The Albuquerque Tribune (Albuquerque, NM) articles from February 2002

The Albuquerque Tribune (Albuquerque, NM) archives from February 2002

School graft probe grabs RV.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Andy Lenderman alenderman@abqtrib.com / 823-3659 A contractor gave the motor home to a maintenance supervisor in exchange for "$10,000 of easy APS work," according to a letter. Albuquerque Public Schools police have seized...

Villa the terrorist?(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Ollie Reed Jr. TRAILTALES When Pancho Villa's troops raided a small New Mexico town nearly 86 years ago, he was called a bandit. But some say that raid - during which 18 Americans lost their lives - has similarities to the...

Transport hub chugs toward April rollout.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 Waiting for the Alvarado Transportation Center to open Downtown might be a bit like waiting for the bus: If it's not on time, be patient. It eventually will come. City buses were...

Eight officers will keep jobs.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Andy Lenderman alenderman@abqtrib.com / 823-3659 Eight officers who patrol Albuquerque high schools will stay on the job, contrary to recent announcements, city officials said today. "The mayor has said he will not terminate...

Board sets hearing, as law requires, for Allison's firing.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Susie Gran SGRAN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3682 The anticipated firing of Brad Allison can't seem to get to the finish line. Whether he wants one or not, the suspended superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools is going to have an...

District calls a halt to its search for Rio Grande High principals.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Jennifer W. Sanchez jsanchez@abqtrib.com / 823-3610 The process of hiring two principals to lead a reconfigured Rio Grande High School has been suspended while district officials sort out the job descriptions of the new...

Breakaway district knows ABCs of school commitment.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Kate Nelson Commentary On opening day of Rio Rancho Public Schools, Sue Cleveland could almost hear cackles wafting across the river. "They'll never make it," the naysayers sneered. "Not enough money, too many students, too...

Union chief complains of tight quarters at Alvarado.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 Veteran bus driver Robert Gutierrez is used to wiggling his city bus in and out of tight spots around Albuquerque. But there's one place he fears might be too tiny for his 40-foot bus:...

New state GOP director was pardoned by Johnson.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos GGALLEGOS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3670 The state Republican Party's new executive director said he asked Gov. Gary Johnson for a pardon so he could vote again. John Ryan, who recently started his stint at the...

Conservative Rep. Buffett will not seek re-election.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 Albuquerque Rep. George Buffett is leaving the Legislature at the end of this year, but the Northeast Heights Republican says he'll still be around to critique Roundhouse politics. ...

JAN'S MAILBOX.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Jan Jonas Color me romantic. Thise-mail came recently. From Barbara Diehl, e-mail address DiehlB@usa.redcross .org. "My husband and I are from New York. We hiked out on Sandia Crest on Feb. 10 and met a couple who got...

Ease your kids into adopting a pet.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Jen Barol and Pasha Commentary So your kid comes to you with that sweet, apple-dumpling pout, studies you with those huge, animated orbs and asks you the one question you've been dreading for years. "Can I have a kitten?" ...

Disarming conversations.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Lawrence Spohn The Trib's Lawrence Spohn first met physicist Evgeny Velikhov in 1988 in a bleak Moscowas the Cold War was beginning to thaw. Much has changed, but during a visit to Albuquerque, the Russian was ever ebullient,...

Lab forms small-business panel.(Evening)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Nancy Salem nsalem@abqtrib.com / 823-3675 Los Alamos National Laboratory, a target of criticism over its procurement practices, has formed a task force and advisory committee to assess its efforts to do business with small...

Improved Carey helps Lobos step on the gas.(Sports Extra)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 University of New Mexico junior point guard Senque Carey doesn't care what John Q. Public says. Carey, the Lobos' team captain, said he doesn't read the newspapers, surf the...

Flanagan: Upcoming games will test toughness.(Sports Extra)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Brad Moore bmoore@abqtrib.com / 823-3679 It's time to get tournament-tough, University of New Mexico coach Don Flanagan says, starting with tonight's game in Laramie, Wyo. The Lobos are hoping to lasso the Cowgirls, then...

