Opinion

The first time I felt the impact of big bucks was in my youth, while window shopping at the old J.C. Penney store in Las Vegas, exactly where Beall’s operates now.

I had been selling newspapers downtown and ran in to a fifth-grade classmate who I thought to be the richest kid in town. We began talking about finances. I’d been proud of having opened my own passbook-savings account, at the First National Bank, and, solely through sales of Optics, I’d built up a nest egg of about $7.

Recently, the Las Vegas Police Department closed its rifle range to the public. That’s after officers discovered yet another rash of damage to the facility, including vandalism, illegal dumping and shooting at structures not intended as targets.

The police made the right decision. Now, officers are drafting a new policy for use of the range, and they say they hope to involve the public.

SANTA FE — New Mexico’s three new Democratic U.S. House members won election by solid margins. But can they all survive?

The representatives from congressional districts 1 and 2 took over seats that Democrats have not held in over 25 years. The 3rd Congressional District looks plenty safe for Rep. Ben Ray Lujan.

His most likely competition would likely come from another Democrat and that isn’t probable as long as his father remains a power in state politics.

Mil Gracias

On behalf of the staff and students at West Las Vegas Middle School, I thank the District Attorney’s office for the interesting and educational presentations on domestic violence they shared with our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders last month. Twice a month, the middle school schedules presentations to help the students become aware and informed of real issues in their lives.

The recent attempt by city officials, former housing directors, former mayor Henry Sanchez, hired consultants and the media, to blame Floyd Duran, Housing and Urban Development representative for the federal government for the city housing situation, is a copout. The only thing I have heard out of their mouth is innuendo, “mitote” and a let’s blame someone else except ourselves attitude. Haven’t they read the HUD reports? Where have they been these last three years?

Please put a wind generator “in my back yard.” Even though wind generation has some ill side-effects, the many benefits should outweigh negative aspects for almost any mesa near Las Vegas.

For the past two years Invenergy has been setting up to build a 47 turbine wind farm on the mesa ridge above our house. Many in our community are just now learning about it. More specifically the location is right by Starvation Peak, on the historic Santa Fe Trail and Route 66 and the scenic Pecos valley off Highway 3.

It is a beautiful landscape and right by a community that has been able to live a sustainable, low-impact, small-farm lifestyle for generations, thanks to the Pecos River frontage. We live off the grid producing our electricity from solar panels.

To the citizens of Las Vegas: This letter is to make you aware that the Stop Program (Sex Offenders Treatment Unit) at the Behavior Health Institute, otherwise known as the Las Vegas Medical Center, is releasing sex offenders to our community. This presents a concern for our kids, who are vulnerable to these predators. Just look at the Sex Offenders Registry. There are about four sex offenders that are from the Las Vegas area. The rest come from other cities.

Immunization

is a necessity

In August, my youngest child Jackson, who had just turned two, became very sick, with Pertussis or “whooping cough.” I had chosen to wait to immunize my children for personal reasons. While holding my small and frail son in the emergency room hospital bed as he gasped for air and struggled to breathe, I realized I may have seriously endangered his life in not having him immunized. I feared the worst.