Southwest roundup - Nov. 7

Halloween snowfall blankets area ski resorts

TAOS — A snowstorm that rolled across Northern New Mexico on Oct. 30 and lasted through Halloween morning, dropped nearly a foot or more of fresh powder at area ski resorts.

Sipapu Ski Resort near Taos received a foot of snow on Oct. 30. Crews started the snow guns for the first time this season as well, gearing up for the scheduled opening day Nov. 17.

Angel Fire Resort received about 13 inches of snow, according to local snow reports.

Taos Ski Valley and Red River also received several inches.

— The Taos News

Project seeks to ID unmarked graves

FORT SUMNER — Don Wilson, project coordinator for Fort Sumner Cemetery, is working to identify and archive the cemetery’s unmarked graves.

In 2006 he began taking pictures of his family’s headstones for family history research. Suzanne Bailey Eldridge had already undertaken a project to inventory the cemeteries and graves in De Baca County, so he consulted with her and began to record photographs of all the cemetery grave markers.

That’s when he noticed many of the graves were either unmarked or missing information.

The project aims to mark every grave within the cemetery, where people have been buried since 1913. Wilson is seeking community input for the project.

— De Baca County News

School grades on interactive website

The New Mexico Public Education Department has announced the launch of the state’s first online portal to help parents and families better access their school grades.

NMPED worked with parents and families from across New Mexico to create nmschoolgrades.com — an interactive website with information on how schools are serving students.

Families can find information about student performance, student population, attendance, past years’ performance and more, in both English and Spanish.

— Roswell Daily Record

Marijuana dispensary breaks ground

CLAYTON — Ultra Health, a New Mexico cannabis company, broke ground on the state’s first custom build-to-suit cannabis dispensary on Oct. 24 in Clayton.

The dispensary, located in the most heavily trafficked area in northeastern New Mexico, is estimated to bring in millions in revenue once the state legalizes cannabis for social use.

The 2,680-foot Ultra Health dispensary will open in January 2019.

— Union County Leader

Ammunition facility coming to Roswell

ROSWELL — A small-weapons ammunition manufacturer plans to begin operations at the Roswell International Air Center.

Red Mountain Arsenal LLC, a start-up incorporated in Gilbert, Arizona, in January, intends to create ammunition “built to customer requirements,” according to a placeholder website.

“It is a purpose-built munitions building,” said John Mulcahy, president of the Roswell-Chaves County Economic Development Corp. “It is poured concrete. The door on the front is 7 inches thick and it is solid steel and it has a concrete roof and it is made for that sort of behavior.”

Officials have not announced an opening date.

— Roswell Daily Record

Roswell considering drone training facility

ROSWELL — The city and the International Air Center are considering partnering with local schools and universities to create a drone training facility in northwest Roswell.

Mark Bleth, the new Air Center manager, said he has worked with Community Development Manager and Planning Director Bill Morris to set aside 10 acres or more to create an “aeronautical annex” to train youth and college students to operate drones, or unmanned aircraft systems.

The plan is only in the conceptual phase.

— Roswell Daily Record

Taos publisher inducted into HOF

TAOS — Chris Baker, publisher of the weekly Taos News, was inducted into the New Mexico Press Association Hall of Fame during the group’s annual conference Oct. 27 in Albuquerque.

Baker was described as a man devoted to community newspapers and to the communities they serve.

“He’s always paying it forward,” said Sean McCleneghan, former head of the Journalism Department at New Mexico State University and Baker’s mentor when he was a student there.

Baker joined The Taos News as publisher in 2000 after more than a decade as a journalist, ad director and publisher at newspapers around the West.

— Taos News