Store staple Heated rivalry Longtime grocery store employee retires Steers, Warriors hoops teams square off PAGE 8 PAGE 2 El Defensor Chieftain www.dchieftain.com Vol. 149 • No. 2 COMMUNITY notes Tech Community Education classes New Mexico Tech’s Community Education classes begin Monday, Jan. 12, Register now at the Registrar’s Office, Fidel Center, Room 285. Visit www.nmt.edu/ced-home for a list of all courses offered. Astronomy talk at Mag Library The Magdalena Public Library will host a program called “A Comet Over Magdalena on Wednesday, Jan. 14, by local astronomer John Briggs, whose discussion will focus on how to see a new comet currently in the winter sky, Comet Lovejoy. Other comets will also be discussed. The free presentation for the whole family will be 6 to 7:30 p.m. and will also serve as the inaugural meeting of the newly formed Magdalena Astronomical Society. Bullock Avenue sidewalk closure © 2014, El Defensor Chieftain SOCOR RO, NEW MEX ICO • JA NUARY 8, 2015 2015 comes storming in Snowstorm causes accidents, people seek shelter By Eric Heinz El Defensor Chieftain staff writer [email protected] People stranded by snowfall, slick road conditions and freezing temperatures were all pieces of a whiteout that lasted from last Wednesday through Saturday morning in Socorro County. Jerry Wheeler, Socorro County Emergency Management Office coordinator, said there’s usually an annual winter event, but it always depends on certain circumstances. The El Niño that has been brewing since summer last year brings that added moisture. The ongoing construction of New Mexico Tech’s new Bureau of Geology building will necessitate the closure of the sidewalk along Bullock Avenue during working hours periodically. This project is scheduled to be completed in late winter/early spring 2015. “Normally what happens is the motels fill up first, and then we can open up the shelter when there’s no more in the community,” Wheeler said. “I think our big arctic blast was in February 2011, but it’s really hard to tell. We always try to stay prepared for these kinds of events.” Notices were sent out from the operating emergency center (OEC) to inform people to not travel and reduce driving speeds to 35 miles per hour, Wheeler said. “When the road gets bad, they shut down the Interstate, but as long as they keep the roads passable, it’s open,” Wheeler said. “With the sand and everything it keeps it passable. That doesn’t mean it’s like when it’s dry, but people continue to drive like it’s dry. Unfortunately, that’s when those accidents happen.” During the evening of Jan. 2, the city of Socorro reported there was a stranded family and that the family needed some place to stay. By midnight Cindy Rivera, supervisor of the youth programs at the Socorro Youth Center, said 18 people utilized the center for shelter. Rivera said the families and individuals were able to leave Saturday morning. The family stranded 50 cents John Larson — El Defensor Chieftain Above, snow and ice on Main Street in Magdalena made for difficult driving Saturday morning. Below, Anthony Silva, 14, front, and Joshua Silva, 14, hit a snow ramp together on a sled Saturday on the New Mexico Tech campus. Below left, a little girl watches sledders. Bottom left, a snowman welcomes people on the corner of Mount Caramel Avenue and School of Mines Road. Areas in the county received up to half a foot of snow between Dec. 31 and Jan. 3. just north of the city of Socorro had seven children in their group. Wheeler said state police and New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) had sanded and dispersed cinders (snow-melting material) on the asphalt of Interstate 25. But there were numerous accidents throughout the weekend, although there were not too many that caused injuries. Socorro County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico Motor Transportation Division reported they responded to 11 crashes with injuries, 35 crashes without injuries and 32 motorist assists between Jan. 1 to 3 on I-25 and Highway 60 between Socorro and Magdalena. “There were a lot of incidents that happened over the weekend,” Socorro County Sheriff William Armijo said. n See STORM, Page 3 Live music this week • Friday, Jan. 9 - open mic at Sofia’s Kitchen, 6 to 9 p.m. • Friday, Jan. 9 - Jex Exten at the Bodega, 6:30 to 9 p.m. • Saturday, Jan. 10 - Roon at Twisted Chile, 7 to 10 p.m. • Saturday, Jan. 10 - Mariachi Saturday with Romano Enrique at Sofia’s Kitchen, 6 to 9 p.m. • Sunday, Jan. 11 - Doug and Mariam at Sofia’s Kitchen, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. • Wednesday, Jan. 14 - open mic at Twisted Chile, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Eric Heinz — El Defensor Chieftain AAUW talk at Socorro Library The American Association of University of Women will host presentation by Robyn Harrison and Tom Hyden 7 p.m. Jan. 21 in the Alice Kase Reading Room at Socorro Public Library. Last spring, Harrison and Hyden took the ancient pilgrimage from Le Puy, France, to Santiago, Spain. The route is known as the Route of St. James or the Compostela Trail. The two will narrate their walk. