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50 CENTSTRINIDADCOLORADO
Proudly Serving Southeastern Colorado and Northeastern New Mexico • www.thechronicle-news.com
~Vol. 139, No. 53
MONDAYMARCH 16, 2015
MARCH 16Aguilar SchoolsMONDAY (4:30 p.m.) Board of Ed-
ucation will hold a workshop followed by the regular session at the school, 420 N. Balsam. Information: Natalie Grubelnik, 719-941-4188.
Town of StarkvilleMONDAY (6 p.m.) Board of Trust-
ees public meeting in the Fisher’s Peak Fire Department boardroom, 8361 County Road 69, Starkville. Informa-tion: Crick Carlisle, 719-680-7199.
Today’s Quote“Never interrupt
someone doing what you said couldn’t be
done.”~Amelia Earhart
MARCH 17Happy St. Patrick’s DaySaint Patrick’s Day is a cultural and
religious celebration occurring annu-ally on this day, the death date of the most commonly recognized patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461).
Las Animas CountyTUESDAY (9 a.m.) Board of Coun-
ty Commissioners meeting is in the Las Animas Courthouse, 200 E. First St., Room 201. Information: 719-845-2568. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS: Gary Hill (719-845-2595), Mack Louden (719-845-2592), and An-thony Abeyta (719-846-9300).
Trinidad Writers’ GuildTUESDAY (2 p.m.) This group
will meet at 109 E. Fifth St. Info: Dana Miller, 719-422-8352 or [email protected].
Primero SchoolsTUESDAY (5 p.m.) District Board
of Education will meet in executive session with regular session to follow at 6 p.m. in the Primero School Caf-eteria, 20200 Highway 12. Information: Tina East, 719-868-2715.
COMMUNITY MEET & GREETMARCH 17 (5:30-7 p.m.) Please
join the staff and employees at City Hall to welcome the new City Manager Gabriel Engeland, 135 N. Animas St. Info: 719-846-9843.
TMS Mini Health FairMARCH 17 (6-8 p.m.) Everyone
is invited to the 4th Annual event will be held at the Trinidad Middle School Gym and Cafeteria, Park Street. Info: 719-846-4411.
Trinidad City Council TUESDAY (7 p.m.) Regular ses-
sion will be held in Council Chambers, City Hall, 135 N. Animas St. Informa-tion: Audra Garrett, 719-846-9843. CITY COUNCIL: Mayor: Joe Re-orda and Council Members: Carol Bolton, Joe Bonato, Pat Fletcher, Anthony Mattie, Michelle Miles, and Liz Torres.
PUBLIC SERVICEChamber of CommerceMARCH 18 (Noon) Monthly busi-
ness luncheon will be held at the Mt. Carmel Community Center, 911 Rob-inson Ave. Guest speaker will be Karen Griego. Please RSVP: 719-846-9285.
Becoming A MomMARCH 18 (1-2:30 p.m.) Intro-
ductory session for this community program will be held at the Mt. Carmel Center, 911 Robinson Ave. Info: 719-845-4880.
Lifeline ScreeningMARCH 19: Stay stroke free —
Event will be held at the Faith Christian Fellowship Church, 2608 Santa Fe Trail Dr. Pre-registration required: 1-800-364-0457 or www.lifelinescreening.com.
CASTING CALL!MARCH 21 (10 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Speaking and non-speaking parts, ex-tras, and any other behind the scenes personnel tryouts for the new film to be made in Trinidad “DIGGERZ” will be held at the Massari Theater, corner of Broom and State Streets. Non-SAG Actors only—must be 18 years of age. Info: Kirk Loudon, [email protected].
SCRT PerformanceFRIDAY & SATURDAY (7 p.m.)
& SUNDAY (2 p.m.) Neil Simon’s “I Ought to be in Pictures,” directed by Fred Vaugeois runs at the South-ern Colorado Repertoire Theatre, 131 West Main St. Info: 719-846-4765 or www.scrtheatre.com.
La Casa Lip Sync ContestMARCH 21 (7 p.m.) Compete for
prizes at this fun event to be held at the Trinidad Middle School on Park St.
THE FINE PRINT
WEATHER WATCHMonday: Sunny, with a high near 76.
West southwest wind 10 to 15 mph decreas-ing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Night:
Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north northwest after midnight.
Tuesday: A 10 percent chance of show-ers before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 57. North northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Night: A 10 per-cent chance of showers before midnight.
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. South-east wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. West southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west northwest after midnight.
RIVER CALLPurgatoire River Call as of: 03/13/15. Hoehne ditch: Prior-ity # 9 --- Appropriation date: 01/01/1862.
