The Albuquerque Tribune (Albuquerque, NM) articles from May 2001

The Albuquerque Tribune (Albuquerque, NM) archives from May 2001

Time is tight for renovation.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 City must hustle to meet April 2003 completion Voters: Play ball in Sports Stadium Now comes the fast part. And, maybe, the fun part. After a year of laborious hand-wringing,...

Team may not get here till 2003.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Rick A. Maese rmaese@abqtrib.com / 823-3687 The buyers group is finishing the transfer of ownership of the Calgary Cannons franchise but might wait to move until renovation is finished. A triumph for baseball likely spells a...

APS board approves budget for 2001.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623 The board also approved Superintendent Brad Allison's "Performance Action Plan,"targeting higher reading levels and fewer dropouts. The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of...

Word 'niveau' continues city speller's progression.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Jan Jonas jjonas@abqtrib.com / 823-3627 WASHINGTON Sarah Berling continues to be letter-perfect. The Albuquerque girl successfully made it through Rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7 today at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, and...

Baca: This wasn't about Downtown.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos GGALLEGOS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3670 It's ironic, perhaps, that Mayor Jim Baca chose to sweat out the special election in his beloved Downtown. Baca did much of the legwork to return minor-league baseball to...

Payne, backers see outcome as political victory.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Daniel Libit and Rick A. Maese dlibit@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 rmaese@abqtrib.com / 823-3687 Dressed simply in blue jeans and worn sneakers, City Councilor Greg Payne didn't look much like a hard-nosed political infighter as he...

All factions put a positive spin on the election results.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Rick A. Maese and Kate Nash rmaese@abqtrib.com / 823-3687 knash@abqtrib.com / 823-3602 It might go down as one of the few elections in which no one admitted defeat and everyone was quick to raise a hand in victory. But there...

Voted no on the bond but supported renovation.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Compiled by Tribune reporters Michaela Ulibarri and Veronica Hefner. At the polls Here's a sampling of voter comments. Voted yes on the bond and for a new stadium "From listening to other people and from what I've...

Baseball provides kids with lessons in the game of life.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Kate Nelson His name is Patrick Lokaj, but it might as well be Opie. All freckles and blue eyes and baseball cap, its brim a perfect curve. Yellow wisps of sunlight filtered through the shade trees behind home plate at Hahn...

Pat McKernan was unable to vote.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Rick A. Maese Turnout was generally good during the special election, but one person was noticeably absent at the polls. Pat McKernan, who as president and general manager of the Albuquerque Dukes from 1979 to 2000 was...

Residents to elect treasurer, clerk.(Local News)
May 31, 2001... Byline: Veronica Hefner vhefner@abqtrib.com/823-3642 In its first meeting with Tommy Hughes as chairman, the Urban County Charter Commission voted to allow residents to elect the county clerk and treasurer. By a 7-3 vote in both...

South I-25 goes to one exit for I-40.(Local News)
May 31, 2001... Byline: Ollie Reed Jr. oreed@abqtrib.com / 823-3619 Starting Friday, southbound traffic on I-25 will use the same exit to go either east or west on I-40. "That's going to be the hardest thing for motorists," Steve Harris, the state...

Knipfing expected to heat up ratings war.(Local News)
May 31, 2001... Byline: J.M. Barol jbarol@abqtrib.com / 823-3612 The return of a certain silver-haired news anchor could shake things up in the race to be the state's No. 1 newscast. Dick Knipfing, who will re-emerge Friday as KRQE News 13's 5:30...

Rent aid plan aims at diverse Downtown.(Local News)
May 31, 2001... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 Just as new buildings are shooting up in Downtown Albuquerque, so are rents. To fight the rising cost of leases that eventually could make the city's core only for the well-heeled,...

Class of 2001.(Neighborhood Trib)
May 31, 2001... Each year when The Tribune prints the list of graduates from high schools in the Albuquerque area, each school chooses one student for us to profile. Here are four students and their answers to a Tribune questionnaire. Los Lunas: Anthony...