CLAWING AT VICTORY.(Sports Extra)
February 28, 2002... Byline: Jeff Carlton jcarlton@abqtrib.com / 823-3662 BASKETBALL REGIONALS PREVIEW The La Cueva Bears, improbable contenders just weeks ago, turn low star power and high team intensity into scrappy success It's neither a fluke...

A smile extinguished, a singing heart stopped.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Andy Lenderman alenderman@abqtrib.com / 823-3659 Police believe Felisha Holguin, 14, died from drinking vodka. Mourners remember her short life's positive spark. Three shy, grieving teen-age girls stood before more than 250...

4.5 million.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Dan Mayfield DMAYFIELD@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3620 City nets extra cash from taxes in December The city of Albuquerque got a $4.5 million surprise from state tax authorities last month. When the city received its check for...

Sergeant says layoffs affect school safety.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Rick A. Maese rmaese@abqtrib.com / 823-3687 Campus safety will be compromised by pending City Hall-ordered layoffs, says an Albuquerque police sergeant who oversees school police. Officials with the city of Albuquerque said...

Frustrated fire crew can't tap enough water to save home.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 Until Mike Wickman's house caught fire, the bright yellow object 150 feet from his Taylor Ranch driveway was just another fire hydrant. Late Monday night it was a fire hydrant that...

Sandia Labs bosses focus on deterring terrorist attacks.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623 The question, Joan Woodard said, is, "What keeps you awake at night?" In an effort to identify future terrorist threats, top managers and scientists at Sandia National...

Loan sought for machines.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Tribune staff IN BRIEF The Bernalillo County Commission voted to apply to the state for a loan to obtain 200 touch-screen voting machines. First use of the machines would be for early in-person voting in the county's...

School board to vote on firing Brad Allison.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Susie Gran SGRAN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3682 The monthlong process of firing Brad Allison is expected to reach its goal tonight. The vote to fire the controversial superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools is expected...

County adds to fees for new jail.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Jennifer W. Sanchez jsanchez@abqtrib.com / 823-3610 Bernalillo County is going to pay construction managers an additional $263,000 to have them stay on the job of building its overdue jail on the West Mesa. The county...

Virtual test measures blood alcohol level.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Jennifer W. Sanchez jsanchez@abqtrib.com / 823-3610 It doesn't seem like much at first two margaritas sipped in an hour while gossiping with friends. But, that's enough to bring a 130-pound woman's blood alcohol level to...

State spending standoff leaves UNM in budget limbo.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623 There's no truth to the rumor that researchers at the University of New Mexico are trying to teach pigs how to fly. "But we're thinking about it," said Julie Weaks, UNM's vice...

The young and swinging.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Richard Stevens Commentary La Cueva doesn't have a senior on its baseball team. Doesn't matter. The stars of tomorrow already have plenty of hits. If you had to place a bet on which year La Cueva High baseball coach Stan...

A confident Adams is integral to success.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Brad Moore bmoore@abqtrib.com / 823-3679 Jordan Adams says she's tired of playing hide-and-seek with her confidence. So she's hoping to find it Thursday night, grab it, and not let it flee again as she and the Lobos try to...

Lobos could take on North Carolina State.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Brad Moore bmoore@abqtrib.com / 823-3679 The Lobos could get a shot at playing one of the nation's brightest young quarterbacks, and their first Atlantic Coast Conference opponent ever, in a football game that coach Rocky Long...

MWC tourney schedule depends on UNLV finish.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3662 The Mountain West Conference and ESPN are waiting to see this weekend where UNLV finishes in the league standings before deciding the schedule for next week's conference tournament....

EDITORIAL.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Water bank concept is splash in right direction Thanks to the persistence of some Albuquerque lawmakers and their indomitable supporters, water users along the wrung-out Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico soon will have a better...

Triple-killing tips followed.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Tribune staff IN BRIEF Bernalillo County sheriff's deputies and detectives continue to scour the East Mountains for information connected to a 1999 triple homicide that killed three teen-agers. Deputies canvassed the...

