By Mastroianni & Hart

By Parker & Hart

Flood Watch
National Weather Service El Paso Tx/santa Teresa Nm
359 Am Mdt Mon Sep 21 2015

...abundant Tropical Moisture Moving Into Western New Mexico
Leading To An Increased Chance Of Flash Flooding Today And Tonight...

.moisture From The Remnants Of Tropical Depression 16 Were Quickly
Moving North Out Of Mexico. The Associated Moisture Will Bring An
Enhanced Risk Of Flash Flooding To The Western Part Of New Mexico
Today And Tonight. Rainfall Totals Of 1 To 2 Inches With Isolated
Higher Amounts Will Be Possible Over The Next 24 Hours As The
Moisture Moves Through The Area. The Deep Moisture Will Move Out
Of The Region By Late Tuesday Morning...but We Will Continue To
See A Threat For Thunderstorms Through Wednesday.

The Senior food pantry went well with over 120 families being fed and join us next Saturday for the Red Hot Children’s Fiesta where we will have a fishing booth and be handing out information on our services at Penny Park between 10-2.

Verse Of The Week:
“I will comfort you just like a mother would.”
~ Isaiah 66:13

Life Skills Classes: 8:30-9 am
Different topics daily courtesy of our case worker, Christy Wolford

Foot Care Clinic: Will return next fall
~Courtesy of Sherry Bassi and her WNMU Nursing Students

Bible Study: 9-10 am
Monday: Tony Egan
Tuesday: Marsha Bowman
Wednesday: Nancy Pidutti
Thursday: Healing prayer with Faye Severe and Tyler Lanham (on hold until fall)
Friday: Joe Pidutti
(10 am)-Christian Counseling with Sharon Dykehouse

Soup Kitchen
Continental Breakfast: 8:30 am-12 pm Monday through Friday
Lunch: 12 pm-1 pm Daily

Monday-Hot Dogs
Tuesday-Meatloaf
Wednesday-Chipotle Chicken
Thursday-Enchiladas
Friday-Roasted Pork by Calvary Christian Academy
Saturday-WNMU Day
Sunday- Ham & Eggs with Barbara’s Crew

Shelter

Sierra House Women And Children’s Shelter
-Permanent residents by application

Showers and Laundry: 8:30 am -11:30 am

Food bank, clothing bank and thrift store: 8:30 am-1:30 pm

Case workers are available to pray with you and help you out in other ways
Food, clothing, and household goods donations are accepted at the front door between 8:30 am and 1:30 pm every Tuesday through Thursday
Drop by for a tour if you want a behind the scenes look or want to volunteer

PNM rate classes are not affected the same. See what you can expect for your PNM accounts.

PNM expects the NM Public Regulation Commission will decide on the rate increase request in 2016 and our proposed numbers may not be the final outcome. Nonetheless, we do our best to provide you with the most recent information.

We don’t like asking for rate increases any more than you like paying them. But sometimes they are necessary to provide the safe, reliable energy you expect. In the last five years, we’ve invested more than a half a billion dollars to keep the lights on 24/7, protect the environment and responsibly add cleaner energy, including solar. These are benefits you are receiving today but your current rates are not covering those expenses.

The good news is beginning January 2016, before our proposed rate change takes effect, reductions in fuel costs could help lower the average residential bill by as much as 7 percent, offsetting the increase.

We are committed to keeping the lights on, keeping prices affordable, and protecting the environment. And we’re committed to serving you.

Here is what our rate case filing says for the different PNM rate classes:

Proposed Rate Increase and Bill Impact for Major Classes
Class                   $ Revenue Increase             % Bill¹
Residential                15.83%                         7.91%
Small Power              14.42%                         7.00%
General Power           14.47%                         5.17%   
Large Power              14.24%                         2.81%
Large Power>=8,000   9.36%                        -2.64%
Universities                 9.34%                       -2.39%
Manufacturing             9.38%                        -4.83%

System Total             14.39%                         5.42%

¹Reflects impact of proposed rate increases when combined with other anticipated FPPCAC and rider changes that may occur prior to July 2016

Please take a look at a brief 3-page executive summary of the rate case filing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 21, 2015) - With only nine days until the until the current fiscal year ends, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) calls on lawmakers to skip the political gamesmanship and instead begin bipartisan budget negations to keep the federal government open and end the devastating, across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration.

