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TuesdAY, NOV. 20, 2012 • w w w . r u i d o s o f r e e p r e s s . c o M • VOL. 4, NO. 46
What’s
happening November 20-21
‘A Chorus Line’ at the Spencer Theater
Winner of nine Tony Awards including “Best Musical,” the New York Drama Critics Award and the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this is a choreographic masterpiece about the blood, sweat and tears of dancers and their quest to be members of a faceless chorus line. Spencer Theater, Alto. Glazed ham buffet 5 p.m. $20, Performance 7 p.m. 575-336-4800, www. spencertheater.com $56 & $59.
November 22-25 Grindstone Sleigh Rides
Call for reservations: 575257-2241; www.grindstonestables.com. $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under
November 23-24
Toys for Tots benefit
Before and After Party for Kumbia Kings at Lucy’s Mexicali featuring Algo Nuevo with proceeds benefiting Ruidoso/Lincoln County Toys for Tots. Lucy’s in Midtown. 8 p.m. - 1 a.m. $7 and a toy for singles, $10 and a toy for couples.
November 24
Ab Quintanill y Los Kumbia Kings at Inn of the Mountain Gods
Rumba with Kumbia Kings, the Latin Grammy-winning Mexican Cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas. Their music encompasses the styles of Cumbia, hip hop and R&B. inn of the Mountain Gods, 8 p.m. 575-4647777, www.innofthemountaingods.com. $25
November 25
Christmas Tree Lighting at Inn of the Mountain Gods
Join the inn of the Mountain Gods to kickoff the Christmas season with goodies, a Gingerbread house auction, pictures with Santa, a live Choir performance and of course the tree lighting! inn of the Mountain Gods, 2- 6 p.m. 575-464-7777, www. innofthemountaingods.com. Free.
December 7
Ski Apache opens
575-464-3600, www.skiapache.com
MORE listings MORE articles MORE photos MORE sports MORE awards Find MORE at www.ruidosofreepress.com
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Free Press celebrates 3rd anniversary By Sandi Aguilar General Manager sandi@ruidosofreepress.com While the delivery of newspapers throughout the United Sates has changed dramatically during the last few years, skeptics have declared newspapers as a dying industry. Community newspapers have defied that label and amidst a national recession, the Ruidoso Free Press was founded Nov. 17, 2009. For more than 40 years, Ruidoso has essentially been a one newspaper town and the founders of the Ruidoso Free Press answered the call from the community to provide an alternative perspective on the issues facing Lincoln County. The Ruidoso Free Press, celebrating its third year in business, has successfully developed into a family oriented newspaper designed to provide an independent voice for the community, as evidenced with a robust opinion section each week. The award-winning editorial team is renowned for detailed and objective reporting, in depth coverage of business related issues and informative community profiles distributed throughout Lincoln County. Most notably, one of the awards was for investigative reporting from a rookie editor, Eugene Heathman proving that listening to the public about what they want and tenaciously digging for the hard facts is a winning combination for success. Heathman’s
relaxed yet thorough style of reporting quickly escalated him from a freelance reporter to an award winning editor in less than two years. Three years later, not only has Ruidoso Free Press accomplished its goals, but has been recognized throughout the state as an exemplary weekly newspaper winning nine awards at this year’s New Mexico Photo by Beth McLaurin Press Association conThe Ruidoso Free Press Staff : Front row, Molly Sheahan, busivention. The Ruidoso ness consultant; Marianne Mohr, marketing director; Penny Free Press has proven Heggestad, circulation coordinator; back row, Eugene Heaththere is plenty of room man, managing editor; Sue Hutchison, reporter; Todd Fuqua, for more than one newssports editor, Sandi Aguilar, general manager; Kathy Kiefer, paper in rural communiproduction and design. ties. Free Press Editor the technique while the rest of the editorial staff Eugene Heathman said, “Although newspapers develops a variety of high quality content. “It is throughout the nation have struggled, particuone of the very satisfying aspects of my work larly with the recession and electronic delivery the combination of photos, graphics and color systems, there is still a staunch contingent of along with the words of a story – which proresidents and tourists alike who prefer to get duces an overall eye-pleasing effect. My goal their community news in print.” Kathy Kiefer, the graphic and typographical is make reading our newspaper an enjoyable architect for the Ruidoso Free Press, provides see free press, pg. 3
