1. 50Cents
Trinidad
Colorado
Proudly Serving Southeastern Colorado and Northeastern New Mexico • www.thechronicle-news.com
~
Vol. 139, No. 21
Thursday
January29,2015
AREA SPORTS ACTION
BASEBALL
FRI & SAT: TSJC @ Eastern Arizona,
Thatcher, AZ 12 p.m. (2 games / same
time both days)
BASKETBALL
FRI: Aguilar hosts Sierra Grande 5 p.m.
Trinidad vs. Holores Huerta (Boys only)
Freshman4p.m.,JV5:30p.m.,Varsity7p.m.
SAT: Primero vs. Sierra Grande 5 p.m.
Hoehne hosts Rye 2 p.m.
Trinidad hosts Sangre de Cristo (Girls
only) 2:30 p.m.
WRESTLING
FRI & SAT: Trinidad @ Las Vegas
Tourney
SUN: 49th Annual Super Bowl with NE
Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks in Arizona @
4:30 p.m. on NBC.
JANUARY 29
SCIENCE FAIR
THURSDAY (2 p.m./Awards Cere-
mony) The community is invited to attend
the annual TMS Science Fair at the Park
Street Middle School Gym. Projects can
be viewed throughout the day.
Today’s Quote
“Let us be grateful to
people who make us
happy, they are the
charming gardeners
who make our souls
blossom.”
~Marcel Proust
JAN. 29 - FEB. 1
ABSTRACT WORKSHOP
SATURDAY & SUNDAY (10 a.m.-3
p.m.) & FEBRUARY 7-8 (same time)
TSJC’s Professor of Art Vilas Tonape
will offer a 2-weekend abstract painting
workshop at the College Art Department.
Registration and info: Josephine Chacon,
719-846-5474.
SW Youth Art Show
THRU SUNDAY: The 3rd annual
Shades of the Southwest Youth Art Show
at Raton’s Old Pass Gallery, 145 S. First
St. in Raton. Info: 575-445-2052.
FEBRUARY 3
Las Animas County
TUESDAY (9 a.m.) PLEASE NOTE
THIS CHANGE: The Board of County
Commissioners regular meeting has been
rescheduled for next Tuesday, Feb. 10. in
the Las Animas Courthouse, 200 E. First
St., Room 201. Information: 719-845-
2568.
VETERAN’S TOWN HALL
TUESDAY (5-6:30 p.m.) All veterans
and their families are invited to attend an
open Town Hall meeting at the Raton
VFW Post, 106 Park Ave. Speaker will be
Director Andrew Welch with the NM VA
Health Care System. Questions will be
taken. Info: 505-256-6495.
Trinidad City Council
TUESDAY (7 p.m.) Regular session
will be held in Council Chambers, City
Hall, 135 N. Animas St. Information: Au-
dra Garrett, 719-846-9843.
PUBLIC SERVICE
SPECIAL NOTICE
The Chronicle-News 2014 Collector
Mugs with beautiful artwork by Trinidad
Artist Paula Little are here and waiting
for you to come pick them up, 200 West
Church St. Info: 719-846-3311.
Senior Driving Class
FEBRUARY 12 (9 a.m.-1 p.m.) The
AARP Driving Class will be held at the
Sayre Senior Center, 1222 San Pedro St.
Registration and information: Carl Moz-
engo, 719-868-2288.
FUN & FUNDRAISER DINNER
FEBRUARY 28 (6 p.m.) The Trinidad
State Educational Foundation will host
their annual fundraiser dinner and silent
auction “Aim for the Fence” with featured
guest speaker Colorado Rockies great
Todd Helton at the THS Donnelly Gym.
Info: Linda Perry (719-846-5649) or Toni
DeAngelis (719-846-5520).
CALL FOR FUN!
MARCH 14 (entry deadline) Call for
artists for “There’s No Such Thing as an
Ordinary Cat” all-media art show sched-
uled for March 20 at Oasis Studios/Gal-
erie Vivant, 214/218 E. Main. Info: Susan
Palmer, 805-603-6181.