"The government shutdown in 2013 hit New Mexico hard and had very real consequences for our workforce. We can't afford another manufactured crisis," Heinrich said. "The politics and showmanship are insulting to the American people and it's no way to govern. We should instead be sitting down with a pen and paper to work on bipartisan budget negotiations. It is entirely within our power to avoid reckless and devastating impacts to our economy. We need to work together on a reasonable, long-term plan that makes investments in the middle class and reverses the across-the-board sequester cuts that threaten our economy and hard working families."

Last month, Senator Heinrich joined the full Senate Democratic Caucus in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urging the Republican leadership to schedule bipartisan budget negotiations immediately to prevent another government shutdown. In 2013, Senator Heinrich voted to support the bipartisan budget resolution authored by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan (Wis.-01), which addressed some of the arbitrary sequester cuts for two years while reducing long-term spending through other savings.

Congress has taken action that actually advances free markets and limits government intrusion. I was in the room when, on September 17, the House Energy and Commerce Committee—with bipartisan support—advanced legislation to lift the 1970s-era ban on crude-oil exports. HR 702, "To adapt to changing crude oil market conditions," is expected to receive a full floor vote within a matter of weeks.

The export ban is a relic of a bygone era during which ideas like "peak oil" and "energy scarcity" were the conventional wisdom. Despite all those who cried "wolf," the U.S. is now the world's largest combined oil-and-gas producer.

Ending this obsolete ban would unleash America's energy producers on the global market, increasing domestic production and creating jobs. Additionally, reports from experts at the non-partisan Energy Information Administration and Government Accountability Office, plus consultants at IHS, indicate that it will also lower prices at the pump.

Like everything that seems to happen in Washington, DC, these days, this initial victory may have a price tag that prevents its final passage.

Getting the Democrats on board with removing the barrier to exporting America's abundance may likely require giving them something they want. Morning Consult recently reported: "Momentum is building in Congress to repeal the antiquated ban on exporting crude oil. Lawmakers and energy industry representatives are talking about other energy policies that could be swapped or combined to achieve that objective. Renewable energy tax credits are part of the equation."

Those "renewable energy tax credits" are mainly two: the wind Production Tax Credit (PTC) and solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Like the oil-export ban, the wind PTC is an archaic policy that has no place in today's modern reality of energy abundance.

Passed by Congress in 1992, the PTC pays the wind industry for every kilowatt-hour of electricity generated over a ten-year period. No other mature energy source—natural gas, oil, or coal—can claim a similar carve out based on how much product they sell. The subsidy is so lavish that wind developers can sometimes sell their electricity at a loss and still profit. The New York Times has described this as wind's "cannibal behavior" on the power grid.

To make matters worse, the PTC, paid for by taxpayers like you and me, costs billions of dollars each year. In fact, Americans pay for wind twice: first in their federal tax bills, then in their local utility bills. According to a new study, commissioned by the Institute for Energy Research, electricity generated from new wind facilities is between three and four times as expensive as that from existing coal and nuclear power plants.

Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS), who has long opposed the PTC extension, told me:

"With a skyrocketing $16 trillion debt and an industry that is more than capable of standing on its own, there is no reason why the federal government should continue to subsidize the wind energy industry. Proponents of the Wind PTC continue to call for an extension—for the umpteenth time. This handout costs taxpayers billions and has caused significant price distortions in wholesale electricity markets that translate into real costs for everyday consumers. If we want a robust economy, it's time to stop picking winners and losers in the energy marketplace and finally end the wind PTC. After two decades of pork, the wind looters need to stand on their own two feet. Most of the people in the wind industry I talk to know this, and I am confident that those individuals and others in the energy industry will enjoy many marketplace successes once we put a stop to the purely political policies that we have seen to date."

The Senate Finance Committee claims a two-year extension would cost $10 billion over the next decade. After decades of subsidies and multiple PTC extensions, wind still generates less than 5 percent of our electricity.

