New Law- New Long-term Insurance Program
Posted on 17. Apr, 2013 by Stephan Helgesen in Healthcare, NM, Politics
New Law- New Long-term Insurance Program Would Allow New Mexicans to Keep More of their Assets While Qualifying for Medicaid- takes effect June 14, 2013
The law:
- Gives New Mexicans more choice to do with their own money
- Incentive allows estate to retain value of policy that could be passed to heirs
- Saves Medicaid program when people are on private insurance.
(Santa Fe) It is now law. A person does not necessarily have to be destitute in order for Medicaid to pay their nursing home expenses.
Freshman Senator Lee S. Cotter (R-Las Cruces) sponsored SB 196- Long Term Care Insurance Partnership and it has been signed into law.
It allows New Mexicans with private nursing home insurance to be able to exempt the amount of their insurance benefit from the amount of assets they can retain in order to qualify for Medicaid. They could still qualify for Medicaid if their assets total only $2,000. The amount of the insurance benefit would be separated out and would not be taken into consideration for qualifying purposes.
“New Mexicans who have invested in long-term care insurance will have more choices in how to spend their own money. They will not have to spend their assets, including their insurance benefit, down to that last $2,000 in order to qualify for Medicaid if they need to go into a nursing home,” Senator Cotter said. “
They can keep amount of their insurance benefit and use it how they like. They can use it to improve their lives while in a nursing home or they can leave their assets to their heirs. The value of the insurance benefit is theirs to spend it as they see fit.”
Senator Cotter said the new law, which will go into effect June 14, 2013, will also help save the federal Medicaid program dollars. He said New Mexicans will appreciate the incentive of purchasing their own private insurance and might not ever go on the federal program. Others would have to be on the federal program, until their private insurance is exhausted.
Senator Cotter said the long-term insurance incentive program has been passed by 42 other states. Senator Cotter reiterated, “The program allows New Mexicans to have a choice. It gives them an incentive to save assets and provide for their long term health care instead of forcing New Mexicans to reduce their assets to $2,000 before they can apply for Medicaid.”
He said it modifies Medicaid eligibility rules by requiring that, individuals’ assets counted when considering Medicaid eligibility, exclude the amount of qualified long-term care insurance. The lower the “counted assets” the higher the chance the person will qualify for Medicaid.
SB 196 requires that the Human Services Dept. (HSD) modify the state Medicaid Plan and create a long-term health insurance partnership program in consultation with the Superintendent of Insurance to give incentives for individuals to obtain long term care insurance.
This was submitted by the New Mexico Senate Republican Office. For more information, contact: Diane Kinderwater at diane.kinderwater@nmlegis.gov
Whither Christmas Letters?
Posted on 29. Dec, 2012 by Stephan Helgesen in NM, Social/Cultural
Christmas letters go back a long way to a time when people actually used something called a pen and dipped it in ink, made ornate letters on a piece of paper, put it in a special envelope and gave it to a man from the post office who actually came by the house to pick it up. Aaaah, nostalgia. The good old days. Times of yesteryear.
Good thing nostalgia is seen in the rear view mirror. Times were rough in the good old days. No electricity, no running water, no fancy central heating. Cold wooden toilet seats in a drafty outhouse that was separated from the main house by at least 20 steps that must be taken over ice or snow.
The one possible great old tyme exception was Christmas itself. There were practices then that made the holiday special and memorable, some I remember well like trudging out in the snow to cut your own tree and binding it to the top of the car or a toboggan for the trip home.
Making our own decorations and popping popcorn and stringing it for the tree. Taking out the old manger scene and placing it on the ledge above the water-filled radiator. Helping with the baking and the decoration of every kind of cookie imaginable. Smelling all the wonderful smells that filled every room of the house.
Taking our sleds to the post office to rescue those last presents that might be coming from afar and then hauling them back home wondering what treasures were inside. Then there were the church services (for me two – one Catholic the night before and one Lutheran on Christmas Day).
