The Santa Fe New Mexican, Aug. 21, 2013

Page 1

Fluent in fútbol: Capital High team eyes state title Sports, D-1

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Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013

www.santafenewmexican.com 75¢

Court: Pojoaque officer’s widow to get benefits Off-duty cop died saving boy from river; $300K in compensation likely By Barry Massey

The Associated Press

A New Mexico court has ruled that the widow of an off-duty tribal police officer who died more than a decade ago while rescuing a boy is entitled to

workers’ compensation benefits. The decision by the state Court of Appeals was welcomed Tuesday by a lawyer for Cheryl Schultz, who has waged a long legal battle after a workers’ compensation judge in 2007 rejected her claim for benefits involving the death of her husband, Kevin, a Pojoaque Pueblo police officer. Kevin Schultz was fishing with a group of children from his church when a 12-year-old boy fell into the

Rio Grande. After pulling the boy from the river, Schultz collapsed in shallow water and drowned. Schultz was a chaperon on the trip near the small community of Pilar, which is outside the boundaries of Pojoaque Pueblo lands. Schultz may have hit his head on a rock, and the injury could have incapacitated him, according to a medical examiner.

Cheryl Schultz, the widow of Pojoaque Pueblo Officer Kevin Schultz, thanks NIC Inc. CEO Harry Herington in 2010 for making a donation to an organization that aids fallen officers’ families. Schultz’s husband died after rescuing a child from the the Rio Grande near Pilar.

Please see BeNeFITs, Page A-4

NEW MEXICAN FILE PHOTO

Man guilty in fatal fight

Eresmo Baca listens to the verdict Tuesday: guilty of aggravated battery. Baca is now facing a possible threeyear sentence in the death of Sebastian Gordon.

Board puts SFCC chief under tight scrutiny College president to get second review in 6 months By Robert Nott The New Mexican

Santa Fe Community College’s five-member governing board announced Tuesday night that it’s continuing President Ana “Cha” Gúzman’s contract — although it plans another job evaluation Ana ‘Cha’ Gúzman in six months. The board hired Gúzman last summer to replace retiring president Sheila Ortego at an annual salary of about $196,000 plus benefits. The four-year contract included an extension/early termination clause based on an annual evaluation by June 1 of each year. The contract noted the board has the right to review and make adjustments to Gúzman’s salary in connection with those annual evaluations, but there was no

Please see sFCC, Page A-4 John Baldwin, left, and Nathan Gilman, both friends of Sebastian Gordon, comfort Chipper Harris, the father of the man slain during a fight in 2011, outside District Court on Tuesday. PHOTOS BY LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN

Eresmo Baca faces three years in prison for aggravated battery conviction By Phaedra Haywood The New Mexican

L

ate one summer night two years ago, two strangers — Eresmo Baca, then 59, and Sebastian Gordon, then 39 — got in a fight on a Santa Fe Plaza sidewalk, in front of the Plaza Galeria shops. The fight ended when Gordon sustained a

head injury that later proved fatal. On Tuesday, after nearly two full days of testimony about the incident and less than four hours of deliberation, a jury found Baca guilty of aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm. He faces three years of incarceration and a fine of up to $5,000 for the third-degree felony conviction. Witnesses gave varying accounts of what happened when the two men clashed Aug. 2, 2011.

Pot enterprise may come with high price in Colorado Regulators propose licensing fees, screening for retail sales By Kristen Wyatt

The Associated Press

DENVER — Want to be in the legal pot industry in Colorado? Open your checkbook. Colorado’s pot regulators opened three days of hearings Tuesday to lay out licensing specifics before retail sales begin in January. The proposed rules require would-be “ganjapreneurs” to pay up to $5,000 just to apply to be in the recreational pot business. Operational licenses cost another $2,750 to $14,000. Those who want to sell both medical and recreational pot would have to pay double. Successful applicants must also pass a gauntlet of criminal background checks and

Index

Calendar A-2

Classifieds D-3

residency requirements. The result is expected to be an industry that will have as much red tape as green leaves. Colorado is trying to show it can strictly regulate and control a drug that has been operating in the shadows for decades, despite the advent of medical marijuana more than a decade ago. Officials say steep application fees are needed to properly screen marijuana workers, checking fingerprints and screening out recent drug felons and people with possible ties to criminal drug cartels. Colorado also will be screening future marijuana businesses to make sure no owners live out of state, a requirement set forth by state lawmakers earlier this year. The residency requirements — which apply from owners all the way down to so-called

Please see POT, Page A-4

Comics B-8

Lotteries A-2

Opinion A-5

But by most accounts, Gordon, who friends said was an aspiring musician, was standing with another man on the sidewalk around 11 p.m. while Baca was walking past. A fourth man approached Baca and tried to sell him a piece of jewelry for $5. Some said it was a bracelet, others a necklace. Defense attorney

Please see FIgHT, Page A-4

www.pasatiempomagazine.com

‘Making Places’ Interdisciplinary installation by Linda Fleming and Michael S. Moore, through Sept. 22, at Center for Contemporary Arts 1050 Old Pecos Trail, 9821338. Gallery hours at ccasantafe.org.

Obituaries

PAge C-2

Police notes C-2

Interim Editor: Bruce Krasnow, 986-3034, brucek@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Cynthia Miller, cmiller@sfnewmexican.com

Today Thunderstorms. High 89, low 61. PAge C-6

Sports B-1

Time Out B-7

Move over, bacon. Chefs are moving that stinky little fish to the top of the food chain. TAsTe, D-1

City voter poll: Council gets thumbs down

Pasapick

Kenneth G. Brill, 68 Arthur “Turkey” Hurtado, 68, Aug. 16 Joseph L. Pacheco (Joe Louie), 84, Santa Fe, Aug. 17 Jerome A. Romero, 28, Aug. 15 Frank R. “Sonny” Valencia, 76, Santa Fe, Aug. 17

The anchovy moment

Travel C-5

Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010

By Bruce Krasnow The New Mexican

Memo to 2014 Santa Fe mayor and council candidates: Welcome to the yinyang electorate. When city voters go to the polls March 4, they are likely to be very conflicted, according to a survey released Tuesday. Registered voters in a recent poll said they are happy with the direction of the city, but not necessarily with their city councilor. They want more job growth and economic development, but not if that erodes neighborhoods or water resources. Voters also want more action on homelessness and affordable housing, but do not support additional residential development.

Please see POLL, Page A-4

Four sections, 28 pages 164th year, No. 233 Publication No. 596-440


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The Santa Fe New Mexican, Aug. 21, 2013 by The New Mexican - Issuu