Compiled by Denise Ortega

April 6, 1972

SHERIFF’S DEPT. TAKES QUICK ACTION. Easter Sunday morning the State Police notified the Sheriff’s Department of a burglary at Ranchman’s Inn in Magdalena. Sheriff Tom Zimmerman and Undersheriff Armijo arrived at 11 a.m. and found $1,000 in turquoise jewelry taken from the jewelry sale case. The top of the cabinet had been pried up and a spot of blood was on the glass. Prints were taken and found to be that of a woman.

A GROUP OF FIRST AND SECOND grade girls from Miss JoAnn Topinka’s class at San Antonio School recently visited Maimies Flower and Photography shop in Socorro. The object of the visit was to introduce the children to such jobs as photography and florist and to see a successful business operated by local people.

SUPERMART STOP AND SHOP

Vienna Sausage 5 Cans $1.00

Potted Meat 8 Cans $1.00

Tomato Soup 10 Cans $1.00

Fresh Lettuce Head $.21

Similac 24/13 oz. Cans Per Case $7.20

April 2, 1997

STILL QUESTIONS IN LOPEZ DEATH. State police are trying to find out who killed a Socorro man over the weekend. Pete Lopez, 50, was found dead five miles west of Socorro on Saturday, March 29. Pete Lopez, died from “multiple gunshot wounds,” Lt. Mike Hill said. An unidentified tourist couple came upon Pete Lopez’s body around 9 a.m., in a parking lot of the St. Jude shrine, located off of U.S. Highway 60. Hill said police “are actively pursuing this case as a homicide.”

NAOMI SERNA, a 1994 graduate of Socorro High School, was recognized at a reception honoring new members to the Golden Key National Honor Society at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Membership in Golden Key academically recognizes the top 15 percent of all juniors and seniors at a university.

April 6, 1997

FIRE BURNS TWO ACRES. City firefighters spent four hours Wednesday putting out a fire that burned two acres of Bosque just southwest of the railroad depot. Chief Bob Brunson said his department is still looking into what caused the fire. “We have no witnesses,” he said.  The fire spread into the tops of dead cottonwood trees and also damaged a bush. No one was injured. The fire department received word about the fire between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m.

A SOCORRO HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR will work this summer as an intern in the Albuquerque office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Crockett Moore, 18, will be joining Bingaman’s Albuquerque staff after his graduation from SHS in May. Moore said his duties will cover basic office assignments for entry level employees.

March 31, 2012

AGILITY, TOP PHYSICAL CONDITION, discipline, a fierce competitive spirit, teamwork. All are attributes necessary for any athlete no matter the sport. Magdalena school district’s ace squad, the Steerleaders snagged third place in Class 2A at the State Spirit Competition at the Santa Ana Star Center on March 24. The all-sophomore squad competed against teams from all over the state in the New Mexico Activities Association event. State Spirit Competition was recognized by the NMAA last year as an official sport. The routines included cheers and dance. Squads were also judged on poise and presentation. Teams qualified for state by entering three NMAA-sanctioned competitions during the school year. The event was scored by out-of-state judges.

GLORIA MARTINEZ AND LEE ARMIJO were joined in marriage on February 25, 2012 at First Baptist Church in Socorro with Pastor Bob Farmer officiating. They were attended by their children and are making their home in Albuquerque and Socorro. Friends and family joined them for a reception at the Bodega, where they danced to the music of Pete Gonzales and Rudy Latasa.

El Defensor Chieftain