Category: Albuquerque & New Mexico

Summertime

According to the National Weather Service, Albuquerque averages three days a year where the temperature reaches 100°, 22 where it reaches 95° or more, and 63 with a max of 90° or more.

Two down, 61 to go.

Smart Places to Live

Kiplinger’s ranks the best cities to live: “You told us your ideal city is fun, vibrant and affordable. We found dozens that fit the bill.”

Top five

  1. Nashville
  2. Minneapolis-St. Paul
  3. Albuquerque (“This laid-back city offers resort-town ambience, a boomtown economy and cow-town prices.”)
  4. Atlanta
  5. Austin

I’d say their information on Albuquerque home prices is a bit dated, but otherwise they’re right. Albuquerque is a smart place to live (unless you have kids in public school).

And, of course, as they say, “Unfortunately, no database could allow for another top priority: proximity to family.”

Hysterical marker

I suppose a reader can figure it out, but why didn’t someone proofread the first part of this “Official Scenic Hisoric Marker” before it was installed?

Valle Grande Marker

About one million years ago, the magnificent valley
before you was formed by collapse, after a series of
tremendous volcanic eruptions ejected a Volume of
material more than 500 times greater than the May
1980 eruptions of Mt. St Helens, This event climaxed
more than 13 million years of volcanism in the Jemez
Mountains. Minor volumes of magma, leaking to the
surface as recently as 50,000 years ago, formed the
dome-like hills between  you and the skyline to the
north, which is the opposite wall of the enourmous
Valles Caldera. The heat from young volcanism
makes this area attractive for geothermal energy.

Even if the comma after “Helens” is translated as a period, that’s a 40-word sentence on a sign. I can’t even count all the dependent clauses.

Top Towns for Clean Air, Dirty Air

From the American Lung Association via WebMD:

10 with Cleanest Air Year-Round

1. Cheyenne, Wyo.
2. Santa Fe-Espanola, N.M.
3. Honolulu
4. Great Falls, Mont.
5. Tucson, Ariz.
6. Anchorage, Alaska
7. Farmington, N.M.
7. Bismark, N.D.
9. Albuquerque, N.M.
10. Rapid City, S.D.

And the 5 Sootiest

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, Calif.
2. Bakersfield, Calif.
3. Pittsburgh-New Castle, Pa.
4. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
5. Fresno-Madera, Calif.

Follow the link above to see cities ranked through number 25 for both categories and to learn more.

A Gathering of Nations

The Gathering of Nations is North America’s largest Indian powwow. Held annually at the University Arena (The Pit) in Albuquerque, it attracts Indian dancers from all over the U.S. and Canada.

Fancy Swirl

They call them “fancy dancers” for a reason.

Two Generations

Two generations of fancy dancers.

Gathering Wolf

Ready for the Grand Entry.

Just before the Grand Entry a bald eagle is carried around the arena floor, faced in each of the four directions, its hood removed and its wings spread. Magnificent (but hard to photograph well from my vantage point).

Grand Entry Leader

When the Eagle Staff enters the arena to begin the Grand Entry, everyone stands.

Gathering Color

Gathering Color

Gathering Color

The Grand Entry is without a doubt the single most colorful event NewMexiKen has ever seen.

Gathering Color

A little something new among the traditional, a baseball cap tops one young man’s colorful array.

Gathering Girls

Everybody needs to look their best at the Gathering.

Gathering Pendletons

Vendors of Indian arts occupy a large tent outside the arena. And no Gathering of Nations would be complete without a gathering of Pendletons (in this case a rack of vests for sale).

Rain, Glorious Rain

A whole 13/100ths of an inch of rain fell early this morning in Albuquerque. I’m so glad it woke me so I could cheer. Everything smells so sweet.

Don’t laugh, 13/100ths is about a third of all the precipitation we’ve had in six months (41/100ths of an inch total) — the driest winter here since 1903-1904. Hold your fingers 4/10ths of an inch apart and see how little that is.

Rail Runner NMRX

Rail Runner Coming At You

Rail Runner — coming at you soon.
 Thanks to the intercession of Jon of Albloggerque, and the courtesy of Augusta Meyers, Communications Manager for the Mid-Region Council of Governments, NewMexiKen got to take a train ride today — a very special train ride on New Mexico’s Rail Runner.

