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Last modified: October 1, 2008

Headline News From Oct. 4, 2002 Issue

Dad jailed after trying to spank teen

A Hillsboro man has been charged with the misdemeanor battery and felony false imprisonment of his 15-year-old daughter after he tried to give her an old-fashioned, apparently now illegal, spanking.

Yard sales, golf carts on roads annoying issues to city leaders

Truth or Consequences city officials face many problems and challenges, among them are providing for an adequate water supply, encouraging local industry and jobs, providing opportunities for T or C’ younger population, maintaining the city’s streets, and petty, and sometimes not so petty, crime.

Nelson Martinez

to give farewell performance

CLICK ON PHOTO

Geronimo Days caught up
in game of musical chairs,
finally lands at Armijo Park

A lot of misinformation is out about the Geronimo Days Peace Gathering this year.

The Wildlands Project comes to Hidalgo County

I became acquainted with the Sky Island Alliance about six years ago. A newspaper editor gave me a copy of the organization's brochure.

NM could generate 9X its energy needs from renewable resources

The City of Albuquerque's Southside Water Reclamation Plant treats about 52 million gallons of wastewater each day using power generated by that same wastewater.

OBITUARIES

Notices for Nick J. Ortega, Eddie J. Armijo, Adele Clark Layman, Gilbert Lucero & Chester H. McCauley.


The Rio Grande just south of Williamsburg makes for a scenic view Wednesday afternoon with the bosque, Caballo Mountains and lofty clouds in the background. DJ photo by Bill Johnson

…Farewell performance set

Geronimo Days will see “Singing Anchor” Nelson Martinez of KOAT-TV Channel 7 News fame one last time as Martinez plans his farewell performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, along with mariachis at Louis Armijo Park on South Broadway. Martinez will be heading to brighter lights in Hollywood. Geronimo Days and the Sierra County Fair will coincide this year, the reason the peace gathering has moved from the fairgrounds to the park across the street. Click on photo to link up to Geronimo Days page.

DJ File Photo by Bill Johnson

Dad jailed after trying to spank teen

By Fred Mramor of the Desert Journal

A Hillsboro man has been charged with the misdemeanor battery and felony false imprisonment of his 15-year-old daughter after he tried to give her an old-fashioned, apparently now illegal, spanking.

New Mexico State Police Officer Alfredo Aguirre arrested Schoenradt on Sept. 26 after being dispatched to Schoenradt’s home where a man and a woman reportedly were screaming at each other, according to Aguirre’s statement of probable cause.

Officer Aguirre states that Schoenradt, 44, said he was glad Aguirre arrived because Schoenradt’s daughter, Ashley, was “out of control and he didn’t know what to do with her.”

Schoenradt said Ashley had been involved in an automobile accident during school hours and that she would not tell him with whom she was involved in the accident, according to the statement of probable cause.

Schoenradt said he grabbed his daughter by the arms to turn her over and spank her. Ashley moved away and backed up on the couch, Schoenradt said, while he was still trying to turn Ashley over to spank her and they ended up on the floor, according to the officer’s statement.

Schoenradt said he then held his daughter to the ground by holding one arm down with his hand and holding the other arm down with his knee, according to the statement.

Schoenradt said Ashley then ran out of the house and into the street and was yelling, according to the statement of probable cause.

Ashley Schoenradt said her father became angry when she did not want to tell him whom she was with when she was in the accident. She said her father grabbed her by the arms and pushed her onto the sofa.

Ashley said her father told her he was going to spank her and was trying to get her to turn around, the officer’s statement said.

Ashley said she and her father ended up on the floor and she screamed to make him stop. Ashley said she got on her feet and her father said he was going for the belt. Ashley said she then ran outside, according to Aguirre’s statement.

Shoenradt’s wife, Susan, reiterated much the same story to Aguirre, adding that she told her husband to let their daughter go, that he did so and that Ashley ran out of the house.

Schoenradt has been released on bond pending his preliminary hearing in Magistrate Court.

Schoenradt in March pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor battery against his daughter stemming from a 2001 incident in which he was originally charged with third degree felony abandonment or abuse of a child.

