Hunter-Reay holds off Castroneves for ‘unbelievable finish’ in Indy 500 Sports, B-1
Locally owned and independent
Monday, May 26, 2014
www.santafenewmexican.com 75¢
Deputies didn’t see menacing videos before Calif. rampage
‘Smart pill’ concept hard for some to swallow
Elliot Rodger convinced authorities who visited his apartment last month to check on his mental health that he posed no risk. PAge A-3
Proponents of computer-chip-carrying medication see benefits, but skeptics worry about privacy. LIFe & SCIeNCe, A-6
Swipe right for Mr. Right New dating apps offer a sense of immediacy and simplicity that harkens back to the good ol’ days of just walking up to a stranger and making small talk. TeCh, B-4
Much-needed bridge work challenges drivers, state
Incumbent attacked over age in House race
“
America’s war in Afghanistan will come to a responsible end.” President Barack Obama
MEMORIAL DAY
Obama surprises troops with visit
T
he riskiest political advertisement of this campaign season could be called Dead Man Running. State legislative candidate Bengie Regensberg mailed out an ad saying his opponent “at almost 90 years old” is apt to die in office. If that happened, Regensberg said, the governor would have to appoint a replacement, and voters Milan would not get a Simonich chance to choose Ringside Seat their representative until 2016. The doomsday ad was aimed at Rep. Nick Salazar, who actually is just 85. Salazar has been a member of the state House of Representatives for 42 years, making him New Mexico’s most experienced lawmaker and one of the longest-serving state legislators in the country. Salazar’s résumé looks good, but Regensberg said it cannot mask the incumbent’s failings. And Regensberg, 46, said he is not the only one who believes Salazar is too old and ineffective to be returned to the House for a 22nd term. “I’ve talked with people who are 70, 80, 90 years old. When the old people are critiquing his age, that’s pretty interesting to me,” Regensberg said. “He has no idea where the boundaries of his district are in San Miguel County. He has no clue and he doesn’t want to find out.” Salazar and Regensberg are competing in the June 3 Democratic primary election in House District 40. In addition to San Miguel, the district stretches across three other northern counties: Colfax, Mora and Rio Arriba. That’s a lot of territory, and Regensberg says a gaffer such as Salazar cannot cover it. As those in government like to say, politics ain’t beanbag. But focusing so intently on a candidate’s age is rare, especially in a state where retirees are the largest single group in the citizen Legislature. “Normally, age is not a factor in a campaign,” Regensberg said. “With this older gentleman, it is. My opponent falls asleep in the sessions. He doesn’t attend a lot of the interim committees.”
President expresses gratitude for service By Scott Wilson
The Washington Post
Crews install support beams earlier this month to strengthen the foundation for a new bridge along N.M. 41 in Galisteo. Two Galisteo bridges are being replaced and are among 10 structurally deficient spans the state Department of Transportation will overhaul this year. Work on the bridges began in April and is expected to wrap up in September. PHOTOS BY CLYDE MUELLER/THE NEW MEXICAN
Work in Galisteo part of expensive effort to maintain aging structures By Staci Matlock
The New Mexican
D
rivers on the two-lane highway through the tiny village of Galisteo recently have found themselves in need of a little extra patience, or time to deal with a 21-mile detour, while state crews replace two bridges. The Galisteo bridges are among 10 structurally deficient ones the New Mexico Department of Transportation is overhauling this year. Out of almost 3,000 state-owned bridges, another 55 bridges are due for preventive maintenance, such as replacing deck joints, deck sealing and painting. Ensuring the structures are sound is critical, as they have to support the weight of everything from school buses to trucks carrying radioactive waste. But nearly 300 more bridges around New Mexico were listed as structurally deficient in the 2013 National Bridge Inventory, and it
Please see RINgSIDe, Page A-10
A car makes its way south across a bridge under construction in Galisteo earlier this month.
will cost millions of dollars to fix them all. Many are more than halfa-century old or have to carry a lot more vehicle traffic than they did when they were built. Like the rest of the country, New Mexico is faced with repairing aging transportation structures at the same time that budgets are decreasing and the number of drivers is increasing. A recent report by researchers with the New Mexico Department of Transportation using a national database found that more than
100,000 bridges nationwide need to be replaced. The costs of improving bridges has more than doubled from $99.5 billion in 1992 to $209.4 billion in 2011. A structurally deficient bridge doesn’t mean it’s ready to collapse, but it does have load-bearing features that have deteriorated to poor condition. The state regularly inspects bridges, and when one is determined to be critically unsafe, either a weight limit is imposed on
Please see BRIDge, Page A-10
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — President Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Sunday for an unannounced visit to mark Memorial Day with U.S. troops, now in the final months of America’s longest war, and to begin final discussions over the size of the U.S. force that will remain beyond the end of the year. Inside a cavernous hangar with a tennis-court-size American flag as a backdrop, Obama told a raucous audience of about 3,000 U.S. troops that the American public “stands in awe of you,” grateful for their service and united in support of veterans as they return home. “For many of you, this will be your last tour in Afghanistan,” Obama said to roars, adding that at the end of the year, “America’s war in Afghanistan will come to a responsible end.” “That progress is because of you,” he said, “and the more than half a million Americans in the military who have served here in Afghanistan.” Obama departed Washington on Saturday night under cover of darkness and arrived at this U.S. base outside Kabul, the capital, under the same secrecy. It was his fourth trip to
Please see VISIT, Page A-4
Today Scattered storms this afternoon. High 72, low 48. PAge A-12
Obituaries Ramona Montoya, Santa Fe, May 17
Pope to host Israeli, Palestinian leaders at Vatican prayer summit Francis’ unexpected invitation during Holy Land trip underscores broad ambitions of his papacy By Jodi Rudoren, Isabel Kershner and Jim Yardley The New York Times
Pope Francis waves as he passes Israel’s separation barrier on his way to a mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, in Bethlehem on Sunday. ARIEL SCHALIT/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Index
Calendar A-2
Classifieds B-5
JERUSALEM — Pope Francis inserted himself directly into the collapsed Middle East peace process Sunday, issuing an invitation to host the Israeli and Palestinian presidents for a prayer summit at
Comics B-12
Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010 News tips: 983-3035
Crosswords B-6, B-11
his apartment in the Vatican in an overture that has again underscored the broad ambitions of his papacy. Francis took the unexpected step in Bethlehem, where he became the first pontiff ever to fly directly into the West Bank and to refer to the Israeli-occupied territory as the “State of Palestine.” After decrying the overall situa-
Life & Science A-6
El Nuevo A-9
Opinions A-11
tion between Israel and the Palestinians as “increasingly unacceptable,” the pope made a dramatic, unscheduled stop at Israel’s contentious concrete barrier separating Bethlehem from Jerusalem, where he prayed and touched his head against the graffiti-covered wall. “There is a need to intensify efforts and initiatives aimed at creating the conditions for a stable peace based on justice, on the
Please see POPe, Page A-5
Sports B-1
Tech B-4
Time Out B-11
BREAKING NEWS AT WWW.SANTAFENEWMEXICAN.COM
PAge A-10
Pasapick www.pasatiempomagazine.com
Santa Fe National Cemetery Memorial Day Program 10 a.m. ceremony with keynote speaker Mayor Javier Gonzales, national moment of remembrance at 3 p.m., 501 N. Guadalupe St. More events in Calendar, A-2 and Fridays in Pasatiempo
Two sections, 24 pages 165th year, No. 146 Publication No. 596-440