The INSIDE: Opinion Forum Independent Covid vaccine Jan. 8-14, 2021 • Vol. 23, No. 2 50¢ Tijeras moving on annexation proposal By Leota Harriman residents, and is urging anyone with con- Commissioner Charlene Pyskoty advo- there are 379 parcels in the village. cerns or questions to contact clerk@villa- cated deliberate and cautious action. There are six active commercial busi- The village of Tijeras is moving for- geoftijeras.com as the process continues. “Annexation is not something you can ness licenses in the proposed annexation ward with a proposed annexation, that if It held a meeting, hosted by Mayor just undo,” Pyskoty said, adding that the area, along with 17 active residential approved, would vastly increase both its Jake Bruton, the village clerk, Hallie village would have to disincorporate to business licenses. population and the land area. Village offi- Brown, and deputy clerk Nick Kennedy, undo an annexation. The village would pick up an addition- cials said a decision could be made by who explained the basics of the proposal According to information provided by al 8.5 miles of road, of which 7.5 miles are this spring. to the dozens of people who tuned in. Enrico Gradi, deputy county manager, paved. The village plans another meeting, In an interview with The the annexation would pick up 763 addi- held by Zoom, Jan 11 to solicit input from Independent, Bernalillo County tional parcels in its first phase; currently See ANNEXATION PROPOSAL, page 14 Swearing-in: Judge Steve Jones swearing in LeRoy Candelaria, who was elected to the Torrance County Commission in November, unseating incumbent Javier Sanchez. Candelaria had served in the position before. Also sworn in were the new Torrance County Clerk, Yvonne Otero, and two who ran without opposition, District Attorney Clint Wellborn and County Treasurer Tracy Sedillo. Chief Deputy Clerk Sylvia Chavez and Chief Deputy Treasurer Kathryn Hernandez were also sworn in to their new positions. Swearings-in of elected officials also took place in Santa Fe and Bernalillo counties, with most races unopposed and no county commission seats in the Tricounty area. The new officials swore this oath: “I, _____, … do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution and laws of the State of New Mexico and faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of said office to the best of my ability.” Photo courtesy of Torrance County. 2 • Jan. 8-14, 2021 Online at edgewood.news THIS PAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY Tag It! 1943 Route 66, Ste. 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Use any medium, from crayons to digital! Submit to [email protected]. ACROSS 35. California’s most 20. Popular name for little famous governor (2) girls 1. Black Jack or Big Red 41. Hostel 22. __ mater 4. Corridor 42. Sorento & Optima 23. Small fruit pie 8. Feather’s partner, in 43. Diminish 29. Mary Poppins, for one phrase 44. Calendar month 31. Borders 11. “__ __ walked out in 45. Candy store chain 33. Forest animals the streets of Laredo 46. Black or Bering 34. Nickname for Elizabeth ...” 35. Basketball hoop 12. “Sesame Street” DOWN 36. “Snakes __ __ Plane”; Muppet 1. Motor fuel scary film 13. Kimono accessory 2. Third most populous 37. Pass away 14. Much-visited Califor- nation: abbr. 38. TV’s Charlotte __ nia city (2) 3. Chop finely 39. Mary Todd’s man 17. Uber alternative 4. Rosemary or thyme 40. Org. for Bulls & Bucks 18. 1/4 and 3/4 5. Chicken __ __ king Prior Week’s Solution 19. Prepare to eat a ba- 6. File drawer, perhaps nana 7. Nuts 21. Fanny 8. “We’re off __ __ the 24. Initials for Judy Gar- Wizard ...” land’s eldest 9. “black-ish” network 25. Southern state 10. Atlantic resort city, for 26. Morning, for short short 27. Man’s title: abbr. 15. “Deck the halls with 28. Grandma boughs of holly, __ 30. Orderly __ __ __ ...” 