The Village of Magdalena unanimously passed a resolution opposing the proposed EMRTC drop zone west of Socorro. Magdalena Village Resolution number 2008-01 was passed on February 11th and signed by Magdalena Mayor James Wolfe, who opposed the resolution and signed it "under protest."

Ten Socorro city and county realtors have signed a petition in opposition to the drop zone proposed west of Socorro by EMRTC. The petition opposing the drop zone cites concerns about decreases in property values and the subsequent losses of property tax revenues by the county as the primary objection of the realtors. Full text posted.

This month's Socorro restaurant review features a favorite known only to locals, La Pasadita. Located at 230 Garfield Street, on a somewhat obscure one-way street behind the plaza, it seems to violate the 3 tenets of good business: location, location, location. However, when it comes to good home-cooked New Mexican cuisine, there is one thing that trumps location and that is TASTE!

Dave Wheelock, a.k.a. The Pencil Warrior, asks why the leading presidential candidates never mention - nor are ever asked about - peak oil and the impending oil crisis that looms. He argues the topic is too important to be ignored and we do so at our own peril.

At the recent Socorro City Council meeting on January 28th, Dr. Greg Miller of the local Socorro citizens group "The Drop Zone Group" presented a critique of EMRTC's proposed drop zone and the Environmental Assessment (EA) document that was funded by New Mexico Tech. The EA purported to find "no significant impact" on either the public or the environment, but Miller challenges that assertion.

The City Council meeting was standing room only for a discussion of the proposed EMRTC drop zone near Socorro, New Mexico. Some citizens were forced to stand in the outside hallway, because they were unable to get inside the council chambers due to the crowd size. New Mexico Tech's Van Romero presented the official EMRTC position, while Dr. Greg Miller from the Drop Zone Group (a group of concerned Socorro citizens) rebutted Romero's presentation with an opposing viewpoint.

We're just getting warmed up here at Socorro News. We're looking for some local citizens interested in helping us to establish a citizen-run, not-for-profit, fact-driven (as opposed to progaganda-prone) investigative journalism site here in Socorro. We welcome people of all political persuasions, but realize that your material will be vetted for accuracy by our staff. The pay, well there is none - but this is about citizen participation, not money. Need story ideas? We've got some; or create your own. If you're interested, drop us a line using our contact form.

Here at Socorro News, we are always interested in information about government corruption, corporate corruption, fiscal irresponsibility, or any other hanky panky related to the public's trust (we're not interested in your neighbor's personal life, sorry). If you have verifiable information on any such activity happening in or around Socorro, New Mexico - including New Mexico Tech, Socorro County, or even the state of New Mexico at large, please drop us a line using our contact form. Please provide enough information that we can verify your story - or information on how we can contact you - and if you wish to remain anonymous we are always willing to protect our sources.

The second annual Rio Film Festival is being held this weekend (Friday, January 25th and Saturday, January 26th) at New Mexico Tech's Macey Center. Tickets are $5.00 per "session" (morning, afternoon, evening). Films entered in the competition will generally have an environmental or "green" theme, but will also include some experimental and animated films. Entries are both local and international. The film festival is a great way to spend a cold winter day - last year's festival was excellent and we expect this year's to be even better.

It turns out we in the United States, along with the rest of the industrialized world, have some things to learn from those we are supposed to despise. The recent histories of two communist countries - North Korea and Cuba – illustrate divergent responses to unavoidable crisis, with dramatically different results. Even as our own inaction leads us toward the more disastrous outcome, the path with the light at the end may still be open to us.