Panel opposes upgrade.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Tribune staff IN BRIEF The Albuquerque Board of Education is keeping its wallet closed. The $14 million purchase of two state-of-the art computer systems will have to wait, a board committee decided Tuesday. The full...

Animal fees to increase.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Tribune staff IN BRIEF The Bernallilo County Commission voted Tuesday to increase fees for animal licenses and permits. The county expects the increase in fees to bring in about $73,000 next year compared to this year's...

Rape report investigated.(Evening)
February 27, 2002... Byline: Tribune staff IN BRIEF Detectives from the Albuquerque Police Department are investigating a report of abduction and assault from a La Cueva High School senior, authorities say. The girl reported she was kidnapped from...

Teen's death shocks church.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Andy Lenderman ALENDERMAN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3659 Police suspect excessive alcohol killed 14-year-old Felisha Holguin "the last person in the world that we would expect this to happen to," a pastor said. Church leaders who...

Rallying South Valley parents.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Jennifer W. Sanchez jsanchez@abqtrib.com / 823-3610 Schools reach out for increased parental involvement but acknowledge it isn't easy Don't blame parents for the failure of some South Valley schools, says Luz Ouzts, a...

Councilors balking at stadium borrowing.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 For the city's chief administrative officer, Jay Czar, it's time to go into lobbying mode. "Seven votes is going to be difficult to get," he said of the number of city councilors...

City promises monthly look at spending.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 The words are there on the pages of several city and state statutes. In essence, they say: Don't Overspend Your Budget. City officials say that while the implication is and was clear,...

One step from help, mom instead walked into the abyss.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Kate Nelson Commentary If she had taken just one step inside, she would have found help. That's what they said, over and over, about the unknown woman who dumped five children at Joy Junction Thursday night. If she had...

Officer aides at city schools to get pink slips.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 The city of Albuquerque will eliminate 10 positions used to help beef up the Police Department's school campus safety program. The positions, filled by retired Albuquerque police...

Guvs in same leaky boat on Medicaid, Johnson says.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos GGALLEGOS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3670 Gov. Gary Johnson is finished swapping horror stories about Medicaid with other governors. Johnson said today that he is more convinced than ever that New Mexico has to do...

Gambling man.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 Lobos coach Fran Fraschilla bet the Cowboys couldn't net 3-pointers as they did in Laramie, and he cashed in with his first win over Wyoming in six tries Coach Fran Fraschilla...

Lobos need their glimmer to turn into a real spark.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Richard Stevens Commentary The glimmer of hope in the Lobos' rah-rah 74-65 victory over Wyoming on Monday night in The Pit isn't just the much-needed win. This was a Pit win, and since The Pit won't be the boss in Las Vegas...

EDITORIAL.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Homeland security can start with lab security Last week's visit to New Mexico by federal Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge was encouraging in that it recognized the crucial role the state'snuclear weapons laboratories can play in...

Wait awhile for the real spring, but start watering now.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... Byline: Kate Nelson Commentary GREEN THUMB CHRONICLES Wait, just wait, and soon, so soon, a spiky tip of crocus leaf will nudge through the chilly crust of soil. Daffodil stems will unfurl like a dancer, from a curled crouch to...

CORRECTIONS Correction: See story "In Charge Of The Schools,"02/25/02 ,page A1.(Evening)
February 26, 2002... A story in both editions Monday should have given the age of Elizabeth Everitt, an associate superintendent with Albuquerque Public Schools, as 47.

Beyond the budget.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 After months of the bottom line, mayor turns his gaze to economic development, West Side roads Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez isn't a guy who often likes doing the same thing twice or...

IN CHARGE OF THE SCHOOLS.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Rick A. Maese rmaese@abqtrib.com / 823-3687 Associate superintendents each bring area of expertise: money, curriculum, ideas Elizabeth Everitt spent one afternoon last week schmoozing with some influential business suits at...

We take the funnies seriously.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Today The Trib debuts another new comic strip, "Cats With Hands, " on Page C7. In it, cartoonist Joe Martin poses the question, if cats had hands, would they really need us at all? And in a slightly sadistic twist, he makes mice smarter...

