.•. " I, , _.- Check OUItho News' NEW aDd IMPROVED Web ~at www.riiiifosonews.comi r;. l-. ,.1 • WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28, 2009 • OUR 62ND YEAR, No. 77 • 75 CENTS INSIDE ' " ,' ~ h Anger over escape route DIANNE STAUJNGS "keep going." ,~ dstaUillgs@ruidoson~ws,com lipp,er Canyon Coalition takes village to task .',. I, Coalition spokesman Ernie " J,'j over lack ofalternatives to Main Rond Powell said 89 members signed on ," " I rustration stirred by fear of in an effort to spark changes as a l' being trapped in a disaster Management, from Arizona and a that is accomplished, similar coalition did nearly a Fwith only one way out of consulting firm hired with money Village Forester Rick Delaco decade earlier after the Cree Fire Upper Canyon boiled to the surface from the state Legislature all con­ said he can't change the conclu­ in 2000, At that tune, the members last week during "an emergency cluded carving out another road to .sions ofthe experts and if the coali­ worked on forest health and helped 18 SPORTS management town hall meeting. exit the canyon was not feasible. tion can find other experts with dif­ change village rules that prohibit­ Members of the Upper Canyon ' The money would better be spent ferent ideas, to bring him the con­ ed thinning trees. A whole series of Coalition complained that a decade to improve Main with flood-resis­ tact numbers. "I'm all out of forest health, fuels management Wrestling has passed and more than $70,000 tant bridges, elimination of hazard experts," he told them. and defensive space regulations spent for a study, yet Main Road trees and development of ways to By the end of the session, tem­ emerged. at the remains the only route for escape. avoid road blockages. pers cooled and apologies sailed "We do not buy Main Road as a Ruidoso village officials coun­ But coalition members said the ,back and forth for the often-heated second escape route," Powell said. Sierra Blanca tered that experts from the U.S, state money was designated to find exchanges. Village Manager Dan "We have notchanged our position Invitational Forest Service, the state Forestry an alternate route to Main and the 0, Higgins pledged to keep the Division, the Bureau of Land assignment won't be fulfilled until escape route on the top burner and See ROUTE, pa~e 7A SHE'S BACK! i ...---,,~--~------, Former chief dies suddenly 6A EDUCATION ~===~ :Robert Birdheaded Capitan PD • Signing on jUIJE CARTER to baby taH< jl'IlTur(J:Jruidosonnlll./,om Capitan's former Chief i of Police Robert "Big Bird" Bird, died Friday at an I Albuquerque hosptial after ! being admitted to a / , Carlsbad hospital the day , before, • Bird was 59. Bird, a career law en­ forcement officer, served as, 4A OPINION the head of the Capitan Police Department from Who are May 2005 until September BIRD a 2006. Prior, he was with the experts? the Carlsbad Police fbr 20 .Academy, graduating in I, years, retiring in 2004 with 1976, the rank of captain, ,","' During his career, he From 1977 to 1984, he also accumulated more served wtth the Artesia than 2,000 hours in Service Police Department and the Law Enforcement Train­ Eddy County' Sheriffs ing. Department. Bird was 'considered a At the time of his death, leader, with training that Bird was employed by the included teen court orga­ Eddy County Detention nizer, DARE program "7A LINCOLN Center as a transport dri­ administrator and instruc­ ver. tor, community policing COUNtY Born and raised in advocate, drug task force Carlsbad, Bird graduated coordinator, and property After-school from Carlsbad High School crimes unit coordinator in 1968 and earned a and supervisor, He special­ program Bachelor of Theology de- ized in homeland security, gree from Arlington Bap­ the tracking of lost individ­ a hit tist College in 1971. His uals, search and seizure, first job was as a youth hostage negotiations, criti­ , minister at Bella Vista cal incident management, Baptist in Albuquerque, underage drinking and Following a lifelong drug offenders, DWIIIE STAWlIGSIIIUIDDSD mvs dream, he entered the New Debra Jo Almager has returned 10 the Ruidoso Parks and Recreation Department after a12-year Mexico Law Enforcement See BIRD, page HA absence, INDEX r: Classifieds ., 8-10B Almager returns tIS Parks & Rec director 2 vie for college seat Comics .. ' 7B DIANNE STALLINGS back into the job. "My dad moved to Ruidoso with her dItaU'"U@n,it!oJofltwf.t"Qm suffered a heart attack in family in 1973, when she • Susan Phillips and from ENMU·Ruidosoor are Community Page .. 