New Mexico Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary, Alicia Keyes, announced the Job Training Incentive Program awardees for the calendar year 2022. Nine companies throughout New Mexico will receive funds to cover 50-75% of trainee wages depending on location, for up to 6 months with those higher percentages going to jobs that align with the High Wage Job Tax Credit and to companies that hire trainees who have graduated in the past 12 months from a New Mexico institute of higher education or who are U.S. Veterans. Locally, Little Toad Creek Brewery and Distillery in Silver City and Deming has been awarded funding to cover 10 trainees at an average wage of $19.75 for a total of $125,260. According to the news release, “Little Toad Creek currently operates a nano-brewery and distillery, a seasonal rural hotel/restaurant/tasting room, and a year-round restaurant/tasting room in downtown Silver City, with a distillery and production project underway in Deming.
The U.S Forest Service – Gila National Forest shares with the public the importance of pack string mules and horses and the traditional low-tech role they play in the approach to modern forest management. Housed at the Wilderness and Glenwood Ranger Districts, the pack string supports a wide variety of objectives and allows staff to reach difficult backcountry locations. The Wilderness Ranger District cares for 32 of the forest’s 45 equines, including 14 horses and 18 mules ranging in age from 6 to 20 years old. Last fall they helped deliver nearly 450 Gila Trout to suitable river habitat in the Gila Wilderness. In addition, last year, five of the Gila Wilderness Pack String mules were retired and donated to End of the Road Ranch Horse Rescue in Silver City. Learn more about them at https://endoftheroadrescue.org/
There’s a free Family Movie Night scheduled at the Silver City Public Library, 515 West College Avenue, on Tuesday, January 3rd starting at 3:30 P.M. Bring the kids to see the movie Frozen, a family movie about accepting who you are. There will be popcorn!