Schoenradt received a six months sentence, which was deferred. Schoenradt was ordered to anger management counseling and to refrain from drinking.

Schoenradt’s probation period ended Sept. 25, one day before being arrested on charges of battery and false imprisonment.

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The recently excavated pit of the Morgan Street Flood Control Project already got a good exercise with the late summer rains and downpours over Truth or Consequences. Water at the bottom of the pit was still evaporating Wednesday afternoon.
DJ photo by Bill Johnson

Yard sales, golf carts on roads

annoying issues to city leaders

By Fred Mramor of the Desert Journal

City officials now turn their attention to two more of T or C’s pressing problems: yard sales and golf carts on city streets.

City commissioners plan to discuss these issues at their Oct. 14 meeting after they were crowded out of commissioners’ Sept. 18 workshop and regular meeting by other matters of importance.

Mayor Jimmy Rainey this week said city officials have received complaints from T or C’s business owners and from neighbors of persons holding “perpetual yard sales.”

Rainey said it has gone beyond people clearing out old stuff from their homes and has become a business.

“Business owners in town have to buy business licenses. It’s not fair when others can run their businesses without buying a license or paying taxes,” the mayor said.

The mayor said 15 to 20 persons are holding yard sales on a weekly basis while city ordinances allow individuals to hold three yard sales in one year and three consecutive days for each sale.

Rainey said he knows some business owners who have gone out of business but continue to operate as weekly yard sales, and other persons who collect items at yard sales to resell at their own yard sales.

The mayor said city officials are not considering imposing yard sale fees, nor fines for excessive yard sales. Rainey said it is more likely commissioners will direct the city manager and staff to enforce the city’s ordinances and perhaps require persons holding frequent yard sales to obtain business licenses which he said cost $25 to $30 a year.

City officials are concerned also about golf courts and motorized wheelchairs on city streets.

“The biggest menace I see about golf carts and wheelchairs on city streets is the threat they pose to their users’ safety,” Mayor Rainey said.

Rainey cited several incidents when in the past few years in which cars struck wheelchairs and golf carts that resulted in two serious injuries.

The mayor said one injury is enough to merit city officials’ attention and possible action.

Rainey said he has seen golf carts and wheelchairs on the streets after dark with no lights or turn signals.

“They’ll pull up right beside you and you won’t even see them,” Rainey said.

City commissioners are now discussing golf carts and wheelchairs for the purpose of acquiring information and do not plan to impose requirements beyond those of the State Motor Vehicle Division, Rainey said.

The mayor said golf courts and motorized wheelchairs operated on city streets must be licensed and should undergo safety inspections at no cost to their owners.

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Tyler Proft, eight months old, enjoys a moment playing with his toy and having his photo taken with a big smile at the Desert Journal’s office Wednesday afternoon. The baby is a splitting image of his father, Bo Proft of Williamsburg.

DJ Photo by Bill Johnson

The Wildlands Project

Comes to Hidalgo County

The Sky Island Alliance (Part One)

A Country Girl's Musin'

By Judy Keeler

I became acquainted with the Sky Island Alliance about six years ago. A newspaper editor gave me a copy of the organization's brochure.

Having been faxed several times, it was a bad copy. The best I could discern, the group was in favor of protecting biodiversity and working with the Wildlands Project.

Familiar with the Wildlands Project, I wondered what connectivity lay between the two organizations. Not until an article appeared in the Albuquerque Journal, June 15, 1997, by Mike Taugher, did I realize the full extent of their collaboration.

Entitled "Trying to Preserve Wild Land", the article contended conservation biologists agreed steps should be taken to preserve biodiversity in our state.

It also claimed, "islands of national parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas" had to be expanded for the sake of numerous plants and animals.

Also, according to the article, conservationists and biologists were all working together to design "vast nature reserves."

The Wildlands Project being the most ambitious, "if not (most) radical," of the groups involved in the effort.

One of the Wildlands Projects' and Sky Island's first proposals was to be in "southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona and northern Mexico." It would be called the "Greater Gila Sky Island Reserve" and "encompass 40,000 acres."