32. Drink that may be in a 16. Reason that people stein count sheep 34. eBay offer 19. Blueprint Online at edgewood.news Jan. 8-14, 2021 • 3 Wild Things: Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) By James Taulman This small active chickadee is about 5 to 6 inches in length and occurs through- out coniferous forests in New Mexico's central mountain chain and in moun- tains of the western part of the state. It also may be found in deciduous groves in the coniferous forest zone. The range extends throughout the mountains of the western U.S. and up into western Canada. The white stripe above the eye distinguishes this bird from the solid black cap of the black-capped chickadee which is an occasional resident in New Mexico's northern mountains. A black bib covers the neck and the belly is white and the back uniformly gray. Mountain chickadees forage in trees and shrubs for caterpillars, beetles, wasps, and other insects, as well as spi- ders and seeds. They are often seen hang- ing upside down while foraging and will visit bird feeders. These birds nest in natural dens and woodpecker holes, which they may work on to enlarge. They will also use nest boxes. The male will bring food to the female on the nest and later both parents will feed the juveniles. Mountain chickadees will create food stores when they encounter abundant sources, such as at a feeder or during an infestation of pine bark beetles. A chick- adee has been found in studies of ener- getics to require about 10 calories per day, which corresponds to about 1/3 of an ounce of insects or about 1/20 ounce of pine seeds. The Audubon Society lists the current status of mountain chickadees as stable, with habitat losses expected around the periphery of the range as the climate warms in the future. Wildfires destroy coniferous forests and increasing spring heat is detrimental to young nestlings. The oldest chickadee recorded in the wild was a 10 year old in Utah. Photo taken by James Taulman in the Cibola National Forest, using Nikon P 900 camera. James Taulman is currently living in the East Mountains, and explores natural areas observing native wildlife and con- ducting independent research projects. The Independent has scaled back our distribution with restrictions for the coronavirus. Can’t find your paper? Call us at 505-286-1212 for a free electronic subscription and get The Independent in your email inbox weekly. Or find us online 24/7 at edgewood.news. 4 • Jan. 8-14, 2021 Online at edgewood.news We believe in ideas. We believe in passion. Vickie J. Averhoff, DVM Karen M. Kline, DVM We believe in dreams. David F. Coleman, DVM Jamie K. Hunter, DVM We believe in you. Stephanie E. Kern, DVM www.nmhu.edu (505) 281-7100 4 Linnie Ct., Edgewood Full Service care for dogs, cats and small mammals. Morning Star Grocery Take-Out thanks for Orders supporting Available local business! Mon-Fri 6:30-8:00 Sat-Sun 7:00-8:00 4 Kuhn Road, Tijeras 505-281-5151 Dreams Can Grow Wild Born Inside An American Child -Phil Vassar KUNM 89.9 FM kunm.org FAMILY PRACTICE OUR MISSION IS TO LISTEN TO OUR RESPECTED PATIENTS AND; “TO PROVIDE QUALITY, COMPASSIONATE CARE TO THE EFFIE MEDFORD, MD PEOPLE OF THE EAST MOUNTAINS” JODI DETTMAN, ACNP ALAN MANNHEIMER, MD-ABP Much more than RADIO AcceptingFALLON New GRAVELY, Patients AGNP 104 QUAIL TRAIL UNIT B, EDGEWOOD MARY CROW, FNP educational East Mountain Medical welcomes Daniel Hagerty, FNP 505-208-0204 Pleaseas a new memberWelcome to the Cierra provider Dorado team FNP 7AM – 6PM MON. – FRI. 8AM – 5PM SAT. Online at edgewood.news INDEPENDENT SPORTS Jan. 8-14, 2021 • 5 First-ever virtual induction ceremony for Moriarty’s Athletic Hall of Fame By Ger Demarest dash (1984); long jump (1982); 300 intermediate hurdles (1984); 400m Just before Christmas, Moriarty relay (1982); 800m medley relay High School brought some good tid- (1984). Schaefer received the 1984- ings to the end of 2020 with its first- 1985 Presidential Academic Fitness ever Athletic Hall of Fame virtual Award. induction ceremony. Spradley-Barnes, who graduated in Four outstanding former athletes, 2005, played volleyball, basketball, Michael A. Ortiz, Art Tapia, Jeanne and ran track. She earned First-Team Marie Schaefer, and Jennelle All-State honors in volleyball in 2004. Spradley-Barnes, were inducted into In basketball, she was district player the Moriarty Athletic Hall of Fame as of the year in 2004 and 2005 and the Class of 2020 during a virtual cer- earned First-Team All-State honors emony on Dec.