EDITORIAL.(Insight and Opinion)(Editorial)
May 31, 2001... The rhubarb is over at last; let's get out and play ball Mmmmmmmm. You can almost smell the hot dogs and hear the crack of the bat. Baseball's comin' back. In definitive terms, Albuquerque voters Thursday said yes to professional...

EDITORIAL.(Insight and Opinion)(Editorial)
May 31, 2001... Seat belt enforcement grade is source of pride Congratulations New Mexico. Finally, your at the top, instead of at the bottom, of a national list. Last week you got an A- and tied for second on the list of how well states protect...

'Fenestrated' keeps window to title open for city speller.
May 31, 2001... Byline: Jan Jonas jjonas@abqtrib.com / 823-3627 WASHINGTON Today's Round 4 of the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee was all sunshine pouring in for Sarah Berling, who managed to spell the Latin-derived word "fenestrated," which means...

Ex-Bear, future Aggie in a tie atopJunior Classic.(Sports)
May 31, 2001... Byline: TRIBUNE STAFF Former La Cueva golfer Brian Thornburg was tied for the lead today entering the second round of the AJGA Southwestern Junior Classic at the 6,909-yard, par-72 Isleta Eagle Golf Course. Thornburg, who is headed...

Wolff sees bright soccer future.(Sports)
May 31, 2001... Byline: Sean McAfee smcafee@abqtrib.com / 823-3662 CATCHING UP WITH... JOSH WOLFF Catching up with Josh Wolff is, on the soccer field at least, no easy task. The 24-year-old Chicago Fire midfielder with blazing speed and a...

Crossfire!(Sports)
May 31, 2001... Should our new baseball team be called the Dukes? JOHN O'ROURKE SAYS YES Now that Albuquerque voters have shown their penchant for buying from the used bin, clearly there's no point in thinking enough people want a spiffy,...

Downtown lost the ballpark battle, but it could still win with an arena.(Sports)
May 31, 2001... Byline: Richard Stevens Albuquerque, the "City of Manana" in the "Land of Manana," didn't quite hit a home run. Oh, a good handful of the city's residents knocked one to the warning track Wednesday by approving a bond to renovate the...

Merged hockey league has much to work out.(Sports)
May 31, 2001... Byline: Sean McAfee smcafee@abqtrib.com / 823-3662 Now that the Central and Western Professional Hockey Leagues officially have announced a merger, there will be a whole lot more on the docket than workshops and schmoozing when team...

Albuquerque Open host made bowling his life.(Sports)
May 31, 2001... Byline: Daniel Libit dlibit@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 It wasn't a field of dreams. It was more like a lane of dreams that drove Art Silva, proprietor of Silva's Eu-Can Bowl. Silva, who bowled regionally and professionally for 27 years,...

Bowling, not winning, is everything for perennial women's No. 2.(Sports)
May 31, 2001... Byline: Daniel Libit dlibit@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 Who says that second place is the first loser? Carolyn Dorin-Ballard says she's just fine with finishing one spot behind. She has been the No. 2-ranked women's professional bowler...

A shot at stardom.(Sports)
May 31, 2001... Byline: Brad Moore bmoore@abqtrib.com / 823-3679 Jan Dunivan can show you a scrapbook filled with photographs of the winning racehorses she has trained. But her focus in May was on one filly, C.R. Sharpshooter, and one showcase run, the...

Gambling compact still in dispute.
May 30, 2001... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos GGALLEGOS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3670 More than two months after the Legislature approved a deal, tribes and the Attorney General's Office are still haggling over back payments. Attorney General Patricia Madrid...

505 Coalition wants PRC to conduct impact study.
May 30, 2001... Byline: Sue Vorenberg svorenberg@abqtrib.com / 823-3678 The 505 Coalition contends the Public Regulation Commission is using "bad science" to collect data on the state's new area code. The PRC is scheduled to collect public input...

Different time, different place.
May 30, 2001... Byline: Rick A. Maese rmaese@abqtrib.com / 823-3687 In the 1960s, enthusiasm was high and opposition nearly nonexistent as a booming Albuquerque got behind a proposal to build a new baseball stadium Councilor Payne was adamant and...