Within that acreage would be wilderness core areas, corridors connecting the core areas, with buffer zones surrounding both the core and corridor areas. The core areas would be "designed to protect 'umbrella species' such as bears, wolves, bison and jaguars."

In an attempt to lessen any alarm over their proposal, the group claimed land-use restrictions would not be as restrictive in the buffer zones as the core areas.

The two leaders of the agenda were Dave Foreman and Jack Humphrey. Foreman, according to the article, was an Albuquerque resident who "co-founded the radical environmental group EarthFirst!" during the '70s. He had, however, disassociated himself from the group when ‘they turned into a bunch of left-wing, counter-culture radicals.’ Jack Humphrey was program director for the Sky Island Alliance.

The article said that "during the '60s and '70s wilderness advocates concentrated their efforts on the high mountain areas found in forest reserves. These areas were typically pretty, and attractive to users of the outdoors."

As a result, "wilderness areas were designated in scenic, high-altitude areas that were beautiful but not necessarily rich in trees, minerals or grazing land."

Over the years these same wilderness advocates shifted their "emphasis on wilderness as a place for scenery and recreation to wilderness as a place for preservation of plants and animals."

By 1997, Foreman was heading up the Wildlands Project. It's intent, to "remap (large) chunks of North America from a conservation biologist's point of view." Although it had a budget of $500,000, it came "mostly from grants and some individual donations". The organization was at the time, and remains today, based in Tucson, Arizona.

Jack Humphrey had affiliated with the Wildlands Project so his organization, the Sky Island Alliance, "could design the biological reserves."

Humphreys considered it "one of the most ambitious agendas the conservation movement had ever undertaken." Although the duo conceded conservation biology's claim that "umbrella species would cause other species to be protected" and “flourish,” the theory "was largely untested".

They indicated, however, the groups involved in this project had all the time in the world to test their theory. "If it takes 200 years, it takes 200 years. This land isn't going anywhere," the article quoted Humphrey.

Once the maps were completed, the intent was to start "purchasing land, using conservation easements on private land, lobbying agencies in an effort to influence the planning process for public lands, and using congressional action to advance their agenda."

Foreman believed, in some cases, it would take "just a tweaking of a management plan" to accomplish their purposes. As proof the Wildlands Project was a serious effort, they gave Florida as an example of how "half of the state's land could be used to protect wildlife."

They also claimed they had an advantage in western states that didn't exist in Florida. "There's a lot more public land out here," they gleefully conjectured.

Next week - Sky Island Alliance (Part 2). This article is the second in a series. It is an attempt to explain and educate others regarding the agenda for the Bootheel of New Mexico. You may find this agenda is being implemented in your area. Hopefully you will be able to identify some of the same tactics being used and educate others to reverse the plan.

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The settlement in Las Palomas, as seen from atop an overview, is plush and green with the late summer monsoons that will contribute to this fall’s harvest in the valley.
DJ Photo by Bill Johnson

New Mexico could generate nine times

its energy needs from renewable resources

Renewable Energy Atlas

highlights community-based

approach to meeting energy needs

The City of Albuquerque's Southside Water Reclamation Plant treats about 52 million gallons of wastewater each day using power generated by that same wastewater.

The plant saves the city about $70,000 per month in utility bills using methane produced by the water treatment process to generate electricity. But, as the state's sole biomass facility, it generates only a fraction of a percent of the biomass potential available to the state.

In fact, New Mexico currently relies on renewable resources for three megawatts of energy - significantly less than the potential available from the state's vast resources.

All told, New Mexico has the renewable resource potential to meet its energy needs nine times over, according to a publication just released by the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies.

Published in consort with Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (NW SEED) with the support of the Hewlett and Energy Foundations, the Renewable Energy Atlas of the West uses state-of-the-art GIS technology to inventory the renewable resources in 11 Western states, mapping the high-potential areas in full-color.

The Atlas illustrates transmission barriers, anticipated increases in regional electricity loads, and state-specific policies that encourage renewable energy development.