Churches resplendent with evergreen branches and huge white candles that cast soft shadows everywhere. Voices raised in songful praise of Jesus’ birth from the warmth inside while the fidgety among us gazed out the frost-encrusted windows to the snowy streets outside.
Christmas memories are like fingerprints. No two are alike. Every one is unique and personal. And while some may share a commonality that serves to bind us together, they are really best experienced by each one of us, on our own. So it is with Christmas letters.
We all view and report our world differently. That’s how it should be which is why I love Christmas letters! There, I said it, out loud and without apology! I feel the love of the parent when he/she talks about little Johnny’s first words or marvels at his first steps.
I grieve right along with the writer about the loss of a loved one or the death of a favorite pet. I whoop inside with joy when I hear about someone’s new job or hear about a wonderful vacation experience, and I nod in approval when a friend has an epiphany about life. I hang on every word. I suppose it’s the last remnant of the child in me, the child that still believes in the magic and significance of Christmas and the importance of good friends.
I’m not the reporter type, so my Christmas letters don’t usually include a list of what I’ve done. Instead, they include the, what I’ve learned from what I’ve done. That’s trickier to write about because the lessons often come much later. However…
I’ve learned that there is such a thing as too much political reporting and too much TV and too much sugar and too little exercise and too many low information voters and too many commercials and too many empty promises and too much hyperbole and too few really good friends with really good intentions and too much unjustified distrust and too little compassion for those among us who make mistakes.
I’ve also learned that growing older is okay, that it’s not something to be feared, avoided, despised, shunned… or stopped. I’ve learned, too, that the world around me is constantly changing and not necessarily for the better, that the gulf between us is growing while the promises to bridge it are broken.
I’m still mystified about our violent nature, our penchant for calling each other names and the way we disparage motives different from our own. I’ve learned that our economy is not a well-oiled machine and that when people are thrown out of work, they are not simply unemployed; they are essentially exiled from our society. I’ve learned that iphones, ipads and other similar diversionary devices have become the false idols that keep us from realizing God’s promise for us. There’s a line in Jonah’s prayer to God that pretty well sums it up.
“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of Thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Believe that experience or not as your own personal religion dictates, but sometimes I get the feeling that the world is getting ready to do the same thing to us and wake us up from this daze of self-absorption. Then I remember why it is we are up to our ass in alligators. We have not only forgotten to drain the swamp, we have also forgotten how.
Which brings me back to the subject of Christmas letters. I believe that Christmas letters should be written more often than once a year and by more people and sent to yet even more people! Maybe by doing that we would realize that there is infinitely more that binds us together as one than separates us as many. Happy New Year.
- Editor
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The Wizard Artist of Dumbledore, New Mexico
Posted on 30. May, 2012 by Stephan Helgesen in NM, Social/Cultural
You needn’t look farther than the East Mountains outside Albuquerque to find the fantasy of Harry Potter materialize into reality. Not only is the house reminiscent of the popular Joann Kathleen (J.K.) Rowling series of otherworldly buildings like Dumbledore Castle, but its owner, Leslie Feuerborn, could have been the model for the wizard Gandalf in Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings.
An artist versed in stone masonry, woodworking, carving, stained glass and welding, the Oklahoma-born Feuerborn came to New Mexico in 1991.
After a stint as sculptor-in-residence at Casa de Suenos in Albuquerque he fulfilled a personal dream and moved to a secluded spot, high in the East Mountains where he could build his eclectic home and pursue his art while living a simple life.
When you first look at Feuerborn’s home you’ll swear you’ve fallen through Alice’s looking glass. Parts that normally reside on cars, telephone poles, farm machinery, airplanes, and somebody’s kitchen suddenly merge together to create a transformer-like house.
Your eye wanders from top to bottom taking it all in, wondering how it came to be. Says Leslie, “It took me 13 years to get to this point and I’m still not finished. I need to fit in the stained glass and a few other embellishments.”