Residents forced to flush cash into costly sewer hook ups By Sue Hutchison and Eugene Heathman
With the completion of the Pinecliff sewer project, village staff examined properties on the sewer line to find homes which weren’t attached. They found between 60 and 100 properties which have access to community sewer lines and have not attached to the community’s sanitary sewer system. To protect groundwater sources and give customers access to the regional wastewater treatment facility through the sewer system, the utilities department informed councilors of possible challenges. The new $32 million facility is on line, boasting 2.7 million gallons per day treatment capacity and short-term peak treatment of 3.62 million gallons per day. “Every time we connect a customer to the community sewer system, we prevent contamination on the Rio and our reservoirs,”
Shining at state
said Randall Camp, village utilities director. Speaking of existing privately owned septic systems in the area, Camp said when aging septic systems fail, raw sewage could seep to ground surfaces. With an estimated cost of nearly $4,000, homeowners may be either reluctant or financially unable to connect to the system. Some have recently installed aerobic systems to their septic tanks. “We’ve agreed to give aerobic system owners five years before hooking up to our sewer system. The Environment department doesn’t know after five years what an aerobic system will do,” said Bob Decker, village utilities engineer. Several councilors discussed concern regarding the cost for those who haven’t hooked into the system. “I agree it needs to be done but it’s expensive for some see sewer HooK ups, pg. 3
Todd Fuqua/Ruidoso Free Press
Ruidoso’s Destri Vincent (8) and Andi Harrelson (5) go up to block a hit by Pojoaque’s Kristen French, Saturday, during the Class 3A state championship at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho. The Lady Warriors put up a fantastic challenge against the three-time defending state champions. The full story can be found in sports, page B1.
Downs leaders rally to secure future of museum Note: This is the second in a series explaining the Hubbard Museum’s fiscal situation.
By Todd Fuqua Reporter todd@ruidosofreepress.com With the future of the Hubbard Museum of the American West hanging in the balance, the Ruidoso City Council voted last Tuesday to accept fundamental financial changes at the museum to keep it operating – at least for the remainder of the fiscal year. The decision didn’t come without a lot of hand-wringing and emotional discourse, as Museum Director Jim Kofakis spoke at length to the council about what they were willing to do to keep the museum solvent. “Payroll is an issue, which I’ve
been saying for years,” Kofakis told the council. “After a deficit in the third year, there should have been a red flag. The real problem has been financial oversight from all areas, and budget committees and the council should have been taking notes and asking questions.” The changes accepted by the council included the cutting of two full-time and one part-time position at the museum, a 25 percent reduction in Kofakis’ salary, a 12.5 percent reduction in salary for senior staff, and the removal of a clothing allowance for employees. According to figures provided by Kofakis, this would save the museum almost $200,000, with an estimated cash balance of $33,986 in the museum fund at the end of the fiscal year.
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Councilor Dale Perry got assurance from City Finance Director Terri Mosley that those numbers are correct and would work within the city’s overall budget. The cuts were made necessary by the depletion of the museum fund, which had benefitted from a $1.5 million donation from previous owner R.D. Hubbard when the city took control of the museum in 2005. The gift, which had been incorrectly reported as an endowment, was never meant to last indefinitely, with an estimated lifespan of 10 years to help keep the museum running.
Saving money
The cuts in salary reflected the makeup of the museum’s overhead, which are made up mostly of
administration costs. It also reflects the amount of cuts that have already been made to the museum staff, which included almost 30 employees when Hubbard gave the museum to the city in 2005. Kofakis also pointed out a number of savings that had been made to the operation of the museum, including a reduction of almost $1,000 per month in the phone bill after the removal of superfluous lines. Additionally, the Hubbard Museum Foundation has purchased large-ticket items such as three new HVAC units to maintain constant temperature in a building which houses priceless artifacts, a pointof-sale system for the gift shop and exterior security doors. It has also see MuseuM, pg. 3
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