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Welcome to Desert Journal Online, established in May 2001 in New Mexico. Our website offers our true crime book, Satan's Den Exposed - The David Parker Ray Story, and poetry and photo collections, Bombshell Liberation and Interference, and provides free access to our featured columns, photos and news archives.











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Headline News From Nov. 15, 2002 Issue

‘The state can raise our child…’

  Susan Schoenradt, 44, of Hillsboro, has been charged in Magistrate Court with battery against a household member for allegedly striking her 15-year-old daughter, Ashley.

City’s ex-finance head sues for wrongful firing

  Former Truth or Consequences Finance Director Sharon Roberts has filed a wrongful termination suit against the city charging that she was fired without cause in March 2000.

Cat fight erupts among city leaders

  Truth or Consequences City Commissioners hissed and spat at each other in a discussion about commissioners’ possible violation of New Mexico’s open meetings act.  

Desert Journal Online wins NMPA’s best website award

  The Desert Journal’s website has won the New Mexico Press Association’s first-ever best website award for small weekly newspapers.  

Some trash customers get break on city bill

  Truth or Consequences city commissioners on Tuesday adopted a utilities ordinance to charge persons living more than one quarter mile from a city dumpster half the rate for trash removal service that other city utilities customers pay.

Election brings mixed bag of results for party politics

  Democrat Bill Richardson will be New Mexico’s next governor following a landslide victory in the Nov. 5 general election.

Hamilton retains seat despite county’s favorite

  Sierra County lost its chance to have representation by one of its own when a minority of the house district’s voters in portions of Grant and Hidalgo counties trampled its favorite during the Nov. 5 general election.

Martinez wins sheriff’s race

  Retired New Mexico State Police Officer David Martinez nabbed victory in the race for Sierra County Sheriff by defeating his opponent, Ronald D. Brown, also a retired NMSP officer and former county sheriff.

OBITUARIES

   Notices for  Marcel D. LaFrance, Carroll Hammond Sather, Clyde D. Binning, Elma S. Hudson, U L Gregory, Peter Paul Selzler, Adolph "Al" Bierlein, Waldo L. Smith, Clarence L. Wilson, Shirley I. Beth & Louise J. Stroud.

…Patriotic salutes

Sharon Rozell, an employee at the New Mexico Veterans Home in T or C, sings the National Anthem during the Veterans Day 11^th Hour ceremonies held Monday morning in front of the NMVH facility that is home to many veterans and their spouses. Click on photo to view flags in unison and a few of the honored vets.

DJ Photo by Bill Johnson

…Honoring veterans

The pair of flags wave in unison with a gentle breeze Monday morning during Veterans Day at the New Mexico Veterans Home where veterans, including these disabled residents of the NMVH, were honored during an 11^th Hour ceremony and recognized for their unselfish service and personal sacrifices preserving America’s liberties.

DJ photos by Bill Johnson

‘The state can raise our child…’

Now both parents in hot water

over disciplinary actions on teen

By Fred Mramor of the Desert Journal

Susan Schoenradt, 44, of Hillsboro, has been charged in Magistrate Court with battery against a household member for allegedly striking

her 15-year-old daughter, Ashley.

Ashley Schoenradt also was arrested for allegedly striking her mother in the same Nov. 1 incident and reportedly faces battery charges in juvenile court while her father, John Schoenradt, 45, currently faces charges of misdemeanor battery and felony false imprisonment after trying to spank his daughter on Sept. 26.

New Mexico State Police Officer Matthew Romero in his criminal complaint states that he went to the Schoenradt home at about 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 1 after Mrs. Schoenradt reported that her daughter had run away from home.

Mrs. Schoenradt described to the officer numerous disciplinary problems she and her husband were having with their daughter and said her attorney advised her to report her daughter to the police as a runaway.

Mrs. Schoenradt said she and her husband did not want to deal with Ashley and that they wanted her out of the house and didn’t care where she went, according to Officer Romero’s complaint.

Officer Romero then spoke with Ashley who said her parents mentally abuse her and call her vulgar names. Ashley said her parents didn’t want her at their home and would treat her badly if she stayed.

Officer Romero told Mrs. Schoenradt that he could not take Ashley anywhere as there was no cause for him to do so and advised Susan and Ashley to leave each other alone as much as possible. Romero stated that Ashley agreed and said she would cooperate and try to get along.