I ask him about the outdoor pyramid that’s 25 ft. off the ground and that can only be reached by an industrial grating ramp. At the top of the 8×8 ft. platform is a huge steel open pyramid extending into the air offering an exceptional view of the house’ roof treatments.
Long flowing translucent plastic decorative pieces that adorn the west roof could have been part of a Viking ship or an old Norwegian stave church and are now glowing in the fading light of the sun as we descend the pyramid (Leslie uses the pyramid for sunbathing and meditation).
Living as a quasi-ascetic and self-proclaimed ‘raw fooder,’ this soft-spoken and articulate man is obviously well-read and has come to both his philosophy of life and art via a long and winding road.
Back on terra firma, we move through piles of diverse ‘MIW’ (material-in-waiting) for future sculptures and come upon a steel and glass mandala-like piece that is proudly showing off the sun’s rays through its stained glass design. It’s obvious that this is one of Leslie’s favorites but I ask him to make sure.
His answer surprises me. “I have no favorites. They’re like children that are born, grow up and leave home.” So it is with art, especially art that is meant to be shared with as many people as possible.
There are actually two Leslies: Leslie the artist and Leslie the craftsman. Both live together enjoying each new scavenged find of new unusual materials from old buildings or job sites that can be bent, cut, hammered and shaped into ethereal objets d’art.
Where does all this creativity come from I asked. He smiles and points upward and inward at the same time. “The cosmos, my parents and past lives I suppose. My father was a master gardener and my mother was a fine musician. Some of that might have rubbed off on me, but for the most part, I’m self-taught. Everything I know about the tools and processes I use I’ve learned from observing others and of course through trial and error.”
The newest addition to the Feuerborn arsenal of tools is a sophisticated cutting device that can make short work of granite and cast iron and allow him to reproduce his intricate designs on super dense, hard-to-pierce materials. It sits outside amid the MIWs, itself a kind of industrial art of the 21st century.
I couldn’t help but notice his fondness for arches and gates that dot his estate. “Arches tell you that something important is on the other side and they help focus the energy. They’re also fun to do.”
Whimsy is a word that comes to mind to describe Leslie Feuerborn’s work that is until you see him at work and listen to him speak of things like the nature of creativity, man’s relation to his surroundings and of course, spiritual geometry.
Our interview nearly over I asked him what one of his guiding principles of life was. It took him no time at all to answer. “Be true to yourself, live an honest life and don’t be afraid to take your own advice.”
Sage words from the wizard artist of Dumbledore.
Editor – More information on the sculptures of Leslie Feuerborn that are available for purchase or for special commissioned art may be obtained through the New Mexican Voice at: editor@newmexicanvoice.com
Selling New Mexico Internationally
Posted on 03. Feb, 2012 by Stephan Helgesen in Economy, NM, Politics, Social/Cultural
In an earlier article, I wrote about the importance of ‘Internationalizing New Mexico,’ and now I’m pleased to report that we’ve taken the first tentative steps towards telling New Mexico’s story to the outside world and, in effect, selling New Mexico as a truly international destination for foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign students and tourism as well as scientific and cultural exchanges.
International time zone bending
The distance between the international world of commerce and culture has steadily shrunk to a tiny sliver since the advent of the computer and non-stop air travel. This bending of time zones has made the rapid transportation of information, goods and people not only possible, but absolutely necessary as the world has flattened out.
It has also created a ‘just-in-time’ (JIT) mentality and a set of expectations that must be met if communities and companies are to compete, internationally, for investment, contracts, consumers, tourists, students and services.
There are many U.S. states that depend quite heavily on cross-border or foreign trade and have, as a consequence continued investing in their individual states’ infrastructures in order to remain competitive in the race for FDI.
New Mexico is not geographically blessed with some of the ‘basics’ of a true international state. We have no seaports, no significant concentration of single industries or large population centers (save one) and no discernible international attitude. In short, on the surface, New Mexico has no real critical mass to attract many of the world’s top companies, nor does it have an undeniable academic lure for international students. There are two areas, however, where the State does maintain a competitive advantage. One is in tourism and the other is our national laboratory research facilities’ ‘footprint.’
