Author: lydia

According to the pundits at CNNMoney are signs its heartbeat is getting stronger…

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Private sector payrolls soared in December while downsizing sank, two separate reports showed Wednesday in a strong indication of a brightening U.S. jobs picture.

Here’s a round-up of some of the “real estate oracles” we’ve found around the Internet. The mood is cautiously optimistic, which is just how we like it. Here at Southwest Properties and Hitching Post Land Co., we believe in solid investments—like land, for example. No wild cards, no roller coaster rides, no jumping through hoops for financing. We’re just sayin’…

CNBC’s Predictions 2011

U.S. Housing Market Predictions for 2011 and Beyond from The Home Buying Institute

AOL Real Estate: Housing Market 2011 Forecast

REAL Trends’ 2011 Market Predictions

NEW MEXICO WINTER WONDERLAND!

Snowshoes, snow mobiles, snow men, snow fights… 🙂

Hoping you are surrounded by

love and warmth this holiday season.

Merry Christmas from the folks at

Southwest Properties and Hitching Post Land Company!

Photo by Kelly Gatlin

Sunday, December 12, 12:00 PM to Sunday, December 12, 4:00 PM

At the Planetarium–New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.

Special Solar Sunday -Solstice Celebration!

Bilingual Family Day

Hands-on activities, safe sun-viewing through our own 16” Meade telescope, the ABC library and the Student Asteroid Project.

Special guests presentations include a Star Lab presentation of the Maya Night Sky with the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology and our own Solstice Project Chaco Exhibit.

Planetarium talk at 11 a.m.

A Community Science Connections Event!

Questions: August Wainwright
email: programs.NMMNHS@state.nm.us
call: 505-841-2861

Rainbow Ryders – the authorized hot air balloon company for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta – has unveiled the final design of its official New Mexico Centennial hot air balloon, which will be used to identify and promote the Centennial anniversary of New Mexico’s statehood over the next two years.

“Ballooning is an important part of New Mexico’s image and history, and we’re pleased to have this special balloon available to enhance commemoration activities statewide,” said Jodi Delaney, Director of the New Mexico Centennial.

Rainbow Ryders, which offers daily, year-round balloon rides for weddings, groups, conventions, company retreats and special occasions in New Mexico and Arizona, has joined with New Mexico Centennial Foundation and the New Mexico Tourism Department as a Founding Sponsor of the New Mexico Statehood Centennial 1912-2012 with this donation.

The Centennial will have a significant and long-lasting impact on the state’s residents and its visitors,” said Michael Cerletti, Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department, “and we welcome the generous support of Rainbow Ryders as we showcase the Land of Enchantment to potential visitors around the world.”

For more information about Rainbow Ryders visit http://www.rainbowryders.com

Four Daily Nonstops Link Southeast New Mexico with American’s Largest Hub

FORT WORTH, Texas,  — American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, will increase its service to Roswell, N.M., beginning April 5, 2011, adding a fourth daily round trip between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Roswell International Air Center (ROW). Eagle flies 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145 jets between DFW and Roswell.

“We are delighted to add another flight to Roswell, providing customers with more options throughout the day,” said Gary Foss, Vice President – Planning and Marketing for American’s regional network. “The community has been extremely supportive of our service since it began in 2007. Now, customers from throughout Southeastern New Mexico will have even more travel choices and convenient connections in Dallas/Fort Worth to destinations throughout American’s global network.”

Roswell is a thriving community, home to a number of military and law enforcement agencies, including the New Mexico Military Institute, established in 1891, and the International Law Enforcement Academy. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is located in nearby Artesia.

“We are pleased that American Eagle will be initiating a fourth flight between Roswell and DFW. A decision of this caliber confirms the strength of our regional economic development, tourism and essential travel needs in Southeastern New Mexico,” said Roswell Mayor Del Jurney. “Our partnership with American Eagle is based on the support of our community, and the confidence of the traveling population. We appreciate the continued commitment American Eagle has provided to the City of Roswell.”

“American Eagle’s success in bringing air service to the Pecos Valley is nothing short of amazing,” said Artesia Mayor Phillip Burch. “The company has focused on the travel needs of the cities, counties, businesses and government facilities in Southeast New Mexico. The resulting service has provided growth and economic opportunities that were previously unattainable. Congratulations to American Eagle for expanding the Roswell-Dallas/Fort Worth daily connection from three flights to four. The City of Artesia is proud to be a partner in this regional air service relationship.”

“We are excited to learn about American Eagle’s addition of the fourth flight from Roswell to Dallas/Fort Worth, offering more convenient flight times for the residents in Carlsbad and the Pecos Valley,” said Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway. “American Eagle has been a great community partner with their sponsorship of Christmas on the Pecos and the Court Appointed Special Advocates, which supports placing abused children in foster homes.”

Here is the schedule for flights to and from Roswell (all times local):

About American Eagle

American Eagle operates over 1,500 daily flights to nearly 160 cities throughout the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico and the Caribbean on behalf of American Airlines. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® airlines serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American’s award-winning website, AA.com, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve approximately 750 destinations in nearly 150 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com We know why you fly and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR).

By Dianne Stallings dstallings@ruidosonews.com

Nov. 17–A project covering more than $1 million of renovations at the Ruidoso Convention Center is winding down, Deputy Village Manager Bill Morris told councilors last week.

When everything is ready and the furniture arrives, an open house will be announced, he said. Councilor Jim Stoddard said the public should be invited to see the results of the work funded by lodgers tax.

The hallway and the fireplace with wood mantel and stone veneer were finished with the exception of some iron work, Morris said. Divider walls, ceilings and walls in three small meeting rooms were completed and new wooden doors were installed.

