Albuquerque's water use has spiked so far this year, and the local utility is asking people to cut back.

The city-county Water Utility Authority is asking people to water only two days a week -- for about 15 to 20 minutes &emdash; during May. If your landscape can't survive on that amount of water, it's probably not appropriate for the high-desert climate, said Katherine Yuhas, the utility's conservation officer.

The utility has to meet state-mandated conservation requirements as part of a river-water-diversion permit. 

Martin Chavez will be on national television tonight to discuss global warming. He will appear in "Mayoral Moments," a segment that will air during the 7 o'clock hour this evening on the Sundance channel.

The two-minute piece will feature Chavez talking about Albuquerque's efforts to address global warming.

Albuquerque's Biological Park landed on the Top 10 list for best urban parks in the West, according to Sunset magazine.

Tingley Beach, the Rio Grande Zoo's African exhibit and the Sasebo Japanese Garden are mentioned as reasons for the No. 8 ranking.

The magazine compiled a list of 10 great urban parks for its April edition. Topping the list is Balboa Park in San Diego.

Mayor Martin Chavez announced some changes to his top staff late Friday.

Bianca Ortiz Wertheim is the mayor's new chief of staff, replacing Barry Bitzer, who's running for the state Senate. Ortiz Wertheim was previously the legislative coordinator for the mayor.

Ray Darnell, the longtime zoo director, will now head the entire Cultural Services Department. He replaces Toni Martorelli, who wants to work on a novel and other challenges, according to the mayor.