Many would call New Mexico a ‘domestically foreign state’ given its high percentage of ethnic peoples like the Hispanic and Native American communities. These communities are important to the State’s growth because they show a deep-rooted history of peaceful and successful coexistence and interaction – something foreign companies and people in general look for when narrowing their search for re-location sites.
The goals and objectives
During these times of dwindling domestic market share, high unemployment and state and community revenue losses, we must re-balance the scales by choosing a new course that includes a massive effort to: 1. steadily increase the amount of foreign direct investment here; 2. stimulate the growth of international tourism; 3. markedly expand the number of foreign students enrolled in NM universities; 4. put NM on international organizations’ short lists for conferences/gatherings venues; and 5. enhance our international cultural relationships.
The problems and challenges
Nothing comes easy, and the challenges we face are fourfold: 1. a lack of public (and government) awareness of the benefits of having a global/international view, 2. an undersubscribed and underfunded network of international organizations, 3. insufficient overall investment in an international promotional effort, and 4. no centralized international leadership or champions.
Ours is the classic case of too many organizations with frequently overlapping missions (and too few experienced people) chasing the same dollars to fund too many duplicative activities.
One of the solutions
That’s why it may seem strange to solve these problems by adding to our existing inventory of offices or organizations, but that’s what I decided to do by establishing the New Mexico Office of International Cooperation (NMOIC). The office will focus its efforts on solving the four problems mentioned above through a special, organizationally-neutral project called, “IQNewMexico” (‘IQ’ stands for Internationality Quotient™) designed to tell New Mexico’s story abroad to foreign governments, businesses, the scientific and cultural communities and tourism groups.
The NMOIC is different from traditional international organizations that depend on membership dues and activities to stay afloat. It is a totally volunteer enterprise open to anyone who has international contacts that could be used to New Mexico’s advantage; who has worked or studied abroad; who has a compelling international personal story to tell or who is simply ready to roll up his/her sleeves and work to make our state a Land of INTERNATIONAL Enchantment.
Those interested in knowing more about how they can be involved should contact: Stephan Helgesen at honorarygermanconsul@gmail.com or helgesen@2ndopinionmarketing.com or by phone at 505/239-0008. Helgesen is a former U.S. diplomat and former Director of the State of NM Office of Science & Technology. He is now an export consultant and Honorary German Consul in NM.
The Next 100 Years: Land of Sopapillas and Chilies or Chips and Bytes?
Posted on 31. Dec, 2011 by Stephan Helgesen in Economy, Education, Energy/Environment, Healthcare, NM, Politics, Social/Cultural
Judging by the great strides made in technology over the last 100 years, we can expect massive change during the next century. The world as we know it will be gone. It will be replaced by one that is shaped by the forces of technological growth, increasing social pressure and by dwindling resources and a crisis of governance.
The Economy and Technology:
If our economy survives without too much injury, we might be able to revive capitalism to the point where we can export the philosophy to more countries in the emerging world and gain a competitive advantage through mutually beneficial trade and investment agreements with them, and perhaps even manufacture for them!
With more wealth will come much more technology. The world of 2112 will see distances between countries, cultures and communities eroded even further, enlarging the neighborhood and allowing more people to interact with one another over the internet on devices as small as a pencil.
The New Mexico Spaceport will stimulate the growth of a vibrant, modern materials and aeronautics/space research sector that will create thousands of high-paying jobs.
Our homes will be interactive and individually programmed to respond to voice commands (even from our smartphones). When coupled with Artificial Intelligence (AI) they will ‘get to know us better’ and anticipate our desires, teeing up the system by responding instantaneously to our wishes. “Lights on, heat down 2 degrees, security system armed and start perimeter recording at maximum sensitivity level.” A grasshopper won’t be able to get through the average 2112 home security system let alone a human intruder because our AI home will go into lock-down mode, automatically reinforcing our smart windows and doors that can go from normal tensile strength to bulletproof level protection in seconds due to advances in new, space-age materials.