Tribune speller waxes bright with 'batik' in Round 3 of bee.
May 30, 2001... Byline: Jan Jonas jjonas@abqtrib.com / 823-3627 WASHINGTON "Javanese?" Sarah Berling of Albuquerque met the language derivation of her Round 3 word, batik, with a hint of incredulity this morning but went on to spell it correctly...

County employees sue, say work conditions caused cancer.(Local News)
May 30, 2001... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 The air quality in the office that once housed the Bernalillo County assessor's staff was so toxic that two male employees developed breast cancer, according to a lawsuit filed against the...

Tree climbers pine for greatness.(Local News)
May 30, 2001... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623 In a tree-climbing competition, the winner takes no boughs. Instead, the overall winner among professional arborists in the second annual New Mexico State Tree-Climbing...

Drug policy conference attracts governor, 700 diverse registrants.(Local News)
May 30, 2001... Byline: Michaela Ulibarri mulibarri@abqtrib.com / 823-3625 To say the least, it will be an eclectic crowd: New Mexico's governor, the mayor of a large Western city, religious leaders, drug experts, former prison inmates and, well,...

Domenici, Bingaman agreed not to vote on tax cut.
May 30, 2001... Byline: Stacey Zolt zolts@shns.com / (202) 408-2726 WASHINGTON Using a rarely applied parliamentary procedure, neither of New Mexico's senators voted on the $1.35 trillion tax cut thus allowing Sen. Pete Domenici to keep his speaking...

Scorps defenseman loses chance to play in expanded league.(Sports)
May 30, 2001... Byline: TRIBUNE STAFF As the Western Professional Hockey League made plans to announce a merger with another league today, news surfaced that a top New Mexico Scorpions defenseman has been booted from the league for injuring a fan. ...

Veteran bowler sees women's tour growing.(Sports)
May 30, 2001... Byline: Daniel Libit dlibit@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 Wendy Macpherson is among those aiming for Thursday's finals of the Albuquerque Open, which will be televised on ESPN2. For most of the 50 million Americans who throw balls in some...

THE AREA'S FINEST.(Sports)
May 30, 2001... Byline: Compiled by Rick A. Maese and John Whitmore The Trib's all-Metro teams Baseball PITCHER Ben Frye, Rio Rancho Class: Senior Born: Feb. 11, 1983, Durango, Colo. Height: 5-11. Weight: 180. Family: Randy...

Rio Rancho amateur thrilled despite missing cut by 3 pins.
May 30, 2001... Byline: Daniel Libit dlibit@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 Rio Rancho bowler Patti Austin was pretty surprised when she finished three pins short of qualifying for match play at the Albuquerque Open. Not because she expected to make the...

PNM airs statement on officials' salaries.(Business)
May 30, 2001... Byline: Sue Vorenberg svorenberg@abqtrib.com / 823-3678 Public Service Company of New Mexico Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Sterba earned $317,114, with a $241,200 bonus, for his work in 2000, according to the company's proxy...

EDITORIAL.(Insight and Opinion)
May 30, 2001... Candidates should takea cut in their allowances The fact that the law gives people the freedom to do something like sing "99 Trillion Bottles of Beer on the Wall" all the way through, day in and day out, in certain public contexts doesn't...

Retired Air Force Col. Leo C de Baca flew high as pilot, singer, statesman.(Obituary)
May 30, 2001... Byline: S.J. Ludescher sludescher@abqtrib.com / 823-3624 The storyteller passed away, but his stories live on. Retired Air Force Col. Leo C de Baca, 77, a lifelong resident of Albuquerque, was buried at the Santa Fe National Cemetery...

Baseball stadium's fate goes to voting booth.
May 29, 2001... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 STADIUM ELECTION Wednesday The game of baseball is tough. But the political game of bringing the sport back to Albuquerque has proved even tougher. For months,...

Disunion over Union Square.
May 29, 2001... Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623 One critic of a yet-to-be approved agreement between Bernalillo County and the New Mexico Department of Corrections has a simple description of the people who might soon be visiting...

