Today's News

SAN MIGUEL — Most people attending a meeting in the Valley this week agreed on at least one thing  — the importance of agriculture to their area.

Nearly 50 people showed up at a public hearing organized by the San Miguel County government to get public feedback on the development of a comprehensive plan that is specific to the Valley.

The county drafted a comprehensive plan in 2004, but it didn’t address specific areas.

Members of the Las Vegas-based New Mexico Rainbow Club wanted to try something that no one could remember happening before — having a gay and lesbian float in the Fiestas parade.

So they did. And the community’s reaction was generally good, members said.

The club is a loosely knit social group of gays and lesbians and their supporters, and it has been holding monthly potlucks. But member Kathy Gould said the group is becoming more rights-oriented.

The attorney for a Mora County sex offender asked a state district judge on Tuesday to suspend the part of his sentence involving alleged crimes against a small boy.

After a court hearing that included a tearful speech by the boy's mother, Judge Eugenio Mathis rejected the request.

Last year, Clifford Gutierrez, 35, was sentenced to probation at the request of the victims' families, instead of a prison sentence, which is more typical.

West Las Vegas Food Services Director Dean Gallegos says food at the schools aren’t typical of cafeterias. Students are served fresh fruits and vegetables, freshly baked biscuits, and hand-prepared entrees, he says.

Gallegos doesn’t buy crates of frozen foods that just need to be thawed and heated or stuck in the microwave before serving.

Before the West school board took formal action on food service bids for the coming year, Gallegos outlined his philosophy on serving the district’s students tasty and healthful meals.