Trinidad Reservoir Accounting:Release .63 AFInflow 67.58 AF -- 34.07 CFSEvaporation 5.95 AFContent 18,050 AFElevation 6,180.87Precipitation 0
Downstream River Call / John Martin Reservoir: (Conservation Storage) 05/31/1949.
THE CHRONICLE NEWS
Continued on Page 2 ...
Photos by Eric John Monson and Adam Sperandio / The Chronicle-News
Lady Farmers 3rd at StateTop Row: Head Coach Beth Kreutzer, Manager Brett Lucero, Brittani Hill, Brooke Lucero, Cydney Kreutzer, Megan Robins, Jordan Trujillo, Kendra Van Matre, Shaelyn Walton, Manager Colton Grable. Sitting: Bailee Jones, Sophie Anderson, Aspen Anderson, Sydney Aragon, Zoe Rivas and the 2-A Colorado State Third Place Trohphy. Inset: Sophie Anderson. See more on page six.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
American Legion helps stranded motorists get back on the roadBy Steve BlockThe Chronicle-News
Trinidad’s American Legion
Post 11 might not have the large membership it once did, but when pressed into service to help some-one in trouble, it will find a way to come through. It certainly did this week for Linda Lichty, whose
motor home broke down 60 miles from Trinidad Monday on a trip from Ohio to her home in Cathe-dral City, Calif.
Lichty managed to get her ve-hicle towed to the parking lot of Trinidad’s Quality Inn, but with little money and a motor home in need of repairs, she was up against it. Aguilar’s Post No. 42 Com-mander Stan Cusimano contacted Trinidad’s Post No.11 Commander David Walker and told him about
the three stranded motorists who needed help in Trinidad. Lich-ty’s father is a recently deceased World War II veteran, who served in the U.S. Army Air Force and won three medals and a meritori-ous unit award.
Post No. 11 keeps a special fund just for such emergencies, so Walker was able to buy a meal
for the three stranded motorists, who hadn’t eaten so far that day. He then contacted me-chanic Terry Brown of Fast Services, a man who knows his way around an engine and who offered his servic-es free of charge.
“It had overheated and the fan belt was broken,” Walker said. “He got to work on it and he adjusted the carburetor. The carbu-retor was probably out of adjustment because the motor home was from Ohio, and at this elevation it needs re-adjustment. So he got it running. It was fine and we got the radia-tor topped off. We let it run for a while to make sure everything was go-ing okay. We got them on their way.”
The motor home’s transmission line had also frozen up and the gearshift wouldn’t work. It turned out that when the engine overheated, it melted the transmission line, but Brown was able to
find a used one at a junkyard and replace it. It took him about three hours to get the motor home ready for the road.
Walker said he’d talked to Lich-ty on the phone a day later and the motor home was working just fine. He said Lichty was very grateful to the folks at the Quality Inn, who let three travelers hang out there while the motor home was being
Photo courtesy of the American Legion Post 11Californian Linda Lichty got help when she was stranded here Monday from American Legion Post No. 11 Commander David Walker, right, and local mechanic Terry Brown of Fast Services (not pictured).
Continued on Page 2 ...
Steve Block / The Chronicle-NewsMichelle LeBlanc tells students and staff at Trinidad State about the drunk driv-ing accident that claimed the life of her brother and his best friend.
By all means have a good time, but please don’t drink and driveTrinidad State urges safety, sobriety on Spring BreakBy Steve BlockThe Chronicle-News
It was a beautiful day for an
outdoor event celebrating the start of Spring Break at Trinidad State Junior College, but it came with a stern warning. With the break starting this weekend, students were warned about the possibly devastating consequences of con-suming drugs and / or alcohol and getting behind the steering wheel of a vehicle.
The Safe Spring Break event
Wednesday included students try-ing out ‘drunk goggles,’ eyewear that distorts the wearer’s vision, simulating drunkenness. They were provided with pamphlet about the dangers of binge drink-ing, which means consuming five consecutive drinks for a man, or four for a woman, One drink is considered to be a 12 ounce beer, a 10 ounce wine cooler, five-ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof hard liquor. The pamphlet em-phasized that the more a person drinks, the greater effect alcohol has on the body and mind. The legal driving limit is .08 percent, which for some people is just two or three drinks. Students were advised never to drive if they had consumed too much alcohol, and never to accept a ride from some-one who had been drinking.
Michelle LeBlanc, an adjunct faculty member at Trinidad state,
ARRIVE ALIVE!
CONGRATULATIONS! WAY TO GO LADIES!
Continued on Page 2 ...
PAGE 6HOEHNE AT STATE
Page 2 Monday, March 16, 2015 The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado
General ManagerAllyson Sheumaker
AdvertisingSales-Adam Sperandio
Classifieds, Memorials, & Circulation- Joey Loewen
Design & Legals- Lauri [email protected]
News RoomEditor: Eric John Monson
Features Editor, Fine Print, Design & Layout Catherine Moser
Reporter: Steve [email protected]
Business Hours:Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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P.O. Box 763, Trinidad, CO 81082(719) 846-3311 • Fax (719) 846-3612
Member: Associated Press, Colorado Press AssociationPeriodicals Postage Paid For At Trinidad, CO.