9HEALTH FAIR
APRIL 18 (7:30 a.m.-Noon) The an-
nual 9Health Fair will be held at the Mt.
San Rafael Hospital, 410 Benedicta Ave.
Info: Lynda Pachelli at 719-846-8051.
SUICIDE/CRISIS HOTLINES:
*ADULT HOPE: 800-784-2433
*TEEN: 877-968-8454
*GLB-YOUTH: 866-488-7386
*VET-2-VET: 877-838-2838
“It is often in the darkest skies that we
see the brightest stars.”
ABUSE HOTLINES:
*Domestic Abuse Hotline: In Trini-
dad call 719-846-6665 (24-hours a day).
In Walsenburg call: 719-738-0770. Na-
tional Hotline: 1-800-790-SAFE (7233).
*Animal Abuse: Report animal abuse
and dog/cock fighting at Crime Stoppers
anonymous tip line: 720-913-7867.
TheFinePrint
WeatherWatch
Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high
near 45. North wind around 5 mph becom-
ing southeast in the afternoon. Night: Mostly
cloudy, with a low around 28. Southwest
wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: A chance of snow before 10 a.m.,
then a chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near
42. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of
precipitation is 40 percent. New precipita-
tion amounts of less than a tenth of an inch
possible. Night: A chance of rain before 1
a.m., then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy,
with a low around 26. Calm wind becoming
north northwest around 5 mph after midnight.
Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
Saturday: A chance of snow before 10
a.m., then a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy,
with a high near 37. North northeast wind
around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40
percent. Night: A chance of rain and snow.
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. North
wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is
30 percent.
RiverCall
Purgatoire River Call as of:
01/28/15. Elmoro ditch: Prior-
ity # 8 --- Appropriation date:
11/15/1862.
Trinidad Reservoir Accounting:
Release 0 AF
Inflow 53.00 AF -- 26.72 CFS
Evaporation 0 AF
Content 16,049 AF
Elevation 6,177.67
Precipitation 0
Downstream River Call / John
Martin Reservoir: (Conservation
Storage) 05/31/1949.
TheChronicleNewsLOCAL GOVERNMENT
Position filled: Engeland named new City Manager
By Steve Block
The Chronicle-News
The former assistant town
manager of Gilbert, Arizona has
been named Trinidad’s new city
manager. Gabriel Engeland ac-
cepted the position late last week
and is expected to begin his new
job sometime around
February 23, according
to City Attorney Les
Downs.
Gilbert is a Michigan
native who’s married
with no children. He
earned his bachelor’s
degree in Community
Service from Central
Michigan University,
and his master’s degree
in Public Administra-
tion from the Univer-
sity of Kansas. He vol-
unteered for one year
of service to the Ameri-
Corps VISTA program
in Oregon. Prior to that,
he helped to develop or
establish neighborhood
revitalization organiza-
tions in Detroit, Michi-
gan.
After a period of time
working in the private
sector, he moved into
public administration, taking the
position of Intern for a County
Administrator in Douglas County,
Kansas. While there, he worked
on a project with the Heritage
and Industrial Chamber to help
protect culturally and historically
significant and important areas
of Kansas by purchasing them or
working with the current land-
owners to place them in the land
bank. The program was unique
because it also worked to bring in
new commercial and industrial
businesses for a significant expan-
sion of economic development ac-
tivities. Linking the two together
was a first-of-its-kind program in
Kansas.
He also worked in administra-
tion for the City of Tacoma, Wash-
ington, where he led a Community
Gang Assessment, which helped
the City determine how and where
to spend funds in order to stem is-
sues related to gangs and gang vio-
lence. It was initiated, organized
and executed by dedicated com-
munity leaders alongside regu-
lar citizens who were tired of the
violence that had overtaken parts
of Tacoma. The project itself was
incredibly innovative. The imple-
mentation will pay dividends for
Tacomans for decades, according
to information on the web page:
www.elgl.org/2013/10//02/az-ga-
briel-l-engeland-gilbert-assistant-
town-manager/ .
