Aid Available Due To Drought, Wind, Fires
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 15 counties in New Mexico as natural disaster areas, making them eligible for federal assistance to deal with drought, high winds and wildfires.
The counties under the declaration are Chaves, Catron, Curry, De Baca, Doña Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Lea, Luna, Otero, Quay, Roosevelt, Sierra and Socorro. The counties of Cibola, Guadalupe, Harding, Lincoln, San Miguel, Torrance, Union and Valencia are also eligible for assistance due to their proximity to the other counties.
The USDA also approved an emergency application that allows ranchers to graze their livestock on federal lands in DeBaca County. Already approved for special grazing due to drought are Harding, Lea, Quay, Roosevelt and Union, and Curry counties.
$2.4 Million To Aid Jemez Restoration
The federal government has awarded $2.4 million to Santa Fe National Forest and the Valles Caldera National Preserve to restore the forest in the southwestern Jemez Mountains after last year’s wildfires, according to a news release.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack designated $22 million for forest restoration in nine states, including New Mexico.
The money will be used to restore 210,000 acres of the Jemez Mountains while improving its ecosystems.
There have been at least two wildfires in the Jemez Mountains since last year.
Free Screenings, Lectures on Hearing
Albuquerque Hearing Associates is hosting five days of education about hearing dangers and illnesses as part of its Hearing Awareness Week starting June 20. The organization will offer lectures, training, free screenings and discounts to help Albuquerque residents better protect their hearing.
All the events are free and open to the public, and each takes place at 10700 Corrales Road, Suite I. The events, in order, are Patient Appreciation Day, Children and Hearing Loss, Telecoil Awareness, Hearing Protection, and Connectivity and Listening Devices. To schedule a free screening, call 505-890-0003.
On June 21, the organization will host a gathering from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Flying Star Cafe near the organization headquarters, where 10 percent of the money for all orders is donated to Hands & Voices, an organization that benefits children with hearing loss.
Corrections Officers Sought in Job Fair
The Metropolitan Detention Center is hosting a job fair today from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. to fill 98 recently approved corrections officer positions. The job fair takes place at the center, 100 Deputy Dean Miera Drive SW. Pay starts at more than $14 an hour, including benefits, and can increase to more than $19 after five years of service.
Positions are also available at the fair with Correctional Health Management and Canteon Correctional Services. Those interested may also apply online at bernco.gov/alljobs.
3rd of 5 Dogs Left In Hot Car Dies
Another dog has died in the case of an Albuquerque man accused of leaving five dogs in his car for at least an hour.
Three of the five dogs are now dead, said Barbara Bruin, the city’s director of animal welfare. The remaining two dogs are “hanging on” in critical condition, she said.
Police said Joshua Ontiveros, 21, left five dogs in the car in the parking lot of the Home Depot at 2820 Coors NW on Tuesday.
He was arrested and charged with five felony counts of extreme cruelty to animals.
Arizona Police Take Over Investigation
Albuquerque police have turned over a homicide case involving a man found at the city airport to officials in Arizona, an APD spokeswoman said.
Police found the man, who has not been identified, in the back of a minivan parked at the Albuquerque International Sunport on Sunday.
The man was wrapped in blankets and had been dead for several days, police said.
Now, APD has turned the case over to authorities in Prescott, Ariz.
APD spokeswoman Sgt. Trish Hoffman said that’s where the victim was from and where he was killed.
The van, which had Arizona plates, was also turned over to Prescott police, Hoffman said.
— This article appeared on page C2 of the Albuquerque Journal
