The Albuquerque Tribune (Albuquerque, NM) articles from March 2000, page 4

The Albuquerque Tribune (Albuquerque, NM) archives from March 2000

Ticket scalpers play it safe, give police officers a rest.(Dance in the Desert)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Brad Moore bmoore@abqtrib.com / 823-3679 In 1992, the last time the NCAA Tournament West Regional came to Albuquerque, a slew of complaints prompted the Albuquerque Police Department to put the sting on ticket scalpers. ...

Zags personify team concept, on and off the court.(Dance in the Desert)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Richard Stevens rstevens@abqtrib.com / 823-3663 GONZAGA BULLDOGS They dance down the road toward the Final Four and into this Albuquerque Pit stop in kind of a group-hug-type of Spokane polka. The Gonzaga Zags aren't...

Santangelo controls Zags and opponents.(Dance in the Desert)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Richard Stevens rstevens@abqtrib.com / 823-3663 GONZAGA BULLDOGS When it comes to rating Gonzaga's Matt Santangelo as a collegiate point guard, it is fair to say he is no John Stockton. He's better than John Stockton....

When push comes to shove, that's this team's style.(Dance in the Desert)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Richard Stevens rstevens@abqtrib.com / 823-3663 PURDUE BOILERMAKERS The Boilermakers don't dance. Sorry, what Purdue does is more like what a grizzly bear does to a fat salmon, more like what a bull does to a cheap...

Fans hate him, but competitive 'bad boy' wants only to win.(Dance in the Desert)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Richard Stevens rstevens@abqtrib.com / 823-3663 PURDUE BOILERMAKERS he's the Boilermaker Bad Boy with the bad hairdo. He's the Boilermaker who likes to bruise the other guy. He's more WWF than NCAA, more linebacker than...

Places to go, things to do.(Dance in the Desert)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Leanne Potts lpotts@abqtrib.com / 823-3676 COMMENTARY There are two things you, as a visitor, need to realize about Albuquerque: 1. New Mexico's biggest city is a sprawling, unglamorous, blue-collar town that has the...

Stubborn, unspringlike weather due to fade.(Local News)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports IN BRIEF By mid-afternoon today, the snow should begin melting in New Mexico, skies will be partly cloudy and the rain will have done its part in slowing down the possibility of forest fires, said...

Bond, release conditions set in airline case.(Local News)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports A federal magistrate on Wednesday ordered a New York City woman held on $50,000 bond after she was accused of entering the cockpit of an America West airliner in flight and striking a co-pilot. U.S....

Perls awaits decision on bid for primary.(Local News)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports Former state Rep. Bob Perls has turned in additional petition signatures to get on the ballot for the Democratic primary in New Mexico's 1st Congressional District. Fewer than 20 percent of the...

AT A GLANCE.(Local News)
March 23, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports Fire diverts traffic: An early morning fire in a storage shed at Rocky Mountain Testing near Edith Boulevard and Osuna Road Northeast snarled traffic in the area for about an hour. Albuquerque Fire...

Aircraft manufacturer looks at landing in Albuquerque.
March 22, 2000... Byline: Sherry Robinson srobinson@abqtrib.com / 823-3632 Eclipse Aviation Corp. is considering Albuquerque as a potential site for its headquarters and engineering and manufacturing operations. Long term, the company could eventually...

Technicality upends grand-jury system.
March 22, 2000... Byline: Leslie Hoffman LHOFFMAN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3610 In the world of narcotics crime, Michael Zane Ulibarri's trafficking case was rather unremarkable perhaps, even comical. First, Ulibarri failed a drug test while on probation,...

LodeStar opens this weekend, offering a dome of stellar thrills.
March 22, 2000... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623 The universe celebrates its grand opening in Albuquerque this weekend with spectacular star shows. Its creators were still hanging galaxies in one exhibit room this week....

Schools will seek donations to pay for specific programs.
March 22, 2000... Byline: Andy Lenderman alenderman@abqtrib.com / 823-3659 In the first effort, the APS Foundation will ask the business communityto put up $50,000 for a summer reading academy. Armed with sophisticated videos and a clear message,...

GOP goes for more state seats this election.
March 22, 2000... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos ggallegos@abqtrib.com / 823-3670 VOTE 2000 Republican candidates are making sure that almost no Democrats have a free ride this election season, including some of the most established legislators not usually...

