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LEADER OF THE PACK
BELEN HIGH
CLASS OF ’67
Vietnam veterans remember war
VHS senior Carisma Lovato takes state title Sports 9A
VAL ENCIA
COUNTY
La Vida 1B
News-Bulletin
Vol. 104, No. 46
SERVING VALENCIA COUNTY SINCE 1910
WEEK OF
NOVEMBER 13, 2014
Copyright © 2014, Valencia County News-Bulletin
50¢
VC reps to hold key leadership roles in the House
By Julia M. Dendinger
NEWS-BULLETIN STAFF WRITER
jdendinger@news-bulletin.com
With the New Mexico House of Representatives
boasting a Republican majority for the first time
since Eisenhower was in office, three of the four
newly selected House leaders represent Valencia
County.
Rep. Don Tripp (R-Socorro), was nominated
to be the next Speaker of the House. Tripp was
nominated by now majority floor leader Rep.
Nate Gentry (R-Albuquerque). Gentry was previously the minority whip.
While the caucus elects its own floor leaders,
speaker nominations will be voted on by all 70
House members when the Legislature convenes
for its 60-day 2015 session on Jan. 20.
Tripp’s District 49 takes in the southern part
of the county, coming north to Reinken Avenue
in Belen. The Socorro businessman has served in
the House since 1999.
If Tripp goes on to be speaker, which seems
likely since he received unanimous support from
Sluder to
resign from
RC Council
the 37 Republicans elected last week, he will
preside over the House, which means he will be
responsible for everything from scheduling what
bills are heard on the floor down to assigning
offices and parking spots.
“It should be interesting,” Tripp said with a
laugh. “It’s going to take a lot of time and it’s a
tremendous honor.”
Since it’s been 62 years of Democrat majority,
the transition from one party to the other is proving to be a bit of a mystery.
“One of the things we’re facing is there are not
a lot of people around who can help us on how
to make this transition — when we’re allowed to
bring on staff, do training,” he said. “There has
always been a sitting speaker with that continuity
within the party.
“We are receiving tremendous support and
help from past leadership. Rep. (Ken) Martinez
is a true gentleman; this is his House too. He
doesn’t want to do anything but help things go
forward.”
Republicans will hold a 37-33 advantage in
See Leadership, Page 5A
UNM-VC seat
opens after
Sedillo resigns
HONORING OUR HEROES
By Clara Garcia
By Julia M. Dendinger
Rio Communities
Tome
Rio Communities City Councilor
Cyndi Sluder, one of the first four
councilors elected to represent the
newly incorporated
city, plans to resign
her position by year’s
end.
While
she
announced that her
resignation would
be effective Dec. 1,
she says she hopes
to stay on until the end of the year, “if
they’ll have me.”
Sluder said there are some critical
issues the council is working on, such
as hiring a city manager and working
on ongoing capital outlay funding, she
would like to resolve before leaving.
Her decision to resign, she says,
wasn’t because she doesn’t want what’s
best for Rio Communities, but rather because she wants what’s best for
her family. Her husband, Steve, has
See Sluder, Page 6A
It was a bitter-sweet meeting of the
University of New Mexico-Valencia
Campus advisory board last week.
The Nov. 4 meeting marked the end
of an era for the
five-person board,
as Position 4, at-large
member Corrine G.
Sedillo announced
her resignation.
“I have loved this
university; I am so proud,” Sedillo said,
her voice emotional. “I have enjoyed
working here, what we’ve done. Our
kids are going to school here, just out
of school, they can come here.”
Sedillo, who is in the middle of a
four-year term, said she was stepping
down due to health reasons. She has
served on the advisory board since
2001, but has been involved in the university since its inception.
NEWS-BULLETIN EDITOR
cgarcia@news-bulletin.com
BMRC hopes
to change the
city’s decision
NEWS-BULLETIN STAFF WRITER
jdendinger@news-bulletin.com
Deborah Fox-News-Bulletin photo
THE LOS LUNAS High School JROTC Battalion of 106 members performed a ceremony for local veterans Monday at
the Willie Chavez Field. Veterans from WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam were honored and some members from
recent wars, including Operations Iraqi Freedom, Desert Shield and Desert Storm were present. The guest speaker
was former U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jesse Navarro. A wreath ceremony for fallen veterans included the soldier’s
cross, made up of the soldier’s rifle with its muzzle buried in the ground, a helmet on top and the boots of the fallen
soldier next to it. The lantern represents an eternal flame, signifying that they will always be remembered.
See Sedillo, Page 7A
world war ii veteran
Alfredo Jaramillo
opens up about
serving in WWII,
D-Day
By Clara Garcia
NEWS-BULLETIN EDITOR
cgarcia@news-bulletin.com
Belen
Even though the decision to not
renew the Belen Model Railroad Club’s
lease has been made, club officials
are hoping city of Belen officials will
change their minds and allow them to
continue their display at the Harvey
House Museum.
City officials informed the club’s
board in October that its lease wouldn’t
be renewed and would have to vacate
the space in the museum by Jan. 20,
2015. Jim McKelvey, the club’s president, said he believes if city officials
understand what the club provides
to the public, they will change their
minds.
McKelvey and other club members
will be giving a presentation on the
BMRC at the Monday, Nov. 17, city
council meeting. City officials representing the Belen Harvey House will
also be presenting their side of the
issue.
By Deborah Fox
NEWS-BULLETIN STAFF WRITER
dfox@news-bulletin.com
By Clara Garcia
NEWS-BULLETIN EDITOR
cgarcia@news-bulletin.com
Los Lunas
Belen
To hear him tell it, Alfredo Jaramillo has
lived a wonderful life, filled with family, friends
and community.
The Belen resident, who celebrated his 90th
birthday in September, will tell you he’s a Las
Nutrias native, who raised a loving family,
worked for nearly 30 years as a bricklayer, a
member of the union for 50 years.
He’s been married for 68 years to his wife,
Aurora, and has raised a family of nine children.
They have 27 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
Throughout his life, Jaramillo has had many
stories to tell, but it wasn’t until recently that he
began sharing his experiences and his memories
of his time in the Navy during World War II.
His reasons for not talking about the war
weren’t because he didn’t want to, but rather
See Jaramillo, Page 7A
Clara Garcia-News-Bulletin photo
WORLD WAR II veteran Alfredo Jaramillo shares his memories of the war, his service and his life. Here he’s holding his
certificate of honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy along
with his military photo.
5333
A local developer is building new
homes in the Huning Ranch subdivision on post-tension foundations that
are guaranteed not to crack.
Some homeowners in the Huning
Ranch subdivision have filed lawsuits
against builders after their homes
developed structural damages after
settlement of subsurface soils.
In the Sagebrush subdivision, a
group of 40 homeowners filed a lawsuit in 2010 against D. R. Horton,
alleging the company breached homeowner warranties and performed faulty
construction.
Developers Scott Edeal and his
nephew, Chad Zens, are working with
general contractor Daryl Cordova,
owner of Mile High Homes, LLC, and
EXCEL Builders and Developers, LLC
to build about 165 homes in Desert Sky
and Wildflower subdivisions.
The project is estimated to cost
See Development, Page 6A
See BMRC, Page 5A
WEATHER
New housing
development
planned in LL
Call us: 864-4472
www.news-bulletin.com
INDEX
Classified ...... 4B
Editorial .........2A
Databank .......2A
News Digest ...2A
Deaths............8A
La Vida .......... 1B
Noticias ......... 3B
Record ............8A
Sports.............9A