News in brief, 10/04/2007

Ortiz plans to seek re-election

City Councilor Matthew Ortiz said this week that he intends to run for a third term representing south-side District 4 next March, making him the only person to seek the seat so far.

Ortiz is the last incumbent councilor to announce his plans. Councilors Patti Bushee and Miguel Chavez, whose terms in Districts 1 and 3 expire next March, say they will run again. District 2 Councilor Karen Heldmeyer isn’t seeking re-election.

Ortiz, the only lawyer on the council, was first elected in 2000 with 73 percent of the vote in a race with Dean Milligan and was re-elected in 2004 with 56 percent in a race with Mark Bentley.

In a written statement, Ortiz said he wants to improve and expand parks, open spaces, trails and recreation, to ensure south-side neighborhoods get better city services and are protected from growth just outside the city limits, and to increase affordable housing.

Rollover victim’s condition better

The condition of a 22-year-old woman injured in a rollover crash after swerving to avoid a wrong-way driver on Interstate 25 last weekend had improved Wednesday, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Angelina Cano was listed in serious condition rather than critical at University Hospital in Albuquerque, and her stepfather said she seemed to be improving. However, Johnny Varela said Cano is still in the intensive care unit, and doctors continue to monitor her closely.

Varela has said Cano broke her back and suffered other cuts and bruises, though her most serious injury was swelling of the brain. He urged anyone who saw what at least one witness said was a red car driving south in the northbound lanes that caused Cano’s accident to call the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the incident.

Some residents want train underground

Some south-side residents want to put the Rail Runner commuter train, which begins service to Santa Fe late next year, underground.

Richard Wood, a retired engineer who lives on Lumbre Court, staged a one-man demonstration this week on the median of Zia Road as cars lined up to turn onto St. Francis Drive.

“Think traffic is bad now?” asked his hand-made cardboard sign. “Tell governor to underground Rail Runner crossing.”

So far, plans call for the train crossing to be at the same grade as the road. But Wood said he believes the train will create greater delays than the 30- to 80-second delays every half hour predicted by the state Transportation Department. “I’m trying to get more people to say something,” he said.

At least one of Wood’s neighbors agrees with him. Lois Sury, a real-estate agent, said she believes the Governor’s Office is listening to concerns about traffic and safety as well the effect on south-side property values from the train’s noise and vibration.

Cops follow man to child drop-off

A Santa Fe man refused to stop for police Tuesday because he wanted to drop off his young daughter at his wife’s workplace, a police report says.

Police tried to stop Frankie Martinez, 33, near Zia Road and Camino Carlos Rey, but he refused to pull over, the report says. He sped through neighborhoods, ran several stop signs and blew through a red light, the report says.

Martinez stopped in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management parking lot, 1474 Rodeo Road, where officers ordered him out of the car. Santa Fe police Officer Angelo Santillanes comforted Martinez’s 2-year-old daughter, who was crying and “extremely upset,” the report says.

Martinez told officers “he was trying to get his daughter to his wife,” who works at the BLM, the report says. He was ordered held in lieu of a $10,000 bond.

Insect bomb goes off in eatery

India Palace restaurant, in the parking lot at Water Street and Don Gaspar Avenue, will be closed for a few days to allow a gas meter inside the building to be relocated.

The work follows a minor explosion Tuesday night of an insect bomb being used to control cockroaches in the restaurant’s kitchen, said owner Narendra Kloty.

The insects are a problem in his and other restaurants in Santa Fe, Kloty said.

Kloty said there was no fire, but the Fire Department responded after receiving a call that smoke was seen coming from the building, said Assistant Chief Ted Bolleter.

“Sometimes those bombs can overpressurize and pop,” Bolleter said. “That’s what happened. It was a really insignificant call.”

As a result of the incident, PNM is requiring the restaurant’s gas meter be moved.

Kloty said the restaurant could reopen as soon as Friday but, he added, Monday is a more realistic date.

“After (the plumber) does his work, we need to get approval (from the city),” Kloty said.

He has owned India Palace, at 227 Don Gaspar Ave. for 17 years.

Gravel mine permit denied

The state has denied a crucial permit for a controversial gravel mine in the Northern New Mexico village of Velarde, but some residents are planning for another round of fighting anyway.

The community group Vecinos del Rio is hosting a meeting at Velarde Elementary School, at the corner of N.M. 68 and County Road 51, at 6 p.m. today.

At issue is a sand and gravel mine located in Velarde. Española Transit Mix on Friday was denied an application to move its sand and gravel operation from Española to the Velarde by the state Environment Department.

In the same location, gravel has been mined for years, and local residents have complained about health and tourism impacts.

“There are some things that are just not right and this is one of them,” said Steven Rudy, an Alcalde resident who is helping to organize opposition to the operations.

The owner of Española Transit Mix could not immediately be reached for comment.

Officials from the Environment Department and lawyers associated with the fight will be on hand to answer questions.

Psychiatric unit has small fire

A burning pillow and mattress led to the evacuation of 30 patients from the adult psychiatric unit at the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas, N.M., on Tuesday night.

The department is investigating the cause of the fire, which caused minimal smoke damage and no injuries. Patients returned to their rooms less than three hours later.

Man charged with abuse of girl

A 37-year-old Santa Fe man charged with raping a 10-year-old female relative was ordered held Wednesday in lieu of a $100,000 cash-only bond.

Richard Sweeney was charged with one count of criminal sexual penetration after the girl told police he sexually assaulted her, according to a police report. Sweeney told police he woke up at 5 a.m. and thought he was sexually touching his girlfriend, the report states.