2A March. I was in.Califomia, was in seventh grade, She Andrea Reed seek currently attending. too far away from family, I ~ 7B Who says you can""t go graduated from high school to succeed 'Ibm Rig~b\' Reed. born in EI Paso, home again? found out Riflewas retiring locally, received a bache­ currently owns the (H1 Education 6A Debra Jo A1mager is lor's degree in leisure sci­ mllege board Dance/Gallery. a ballroom back BB Ruidoso Parks and ence and sports manage­ dance studio adjacent to ·Letters..•........ 4A 1'000 FUQUA Recreation director after a "I've been in parks ment from New Mexico tOfIi'fVl~rrltdIJlO1U'U'.~"71 the ENMU·Ruidoso cam­ Uncoln County 4B 12-year absence.. and recreation aU Highlands University and pus, She has also been She was touched to find , a master's <!lJillw in 'physi­ A pair of seats.. on the employed as an ENMU­ Obinuuies•. : 6B that Rafael "Rifle" Salas, my life, I've come cal education with an Eastern New Mexico L'm­ Ruidoso Community Edu­ who retired recently as emphasis on physical fit- ' versity-Ruidoso Commu­ cation dance instructor ~on .....•.... 4A· back to help the IS nity College Boord - one director and was her pro­ . " ness. Her' doctorate SIDce 1998 and has been Real Estate . : 9B tege and successor, kept community. focused on sports adminis­ contested, one not - are up adjunc! faculty in the many of her plans and tration, as well as physical for grabs ID next week's health and physical educa­ SpudS l.2B ideM for reference in'the education, recreation and school board elections, tion department since filing cabinet In an inter- and applied, health, Andrea Reed and SIL'llIIl 2007 TV •.. • A<i Seen on TV view before he leI\, Salas "I've been in parks and "l went to Dallas for S Phillips are each ,)'ing for Prier to owning the .ther , 2A creditecl A!lIIoger with com- reereaneu all my life. I've It.l yeats andcame back to the posmon bemg vacated Oanee-Gallery. Reed was ing up \vith II design for the come back to help the eom­ Ruidoso in 19',)3, Pam bv banker and long-um» an accounts payable clerk future of the then-fledgling munity and otTer Illy exper­ Graves was either the first ~Ird member Tom Rtt,'llby, lind human resources depart\llent when he took lise.' or second pnrks and reere­ whil.. \U'altor Jalpl'" Plu­ director at the Ruidoso O\'Ilr, and hetned to inIpl,~ Smee t"aVlng RUldll8ll, anon din'l:tor and I did all ton IS rumung W10P\lO<'l'tl Care Center from 1997· menl wl1nl the budgel ~'I!r earned 36 hours IOwmship with her and for lu:i l'urwn1lJOllltion '.l\lli . would allow. tnWard her doctllrate and was hired as directer." Reed und Plullips .haw , She holds lUI ~te8 'lw made full 1'i1'l:1\\' chalked up experieru.'ll in Ab~rsLUd . ouch been R\ud,lSO re,.,· ,.f .<\rt:l ~ 111 Ameritan tilecrretgetlc l\lnlagIll' SlIid. lAliI ~ dents fu~ tw,,' de<'nd<.... and o lui w~k as she lll)ttlecl Born u\ 'l'\1.'t\$, Aln~'\'r "'.... RETURN. f'I,\.'\' - ~ both elw..r ha". II dl"",... ' • t , , • t , , • • 41_11, pm 1"'*" ;;;~i:l!E!·""'·"·'F~""'- ....:·; 1... ·. , , " . , PAGJl 2A •. RUIDOSO NEWS WmNESDAY, JAN. 28,2009 Bridgework ing in the {irea, observe the pounds have already been. , temporary lane closures collected for recycling this Rehabilitation workon a and reduce speed to the weekalone. Moreare need: U.S. 380 bridge five miles postedspeed limits. ed.. east of Carrizozo began Project Manager David Unwanted new phone Monday by New Mexico Dawson can be reached at books and discarded old Departmentof'Trarisporta­ 575-637-7811, or Jeff An phone bo()ks from any part tion crews.• derson, assistant project of the country can be recy­ Thejobis expected to be manager, at 575-637-7814. cled at Post Offices in finished in four to six Corona, Capitan, Alto and weeks,weather permitting, Planners meet Ruidoso Downs. Phone and. will consist of the books can also be bundled removal and replacement A proposed Lincoln or bagged and Idropped off of worn concrete, substruc­ County Wildland Urban in blue cardboard recycling ture repairs and joint Interface ordinance will be dumpsters throughout replacement. :rhe $260,000 discussedduring the Feb.4 Lincoln County. project aims to increase meetingofthe countyPlan­ Carrizozo and Capitan. safety and prolong the life ning Commission, residents can drop off of the bridge. The board meets at 1 . unwanted phone,books in. During the project, trav­ p.m, in the commission labeled polycarts at Town elers can expecta one-lane chambers of the county COURTESY TONY DAVIS Hall in both communities. closure and short delays courthousein Carrizozo, New Mexico Game and Fish re-slocks fish al Grindstone Lake last week. Laurence Apodaca and Paul The La LuzWaste Disposal between the hours of7 a.rn. Under old business, Sanchez stock the lake about every two weeks in the winter, bringing the young (4" to 6')fish in lrom and Recycling Center in and 5 p.m.