Despite the mountain of evidence against wind subsidies—including increasing reports of health issues and concerns over bird kills—this summer, before the August recess, the Senate Finance Committee rushed through a package of expired tax provisions, including the wind PTC. Now, wind lobbyists are looking for a legislative "vehicle" to latch on to, preferably one with bipartisan support, to push through another PTC extension without a fair hearing, which is exactly why they're eyeing the oil-export bill.

According to The Hill, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) said he could consider lifting the ban "only if it's tied to a permanent extension of the wind and solar tax credits."

Swapping the PTC for oil exports is a bad deal, as lifting the ban deserves to pass in its own right. But what many don't realize is that trading the PTC for oil exports is also a Faustian bargain that furthers President Obama's destructive climate-change agenda.

The PTC and the president's climate agenda are related because Obama's sweeping new carbon regulations, known as the "Clean Power Plan"—finalized in August—require states to drastically cut carbon dioxide emissions. It does this by shuttering low-cost coal plants and building new wind and solar facilities. The problem: wind and solar are uneconomic without massive taxpayer handouts like the PTC and ITC and market-distorting mandates like state Renewable Portfolio Standards.

This scheme is the centerpiece of Obama's climate legacy, which he hopes to cement in December at the United Nations climate conference in Paris.

These carbon regulations will inflict severe burdens on American families—especially the poorest among us who can least afford to pay higher energy prices. A recent study by the National Black Chamber of Commerce, for instance, found that Obama's carbon rule would increase Black and Hispanic poverty by 23 and 26 percent, respectively. For all that pain, the regulations will, perhaps, reduce global temperature rise by 0.018 degrees Celsius in 2100—an undetectable amount.

Buried in hundreds of pages of "analysis," the Environmental Protection Agency projects the wind industry will add more than 13 GW of electrical capacity each year from 2024-2030. For context, 13 GW is exactly how much capacity wind added in 2012, a record year. It is also the year in which rent-seeking wind barons rushed to build as many new turbines as possible to quality for the PTC, which expired at the end of the year. The following year, after the PTC expired, wind additions collapsed by more than 90 percent—which highlights the fact that the wind industry cannot survive in a free market.

This makes the wind PTC vital to Obama's carbon regulations. His plan depends on exponential wind growth, and the wind industry depends on government handouts like the PTC to avoid total collapse, let alone grow.

By not accepting a wind PTC tradeoff, Congress can deal a blow to corporate wind welfare and Obama's carbon regulations in one shot. Congress must strip the PTC out of tax extenders and refuse to use wind subsidies as a bargaining chip. The two are totally unrelated. One is a liquid fuel used primarily for transportation. The other: a way to generate electricity, albeit inefficiently, ineffectively and uneconomically. One helps our trade deficit problem and increases revenues as FuelFix reports: "liberalizing crude trade spurs more domestic production, with a resulting boost in government revenue from the activity." The other: a hidden tax that hurts all Americans.

By rejecting an extension of the wind PTC and lifting the ban on oil exports, Congress would end corporate welfare for wind lobbyists, deal a blow to Obama's costly carbon regulations, and free America's entrepreneurs to provide abundant, affordable, and reliable energy for all.

The author of Energy Freedom, Marita Noon serves as the executive director for Energy Makes America Great Inc. and the companion educational organization, the Citizens' Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE). She hosts a weekly radio program: America's Voice for Energy—which expands on the content of her weekly column. Follow her @EnergyRabbit.

For the weekend, beginning Friday, September 18, 2015, at 4:00 pm and ending Monday, September 21, 2015, at 8:00 am officers of the Silver City Police Department responded to 62 calls for service and had 107 self-initiated activities, and 9 arrests made.

Included in the above calls for service are, 0 DWI, 0 Homicide, 0 Commercial Burglary, 0 Residential Burglary, 0 Vehicle Burglary, 3 Larcenies, 1 Criminal Damage to Property, 0 Breaking and Entering, 2 Injuring or Tampering with a Motor Vehicle, 0 Graffiti, 2 Accidents with Property Damage, 0 Accidents with Injuries, 1 fight call, and 4 Domestic Disturbance calls.

