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June 21, 2013
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Judge gives Legal Tender go-ahead
HEAT REPEAT
Ruling to let embattled Lamy restaurant resume operations
LeBron James leads Miami to its second straight title in a 95-88 victory Thursday night against the Spurs.
By Tom Sharpe The New Mexican
State District Judge Raymond Ortiz ordered the Lamy Railroad & History Museum to let the Legal Tender restaurant resume operations there after a contentious three-hour hearing in a packed courtroom Thursday.
SPORTS, B-1
Brian Egolf, lawyer for John and Cindy Jednak of the nonprofit that ran the restaurant, said after the ruling that he was not sure when the restaurant could reopen, but that his clients were on their way to renew their beer and wine license. “The restaurant’s coming back,” he said. “They’re going this afternoon to start the prep to get back in. They’re going to start the process right away. … This treasure for the community is coming back.” After failing to reach an agreement with museum board members on a new concession-
aire agreement, the Jednaks shut down the Legal Tender following a May 31 memorial service for a local resident. Stevan Looney, who represents the museum board, indicated in court that he would appeal the judge’s ruling. Ortiz said he would give the parties time to work things out before setting further hearings in the case. The judge denied Looney’s motion to dissolve a temporary restraining order issued against the
Fearing the aftermath
Please see LEGAL, Page A-4
Audit to examine Health expenses Department says deputy secretary will give up per diem claims By Phaedra Haywood
The New Mexican
From left, Pecos Canyon volunteer firefighter Rudy Armijo and Douglass C. Jeffords, president of the Upper Pecos Watershed Association, talk about rehabilitation efforts in the wake of the Tres Lagunas Fire on Thursday. PHOTOS BY JANE PHILLIPS/THE NEW MEXICAN
Pecos Canyon focuses on protecting homes, bridges from floods after fire By Staci Matlock The New Mexican
P
ECOS CANYON — Black trees and ashen earth line the ridge above Brush Ranch in the Pecos Canyon. The fire damage ends less than a dozen yards from one of the ranch buildings. Rudy Armijo stood on a bridge over the Pecos River and surveyed the area burned by by the Tres Lagunas Fire. “It could have been a lot worse,” he said. “There’s still a lot of green up there.” Armijo was among two dozen volunteer firefighters who were
first on the scene May 30 after a downed power line sparked the blaze. They fought the fire for 10 days straight, working to save houses in the fire’s path. Now their concern is the aftermath. As firefighters finished containing the Tres Lagunas Fire this week, a federal team was already out assessing the potential risks of floods when summer rains come. “We know there is going to be some flooding, we just don’t know how much,” said Eric Roybal, fire chief of the Pecos Canyon Volunteer Fire Department.
The Tres Lagunas Fire scorched a private property sign in the Pecos Canyon. Fire-damaged areas pose a threat to residents because storm runoff can wash logs and debris into the Pecos River and cause flooding.
Please see CANYON, Page A-4
State Auditor Hector Balderas said Thursday his office has identified inconsistencies in per diem forms submitted by Department of Health Deputy Secretary Brad McGrath and other employees of the department that justify additional work to determine the validity of those expenses. Balderas said that if auditors find department employees were improperly reimbursed, those employees could be required to pay back the money. McGrath’s per diem expenses — and those of several other Department of Health employees — came under scrutiny recently after the Santa Fe Reporter reported that McGrath had racked up about $33,000 in mileage, per diem and hotel charges since October 2011 for travel between Santa Fe and his home in Roswell. Department of Health Secretary Retta Ward said Thursday that McGrath hasn’t done anything wrong but has agreed to voluntarily give up claiming the per diem effective this week because “he doesn’t want any controversy.” “I did not direct him to give it up,” Ward said. “That’s just the kind of guy he is. He’s an amazing person of integrity. He was entitled to what he got.” Records show McGrath often traveled to Santa Fe on a Monday and spent the entire week in Santa Fe, claiming a per diem and travel expenses that included $135 per day for lodging. The Department of Health justified the expenses by explaining that when McGrath was hired in October 2011 for the $104,000-a-year job of chief facilities officer, Roswell was his post of duty, but that when he was promoted to chief deputy secretary in May 2012, at a salary of $115,000 a year, his additional duties required him to travel to Santa Fe often.
Please see AUDIT, Page A-4
Security deal boosts immigration bill’s chances By Ed O’Keefe
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Prospects for the contentious immigration bill that has been working its way through the Senate for months vastly improved Thursday after senators agreed to spend several billions more to fortify the U.S.-Mexico border. The agreement calls for doubling
Index
Calendar A-2
the number of federal border agents at a cost of about $30 billion, the completion of 700 miles of fencing, and expanded radar and aerial drone surveillance at a time when the domestic use of unmanned aircraft is the subject of an acrimonious national debate. The deal is expected to secure at least a dozen more Republican “yes” votes for the measure and could help ensure its passage by the sizable mar-
Classifieds D-2
Comics B-8
Lotteries A-2
gin that proponents have said they need to make it viable in the House. But supporters say the chances of immigration legislation advancing in the GOP-controlled House remain a source of concern, and that concern has shaped the Senate negotiations from the outset. Supporters have insisted that approval by a significant bipartisan majority of senators would politi-
Opinions A-5
Police notes C-2
Editor: Rob Dean, 986-3033, rdean@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Kristina Dunham, kdunham@sfnewmexican.com
Sports B-1
cally compel House Republicans to vote on the Senate bill even as its members debate more limited and conservative proposals. But that is an untested proposition, and Thursday’s failure in the House of a federal farm bill, after the Senate passed its version 66 to 27 last week, only deepened the concerns.
Please see BILL, Page A-4
Time Out B-7
Generation Next D-1
Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010
Obituaries Magdalena “Mae” Delgado, 92, June 10
Mitzi Lee Panzer, 78, Santa Fe, June 18 PAGE C-2
Today Partly sunny and breezy. High 91, low 55. PAGE C-6
Four sections, 28 pages Pasatiempo, 72 pages 164th year, No. 172 Publication No. 596-440