Set to open to the public in July, the beautiful streamlined express will carry passengers from Albuquerque south to Belen or north to Bernalillo — and on to Santa Fe in 2008.

 

The train is beautiful, inside and out and the road runner logo is classic (see below).

Even before we left the increasingly attractive Alvarado station downtown, NewMexiKen began to imagine the possibilities. A shuttle connecting to the Sunport. A station at Balloon Fiesta Park — what an improvement that would be over the existing chaos that is Fiesta traffic and parking. These and other developments are a few years off, but the prospects are exciting.

Rail Runner Inside

Jon enjoys the sunny Rail Runner car.

 

Downtown Albuquerque

Looking west on Central Avenue (U.S. 66) as the train pulled out.

Today’s 25-mile roundtrip to U.S. 550 in Bernalillo was delightfully smooth. The train cruises at 79 mph (despite several grade crossings). This isn’t as fast as the Amtrak Metroliner, but there was none of the motion sickness I have occasionally felt on that ride. The eventual trip from Albuquerque to Santa Fe should be an hour, even with stops. (And how much less stressful than the dodge-em cars on I-25?)

The officials and others on board seemed almost giddy with delight. There is something vaguely Disney-esque about riding the train.
 
 
Rail Runner

All aboard in July. The first three months will be free!

 

New Mexico’s Rail Runner has an attractive, informative web site.

[Update Wednesday Evening: Albloggerque has a great post with many more details — The Best 15 Minute Train Ride I Ever Had!]

Post mortem on city council meeting

The Albuquerque city council passed the minimum wage compromise 6-3. The ordinance will raise the minimum wage in the city to $6.75 an hour next January 1, to $7.15 a year later and to $7.50 in 2009. Albuquerque joins Santa Fe, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., as the only cities with a municipal minimum. The federal minimum has been $5.15 an hour since 1997.

For some reason NewMexiKen’s laptop would not connect to the wifi in the council chamber and I had to do my live blogging with a borrowed computer (thanks again, Chantal). I’m not certain I had anything much to say anyway, (but check out the good work by the others listed below). Enabled I might have given into an impulse now and then to make some snide remark about someone’s uninformed or ill-informed comment.

For example, one councilor said we are currently enjoying the greatest level of home ownership and “we have the free market to thank for that.” Hmm. I thought we had a high level of home ownership in this country because the tax code permits us to deduct mortgage interest payments. That would seems like government interference in the free market of the first order, but what do I know?

Thanks to Chantal Foster and Duke City Fix for planning and coordinating tonight’s blog-in.

‘Burque Babble
M-Pyre
Democracy for NM
Albloggerque
Duke City Fix
New Mexico FBIHOP
SWOPblogger
Erik Siemer’s Loose Pages

Blogging live from the Albuquerque city council

It’s the last city council meeting of Albuquerque’s 300th year — Sunday is the birthday — and seven or eight local bloggers have gathered to blog while the council discusses a minimum wage for the city. ($6.75 at first, $7.50 in 2008). Some 38,000 workers in the city would be effected.

Most of the speakers so far — including the representative of the chamber of commerce — have spoken in favor of the ordinance. Oddly enough, the chamber of commerce spokeswoman said the chamber preferred a state or federal raise in the minimum wage. How the world has turned when an organization associated with the business community speaks in favor of a federal wage action.

7:10 PM The speakers continue with most speaking in favor of a city minimum wage. One businessman feared it was one more cost he couldn’t afford — along with rising energy costs, rising insurance costs, etc. Another opposed the ordinance because a similar action lost at the polls last October. An economist stated the current average wage in Albuquerque’s host county (Bernalillo) is just $6.60. The city’s minimum won’t just effect those earning $5.15.

7:45 PM A councilor stated that he feared that if last October’s minimum wage referendum had passed ($7.50) Albuquerque would be unable to attract new businesses. To which I can only say, who wants to attract businesses that pay minimum wage or even $7.50. (Perhaps I am not a realist.) I am also beginning to doubt those who say they are opposed to the city minimum wage but support an increase at the federal level. Why do I feel they are being disingenuous?

