SANTA FE, Texas, Nov. 20 (UPI) — The state of New Mexico should soon have its very own cowboy song as a commission attempts to choose the very best song it can find, an expert says.Music commissioner Rick Huff said after carefully listening to 26 musical entries for a state song contest, the New Mexico Music Commission has tabbed “Under New Mexico Skies,” by Edgewood resident Syd Masters as its winner, the Albuquerque Journal said Thursday.

Huff was careful to say that Wednesday’s decision in Santa Fe, N.M., did not represent a new Western song for the state.

A Western song and a cowboy song are close,” the Western Music Association official said. “A Western song can incorporate more of locale. But a cowboy song covers life, loves, lore, locale and legacy of the North American cowboy.”

Before “Skies” can officially become the state’s cowboy song, it must be approved by the Legislature during its 2009 session, the Journal reported.

ROCKET RACING INC., ARMADILLO AEROSPACE AND NEW MEXICO CREATE JOINT VENTURE TO LAUNCH PRIVATE SUBORBITAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION BUSINESS

New York, NY—Space took a giant leap closer to earth today, following the launch of a new joint venture between Rocket Racing, Inc. (RRI), Armadillo Aerospace and the government of New Mexico.  With a goal of sending adventurers into suborbital space with a target price of $100,000 per ticket or less, the three companies unveiled plans to field a fleet of reusable Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicles (RLV) that will take flight from Spaceport America near Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Each ship is slated to provide a cabin where passengers can float weightless with a 360-degree view of space. To date, other companies in the commercial space industry have promised rides to similar altitudes featuring small porthole-sized views for more than $200,000.

“I am honored that Rocket Racing, Inc. and Armadillo Aerospace have chosen New Mexico to set up shop,” said Governor Bill Richardson. “Spaceport America and the State of New Mexico are proud partners and together we are writing the next chapter of space transportation.”

Under the terms of the partnership, Armadillo Aerospace will develop the reusable launch vehicles and provide ground support and equipment.  The State of New Mexico will supply launch facility infrastructure and resources.  Rocket Racing Technology Development, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rocket Racing Inc., will provide financing for, and business and operational management of, the partnership.  Reservations, experience marketing, customer training and the coordination of the passengers’ overall experience will be managed exclusively by a third partner company that will be announced when marketing efforts begin.

“The price of space is coming down to earth,” said Granger Whitelaw, Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Racing, Inc. “And thanks to Armadillo’s ships and New Mexico’s spaceport, human beings will be treated to the most stellar views in the galaxy.”

While the venture owes its wings to technologies that have spent decades in development, its launch is made possible only through their recent combination.  Armadillo’s eight years of research and development on a dozen different flying vehicles is contributing engines, software, and operational capabilities. Meanwhile, the company’s ground and flight test programs for the Rocket Racing League over the past year has resulted in flight research data that will be applied to allow for superior vehicle tracking and passenger safety.

Beyond suborbital space tourism, Rocket Racing Inc. also plans to deploy its vehicles to serve in a variety of payload transport initiatives.  Target missions include micro-gravity experiments, astrophysics observations, reconnaissance and high-altitude scientific and meteorological measurements.

The companies plan to fly evolutions of existing vehicles to space and fabricate an initial manned vehicle prototype in 2009 and perform initial manned flights to space in 2010.

For more information or to find a schedule of future Rocket Racing League events, visit www.RocketRacingLeague.com.

About The Rocket Racing Leagueâ
Founded in 2005 by two-time Indianapolis 500 winning team partner Granger Whitelaw and X PRIZE Chairman and CEO Peter H. Diamandis, MD, the Rocket Racing Leagueâ (RRLä) is a new entertainment sports league that combines the exhilaration of racing with the power of rocket engines. To be held at venues across the country, the Rocket Racing League will feature multiple races pitting up to 10 Rocket Racers going head to head in a 4-lap, multiple elimination heat format on a 5-mile “Formula One”-like closed circuit raceway in the sky. For more information on the Rocket Racing League, please visit www.rocketracingleague.com.

