In Rev. Scott Sharp’s Sunday sermon, he reminded the congregation of F. Chris Garcia’s dedication to the church, his family and his community. Sharp, senior pastor of Central United Methodist Church, where Garcia regularly attended services with his wife, said Garcia was eager to help others and engage in ministry.
Former UNM President F. Chris Garcia was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center June 23 on charges of promoting prostitution, tampering with evidence and conspiracy, according to Bernalillo County Detention Center records. Garcia, 71, was arrested for his alleged ties to a 1,400-member, multistate online prostitution ring called Southwest Companions.
Former UNM President F. Chris Garcia went before Metropolitan Court Judge Sharon Walton June 24 for a felony first appearance on the charges of promoting prostitution, conspiracy and evidence tampering related to an online prostitution ring know as Southwest Companions.
In a city where nothing save for the occasional convenience store stays open all night, at the end of last week it was never too late, or too early, to adopt a dog or cat from Animal Humane New Mexico. From June 22-24, Animal Humane NM hosted its 24/7 adoption event, the first event of its kind in New Mexico.
With five wildfires burning in New Mexico, the Albuquerque Fire Department and Albuquerque Police Department are especially concerned about blazes during this year’s Independence Day celebrations.
On June 16, Gov. Susana Martinez kicked off W82TXT, a new campaign against texting while driving. W82TXT encourages New Mexico residents to take a pledge against distracted driving. “I pledge to never text and drive,” the pledge reads.
Editor, You know, everything was fine until Al Gore had to point out the whole climate-change thing, but now New York suddenly has a seven-month-long winter.
Editor, After decades of exile to environmentalism’s legal fringes, the notion that natural systems could have legal rights is receiving serious attention.
The day before I arrived on the Flathead Indian Reservation of Western Montana, the small town of Charlo had its Mission Mountain Testicle Festival. “Can we not talk about it?” said Tim, one of the Christian biologists I met who worked on the Flathead Res. “It’s a bull!
Central Avenue, a piece of American and Albuquerque history, was known simply as Route 66. When Eric Szeman and Diane Avila, along with their son Andrew Szeman, established the Route 66 Malt Shop 15 years ago in Old Town, their goal was to give patrons a taste of that Route 66 of yesteryear. Now situated in Nob Hill just east of Carlisle Boulevard, Eric Szeman said the 1950s-themed shop has been their way of sharing a time when America was the leader of the world in every respect. “Kids I know are looking back,” Eric said.
What if Jesus Christ was born gay in modern day Texas, instead of all those centuries ago? Terrence McNally’s play, “Corpus Christi,” starts with this intriguing premise.
Twenty years ago in soccer, Mexico vs. USA meant another win for our southern neighbors. In fact, it was so lopsided from 1934 to 1991 that Mexico dominated the U.S., going 23-2-3. Since then, however, it has become one of the best sports rivalries in North America. It doesn’t have the history of Yankees vs. Red Sox, or the popularity of Lakers vs. Celtics, but it does have two countries whose fans and players genuinely dislike one another. Since 1991, the U.S. is a remarkable 13-10-7 against Mexico. This is extraordinary given America’s disinterest in soccer.
The New Mexico Bowl has been given a fashionable new look. ESPN and Gildan Activewear Inc. announced a multi-year deal on June 20 to sponsor the bowl beginning with the 2011 Gildan New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium.
UPDATE: June 24 at 6:15 p.m. Garcia went before Metropolitan Court Judge Sharon Walton this afternoon for a felony first appearance on the charges of promoting prostitution, conspiracy, and evidence tampering.
Former UNM President F. Chris Garcia was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center this morning on charges of promoting prostitution, tampering with evidence and conspiracy, according to Bernalillo County Detention Center records. Garcia, 71, was arrested for his alleged ties to a 1400-member, multistate, online prostitution ring called Southwest Companions.
Former UNM President F. Chris Garcia was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center this morning on charges of promoting prostitution, tampering with evidence and conspiracy, according to Detention Center records. Garcia’s bond was set at $35,000 cash or surety bond after detectives searched his Northeast Heights home and UNM Main campus office this morning. Garcia’s arrest is connected to the multistate online prostitution ring discovered over the weekend, officials told the Albuquerque Journal. Garcia served as University President Aug.
The state’s Higher Education Department is pushing to impose stricter requirements on the Lottery Scholarship to increase student accountability. Only 14 percent of New Mexico students maintain the Lottery Success Scholarship for four years, and the Higher Education Department Director of Financial Aid, Karen Kennedy, said more stringent requirements could change that statistic. “We want to make sure access isn’t restricted for any student, but we also want to make sure New Mexico sees successful outcomes,” she said. Proposed changes include requiring university students to take 15 credit hours per semester instead of 12 and maintain a higher GPA.
A recent survey of UNM faculty and staff showed a slight increase in satisfaction with University administration, but there’s still room for improvement. The number of faculty and staff “dissatisfied” with University governance dropped by almost 6 percent, and UNM President David Schmidly said the change is a step in the right direction. “I am pleased that the survey shows incremental progress has been made, even though there is still a long way to go,” he said in a June 6 email.
On June 12, the New Mexico State Game Commission severed its ties to The Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Program. Residents of Catron County pushed the decision, Glyn Griffin, District 2 Catron County Commissioner said. “Much of the Game Commission’s decision was based on the hardships endured in this county,” she said in a press release. “Our biggest industry, logging, has been taken away by the spotted owl.
Earlier this month, UNM’s College of Pharmacy named Dr. Lynda Welage its new dean. Welage will assume the position in mid-October, and said she hopes to push the College of Pharmacy and its students toward national recognition. “I think numbers of opportunities for students are growing every day,” Welage said.
Solutions by The State News