Silver City, New Mexico – On September 26, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Silver City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its tenth opportunity in five years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to Walgreens at 100 Rosedale Road. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last September, Americans turned in 309 tons (over 617,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 4.8 million pounds—more than 2,400 tons—of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the September 26, 2015, Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control site.

Is it time to hire a professional? If your business has grown beyond basic financial tasks, you should consider engaging someone to handle complex finances. It may be for planning strategy, to analyze reports or prepare for audits. This week's article explains both how a certified accountant can help a small business and how to hire one.

At some point in the life of most businesses, finances become complex enough that the owner decides to delegate financial oversight to someone with the training and expertise to provide more than basic bookkeeping or tax preparation services.

If the business is being audited, for example, the owner might hire an enrolled agent to represent it. Enrolled agents are tax-law experts authorized by the U.S. Treasury Department to advise and represent individuals, businesses and other organizations in such situations.

But if the business needs someone to help with strategic planning or complicated and momentous financial decisions, it's time to consult an accountant.

Accountants can advise businesses on a range of financial decisions and perform specific tasks that require their expertise. This doesn't mean the business has to keep an accountant on retainer or hire one as a full-time employee. It just means knowing when to delegate certain tasks to the experts so the owners can use their time on revenue-generating activities.

Preparing a business plan: Not every business involves an accountant this early in the game, but doing so can spare the business preventable problems down the road. Accountants can prepare financial projections and other reports that give a business plan the professional polish and realistic tone needed to impress a lender or investor.

Selecting a legal structure: An accountant can tell a sole proprietor when it's advantageous to incorporate or choose another structure to maximize tax savings and protect the owner from liability. This is especially useful for small operations that rely heavily on the owner's personal finances. For example, a self-employed entrepreneur can write off some home office expenses to offset tax liability, but she's also personally vulnerable to lawsuits filed against the business until she adopts a structure that limits her liability.

Helping with finances and strategic planning: Business accounting becomes more complicated as a company grows, and most of it is beyond the know-how of the average business owner, who is typically distracted by day-to-day business management. While a bookkeeper can track accounts receivable and prepare financial reports, an accountant can help the owner analyze the reports, understand the metrics and make decisions based on these numbers.

The time to hire an accountant is when things move to a level that exceeds the expertise of a bookkeeper or registered agent and when the owners are ready to trust a professional to manage their financial interests so they can focus entirely on seizing opportunities and avoiding threats.

When hiring an accountant for ongoing consultation or specific services, the owners should look for someone who specializes in small businesses and understands the industry in which the business competes. Friends and trusted associates can offer referrals, or the owners can consult the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or New Mexico Public Accountancy Board.

Because this relationship is based on trust, business owners should interview accountant candidates just as they would any other employee or contractor to ensure the individual is qualified and offers the fee structure and specialized services they need.

Finance New Mexico is your resource for funding and knowledge to start or grow a business in New Mexico. Get help for your business, prepare yourself to find funding, and connect with the resources appropriate for your needs. Since 2007, Finance New Mexico has been brought to you by organizations committed to building the economy of our state through thriving businesses.

An archive of SBDC Business Reports can be found at http://www.grantcountybeat.com/index.php/archived-itemsw.

Western New Mexico University's Small Business Development Center assists entrepreneurs who are starting a business or wanting to expand an existing business. These services are available at no cost. Call 538-6320 for an appointment with a business advisor, or email sbdc@wnmu.edu. The SBDC office is located in Watts Hall at 500 18th Street, at the intersection of Swan and Silver Heights Blvd. An appointment at your office is available by request. More information may be found at www.nmsbdc.org/silver-city.

With the close of fiscal year 2014-15, the Mimbres Region Arts Council will be holding its annual meeting on Wednesday, September 23 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at Vicki's Eatery, 315 N. Texas Street. The Arts Council welcomes current organization members and encourages curious community members to come learn about MRAC activities, events and mission.

The MRAC will be unveiling its new Season-at-a- Glance brochure, introducing the 2015-16 programs. According to Board President Ashleigh Garcia "This has been a successful season with the best Blues Festival ever, fabulous performances, sold out programs, and record outreach to young people. We look forward to sharing the outcomes at our Annual Meeting."

The Mimbres Region Arts Council will be raffling off one Season Pass to the Indie/Folk Series. Performers this season are Heather Maloney, Tall Heights, Eliza Gilkyson and Sam Baker.