Romero left the Shoenradt home at 6:27 p.m. Only 14 minutes later, John Schoenradt reported to State Police that his daughter had battered her mother.

Romero returned to the Schoenradt home to hear reports from the family members that Ashley had called her mother vulgar names and that the two struck each other with open hands and closed fists.

The Schoenradt’s younger daughter said Ashley struck her mother first, Romero states in his complaint.

Officer Romero observed marks consistent with battery on Susan and Ashley Schoenradt and arrested the mother and daughter for battery on a household member.

<<<   >>>

…Ground breaks for new Vocational Complex

Hot Springs High School students, school board members, school district personnel, community members and other dignitaries break the ground Tuesday morning, Nov. 12, for a new 15,000-square-foot Vocational Complex Building to be constructed on the southwest corner of HSHS. Sierra County voters last February passed the bond issue question that will provide for $2 million for this project with Dyna Con of Fairacres outside Las Cruces selected as the contractor. When finished, the complex will provide for a vocational agriculture classroom and shop, a woods classroom and shop, and a technology classroom and laboratory.

DJ Photo by Bill Johnson

City’s ex-finance head sues for wrongful firing

By Fred Mramor of the Desert Journal

Former Truth or Consequences Finance Director Sharon Roberts has filed a wrongful termination suit against the city charging that she was fired without cause in March 2000.

Roberts in her suit names former City Manager Sam Isom, Mayor Jimmy Rainey and city commissioners individually and in their official capacities alleging breach of employment contract, violation of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation and prima facie tort.

Roberts’ suit seeks compensatory damage and equitable relief including back pay, front pay and the restoration of benefits, legal fees and other relief the court deems proper.

Roberts’ attorney has subpoenaed Sam Isom who may be compelled to travel from Tennessee to appear at trial in Sierra County.

Roberts was hired as city payroll clerk in July 1986 and rose to the position of Finance Director in January 1991, according to the suit’s statement of facts.

The facts and claims of Roberts’ suit filed in District Court in March this year further state:

The city maintained a vacancy in the position of purchasing agent from 1996 through 1998 and the duties of that position fell to Roberts.

Because she essentially performed the duties of two positions, Roberts incurred substantial overtime (more than doubling her regular annual salary of $42,000 in one year), which was approved by city managers prior to 1999.

After the purchasing agent’s post was filled, Roberts trained the new employee and continued to incur overtime with the approval of city managers.

The City hired Sam Isom as city manager in February 1999.

From the beginning, Isom was openly hostile to Roberts and began attempting to limit and control her communications and associations with other city personnel.

During April and May 1999 when Roberts needed to work overtime to prepare the city’s budget, Isom limited Roberts’ hours and gave her unreasonable deadlines.

In June 1999, Isom summarily demoted Roberts to Grant Writer/Library Fiscal Agent - a sham position in which she had no experience, interest, duties or job description - and evicted her from her office.

Roberts was replaced as Finance Director by a less experienced and younger man.

Roberts did not at first have a desk, office, or computer in her new position and was relegated to shelving books and other entry-level library clerical duties (at the same rate of pay she received as Finance Director).

Isom in November 1999 sent Roberts a memo telling her she was not allowed in any city buildings during working hours.

Throughout the first quarter of 2000, Isom continued to harass Roberts about overtime, attempting to force her to take time off to compensate for her required attendance at a grant-writing workshop.

In March 2000, Isom sent Roberts a peremptory written order for her to move her desk so that she sat with her back to the door to her shared office.

On March 22, 2000, Roberts’ supervisor unreasonably and without cause issued her a screaming reprimand in front of several other employees.

On March 28, Roberts was summarily terminated without cause.

At her pre-termination hearing, Roberts was denied an open hearing, however, a newspaper reporter was allowed to attend over Roberts’ objection.

Following her termination, the defendant published to the local community, to local newspapers, and to other parties, that Roberts had been fired for insubordination and demonstrated disloyalty to… duly constituted authority; that the police were investigating alleged misappropriation or embezzlement of city funds; and that although the investigations had not yet yielded conclusive results, Roberts was fired nonetheless.

The suit claims also that Sam Isom fabricated allegations of Roberts’ misconduct, that he intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Roberts and that his conduct was outrageous and indecent.