Computers and computer microprocessors will be imbedded or merged into many new products, and these integrated circuits (chips) will be reprogrammable by their users to accommodate new requirements and applications.
Holograms will take the place of DVDs and videos and will be viewable in life-size. They will also be programmable to act as opponents in games and as conversation partners, thereby ending loneliness for millions of people.
Education:
Education of our children will take place earlier and earlier, starting in the first few months of life with ‘crib ed’ where newborns and infants learn languages and are even tested at home from remote testing sites.
New, government-funded ReTraining Clusters will be formed to deal with the chronically unemployed. The RTCs, which will be electronically networked with all American businesses and all state Labor Departments, will closely monitor the workplace (job) needs and re-train America’s unemployed or underemployed workers for those jobs.
A new type of high school curriculum will be instituted in America’s schools. It will be built on a uniform aptitude test given to all middle school students. Each student will be voluntarily ‘directed’ to a curriculum specially suited to his/her aptitude and skills that will continue throughout the six high school years. Those having chosen that path and graduating will be awarded a 100% scholarship to a nationally-funded school of higher learning/training that will match up their skills with the needs of the business community and society at large.
The University of New Mexico will be privatized and no longer be a drain on the state’s budget. It will segment itself into several profit centers and will triple its international student population and generate important revenue from scientific and other partnering.
Energy/Environment:
Solar and wind power, hydrogen, bio-algae and biomass fuels AND traditional energy sources will play a role in the next 100 years. The ‘all of the above’ solution will be the only viable one for our personal transportation and home energy needs until the perfect balance is found between imported oil and domestic production.
New Mexico will become the Alternative Energy Capital of the United States as the state develops its bio-algae, biomass, solar and wind resources (the state will actually produce enough bio-diesel fuel to power all of the vehicles in the federal fleet from its massive bio-algae GreenWay park in southeastern New Mexico). Important federal grants for renewable energy projects will be given to New Mexico to offset the reduction in force and mission at Los Alamos National Laboratories (a victim of significant federal budget cuts). The state of New Mexico will be given permission to commercialize all renewable energy technologies in a three-way partnership with the federal government and the private sector.
Governance and Politics:
In the year 2112, there could very well be a supra-national government, based on the United Nations model that governs specific global areas like: food and energy production, monetary and financial matters and maybe even sets standards for a host of other things. We could see the world operating on an intellectual property or idea standard alongside a world currency where countries with patents and ideas generate royalties and enjoy a financial advantage.
We may see a merging of the House and the Senate into a unicameral body (this will come as a result of the gridlock that will nearly paralyze our legislative efforts to govern ourselves).
Our state government will be an on-line 24-hour accessible one and our legislature will morph into a full-time paid one with regular sessions that mirror the federal legislative calendar. New Mexico will enter into a program of ‘Enterprise Zones’ that will be formed with Colorado, Texas and Arizona that harmonize taxes and incentives, enabling the state to better compete with the rest of the country for out-of-state direct investment.
New Mexico will also begin offering a special Retirement Investment Incentive (largely a package of tax reductions on personal income tax, sales tax and property taxes) to those willing to purchase property and retire in New Mexico. It will become a popular incentive and be copied by other states.
The New Mexican political landscape will also change to reflect a growing dissatisfaction with the two traditional political parties. Voter registration will see a significant increase in the number of independents in the State resulting in a new political makeup of 25% Republicans, 30% Democrats and 45% Independents (the Independents will be absorbed by two new political parties that will spring up in the second half of 21st century).
Unfortunately, we will lose some of our personal freedoms in the coming 100 years as new terrorist attacks turn us into a more insular and protective society instead of an outgoing one. Crime will increase, but new types of penalties for minor crime will take the place of incarceration, so our prison population will decrease.