Light refreshments will be served. Music by jazz trio Peter Dahl-Bredine, Michele Parlee and Byron Trammell.

For further information regarding the annual meeting/season kick-off celebration visit the Mimbres Region Arts Council website at www.mimbresarts.org or call the office at 575-538-2505.

Albuquerque, NM- The following op-ed highlights some proposed reforms for New Mexico's Education System. For too long, the status quo has failed the state and kept us lagging behind the nation. It is time for State Senators such as Michael Sanchez, John Sapien and William Soules to put aside pressure from the special interests and do what is right for New Mexico's kids.

Opinion: NM's kids deserve a better shot
The Albuquerque Journal
By Rep. Nora Espinoza, / Republican, Roswell Rep. Monica Youngblood / Republican, Albuquerque And Rep. John Zimmerman / Republican, Las Cruces
September 18th, 2015

http://www.abqjournal.com/645932/opinion/nms-kids-deserve-a-better-shot.html.

Education reform is a must, and there needs to be a clear goal: a strong and bright future for the State of New Mexico. At the center of this goal is our children and making sure they receive the best education possible.

It is a fact that the same policies from the past 50 years get us nowhere. Our kids haven't been getting what they deserve because the same playbook calls for blindly throwing money at a problem or simply passing the buck onto someone else.

For example, just six years ago, 99 percent of our teachers were being rated as effective, yet schools were at the bottom of every ranking imaginable. Education spending went up and up, but tax dollars were financing red tape and more bureaucrats instead of initiatives to promote strong education.

With Gov. Susana Martinez, we began to turn things around. To start, we directed spending directly into the classroom to promote accountability and results.

One major focus was creating programs and initiatives focused on literacy – because, when a child learns to read, for the rest of their life they are reading to learn.

This past legislative session, we voted to increase funding to K-3 Plus, as well as expand reading initiatives like "Reads to Lead" to even more schools across the state.

Another top priority is to end the old, failed policy of social promotion. As a state, we cannot just pass the buck when it comes to students who struggle or fall behind.

If a child is not learning and not succeeding, we wrongly pass them on to the next grade. They are socially promoted and, for years, that has always been the case. We are told this puts them in the same grade as their peers and they will be better for it.

At the same time, social promotion creates an environment where struggling kids don't actually learn the material they need to go on to the next grade. A socially promoted third-grader doesn't grasp the material and knowledge needed to succeed in the fourth grade, and so on.

So what happens? They get tired, they give up and they don't learn.

Retention is a last resort; instead, with resources and initiatives designed to help kids who struggle early on, we identify problem areas and work to address them.

At the end of the day, we want to end a failed mentality concerning education. Social promotion is saying some kids can't learn, won't learn, so pass the buck.

Republicans in the House and Senate have worked with the governor and even some Democrats to bring this failed approach to an end.

We know that the two parties can agree on this issue. Democrat and Republican lawmakers favored ending social promotion before. On top of that, recent polling shows an overwhelming majority of New Mexico supports repeal.

In the past, prominent Democrats like President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton have also called social promotion a failed education policy.

We should have a debate and we should have a vote.

Let's do what is right for our kids, continue to focus on helping those who struggle and create a better environment so all of New Mexico's children can be this bright future that they deserve to be.

James Marcak, 83, a resident of Deming, NM entered eternal rest on Saturday, September 19, 2015 at Beehive Homes.

Arrangements are pending with Terrazas Funeral Chapels ~ 575-546-0070

Upper photo: Logan Baeza gave a sharky smile at the Monsoon Puppet Parade booth at Red Hot Children's Fiesta.

Lower photo: Adayn Madrid holds a book she received from the Imagination Library at the Red Hot Children's Fiesta.

Silver City, New Mexico, September 21, 2014: This Saturday (September 26, 2015), animals and adventure awaits Grant County kids at the Red Hot Children's Fiesta from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be over 30 adventure-inspired activities, and every participating child receives a prize as the Fiesta returns to the Community Built-Penny Park, 1305 N. Grant St.