As a proximate result of the defendant’s conduct, Roberts suffered damages including physical illness and severe emotional distress.

See next week’s Desert Journal for the City of Truth or Consequences’ answer to Sharon Roberts’ suit.

<<<   >>>

Cat fight erupts among city leaders

Commissioners defend friendship despite sunshine law

By Fred Mramor of the Desert Journal

Truth or Consequences City Commissioners hissed and spat at each other in a discussion about commissioners’ possible violation of New Mexico’s open meetings act.

Commissioner Lois Reaver-Black initiated the discussion at Tuesday’s regular commission meeting after receiving calls from city residents who had observed three or more commissioners talking together in settings outside official meetings.

The residents were concerned that the commissioners may have been illegally discussing city business.

Reaver-Black said she told residents that one can’t tell if the commissioners are discussing city business or their vacation plans or families when they see each other at restaurants or at public and social gatherings.

Reaver-Black said three or more commissioners - which constitute a quorum - standing together outside official meetings need to be extremely careful not to engage in illegal discussions.

Exasperated by the issue “coming up and coming up,” a resentful Commissioner Everett Banister said he objected to being told he can’t talk with two other commissioners because he will have to be afraid somebody will think he’s discussing city business.

“Commissioners do not stand around and plan and talk about city business,” Banister insisted. Banister said he objects to “being brought to task” as though commissioners were sneaking around and talking about city business.

“How ridiculous!” the commissioner protested. “It really upsets me. I’m an American and I can talk about anything I want with anybody I want to.”

“Take me to court and prove that I’m talking about city business, then we’ll have a counter suit,” Banister said.

Reaver-Black said three commissioners talking together may present the appearance of impropriety.

“Then that’s just too bad,” Banister retorted. “These people are my friends and I talk to them all the time.”

Banister said he has spoken with Commissioner Bud Stevenson outside official meetings about the possible annexation of unincorporated land into the city.

Commissioner Stevenson said he was personally offended by Reaver-Black’s twice mentioning restaurants, along with other places and situations where commissioners might see each other.

Stevenson, owner of K-Bob’s Steakhouse on Date Street, said his is the only restaurant he knows of that all the commissioners go to but that the suggestion that commissioners hold illegal meetings in his restaurant is a slander against him.

“Well you shall be known, Lois, as the watchdog of the city commissioners,” Mayor Pro-tem Nadyne Gardner cattily said, adding, “and I know the public likes that and they depend on your paper (presumably Reaver-Black’s weekly newspaper column) to show that.”

Gardner said she doesn’t receive the calls that Reaver-Black has and that she hates “making a public forum” of trying to make one person look good and everyone else look bad.

“It doesn’t look good for you,” Gardner said to her fellow commissioner.

Reaver-Black said she did not mean to exclude herself from her admonitions and that she may have been one of the commissioners residents have observed.

Gardner suggested that the mayor issue a memorandum to each of the commissioners the next time the matter comes up. She said a memo would be in much better taste than being reprimanded in public.
<<<   >>>

Desert Journal Online wins

NMPA’s best website award

DJ also wins four awards

from better newspaper contest

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE
AND TO VIEW DJ'S AWARD PAGE

The Desert Journal’s website has won the New Mexico Press Association’s first-ever best website award for small weekly newspapers.

The award was presented during the NMPA’s annual convention awards banquet held Nov. 2 in Albuquerque.

The Utah Press Association was the judge of the NMPA’s best website contest. Judges viewed the participating websites during fall of 2001 and early 2002. Judging criteria included the quality of content, ease of technology and overall general appearance, among other standards in the website industry.

“We waited since April to find out who won the NMPA’s first-ever contest for the best websites in New Mexico, and had no idea the Desert Journal won until they announced the winners of each class on Nov. 2. We were first on the list during the awards presentations,” said Desert Journal editor and publisher Bill Johnson, also the DJ’s online webmaster.

“First, I want to thank Vic Arvizu, our first web guru who has left for Oregon, for helping in the early stages of designing and setting up the website in May last year, training and coaching me, and for being a helping hand when problems arose. Next, I thank the rest of the DJ staff for their support, contributions and patience,” Johnson said. “This has become a labor of love for me.”