About Armadillo Aerospace
Founded in 2000 by video game pioneer John Carmack, Armadillo Aerospace has been working to bring the dynamism of software development to aerospace projects. With over a hundred VTVL flights across many different vehicle architectures, and more FAA licensed experimental permit flights than the rest of the industry combined, the Armadillo team has amassed a unique body of experience on their path towards manned spaceflight.

The quesadillas in Quemado now have something to aspire to: Kim, owner of El Serape Café, has raised the humble concoction of tortillas, cheese and chicken to new heights. Hungry yet? You’ll want to try the new menu at El Serape Café (575-773-4620). Kim has also done a fantastic job of redecorating the restaurant with a warm, down-home touch. The breakfast, lunch and dinner menu is more than finger lickin’ good—it’s great! So go ahead and do your taste buds a favor and try her giant quesadilla. Don’t forget to leave some room for a slice of pie…

NOTE: El Serape Café will be closed for the winter months. We will let you know when Kim puts the coffee back on!

 

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, Oct 10, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) — Retail gasoline prices throughout New Mexico fell by more than 20 cents since last week, according to AAA New Mexico Weekend Gas Watch.

In New Mexico, the current average is $3.335 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. Nationally, the average price for a gallon is $3.350, which is almost 60 cents more than this time last year.

“Fuel demand in both the U.S. and Europe is lower than last year. The current economic situation is driving down the price of crude oil, and Gulf refineries are just about back to their normal levels for production and delivery, after Hurricane Ike,” says AAA New Mexico spokesman Dan Ronan. “With lower demand, and more fuel in the market, New Mexico prices are decreasing.”

The most expensive gas is in the Las Cruces area where prices are $3.37. Still, that’s a decrease of 15 cents since last week. The state’s cheapest gas is in Albuquerque at $3.12 a gallon after dropping a whopping 25 cents since last week.

Light sweet crude oil reached a record price of $147 on July 17, 2008. Oil is currently trading between $77 and $82, down nearly 40% since July and at a 13-month low. Gas reached a national peak average of $4.11 on July 17, and is still 59 cents above prices this time last year.

The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC) reminds residents that the states new area code (575) has been implemented throughout much of New Mexico, meaning permissive dialing period has come to an end and mandatory dialing is effective as of October 5, 2008.

Callers must use the correct area code to complete their calls. A recorded announcement will be played when a caller dials the old (505) area code for a number that moved to the new (575) area code. In addition, some callers may experience a series of tones (similar to tones generated by fax machines) before the recorded message reminding them of the area code change and to dial again.

As of October 5, 2008 callers will be required to use the correct area code to complete their call. The area code change will affect all phones, regardless of service provider.

Who has the new (575) Area Code?

The NMPRC divided the state into two regions: The southern and eastern portions of the state, including Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Clovis, Deming, Hobbs, Las Cruces, Penasco, Roswell, Raton, Silver City and Taos will get the new (575) area code (Quemado, Pie Town and Ruidoso also fall under the new code). The northwestern region of the state, including Albuquerque, Espanola, Farmington, Gallup, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Shiprock and most of the Navajo Nation, will retain the (505) area code.

I think New Mexicans will adjust well to the new area code changes, and the service providers have been very responsive in making this change a reality as well as making sure the transition period will be as smooth as possible, said NMPRC Chairman Jason Marks (Dist. 1). Because of the area code split, New Mexico is now in a
better position to handle the growth and demand for more telecommunications service.

The Commission would also like to remind residents and businesses to make sure their phones, fax machines, modems or other dialing devices are able to dial the new (575) area code where appropriate.

For additional information regarding the 505/575 area code split, contact the NMPRC at 1-888-427-5772 or write to: 1120 Paseo De Peralta, P.O. Box 1269, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Or you can contact the NMPRC Public Information Office at 505.827.4446 or by cell phone at 505.699.7991. For assistance in Native American languages, please call 1-888-427-5772.

Visit the NMPRC on the web at: www.nmprc.state.nm.us

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, Sep 26, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) — Retail prices throughout New Mexico for regular unleaded gasoline have decreased, according to AAA New Mexico Weekend Gas Watch. Nationally, the average price for a gallon is $3.683, which is more than 87 cents than this time last year.

