JULY 5, 2013
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED • SERVING THE SAN JUAN BASIN
T R I - C I T Y
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Chacoan culture
Kids Kollege students, parents tour ancient ruins
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MAJESTIC MEDIA
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VOL. 3 NO. 40
Negotiations begin City in talks to acquire power from PNM DEBRA MAYEUX Tri-City Tribune Four owners of Unit 4 at PNM’s San Juan Generating Station want out and are willing to give away 119 megawatts of coal-fired power. The Farmington Electric Utility wants in on the deal and began negotiating with three California entities and Tri-State Generation, out of Colorado, to acquire 65 megawatts of the 119 available. The city of Los Alamos and a Utah-based power company will take the rest, if the negotiations go as planned.
This was the message Jim McNichol, of the Farmington Electric Utility, gave the Farmington City Council during a July 2 work session at city hall. “Those owners are looking for a clean break,” McNichol said. “We believe if Farmington didn’t pursue this opportunity someone else will.” San Juan Generating Station owned and operated by Public Service Company of New Mexico, will go through major changes in the next five years. The company entered an agreement with the state of New Mexico and the En-
vironmental Protection Agency to retrofit two units with Selective Non-Catalytic Converters, SNCR, and to close down Units 2 and 3 by 2018. This is being done to meet the Best Available Retrofit Technology, or BART, to cut down on the area’s regional haze. As the plant moves toward these changes in operation, the California owners need to pull out, along with Tri-State Generation. California will no longer be able to purchase coal-fired power, because of state law, and Tri-State is diversifying its portfolio by focusing
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Mine purchase on hold A DEA agent walks toward the Rollet Smoke Shop 2 in Kirtland during a June 26 search of the building for the “Spice” drug. – Debra Mayeux photo.
Farmington man arrested
Family facing federal charges after June 26 drug raid DEBRA MAYEUX Tri-City Tribune A Farmington man and his Jordanian family are facing federal drug charges after a June 26 drug raid of their businesses in San Juan and McKinley counties. Mahammed Kayed Assi, 26, is a U.S. citizen living in Farmington. He, with his family, owned and operated 15 smoke shops in Cibola, San Juan, McKinley and Bernallilo counties in New Mexico. All of those shops were searched, along with three homes in Gallup, two in Farmington and one in Grants. The operation was part of a nationwide crackdown on synthetic marijuana, also known as “spice,” which DEA officials allege was being sold out of the shops, which include VIP Smoke Shop, Rollet Smoke Shop 1 and 2, Cohiba Cigar Shop and Up N Smoke, all in San Juan County; and Fu King Smoke Shops 1-4 in Gallup. The
Albuquerque smoke shops included From Rags 2 Riches 2 and 3, The Moon Smoke Shop and Pyros Smoke Shops 1 and 2. There also was the Santa Fe Smoke Shop in Grants and the Lava Lounge in Las Cruces. The DEA-coordinated, nationwide crackdown was called “Project Synergy,” and it was the result of an investigation that began in December 2012 with the purpose of stopping the illegal sale of spice in 35 state, 49 cities and five countries. San Juan County law enforcement became involved in the project more than 18 months ago, when Region II Narcotics Task Force Agent Jeff Browning began investigating the sale of synthetic marijuana in the above listed shops. Browning sought assistance from the DEA, which began testing the substance to prove it was illegal.
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Arizona reviewing possible deregulation of local Four Corners Power Plant LAUREN DUFF Tri-City Tribune The Navajo Nation’s potential ownership of Navajo Mine has been put on hold, while the Arizona state government reviews the pos- Related Story sible deregulation of Four Corners Power A7 Plant in Fruitland. The Arizona Corporation Commission is responsible for regulating public utilities in the state of Arizona. It functions as an executive body that adopts rules and regulations regarding utilities, railroads and pipeline safety, according to the commission’s website. The commission is looking into whether the electric
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Hot, dry Southwest
High temps bring out rattlesnakes in area DEBRA MAYEUX Tri-City Tribune When summer arrives in the deserts of the Southwest, snakes become more active and venture into areas that are sunny and moist. Rattlesnakes can be found in the rock formations in and around Chokecherry Canyon and Pinon Hills Boulevard, and more recently these critters have been visiting the Farmington Sports Complex at 2301 Piñon Hills Blvd. The city of Farmington, which owns and operates the complex, was made aware of a rattlesnake problem in an April 26 email from Andy Tarkington to parks and recreation department officials. Less than one month later, a city of Farmington employee was bitten by a “small” rattlesnake near the tennis center. The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake is commonly The New Mexico Wildlife Department said that approximately found in Northwest New Mexico. – New Mexico State Wildlife Photo
Bisti writing project
Blues & Brews Inside Animas River Blues Fest
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50¢
Calendar.......................................A4 Editorial ........................................A6 PRCA Tracks..............................A10 Pets of the Week ........................A11 Sports.........................................A13 Real Estate.................................A17
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Advice You Can Grow With ........A18 Pawsitively Pets .........................A19 Classifieds..................................A20 Nosey Nellie ...............................A21 NYT Crossword..........................A22 Movies........................................A23
Helping educators improve writing skills
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