“I have taken a lot of constructive criticism to heart and I would expect that one day our website will compete successfully in national, and even possibly international, competition,” Johnson said.

“Now the challenge is to make www.desertjournalonline.com work for our sponsors and I specifically attended NMPA’s website marketing workshop Nov. 2 for that purpose,” he said.

The Desert Journal also won four more awards from NMPA’s 2002 Better Newspaper Contest for class two weeklies judged this year by the Kentucky Press Association.

The Desert Journal team of Teresa Johnson, Bill Johnson and Fred Mramor won first place in the supplements and special editions category. The entry, consisting of the Desert Journal’s annual holiday greeting card design contest, scored 95%. The Kentucky judges commented, “Nice idea to showcase the talent of local teens. Good job.”

Teresa Johnson came up with the idea for the contest several years ago and designs the supplement that is published every year before the Christmas holiday.

“The rest of us just follow orders, so, this award is really for her but our names are behind hers because she is truly the team leader for this project,” Johnson said.

The Desert Journal staff also won second place for creative design and typography, their third award for this category since 1999. “We got off track last year because of a change in computer systems, but now that we have learned it all, readers can expect even better things to come,” said Bill Johnson.

Kentucky judge Nadean Croan of the Herald News said of the DJ’s creative design entry, “Attention grabbing headlines; handy size; easy to read layout.” Three issues of the newspaper are required for this entry, with NMPA selecting two of the months and the entrant choosing one.

DJ reporter Fred Mramor also won two second place awards for investigative reporting and in-depth reporting, categories for which he has received several prior NMPA honors.

Mramor scored 91 points for his in-depth entries, titled “Judge affirms DA’s firing of Peterson: Former DA’s Office investigator’s appeal dismissed with prejudice” and “Tow service cheats wrong person – Or did a state police secretary use her position to get a drastically reduced towing bill?” published May 31, 2002, and Sept. 7, 2001, respectively.

Contest judge Mary Branham of The State Journal in Frankfort, KY, said of Mramor’s in-depth articles, “Interesting stories with all sides covered.”

Mramor’s investigative stories on overcrowding and other problems at the local jail actually tied for first with the Sangre de Cristo Chronicle’s Ellen Miller-Goins but the judges made a final determination to award Mramor second place.

David Greer of the Kentucky Press Association said of Mramor’s entry, “It was a series of stories that had to be reported. It’s good to see a small paper rise to the occasion.”

The Desert Journal has won a total of 30 awards from the NMPA since the DJ first started entering the contests six years ago.

Sierra County’s newspapers can boast of a sixth award as The Herald’s Gerald Garner Jr. won first place for sports photo in the class one weeklies division – a tough field with a national award winner, The Taos News, to beat. The award was Garner’s second NMPA honor and while working for the Hungry Horse News in Montana, he nabbed eight press awards in two years.

“In our class for small weeklies, I saw more new faces from more newspapers win awards this year than in past years. This truly means that New Mexico’s small weeklies are improving and we at the Desert Journal are proud to be among them again,” said Bill Johnson.

<<<   >>>

DJ Photos by Bill Johnson

…Fair Association

holds annual meeting

The Sierra County Fair Association held its annual dinner and meeting Tuesday night at the Fair Barn. 

Numerous awards were presented for showmanship sponsors and winners as follows: top row left, Beef – Junior, Kandes Forrister, Senior, Kelsie Forrister, Sponsor, Hopkins Club Calves; top row right, Dairy – Junior, Keely Muncy, Senior, Lucas Barrera; Sponsor, Barrera Dairy; 2nd row left, Horse – Junior, Adam Petersen, Senior, Sara Petersen, Sponsor, In Memory of Lewis Cain; 2nd row right, Meat Goat – Junior, Sabrina Day, Senior, Mac McClelland, Sponsor, C&H Boer Goats;3rd row left, Sheep – Junior, Shandree Smith, Senior, Clay Jones, Sponsor, T-R-C Big A Burger (Ken Carter filling in); 3rd row right, Swine – Junior, Frank Garay, Senior, Kelsie Forrister; Sponsor, Sierra County Farm & Livestock Bureau represented by Albert Lyon. Department winners of the 2002 Fair (4th row, from left) are: Roxanne Bonsack, 3^rd place in Crafts; Bobbie Lyon, 2^nd Home Sciences; Frances Lerner, 3^rd Home Arts; Elsie Sanchez, 1^st places in Home Arts and Crafts; and Joshua Frankel, 2^nd Crafts. Other winners not shown were: Jim York, sweepstakes winner and 1^st places in Agricultural Produce and Home Sciences; Jane Darland, 2^nd Ag Produce; Dickie Ogaz, 3^rd Ag Produce; Dottie Bell, 2^nd Home Arts, and Heather Johnson, 3^rd Home Sciences. Lastly, Pilot Club winners (5th row, left) are: Amanda Carter, Foods and Produce; Taysha Ham, Clothing; and Faye Ryan, Art and Crafts. Behind the girls is Lisa Greer of the Pilot Club.

