The Albuquerque Tribune from Albuquerque, New Mexico • 1

BEST AVAILABLE COPY MONDAY EVENING 50 cents November 29 1999 Breaks for home buyers Easier loans and lowcost West Side land makes housing more affordable ABQBiz One more for the road Women Lobos at Houston tonight before coming home Sports Page B1 Officials So long Unde Howdy 7V weatherman Howard Morgan retires this week takingwithhim almost half a century of friendly forecasts a cartoon sun named Thermo and a trademark grin that brought viewers bade for more President signs bill for Baca purchase By Jessica Wehrman WEHRMANJSSHNSCOM (202) 40627051" WASHINGTON President Clinton today signed a mammoth spending package that includes more than $1645 million for projects in New Mexico including money for foe purchase of Baca Ranch The bill allocates money to pay the Abilene Texas-based Dimigan family $101 million to purchase the 95000-acre ranch in northern New Mexico The funds must now be authorized by Congress and the Comptroller General of foe United States must also appraise foe ranch before it becomes federal land new law represents a remarkable new year for New Mexico because the funding it will provide will have an impact throughout the Sen Pete Domenici an Albuquerque Republican said in a written statement The budget bill also includes $3 million toward foe purchase of land for the Petroglyph National Monumental Albuquerque $18 million to acquire 375 acres of private land within foe Pecos National Historical Park and the Glorieta Civil War Battlefield and $1 million to acquire an 80-acre tract of land near the Cieneguilla Petroglyph site The biQ also provides $1 million for foe purchase of 535 acres within foe Jemez National Recreation Area in foe Santa Fe National Forest Among other items the bill earmarks: $3 million toward Phase 2 of foe New Mexico Hispanic Cultural Cen- ter in Albuquerque $21 million toward foe Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe $30 million for programs to treat diabetes in Indian country consider mail voting for City Hall State law would have to be changed to allow voting-by-mail in mayoral or council elections By Kate Nash KNASHaABQTRtBCOM823-3602 Some Albuquerque officials want to add a modem option to municipal democracy: Vote-by-mail balloting for City Hall elections of how busy everyone is if makes sense for us to make it as easy as we can for people to City Clerk Margie Baca Archuleta said Mayor Jim Baca agrees but said it could be years before voters could cast the votes by mail The city he say would lave to change state law for voting-by-mail to be used in may- oral or council elections unlikely foe change would oc- cur in time for the mayoral race in 2001 Baca has said he plans to seek re-election The city has used vote-by-mail campaigns for tax questions But City Councilor Mike McEntee said mail-in voting is foe way to steal an 100 percent against he said think foe silliest idea heard coming out of foe Office Baca disagreed saying he thinks mail-in elections are less susceptible to fraud technology is there to scan signature when they register to vote That can then be matched during foe -1 The mayor said mail-in elections typically yield a much higher turnout In foe Oct municipal election 16 percent of registered voters cast abal-lot For foe 1998 Transportation Tax done entirely by mail 34 percent cast their ballot Baca Archuleta said not a fluke During the 1997 Open Space Tax also done by mail 37 percent of voters voted In the municipal election for foe same year 32 percent voted Baca and Baca Archuleta say mak- ing voting easier not only increase participation but saves money about 20 to 30 percent cheaper Baca said McEntee said making voting easy what the founding fathers had in mind Pkasesee V0TINGA6 Ireland rivals A to form coalition Northern rival -parties gathered today to form a Protestant-Catholic coalition that will bring together bitter enemies and for the first time A in a troubled generation wield A power with local hands PAGE A4 l-stt 7 weatherman Is retiring after his 6 pm for his sketches and garden tips as he was Stada SpmBBTrfbune report Friday During his long career In for his forecasts Howard Morgan veteran KOAT-Channel Albuquerque Morgan was as well known ByOllieReedJr OREEOSABQTRIBCOM 8233619 was the young TV second day on foe job at KHOL-TV in Holdrege Neb The year was 1953 Television was still a toddler and the job of TV forecaster was new not only to foe young man but to everybody else who was doing it back then That were no job manuals no