While working in Gilbert,
population 230,000, he worked as
part of an Independent Regula-
tory Advocate Program, which
allows for an external, indepen-
dent review of Town decisions,
interpretations and code applica-
tions when an individual or small
business is negatively impacted.
The advocates can also recom-
mend changes to Town policies
and procedures based upon their
findings during advocacy. Thus
far, a super-majority of advocate
reviews have resulted in a change
to the Town’s original decision.
This program is unique because it
is working with citizens to co-pro-
duce services that governments
have typically not asked for feed-
back or review on. His responsi-
bilities include the Town’s Long
Range Infrastructure Program,
the Independent Regulatory Ad-
vocate Program (IRAP), and work-
ing with Economic Development
to establish Redevelopment Areas
and economic incentives. During
his tenure, Gabriel also served as
Gilbert’s Development Services
Director where he oversaw the
Code Enforcement, Planning, Plan
Review, Engineering, and Capital
Improvement Projects Divisions.
In addition to his work in Develop-
mentServices,heheldtheposition
of Parks and Recreation Manager,
where he was responsible for the
community’s Ri-
parian Preserve,
three recreation
centers, the se-
nior center, and
all recreational
programming.
During a 2013
interview for the
web page listed
above, he was
asked to describe
his transition
from the private to the public
sector, and how he’d ended up
working in local government.
He responded with these words:
“My first job in local government
was as an Intern for a County Ad-
ministrator in Douglas County
Kansas. My office was originally
used to house the Culligan Water
tank and people never really got
over the fact that their water was
moved in favor of me. My office
was so small I would have to stand
up and move my chair to shut the
door. I really loved my time there.
The experiences and the projects I
“We’ve found the right
guy for the job.”
— Mayor Reorda
Photo courtesy of Gabriel Engeland
Gabriel Engeland was named Trinidad’s new City
Manager last week, and will start his new job in
late February.
Continued on Page 2 ...
INFORMATION RESOURCE
Need legal help?
3rd Judicial District, Access to
Justice, offer Ask-A-Lawyer Day
By Eric John Monson
News Editor
The Chronicle-News
“As judges and lawyers and
people who work with these things
every day, we forget sometimes
how scary, overwhelming and for-
eign it can be to deal with the court
system and our processes,” said
Third Judicial Court Judge Leslie
Gerbracht seated in her office on
the third floor of the Las Animas
County Courthouse just down the
hall from the District Courtroom.
“This event is meant to break-
down some of those barriers.”
That event being referred to
is a new initiative called Ask-A-
Lawyer Day, which will be an op-
portunity for area residents to get
free legal consultations from local
lawyers on Feb. 10 from 3 p.m. to
6:30 p.m. at the District Court in
the LA County Courthouse.
This event is the first in what
organizers are hoping will become
a regular series. Ambition for
the initiative originates with the
Third Judicial District, their local
Access to Justice Committee, the
Southern Colorado Bar Associa-
tion and Colorado Legal Services
and is receiving support from lo-
Photos by Eric John Monson / The Chronicle-News
Problem Solving Court Coorinator, C.J. Montoya and District Court Judge Les-
lie Gerbracht are promoting the first Ask-a-Lawyer Day event at the District
Court in the Las Animas County Courthouse. The event promises free legal
consultations with local attorneys.Continued on Page 2 ...
REORGANIZATION & RESTRUCTURE
TSJC Athletics
sets focus on
the future
Trinidad State Junior College
Special to The Chronicle-News
Ed. Note: In this press release
received by The Chronicle-News
on Wednesday, the Trinidad State
Junior College (TSJC) Athletic De-
partment announced they will be
cutting the Golf program, search-
ing for a new Athletic Director and
beginning a national search for a
new volleyball coach. Expect a fol-
low-up from The Chronicle-News in
the coming days on TSJC’s Athletic
Department reorganization.