Some trash customers get a break on city bill

New subdivision code relaxed & made clear

By Fred Mramor of the Desert Journal

Truth or Consequences city commissioners on Tuesday adopted a utilities ordinance to charge persons living more than one quarter mile from a city dumpster half the rate for trash removal service that other city utilities customers pay.

Commissioners agreed with residents living on the undeveloped side of the river that it was unfair for them to pay the same rate for trash removal service as customers with city dumpsters placed much nearer their homes.

Commissioners also adopted a new subdivision code that city building inspector Chris Nobes said will clearly outline the steps developers must take to subdivide their properties.

Nobes said the new code will be more “developer-friendly” and more equitable both to sub-dividers and the city than the previous code.

Nobes assured commissioners that the new code will not permit property owners to subdivide their lots into smaller parcels than existing zoning ordinances allow as in the city’s R-4 district where lot sizes must be at least one acre.

Previously subdivided parcels may not be split into smaller parcels under the new code, Nobes said.

The new code will require subdivisions to assign their water rights to the city to ensure that the city will be able to supply water to the new lots. Sub-dividers who do not own water rights will pay the city a fee of $1,000 for each new lot.

Those fees will support development of the city’s general water infrastructure, but the city will not be required to dedicate the revenues to provide water systems for the lots that generated the fees, Nobes said.

In another matter, commissioners appointed Richard Epstein to the city’s Lodgers Tax Board to replace realtor Bettie Brannon who recently resigned from the board.

Epstein owns the Hot Springs Bakery and Firewater Lodge on Broadway.

<<<   >>>

Election brings mixed bag  

of results for party politics

Democrats do well in state races,

Republicans retain national seats

By Bill Johnson of the Desert Journal

Democrat Bill Richardson will be New Mexico’s next governor following a landslide victory in the Nov. 5 general election.

In fact many Democratic candidates did well in statewide races whereas they failed to upset Republican strongholds on the national front.

Republican candidate for U.S. Representative Steve Pearce, who managed to take 56 percent of the vote (54% in Sierra County), nabbed the 2^nd Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring Congressman Joe Skeen, also a Republican, after defeating Democrat John A. Smith.

Likewise, longtime veteran U.S. Senator Pete V. Domenici managed to keep his seat with 65% of the vote (73% in Sierra County), defeating Democrat Gloria Tristani.

Republicans fared well nationally after this election year’s cycle of negative campaign bashing and were granted President Bush’s wish for a GOP majority in both Houses of Congress.

Now it will be up to Republicans to prove their stuff as they take responsibility for moving America out of an economic slump while also facing war with Iraq.

But besides these two national races with Republicans at the helm in Washington, D.C., the New Mexico home front will have a different political landscape with Democrats dotting most of the state offices.

Nabbing 56% of the vote, Bill Richardson defeated Republican John A. Sanchez (39%) for the governor’s seat, a definite gain for Democrats as they prepare to replace Republican Gary Johnson. The remaining 5% of the vote went to Green candidate David E. Bacon.

Voters in Sierra County, however, favored Sanchez (49%) over Richardson (46%).

Democrats also retained seats in other state offices with incumbents Rebecca D. Vigil-Giron re-elected as Secretary of State, Domingo P. Martinez as State Auditor, Robert E. Vigil as State Treasurer, and Patricia A. Madrid as Attorney General.

Other Democratic wins were by Richard C. Bosson, Justice of the Supreme Court, and E. Shirley Baca, Public Regulation Commission District 5.

