Find your Garden Magic

On Wednesday, at 7 p.m., as part of the city of Rio Rancho’s Garden Magic series, landscape designer Wes Brittenham will emphasize xeric principles along with plants and their uses.

This event is free and will take place at the Cabezon Recreation Center, at 2305 Cabezon Blvd. For more information, call 896-8737 or visit the city’s Web site at ci.rio-rancho.nm.us.

The Garden Magic series is coordinated by the city’s Water Conservation Office.

New Republic Women’s club sets launch date

Interested persons should come for coffee, desert and fun, to help launch a Republican Women’s Club Group 54. The event takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m., on Thursday, at Chamisa Hills Country Club, in Rio Rancho. It’s free for Republican women voters who may not be able to attend Friday luncheons. No childcare provided. Must RSVP: Bessie 898-9074.

Club Culturale Italiano

Club Culturale Italiano will hold its general meeting from 7 to 9 p.m., on Thursday, at the Lieutenant William Sibrava Substation, 10401 Holly NE, Albuquerque, with parking on the east side of the building.

The club will be discussing forthcoming events and new ideas.

Special guest speaker will be Chesley Elkins, from Preventive Pest Control, giving advice and pointers on New Mexican bugs, rodents, etc.

Everyone is welcome. Beverages and dessert will be provided following the meeting.

For more information, call 828-2903. Leave a message or, if busy, call back.

Haynes Park Closure

Haynes Park, located at 2006 Grande Blvd. SE, will be closed to the public from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. This closure is in conjunction with trees in the park receiving routine and preventative insect and disease control.

For more information, call the city of Rio Rancho’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department at 891-5015.

Thought swap

Rio Rancho area homeschoolers are invited to come and trade ideas from 1 to 2:30 p.m., on Friday, at the Loma Colorado Main Library. New homeschoolers are especially welcome. Parents will meet with a library facilitator to discuss homeschooling issues and swap curriculum ideas while kids ages 3-12 (5 and under must be with an older sibling) participate in a storytelling activity.

Contact Loma Colorado Main Library, Youth Services (891-5013, ext 3032) for more information.

Parade registration time

Those wishing to participate in the city of Rio Rancho’s annual Memorial Day and Fourth of July parades can register online via the city’s Web site at ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/parades.

The Memorial Day Parade will take place on Monday, May 25, and the Fourth of July Parade is scheduled for Saturday, July 4. For both parades, the lineup location will be Country Club Drive beginning at 9 a.m. The parades will begin at 10 a.m. and travel east down Southern Boulevard. The parades will end at Veterans Monument Park, located on Pinetree Road.

The deadline to register for the Memorial Day Parade is Monday, May 18, and Friday, June 26, for the Fourth of July Parade. There is no fee to participate in either parade.

Copies of the parade registration form can be obtained at the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department offices at Rio Rancho City Hall, 3200 Civic Center Circle NE, and the Sabana Grande Recreation Center located at 4110 Sabana Grande Blvd.

For more information, call 891-6196.

New episode of ‘Cop Talk’

A new episode of “Cop Talk” is now airing on RioVision, the city of Rio Rancho’s public, education, and government cable channels.

In this latest installment, host Officer John Francis focuses on crime victims and crime victim resources by interviewing several guests including 13th Judicial District Attorney Lemuel Martinez, Mary Ebinger from the Rio Rancho Police Department Crime Victim Assistance Unit (CVAU), and Marty Senna, program administrator of the Grant to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program (GTEAP).

“Cop Talk” episodes air daily on RioVision which is available to Cable One Subscribers — on cable channel 15 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and on cable channel 22 at 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

The intent of “Cop Talk” is to educate the residents of Rio Rancho about the different divisions of the Police Department as well as items of interest to all.

Edit House Productions, LLC is the contracted service provider for the city’s RioVision cable channels. Episodes of “Cop Talk” are directed and edited by RioVision staff.

Community garden help

The Rio Rancho Parks & Recreation Commission is in the beginning stages of planning a community vegetable garden for Rio Rancho. The commission is looking for residents to join in to help with the planning. Interested parties should e-mail Sharyl Kuehnert at sksharylk@msn.com.

Caregiver support group boosts spirits

Caregivers of older adults are invited to an ongoing support group at Meadowlark Senior Center in Rio Rancho.

Janina Piotrowski, a social worker with many years of experience as a therapist with older adults facilitates the group. Refreshments, resources, and reassurance are provided during the group, held every other Friday afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m. The next date will be this Friday. Meadowlark Senior Center is located at 4330 Meadowlark Lane, Rio Rancho. Attendees who are 60 years old and older are asked to register as members of the senior center.

For more information, call Cindy Anderson or Samantha Apodaca at Outcomes, Inc. 243-2551. Outcomes, Inc. sponsors the group.

Poetry contest

A $1,000 grand prize is being offered in a special poetry contest sponsored by Golden Poets Guild. The contest is free to enter and there will be 50 prizes in all, totaling $5,000.

