A-10 THE NEW MEXICAN Friday, February 20, 2015 LOCAL REGION Colorado residents ask feds to block legal pot ByKristenWyatt The Associated Press DENVER Colorado already is being sued by two neighboring states for legalizing marijuana. Now, the state faces groundbreaking lawsuits from its own residents, who are asking a federal judge to order the new recreational industry to close. The owners of a mountain hotel and a southern Colorado horse farm argue in a pair of lawsuits filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Denver that the 2012 marijuana-legalization measure has hurt their property and that the marijuana industry is stinky and attracts unsavory visitors. The lawsuits are the first in a state that has legalized recreational or medical marijuana in which its own residents are appealing to the federal government to block pot laws.
"It is a bedrock principle of the United States Constitution that federal law is the supreme law of the land," said David Thompson, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs. The lawsuits are also the first to claim that federal racketeering laws allow them to win damages from pot businesses that flout federal law. The plaintiffs have not specified amounts they would seek. Experts say the racketeering approach is a new one. "If these lawsuits are successful, it could be devastating for the industry," said Sam Kamin, a University of Denver law professor who helped craft Colorado's pot regulations.
"But it will be very difficult for the plaintiffs to prove damages directly attributable to the marijuana industry." Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman released a statement saying she would "defend the state's marijuana laws and our clients" if the lawsuits go to trial. Recount set for Questa school board election NONA THOMSON 1939-2015 MICHAEL R. LUJAN SR. Michael R. Lujan 64, a resident of Nambe Pueblo, passed away on Sunday, February 8, 2015 following a brief illness and a broken heart.
Mr. Lujan was preceded in death by his loving wife of 45 years, Judith M. Lujan; parents, Senovio R. Lujan Jr. and Gloria G.
Kniffin-Lujan; inlaws, Celedon R. and Rose V. Lujan; brother-in-law, Joe A. Lujan, Richard Rettig. Michael was a Combat Marine and Vietnam Veteran who served his country Nona Frances Taylor Thomson, age 75, a resident of Los Lunas, passed away on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at 6:11 AM.
Nona was a member of several churches, including the Church at the Butte in Elephant Butte, NM, the Church of Christ, as well as being involved in the Prison Ministry with the Church of Christ. Nona was a loving mother, wife, and grandmother. She was a master quilter, folk guitarist, and singer song-writer. The Taos News TAOS A recount of the 554 ballots cast in a contested Questa school board election is scheduled for Monday. Daryl Ortega won the Feb.
3 election by a seven-vote margin over incumbent Jack Gallegos, while Deborah Madrid came in a distant third, The Taos News reported. District Judge Sarah Backus granted a petition for a recount by Gallegos, whose grounds included the slim margin of victory. Gallegos also noted that "several ballots were received by the Taos County Clerk's Office during non-business hours." A list of absentee voters provided to The Taos News showed 49 ballots were marked as received outside of normal busi ness hours. Taos County Clerk Anna Martinez said it is likely that a computer was set to the wrong time and that the worker who entered ballots as received didn't "go in and manually change the time." The petition also noted a discrepancy in interpretation of a statue concerning who may deliver a voter's absentee ballot. Martinez previously told The Taos News that Ortega and "a helper" delivered a couple of handfuls of absentee ballots to the clerk's office prior to election day.
The Secretary of State's Office maintains that an unrelated third party may not deliver a voter's ballot. Martinez also has sent an unspecified number of suspicious ballots to the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office for investigation. Nona was an adventurer and traveler of the world. Nona is preceded in death by her husband, Bon Thomson; mother, Wynona Taylor; father, Iris Vivian Taylor; and brother, Jake Taylor. She is survived by her daughters, Kerry Thomson, Carolyn Baca, and BonJean Rush; sons-in-law, Martin Baca and David Rush; grandchildren, Sarah and Charles Van Gombos, Bon Baca, Ben and Cheyenne Sparks, Jeremy, James and Zachary Rush; great granddaughters, Brelynne Sparks and Juliet Van Gombos; brother, Brooks Taylor; and numerous relatives and friends.
Services will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at Noblin Funeral Service Belen Chapel beginning with a visitation at 4:00 PM, followed by the Celebration of Life at 4:30 PM. Interment will be private. The family welcomes flowers. Please contact Amor Flowers 505- 864-3677, or Davis Floral 505-864-8722. You may also contribute to the Christian Children's Home, 1356 NM-236, Portales, NM 88130.
Arrangements are being handled by the caring professionals at the Noblin Funeral Service Belen Chapel, 418 W. Reinken (505)864-4448, where an online guest register is available atwww.noblinfuneralservice.com. proudly and with honor. He also worked and retired from the Los Alamos Fire Department after 23 years of service. He was an avid sports fan who loved his Dodgers and Patriots and he also played softball and basketball for many years.
Michael was a loving husband, father, and dedicated grandfather. He was a man of great character and was always there for his family with words of wisdom and support. His generosity and love will be greatly missed by his family. Mr. Lujan is survived by his sons, Jason P.