Great athletes need focus and
vision. The same can be said for
great Athletic departments. Trini-
dad State has had a great athletic
tradition over the years and is
now making moves to take the
programs to even greater levels in
the future. These changes in the
athletic department will keep the
focus on winning while putting
forth a vision on how it will im-
prove into the future.
There have been many rumors
since Coach Ellen McGill left the
volleyball program to take the
head job at NCAA Division II
UNC Pembroke that the delay in
hiring a coach meant the program
was going to be eliminated. This
is not now, or has never been the
case. The Trinidad State admin-
istration, consisting of President
Carmen Simone, Vice President
Kerry Gabrielson and Athletic
Director Rich Holden, took a long
look at how to best staff that posi-
tion in order to continue the fabu-
lous success it has had in recent
years.
The decision has been made to
go out on a national search for a
new Head Volleyball Coach. The
job description is currently posted
on national sites and the position
will be filled later in the semester.
The returning volleyball players
are working hard to prepare for
the coming year.
A second change in the depart-
ment concerns the Golf team. The
highly successful team will finish
the season, they are currently in
first place, but after this year the
program will be cut. This move
is being made to help focus re-
sources back onto the remaining
seven programs. While it is diffi-
cult to cut any program, especially
one as successful as golf has been
at TSJC, it is important now to
strengthen the other programs by
consolidating some of the depart-
ment resources.
The third change coming in the
department involves the Athletic
Director position. President Sim-
one addressed this in her weekly
staff briefing saying, “We will be
posting an internal search for an
Athletic Director. This change will
allow Rich Holden, who currently
wears three hats, to focus his at-
Photo courtesy TSJC
Dr. Carmen Simone
Continued on Page 2 ...
2. Page 2 Thursday, January 29, 2015 The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado
General Manager
Allyson Sheumaker
asheumaker@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Advertising
Sales-Adam Sperandio
advertising@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Classifieds, Memorials, &
Circulation- Joey Loewen
classified@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Design & Legals- Lauri Duran
ktoci@trinidadchroniclenews.com
News Room
Editor: Eric John Monson
editor@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Features Editor & Fine Print
Catherine Moser
cathy@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Reporter: Steve Block
news1@trinidadchroniclenews.com
Business Hours:
Monday - Friday
8 AM - 5 PM
USPS #110-040
200 West Church Street
P.O. Box 763, Trinidad, CO 81082
(719) 846-3311 • Fax (719) 846-3612
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Periodicals Postage Paid For At Trinidad, CO.
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Trinidad Community Center
Saturday, January 31 • 10 am to 1 pm
Tuesday , February 3 • 5 pm to 7pm
Everyone Plays
Family Fun for Everyone
Love Kids?
Coaches and Referees Urgently Needed
(no experience necessary)
& Equipment Swap
Sabine 719-680-2013 or
Penny 719-859-2584
AYSO Soccer
Sign Up
65 Comi Funeral Home
Patrick E. 'BoBo" Duran,
former resident of Aguilar,
Colo. passed away Sunday,
January 25, 2015. He was
41.
Funeral Services will be
Saturday, January 31, 2015
at 2 p.m. at the Comi Funeral
Home Chapel.
Interment fill be held at the
Trujillo Creek Cemetery at a
later date when weather
permits.
Complete obit to follow.
Arrangements made under
the direction of the Comi
Funeral Home.
67 Mullare-Murphy Funeral Home
Lawrence Parsons
Lawrence (Larry) Parsons,
78, born in Trinidad, Colo.,
passed away Friday, Jan.
23, 2015. He was the first-
born son of Robert George
a n d G e r a l d i n e E l o i s e
Parsons and the first
grandson of Nora and Frank
Parsons. The Parsons family
was a ranching family in Las
Animas County, Colo., and
ran cattle on a ranch west of
Trinidad. Larry grew up on
the ranch, attended first
grade in Weston, Colo.,
second through eighth grade
at Hoehne, and high school
at Trinidad High School. His
inclinations were to music
and he took piano lessons
for over eight years, finishing
up in his senior year of high
school. He played the
trombone and French horns
in the Hoehne and Trinidad
High School bands. During
the summers he worked on
the ranch and drove trucks
for his uncle, Harry Downs,
who owned a truck line. As a
young man Larry hauled hay,
cottonseed cake, fence
posts, watermelon and
cantaloupe, turkeys and
other livestock and produce.
