Aquatic Center closure

The Rio Rancho Aquatic Center, 745 Loma Colorado Dr., will be closed to the public today and Monday to allow for regularly scheduled maintenance.

The facility will reopen at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. For more information about the aquatic center, visit the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us. Columbus Day closures

In observance of Columbus Day, City of Rio Rancho offices and facilities will be closed on Monday. For additional information about the City of Rio Rancho, visit ci.rio-rancho.nm.us.

Community response

Join the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday at a Coordinated Community Response Teams Meeting.

The guest speaker will be Corporal Andy Rodriquez from the Rio Rancho Police Department. CCRT is a collaborative effort between the District Attorney’s office, law enforcement agencies and the community in the prevention of domestic violence. The program’s goal is to provide community education, training to prosecutors and law enforcement, and aid in emergency intervention services for victims.

Community members are urged to participant and refreshments will be provided.

Gardener training

The New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service of Sandoval County is offering a Volunteer Master Gardeners Training Program. The training is for residents who enjoy  gardening and have been gardening for a few years.

The program is limited to 35 students. The deadline to apply is Thursday. The cost is $125. Applicants will be interviewed between Oct.15 and Nov.15.

The 11-week course begins on January 12, and classes will be held every Tuesday from 1 to 5 p.m. at San Ysidro Catholic Church, Hendren Hall, 5015 Corrales Rd., in Corrales.

For more information and to obtain a Master Gardener application, contact the Sandoval County Cooperative Extension Service at 867-2582 or 1-800-678-1802 or visit nmsu.edu, click on county and state extension offices, click Sandoval, then click “visit the Sandoval County Master Gardener site.”

Yard sale

Ekklesia Outreach will host a yard sale from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, at Star Heights Recreation Center, 800 Polaris Blvd., in Rio Rancho.

For more information, call David Velasco at 681-6563.

Charity dinner

The Church of the Incarnation in Rio Rancho is presenting the fourth annual Golden Autumn Ball on Saturday, from 6 p.m.to midnight. This charity event with dinner, dancing and live and silent auction will be held at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa at 1300 Tuyuna Trail, Santa Ana Pueblo.

Tickets are $250 per person. For information and tickets, call 771-8331. All proceeds benefit the building fund.

Waste collection

Keep Rio Rancho Beautiful will offer Rio Rancho residents the chance to dispose of household hazardous wastes for free on Saturday. Residents can bring items to the Santa Ana Star Center parking lot, 3001 Civic Center Circle, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Used motor oil, antifreeze, paints, solvents, herbicides, pesticides, batteries, tires (limit four — no rims), and household appliances will be collected. Firearms and ammunition will also be accepted. Biohazards, commercial wastes and other types of waste will not be accepted.

Proof of Rio Rancho residency, such as a water utility statement and photo identification, will be required to utilize this collection.

For more information, call 891-5015 or visit the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us, and look for KRRB’s Kerby Coyote mascot icon and link, which is located on the main home page.

Great goblins!

All little goblins and ghouls are welcome to a Halloween carnival on Friday, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Star Heights Recreation Center, 800 Polaris Blvd.

Price of admission is $4 for children ages two to nine. Ages one and under enter free as well as parents and guardians. Ages nine and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For more information visit the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us, or call the city of Rio Rancho’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department at 891-5015.

Fiesta cancelled

Please be advised that the High Desert Chile Fiesta, planned for Saturday, in Rio Rancho, has been cancelled for this year.

Plans will be made to hold this event in August 2010, allowing a longer registration period as well as a supply of fresh chile. E-mail hdumcchile@cableone.net or call 994-9008 for more updates.

Relay of Life meeting

An American Cancer Society Relay for Life Planning Meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the residence of Susan Ryerson. Call 974-5307 for directions and more details.

GOP picnic

Members and friends of the Republican Party of Sandoval County are invited to the RPSC Picnic from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, in Haynes Park.

Budgets and finance

What is the right balance between revenue generation and spending cuts? The goal for October League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico’s meetings is to grasp the essence of government budgeting and finance at a number of levels.

