Archive for Moriarty
With Mud Season Just Over, Fire Season Approaches
by John Weckerle
We’ve all seen the stories in the newspapers recently reminding us that fire season is upon us. With high winds and relatively little recent moisture, conditions favorable to wildfire are already upon many of us. We wish to add our voice to the chorus, as it were, and urge all our readers to take adequate precautions, and learn what they can to protect themselves against loss of life and property. Your editor’s firm, WeckTech, provides web services to a number of local/regional organizations that provide information and, in some cases, financial support to efforts such as thinning and defensible space projects that may mean the difference between disaster and avoidance thereof:
- The East Mountain Interagency Fire Protection Association
- Claunch-Pinto Soil and Water Conservation District
- East Torrance Soil and Water Conservation District
- Edgwood Soil and Water Conservation District
- Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District
We encourage you to contact these organizations and learn about the help and information they can provide.
What’s A Chamber For?
by John Weckerle
One of our readers sent us an e-mail message from Debbie Ortiz, executive director of the Moriarty Chamber of Commerce, sent out this past Monday, March 15. The message, with the title “FWD: transformation in the marketplace,” reads as follows:
Dear Chamber Members,
Please open the attachment. Leanne the Chairman of the Chamber requested
this be sent out. Please join her at Shorty’s on March 17, at 5:30 for her
presentation on “Transformation in the Marketplace”.Thanks – Stay warm and have a wonderful rest of the day!
The attachment, which we will absolutely not post here, promotes an event called “Transformation in the Marketplace” – which, as it turns out, was a dinnertime prayer meeting held yesterday at a restaurant reputedly owned by Santos and Leanne Tapia (the Leanne referenced in the e-mail).
Where do we start? »» What’s A Chamber For?
Moriarty Election Results
by John Weckerle
It’s official – Ted Hart has been elected as Mayor of Moriarty and Larry Irvin and Dennis Shanfeldt were elected to serve on the Moriarty City Council, which also includes Bobby Ortiz and Steve Anaya. We wish them all the best of luck!
We just discovered that all the election results for the region can be found on this Mountain View Telegraph page.
Young Eagles Event in Moriarty This Saturday
by John Weckerle
Checking in on our friends at Mountainair Annoucements, we find that the Moriarty Chapter of the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association, an international aviation association founded in 1953) Chapter will be sponsoring a Young Eagles Event and providing free airplane rides at the Moriarty Airport this Saturday, February 27, beginning at 8:30 a.m. In the case of bad weather, the event will take place on Sunday, February 28. For more information on the event, see the City of Moriarty Municipal Airport Page.
Formerly chaired by actor Harrison Ford, and now co-chaired by Sully Sullenbirger and Jeffrey Skyles, the Young Eagles Program was founded in 1992 to give young people ages 8 to 17 the opportunity to go flying in a general aviation airplane. The flights are provided by volunteer pilots throughout the world. For more information, check out the Young Eagles Program’s web site and the EAA Young Eagles web page. While you’re at it, have a look at the other programs, including but not limited to the Young Eagles Air Academy and scholarship/internship programs. These seem like great programs for young people interested in aviation, and we wish the Moriarty Chapter good flying this weekend.
Public Service Announcement: Moriarty FFA Alumni’s Annual Pie Auction
by John Weckerle
The Moriarty FFA (Future Farmers of America for newcomers) Alumni will hold their Annual Pie Auction this Friday, February 26, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Moriarty Lions Club. The evening will include door prizes, a silent auction, light refreshment and drinks, and an auction of delicious homemade pies, all in support for FFA and agriculture education.
The Moriarty FFA is in need of silent auction items. Businesses and individuals willing to donate goods or services, gift certificates, or store merchandise are asked to drop their donations off at Broome’s Feed in Moriarty or call the pie auction coordinators (Yolanda VanDyne, 220-1286; Pam Ball, 286-4656) to coordinate pickup. They need all donations by Friday morning, the day of the auction.
Public Service Announcement: 4th Annual Authors For Literacy Event
by John Weckerle
The Moriarty Library and the Read “Write” Adult Literacy Program in Moriarty will host the 4th Annual Authors for Literacy event on Saturday, February 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Moriarty Civic Center. Nearly 30 authors will be on hand, each with a table with books for sale/signing and literature on any classes or workshops they present. For more information and a list of participating authors, see the event flier.
