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High winds fuel flames
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Tres Lagunas Fire The New Mexican
Tres Lagunas Fire doubles in size as strong gusts hamper firefighting efforts
County seeks to amend plan for ranch Proposed changes call for using county water, redrawing boundaries By Phaedra Haywood
The New Mexican
Santa Fe County raised eyebrows in 2009 when it spent $7 million on a 470-acre ranch in La Cienega for which it had no concrete plans. In recent years, the county has created a planning committee to consider possible uses for the property known as Santa Fe Canyon Ranch or La Bajada Ranch. That group has just begun to meet. But County Manager Katherine Miller recently submitted a proposed amendment to the master plan that would make the ranch property a customer of the county’s water utility, instead of having a water system of its own. The proposed amendment also would redraw the boundary lines on the property (which hasn’t been done since the county purchased it), and make it so the master plan amendment would only apply to the county’s property and not other acreage that was once part of the same parcel.
Please see RanCH, Page A-4 The Tres Lagunas Fire burning in the Pecos Canyon more than doubled in sized Friday. By 6 p.m., the fire had burned 2,500 acres and was zero percent contained. Strong winds in the canyon hampered firefighting efforts, according to fire managers. PHOTOS BY LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN
Aragon says his share of restitution too much
By Staci Matlock The New Mexican
T
he Tres Lagunas Fire burning in the Pecos Canyon east of Santa Fe more than doubled in size Friday, prompting more homeowners to evacuate. The fire, sparked Thursday afternoon by a downed power line, had burned an estimated 2,500 acres by 6 p.m. It was burning east toward Cow Creek, prompting fire managers to urge residents there to evacuate. The fire was still zero percent contained Friday evening. Gusting, swirling winds in the canyon hampered firefighting efforts, according to incident Cmdr. Kyle Sahd of Taos. The fire rolled around or jumped over fire breaks and streaked up ridges on the east side of N.M. 63 near the scattered homes at Tres Lagunas and El Macho. The high wind prevented air support from on-the-ground firefighters, who were unable to get ahead of the fire in the steep, rugged terrain. New Mexico State Police had gone house to house Thursday after the fire started, warning people to evacuate from Tres Lagunas north to the Jack’s Creek Campground. On Friday, they moved the evacuation south to include El Macho. The fire started on the west side of N.M. 63, and then jumped the highway at Tres Lagunas. State police and some of the residents fleeing the fire drove the highway with flames burning Ponderosa Pines on either side. State police closed N.M. 63 Thursday evening, preventing some people from returning to retrieve animals and valuables.
Please see FLaMes, Page A-4
Golden graduates
The New Mexican
Robert Morales, with the Santa Fe National Forest, speaks Friday during a community meeting at Pecos High School to update residents on the Tres Lagunas Fire. The Red Cross set up cots at the high school gymnasium and a local restaurant provided free dinners for evacuees. About 40 people, mostly campers and hikers, evacuated the area Thursday afternoon.
InsIde: Thompson Fire ignites in the Jemez Mountains, burning 650 acres. Page a-4
Marian G. Barnes, 65, Nambé, May 24 Rose Mae (Baca) Garcia, 85, Santa Fe, May 20 Anthony Vicente Hurtado, 78, Santa Fe
Santa Fe Prep: Outgoing seniors promise to stay wild, free and engaged. LOCaL news, Page a-6
Calendar a-2
By Steve Terrell
Obituaries
SFIS: Class of 2013 views diplomas as a key to world of opportunity.
Index
Ex-Senate leader, jailed over $4.4M fraud scheme, has paid state $405,000
Pasapick www.pasatiempomagazine.com
Lynn C. Miller and Lisa Lenard-Cook The co-authors read from and sign copies of Find Your Story, Write Your Memoir, 2 p.m., Garcia Street Books, 376 Garcia St., 986-0151. More events in Calendar, Page A-2
Comics B-12
Lotteries a-2
Mostly sunny and pleasant. High 82, low 53. Page a-12
Page a-10
Classifieds B-6
Today
Opinions a-11
Police notes a-10
Editor: Rob Dean, 986-3033, rdean@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Carlos A. López, clopez@sfnewmexican.com
Sports B-1
Time Out B-11
Life & Science a-9
Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010
Former state Senate President Pro-tem Manny Aragon, currently serving a prison sentence in a Colorado federal facility for his role in skimming money from an Albuquerque courthouse project, says he’s paying more than his fair share in court-ordered Manny reimbursements to Aragon the state. Aragon, once considered the most powerful person in the state Legislature, pleaded guilty in federal court in 2009 to three felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud. All counts were related to a scheme to defraud the state of nearly $4.4 million in the construction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse in Albuquerque. He was fined $750,000 — most of which he’d already forfeited to the government before he was
Please see aRagOn, Page A-4
Two sections, 24 pages TV Book, 32 pages 164th year, No. 152 Publication No. 596-440