People living in Las Animas
County west of Trinidad are
living the dream of one man,
Larry Parsons. He took the
challenge of becoming Chief
of the Stonewall Volunteer
Fire Department when it had
only one old firehouse,
minimal equipment and
outdated safety protection
g e a r . T h a n k s t o h i s
leadership and 18 years of
hard work, the Stonewall Fire
Protection District now has
six well-equipped fire
stations, modern fire-fighting
apparatus and safety-
protection gear, and 43 well-
trained firefighters to serve
the 547 square miles within
the district. That dream is still
alive and carried forth with
the present Stonewall Fire
Chief, Loyd Holliman and
members of the District.
H e j o i n e d t h e A r m y
National Guard his junior
year in high school and
served until he entered the
US Air Force in 1955. After
engaging in combat judo,
electronics as a guided
missile technician and
serving in a small police
action on the island of
Quemoy in the Formosa
Strait, Larry obtained his
discharge and went to work
as a ground power mechanic
at Norton Air Force Base in
San Bernardino, Calif. In
1959 he and his wife Autumn
moved to Fort Collins, Colo.,
where he attended Colorado
State University. Larry and
Autumn were divorced in
1960. In January 1962 he
quit college and moved back
to the ranch. While working
on the ranch he met a 19-
year old girl named Vonna
Hector. Larry and Vonna
were married Oct. 12, 1962,
and remained married until
Vonnaʼs death in 2004.
In 1963 Larry and Vonna
moved back to Fort Collins
and both attended Colorado
State University where Larry
g r a d u a t e d f r o m C i v i l
Engineering school in 1966.
Later that year they had a
son, Shawn, and two years
later their daughter, Lonetta
Sue, was born. After
graduating from college,
Larry went to work for the
Bureau of Reclamation in
Pueblo, Colo. For the next
26 years he worked at the
Bureau's Regional Offices in
Denver, Rock Springs, Wyo.,
and Great Falls, Mont.,
finally moving to Waldorf,
67 Mullare-Murphy Funeral Home
Protection District now has
six well-equipped fire
stations, modern fire-fighting
apparatus and safety-
protection gear, and 43 well-
trained firefighters to serve
the 547 square miles within
the district. That dream is still
alive and carried forth with
the present Stonewall Fire
Chief, Loyd Holliman and
members of the District.
H e j o i n e d t h e A r m y
National Guard his junior
year in high school and
served until he entered the
US Air Force in 1955. After
engaging in combat judo,
electronics as a guided
missile technician and
serving in a small police
action on the island of
Quemoy in the Formosa
Strait, Larry obtained his
discharge and went to work
as a ground power mechanic
at Norton Air Force Base in
San Bernardino, Calif. In
1959 he and his wife Autumn
moved to Fort Collins, Colo.,
where he attended Colorado
State University. Larry and
Autumn were divorced in
1960. In January 1962 he
quit college and moved back
to the ranch. While working
on the ranch he met a 19-
year old girl named Vonna
Hector. Larry and Vonna
were married Oct. 12, 1962,
and remained married until
Vonnaʼs death in 2004.
In 1963 Larry and Vonna
moved back to Fort Collins
and both attended Colorado
State University where Larry
g r a d u a t e d f r o m C i v i l
Engineering school in 1966.
Later that year they had a
son, Shawn, and two years
later their daughter, Lonetta
Sue, was born. Afte r
graduating from college,
Larry went to work for the
Bureau of Reclamation in
Pueblo, Colo. For the next
26 years he worked at the
Bureau's Regional Offices in
Denver, Rock Springs, Wyo.,
and Great Falls, Mont.,
finally moving to Waldorf,
Md, to take a job in the
Division of Research in the
Bureauʼs Washington DC
Office. In 1978 he moved to
Bismarck, N.D., where he
became the Planning Officer
for Reclamation in North
Dakota for the last 6 years.