Public Service Announcement: Regional Small Business Forum
The City of Moriarty, in cooperation with its chamber of commerce and the towns of Edgewood and Estancia, will hold a regional small business forum on Tuesday, January 25 beginning at 1 p.m. at the Moriarty Civic Center. For more information, see the City of Moriarty announcement.
Public Service Announcement – Free Christmas Eve Dinner In Moriarty
by John Weckerle
The First Baptist Church and El Comedor Restaurant are joining forces to provide a free Christmas Eve dinner at El Comedor restaurant in Moriarty. Tickets are available by reservation only, and must be picked up at the church office. Two seatings will be offered at 4:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. For more information, see the event flier.
Oh, The Weather Outside…
by John Weckerle
Last night brought us some fairly intense weather here at NM-Central headquarters, with times of snow, freezing rain, thunder and lightning, and high winds. This morning seems dominated by the wind, although weather authorities warn of more potential precipitation before the system has passed. Local TV stations indicate that the Estancia Valley, including Estancia itself, will likely bear the brunt of the storm in our area. The northern part of the state has received substantial snowfall. Here at NM-Central, we’ve received a few inches or so.
NMRoads.com reports that road conditions in the area are (at best) snow-packed and icy. According to KOB.com, Moriarty-Edgewood schools and Estancia schools are closed, and East Mountain High School and APS schools are on a two-hour delay. We have not been able to find any information on Mountainair’s schools. We recommend that our readers stay home if they can, and to those who can’t, please be extra cautious.
Bypassing The Buford
by John Weckerle
Last Friday, our intrepid band of restaurant-testers decided, on a whim, to give the “reinvented” Buford Restaurant a try. The Buford, located on Highway 41 just north of I-40 in Moriarty, closed for a number of months for remodeling, and opened amidst fanfare regarding a new look and new menu earlier this year.
We were a little concerned when we pulled into the parking lot at lunch time on a Friday and saw only one car parked there. It was perhaps even more ominous that, when we entered the establishment, there appeared to be nobody eating. We waited patiently for our server to finish some paperwork at the front desk before taking our drink order, reviewing the menu. Then we left and drove to the East Mountain Grill in Edgewood. »» Bypassing The Buford
Happy Birthday, New Mexico Central!
by John Weckerle
It hardly seems possible that, just a year ago today, NM-Central.com sprang into being. A lot has happened over the past year, and we thought it might be entertaining to take a stroll down memory lane, look over our early stories, and see what, if anything, has changed.
Our debut article – Will the Grinches steal Edgewood’s music festival? – discussed the Town of Edgewood’s decision to abruptly cut all its funding for the annual music festival at Wildlife West Nature Park. The pretext for this decision had to do with the Town’s position that funding the event represented a violation of the State anti-donation clause, an assertion that we disputed then and still dispute today. Because the funding was terminated after the Park had signed contracts with the performers, the Park had no choice but to produce the event under its own steam. The community came together and, with donations and other funds raised, the festival almost – but not quite – broke even. The financial strain from this situation, coupled with the subsequent economic downturn, have put the Park in a state of difficulty, and we again ask that people consider making donations at the Park’s web site. This year’s music festival, featuring nationally acclaimed folk performer John McCutcheon, promises to be a top-notch event, and tickets can be purchased in advance on the Park web site. »» Happy Birthday, New Mexico Central!
Criticism of Edgewood Soil and Water Conservation District Inaccurate – Some Press Coverage Unbalanced
by John Weckerle
Disclosure: Your editor provides web services to four Soil and Water Conservation Districts: Edgewood, East Torrance, Claunch-Pinto, and Ciudad. However, this article has not been prepared at the behest of the Edgewood Soil and Water Conservation District and represents the opinions of the author alone.