In New Mexico, the statewide average is $3.609 a gallon for unleaded, down a little over 9 cents since last week. The most expensive gas in New Mexico is in the Las Cruces area where prices are $3.563. The state’s cheapest gas is in Albuquerque at $3.418 a gallon. Sales in both Las Cruces and Albuquerque are below the national average by almost 30 cents.

“Motorists are paying a wide range for gasoline across the nation. Alaska and Hawaii have the most expensive fuel in the nation at $4.27 a gallon, while Oklahoma has the least expensive at $3.38,” says AAA New Mexico spokesman Dan Ronan.

New Mexico residents traveling to and from neighboring states can expect to see gasoline prices vary by region. Flagstaff reports prices at $3.700 a gallon. Denver checks in at $3.561.

“After a busy September storm season along the Gulf Coast, the refineries that were shutdown for consecutive storms are coming back online as fast as the oil companies can get them up and running safely,” Ronan said. “The plants along the Gulf Coast are responsible for about 25 percent of the nations’ gasoline supplies. Refining capacity is not yet back to 100 percent, but the oil companies have indicated that there was less damage to the facilities than anticipated.”

Light, sweet crude oil reached a record price of $147.27 a barrel on July 11 and is currently trading in the range between $105 and $107.

Downtown Quemado has quite a few improvements lately, including the grand re-opening of the Largo Motel (575-773-4686) on Route 60. With a total of 20 brand new rooms built from the ground up, this will be a great place for your friends to hang their hats when they come to visit. Don’t forget to tell them about the green chili cheeseburgers they cook up at the Largo Cafe next door, which is sporting a revamped faade. There’s also construction underway for a new gas station and convenience store in town. You’ll be able to pull in and fill up your tank by Spring 2009.

Hungry? You’ll want to try the new menu at El Serape Cafe (575-773-4620). Owner, Kim, has also done a fantastic job of redecorating the restaurant with a warm, down-home touch. The breakfast, lunch and dinner menu is more than finger lickin’ good it’s great! Do your taste buds a favor and try her giant quesadilla and don’t forget to leave some room for a slice of pie…

The Las Cruces Museum of Art has an amazing collection of bronzes and letters by Master Auguste Rodin on exhibit through November 22, 2008. “Rodin: In His Own Words” features 35 bronze sculptures, original letters written by the artist, and an educational exhibit about the lost-wax casting process. The work presented explores the range of Rodin’s artistic legacy and provides insight into his thought process through his own writings and quotations.

This exhibition is organized and made possible by the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation.

Join Sky Dog owner Lori Barrett for her first artist reception, featuring Sharon Schwartzmann, this Friday, September 12, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Newly-opened in Los Ranchos, Albuquerque, in April 2008, this art space showcases local, regional, national and international artists, and presents a new way of buying art through consulting and customer service.

Commissioned by the Dia Art Foundation in 1977, The Lightning Field, by the American sculptor Walter De Maria, is described as “a work of Land Art” situated near Quemado. According to the Dia Art Foundation’s website, “It is comprised of 400 polished stainless steel poles installed in a grid array measuring one mile by one kilometer. The poles—two inches in diameter and averaging 20 feet and 7 1/2 inches in height—are spaced 220 feet apart and have solid pointed tips that define a horizontal plane.”

Sounds pretty impressive, but it’s even more so when you get up close.

The sculpture is meant to be walked in as well as viewed, though this is not something you can just drive up to and take a picture (hey, it’s not the World’s Largest Ball of Twine.) Those looking to experience The Lightning Field need to visit the Foundations’s website and make reservations for an overnight stay at their cabin. The Foundation vehicle picks you up from Quemado and takes you on the 45 minute drive to the fields; you’re not allowed to drive in your own car. The “visiting months” are only from May 1 through October 31 (and right now the weather’s perfect for a high country visit!) Sounds a bit mysterious, but it all adds to the drama. After all, what could possibly be more hair-raising than witnessing a field full of lightning bolts? By the way, they don’t guarantee a lightning storm, but what you can bet on is a sort of Zen encounter. Or a polarizing one, depending on who you go with. Nature, Man, Art, the mountains, the sunset, the sunrise, six people to the cabin… One thing is for sure: you won’t leave The Lightning Field unmoved.