Healthcare:
Each new citizen will be DNA tested at birth by law and get a Genetic Profile Prospectus (GPP) that will give him/her an ‘odds and probabilities’ assessment as to which diseases that he/she could succumb to and which preventative or cautionary lifestyle choices he/she should make. This GPP will become part of our national identity card and follow us all through our lives.
Transportation:
Many of us will rarely leave our homes. We will work, remotely, and even direct our businesses from our computers, but for those who must travel, they’ll be taking to the air. We won’t have flying cars, but we may have flying mass transit for short distance travel. Flying maxi-taxis with designated routes (flight plans), capable of transporting 50-100 people high above our freeways will be standard fare.
Our four-wheel transportation will utilize hybrid fuel technology that will incorporate several types of energy sources: electric, fossil fuel, biodiesel and even solar. In order to get consumers to buy the newer vehicles, government will offer deep discounts and other incentives such as fuel rebates and even matching funds for vehicle repair.
In New Mexico, our Rail Runner will give way to a sleek monorail that is built down the middle of I-25 and I-40. It will carry passengers from Socorro to Santa Fe and from the Greater Albuquerque area to Moriarty. The price of the tickets will be subsidized by a surcharge on businesses and by property tax increases along with a direct Dept. of Energy grant from the federal government.
Chilies and Luminarias, starry skies and broad vistas will remain largely unchanged as New Mexico will lag behind other states in population growth (unless no progress is made on stemming the tide of illegal immigration), due in large part to finite water resources. Living in the next century will be a challenge, especially for those who believe that technology should occupy a smaller footprint going forward. The next hundred years will demand that we all learn more and do more with that knowledge. Much will be asked of us, but I’m confident that New Mexicans will accept the challenge and figure out a way to make decisions that will reflect our chosen way of life. We are, and will continue to be, the stewards of the land that we call, enchanted.
- Editor
The Stealth Birthday Party
Posted on 06. Dec, 2011 by Stephan Helgesen in NM, Social/Cultural
Our State of New Mexico magazine has run an amusing column on its back page for many years, entitled, “One of our fifty is missing.” The column speaks humorously about our state’s lack of identity or confusion with Mexico.
If it weren’t so embarrassing that so many people don’t know who we are let alone where we are, I’d be laughing at it, but today, I’m fed up with being the ‘invisible man.’ My dander is up, because on the eve of celebrating our state’s 100th birthday, even WE don’t seem to care about who we are, or am I missing some statewide centennial extravaganza that has slipped under my radar?
Hundredth birthdays are supposed to be a pretty big deal. Even Willard Scott and the Smuckers Company that sponsor him, go out of their way to recognize the contributions of America’s centenarians by putting their photos up on national television and wishing them a ‘Happy Birthday.’
What has New Mexico done?
We have a website (nmcentennial.org). That’s a good start, but Billy Bob’s Plumbing and 24-Hour Taxidermy Service in the valley has a website, too. Months ago I checked out the site and found it attractive but with little in the way of substance and with very few events listed (though, in fairness, there are more listed today), so I wrote an article saying that a birthday this big deserved a little more promotion than it was getting, which was nearly zero outside of the website.
Drum roll, please.
With thinking cap firmly in place, my mind wondered like a coyote in search of prey. We could construct a giant chili like the huge apple in NYC’s Times Square and mount it on top of the Roundhouse (like the Farolitos/Luminarias). It could change color from red to green and then back again and then explode like a big pinata on January 1st spewing forth free tickets to ride the Rail Runner.
Another one of my brilliant ideas was an essay contest for school children on why the atomic bomb is such a good thing and why we should be proud of giving ‘birth’ to it here. (Admittedly, that one might be a little controversial, but it could have set a dialogue in motion about nuclear power.)
I also suggested a massive involvement by our schools, our private sector and the non-profits (who seem to be heavily represented on the steering committee) and encouraged the Governor’s Office to take the lead by throwing out a 100-year challenge to all New Mexicans to write her and tell her administration what kind of New Mexico they’d like to see in the year 2112.