The only GOP gains or retentions in statewide offices were by Patrick H. Lyons, Commissioner of Public Lands; and Roderick T. Kennedy, Judge of the Court of Appeals.

Voters also retained nonpartisan judges including supreme court justices Pamela Minzner and Petra J. Maes and appeals court justices Michael Bustamante and Celia Foy Castillo.

Locally in the 7^th Judicial District, voters retained Judges Edmund H. Kase III and Thomas G. Fitch with 78% and 76% ratings respectively.

They also voted to keep District Judge Kevin R. Sweazea, who was appointed to fill a vacancy with the sudden unexpected death of Judge Neil Mertz (while he was presiding over the infamous David Parker Ray trail of sexual torture case) and therefore was subject to a partisan race that went without opposition.

In the election for constitutional amendments, voters passed Nos. 1 (additional $2,000 property tax exemption for conflict-era veterans), 3 (eliminating an outdated section regarding designation of judicial districts), 4 (allowing alien land ownership), 5 (disabled veteran tax exemption) and 6 (permitting state and local governments to provide land, buildings or infrastructure to create affordable housing), 8 (broadens eligibility for Vietnam veteran scholarships), and 9 (changes name of State Highway Commission to State Transportation Commission).

Voters, however, defeated two amendments: No. 2, that would have removed the prohibition against certain persons (i.e. convicted felons) exercising the right to vote; and No. 7 that would have designated the last Friday in March as a legal holiday in honor of labor union champion Cesar Chavez.

Voters also passed general obligation bonds questions A ($10.8 million for senior citizen facilities, B ($93.4 million for public education improvements, C ($16 million for library acquisitions) and E ($13.1 million for water rights purchases and water projects).

Voters defeated bond question D that would have provided $6.6 million for state facilities and equipment.

The majority of Sierra County’s voters went against all of the bonds.

<<<   >>>

Hamilton retains seat

despite county’s favorite

By Bill Johnson of the Desert Journal

Sierra County lost its chance to have representation by one of its own when a minority of the house district’s voters in portions of Grant and Hidalgo counties trampled its favorite during the Nov. 5 general election.

Gary Whitehead of Truth or Consequences was trying to wrestle away the re-apportioned District 38 seat held by incumbent State Representative Dianne Hamilton of Silver City.

In Sierra County, a total of 2,332 voters mustered support for Whitehead for 54% of the vote. Hamilton held strong, however, after a vigorous campaign in the struggle for votes in Sierra County as she took 1,754 votes, or 43%.

Whitehead’s defeat came with a very weak showing in the other two counties, however, as he took only 1,411 more votes there (38.5%).

Hamilton of Grant County managed to nab 2,255 votes outside Sierra County’s political realm for 61.5%, giving her the edge over Whitehead to finally win the district, 4,009 votes (52%) over Whitehead’s 3,743 votes (48%).

This was a case where Whitehead obviously needed to campaign harder in Grant and Hidalgo counties – both already Hamilton strongholds – although the total number of voters casting ballots in Sierra County numbered a majority at 4,086, which is 420 votes more than the combined 3,666 votes cast from Grant and Hidalgo counties.

To win the race, Whitehead simply needed greater support from Sierra County voters who could easily have placed him at the top.

Neither candidate flung mud in their campaigns as Hamilton defended her record in bringing goodies to Sierra County and Whitehead campaigned on the premise of bringing local representation to Sierra County.

Not feeling out the potential threat from the minority of voters in the other two counties could have been the reason for Whitehead’s downfall in this election.

<<<   >>>

Martinez wins sheriff’s race

Desert Journal Staff Report

Retired New Mexico State Police Officer David Martinez nabbed victory in the race for Sierra County Sheriff by defeating his opponent, Ronald D. Brown, also a retired NMSP officer and former county sheriff.

Martinez campaigned hard for the open seat before and after the Republican primary election in June when he defeated incumbent Sheriff Terry Byers.

The final tally from the Nov. 5 general election put Martinez at 2,170 votes (53%) and his Democratic opponent at 1,933 votes (47%).

In other Sierra County races, incumbent Republican Thomas G. Pestak retained his seat as magistrate judge by defeating Democrat Daniel G. Mena. Pestak won by a landslide with 2,720 votes (67%) and Mena slid under with 1,341 votes (33%).