APS explores moneymaking ideas.
May 29, 2001... Byline: Andy Lenderman alenderman@abqtrib.com / 823-3659 Is it time to paint advertisements on school roofs near the airport? Albuquerque Public Schools is looking for new, innovative ways to generate money. The reason: District...

Sandia process traps, filters arsenic cheaply.
May 29, 2001... Byline: S.J. Ludescher sludescher@abqtrib.com / 823-3610 While Albuquerque and much of New Mexico shudder in anticipation of what it will cost to remove tiny bits of arsenic from drinking water, Sandia National Laboratories unveiled a...

Lesson from the Fords: Get involved and great things happen.(Local News)
May 29, 2001... Byline: Kate Nelson A library is more than a building. And a school is more than a name on a building. Former President Ford said so Saturday while standing in a new building in Albuquerque that bears his name. Yet a building...

Vandals reduce police car to molten pile.(Local News)
May 29, 2001... Byline: Joline Gutierrez Krueger JGLENN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3603 A brand-new Albuquerque police car is not much more than molten metal and charred fiber today after vandals firebombed the vehicle while it was parked in the officer's Taylor...

Four arrested after rocks pelt cars from I-40 bridge.(Local News)
May 29, 2001... Byline: Joline Gutierrez Krueger JGLENN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3603 Four juveniles are in custody today after authorities say they hurled softball-sized rocks at passing freeway motorists, nearly injuring an infant with a shower of broken...

Voter turnout could beat City Council election.
May 29, 2001... Byline: Kate Nash The three groups most active in the baseball special election have raised nearly $123,000 combined and have spent countless hours on their efforts. And if early and absentee voting results are any indication, the...

For the kids out there, and the kid inside, you have to vote yes.(Sports)
May 29, 2001... Byline: Sean McAfee Where have you gone, Candy Maldonado? Our city turns its lonely eyes to you. Boo hoo hoo. What's that you say, Councilor Yntema? Crackin' Candy has left and gone away. Or so you say. We'll find out...

EDITORIAL.(Insight and Opinion)
May 29, 2001... Democrats should heed lesson of Bush's deception Well, that didn't take long. Barely four months after he was sworn in and after a deceptive campaign in which he fooled voters about his compassionate, moderate and bipartisan character,...

Read up on everyone else's mistakes so you can profit more from your own.(Home and Garden)
May 29, 2001... Byline: Kate Nelson GREEN THUMB CHRONICLES The gardener makes mistakes, but mistakes make the gardener. No matter how humbling, painful and expensive, every stumble carries a lesson. The more you garden, the more you learn. ...

C-U-L-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.
May 28, 2001... Byline: Jan Jonas JJONAS@ABQTRIB.COM/823-3627 Years of study pay off as Sarah Berling vies to be named the best speller in the nation In the world of spelling, practice doesn't always make perfect. But, hey, it's worth a try....

Stadium concrete condition is unclear.
May 28, 2001... Byline: Nancy Salem nsalem@abqtrib.com / 823-3675 STADIUM ELECTION Wednesday Studies of the Sports Stadium didn't analyze its structural integrity, but deterioration is a possibility, experts said. The Albuquerque Sports...

Despite City Charter, there's nothing 'nonpartisan' about mayor's race.(Local News)
May 28, 2001... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos The "nonpartisan" field of candidates for the mayor's race is starting to take shape. And it's looking partisan. The tally so far: four Democrats, three Republicans and two independents. Why should that...

N.M. athletes shine at Great Southwest.(Sports)
May 28, 2001... Byline: Edgar Thompson ethompson@abqtrib.com / 823-3614 Cameron Clarke's run of bad luck continued, but the rest of the state's high school athletes avoided the recent jinx of the Great Southwest Track and Field Classic. Running on...

New PRC commissioner says he was prepared, well informed for 505 vote.
May 28, 2001... Byline: Susie Gran sgran@abqtrib.com / 823-3682 INTERVIEW WITH....RORY MCMINN Rory McMinn of Roswell was new to the Public Regulation Commission and cast his first vote as a commissioner on May 8. His was the swing vote that kept...