Governor says offer still isn't enough.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos ggallegos@abqtrib.com / 823-3670 Democratic legislators said they've given Gov. Gary Johnson almost everything he's asked for in budget negotiations in order to get the issue resolved and keep government running....

More winterlike weather expected.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Jan Jonas JJONAS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3627 Albuquerque residents, still talking about the second day of a potent spring storm, are in for another day of winterlike conditions. A National Weather Service forecaster said more of...

Yucca Lounge owner agrees to shutter bar.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Leslie Hoffman LHOFFMAN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3610 Residents in the Trumbull/La Mesa neighborhood are breathing a sigh of relief after the owner the Yucca Lounge agreed this morning to a permanent injunction prohibiting him from...

County race to emphasize unification.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 Five candidates for one Bernalillo County Commission seat will try to replace a popular Northeast Heights commissioner while four Democrats and a Republican will battle to represent the...

For ordinary Purdue guard, simple is as simple wins.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Richard Stevens Carson Cunningham has the perfect Purdue look. The Boilermaker point guard looks a bit too slow. His uniform is a bit too big, a bit too baggy. It hangs more than it clings. He has that nonathletic look...

The battle at the point.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 LSU's savvy freshman guard blisters opponents with his seasoned play It's funny that point guard Torris Bright is nicknamed "Chaos" in light of the calming effect he's had on...

Wisconsin point guard is a pesky defender who gets under opponents' skin.
March 22, 2000... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 The battle at the point Wisconsin defensive whiz Mike Kelley is like an itch you can't scratch. He's the fly that you can't shoo and that eventually ends up in the...

Wisconsin forward keeps Badgers on the right track.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Everybody knows one of the roads to the Final Four in Indianapolis runs through Albuquerque this week, but Wisconsin junior power forward Andy Kowske would be the most likely to pinpoint the exact miles,...

EDITORIALS.(Insight and Opinion)
March 22, 2000... Blessed are candidates who are peacemakers With the passing of Tuesday's candidate-filing deadline, the 2000 election cycle has officially begun in New Mexico. For the sake of the state's crippled political system, here's hoping for a...

PNM files underground line placement proposal.(Business)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports LOCAL & REGIONAL Public Service Company of New Mexico filed a proposal with the state Public Regulation Commission that would guide cities and counties in deciding whether or not to place underground...

Oil company settles with state.(Business)
March 22, 2000... Byline: The Associated Press SANTA FE A Texas oil company has agreed to pay the state Land Office $1.2 million to settle a dispute over royalty payments on crude oil pumped in New Mexico. Amerada Hess Corp. is the 11th company to...

PNM donates Santa Fe land to conservancy.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Wire reports IN BRIEF SANTA FE Hikers and birdwatchers soon will have a new 190-acre nature preserve to explore after the Public Service Company of New Mexico donated the land to The Nature Conservancy of New Mexico for...

Storm forces closure of I-40 west.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Jan Jonas JJONAS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3627 State Police closed I-40 to traffic from Albuquerque west to the Arizona state line early this morning due to concerns about accumulating snow and bad visibility, said State Police...

Woman held after cockpit attack aboard plane.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A federal magistrate set a hearing for this morning for a New York City woman accused of entering an America West cockpit and striking a co-pilot, forcing the plane to make an unscheduled landing in...

Gun violence draws more federal prosecutors to town.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The U.S. Attorney's Office may soon be able to add two more federal prosecutors to its Albuquerque staff, because of the city's rate of killings that involve guns. The U.S. Department of Justice has...

Lobos' Craig gets 600th victory.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports UPDATE University of New Mexico head softball coach Susan Craig cracked the 600-win barrier for her career, and is among the top 25 winningest coaches in NCAA Division I-A. With her team's final...

UPDATE.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports Golf ties for fifth: The Lobo men's golf team tied for fifth with Houston at the Cleveland Golf/Morris Williams Intercollegiate at Austin, Texas. The Lobos had a three-round score of 891, 10 strokes behind...

UPDATE.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports Three local wrestlers grab titles A trio of Albuquerque wrestlers won first place in their weight division at the Rocky Mountain National Championships in Denver. Snatching titles were Joey...

UPDATE.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports AT A GLANCE Slam's Sasser honored by IBL: New Mexico Slam forward Jason Sasser was named the IBL's Player of the Week for his performance in five games last week. Sasser, a former Texas Tech star and...