In 1984 he moved to
Alamosa, Colo.,to become
the Office Engineer on the
Closed Basin Project where
h e w o r k e d u n t i l h i s
r e t i r e m e n t i n 1 9 9 2 .
While in Alamosa, Larry
and Vonna both became
involved in Red Cross and
w e r e i n s t r u m e n t a l i n
consolidating six small Red
Cross Chapters into one
Chapter in the San Luis
Valley. They both went on to
State level Red Cross
positions serving Red Cross
in disaster operations,
teaching and training
instructors in CPR and First
Aid. They assisted Linda
Barron in 1999 in starting the
Spanish Peaks Branch of
The American Red Cross in
Las Animas County. Larry
trained CRP/AED classes
and instructors both in the
c o m m u n i t y a n d t h e
Stonewall Fire District from
1996 to 2012.
Larry became interested in
the martial arts while in
Green River, Wyo. He
studied for a black belt in
Kenpo Karate under an
i n s t r u c t o r n a m e d J im
Chialland. After moving to
Montana in 1971, he studied
Karate, Nimpo Ninjitsu, and
f i n a l l y T a e K w o n D o ,
achieving the black belt level
and became an International
Instructor. One of his
students, Jay Warwick, later
became a bronze medal
winner in the 1990 Olympics.
Larry continued for several
years to instruct TaeKwonDo
after moving to Stonewall.
In 1992 Larry retired from
the Bureau of Reclamation
and at the end of 1993
moved to Stonewall. In
September 1995 Larry and
Vonna built a home on the
North Fork branch of the
Purgatorie River. After
moving to Stonewall, Larry
was elected as the Fire Chief
for the Stonewall Volunteer
Fire Department in 1994. He
was instrumental in forming
the Stonewall Fire Protection
District. He trained as an
EMT-Intermediate and
provided emergency medical
services to the community
from 1995 until 2013. He
was trained in Incident
Management Systems,
Wildland Fire Suppression
Tactics, Hazmat Awareness
a n d O p e r a t i o n s , a n d
numerous other skills. He
remai ne d on th e 911
Authority in Las Animas
County until his death.
Larry became a member of
the Masonic Lodge No. 28 in
Trinidad Dec. 10, 1981. He
also belonged to the La Veta
Lodge No, 59. During the
years Larry was a Mason he
held the offices of Tiler,
Secretary, Senior Warden
and Junior Warden. In 2000
he served as Worshipful
Master for the Masonic
Lodge No. 28.
He is survived by his wife,
Susan Stewart Parsons, son
Joe Stewart of Trinidad,
Larry's daughter Lonetta
Parsons (Joe) Romero of
Weston, sister Janice
Haught of Denver, brother
Bernard (Ann) Parsons of
Weston, a niece and three
nephews, along with many
other family members. Those
preceding Larry in death are
his wife Vonna, son Shawn,
his parents and beloved
grandparents, several aunts
a n d u n c l e s , s o m e
f i r e f i g h t e r s , s p e c i a l
neighbors and countless
close friends.
Larry devoted his life to
serving his country and the
local community. His life will
b e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h a
67 Mullare-Murphy Funeral Home
and at the end of 1993
moved to Stonewall. In
September 1995 Larry and
Vonna built a home on the
North Fork branch of the
Purgatorie River. After
moving to Stonewall, Larry
was elected as the Fire Chief
for the Stonewall Volunteer
Fire Department in 1994. He
was instrumental in forming
the Stonewall Fire Protection
District. He trained as an
EMT-Intermediate and
provided emergency medical
services to the community
from 1995 until 2013. He
was trained in Incident
Management Systems,
Wildland Fire Suppression
Tactics, Hazmat Awareness
a n d O p e r a t i o n s , a n d
numerous other skills. He
remained on the 911
Authority in Las Animas
County until his death.