"The Atlas is a resource for state and local policy makers, clean energy advocates, renewable energy developers, ranchers, farmers and others interested in developing renewable resources in the West," explained John Nielsen, Energy Project Director at the Land and Water Fund.

An interactive, online version of the Atlas, available at www.EnergyAtlas.org, allows users to research renewable resources by ZIP code.

The Atlas' graphics are also a resource for members of the press looking to illustrate stories on Western energy issues.

"This is the first time all of this information has appeared in one place," Nielsen continued. He said the Land and Water Fund is using the information in the Atlas in a related effort to develop a comprehensive clean energy plan for the interior West.

The plan, scheduled for release at the end of the year, will analyze the costs, benefits, and environmental implications of increased reliance on clean energy technologies, including renewable resources and energy efficiency.

NW SEED Executive Director Heather Rhoads-Weaver said the Atlas will make it easier than ever for local communities to tap the economic benefits of renewable energy development.

"The revenues from renewable power generation stay close to home," said Rhoads-Weaver. "They're a powerful force for economic revitalization, particularly in rural areas."

"We have already begun distributing the Atlas to lawmakers in several states," said Troy Gagliano of the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization providing policy consulting to legislators in all 50 states.

Gagliano said legislative interest in renewables has increased recently due to five factors:

1) the economic development potential, especially in struggling rural areas, offered by renewables;

2) price spikes in natural gas;

3) the California energy crisis;

4) consumer demand, which has translated to pressure from constituents; and

5) an increase in population in the West, where renewable resources are particularly plentiful.

"Lawmakers increasingly want to protect consumers from the price volatility of traditional fuel supplies," Gagliano said.

"The Atlas helps decision makers understand the renewable resources in their states and districts. Because the Atlas helps them locate abundant resources in the context of other issues, such as how to transmit the power that might be produced, it's an invaluable tool,” he said.

The Atlas identifies and pinpoints the most promising locations for these renewable resources:

Wind: 56 million megawatt-hours per year, triple the state's current electricity consumption, or enough to power 7.8 million homes.

Solar: 104 million megawatt-hours per year, five times the state's current electricity consumption, or enough to power 14 million homes.

Geothermal: 3 million megawatt-hours per year, enough to power over 400,000 homes.

"With the right incentives from state and local governments, renewables can become an increasingly important component of New Mexico's energy mix," Nielsen said.

The Renewable Energy Atlas of the West is available by calling Leslie Kaas Pollock, Energy Project Associate, at 303-444-1188 extension 216. It can also be downloaded from the Web at http://www.energyatlas.org.

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OBITUARIES

Nick J. Ortega, 80, a Truth or Consequences resident since 1976, died Monday, Sept. 30, 2002, at the Sierra Health Care Center. He was born Dec. 9, 1921, in Albuquerque, NM, to Ramon and Lucinda (Jaramillo) Ortega. He was a retired plumber, having retired from Albuquerque Public Schools. He was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in T or C.

Survivors include his wife, Domie Ortega of the T or C home; three daughters, Lucy Ortega of Albuquerque, Yvonne & husband Bill Vigil of Tucson, AZ, and Evangelina & husband Jon Rarick of Greeley, CO; his son, Gene Sanchez of Ft. Bayard; 13 grandchildren, Liz, Esther, Bobby, Jake, Brian, Mike, Vince, Richard, Melissa, Tyrone, Kathleen, Michelle & Valerie; 22 great-grandchildren; his brother, Matt & wife Daisy Ortega of Albuquerque; two sisters, Rose & husband Joe Salas of Albuquerque, and Carmelita & husband Benjamin Sandoval of Albuquerque; and his sister-in-law, Nancy Ortega of Albuquerque. He was preceded in death by his parents; his daughter, Mary Ann Valencia; his son, Richard Ortega; and his brother, Pete Ortega.

Cremation will take place and a memorial mass was to be celebrated at 9 a.m. today (Friday, Oct. 4) at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church with Rev. Art Roberts officiating. Rite of Committal will be at 2 p.m. today at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Albuquerque with Deacon Charles Lucero officiating. Arrangements are by French Mortuary & Cremation Services of T or C; 505-894-2574.