Everyone is welcome to attend the Sandoval/Westside Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at noon at the Corrales Community Center, 4234 Corrales Rd., in Corrales. The topic, “Developing a Budget for a New Mexico Municipality” will be discussed by Philip Gasteyer, mayor of Corrales. Mayor Gasteyer will tell us how he works with county, the state administration, and legislators from the area to meet the budgetary needs of the village, all discussed in a very general context. Call the League office at 884-8441 for more details.

Toastmasters introduction

Midday Rio Rancho Toastmasters invite the public to attend an Introduction to Toastmasters from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Destiny Center, 4401 Northern Blvd. NW, in Rio Rancho.

Learn to organize your thoughts, think on your feet, develop meeting skills, build confidence, increase your vocabulary, practice leadership skills, speak with clarity and fluency and provide and receive positive feedback.

Overcome your fear of speaking in a friendly, supportive atmosphere; refreshments will be served.

The groups regular meetings are every Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. For information, call 792.9667.

Homeshool Hooray

There are lots of resources available to parents and guardians at the Loma Colorado Main Library, the newest of which is the Homeschool Section located next to the reference collection in the Youth Services Department. This includes textbooks, curriculum and other homeschooling materials which are available for checkout for a three-month period.

Many of the items in this collection are donations from homeschooling families. The library would be happy to receive more donations of these materials.

The Parent/Teacher section has been relocated near the children’s computers and it has books on going to preschool and kindergarten, adoption, dyslexia, storytelling aids and more as well as magazines like Family Fun, Parents, Home Education, and School Library Journal. Additional guides for homeschooling and parenting can be found in the Adult Services area. Parents can browse these collections at ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/library.

‘Taste of Italy’

Club Culturale Italiano invites one and all to experience a “Taste of Italy” at its 11th annual Columbus Day Spaghettata, on October 25,at 2 p.m., at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 301 Camino Del Pueblo, in Bernalillo.

There will be a live performance by the One Man Band and families, singles and all ages are welcome. Call in advance for tickets which are $12.50 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12; children 5 and under are free.

For reservations, contact Rosalba at 891-8456 or Anna at 856-1260.

ReadWest hosts events

ReadWest will celebrate 20 years of providing free literacy services to adults in the community with two events on November 7 at the Inn at Rio Rancho.

The daytime event is a celebration of reading with 50 New Mexico authors on hand to talk about their books; Michael McGarrity and Don Bullis discussing their best selling books and a Children’s Story Hour. A large craft fair is also included and there will be a silent auction during the day to raise money for ReadWest.

The evening celebration features appetizers, live music and speakers Ann Hillerman, author of “Tony Hillerman’s Landscape” and ReadWest’s own author, Marten Griego. Attendees will an opportunity to bid on fabulous auction items including an autographed copy of President Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope.”

All proceeds from these two events will benefit the ReadWest Adult Literacy Program. Tickets for the evening event are $35 and can be purchased online at readwest.org or by mailing a check to ReadWest, P.O. Box 44508, Rio Rancho, NM 87174.

Got homework?

The Loma Colorado Main Library has the answers to those tricky assignments that busy parents sometimes have a hard time dealing with.

The Homework League meets every Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. (call in advance) in the Children’s Program Room (behind the red wall) of the library. The Homework League is composed of Rio Rancho National Honor Society students who will give reading assistance, math tutoring, science fair help, and general homework aid. The library has the books and the tutors know how to use them. For more information, call Youth Services at 891-5013, ext 3032.

Department recognized

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded Rio Rancho’s Financial Services Department and Marta Ortiz, accounting division manager, with a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting.

This award recognizes the city’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2008, and the individual primarily responsible for preparing the award-winning document.

In receiving this prestigious honor, the city’s CAFR had to clearly communicate the city’s financial story among other criteria.

The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving 17,500 government finance professionals throughout North America. 

Senior services honored

Recently, at the New Mexico Recreation and Parks Association annual conference, the city of Rio Rancho’s Senior Services Division was recognized with the “Senior Services Program of the Year Award” for their East Meets West Health Fair.