Subway stores seeing increase in business here.(Business)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports LOCAL & REGIONAL Subway's New Mexico market saw an average increase of 1.6 percent among its 68 stores in January, compared with January 1999. The sales increase of January 2000 continues a trend of...

Consultants on city arena will also study baseball stadium.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Kate Nelson KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM/8233602 The group charged with looking into the possibility of a multiuse arena in Albuquerque will also see what it would take for the city to get a new baseball stadium. Mayor Jim Baca...

Storm helps crews stop fire in Gila forest.(Local News)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Wire reports IN BRIEF SILVER CITY Firefighters have controlled a blaze that burned nearly 100 acres in the Gila National Forest, which remains dry despite the first spring storm. "A storm like this will definitely...

UPDATE.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports Softball awards: Lobos Sarah Maulorice and Danielle Casarra were named this week's McLeod USA Mountain West Conference player and pitcher of the week, respectively. The duo helped lead UNM to a 4-3 record...

UPDATE.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports Sevieri honored: Lobo outfielder Donny Sevieri was selected as the McLeod USA Mountain West Conference baseball player of the week. Sevieri, a sophomore, hit .667 and had 10 RBI, nine runs, five doubles and...

This Axel rose from Down Under.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Richard Stevens rstevens@abqtrib.com / 823-3663 Luc Longley once towered at The Pit. Now comes another Aussie, a Zag who's no shrimp on the barbie. Maybe Australia isn't so big after all. When Gonzaga's Axel Dench, a...

Mighty oaks of Wake Forest pound Lobos out of NIT.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: Sean McAfee smcafee@abqtrib.com / 823-3662 Lamont Long ended the season as MWC's scoring champ, but he couldn'trescue UNM. Now, coach Fran Fraschilla must find his own big men. Give 'em credit for making it interesting, but...

With some help, Scorps still gunning for WPHL's best record.(Sports)
March 22, 2000... Byline: STAFF REPORTS The race for the WPHL's top record is going down to the final weekend, but the New Mexico Scorpions will need some help to win it. The Scorpions got a couple of breaks Tuesday from results around the league. ...

Winds rip roof, yank power, blow snow, rain.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Jan Jonas JJONAS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3627 One day into official spring, Albuquerque got a taste today of its nearly forgotten winter: rain, snow and sleet, driven by winds gusting up to 50 mph. Four inches of snow gathered on...

Lease to bring movie theater to Downtown.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 A signed lease between the group charged with revitalizing Downtown and Century Theatres is just the opening act, officials vow. The project is the starting point of a major effort to...

Council limits La Cueva area to 3 homes per acre.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 If Pat Verrelle could only make one phone call today, it might be to Albuquerque Mayor Jim Baca. "We have to get the mayor to sign this," she said of the La Cueva Sector Plan, the...

Investigators search for clues to one of the city's nastiest fires.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Joline Gutierrez Krueger jglenn@abqtrib.com / 823-3603 Federal, county and city investigators continued their search today for the cause of a massive fire that destroyed a North Valley foam-packing company in what officials are...

Plutonium workers return to work at New Mexico lab.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Lawrence Spohn LSPOHN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3611 Eight workers, contaminated by radioactive plutonium at Los Alamos National Laboratory late last week, returned to work this week as scheduled, a lab spokesman said. Four workers...

Johnson expects to call session for next week.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Deborah Baker The Associated Press LEGISLATURE 2000 SANTA FE Gov. Gary Johnson says the special legislative session on the budget will likely begin in a week. No formal announcement from the Governor's Office was expected...

Mom says she was 'tricked' into giving up baby.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Joline Gutierrez Krueger jglenn@abqtrib.com / 823-3603 Little Jasmine Ford would be3 months old now, probably starting to hold up her head, to stick anything in sight in her mouth, learning that her fingers are magical...

Belligerent woman taken off jet in Albuquerque.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports IN BRIEF An America West airliner made an unscheduled stop in Albuquerque on Monday to unload a woman who officials say entered the cockpit and attacked the co-pilot during flight. The woman,...

Council tightens towing rules.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Kate Nash The City Council passed a measure Monday night that will change the rules governing towing companies on the city's rotation list. Councilor Tim Kline sponsored the measure, which will tighten the rules towing...