Lujan and wife Patricia A. Lujan, Michael R. Lujan, Jr. and wife Melissa Lovato; grandchildren, Jason R. Lujan, Brittany N.
Nash and Izabela R. Lujan; brother, Victor 0. Lujan and wife Maggie Lujan; sister-in-law, Liz Rettig, Linda Wood and husband Roger and Dolores Lujan; very special nieces, Gayle Lowe and husband Randal, Rosemary Ottenweller and husband John; nephew, James Padilla and wife Beverly; special 1st cousin, Leonard Garduno and wife Evelyn; step-grandchildren, Victoria, Jordan, John, Mary, Savina, Vanessa Padilla, as well as numerous other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. in the Sangre de Cristo Chapel of DeVargas Funeral Home Crematory.
Burial is pending at this time and will be posted as soon as it becomes available. The family of Michael R. Lujan Sr. has entrusted the care of their loved one to the DeVargas Funeral Home Crematory of the Espafiola Valley. 505-747-7477 www.devargasfuneral.com just "walking down the road" when the officers stopped him and asked him to put his hands up.
He complied, the complaint says, but "within seconds without any just cause I was being tazed sic with the laser guns sic." Even after the officers handcuffed him, he claims, "they continued tazing sic me until my heart stopped." The complaint names the city of Espafiola and the two officers as defendants. A sergeant at the police department said he would call a reporter back with details of the department's policy on the use of electric shock weapons and a comment on the case Thursday, but he did not do so. The New Mexican Inmate claims medical issues over use of stun gun An inmate at the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility in Santa Rosa has sued the Espafiola Police Department, claiming officers hit him with a stun gun multiples times, causing his heart to stop. Miguel Lujan's complaint alleging use of excessive force and a violation of his civil rights, filed in U.S. District Court, says he was on life support for three days and in a hospital intensive care unit for two weeks after being struck with a Taser by two Espafiola officers in April 2014.
Lujan's complaint says he was C. WOLCOTT HENRY C. Wolcott Henry was born in Cincinnati, OH to Charles Wolcott Henry and Hildegard Von Steinwehr on September 6, 1926. He earned a B.A. from Princeton University.
He served in India with the American Field Service, and in the army in the Korean War. During his career, he was a director and partner of the investment firm Mitchell Hutchins, Inc. that later became part of Paine Webber. In 1989, he moved with his wife of 40 years, Elizabeth B. Henry, to Santa Fe, NM.
He was always concerned with helping others. Wolcott was involved with community service in Santa Fe for many years, serving on four major non profit boards. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and his three children, Wolcott Henry of Jupiter, FL, Alexander Henry of Great Falls, VA, and Nancy McKelvy of Lakeville, CT. He has 5 grandchildren. He is also survived by four step children, Jamie, Chris, Peter, and Leslie Maxtone-Graham and their families.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 20, at at St. Bedes Church in Santa Fe, NM. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Santa Fe Animal Shelter located in Santa Fe, NM. Hospital: Supporter wants tougher language JOHN JUDY MOSELEY 1917 2015 John Judy Moseley, 97, of Santa Fe, a Bataan Death March survivor, former prisoner of war and National Park Service landscape architect, died at his home on February 19, 2015. He was born on December 18, 1917 in Quanah, Texas, graduated from Texas A University in 1939, and moved to Santa Fe in 1948.
He served during World War II in the Philippines in the New Mexico National Guard as a member of the 200th Coast Artillery and the 515th Anti-Aircraft Regiment. Captured on April 9, 1942, he endured the Bataan Death March. He was held at Camps 0' Donnell and Cabanatuan before being transported to the Hoten Prisoner of War Camp in Mukden, Manchuria. He remained captive there from November 11, 1942 until liberated on August 20, 1945. During his 30 year career with the National Park Service, he worked not only on U.S.
National Parks, but also on national parks and historical sites in Costa Rica, Japan, Jordan, and Turkey. Moseley is survived by his daughter, Kay Moseley Hilliard and husband Mike; three grandchildren; and four great grandchildren. The family wishes to thank his EGIS caregivers, Kata, Patrick, and Gary for their dedication and kindness. A memorial service will be held on a later date at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe. Mr.
Moseley's ashes will be committed at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Mukden Prisoner of War Remembrance Society, co Pat Wang, Secretary, 4610 Old Mill Road, Gastonia, NC 28056 or to the Santa Fe Animal Shelter Humane Society, 100 Caja Del Rio Road, Santa Fe, NM 87507 Rivera Family Funerals and Cremations 417 East Rodeo Rd. Santa Fe, NM 87505 Berardinelli Family Funeral Service 1399 Luisa Street Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505) 984-8600 Please sign our guestbook for the family at: www.berardinellifuneralhome.com elf Continued from Page A-8 ance industry. It would allow the Department of Health to collect cost and quality-of-care data for individual hospitals, and would post the data online by Jan. 1, 2018.