In relatively recent editions of The Independent and the Mountain View Telegraph, local resident Craig Springer has aimed some very harsh criticism at the Edgewood Soil and Water Conservation District. Having had a substantial amount of interaction with the District over the years, we have been surprised at what we have read – so we decided to do a little checking into the situation. According to documentation provided by the District, Mr. Springer’s cost-share project began with a 2004 Cost-Share application. At that time, it was required that ESWCD Cost-Share projects be completed by August 31 of the year following the submittal of the application (that date has since changed to June 30), so Mr. Springer’s application would have expired on August 31, 2005. Because of staff turnover, the District actually continued to reimburse Mr. Springer until June 14, 2006, at which time he was informed that he would have to re-apply. Apparently, Mr. Springer feels that he should be able to continue collecting on the expired application. Mr. Springer was provided an application, the minutes of the Board meeting at which his situation was discussed, and a letter advising him that he needed to submit a current cost-share application in order to receive reimbursement for future efforts on March 9, 2009, weeks before his complaints ran in the local papers.
I have so far conducted two cost-share projects on my property – one for tree thinning and one for a rain harvesting system – and am preparing an application for a third (drip irrigation). I have also purchased a number of trees and shrubs through District Spring and Fall plant sales. I have been absolutely, 100% satisfied with the program and the support provided by District personnel. As far as I am concerned, Mr. Springer’s complaints are completely off-base, and he should fill out another cost-share application just like everyone else. (NOTE: Cost share applications must be submitted by tomorrow, April 30, 2009).
With regard to the press coverage: The Independent was fair and considerate in allowing the District to respond to Mr. Springer’s letter. The Mountain View Telegraph, however, took another approach. »» Criticism of Edgewood Soil and Water Conservation District Inaccurate – Some Press Coverage Unbalanced
An Idea Whose Time Has Come – Here
by John Weckerle
Back in the 1980s, during a 5-year soujourn in Tampa, Florida, I enjoyed a great way to do dinner and a movie – cinema pubs. The idea was simple – the cinema pubs showed movies that had just completed their runs in the major theaters but were still showing in the discount theaters and at midnight shows, but they also offered dinner as well as beer and wine. Patrons sat at tables, and were served throughout the movie by waitstaff who seemed incredibly adept at minimizing their time between the patron and the screen. Both the movie and the food were reasonably priced, and well-suited to those of us who were students and/or in their first job out of school, and it was a nice experience. Depending on the film, I sometimes waited for movies to hit the cinema pubs because it was simply a better place to see them. And now, you can see them that way, too.
Following the recent success of movie showings at Mustang Mudd’s, in the former Le Barn building, entrepreneurs Maria Braendle of Le Barn and Miki Anaya of El Comedor Restaurant have teamed up to bring the experience to Moriarty. This weekend’s feature, Twilight (your editor, who has read the books and seen the movie, recommends it to fans of the Stephanie Myers series of vampire novels) will be the opening event (for details, see the flyer). Next week’s offerings, with shows from Wednesday to Sunday (with weekend matinees!), include Gran Torino, starring Clint Eastwood; Taken, starring Clint Eastwood; Bolt (voice of John Travolta); The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke; and Defiance, starring Daniel Craig (see next week’s flyer for show times and other info). For more information, call LeBarn at 832-9481 or El Comedor at 832-4492.
Public Service Announcement – City of Moriarty Seeking Call Center Applications
The City of Moriarty is seeking applications for positions for a potential employer at the Moriarty call center. For more information and a copy of the call center application, see the City of Moriarty web page for the recruitment.
Walmart Comes Through For Nature Park, Education, Kids
by John Weckerle
Reminder: Applicants age 14 to 25 who wish to be considered for employment at Wildlife West under the Youth Conservation Corps program this summer must submit a resume and two references to the Park no later than March 15, 2009.
According to a press release received today, Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood has received a $25,000 educational grant from Walmart for youth development. The funding has made it possible for the Park to hire an educational director for the summer season to help coordinate such programs as the Youth Conservation Corps projects and Wildlife West’s many other educational initiatives. The New Mexico Wildlife Association, which administers Wildlife West, has selected Bradd Shulke, an East Mountain High School educator with a Master’s degree in ecology. Mr. Shulke has a broad background in education, and is certified in special education.
Given the fact that Wildlife West Nature Park is likely the only zoo in the world to be built by youth, this development is particularly exciting. For more information on the summer program and the grant, see the Park web site or contact Wildlife West at (505) 281-7655.