Chris DeBolt, Director of Gila Regional's Community Health Partnerships (CHP), says, "The Children's Fiesta is a wonderful event for families and children; it's always great to give families the opportunity to play and learn together." The Fiesta is coordinated by the Grant County Community Health Council and CHP.

This year children can marvel at a golden eagle with falconer James Rogers, enjoy face-painting with the Silver High Key Club, create sand art necklaces with LifeQuest Early Intervention, pick out a book with Literacy Link Leamos, and partake of many more activities sponsored by the 30 participating agencies. Children can also help plant the Neighborhood Orchard to be located in the 4-H butterfly garden in the park.

CHP and Fiesta Coordinator, Kendra Milligan says, "The Children's Fiesta has so much going on; it's a great time for families and service providers meet up and get to know each other. Over 30 organizations and service providers have banded together to ensure the fiesta continues to be a success."

The Red Hot Children's Fiesta is the largest children's resource fair in southwestern New Mexico. The Fiesta was begun 14 years ago by LifeQuest Early Intervention as a way to locate children in need of developmental services. The Fiesta soon morphed into a community child development fair and grew too large for one agency to effectively coordinate.

"Rather than see the event lost, the Health Council stepped in with a team of dedicated community members to see the Fiesta continues on," says Milligan.

Every child who participates on Saturday gets to choose from a variety of animal-themed prizes and will be entered in the raffle for a $50 gift certificate.

Please no dogs in the park during the Fiesta as small children will be in attendance. Also, be aware that the portion of Grant St. in front of Penny Park will be closed off for the safety of attendees.

To learn more about the Red Hot Children's Fiesta call the Health Council at 388-1198 ext. 10 or email healthcouncil@grmc.org.

Young and New Entertainers with New and Modern Music

Listen to great "NEW" sounds of Country Western, Pop, Rock and Spanish, all to your liking.

Entertainers are "Young Kane Music – Stephan Estrada" or "DJ Define – James Flores" every Friday night from 8:30 pm to 12:30 am.

Open to all our Members and their Guests for a great evening

“The Greatest Entertainment in All of Grant County”

The Post is at Hwy 180 and Yucca Street, Arenas Valley. Look for the Large American Flag and Red Roof.

For Information Contact:

James (Jim) Zawacki – Commander
(H) 575-534-9425 (C) 575-574-8109

Lynn Geyer and his son of SW Auction Group will facilitate an auction at JW Art Gallery in Hurley, 99 Cortez Ave., beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. Onsite preview will be held from 8-10 a.m. that morning.

Geyer said the sale would feature more than 100 pieces of framed art by several artists, including Tom Lea, Carl Hawk, Tom Holt, Jace Webb, Joe Wade and others.

Also up for auction are mining items, antiques, collectibles, purple glass, Western items, Mata Ortiz pottery, plus much more.

"This is a quality auction with no reserves," Geyer said.

For more information, call Geyer at 575-574-8382.

P.E.O. Purse Auction and Silent Auction - Fundraiser for P.E.O. Foundation Scholarships. Silver City's P.E.O. Chapter AG to sponsor a Purse Auction, a Silent Auction, and Delectable Desserts. Noon-4 p.m.  First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 1915 N. Swan, Silver City. $10 ticket.  Contact Carol Barrington (575 538-9471, fireflyt@powerc.net) or Greta Oberg (575 538-3919, goberg@powerc.net).

Portales, NM - Today, Governor Susana Martinez welcomed Ready Roast Nut Company to Portales, where they plan to create 200 new jobs over the next few years. Ready Roast, which recently purchased the Portales Peanut Plant, will create 30 of these jobs immediately, with full benefits, as the company plans to start production for the fall harvest season.

"We're proud to welcome Ready Roast to Portales," said Governor Martinez said. "New Mexico is a great place to do business. And as we continue to spread the word around the country, it is resulting in new jobs for our families and helping diversify our economy."

Ready Roast will initially shell peanuts and expand business to include production of value-added products. Ready Roast's facility sits on 70 acres and has a 53,000-square-foot peanut shelling facility and warehouse along with storage capacity of approximately 28 million pounds of farmer stock peanuts, along with several other large warehouses. The company has also planted 5,000 acres of organic and conventional Valencia peanuts. They have growing contracts for their peanuts that will be supplied to the dairy, snack food, bakery, confectionary, and other food industries.

