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Local News

  • Auditor urges more transparency

    New Mexico State Auditor Hector Balderas has met with Las Vegas Mayor Tony Marquez and has made recommendations for better budgeting and more transparent government, he told the Optic on Monday.

    “We recommended a city audit committee and citizen-centric reporting,” Balderas said. “The mayor is supportive.”

    The audit committee would be trained to use auditing for city government oversight and would work with the state auditor’s office to explore areas of concern. Balderas said the committee should consist of a portion of the council.

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  • Las Vegas EDC works to stimulate entrepreneurship

    Entrepreneurship as a means of growing local economies is on the upswing, an official said.

    Sharon Caballero, executive director of the Las Vegas-San Miguel Economic Development Corporation, said the idea of looking at local resources and evaluating local gaps in products and services is one way to build from within.

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  • HU building damaged

    Despite water damage to the main floor, New Mexico Highlands’ commencement ceremony will take place as planned in the university’s Wilson Complex.

    The main floor suffered water damage from a pipe burst recently and will remain closed for use until July 1, according to university officials. The rest of the facility will be open for normal operation.

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  • City cleans up Railroad Ave. property

    In late February, the city entered agreements with a couple of prominent code violators to have them clean up their properties by certain deadlines.

    On Friday, city officials demonstrated that they are going to keep their end of the bargain.

    Las Vegas resident Tony Ortega entered an agreement to remove a building that was about ready to collapse onto a neighboring property in the 100 block of Railroad Avenue.

    But Ortega didn’t meet the Tuesday deadline, so the city went onto the property and took care of the problem itself on Friday.

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  • Vegas firefighters vote for union

    Las Vegas firefighters taking part in a union election Friday unanimously agreed to organize.

    Of the department’s 18 firefighters, nine were eligible to vote in the election to decide whether to be represented by the International Association of Firefighters; six of them participated. The department’s other nine members couldn’t participate because they are on their year’s probation or they are supervisors.

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  • Watchdog group is forming in town

    In March, the Committee of the People disbanded, saying it got much accomplished over its three years of existence.

    Now, some of the members have formed a new group with a slight variation to the old name — Committee for the People.

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  • Soup kitchen volunteer to be recognized in May

    Carol Durham, a local soup kitchen and library volunteer, will be recognized next month with a 2008 Governor’s Outstanding New Mexico Woman Award.

    She was selected as one of 21 recipients from across the state. They will be honored in a ceremony May 2 in Albuquerque.

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  • Utility's trustees questioned

    Some of the members of the Mora-San Miguel Electric Cooperative’s Board of Trustees don’t live in the areas they were elected to represent.

    That troubles at least one cooperative customer. But the utility, which serves thousands of residents in Mora and San Miguel counties, maintains the trustees are allowed to serve out their terms.

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  • Group is pushing downtown project

    Some of the biggest challenges for economic development are abandoned, boarded-up buildings and vacant lots, an official said.

    “The message that sends to potential businesses that would like to come here or start businesses here is that this is a community that cannot sustain business,” Sharon Caballero, executive director of the Las Vegas-San Miguel Economic Development Corporation, told the City Council at a recent meeting.

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  • Marquez seeking review of contracts

    You have a city contract? If yes, that may change.

    Mayor Tony Marquez said at this week’s City Council meeting that he wants to hold a meeting in which the City Council will vote up or down on all city contracts and memorandums of understanding. For those that are rejected, the city will follow the termination procedures called for under the contracts.

    This is something that Marquez promised to do if he were elected mayor.

    Asked at this week’s City Council meeting how many contracts the city had, City Clerk CherylAnn Yara didn’t have an exact answer.

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The Las Vegas Optic is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in San Miguel County and Las Vegas, NM, and the surrounding area.