Larry became a member of
the Masonic Lodge No. 28 in
Trinidad Dec. 10, 1981. He
also belonged to the La Veta
Lodge No, 59. During the
years Larry was a Mason he
held the offices of Tiler,
Secretary, Senior Warden
and Junior Warden. In 2000
he served as Worshipful
Master for the Masonic
Lodge No. 28.
He is survived by his wife,
Susan Stewart Parsons, son
Joe Stewart of Trinidad,
Larry's daughter Lonetta
Parsons (Joe) Romero of
Weston, sister Janice
Haught of Denver, brother
Bernard (Ann) Parsons of
Weston, a niece and three
nephews, along with many
other family members. Those
preceding Larry in death are
his wife Vonna, son Shawn,
his parents and beloved
grandparents, several aunts
a n d u n c l e s , s o m e
f i r e f i g h t e r s , s p e c i a l
neighbors and countless
close friends.
Larry devoted his life to
serving his country and the
local community. His life will
b e c e l e b r a t e d w i t h a
memorial service at 11 a.m.
on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the
Lordʼs Chapel on Hwy 12
(just west of Segundo)
followed by a reception. The
family requests that instead
o f f l o w e r s , m e m o r i a l
donations be made to the
Stonewall Fire Protection
District or the Vonna
Parsons Scholarship Fund.
(The scholarship fund
awards annual scholarships
to qualified seniors living in
the Stonewall Fire Protection
District.)
The family has entrusted
the Mullare-Murphy Funeral
H o m e w i t h t h e
a r r a n g e m e n t s .
62 Memorials
In Loving Memory of
Mary P. Vasquez
who passed away 5 years
ago 1-22-2010
WHAT IS A MOTHER
A mother is a treasured gift
of love thatʼs deep and true...
You know sheʼs always
standing by to guide and
comfort you. A mother, with
unfailing strength, can keep
you safe from harm... And
yet you feel the softness of
her gentle grace and
charm... A mother gives
encouragement With wisdom
and a smile... She
understands your hopes and
dreams and makes them
seem worthwhile... A
motherʼs always in your
heart wherever you may go...
Sheʼs part of everything you
do, Thatʼs why
you love her so.
Sadly missed by the Fierro
and Vasquez Family
TSJC Athletics sets focus on the future
... Continued from Page 1
Need legal help?
Ask-A-Lawyer Day offers resources
... Continued from Page 1
Position filled:
Engeland named new City Manager
... Continued from Page 1
worked on helped set me up for success
and made me realize how much I loved
working at the local level.
“I came to local government through
the private sector. I had several negative
experiences when I had to interact with
my local officials and I would always think
‘There HAS to be a better way to do this.’
After saying this far too frequently I decid-
ed I should try to make a change.”
He was asked to describe a few mistakes
he’d made in his public career, and what
other people could learn from his experi-
ences. He said: “Culture is an important
part of transition. If you identify all of the
necessary bureaucratic components to
a change (financial, Human Resources,
Council, etc.), but fail to take into account
the culture of the organization, the change
will be resisted at every turn.”
Mayor Joe Reorda was asked what
made Engeland stand out among the five
finalists for the city manager position.
“For me, it was the way he delivered
his message,” Mayor Reorda said. “He had
really done his homework, and he was ex-
tremely well prepared. He knew where we
were with the City budget, and he knew
what our financial reserves were. He knew
where we were with all of our City proj-
ects. We asked him how his wife felt about
moving to Trinidad. He said they had lived
in several different places and were tired of
moving and were looking for a permanent
home, and they wanted it to be a smaller
community because that’s where they feel
most comfortable. One thing he said struck
me. He said his mom had told him that in
making decisions, he should listen intently
to what everyone had to say on a particu-
lar issue and then do what he wanted to do.
I think we’ve found the right guy for the
job.”
Engeland grew up feeling absolutely
certain that he was the future shortstop of
the Detroit Tigers, but his life took a turn
in the direction of public administration.