The committee passed the bill on a 5-3 vote. Currently, the Health Department collects quality and cost data, but only releases it in aggregate, which provides no clues about how hospitals compare with one another in terms of quality and cost. And SB 323 would not require that consumer costs be posted online at least not immediately. It would establish a committee to develop a plan for sharing the information publicly, and it calls for the Health Department to decide who will serve on it. Fred Nathan, executive direc tor of Think New Mexico, said he worries that without firm language in the legislation requiring prices to be posted online, it may never get done, despite assurances from backers of SB 323.
"The fact that the hospital association has lobbied so strongly against including language in statute that cost and quality information be posted on a website makes us skeptical," he said. Jeff Dye, chief executive officer of the New Mexico Hospital Association, countered that existing data aren't parsed in a way that reflect all the variables affecting what a consumer pays for medical care, such as different insurance companies and different insurance plans. "It's very difficult to report that," he said, adding that collecting the data would be burdensome for hospitals. I RIVE RA Phone: (505) 989-7032 FAM I LY Fax: l505' 820-0435 santaTeTuneraioption.com JOSEPH LEON PONCE JUNE 10, 1927-FEBRUARY 17, 2015 Joseph "Joe" Ponce passed away peacefully at his home on February 17th at the age of 87. He was born June 10th 1927 in Jacksonville, Florida to Alice (Krebs) Ponce.
Joe grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Princeton. He also served in the US Army as a technical Sargent from 1945 -1947. He married Anne Gates on February 5th 1955 and the newlyweds settled outside of Philadelphia where they raised their family. Joe had a long career as an investment banker working for such firms as: Drexel, Blythe, Eastman, Dillon Co. and Wm.
Sword Co. After retirement, Joe and Anne moved to Santa Fe, a town they had fallen in love with on their travels. Joe served on the boards of Cornerstones, EGIS and was deeply devoted to the National Dance Institute of New Mexico as treasurer, and helped NDI raise money for their programs. Joe loved gardening; fly fishing, traveling, bird watching, and spending time with his wife Anne and their dogs. He is survived by his wife, Anne Ponce, their four children: Michael Ponce of Wyndmoor, PA; Alice Robison of Bozeman, MT; Mari Bauman of Corrales, NM; and Thomas Ponce of Yamhill, OR, and nine amazing grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to National Dance Institute of New Mexico 1140 Alto St. Santa Fe, 87501. VIVIAN ABRAMS Santa Fe, NM resident and moonlighting comedienne, Vivian Abrams, well-known shopper, lover of Trader Joe's chocolate chip cookies and avid People Magazine reader, passed away on February 7, 2015. Born in Chicago on February 3, 1935 to Samuel and Toby Shadrow, the family moved to Los Angeles when Vivian was a child. She lived there most of her life until her, and her husband Irwin, realized a dream and moved to Santa Fe in the early 1990s.
Vivian was loved and adored by everyone for her matchy-matchy style, for following in Imelda Marcos' footsteps; her obsession for Vera Bradley patterned everything, and her colorful language especially while watching political debates. Married 59 years, she is preceded in death by her husband Irwin Abrams, well-known Chinese food connoisseur, pen and watch collector, accountant and loophole finder extraordinaire who passed away on November 19, 2014. The fact that they worked together for so many years is remarkable. Their love for one another knew no bounds, as they could not be apart for long and are now bickering in the afterlife. Vivian is remembered with love for her feisty and social nature by her daughter Robin, and her husband Arlen, as well as her grand children, Lauren, Noah and Megan.
She will be missed tremendously. A service for Vivian and celebration of her and Irwin's lives, will be held on Friday February 27, 2015 at with Rabbi Martin Levy at the Sarkissian home located at: 2 Redondo Peak in Santa Fe. Please email: sarksteryahoo.com for directions. Berardinelli Family Funeral Service 1399 Luisa Street Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505) 984-8600 Please sign our guestbook for the family at: www.berardinellifuneralhome.com charging failure to pay fines and possession of methamphetamine. The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office took the following reports: Someone entered a home on Camino Quien Sabe and stole several pieces of jewelry on Wednesday.
Electronics and several pieces of jewelry were taken between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday during a burglary at a home in the 100 block of Feather Road. A burglar entered a home on Valle Duran in Pojoaque and stole an Xbox 360 entertainment console sometime during the day Jan. 16.
Help line St. Elizabeth Shelter for men, women and children: 982-6611 The Santa Fe Police Department took the following reports: A man stole a black laptop computer from the Interfaith Community Shelter, 2801 Cerril-los Road, between 3 and 4 p.m. Wednesday. Security camera footage shows the unidentified thief walking off with the computer. City officers arrested Rafael Garcia of Santa Fe on charges of driving with a revoked license, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and other traffic-related charges at 3:55 p.m.
Wednesday. City officers arrested Emily Sawyer-Hesch of Santa Fe early Wednesday morning on a warrant JOHN "TANK" BLEA 1948-2014 A gathering in remembrance of Tank will be held Saturday, February 21st at 12 noon at the F.O.P. on Airport Road. All are invited. Call 986-3000 Rivera Fa i LY Santa Fe's Premier Funeral Cremation Service Affordable Compassionate Locally Owned Opening Summer of 201 5 FUNERALS CREMATIONS.
