New judge in vehicular-manslaughter case

State District Judge T. Glenn Ellington recused himself from a Rio Arriba County man's vehicular-manslaughter case Monday after the defense showed that he had represented Juan de Dios Cordova in a 1990 aggravated-DWI case.

Ellington, who had worked as an assistant public defender, said he handled 700 cases that year and had no memory of Cordova's case.

Cordova's attorneys, Damian Horne and Kathryn Fischer, tried to get a copy of the 1990 case file, but Magistrate Court officials reported the file as missing. The only document found was a database printout with Cordova's name, the case number and Ellington's name attached to it.

Police say Cordova, 56, was drunk when he drove his pickup into a group of motorcyclists on N.M. 76 on May 28, 2011, near Chimayó, killing one person and severely injuring others.

Ellington could be called as a witness in the case, which has been assigned to state District Judge Michael Vigil.

Gonzales trial moves

State District Judge Michael Vigil has found probable cause to put Adrian Gonzales, 30, on trial for the Dec. 2 death of Victoriano Moises Byrne Gonzales, 21.

Although the state's attorneys had a list of 55 witnesses prepared, only a dozen or so testified Monday. The preliminary hearing was set to continue Thursday, but Vigil found no need for the extra day.

Gonzales was arrested after police say he fatally stabbed Byrne Gonzales, who had come to the aid of a woman who allegedly was being beaten in a domestic dispute in a Pojoaque trailer park.

Gonzales is being charged with an open count of murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and battery on a household member, and his cash-only bond remains at $500,000. He will be arraigned within the next couple of weeks.

City among top 10 retirement spots

Santa Fe places eighth, behind fifth-place Las Cruces, in AARP's "Top 10 Sunny Places to Retire."

El Farol, Trattoria Nostrani, the Santa Fe Opera and the Santa Fe Farmers Market are among the local institutions plugged in the January edition of AARP The Magazine.

"On Sundays, walk the craft stalls in front of the city's old plaza," the magazine says. "Or wander into the myriad shops, galleries, cafés and bars, or the 96,000-square-foot New Mexico History Museum -- one of a dozen museums in Santa Fe. The gallery row along Canyon Road was named one of America's Great Streets by the American Planning Association."

Although Santa Fe has made The Magazine's 10 healthiest places due to its residents' long life expectancy and has an ample supply of doctors and "all manner of alternative healing and holistic medicine practices," the article says, it is near the bottom in hospital beds per capita, "so people often seek major treatments in Albuquerque."

Asheville, N.C., topped the recent list, followed by Grand Junction, Colo.; Sarasota, Fla.; San Diego, Calif.; Las Cruces; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; St. George, Utah; Santa Fe; Bend, Ore., and Fort Worth, Texas.

State in basement for liquid assets

Nearly 30 percent of New Mexico households are asset poor, with little or no cushion to rely on in case members lose their jobs or encounter another emergency, according to the results of a study released this week.

The nonprofit Corporation for Enterprise Development says New Mexico ranked 34th among 50 states in terms of financial security across 52 measures.

"Many of New Mexico's residents have jobs, but they lack adequate savings or other assets to cover expenses for three months if they lose a steady income," says a news release from the organization.

About 29.4 percent of New Mexicans are considered asset poor. When homes and cars, which are not easily converted to cash, are excluded from assets, New Mexico's liquid asset poverty rate increases to 49.1 percent.

According to the study, New Mexico earns a D for financial assets and income and a D for education, is in the bottom 10 states for income, 36th in micro-enterprise ownership and 28th for small-business ownership.

Audubon's monthly meeting Feb. 8

Dale Stahlecker, a raptor biologist, will be telling the story of Lefty, a remarkable kestrel that appeared at his home in Eldorado, during the Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society's February meeting.

The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 107 W. Barcelona Road.

Stahlecker travels each spring to remote locations in the Southwest to record breeding activities of birds of prey.

For further information, call Adele Caruthers, 984-3279.

Albuquerque police staffing below target levels

ALBUQUERQUE -- The Albuquerque Police Department said it is short nearly 100 officers from its targeted staffing level.

KOAT-TV reported Tuesday that the department is down at least 75 officers. The current police force of 1,027 is made up of sworn officers, full- and part-time rehires and those working at the Metropolitan Court.

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz said the department recently has seen a higher number of retirements than normal. He said the number of officers varies from day to day.

Schultz said the department is preparing for two cadet classes this year that will get the force back to 1,100 officers.

The level of sworn police officers has declined since 2009.




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