Bottom of the ninth.
May 26, 2001... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 STADIUM ELECTION MAY 30 With a special election on baseball fast approaching, stadium foes and backers share the spotlight in their effort to drum up votes On a hot, sunny...

APS officials: Budget lacks flexibility.
May 26, 2001... Byline: Andy Lenderman alenderman@abqtrib.com / 823-3659 One of the biggest public budgets in New Mexico has little wiggle room, its chief architect says. When it comes to shaking up how Albuquerque Public Schools prepares the...

New-ballpark supporters build huge cash advantage.
May 26, 2001... Byline: Kate Nash KNASH@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3602 Those working for a new baseball stadium in the May 30 election say it's harder to be for a bond issue than to be against one. That's why Backin' Baseball has had to work so much to...

The sacrifices of war still haunt us all, even the greatest heroes.(Local News)
May 26, 2001... Byline: Kate Nelson He called himself "a fresh-caught ensign," just 10 days into his assignment on a naval destroyer. Location: Pearl Harbor. Time: 8 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941. The thunder of machine guns shook Frank Bell...

Fugitive caught in Vegas.(Local News)
May 26, 2001... IN BRIEF A man who was expected to be this week's Albuquerque Crime Stoppers Fugitive of the Week is a fugitive no longer after authorities nabbed him in Las Vegas, Nev., with the help of a Crime Stoppers tip. Robert Hernandez, 38,...

CRIME STOPPERS.(Local News)
May 26, 2001... IN BRIEF Bank robbery of the week: A busy bushy-faced bandit is accused of knocking over several banks. One of the robberies occurred April 16 at the Wells Fargo bank at 7827 Fourth St. N.W. The bandit handed a bank teller a note,...

'Trashed-out pigsty' repulses police.(Local News)
May 26, 2001... Byline: Joline Gutierrez Krueger JGLENN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3603 The stench alone was enough to overwhelm the Albuquerque police detectives executing a drug-related search warrant at a small Northeast Heights apartment. But even more...

Witness indicted in 73-year-old woman's death.(Local News)
May 26, 2001... Byline: S.J. Ludescher sludescher@abqtrib.com / 823-3610 A key witness in last year's homicide of a 73-year-old Albuquerque grandmother has been indicted by a Bernalillo grand jury in the killing. Cory Hamilton, 19, also known as...

Domenici calls on advocates to push for mental health coverage.
May 26, 2001... Byline: Veronica Hefner vhefner@abqtrib.com / 823-3642 Sen. Pete Domenici has renewed his call for insurance companies to treat patients suffering from mental illnesses in the same way individuals with physical ailments are handled. ...

2 car crashes in New Mexico leave 3 dead.
May 26, 2001... Byline: TRIBUNE STAFF The Memorial Day weekend on the state's highways is off to an inauspicious start, with three people having been killed in crashes before the end of the day on Friday. A 1989 Toyota driven by Keith Sanchez, 27,...

Forest officials ask that Memorial Day campers be fire wise.
May 26, 2001... Byline: Veronica Hefner vhefner@abqtrib.com / 823-3642 Stay close to the fire, or it might move close to you. Forest Service officials are cautioning campers and hikers to remain vigilant when they travel into the great outdoors...

After pole win, Sharp looks sharp to take Indy.(Sports)
May 26, 2001... Byline: Charles Googe Some old names have returned to the Indianapolis 500: Roger Penske, Michael Andretti, Tony Stewart and Arie Luyendyk. But will any of them drive into Victory Lane on Sunday? Here's who I think the contenders...

Sizing up Mountain West Conference men's basketball recruiting.(Sports)
May 26, 2001... Byline: Compiled by Daniel Libit Top 15 newcomers (Recruits and transfers) 1. Marcus Banks, UNLV 6-1, Junior, Dixie College (Utah) 2. Brandon Smith, San Diego State 6-7, Senior, University of Michigan 3. Mike...