The health fair was held last fall and was conceived as a means to provide a unique blend of Eastern and Western medicine perspectives. Featured at this event were practitioners of acupuncture, hypnotherapy, chair massage, therapeutic oils, Tai Chi Chih, reflexology, yoga and much more. In total, more than 300 attended the health fair.

The next East Meets West Health Fair will take place at the Meadowlark Senior Center, 4330 Meadowlark Lane, on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 891-5018 or visit the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us.

The Senior Services Division is a part of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

Peer counselors sought

Sandoval Senior Connection, a program of Outcomes, Inc., would like to offer the opportunity to help older adults. Becoming a peer counselor to someone else who is 55 or older may not bring in the accolades of the world but usually, it does create a whole lot of life satisfaction.

Training is free and begins Oct. 20, ending November 12. Topics range from normal aging processes to addictions, mental health challenges, and death and dying. Each training session is three hours long, and sessions will be held Tuesday and Thursday mornings in locations throughout Sandoval County.

No experience is necessary; life experience and a listening ear is all that is needed. We serve older adults in Sandoval County, but peer counselors can certainly live in other counties. We are especially seeking Spanish-speaking volunteers who understand the culture of our Hispanic populations. 

Four of our training sessions are open to the public, with no other commitment necessary. Call Samantha Apodaca or Lynn Huxtable at Outcomes, Inc. at 243-2551 to register for a session or for the whole program. Registration ends Friday.

‘Cop Talk’ on the air

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 provides tips for parents including information on stranger danger, the Amber Alert System and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“Cop Talk” episodes air daily on RioVision - available to Cable One subscribers - on cable channel 15 at 11 a.m.; 3 p.m.; and 5:30 p.m. Channel 22 shows this program at 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Visit RioVision online at riovision.tv.

Twitter with the City of Vision

Residents can keep up with the city of Rio Rancho on the popular social networking Web sites Facebook and Twitter.

By utilizing these free sites, citizens can get city news, traffic and event information sent to them electronically. In addition, Rio Rancho’s Facebook page provides links to online city services, videos and additional information about the city.

To sign up and follow the city using Facebook and Twitter, visit the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us, and click on the Facebook and Twitter graphic links which can be found on the main home page.

The city’s Facebook and Twitter pages will update automatically each time the city’s Web site has event information, traffic notices and news releases added.

Mayor’s talk show

The latest episode of Mayor of Rio Rancho Tom Swisstack’s talk show has begun airing on the city’s public, education and government cable channels.

In this installment, Mayor Swisstack interviews Dianne Torrance, executive director of Haven House.

Conversations with Mayor Swisstack can be seen on RioVision cable channels 15 and 22 for those Rio Rancho residents who are Cable One subscribers. The mayor’s talk show airs each day on channel 15 at 6, 7:30, and 11:30 a.m. and 5 and 8 p.m. Channel 22 shows this program daily at 8 and 11 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Approximately every four weeks, a new episode airs on both cable channels in their regular time slots. In addition, episodes are posted to the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/mayorswisstack, shortly after a new episode debuts on RioVision.

Visit RioVision online at riovision.tv.

xxx

xxx ReadWest Celebrates 20 Years of Giving the Gift of Literacy

ReadWest, the adult literacy program in Rio Rancho, is celebrating 20 years of providing free, premium literacy services to the residents of Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Corrales, Placitas and Northwest Albuquerque, with a complete day dedicated to literacy, on November 7 at the Inn at Rio Rancho.

In a related event, a proclamation will be read by Mayor Tom Swisstack on

October 14, declaring November 7, 2009 as ReadWest Literacy Day.  The public is invited to the 6 p.m. Governing Body meeting in the Council Chambers at Rio Rancho’s City Hall, 3200 Civic Center Circle.