As often happens here in our wonderful state, ideas get blown off and away like tumbleweeds in a wind storm. My article got a very predictable response, zero, so that got me to thinking that maybe the ‘powers that be’ don’t know where we are either or maybe they’re embarrassed by ‘things New Mexican’ (like our numerous scandals, bad national ratings, etc.) and would rather keep a low profile.
But no, that couldn’t be the reason. They love New Mexico as much as I do, so there had to be another. Then it came to me – the CLASSICAL REASON – for keeping mum…we don’t want any more of those pesky out-of-staters here to spoil our pristine environment.
I think I have the answer that will satisfy everybody and do it on the cheap (which seems to be the way we prefer things these days). We hold a stealth centennial party, and we don’t tell anybody about it. No promotional press releases, no TV coverage, no Twitter or You Tube or In-your-face book. We just pass the invitation around personally from door to door, from community to community.
That way, maybe New Mexicans will start thinking about wonderful the Land of Enchantment truly is and how much we owe the brave men and women who came before us for leaving us with a ‘work in progress.’
- Editor
Monday’s Headlines from Around the State – Aug 29, 2011
Posted on 29. Aug, 2011 by Stephan Helgesen in NM
The New Mexican Voice takes you there! To read these news stories, click on this headline and find the newspaper on the right and then click on it.
Alamogordo Daily News – Live Firefighter Training
ABQ Journal – Special Session to Tackle third Grade Reading
Artesia News – Artesia Institution closing Its Doors
Carlsbad Current Argus – Youth Victorious at 32nd Great American Duck Race
Cibola County Beacon – Officers Remove Woman from Burning RV
Farmington Daily Times – End of the Line for Long Haul Busing
Deming Headlight – Columbus Struggles to Recover from Gun Scandal
Gallup Independent – Alex Seowtewa Named 2011 Ceremonial “Living Treasure”
Lamonitor – NNMSA Issues final SEIS for Nuclear Facility Part of CMRR Project
Las Cruces Bulletin – Post Office to Move Processing to El Paso
Las Cruces Sun News – Spicy Celebration: State Centennial Facilities Start Off on Flavorful Note
Mountain View Telegraph – Howling Success
Portales News Tribune – Pets on Parade at County Fair
Quay County Sun – Montana Woman Acquires Confederate Headstone for Great Great Grandfather
Raton Range – In “Sync” with classic Songs
Rio Grande Sun – Flash-flooding Prompts Rescue Mission
Rio Rancho Observer – Council Sets New Districts for City
Roswell Daily Record – Roswell Man dies After Wreck
Ruidoso News – U.S. Hwy 380 Roadblocks Planned
Sangre de Cristo Chronicle – Angel Fire Resort Plans Multi-million Dollar RV Park
Santa Fe New Mexican – Navigating the Gold Exchange: Rules Tighten as More Cash In on Economy’s Brighter Side
Sierra County Sentinel – NMSA Board to Bolster Budget
Taos News – Taos School Employees: No Pay Cuts, Increased Hours
Please Help a Starving Bear!
Posted on 19. Aug, 2011 by Stephan Helgesen in Energy/Environment, NM
Hunger kills. The drought that devastated much of New Mexico’s forests is not the fault of the creatures that inhabit them. We at the New Mexican Voice ask you for your compassion and to help keep a few more of God’s precious creatures alive – to give them a fighting chance to go back to the wild again.
Dr. Kathleen Ramsey, who works with the Wildlife Center in Espanola, is taking in starving bears and feeding them to release at a later date. The New Mexico Game & Fish has for years taken young bears to her to rehabilitate.
She now has 19 bears including the starving 40-pound 2 year old bear found in the Albuquerque’s Southeast Heights that was recently shown on TV.
Ramsey is going through 150 lbs. of dog food a day! She buys l,000 lbs. of food at a time. You can help defray the cost of providing this valuable public service for some fortunate cub bears.