Published Monday - Fridayw w w.thechronicle-news.com
Subscription RatesEffective Aug. 1, 2013
Home Delivery Trinidad1 Month ................$7.003 Months.............$21.006 Months.............$42.001 Year....................$84.00
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NOTICE
LAS ANIMAS COUNTYBOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
WOULD LIKE TO INVITE ALL INTERESTEDMEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO A
PUBLIC MEETING
The purpose of this meeting is to take input regarding arequest by The Trinidad Area Health Association to obtainownership of the hospital property and land. Members ofTAHA and the LAC Commissioners will be in attendance
at the meeting.
March 18, 20156:00 p.m.
200 E. First Street, Room #201Trinidad, CO 81082
For more information contact the LAC Administrativeoffice at 791-845-2568
THE CHRONICLE-NEWS IS SEEKING:
Bookkeeper/front desk position. Full-time with benefits.
Good Customer service skills are a must, experience with Mac & 10-key preferred.
Contact Allyson at 719-846-3311 or email resume to
65 Comi Funeral Home
Frank A. GeraldiFrank A. Geraldi, passed
away peacefully at home onMarch 12, 2015. He was 73.
Complete obituary anda r r a n g e m e n t s w i l l b eannounced at a later date.
Arrangements made underthe direction of the ComiFuneral Home.
Roma FebbraroOn March 10, 2015, we lost
o u t l o v i n g m o t h e r ,g r a n d m o t h e r , g r e a t -grandmother, great-greatgrandmother and great-great-great grandmother,Roma Febbraro.
Visitation will be Sundayfrom 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at theComi Chapel.
Funeral Services will beMonday,, March 16, 2015with Rosary at 9 a.m. at theComi Chapel followed by theFuneral Mass at 10 a.m. atHoly Trinity Church.
Interment will follow at theTrinidad Catholic Cemetery.
Arrangements made underthe direction of the ComiFuneral Home.
Susie L. ThompsonSusie L. Thompson, age
91, passed away on March7, 2015, in Pueblo, Colo.
V i s i t a t i o n w i l l b eWednesday, March 18, 2015from 9 a.m.-Noon followedby Funeral Services at 1p.m. at the Comi FuneralHome Chapel, with Mr. JackNewkirk officiating.
Interment will follow at theTrinidad Masonic Cemetery.
Arrangements made underthe direction of the ComiFuneral Home. 62 Memorials
In Loving Memory ofAlex Monteleone Jr.
who passed away 14 yearsago March 16, 2001
It was you dear Lord, thatbrought us together in the
sacrament of marriage.May the love we shared on
earth find its ultimatemeaning in the joy of heaven
and our reunion with youLord. Amen
I think of you and thank Godevery day for the 44 years
we spent together.
Sadly missed by your wifeMargie, children, Kathy,
Richard, Ken and Mary Joand spouses; seven grand
children and five great-grandchildren.
62 Memorials
In Loving Memory OfElaine Abeyta
On Her 4th year in HeavenMarch 16th
Safely HomeI am home in Heaven,
dear ones;Oh, so happy and so bright!
There is perfectjoy and beauty
In this everlasting light.
All the pain and grief is over,Every restless tossing
passed;I am now at peace forever,
Safely home inHeaven at last.
Did you ever wonderI so calmly
Trod the valley of the shade?Oh! but Jesus'Arm to lean on,
Could I have one doubt ordread?
Then you must notgrieve so sorely,
For I love you dearly still:Try to look beyondearth's shadows,
Pray to trust our Father'sWill.
There is work stillwaiting for you,
so you must not idly stand;do it now, while life
remaineth-You shall rest in Jesus' land.
When that work isall completed,
He will gently call you Home;Oh, the rapture of that
meeting,Oh, the joy to see you come!
For now, I'll be patient Dearyou try to do the same
We'll be together once againWhen the Good Lord
Calls my name
Missing Youyour Husband Anthony &Sons Ants, Budge, Fritz
and their familiesAnd new and first Great
Granddaughter, Elaina Rae
American Legion helps stranded motorists... Continued from Page 1
Trinidad State urges safety, sobriety on Spring Break... Continued from Page 1
told the assembled crowd about how devastated she was when her brother died in a drunk driving acci-dent.
“I went to the Celebra-tion of Life service and the church was filled with about 800 people and there were about 200 more out-side,” LeBlanc said. “The church was filled with beau-tiful flowers, but I didn’t go there for my wedding. I was there to celebrate two lives that were very important, my brother, Luke, and his best friend, Matt. They had been killed four days before in a drunk driving accident.