"Food production is one of our target industries - they bring good-paying jobs to the state and bring new dollars to our economy," said Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela. "New Mexico is seeing continued momentum, and we look forward to helping recruit more businesses from all industries to grow our economy."

Since taking office, Governor Martinez continues to make it a priority to diversify New Mexico's economy and make it more competitive with neighboring states. The Governor has enacted various reforms, including instituting a single-sales factor for manufacturing, curbing tax pyramiding that often resulted in the double or triple taxation of goods, reducing the business tax rate by 22 percent, and establishing independent hearing officers in New Mexico's tax department to help businesses get a fair shake. Following the Governor's reforms, renowned professional services firm Ernst & Young recognized New Mexico as the best state in the west for manufacturing, up from third worst in the region before the Governor took office.

Over the summer, New Mexico made a big leap in CNBC's "America's Top States for Businesses" rankings, jumping from 37th to 24th in the country, an increase of 13 spots, which is tied for the best improvement in the nation. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, New Mexico is also the national leader in export-related job growth, with three of the state's metro areas ranked in the top five nationally as well. Additionally, more New Mexico businesses are exporting more of their goods to more places than ever before, with New Mexico shattering export records in 2014 at nearly $4 billion, and doubling exports to Mexico in just one year's time.

"Ready Roast is proud to expand its operations into New Mexico and grateful for the support of Gov. Martinez, Secretary Barela and bipartisan members of the Legislators who have created a competitive environment to do business," said Tom Finn, president of Ready Roast.

Ready Roast Nut Company was established in California in 2006 by a trio of professionals from the food processing industry who saw an opportunity to address the growing demand for value-added tree nuts. Since its founding, the company has expanded to three operations in California and now expanded into Eastern New Mexico.

WASHINGTON – With the expiration of the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) fast approaching, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich joined a bipartisan coalition of 51 other senators to call on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Harry Reid to permanently reauthorize and adequately fund the nation’s premier federal conservation program, now in its 50th year. The LWCF has helped create and protect parks and open spaces that enhance recreation and outdoor opportunities in urban and rural communities alike, such as the Valle de Oro in Bernalillo County and Valles Caldera National Preserve.

"Investments in LWCF support public land conservation and ensure access to the outdoors for all Americans, in communities and cities alike," the senators wrote. "It has created outdoor recreation opportunities in every state and 98 percent of counties across the country, opening up key areas for hunting, fishing and other recreational access; supporting working forests and ranches; acquiring inholdings and protecting critical lands in national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, Civil War battlefields and other federal areas; and making additions and improvements to state and local parks and recreation facilities."

The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1964 established one of America’s most successful conservation programs. Authorization for the program expires on Sept. 30, threatening the continuation of LWCF’s long and successful history. Using funds primarily derived from oil and gas receipts paid to the federal government by energy companies that extract publicly owned resources, the program supports the nation’s land, water, historic and recreational heritage. The program also supports America’s outdoor recreation, conservation and preservation economies, which contribute more than $1 trillion to the nation’s economy each year and support 9.4 million American jobs. More than $261 million has been spent in New Mexico since 1965 to protect natural resources and provide recreational opportunities, including more than $41 million for state and local grants.

Udall and Heinrich have worked to permanently fund LWCF to conserve and promote public access to the country's national parks, forests and public lands. In their request, the senators note that adequate and consistent funding will help ensure that the fund plays the strongest possible role in revitalizing local communities while having the greatest conservation impact across the country.

The senators’ letter can be found here.

In addition to Udall and Heinrich, the following senators signed the letter: Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Susan M. Collins (R-Maine), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), Thomas Carper (D-Del.), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), James E. Risch (R-Idaho), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Next Sunday, September 27, at 10:00 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City, 3845 North Swan Street, Michael Freeman will speak. He is the co-founder of Southwest Sangha, a contemplative lay monastery located near San Lorenzo. He has lived in the community for over 35 years, including Lama Foundation, Bhavana Society, Insight Meditation Society and Esalen Institute. Please join us. There will be coffee and conversation, with light refreshments, after the service.