to Mom’s house in Oregon after two long days driving in my car. Not a lot of room, but our three dogs made the trip with us. We met up with my sister Nancy and got done what we could do, in between rainy spells. Mom’s house is now on the market and she’s adjusting to her new foster care home. At 93 years old, she’s no longer driving, and she never ran into a deer or vice versa.