9:00 PM The measure passed 6-3.

Others live blogging:

‘Burque Babble
M-Pyre
Democracy for NM
Albloggerque
Duke City Fix
New Mexico FBIHOP
SWOPblogger
Erik Siemer’s Loose Pages

Thanks to Chantal for the use of her laptop (when NewMexiKen’s own wouldn’t connect to the wifi).

Red Light Cameras

Santa Fe Sheriff Greg Solano tells us about cameras and red light citations. It’s quite interesting. He begins:

One item that has come up in Santa Fe County recently is the use of Red Light Cameras at Santa Fe County intersections. The use of these cameras to issue official criminal traffic citations is illegal in the state of New Mexico. State Law requires citations to be given by a uniformed certified officer who must witness the infraction. The only exception is in the case of an accident when the officer can rely on evidence at the scene and witness statements to issue the citations. So how does Albuquerque use the Red Light cameras to issue citations? They do this through a civil action.

The Sheriff goes on to note: “In February of 2006 a traffic camera at Coors and Paseo del Norte caught 1,353 motorists driving through the intersection after the light turned red. Assuming that all citations were first time violators the city raised $338,250 in one month at one location.”

The greatest of the war correspondents

Earlier NewMexiKen noted Ernie Pyle’s death 61 years ago today. Here’s some more, this via CNN:

COMMAND POST, IE SHIMA April 18, (AP) — Ernie Pyle, war correspondent beloved by his co-workers, G.I.s and generals alike, was killed by a Japanese machine-gun bullet through his left temple this morning.

The bulletin went via radio to a ship nearby, then to the United States and on to Europe. Radio picked it up. Reporters rushed to gather comment. In Germany General Omar Bradley heard the news and could not speak. In Italy General Mark Clark said, “He helped our soldiers to victory.” Bill Mauldin, the young soldier-cartoonist whose warworn G.I.’s matched the pictures Pyle had drawn with words, said, “The only difference between Ernie’s death and that of any other good guy is that the other guy is mourned by his company. Ernie is mourned by the Army.” At the White House, still in mourning only six days after the death of Franklin Roosevelt, President Harry Truman said, “The nation is quickly saddened again by the death of Ernie Pyle.”

And this from the report of his death in The New York Times:

Ernie Pyle was haunted all his life by an obsession. He said over and over again, “I suffer agony in anticipation of meeting people for fear they won’t like me.”

No man could have been less justified in such a fear. Word of Pyle’s death started tears in the eyes of millions, from the White House to the poorest dwellings in the country.

President Truman and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt followed his writings as avidly as any farmer’s wife or city tenement mother with sons in service.

Mrs. Roosevelt once wrote in her column “I have read everything he has sent from overseas,” and recommended his writings to all Americans.

For three years these writings had entered some 14,000,000 homes almost as personal letters from the front. Soldiers’ kin prayed for Ernie Pyle as they prayed for their own sons.

In the Eighth Avenue subway yesterday a gray-haired woman looked up, wet-eyed, from the headline “Ernie Pyle Killed in Action” and murmured “May God rest his soul” and other women, and men, around her took up the words. This was typical.

It was rather curious that a nation should have worked up such affection for a timid little man whose greatest fear was “Maybe they won’t like me.”

And here’s what Ernie Pyle had to say about his adopted hometown:

Yes, there are lots of nice places in the world. I could live with considerable pleasure in the Pacific Northwest, or in New England, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, or in Key West or California or Honolulu. But there is only one of me, and I can’t live in all those places. So if we can have only one house — and that’s all we want — then it has to be in New Mexico, and preferably right at the edge of Albuquerque where it is now. Ernie Pyle, January 1942

Tear Down That Wall

Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano spoke today at Santa Fe’s Immigrants Rights Rally and March. He posted some of his speech. Here is an excerpt:

At one time our president demanded Russian President [Gorbachev] to “tear down that wall”. Now some in the Republican Party and in Congress wish to build a great wall on our borders.

This will change the very nature of America and the principles it was built on. The call from the statue of liberty itself. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore, send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me. ” Outlined what America is all about.