Compiled by Denise Ortega

JULY 31, 1973

THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT OFFICERS picked up Sunday morning on the southeast side of the airport’s runway ten sacks filled with some 1500 pounds of marijuana valued on the black market at close to a half million dollars. Some of the marijuana was packed in five-pound bricks. There were 161 packages in all close to 200 pounds loose. Sheriff Tom Zimmerman was tipped off by the Federal Narcotic agents that a haul was in flight and that the Border Patrol was closing in. Apparently, the pursuit got too “hot” for the person’s involved. Sometime early Sunday morning they landed at Socorro Airport, and they jettisoned the whole cargo. The sheriff surmises that such a large haul was the work of organized crime. Both the Socorro Sheriff’s Department and federal agents are continuing the investigation.

AUGUST 2, 1973

MISS LISA CALLAN, Head Majorette of SHS, was the winner of two first place ribbons in the Advanced Strutting and Twirl Routines at Camp of Champs. Lisa has been a majorette for 3 years with the Jr. High Band and had the privilege of marching as a majorette with the SHS Band last year. Lisa was one of two students named Outstanding Band Student 1972-73. Lisa played first flute with the Jr High Band and received a first-place rating at the Solo Ensemble Festival. Besides being a Majorette, she was also a cheerleader for SJH. Lisa will be a freshman and is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Everett Callan of Socorro.

JULY 25, 1998

A SCULPTURE SHOWCASING key moments in history could be in place in front of City Hall by November. The city has been preparing for the sculpture’s arrival by revamping the median across from City Hall and rerouting traffic patterns to avoid congestion in front of the administrative complex. The “wheel of history” design was chosen from a number of proposals by a local committee chaired by Doug West. The sculpture itself is 10 feet in diameter, making the entire display between 16 and 18 feet tall at its highest. The elements of the wheel will relate to the history of Socorro. They will include the colonial and territorial periods, the founding of San Miguel Mission, mining and railroad history, education, science and the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

AUGUST 1, 1998

SOCORRO COUNTY SHERIFF’S deputies arrested two men on suspicion of selling marijuana in Veguita. The two were booked into the Socorro County Detention Center after Deputies Phillip Montoya and William Paxton seized evidence of drugs from a tin shed in the backyard of a home. According to court records, Montoya and Paxton went to the residence to follow up on a related case. They reported that they saw a tin shed with the door open. The deputies looked inside without entering and saw a scale and what they suspected to be marijuana residue. Along with the scale, deputies found a Ziploc bag inside a crock-pot containing what appeared to be marijuana.  Underneath the pillows of the couch, a plastic trash bag of what appeared to be marijuana weighing over 4 ounces.

AUGUST 1, 2013

A GUST OF WIND estimated at least 60 miles per hour tore the metal roof on the south wing of the County Annex building. “The damage is most likely the result of a microburst that came through Socorro at 2:55 p.m. and peaked at 3:15 p.m.” said Kerry Jones, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Albuquerque. “To do that kind of damage to a roof, it had to have been going at least 60 miles per hour.” He said microbursts are extremely localized severe wind events. Fortunately, a burglar alarm activated by a door that opened when the roof came apart alerted emergency management coordinator Jerry Wheeler. County maintenance supervisor Michael Jojola met with contractors on Monday to get bids on the annex roof and repair or replace the carpets, drywall and ceiling tiles affected by the event.

Chieftain Staff Report