Police unsure how man escaped home.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Rick A. Maese rmaese@abqtrib.com / 823-3687 Two Albuquerque police officers were in front of the house on Calle Nuestra Northwest. One was stationed in the back. Somehow, Raymond Corona after police say he fired shots at an...

Man sought by N.M. authorities for 17 years caught in New York.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Rick A. Maese rmaese@abqtrib.com / 823-3687 The case was 17 years old but Albuquerque police never forgot about Lyle Vorina Moody. Veteran officers believe Moody is the man who inexplicably shot and wounded one of their own,...

Dead teen-ager went to West Mesa High.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Andy Lenderman alenderman@abqtrib.com / 823-3659 Authorities have identified the 16-year-old boy killed in a crash after a police pursuit as Ernesto Sedillo, a West Mesa High School student. Sedillo was killed about 1 a.m....

Aviation director counts on smooth shift to new security system.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Tim Archuleta tarchuleta@abqtrib.com / 823-3624 INTERVIEW WITH... DEWEY CAVE The Albuquerque International Sunport was included in this month's transition to the federal airline security system. The new Transportation...

Science park tenant.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... The new Applied Technology Associates building in the Sandia Science and Technology Park was dedicated last week. The 15,000-square-foot center on just more than an acre of land is the fifth new building in the park on south Eubank Boulevard...

Uptown complex sold to undisclosed buyer.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Nancy Salem nsalem@abqtrib.com / 823-3675 One Park Square, a premier Albuquerque office complex at Americas Parkway in Uptown, was sold by Equity Office Properties Trust of Chicago. The 262,035-square-foot property sold...

Museum planned at Budaghers retail center.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Nancy Salem nsalem@abqtrib.com / 823-3675 Businessman Jim Long has donated 8,000 square feet of space at ?Traditions! A Festival Marketplace for the centerpiece of his New Mexico Multi-Cultural Foundation a museum showcasing the...

ALMANAC.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... BUSINESS GROUPS Julian Garza is the 2002 board chairman for the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce. He has been a member of the chamber since 1986. Garza is the owner of six McDonald's franchises in Rio Rancho, Bernalillo and...

AWARDS.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Ramon F. Rouse, manager of Vector Marketing's Albuquerque district, was honored as one of the company's top national sales performers in the 2001 "Wind Up" campaign. Vector is the exclusive marketer and distributor of Cutco Cutlery, the...

TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Tribune staff Elisar Software has introduced a service that lets customers display, market and sell data over the Internet without fear of theft or piracy. The MediaRights Hosted service secures digital content, such as...

Meeting on water issues planned.
February 25, 2002... Byline: TRIBUNE STAFF Water will be the topic of the 28th New Mexico First Town Hall hosted by U.S. Sens. Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman and the board of New Mexico First. The town hall meeting, called "New Mexico's Water:...

Awaiting the governor's signature.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Dan Mayfield DMAYFIELD@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3620 The Legislature passed six of nine bills supported by the business community, but Gary Johnson hasn't said whether he'll put his John Hancock on them Business leaders are...

Dos Hermanos finds the upside of downturn.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Dan Mayfield Commentary RETAIL BUZZ When the economy soured last year, it changed the face of employment; people were no longer looking for high-tech jobs. That change, says Sam Randall, co-owner of Dos Hermanos, allowed...

SHOP TALK.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Dan Mayfield Name: Nadeem Mull. Title: Owner. Company: Tribal Arts. The company, at 6060 San Mateo Blvd. N.E., sells imported Oriental rugs, African art, home decor and more. Next week, the season starts at the...

Contractors complain about 'set-aside' parity.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Dan Mayfield DMAYFIELD@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3620 Local firms say a proposed change to a federal contracting rule would make a program for minority businesses obsolete. Under the proposal, the 8(a) program, a federal contract...

Siteseeing.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Sue Vorenberg A critical look at New Mexico businesses on the Net Owner: New Mexico Rural Water Association Designer: In-house Web address: www.nmrwa.org Content: The site has information about this nonprofit organization,...