mentors no clue So on his second day in front of the camera the fledgling forecaster decided to unleash his imagination and his talent fix art to the midst of scribbling down highs and lows he suddenly sketched a cartoon character onto foe weather map turned around to foe camera and grinned broadly Thermo faded away several years ago a victim ofthe computer graphics that have usurped the spontaneous rapid-fire style that made it a kick to watch Morgan draw his little weather buddy right in front of your eyes And later this week the Morgan grin as sudden brilliant and fixed today as it was bade in 1953 will vanish from TV screens After nearly half a century of TV weather casts most of them for KOAT-Channel 7 Morgan is retiring after 5 pjn and 6 pm news shows something I have been thinking about for two Morgan 69 said ready to move on to do things that are not linked to the There must be a certain amount of sadness attached to leaving the profession you Pkasesee MORGANA3 'Smile Awhile: A Trtoute to Howard a 30minute TV special tracing the 46year 4 career of retiring KOAT-Channel 7 fe weatherman Howard Morgan can be seen at 7:30 pm Friday on KQAT 3 if I Two things were bom that day 46 years ago a cartoon character named Thermo and Howard trademark smile really grinning at foe Morgan said one cloudy chilly af- temoonlastweekashesatinfoeKOAT- TV weather center a dim computer-lined comer ofthe newsroom was just happy they were letting me For more than four decades Morgan has done weather reports on TV stations in Ne- braska Kansas Utah and New Mexico But like the weather things change He lost out on cereal job so he runs for presidency By Kate Nash KNASHOABQTRIBCOM 8233602 Southeast Heights resident Richard Calderwood says not a politician and has about campaign fundraising But die 51 -year-old unemployed homemaker is running for US president He has made several campaign trips through die West in hu 12-year-old Chevy Blazer Cakfawood decided to run for die White House in May 1998 after losing out on a cereal-manufacturing job He said he was told he was not qualified to make breakfast food Calderwood is one of two New Mexicans listed cm a national registry of candidates Project Vote Smart for die top elected office The 2000 presidential race has drawn about 210 candidates according to die registry While Calderwood a Republican is an unknown foe other New Mexican on foe registry is not Gov Gary Johnson a Republican is on foe list but not by his own doing The Libertarian Party is trying to recruit Johnson to run for the nomination Johnson who was re-elected to a four-year term in 1998 has repeatedly said he will not seek another elective office Calderwood a Long Beach Calif Pkasesee CALDERWOODA6 Jason Deanoyore (above) on trial In the death of New Mexico State University student Cariy Martinez demonstrates with defense attorney Gary Mitchell how Desnoyers said he helped co-defendant Jess Avalos Jr move Martinez's body Desnoyers who said he was passed out In his truck during the killing testified today Murder suspect takes stand again In his first trial Jason Desnoyers tinezonarcmote desert mesa on Jan 14 while he lay passed out in his pickup uiMMAmeelANlMe ThleKmA 1998 Butfois time wasnot exactly re- truck was expressionless I ms ume peat performance of foe testimony he Ahhmigb Desnoyers this mnming was hiS Voice quavered and his eyes gavefourmonthsago clad in the same white shirt black tie and first trial in July ended in dark pants his demeanor and his a mistrial when jurors deadlocked on foe mony were not what foe first jury heard first-degree minder charge and saw four months ago By Leslie Hoffman Desnoyers and co-defendant Jesse With a flight quaver in his voice iHOffiMNaABQTRiBcoM823a6io Avalos Jr are feeing kidnapping rape Desnoyers told jurors this morning: Showing more emotion and filling in and murder charges in death (Avalos) told me to come outside He more details Jason Desnoyers told an- and have pointed foe finger of blame at had something to show me I got out other Albuquerquejury this morning his each other ofthe truck and walked to the back ofthe version ofevents about foe nigfrt college During foe July trial Desnoyers sat truck and Cariy was lying fitshman Cariy Martinez disappeared expressionless on the witness stand and Then with his eyes getting misty It is file second time Desnoyers 24 in a monotone voice described how has described what happened to Mar- Avalos brutally murdered Martinez Pkasesee DESNOYERS AS Toby JonkiThbuna INSIDE ABQBiz Ann landers Inside J7 ozoc.