They were best friends and they were in the same car. They did everything to-gether and they died togeth-er. My brother’s autopsy showed that he was over the legal limit for blood al-cohol. He was intoxicated. Luke was 26 and Matt was 19 and they were also cous-ins. Matt had no alcohol in his system at all.”
LeBlanc said the car just behind her brother’s was also being driven by a drunk driver, Luke’s girl-friend, who was following too close behind, and when Luke swerved for some rea-son his car was T-boned by
the following car. It took emergency services person-nel one and a half hours to extricate her brother’s body from the vehicle.
“We celebrated their lives and we still do,” she said. “I want you to make good decisions. I want you to live large and live well. If your friends are making bad decisions, then walk away from that situation. Loss means you have to live, but be smart. Make good decisions. Be around people and have fun on spring break. I want to hear a ‘Git ‘er done!’ from you for Luke and Matt.”
The crowd roared as two emergency services vehicles, a fire truck and an ambulance drove into the parking lot for a res-cue simulation involving a wrecked car with a mani-kin trapped inside. Cap-tain Aaron Morabito of the
Trinidad Fire Department described the difficult and sometimes dangerous work that rescue workers have to do to save people’s lives un-der pressure. The crewmen used the ‘Jaws of Life’ to re-move one of the car’s doors and also removed its roof before being able to careful-ly extract the manikin from the vehicle.
Capt. Morabita said rescue crews often have to unhook a vehicle’s bat-tery to avoid the risk of fire, and demobilize its air bags to avoid serious in-jury when the bags deploy unexpectedly. The students seemed sobered by all the serious news they heard at the gathering, and as they head out for Spring Break, college officials hoped that they would remember how potentially deadly the mix-ture of alcohol and driving could be.
fixed, and waived the charge for coffee once they understood the situation.
It’s one example of how the Ameri-can Legion works to help the commu-nity and travelers who have trouble out on the road. The local Legion Post is always looking for new members to keep the good works going on. Its monthly meetings are held 6 p.m. on the first Friday of each month at the Sayre Senior Center, which is located at 1222 San Pedro Ave.
Steve Block / The Chronicle-NewsEmergency services personnel simulate a rescue of a passenger trapped inside a wrecked vehicle at the Safe Spring Break event held at Trinidad State on Wednesday. It was a sobering demonstration and a good reminder for students to remember that drinking and then getting behind the wheel is a deadly proposition.
Photo courtesy of the American LegionLinda Lichty’s motor home is now back out on the road after breaking down Mon-day about 60 miles north of Trinidad.
Easter SundayApril 5 • 11 a.m.
Friday, April 107 p.m.
216 Broom St.
Trinidad United Methodist Church
Gospel Easter ConcertFeaturing:
Church Choir & the TUMC Gospel Combo
Directed by Dr. Amy Lee Wilson-Mangelsdorf
CommunityThings to know at the Colorado statehouse Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — Here’s what will be keeping Colorado lawmakers busy this week:
—CRUCIAL REVENUE FORECASTLawmakers will get their quarterly
forecast from economists Wednesday on the amount of taxes the state is bringing in. The report will play an im-portant role in the annual state budget lawmakers will be debate and vote on in the coming weeks, and they’ll know how much surplus revenue they’ll have to refund to residents under the
Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. Lawmakers will also use the report to try to find funding for pending bills, including increasing penalties for repeat DUI of-fenders.
—PARENT’S BILL OF RIGHTSOne of the most contentious bills of
the year faces its toughest test when it gets its first House committee vote Thursday. The Republican-sponsored Parent’s Bill of Rights gives parents broad authority over their children’s school curriculum and medical treat-ment. The bill has already cleared the GOP-controlled Senate. But the bill’s opposition has come from Democrats, and they control the House.
—STUDENT ARRESTS, CITATIONSLegislators want law enforcement
to report data on student arrests for sexual assaults and marijuana use on school grounds. A bill being consid-ered in a House committee Monday would add those cases to the list of vio-
lations on school property that must be reported to the state Department of Public Safety.
—CONSTRUCTION LAWColorado developers have long
wanted lawmakers to put new curbs on lawsuits over defective home con-struction. Two long-awaited bills to tackle the issue get their first hearings of the year in Senate committees. One of the bills has bipartisan support, though many expect the bills to clear the Senate but fall flat in the Demo-cratic-controlled House.
—FEDERAL LANDSA longtime priority for some Re-
publicans — increasing state control over federal lands — faces its first hearing Monday in a Senate commit-tee. The bill giving Colorado “concur-rent jurisdiction” has drawn the ire of conservation groups and faces almost certain doom in the Democratic-con-trolled House.