If you can send something, make your check out to:
The Wildlife Center, PO Box 246, Espanola, NM 87532
Write ‘FOR BEARS ONLY’ on your checks.
Ramsey only has room for three more bears and will most likely need to expand the number of cages in this bad year for bears. Jan Hayes of New Mexico Bear Watch is looking for handy people who can help construct more chain-link metal bear cages, should the need arise. Please call Jan at 505/281-9282 if you would like to help her erect metal cages.
Ramsey’s bear/rehabilitation facility is north of Espanola along the Chama River. Thanks for helping the bears. If we do not care for the least of us, most of us will suffer.
- Editor
Headlines from Around the State – Aug 18, 2011
Posted on 18. Aug, 2011 by Stephan Helgesen in NM
The New Mexican Voice takes you there! To read these news stories, find the newspaper on the right and click on it.
Alamogordo Daily News – ‘Dreams’ facility backs off
ABQ Journal – Too green to pay up
Artesia News – AFD working to mark fire hydrants
Carlsbad Current Argus – Lincoln national forest lifts fire restrictions
Cibola County Beacon – Main Street elects two new board members and reelects another
Farmington Daily Times – Lujan to hold constituent meeting
Deming Headlight – PNM goes online with solar power locally
Gallup Independent – Family remembers late Arthur Cometsevah
Lamonitor – LTAB tackles tourism downturn
Las Cruces Bulletin – MVRDA may move to East Mesa
Las Cruces Sun News – Scent of the season
Mountain View Telegraph – Hungry bears explore more
Portales News Tribune – Businesses seek Sunday alcohol sales
Quay County Sun – Maltese dog returns safely to family
Raton Range – Future improvements for tourists and travelers
Rio Grande Sun – Rodella’s revenge
Rio Rancho Observer – Turnout for redistricting meeting impresses
Roswell Daily Record – Parent calls RHS north parking lot ‘dangerous’
Ruidoso News – Former village manager reminisces about Perry
Sangre de Cristo Chronicle – Taos artist Ed Sandoval captures state’s whimsical quality in poster
Santa Fe New Mexican – Woman charged with DWI after head-on collision
Sierra County Sentinel – City Holds Quick, Productive Session
Taos News – Kit Carson Co-op fetes Taos broadband, new center
Monday’s Headlines from Around the State – Aug 15, 2011
Posted on 15. Aug, 2011 by Stephan Helgesen in Economy, Education, Energy/Environment, Healthcare, NM, Politics, Social/Cultural
The New Mexican Voice takes you there! To read these news stories, find the newspaper on the right and click on it.
Alamogordo Daily News – Students returning to NMSU
ABQ Journal – NM flights Costing $1.2 mill.
Artesia News – Council Approves New Zoning Along Richardson
Carlsbad Current Argus – Redistricting on County Commision Agenda
Cibola County Beacon – Commissioners Require Retraction Before Helping City
Farmington Daily Times – Veteran cop gets new post
Deming Headlight – DAC Jam Fest
Gallup Independent – SRP agrees to purchase Big Bo wind power
Lamonitor – Los Alamos: More than a science town
Las Cruces Bulletin – MVRDA may move to East Mesa
Las Cruces Sun News – NMSU campus alive with students and families
Mountain View Telegraph – NM 344 lane fix in place for now
Portales News Tribune – Drought leading to large number of cattle sell-offs
Quay County Sun – Officials break ground on Ute pipeline project amid protests
Raton Range – Tax revenue adjustment considered
Rio Grande Sun – Taxpayers stuck with rancher’s legal bills
Rio Rancho Observer – Council approves sign law
Roswell Daily Record – Nothing like a good old fashioned shoot out
Ruidoso News – Federal agents raid Ruidoso home
Sangre de Cristo Chronicle – Monsoons finally arrive but lose steam
Santa Fe New Mexican – AG locked in costly Elephant Butte water fight
Sierra County Sentinel – City Holds Quick, Productive Session
Taos News – Taos Kit Carson Trustees: $7,651 for attending rate hearings