“Outside work is continuing on the columns and handicapped ramps, as well as the portico area by the front door,” he said. The wood beams and metal structure for trusses are in and the new roof was nearly ready, he added. Stucco work was hampered by seasonal rains earlier, but the time was used to focus on furnishings and paintings inside.

“It’s an amazing place,” he said.

Morris was sitting in at the beginning of the meeting to give Village Manager Debi Lee a chance to recuperate from her trip to Santa Fe, after she had a flat tire and slid through the door moments after the session began.

In other sections of the manager’s report, Morris said the village received more than 200 applications for short-term rental registration.

“I signed 90 today and I’m happy with that,” he said.

The applications are necessary to comply with the village new rules on short-term rentals to ensure that gross receipts taxes are paid and premises are inspected for fire safety.

“In addition, the staff has been fielding a number of calls from outside the area after the notification went out in the water bills,” he said. “They were directed to the village website for the ordinance and application.”

For notification purposes connected to the compliance deadline of March 10, 2011, staff also included notices in upcoming utility bills, issued public service announcements to local media, hand-delivered applications to known rental agencies and placed the ordinance and application on the web page, he said.

Forty-five new businesses registered with the village clerk’s office during September, according to the manager’s report.

The Finance Department developed a firm schedule for monthly bank account reconciliations, a previous shortcoming criticized in several audits.

The first day of the month, a staff member begins the reconciliation and Finance Director Nancy Klingman initiates her review of the financial statements. She and Lee sign off in line with internal controls. Another staffer ensures all journal entries are entered into the system. The entire finance department meets and reviews the financials and makes any corrections. The financial statements then are printed and given to each department. Staff responds to any concerns of department heads. The process takes about two weeks. Her goal is to reduce that time period, Klingman noted in the report.

Temporary employee Karen Bushnell took over the task of reconciling project financials under the Federal Emergency Management Agency connected to the July 2008 flood.

“This is very time consuming, as she is finding incomplete records or records out of sequence,” the report states. She’s working with the auditors on any FEMA questions.

The auditors performing two fiscal year audits for the village this year will be in village hall the entire month of November and most of December to complete the audits on schedule.

Village Fire Chief Tom Gavin was selected by the National Fire Protection Association from many nominations throughout the country to serve as a primary staff member to a seven-member technical committee on Wildfire Suppression Professional Qualifications.

Committee nominations are competitive and the applicants nominated are considered to be technical experts.

To see more of the Ruidoso News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ruidosonews.com.

You’ve bought yourself the perfect spot, with the perfect view: why not get inspired and build green? The land in New Mexico just lends itself to eco-building. And did you know you can save yourself some money? Clean energy tax incentives are just the start.

Learn how you can contribute to a sustainable future with Build Green NM.

SWAIA Winter Indian Market

Who:The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA)
What:The 2010 SWAIA Winter Indian Market
When: Saturday, November 27. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. & Sunday, November 28 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Thanksgiving Weekend). Robert Mirabal Concert: Sunday, November 28: 1:00 p.m.
Where: Santa Fe Convention Center: 201 W. Marcy St. Santa Fe, NM 87501
How Much: $5 Admission to the Market: $15 Robert Mirabal Concert (fee includes entrance into the Winter Market on Sunday, Nov. 28)

(SANTA FE, NM) The SWAIA Winter Indian Market, formally known as the “SWAIA Winter Showcase,” is a yearly Native arts sale held during Thanksgiving weekend at the Santa Fe Convention Center. This year the Winter Indian Market includes 130 Native artists, eight artist demonstrators, silent auction, a holiday concert by Robert Mirabal and a “Fashion Row” featuring the work of Native fashion designers Patricia Michaels, Penny Singer, Dorothy Grant and Margaret Wheeler.

Like its summer counterpart, the Winter Indian Market hosts Native artists for a premiere Native art sale. It is an opportunity to buy authentic Native artwork directly from the artists. One noticeable difference, however, is its size. Rather than the 1100 artists selling artwork work during the summer Indian Market, only a select 130 artists have been invited to participate in Winter Indian Market.

An expanded programmatic addition to the Winter Indian Market is a series of eight artist demonstrations booths called “Inside the Artists’ Studios.” The studios are replicas of each artist’s personal workspace. From raw materials to exquisite works of art, visitors will have the chance to witness these talented individuals demonstrate their skills and creative process. From painting to katsina carving, the artist demonstrations will take place the entire weekend. Participating artist and co-op demonstrators include:

• Hoka Skenandore (Oneida/Oglala Lakota/Luiseno) Painter
• Les Namingha (Hopi) Potter
• A:shiwi A:wan Musuem and Heritage Center: Zuni Basket Weavers
• Stetson Honyumptewa (Hopi) wood carver *2010 Best of Show Winner*
• Ramah Navajo Weavers Association
• Kenneth Johnson [Muscogee/Seminole] Jeweler
• Poeh Cultural Center and Museum: Jewelry, Potter and Sculpture
• Dusty and Bernice Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo) Potters

There will be a special holiday concert by two-time GRAMMY winning artist and musician, Robert Mirabal (Taos Pueblo). Maintaining a traditional life, keeping the centuries-old customs of the Taos Pueblo people, Robert has been described as a Native American “Renaissance man” – musician, composer, painter, master craftsman, poet, actor, screenwriter, horseman and farmer – and travels extensively playing his music all over the world. Seating is limited. Robert’s performance last year was sold out.

For more information contact Gabe Gomez at (505) 983-5220 ggomez@swaia.org

SOUTHWESTERN ASSOCIATION FOR INDIAN ARTS

P.O. BOX 969 SANTA FE, NM 87504

Phone: 505.983.5220 Fax: 505.983.7647