To enter, send one poem of 21 lines or less to Free Poetry Contest, 1600 31st St. SE, in Rio Rancho, 87124.

Or enter online at freecontest.com. The deadline to enter is May 31.

Poems may be written on any subject, using any style. Be sure your name and address appears on the page with your poem. If you wish to see a winner’s list, please enclose a return envelope.

Toastmasters

Rio Rancho will have another Toastmasters club that will meet every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Destiny Center, 4401 Northern Blvd. All are welcome.

Toastmasters is a nonprofit learning organization dedicated not only to public speaking but leadership, controlling fears, gaining more self confidence, communicating more effectively, learning how to critique without offending, handling confrontation effectively, speaking on your feet and improving your human relations skills.

For more information, call Dan Stouffer at 771-0691.

Blue Star Mothers

The Rio Rancho chapter of Blue Star Mothers, a national organization that supports men and women serving in the armed services and their families, holds meetings on the first and third Thursdays of each month, from 7 to 9 p.m., at 3906 19th St., in Rio Rancho.

Donate to Goodwill

Goodwill is asking the community to be generous this spring as they clean out their closets and storage areas. Since March of 2008, Goodwill has seen a 40 percent increase in the number of persons approaching Goodwill for assistance in finding a job.

Donations to Goodwill Industries of New Mexico of gently-used clothing and household goods have been consistently off by 10 percent in the fifteen months since the recession began.

The Rio Rancho Goodwill is located at 2003 Southern Blvd., ste 113A. Hours are Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Call 892-0215 for more information.

Report waste and fraud

State Transportation Secretary-Designate Gary Girón announced the establishment of a new hotline to take reports of fraud, waste, abuse or misconduct within the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

The hotline, 800-671-STOP (7867), will be operated by the Office of the Inspector General in the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Investigations and Special Inquiries Bureau.

Members of the general public as well as employees are invited to call the number to report any type of fraud, waste, abuse or misconduct they see. Callers can remain anonymous and may also e-mail, fax or mail concerns to the department. The hotline will be answered by an attendant during normal business hours on work days and callers could leave their messages after hours and on weekends.

E-mails can be sent to nmdot.oig@state.nm.us; fax to (505) 476-0923; or mail to Office of Inspector General, NMDOT — Investigations & Special Inquiries Bureau, 1570 Pacheco Street, Suite B-1, Santa Fe, NM 87505.

Women’s support group

Women On The Rise is a Networking and Referral group formed in Rio Rancho. During these hard times, small business needs all the help they can get.

If you would like to join the hardworking progressive women’s group, call Dee Ahlin at 610-8193 or Carol Brown at 980-4482.

Caring 4 kids

Caring 4 Kids is a new ministry open to everyone.

It provides warmth and comfort for children in need by making blankets. No experience is necessary, just come to the meetings on the first and third Wednesdays of the month between 9:30 a.m. and noon in the St. Lucy Room by the main office at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, 1594 Sara Rd., Rio Rancho. Snacks, refreshments and material to make your blanket will be provided.

For more information, call 999-6132 or Victoria at 261-1488.

Sunday is Funday

Preparations are underway for the fourth annual mayor’s picnic — Sunday is Funday — which will take place on August 16, from noon until 4:30 p.m., at the Loma Colorado Park located at 755 Loma Colorado Drive.

This year’s event will again feature inexpensive food — fifty cent hot dogs, hamburgers, water, and soda — along with other family entertainment, vendor booths, and a pentathlon competition which will be expanded to include games for businesses, kids, and seniors.

Parking for this event will cost $2 per vehicle and will be located at Rio Rancho High School which is adjacent to the park.

Individual and business sponsors are needed to continue to make this event a success. The fee to have a booth space at the event is $50 and sponsorships are $100 and up. Sponsors will be recognized at the event and in local print advertisements.

The Pentathlon Challenge will be a five-event relay of fun athletic events. Sponsoring your own team or the team of a nonprofit organization helps to fund Sunday is Funday. The fee to participate in the pentathlon is $200 and up and includes sponsorship for the event and booth or banner space. Trophies will be provided to the winning teams.

For more information, to secure a booth, or to register a pentathlon team, please contact Dave Heil at 228-7189 or daveheil16@msn.com, or Tony Popper at 892-0325 or tpopper@qwest.net. You can also visit the city’s Web site at ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/SundayisFunday for more information. Booth and sponsor fees should be mailed to Rio Rancho Kiwanis, 160 Itasca Rd., Rio Rancho, NM 87124.

This event is sponsored and coordinated by the city of Rio Rancho Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, Rio Rancho Kiwanis, the Rio Rancho Civitan Club, and Elks Lodge #2500.

Any resulting proceeds, after paying expenses, will benefit youth programs in Rio Rancho including: scholarships for the city’s parks and recreation programs, the Rio Rancho Boys and Girls Club, the Sandoval County Juvenile Justice Program, the Sandoval County YMCA, and the Elks Lodge Boy Scouts.