Informatics firms band together to raise profile.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Sue Vorenberg svorenberg@abqtrib.com / 823-3678 New Mexico's high-tech community has always been home to some strange, cryptic and complex ideas and the newly formed International Informatics Society is thrilled about it. ...

OPEN THE GATES.(Albuquerque Business)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Nancy Salem nsalem@abqtrib.com / 823-3675 Water-banking advocates hope a test case will ease lower Pecos River woes and foster smoother water sharing The unexpected passage of a water-banking bill by the Legislature after...

Flare-up won't keep Dennehy on the bench.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 The latest tantrum by sophomore Patrick Dennehy won't keep the University of New Mexico's best inside player out of the starting lineup tonight against Wyoming. When asked...

Tourney winners get regional home game.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Jeff Carlton jcarlton@abqtrib.com / 823-3662 The format for the boys and girls state basketball tournaments may not be as good as in the past, but it's better than last year's debacle. That seems to be the consensus among...

Lobos women focus on first obstacle: Wyoming.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Brad Moore bmoore@abqtrib.com / 823-3679 A possible Saturday showdown against Colorado State with a Mountain West Conference championship on the line is a taboo topic for the University of New Mexico women. "I think we're...

Olympic lessons on curling, soul patches and ice.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Jeff Commings Commentary COUCH POTATO What I've learned from watching the Winter Olympics: * Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to joke about curling. I learned that not only is there a contingent trying to make curling the...

Go see for yourself: Ravens star might be best ballplayer in town.(Evening)
February 25, 2002... Byline: Richard Stevens Commentary You need to go see Rio Grande High's Serge Angounou play basketball. You need to go see Serge hold a basketball over his head the way an average high school player might hold a softball. But...

Mom gave up kids just steps from help.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Joline Gutierrez Krueger JGLENN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3603 The mysterious mother who abandoned her five children at an Albuquerque homeless shelter was just inches away from the help she said she had desperately sought for her...

33-year-old West Side man killed by police.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Jan Jonas jjonas@abqtrib.com / 823-3627 Officers, who were dispatched after a 911 call, shot the man to death after they say he pulled a handgun from his waistband. The second civilian to die at the hands of Albuquerque...

Lottery winner: I'm going to Disneyland.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623 Isabell Delgado says she loves her job as a clerk-typist at a Las Cruces senior center and she doesn't intend to quit it even though she bought the winning ticket in Wednesday's...

Rio Grande principal submits her resignation.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Jennifer W. Sanchez jsanchez@abqtrib.com / 823-3610 Gloria Vigil, an embattled school leader in the South Valley, has announced her resignation as principal at Rio Grande High School. Vigil said Friday she will continue in...

Most of old Big-I debris recycled.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623 The old Big-I has vanished, but its remains continue to hold up traffic. That's because Twin Mountain Construction II Co. crushed most of the old Big-I into small pieces, then...

APS announces five candidates for Rio academies.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Jennifer W. Sanchez jsanchez@abqtrib.com / 823-3610 Albuquerque Public Schools announced a list of five candidates for two principal positions at the soon-to-be-reorganized Rio Grande High School. The co-principal...

Lottery player has until Sunday to claim $27,000.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com/823-3623 Somewhere out there most likely in Roswell somebody has a winning ticket for the Nov. 26 Roadrunner Cash lottery jackpot of $27,000. The ticket expires at 5 p.m. Sunday, 90 days...

Williams' return could be Payne's thorn.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 The loss of Lobos freshman Jamaal Williams for a couple of games turned out to be junior Cody Payne's gain. Now, with Williams likely to return tonight, Payne said he's hoping...

Round 4.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Jeff Carlton jcarlton@abqtrib.com / 823-3662 Regionals-bound Rio Grande meets La Cueva on the basketball court for the fourth time this season, with the district tournament championship at stake There were no what-ifs the...

Smooth talkers garner their own medals.(Weekend)
February 23, 2002... Byline: Jeff Commings Commentary It's time for the Couch Potato medals ceremony. These awards are going to our commentators, who have endured more than two weeks of trying to make tape-delayed events seem live and of attempting to...