He loves spending time in his adopted
hometown of Detroit, and is a devoted fan
of the Kansas Jayhawks.
cal lawyers and law enforcement.
While discussing the Ask-A-Lawyer
event, Judge Gerbracht is flanked by C.J.
Montoya, who might have the longest and
most descriptive title in the Third Judicial
District: Problem Solving Court Coordina-
tor / Self Represented Litigant Coordina-
tor. Montoya’s job, in a way like the Ask-
A-Lawyer event, was born through the
court addressing the problems and costs
associated with self-represented litigants.
“We’ve found that over 50 percent of people
represent themselves in civil cases,” said
Montoya. And in family court that percent-
age is even higher. “The court was finding
people not prepared for their appearance
and they saw a need for a staff person to
help prepare people and just help them in
general through the process regardless of
resources, or any handicaps.
“Access to Justice (a state-wide initiative
that is focusing on making court processes
more accessible to the populous) found that
for every $1 invested in improving help for
self-represented people there is over $6 re-
turned. That return comes from fewer cases
being rescheduled, less repeat, or unneeded
paperwork, and if you do things right the
first time, they don’t have to be done again.
And by the time you get through having
to do something a second time you usually
end up having to hire an attorney anyway,
which further compounds those costs,” said
Montoya.
Montoya said a big part of his job, and a
big part of the Ask-A-Lawyer event, is and
will be making sure people representing
themselves get the right forms and know
how to fill them out. “Even if you have some
experience with the law, if you’ve ever
looked at some of these forms they might as
well be written in Chinese,” said Montoya.
So, on Ask-A-Lawyer Day, district court
staff will be available to print needed forms
and help people fill them out.
Judge Gerbracht said she had heard of
an event like this being done over 20 years
ago, but this is the first time in her 15 years
here that the court has done something
like this. “We’re really happy to be able to
participate in this,” said Judge Gerbracht.
“We have some wonderful attorney’s here
locally that are willing to do something ‘pro
bono’ like this. And as we do more events
we can begin to focus on what people need
help with and what people want to know.
The event is really two-fold: It gives people a
chance to meet our local attorneys and have
their questions answered and it gives peo-
ple a chance to become more comfortable
with the court and our processes.”
People interested in attending the Ask-A-
LawyerDayeventareurgedtocallMontoya
at (719) 680-7333 to schedule an appointment.
Walk-ins will be welcome, but Montoya
said they don’t want to have to turn any-
one away if the event turns out to be more
popular than organizers are prepared for.
Childcare for people with children will be
provided at the courthouse. Information re-
garding criminal cases will not be provided,
only civil and family cases will be the focus
at this particular event. The Las Animas
County Sheriff will provide security.
More Ask-A-Lawyer events have already
been scheduled with the expectation of pos-
sibly providing them quarterly. The next
events are tentatively scheduled for May 18
and October 19 to also be held at the court-
house.
For more information or to schedule an
appointment at Ask-A-Lawyer Day call the
Third Judicial District’s C.J. Montoya at
(719) 680-7333.
tention on our Women’s Basketball program
in the coming years. His efforts as Athletic
Director have taken our programs to high
levels of success and we owe him a debt of
gratitude. As Rich passes the torch to his suc-
cessor, he will remain available to offer guid-
ance and advice. With his support, our quest
for athletic excellence will not miss a beat.”
Coach Holden will now be able to focus
his time on the Women’s Basketball program
that was started five seasons ago trying to
take them to the top levels of a very competi-
tive Region IX. The new Athletic Director
will benefit from Holden’s knowledge while
having more time to work on preparing the
remaining programs for the future by plan-
ning a long-term vision, looking at fundrais-
ing efforts and by working with the city and
local schools on facility upgrades.
These combined moves will help secure
the future of Trinidad State athletics. Dr.
Simone ensured the Trinidad State Booster
Club Board that the other seven programs
would continue on strong with the full sup-
port of the administration. Trojan athletics
is in a good place and will continue to be a
vibrant part of the Trinidad community for
years to come.
Community