Two new Sierra County commissioners also were elected – James M. Coslin, a Republican, and Russell Peterson, a Democrat.

Coslin defeated his Democratic opponent, Abel B. Armijo, 2,412 votes (60%) to 1,596 (40%), respectively. Peterson in a much tighter race narrowly escaped the strong show for Republican Richard A. Millard. Peterson took 2,062 votes (52%) over Millard’s 1,934 votes (48%).

In the race for County Assessor, Democrat Isabel Salazar defeated Republican Keith W. Whitney in the open race, 2,143 votes (53%) to 1,907 votes (47%), respectively.

In the race for Probate Judge, Republican Josie M. Zamora beat her Democratic opponent, Ivan G. Padilla, 2,202 votes (55%) to 1,797 votes (45%), respectively.

<<<   >>>

OBITUARIES

Marcel D. LaFrance, 62, municipal judge and resident of Elephant Butte, died Monday, Nov. 4, 2002. He was born Oct. 19, 1940, in Fall River, MA, to Joseph and Irene (Levesque) LaFrance. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. He retired as a sergeant from the El Paso, Texas, Police Department and later moved to Sierra County where he served as undersheriff for eight years with the Sheriff’s Office. He was the current municipal judge at Elephant Butte. He also was a member and past president of the T or C Lion’s Club, past commander of the Elephant Butte Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1389, and a member of the Truth or Consequences Moose Lodge No. 2050.

Survivors include his wife, Connie F. LaFrance of the Elephant Butte home; a daughter, Toni LaFrance, and son, Christopher LaFrance, both of El Paso, TX; his grandchildren, Matthew Wojciechowski, Toni Wojcieshowski and Samantha Fabian; his sisters, Doris Mowad of El Paso, TX, Cecil Forand of Fall River, MA, Nannette Sasso of Swansea, MA, and Claudette Barbozza of Fall River, MA; and his brother, Paul LaFrance of Fall River, MA.

Visitation was held Nov. 6 in the Chapel of French Mortuary in T or C and a memorial service was held Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Elephant Butte VFW Post 1389 with Chaplain Buster Watkins, Peter M. Bowidowicz, Melissa Loomis, Ron Brown and Russell Peterson officiating. He was taken to the Hillcrest Funeral Home in El Paso, TX, for viewing and a rosary conducted on Thursday evening, Nov. 7, and funeral mass celebrated Nov. 8 at the San Antonio Catholic Church in El Paso.  Serving as casket bearers were Christopher LaFrance, Matthew Wojciechowski, Paul LaFrance, Fernie Flores, Salvador Flores and Mike Mosholder. Honorary casket bearers were Fred Dominguez and Ron Brown. Interment was in the Ft. Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso.

Carroll Hammond Sather, 87, who lived with his son Mike on their horse ranch near Tajique, NM, died Oct. 16, 2002, from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. He was born June 9, 1915, in the township of Highland Grove, Clay County, MN, to Carrol George Sather and Gertrude Hammond. After living in the Minnesota areas of Staples and Wadena for much of his life, he retired from the Northern Pacific (now Burlington Northern) Railroad in June 1975 and moved in 1976 with his wife Evelyn to the Sebeka area in Minnesota where they had many wonderful friends. Carroll and Evelyn moved to Albuquerque, NM, in 1982 and to Truth or Consequences in 1983 where Evelyn died in 1993.

Survivors include his daughter, Carol Joy; sons, Mike & Joe Sather; grandchildren, John Mulloy, Margaret Mulloy, Natalie Sather, Jonathan Sather, Briana Sather, Gavin Sather and Taylor Sather; and five great-grandchildren.

He was cremated and his ashes will be buried with his wife Evelyn at Vista Memory Gardens Cemetery in Truth or Consequences at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, during a small graveside service.

Carroll would like to wish the best to everyone whose paths he crossed throughout his lifetime. He loved life to its fullest and treasured his family and many friends. Carroll, a crossword puzzle whiz, took great pride in drawing his retirement for over 27 years. The Sather children would like to thank their parents, Carroll and Evelyn, for always providing for them during their childhood and instilling in them generosity, a tremendous work ethic and human values. Friends wishing to send flowers can do so. Arrangements are by French Mortuary of T or C Inc.; 505-894-2574.