Archive for January 8, 2012

Press Release: Doing Business With Bernalillo County and Securing Social Service Agency/Neighborhood Association Grants

by Franchesca Stevens, Bernalillo County Public Information Department

Bernalillo County News Conference Promotes Upcoming Workshop on How to Do Business with County and Secure Grants for Social Service Agencies and Neighborhood Associations
WHO: Bernalillo County
WHEN: Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, 3 p.m.
WHERE: One Civic Plaza NW, 10th floor, Conference Room B

Contact: Franchesca Stevens | fstevens@bernco.gov |O. 505.468.1272| C. 505.259-0384

Employment Opportunity: Nurse-Family Partnership

by John Weckerle

Checking in on our friends at Mountainair Announcements, we find employment opportunities in the Nurse-Family Partnership, in which Bachelors-prepared nurses work in-home with low-income, first time mothers.  For more information, see the Mountainair Announcements article.

It is certainly nice to be able to post an employment opportunity.  As a reminder, if you’re hiring, please feel free to send us an announcement and we’ll post it under our Employment category.

Oops, UPS…

by John Weckerle

When Friday morning dawned, your editor was looking forward to a weekend that would involve a certain amount of photography – because a new camera was due to arrive that day.  Having paid extra for two day delivery, we anticipated the weekend with a certain excitement.  The UPS tracking indicated that the package was “out for delivery” at 6:16 a.m., so it seemed that delivery was a certainty.  The package, however, never showed up, and at 7:36 p.m. somebody entered an exception: “emergency conditions beyond UPS’ control.”  A new delivery date was “unavailable.”

Now, as it turns out, your editor had Friday off and, with errands and appointments in both Edgewood and Albuquerque, managed to traverse nearly every possible road that the UPS truck could have taken to get to our location (including the one it usually takes).  The Albuquerque errands actually took us right past the UPS distribution center on the way home.  The sun was shining all day, and the roads were clear.  So we called UPS and, on the first round, got a very unhelpful person named “Mike” who indicated that no information regarding the nature of the “emergency conditions” was available, nor was a revised delivery date, but it would be at least Monday before delivery because we had not paid for weekend delivery.  I offered to pick the package up Saturday, but apparently UPS in Albuquerque is closed Saturdays.  Before I could offer to pick it up Monday, “Mike” hung up on me, or we were disconnected.  I then tried the e-mail support, and at least got an apology on that one, but they again could not give me a new delivery date and stated that they didn’t have to refund the two-day shipping charge because “emergency conditions beyond UPS’ control” apparently exempts them from doing so.

I called again yesterday and got a more helpful person, “Susan,” who guaranteed that the package would absolutely, positively be delivered Monday.  With a potentially substantial winter storm barreling toward us, we have our doubts, but we’ll take them at their word for now  – and hold them to it.  But that’s not really the purpose of this article…

»» Oops, UPS…

La Nina? Really?

by John Weckerle

Update 8:30 a.m. The weather channel “weather in motion” shows precipitation approaching Belen from the southwest, and NMRoads indicates difficult driving conditions in the west-central and southwest portions of the state, mostly “snow packed and icy.” 

Well, here we go again: another winter storm is bearing down upon us.  We’re providing the current Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service (NWS) below.  We’ll note that before the last storm, the winter storm warning indicated 4 to 8 inches above 7,500 feet, which is the weather we usually get at New Mexico Central Headquarters – and we got more than a foot.  This time the NWS is projecting 5 to 9 inches.  The NWS also has indicated that travel will be impacted, including areas of I-25 and I-40.  We suggest that our readers pay close attention to their favorite weather sites and also keep an eye on NMRoads.com.  Stay warm, and be careful driving!

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM MST MONDAY...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6
AM MST MONDAY.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...GENERALLY 5 TO 9 INCHES POSSIBLE FOR
  ELEVATIONS ABOVE 7500 FEET AND 2 TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE BELOW
  7500 FEET. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS CLOSER TO A FOOT ARE
  POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS INTO EASTERN LINCOLN
  COUNTY.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE TODAY AND CONTINUE
  TONIGHT. SNOW WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE FROM NORTHWEST TO
  SOUTHEAST ON MONDAY...POTENTIALLY EXTENDING INTO MID DAY OVER
  THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS.

* WINDS...SIGNIFICANT WINDS ARE NOT EXPECTED.

* SNOW LEVELS...SOME RAIN MAY MIX WITH SNOW DURING THE AFTERNOON
  AT ELEVATIONS BELOW 6500 FEET...BUT TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY
  TURN COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW AT ALL LOCATIONS AS PRECIPITATION
  INCREASES.

* LOCAL IMPACTS...HAZARDOUS WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS ARE
  EXPECTED ALONG WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN SNOW. TRAVEL MAY
  BECOME DIFFICULT ACROSS THE REGION. THIS INCLUDES PORTIONS OF
  U.S. HIGHWAYS 60...70...AND 380.