Power outage knocked out two Intel FAB plants.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Sue Vorenberg svorenberg@abqtrib.com / 823-3678 The weekend power outage may have knocked out two of Intel Corp.'s semiconductor fabrication plants for two hours, but the company says it's happy. "The great news on this...

A UNM interim vice president lands permanent position.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623 Judy K. Jones, who has been the University of New Mexico's interim vice president for institutional advancement since January 1998, was appointed to the position on a permanent basis...

Wake Forest's depth could sink the Lobos on NIT road trip.(Sports)
March 21, 2000... Byline: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS There's going to be plenty of basketball fever in The Pit this week, but none of it will be generated by the hometown Lobos. While the University of New Mexico prepares to play host to the NCAA...

Son returns for 'internship' with dad at Wisconsin.(Sports)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 It's a long way from shooting 3s in the NBA to washing socks in the Big Ten. But Tony Bennett, the University of Wisconsin's 30-year-old team manager and former NBA guard,...

Following a 14-year detour, Purdue's Thrash is back.(Sports)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Richard Stevens rstevens@abqtrib.com / 823-3663 The NCAA road to Indianapolis makes a welcome stop in Albuquerque for Purdue assistant Jim Thrash. Eventually, Thrash says, he expects to make a permanent stop here. ...

Mile-high altitude will affect NCAA Pit players.(Sports)
March 21, 2000... Byline: TRIBUNE STAFF WEST REGIONAL NOTEBOOK Two of the NCAA Tournament teams ascending to Albuquerque this week have already gotten a breath of thin air. Louisiana State and Wisconsin, which will meet in the NCAA Tournament's...

EDITORIALS.(Insight and Opinion)
March 21, 2000... We need bright ideas to avoid more blackouts Add another complicated, costly tonic to the list of remedies needed to invigorate New Mexico's torpid economy. The state must have more high-voltage transmission lines at $500,000 per...

Intel releases new chips but has delivery problems.(Business)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Wire reports WORLD & NATION Intel Corp. has released two new Pentium III desktop processors, slower and cheaper than the recently introduced "gigahertz" chip. The chips run with "clock speeds" of 850 and 866 megahertz,...

Few can resist addiction to penstemons.(Home and Garden)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Kate Nelson GREEN THUMB CHRONICLES There's a Shropshire lad with an Internet home page named for his obsession: Penstemania. Proudly posted on it are photos of the stars of his British garden: 30 types of penstemon. ...

Spring gets cold, wet, rude welcome.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Jan Jonas JJONAS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3627 One day into official spring, Albuquerque got a taste today of its nearly forgotten winter: rain, snow and sleet driven by winds gusting up to 50 mph. Wind, blowing snow and rain will...

No cause yet for intensive fire that blackened skies, city history.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Joline Gutierrez Krueger jglenn@abqtrib.com / 823-3603 Federal, county and city investigators continued their search today for the cause of a massive fire that destroyed a North Valley foam-packing company in what officials are...

Belligerent woman taken off jet in Albuquerque.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... IN BRIEF An America West airliner made an unscheduled stop in Albuquerque on Monday to unload a woman who officials say entered the cockpit and attacked the co-pilot during flight. An irate Bronx woman was arrested aboard the...

PNM says it may not be responsible for damages.
March 21, 2000... Byline: Barry Massey The Associated Press With inquiries about claims for damages trickling in, the Public Service Co. of New Mexico said Monday it might not be liable for damages to computers or other equipment of customers that occurred...

Man indicted in death of state employee.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports IN BRIEF SANTA FE A Santa Fe grand jury has indicted a 21-year-old Tesuque man in the beating death of an official in the Secretary of State's Office. Antonio Martinez was indicted Friday on...

Wolves ready for release in Gila Wilderness.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports IN BRIEF SILVER CITY Mexican gray wolves will make their reappearance in the Gila Wilderness this week. Wolves are being moved from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest on the Arizona-New Mexico...

Ex-magistrate to take on Lujan in primary.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports IN BRIEF SANTA FE Isaac Archuleta, a former Santa Fe County magistrate, says he will run against Rep. Ben Lujan in the June Democratic primary. Archuleta, who was county magistrate from 1974 to his...