 “ReadWest is extremely pleased that Mayor Swisstack will present our organization with a proclamation that acknowledges our contribution to the community and highlights the critical need for improved literacy,” said Heather Phillips, President of the ReadWest Board.   We are inviting the entire community to participate with us on November 7.  There will be something for everyone to enjoy, from a huge 100-author book fair with children’s story hour, featured award-winning New Mexican writers and a silent auction, all beginning at 10 a.m., to a gala evening event with music, food, a spirited auction and more acclaimed authors to enchant and inspire our guests.  The Inn at Rio Rancho will be literacy headquarters that day. “

The ticketed anniversary fundraiser starts at 6 p.m., and will showcase Anne Hillerman, author and daughter of New Mexico’s famed Tony Hillerman.  Ms. Hillerman will enthrall the crowd with her book, Tony Hillerman’s Landscape, a pictorial retrospective of New Mexico’s spectacular settings utilized by her father in his prolific lifetime literacy effort.  Ms. Hillerman’s book is illustrated by Don Strell and will be fresh off the shelf at the time of this event.

ReadWest’s own student-turned-author, Marten Griego, who wrote Leaving the House of Tears will also speak. Marten is now a national spokesperson for adult literacy who brings a unique, captivating viewpoint of a personal relationship with Gordon Suits, his literacy tutor.

Guests will also enjoy a rich variety of music by “The Taylors” and a mixer, during which appetizers will be served .  A ceremonial cake cutting will be followed by a live auction.  Sensational auction items include a coveted autographed edition of Audacity of Hope, personally signed by President Barack Obama on his May 2009 visit to Rio Rancho.

The evening will conclude with an autograph session with authors Hillerman and Griego  and an opportunity to speak with them.

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“We hope that as many y volunteer tutors as possible will be at the day-long literacy celebration,” said Will Steinseik, Executive Director. Tutors are truly the backbone of ReadWest’s extraordinary 20-year success story. They are heroes who spend two hours a week giving the gift of literacy so that students can overcome enormous obstacles; sometimes by simply teaching a mother how to read to her child -  a wonderful accomplishment.”

The mission of ReadWest is to provide free, quality one-to-one tutoring to adults seeking to transform their lives through enhanced literacy skills.  By doing so, they give families hope for a brighter future. ReadWest currently supports 194 tutors and 310 students.  Seventeen brand new ReadWest tutors graduated and were certified by the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy in September and they have already been matched with waiting students.  “Too many are waiting and we always need more tutors,” said Muncie Hansen, Program Coordinator. In the present economic climate we are experiencing a surge in requests for adult literacy tutoring. ReadWest has trained more than 1,300 tutors over the past 20 years; more than 3,500 students have been helped.

 

Almost half of New Mexico’s adult citizens are functionally illiterate, reading at or below the 5th or 6th grade level, even those with high school diplomas or college degrees, according to the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy.  In Sandoval County it is one in four of our residents.  Some have limited reading / writing skills, but lack the ability, for instance, to understand a bus schedule or fill out a job application.  85% of ReadWest’s students are women.  Studies show that a child’s school performance directly correlates  to her mother’s level of education.

“We are here to support the community but we need community support to do so,” Steinsiek said.

  

Tickets for the evening event are $35 and can be purchased now at www.readwest.org or by sending a check to ReadWest, P.O. Box 44508, Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87174.  All proceeds benefit ReadWest’s ongoing literacy services. Sponsors of the anniversary fundraiser are Wells Fargo and Reading New Mexico.com. ReadWest is partially funded by the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy and United Way of Central New Mexico.

Beginning at 10 a.m on ReadWest Literacy Day, 100 authors – all from New Mexico - will be at the book fair hosted by the New Mexico Book Co-Op.  “This is the first book fair we have done in collaboration with ReadWest’s literacy program and in conjunction with ReadWest’s 20th Anniversary,” said Paul Rhetts, co-publisher at Rio Grand Books in Los Ranchos.   A special children’s story time in the morning and featured presentations by Don Bullis, author of New Mexico & Politicians of the Past at 12 p.m. and Michael McGarrity, author of The Kevin Kerney Mysteries Series at 2 p.m. round out the afternoon.  A Silent Auction will accompany the day time event with winners announced at 4 p.m. There is no charge for the book fair although donations to ReadWest literacy programs are always appreciated.