Cheesy Problem

Amidst all the furor over baseball playoffs, Hurricane Patricia, shootings and stabbings comes this, an issue that must be resolved:

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania manufacturer is accused of selling imitation Parmesan and Romano cheese that actually contained other cheeses, including cheddar and Swiss.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (http://bit.ly/1QTknrC ) Universal Cheese & Drying Inc. and International Packing LLC were charged Tuesday with conspiracy.

Prosecutors say the cheeses labeled as "real" Parmesan and Romano didn't conform to U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards and contained trims of other cheeses.

Michelle Myrter, president of Castle Cheese Inc. and a corporate officer in both of the other companies, is charged with the misdemeanor of aiding and abetting the introduction of misbranded and adulterated food.

Her attorney, Stephen Stallings, says Myrter has a plea agreement that involves probation for her and $500,000 in restitution and forfeitures for each of the companies.

USS Albuquerque

The USS Albuquerque is headed for the dry dock.

Decommissioning for the ship is just around the corner.

A number of Albuquerque folks have been on board the "boat" since she was commissioned in 1983.

Among them, Connie Beimer.

On this Throwback Thursday, here are a couple of photos from that visit as "the boat" was docked in Florida.

At the controls

Person the torpedoes

City of Albuquerque Election

One of the great gems of Albuquerque and New Mexico is the Rio Grande Biopark - which includes the zoo, aquarium and botanic gardens.

Congratulate yourself, Albuquerque voters, who approved the miniature little tax that goes into effect next July to help build the zoo into an even bigger and greater thing.

By voting yes on the little ol' tax that none of us will even realize is there, the voters have once again said, good job at the zoo!

We also approved massive capital outlay proposals for roads, bridges, and other things like that.  It should have been 4 times bigger. Our companies need the business and people need the jobs that result from these projects.

Who says government doesn't create jobs?

Relax - enjoy the zoo!   It's worth every penny!

More Shootings More Guns

Bob Stover, RIP

Saddened to learn of the passing of Bob Stover, former Albuquerque Police Chief, former Bernalillo County Sheriff, and one helluva guy.

Bob Stover and I were related, somewhere down the family tree.  My great grandmother was a Stover - and it has been told that Bobby Stover, the tough talking cop, would, on occasion, sneak a chocolate candy to her.

When Stover was Chief of APD, I was a reporter.  It meant no special access, or accomodation.

Case in point:

My personal car was the recipient (I guess I was, not the car) of a parking ticket - having spent too much time at a meter without contributing to the coffers.

In those days, getting a parking ticket, often times meant heading to see Municipal Judge Harry Robins, who would make time to "help" the media, and quickly dismiss the parking ticket.

On this day, I chose to go see Chief Stover, parking citation in hand.

Upon my request to the Chief to "take care" of the ticket, Bobby reached into his pocket and pulled out $3 and inserted it into the envelope.

The Chief "took care" of my ticket - and I never went back to ask a similar favor.

Good times, Chief.

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge Throwback Thursday

Fifty years ago the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge was dedicated during a spectacular ceremony.  I wasn't there.

Working at KKIT in Taos, my responsibility that day was to flip the switch to put the remote broadcast of the ceremony on the air.

Well...it was somewhat of a challenge.   Our remote unit was a pretty much line-of-sight unit, that sounded great when the "line-of-sight" was real... When the signal had to skip along the ground to get to our studios in the Kachina Lodge, look out.

That day our remote unit, and General Manager Don Boston, were at the bridge ceremony - which was a little below grade, and provided a scratchy signal.

But, it worked...and we were able to provide live coverage to the people of Taos during this most significant news event.

A lot of people had worked really hard to get the bridge built.  It was the view of the future construction of US 64 stretching from Clayton to Farmington and beyond that helped make it a milestone.

I'll post more, including some photos, when I get thru the dusty box.

Here's a photo of the plaque that is still at the bridge:

And, I recall one thing reported to me upon completion of the bridge ceremony.  When the townspeople walked across the bridge, thousands of them, the bridge accepted the weight by expanding and contracting.  When that happened, some people fell to their knees and prayed.

Those prayers worked - the bridge still stands - and is one of the many sights that one must see when visiting New Mexico.   If not in person, look for images of the bridge in some wild and crazy movies.

Here, Andrew Oxford for The Taos News has an excellent article.

Popejoy Hall Presents Book of Mormon

It isn't that book you find in Marriott Hotels...It sure was fun, and UNM's Popejoy Hall never looked or sounded better at last nights performance!

And Alexandra Ncube was outstanding