CORRECTIONS.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... A story about Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute's Call Center College in Monday's ABQBiz incorrectly named Tracy Hudson as a staff member. The name should have been Tracy Samson. See story 03/20/00 Pg. 3 ABQBiz "TVI COLLEGE...

Comcast announces scholarship plans.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports IN BRIEF Comcast Cable plans to award $8,500 in college scholarship money to Albuquerque-area high school students in an essay contest. Students grades nine through 12 within the cable company's...

N.M. 44 contract goes to LaFarge of Albuquerque.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports IN BRIEF The final contract for completion of New Mexico Highway 44 was awarded to LaFarge of Albuquerque. The contract covers the northern end of the project ending south of Bloomfield. When...

Woman who awakened from coma returns home.(Local News)
March 21, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire reports IN BRIEF A woman who lay in a coma for more than 16 years has returned home to Albuquerque after completing an eight-week therapy course at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey,...

Outage sheds light on PNM's vulnerability.
March 20, 2000... Byline: Leslie Hoffman LHOFFMAN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3610 The lights are back on, but this weekend's massive power outage shows how powerless the state's utility providers are when it comes to rerouting electricity when catastrophe strikes....

Cinderellas' fit into Pit squeezes more tickets.
March 20, 2000... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 The men's basketball teams you probably expected to see in Albuquerque this week won't be coming. The good news is, that means you might be able to get tickets to the games. ...

Raging plant fire blackens city skies.
March 20, 2000... Byline: Joline Gutierrez Krueger jglenn@abqtrib.com / 823-3603 Black, billowing plumes of smoke darkened Albuquerque skies today as three dozen firetrucks battled a stubborn blaze at a North Valley foam-packing plant that threatened to...

Parties plot game plans for upcoming state election.
March 20, 2000... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos ggallegos@abqtrib.com / 823-3670 LEGISLATURE 2000 The anticipation at Democratic and Republican headquarters is in high gear this week as party leaders firm up the positioning for legislative races across...

Getting out message crucial for Dems' leader.
March 20, 2000... Byline: Tim Archuleta tarchuleta@abqtrib.com / 823-3674 AN INTERVIEW WITH...DAVID ALIRE GARCIA David Alire Garcia is hardly a household name in New Mexico politics. At age 25, the New Mexico native with a Harvard University...

City sector plans won't go quietly into night.(Local News)
March 20, 2000... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 Two Albuquerque development plans could undergo some major changes at tonight's Albuquerque City Council meeting. The nine-person council is expected to consider two measures that could...

What started the outage fire?
March 20, 2000... Byline: Staff and wire report It may take an investigation to determine exactly what caused the fire near Farmington that led to Saturday's massive power outage throughout New Mexico, including Albuquerque. Public Service Company of...

APS, Moriarty district to discuss East Mountain school.
March 20, 2000... Byline: Andy Lenderman alenderman@abqtrib.com / 823-3659 The idea of a new East Mountain high school lives, as school boards in Albuquerque and Moriarty plan to renew relationships and talk business. "We're just trying to start a...

Power failure triggers some high-tech damage.
March 20, 2000... Byline: Sue Vorenberg svorenberg@abqtrib.com / 823-3678 This weekend's power failure caused a fire and damaged equipment and products at some of New Mexico's high-tech companies. All of the companies are still assessing their damage...

Siteseeing.(Business)
March 20, 2000... Byline: Sue Vorenberg A critical look at New Mexico businesses on the Net Company: Sandia National Laboratories Owner: U.S. Department of Energy Web address: www.sandia.gov Content: The site has extensive information on...

REAL ESTATE BRIEFS.(Business)
March 20, 2000... Byline: Tribune staff Sales of existing single-family homes in the Albuquerque area were up 15 percent in February compared with the month before. But year-to-date sales fell behind the same period in 1999, according to the Home...

PUBLIC COMPANY BRIEFS.(Business)
March 20, 2000... Byline: Tribune staff Thornburg Value Fund, the leading equity fund in the Thornburg Family of Funds, has passed the $1 billion asset milestone. Garrett Thornburg, chairman of Santa Fe-based Thornburg Investment Management, said the...

Titan ventures into waste-recycling market.(Business)
March 20, 2000... Byline: Tribune staff Titan Technologies Inc. plans to be more aggressive in the U.S. waste-recycling market for tires, scrap electronics and "auto fluff," the electronic and plastic waste from auto salvage. Recent work completed by...