Eddie Armijo

Eddie J. Armijo, 88, a native and lifelong resident of Las Palomas, NM, died Saturday, Sept. 28, 2002, at his home. He was born Sept. 12,

1914, in Las Palomas, NM, to Eutimio and Flora (Jaramillo) Armijo. He married Bonnie “Monica” Baca on Jan. 10, 1934, in Las Palomas, NM. He was a self-employed bricklayer and was instrumental in the masonry of most residential and commercial structures throughout Sierra County. He was a lifelong member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. He was born, raised and died on the farmland that he lived his entire life raising cattle and farming the land. He was very musical and enjoyed playing the harmonica, drums and guitar.

Survivors include his son, Her-

man Armijo and wife Frances of Albuquerque; his daughter, Mabel Padilla and husband Joe of Bosque Farms; his grandson, Joey Padilla and wife Esther of Los Lunas; his two granddaughters, Laura and Lynette Padilla, both of Los Lunas; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Bonnie “Monica” Armijo, in February 2000; his parents; five brothers; and three sisters.

Rosary was said Monday, Sept. 30, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Truth or Consequences where mass of the Resurrection also was celebrated Tuesday, Oct. 1, with Rev. Sean Garrity officiating. Rite of committal and interment will follow in the Las Palomas Cemetery where he will be laid to rest beside his wife. Pallbearers were Joey Padilla, Bobby Armijo, Miguel Terrazas, Eric Armijo, Eutimio Armijo, Sofio Trujillo, Fidel Sedillo, Leonardo Rivera, Abie Parra and Salvador Armijo. Honorary pallbearers were Rosendo Valenzuela and all his family and friends. Arrangements were by Sierra Funeral Home, 507 W. McAdoo St. in T or C.

Adele Clark Layman, 84, of Truth or Consequences, died Friday, Sept. 27, 2002, at the Sierra Health Care Center. She was born Nov. 14, 1917, in Abernathy, TX, to George Frank and Zula L. (Smith) Clark. A rancher’s wife, she spent many hours riding a tractor to help her husband.

She is survived by her two nieces, Dorothy Wardlow and Lorie Crawford, both of Belen, NM. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Frances Dee, and two husbands.

No services are planned, however, she will be buried at Vista Memory Gardens Cemetery in T or C. Arrangements are by Sierra Funeral Home, 507 W. McAdoo St. in T or C; 505-894-4428.

Gilbert Lucero, 82, died Friday, Sept. 27, 2002, at the New Mexico State Veterans Home in Truth or Consequences. He was born Aug. 8, 1920, in Cuba, NM, to Preston and Josefina (Garcia) Lucero. The World War II veteran served his country in the U.S. Army.

He is survived by a sister, Marianita & husband Tito Tafoya of Cuba, NM.

Private interment will be in the Santa Fe National Cemetery. Arrangements are by French Mortuary & Cremation Services of T or C; 505/894-2574.

Chester H. McCauley, 93, longtime rancher in the Black Range Mountains, died Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2002, at the Sierra Health Care Center in Truth or Consequences. He was born June 9, 1909, Benkelman, NE, and he came with his family to New Mexico in a covered wagon. His family settled in the Magdalena and Red Canyon area of the San Mateo Mountains and the family struggled through many hard times.

He joined the armed forces in 1941 and while home on furlough, he purchased a 23,000-acre ranch for sale on the headwaters of the east fork of the Gila River. He met and married his wife, Beatrice, in 1946 and even though primitive, Chester and his wife built one of the finest small Hereford ranches in the Southwest.

He is survived by his close friends, Rose Marie and husband Jack Kavanaugh of T or C, and his two nieces, Mary Melton and Lori George of Magdalena, NM. He was preceded in death by his wife, Beatrice; his brothers, Ralph, Frank, Johnny and Ben; and a sister, Opal.

Cremation will take place and private interment will be in Vista Memory Gardens Cemetery in T or C. Arrangements are by French Mortuary & Cremation Services in T or C; 505-894-2574.

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