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served. Bountiful Baskets in Mag, Socorro Socorro County residents interested in buying affordable farm-fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to Magdalena or Socorro should register at www. bountifulbaskets.org, a not-forprofit food coop. For more information, call Cynthia at 575-5188043 or Nadine at 835-8656. SUBSCRIBE TO EL DEFENSOR CHIEFTAIN CALL 575-835-0520 www.dchieftain.com Eric Heinz — El Defensor Chieftain Eric Heinz — El Defensor Chieftain SCSD partners with Tech Jury finds Soto not guilty for Distance Education By Eric Heinz El Defensor Chieftain staff writer [email protected] Twenty-first century technology is planned to be infused with education in Socorro Consolidated Schools District from a top-rated college program. Distance Education courses, classes that are taught remotely via the Internet by webcam, allow professors to instruct students from anywhere. This has been used at New Mexico Tech for some time now, but at the high school level it just materialized last fall. District Assistant Superintendent Anton Salome said Socorro is the first high school Tech will work with but more schools throughout New Mexico may be able to use the program in the future. “It entails a classroom at Socorro High School that’s equipped to receive video and send video to the New Mexico Tech Distance Education program,” Salome said. “We’ve had our math teachers at the high school recommend students who they feel would be successful in participating in the precalculus, Math 103, class at Tech.” Salome said the district tapped into some federal or state funding at the higher-education level that supported the program. Salome also said the program is intended to increase students’ confidence in high-level math courses. “We had some conversations with Pat Lopez at Tech, and he is the project director. We’ve also had some discussions with Annette LaRussa, a math professor at Tech. So our math teachers were very interested.” Salome said. “A couple of our teachers are graduates from Tech and are really interested in getting our kids foot in the door in providing them “We’re looking to provide an opportunity to our students throughout the state to tap into that rigorous math work. It’s kind of like a pilot.” of sexual abuse By Eric Heinz El Defensor Chieftain staff writer [email protected] with a high-level math course.” LaRussa has a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Alabama Birmingham and a Ph.D. in science education from the University of Georgia, according to the Tech faculty roster. In addition to pre-calculus, the program will offer other mathematic disciplines such as algebra and foundational math in more advanced realms. Professors are seen through a live feed in a classroom, and students are able to see the professor and their lesson on computer screens. The idea is to give more high school students in rural areas access to college-level courses before they graduate. Salome said students were chosen based on maturity and motivation by their professors through a selection process to determine if they can handle Ed Soto, 46, was found not guilty in a trial by jury in Socorro District Court Tuesday on three counts of criminal sexual contact on a minor under the age of 13. The alleged victim was his daughter, now 11 years old, who took the stand Monday to testify for the State of New Mexico against Soto. Charges stemmed from claims that incidents of Soto having sexual contact with his daughter when she was between the ages of 4 and 6 in summer and fall of 2008 and again somewhere between Jan. 1 to July 1, 2010, as was said by witnesses during the trial. The alleged victim is a minor and is not being identified in this article. Soto was charged with three counts of child sexual contact by the end of the trial. Originally, he was charged with one count of criminal sexual penetration of a minor under the age of 13 and four counts of child sexual contact of a minor under the age of 13, but one charge was dismissed and the other was reduced by the state because of a lack of evidence vicarious of testimony. If Soto had been convicted, he would have faced up to 15 years in prison for each count, and if Judge Matt Reynolds imposed the maximum sentence it would have run for 45 years with fines amounting to $38,000. What made this case particularly difficult to piece together was the lack of physical evidence available for both the prosecution and the defense. Both attorneys used the fact there was no DNA evidence, no eyewit- n See EDUCATION, Page 5 n See JURY, Page 2 Assistant Superintendent Anton Salome
© Copyright 2024