EDITORIAL.(Insight and Opinion)
May 26, 2001... Rejecting a new ballpark means we all strike out For three days running this week, The Tribune opened its Insight & Opinion section to advocates for the opposing points of view facing city voters Wednesday, when they decide the future of...

EDITORIAL.(Insight and Opinion)
May 26, 2001... Enjoy the good life, but remember who paid for it Memorial Day in recent years has been less a day for remembering than a day for doing and anticipating shopping, going on picnics, thinking ahead to the various pleasures of summer. It's...

Bingaman reserved about his energy plans.
May 25, 2001... Byline: Stacey Zolt zolts@shns.com / (202) 408-2726 Now that the balance of power has shifted, the Silver City Democrat will help shape policy as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. WASHINGTON Within two...

New Sandia Casino opens doors with weekend of events.
May 25, 2001... Byline: Veronica Hefner vhefner@abqtrib.com / 823-3642 Let the games, and the traffic headaches, begin. The brand-new Sandia Casino, just east of I-25 on Tramway Boulevard, will open its doors at 6 o'clock tonight. Owned and...

Mystery ride.
May 25, 2001... Byline: TRAILTALES Ollie Reed Jr. Col. Albert J. Fountain and his young son set out for home on a buckboard and never got there.The murder trial that followed in 1899 was its own wild journey. Ollie Reed Jr.'s Trail Tales is a...

Bond issue would have minor effects.
May 25, 2001... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos GGALLEGOS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3670 You might have heard the ads for a baseball stadium on the radio or received the glossy brochure in the mail. The pitch: A new or renovated baseball stadium will not raise...

Legislators blast $12 million highway shortfall.(Local News)
May 25, 2001... Byline: Gilbert Gallegos GGALLEGOS@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3670 SANTA FE Legislators told state Highway and Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn that he has no one to blame but himself for his department's cash-flow problems. Rahn, a...

Shootings, stabbings lead in to holiday period.(Local News)
May 25, 2001... Byline: Joline Gutierrez Krueger JGLENN@ABQTRIB.COM / 823-3603 The Memorial Day holiday period is off to a busy and violent start, with law enforcement agents already investigating at least four shootings and stabbings in the Albuquerque...

N.M. mystery takes twists, turns as a tale for teens.
May 25, 2001... Byline: Ollie Reed Jr. oreed@abqtrib.com / 823-3619 Robert Jay Lambeth got hooked on New Mexico's Fountain murder mystery when he was a kid on a family car trip through the state's Tularosa Basin. "My dad told me the general story...

Cup's title tilt could match top Classic teams.(Sports)
May 25, 2001... Byline: Sean McAfee smcafee@abqtrib.com / 823-3662 More than 300 soccer teams, many of them from out of state, will converge on Albuquerque this weekend for the ninth annual Sandia Cup, the state's biggest tournament for club soccer...

UNM coach sees meet as recruiting tool.(Sports)
May 25, 2001... Byline: Sean McAfee smcafee@abqtrib.com / 823-3662 Opportunities abound at the Great Southwest Track and Field Classic and not just for the competitors. The meet, which began Thursday, continued today and wraps up on Saturday at the...

Backed by his boots, bluesy Smither is a folk vet.(The Arts & Entertainment)
May 25, 2001... Byline: J.M. Barol jbarol@abqtrib.com / 823-3612 Chris Smither is a loner. Always has been. Growing up on Laurel Street in the 1950s in the heart of uptown New Orleans, Smither spent his spare time learning how to play music of...

Testing in New Mexico.(Insight and Opinion)
May 25, 2001... Byline: Jack Ehn New Mexico is among the states now leaning more heavily on standardized tests. The state is using them to evaluate students and hold schools and teachers "more accountable." The state also has had its own testing...

NMSO selects music director.(The Arts & Entertainment)
May 25, 2001... Byline: TRIBUNE STAFF After 10 months and as many auditions, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra has selected Guillermo Figueroa as the orchestra's new music director. Figueroa, whose selection was announced Thursday afternoon,...