SantaFe.com

Gov. Bill Richardson said Monday he withdrew from his nomination as U.S. commerce secretary without pressure from Presidentelect Barack Obama, but he refused to answer questions about the federal inquiry that derailed his move from Santa Fe to the Cabinet.

In his first public appearance since Sunday’s surprise announcement by the Obama transition team, Richardson conceded that he was emotionally wounded by the turn of events.

“(On Sunday), I was hurting over this decision. I lost a Cabinet appointment,” he said, adding he was now turning his attention to state business.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009
by Michael Coleman and Dan Boyd • Journal Santa Fe

Sunday was the last day of free weekend Rail Runner service from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. And the question wasn’t so much, “Will people take the Rail Runner if it’s not free?” but “Will there be any weekend service at all?”

“We should know by the end of the week if we’re going to have Saturday service,” said Augusta Meyers, spokeswoman for Mid-Region Council of Governments, which operates the Rail Runner. “The Rail Runner was started to accommodate commuters primarily, but, of course, we want to provide weekend service if we can.”

Meyers said the Rail Runner will look at its...

Monday, January 5, 2009
by Polly Summar • Journal Santa Fe

Don’t worry — they’re keeping the windows. La Fonda, Santa Fe’s venerable oldest hotel, is closing its 1,800-square-foot central atrium Sunday for five or six months of renovation that will bring back the clean, understated Southwestern style that Mary Jane Colter and John Gaw Meem established in the 1920s. But the hotel owners know better than to mess with the beloved, hand-painted and flowery windows that hotel artist Ernesto Martinez added in the 1970s. “That’s the first thing people ask about,” Jennifer Kimball, chairman of the board of La Corporación de La Fonda, told the...

Saturday, January 3, 2009
by Kate McGraw • Journal Santa Fe

Admit it: There’s some secret part of you that lusts after those carriage rides in New York City’s Central Park.

Well, now you can have a little bit of that fantasy, Wild West style, here in Santa Fe.

You can hitch a ride on an exact replica of a red 1860 Concord stagecoach with bright yellow wooden wheels. “My wife’s cousin built it up in South Dakota,” said Monte Fastnacht. An American flag flies on the back of the red coach.

In the old days, Fastnacht said such a stagecoach would travel 100 to 150 miles a day and change horses every 15 to 10 miles. “And they would run four to six...

Friday, January 2, 2009
by Polly Summar • Journal Santa Fe

Just two weeks into Rail Runner service to Santa Fe, Railyard merchants say business is booming — but the parking situation leaves something to be desired.

The train, which runs between the City Different and Belen, has already carried tens of thousands of passengers to Santa Fe since beginning service Dec. 17. Around 20,000 people rode the rails the weekend of Dec. 27 and 28 alone.

For the most part, nearby businesses have so far given a thumbs up.

Overall, “it’s been terrific for business. It’s been good universally in the Railyard, I think, and Santa Fe’s downtown,” said Weldon...

Friday, January 2, 2009
by Kiera Hay • Journal Santa Fe

On Oct. 18, 2008, a group of teen comic artists (supported by helpful adults from 7,000 B.C. in Santa Fe and co-sponsored by True Believer Comics and Gallery) participated in a sleepover of sorts—except that there was very little sleeping that night. “24 Hour Comics Day” was an opportunity for teens to participate in a creative challenge: make a 24-page comic book in 24 hours. The impressive results have been on exhibit in Warehouse 21’s visual arts gallery, where they can be viewed through the end of this month.

Some of the teen artists carefully practiced the styles of popular,...

Friday, January 2, 2009
by Kim Russo • Journal Santa Fe

In Memoriam: As we enter 2009, I would like to express my personal appreciation to a great American artist who has recently passed away. Paula Rodriguez, along with her husband, Eliseo, almost single-handedly revived the art of straw appliqué during the nineteen-thirties. Since then she has produced many works, taught several generations of family and others to carry on the craft, earned many awards both local and national, and had her work placed in numerous museum collections. Mrs. Rodriguez will be sorely missed by many. Go see her work at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art Museum of...

Thursday, January 1, 2009
by Aline Brandauer • SantaFe.com

It’s 2009 and a beautiful snow blankets Santa Fe. Lights twinkle on one of the many trees outside. The rosebushes are waiting to bloom come spring along with the yuccas and cholla cactus. A cozy fire burns in the kiva fireplace in the den. It is the New Year and my owners are ready to move on but have lovingly prepared me for a new family.

Let me tell you about myself. I am the home at 1901 Calle de Sebastian , located on Santa Fe’s south east side in De Vargas Heights. One of only 3 or 4 homes in the neighborhood built around 1973 by ACE Contractors. I have a truly distinctive design. From...

Wednesday, December 31, 2008
by Gena Prince • Prince Fine Homes

Local ski areas are reveling in heavy snow and strong visitor numbers. At Taos Ski Valley, 4,535 skiers descended on the resort Monday, just shy of its 4,800 capacity, according to marketing manager Adriana Blake.

Last week, Taos averaged about 2,000 skiers a day.

“We ‘re up considerably over last year or the year before,” Blake said.

Around 6,500 skiers visited Ski Santa Fe on Saturday and Sunday, according to Candy DeJoia, that ski area’s group sales manager.

About 2,000 slope enthusiasts visited on Christmas day and Dec. 26.

That’s about average, DeJoia said.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008
from Journal Santa Fe

Most winter recreationists know that northern New Mexico offers a breadth of opportunity for the snowboarder as well as skiers of all preferences. They know that it’s normal in our state for upwards of 300 inches of mountain snow to fall in a given winter, that this snow has a rare fluffy quality found nowhere else on earth, and that the chances of experiencing it beneath a dark blue sky are extremely high. They might not know, however, that two New Mexico mountains (Santa Fe and Taos) are among the oldest major ski areas in the west, or that all New Mexico mountains are offering some...

Monday, December 29, 2008
by Toner Mitchell • SantaFe.com