February 10, 1972

CAR COLLISION involving a police officer in Socorro. A two-car crash took place involving a city police vehicle at the intersection of Spring and Park St. at 8:35 a.m. The other vehicle involved was a white and blue ’68 Camaro, driven by 19-year-old Lester Montoya, an employee of Rasco’s department store. Vehicle two, a 1971 Ford City Police car, was driven by Officer Gilbert Patterson. Both cars were heading east on Spring St. Neither driver was seriously injured although Patterson was admitted to Socorro General Hospital.

BASKETBALL FANS WANTED. A group of Socorro Warriors boosters are looking for fans who might be interested in making the trip to Silver City when the Warriors meet the fighting Colts on Feb. 18. Charley Reynolds, who is spearheading the move, says that 46 passengers would be needed to make chartering a bus feasible.

PINOCCHIO IS COMING TO TOWN. The beloved original Disney classic “Pinocchio” will be playing at the Loma theater. The popular family adventure will have two showings on Friday and Saturday starting at 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The tagline reads “See it now… So you’ll have time to see it again.”

February 15, 1972

STUDENT OF THE MONTH has been announced. The Pilot Club of Socorro has chosen Miss Bette Bieberman as the student of the month for February. She was chosen from her class in physical education at Socorro High School. Her teacher, Mrs. Georgia Serry, introduced Bette to the Pilot Club as she accepted the award. Miss Bieberman was acknowledged for being a leader in physical education, having participated in all intramural activities at Socorro High.

GARBAGE MEETING is set for Thursday. There will be a public meeting on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Mt. Caramel school lunchroom to discuss the critical problems with garbage disposal in Socorro. The meeting was called by the Socorro County Advisory Committee. Members of organizations such as the Garden Club, the A.A.U.W., Beta Sigma Phi, the Ecology Club, the Pilot Club, and the Socorro City Council are expected to attend. Ideas for sale and possible recycling options will be discussed.

IN COMPETITION for Socorro teen. Annette Gallegos has entered the National Teenager Pageant for girls ages 15-17. The state finals will take place on June 17. Miss Gallegos is Vice President of the Catholic Youth Conference, sings in the church choir and is active in Bible study group here in Socorro. She is 15 years old and active with the Socorro High School chorus group. Her ambition is to attend college yet stay a close member to the community.

February 12, 1997

CUSTOM CAR is ready to roll at Tech. It costs about as much as a Mercedes, and on a good run it can get up to 45 miles per hour. That is how the new custom-built car, the Roadrunner, is being described. New Mexico Tech Electric Racing Research Association has custom built a new aerodynamic vehicle that is completely solar powered. A schematic of the finished product resembles a cross between a cocoon and a paper airplane, says the team. The vehicle will race at the Sunrayce competition on a 1,230-mile-long track in Indianapolis.

SWIMMERS BREAK RECORDS. The Socorro High School swim team continued to write their old record book Saturday at Santa Fe High School. Six individual records were tied or broken during the 10-team event. The biggest improvement was Joe Gonzales as he improved his record 50 free by two seconds, finishing at 33.98.

NEW DIRECTOR at the Tech Macey Center. An El Paso native, Gabriel Ornelas comes into his new position all the way from Washington, D.C. where he attended graduate school at George Washington University and worked at RFK Stadium as an events and operations assistant. As a director of the Macey Center, Ornelas will be responsible for basic operations of the facility as well as coordinate requests for the use of the facility.

February 16, 1997

SATELLITE LAUNCH enlarges astronomer’s view. A successful launch of a Japanese satellite means that the VLBA here in Socorro, already a continent-wide telescoping system, along with NASA, will be part of an international consortium of space agencies to help create the largest astronomical “instrument” ever built. A radio telescope more than two-and-a-half times the diameter of the Earth, which will give astronomers their sharpest view yet of the universe.

PEE WEE basketball champs announced. Coached by Janice Castillo, the six player Hot Stuff squad take home the 1997 trophy in the amateur league. The Suns team came in second place.

TUTORING PROGRAM begins at Socorro High. Four students, Andrea Mertz, Lissa Herrera, Nago Lucero and Mike Nelson are spending three hours after school from Tuesday to Thursday to tutor classmates in basic curriculum. The program was implemented two weeks ago. Vice-principal Danny Padilla said the program is meant to help “borderline” students and those who are having trouble with a particular subject.

February 11, 2012

FIRST FIRE of the season has been put out near Bernardo. The first wildfire of the year broke out near Bernardo on Wednesday. The blaze, which consumed approximately 40 acres, was contained within hours by the Socorro County Fire Department. The fire is believed to have been human caused and is under investigation. The large brush fire was reported at 1:54 p.m. Wednesday, at which time the Abeytas and Veguita volunteer fire departments were dispatched.

MYSTERY WRITER is coming to Socorro. Steven F. Havill is the author of 21 novels set in the American West, in the fictional county of Posadas, N.M. He will be a special guest speaker at the annual meeting of the Friends of Socorro Public Library. Everyone in the community is invited.

ORCHESTRA coming to Socorro. The ever-popular Glenn Miller Orchestra brings their big band sound to Macey Center on Tuesday. In conjunction with the event, the New Mexico Tech Performing Arts Series and Tech Club will be offering a separately ticketed gourmet dinner at Fidel Center and free ballroom dance classes before the performance.

February 15, 2012

SHS GRAMMY WINNER Jeff Bhasker continues to shoot higher. He won his second Grammy having co-wrote “All of the Lights” with Kanye West. His first Grammy came during a collaboration with Jay-Z on the song “Run This Town.” Son of the Socorro mayor, Bhasker attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston before moving to Los Angeles. He has worked with several other big-name artists including The Game, Kid Cudi and Leona Lewis.

SCIENCE AT SARRACINO. Students from Sarracino Middle School placed first in the Science Olympiad competition in Silver City. A police-style investigative project titled “Crimebusters” took home first place at the competition. The project involved aspects of chemistry, criminology, and forensics.

Compiled by Greg Byrd

El Defensor Chieftain