Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
The Clay Festival Farm to Table Fundraiser that was held on July 22 at The Volunteer Center of Grant County, has been deemed a complete success. The sold out event featured locally grown food from Silver City Farmer’s Market vendors and was prepared by local chefs. Youths in the Community Youth Building Program attended two trainings in food service to lend a hand at this special event. The funds raised will help support future community entrepreneurial partnerships with the annual Clay Festival as well as the donation of $1000 to the Volunteer Center’s Food Bank and $500 to the Silver City Farmer’s Market.
The Silver Consolidated School District is welcoming students back last week with some changes in staff and school configuration. All kindergarten students are attending Sixth Street Elementary which was formerly a K-5 school, leaving all sixth graders in the district to return to the remaining elementary schools which are G.W. Stout, Harrison Schmitt and Jose Barrios. Students that were previously attending Sixth Street have been divided to the other schools. The new principal at Sixth Street School is Bobby Trujillo, in addition, Peter Limardo is the new principal of Opportunity School, taking over for Jason Ping who has moved to that position at G.W Stout Elementary. Louis Alvarez, former principal at Sixth Street has moved to La Plata Middle school along with Jody Wilmeth who will be serving in the Assistant Principal capacity. Shane Coker from the Deming school system will be taking the helm at Silver High School with Clifford Thompson, from Pecos filling the assistant principal position. Former Silver High School principal, Victor Oaxaca will stay on as operational principal and athletic director.
A vote was taken during the Luna County Commission regular meeting last week to approve amendments to the Joint Powers Agreement governing the New Mexico Central Arizona Project entity which is the organization responsible for a potential diversion of the Gila River. Critics of the proposed revision allege that the entity’s authority will be expanded to create the ability to negotiate deals with Freeport-McMoRan, allowing them to profit from the investment of public money enabling water brought to Luna County to be sold elsewhere. Among other items discussed, two citizens also pointed out that following the death of Commissioner Joe “Oleo” Milo last month, the commission’s authority is concentrated in just two officials. Both called for the county commission to be expanded to 5 elected members instead of 3.
A very valuable painting stolen from the University of Arizona Museum 31 years ago was discovered and returned by co-owners of the local downtown business, Manzanita Ridge. The Willem de Kooning painting titled “Woman-Ochre”, was purchased as part of an estate sale from a home in Cliff, New Mexico. The painting has since been returned to the University of Arizona Museum for authentication. Willem de Kooning was a Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist and this recovered painting has an estimated value of 160 million dollars.
