A fast-growing wildfire northwest of Los Angeles has already forced thousands to evacuate and is threatening a U.S. naval base.

While ground crews continued to battle the 50-acre Piedra fire in the Sandias, several more fires of suspicious origin sparked along the La Luz Trail and in Rio Rancho.

Jury panel in Philadelphia debating murder charges against abortion provider Kermit Gosnell as they start their third full day of deliberations.

Amber Alert issued for missing teens Misty Chyann Sloan and Savannah Meshell Sloan out of Kingsland, Texas.

America’s worst professional baseball team is from New Mexico. Yaaay.

Fugitive Joanne Chesimard is the first woman on the FBI’s list of Most Wanted Terrorists.

What’s your favorite pizza topping? Hmm, let see … I like pepperoni, artichoke hearts, extra cheese and, of course, plastic fragments. Ooh and maybe rat meat.

ABQ BioPark

ABQ BioPark’s yet-to-be-named newborn giraffe calf

On April 20, an 18-year-old giraffe named June gave birth to a 120-pound girl. The newborn giraffe has yet to receive a name, but, in the coming weeks, Facebook users can help name the giraffe by visiting the ABQ BioPark's Facebook page and voting on the calf's name.

The ABQ BioPark has other recently-born members, such as: Chopper, a male White rhino; Kix, a male Bactrian camel; Kiran and Kalmali, two male snow leopards; Daizy, a female Asian elephant; and Reese, a female orangutan.

Celebrate Mother's Day by welcoming the yet-to-be-named, newborn giraffe and by visiting other new family members at the ABQ BioPark.

Alibi ace reporter Barron Jones takes an active look at the glacially-paced investigation into the shooting death of Jonathan Mitchell.

Fire season returns.

Drought continues, and we're officially the hardest-hit state.

La Jicarita shares a poignant photo essay of International Workers' Day happenings in Burque.

APD debuts The Daily 49 newscast, but it's for officers' eyes only.

The Sandoval Country Fire Department halts issuing burn permits for unincorporated county land.

Le Café Miche reopens Downtown.

Mora County becomes the first county in the country to ban drilling and fracking. Way to be, Mora!

Thomas Dolby is coming! Thomas Dolby is coming!

This is not a Magazine cover.

Linda Hubbard's propagand-art rules.

And, now, your daily moment of teddy bear operation.

• Teddy's operation (genericabqfema​​le) [ Thu May 2 2013 10:44 AM ]
  

Everybody's favorite coach, Steve Alford, is contesting his 1 million dollar buyout, causing New Mexicans to love him even more.

Chama River has great beer, but at least one dirtbag employee.

The city shut down a Central motel for all the usual squalorous reasons. Which is maybe a good thing. But it does mean that the residents are out on the street. Which is definitely a bad thing.

As I said last week: the Elvis impersonator is innocent. It was the evil martial arts instructor all along. Because of the fake Mensa Certificate, you see. It all makes sense!

IBM released a new movie! The paparazzi is going to have to squint really hard to find the actors, though.

Beautiful land in South Dakota for sale! Rolling hills, historic structures, angry Oglala Sioux. Oh, it's the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre. But don't you think it would make a beautiful spa?

And hey, if you're like me, right about now you're probably wondering "What if someday I have to land an airplane but I'm not a pilot?" Never fear. The Daily Word has your back.

• Alford's baby blue and yellow tie (lilbrudder) [ Wed May 1 2013 1:26 PM ]
  

The Albuquerque church stabber believed he was fighting a masonic conspiracy.

I was rooting for Patricia Michaels of Taos Puebleo.

The Rio Arriba County Sheriff is being investigated by the FBI.

It was his ninth birthday, and he's cautious... so we let him drive the Ferrari.

Watch Keith Richards clobber a guy with his guitar.

Other Euro-zone countries may seize savings from the wealthy.

Proud to be a bearded lady.

Protesters in Bangladesh calling for death penalty for the owner of the building that collapsed April 24th.

Neat pictures of the new Manhattan subway under construction.

Yesterday was the anniversary of Albert Hoffman's death. You must see this psychedelic kitty GIF.

• Don't bring a knife.. (sloppy) [ Tue Apr 30 2013 2:37 PM ]
  
• Subway Under Construction (engineer1971) [ Wed May 1 2013 9:44 AM ]
  

Gas explosion in Prague injured at least 35.

The New York Jets have released Tim Tebow.

The St. Jude Thaddeus Parish choir was attacked on Sunday during closing hymns.

Weather postpones the new World Trade Center building’s ascent to be the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.

The state has issued an Amber Alert for 6-year-old Elijah Reczek.

Leo Dicaprio’s life is nothing like The Great Gatsby.

New York City bartender breaks world record for most cocktails made in one hour. (Hint: The previous record was 973.)

Zoos around the world are welcoming new baby animals that will make your heart melt.

• Elijah Reczek (pencil) [ Mon Apr 29 2013 10:41 AM ]
  

Fire at a wooden psychiatric facility north of Moscow leaves at least 38 dead.

South Korea to withdraw staff from jointly-run industrial complex in North Korea.

Susana for prez?

This just in: people like smartphones.

Rescuers tunneling into the rubble of the eight-story building that collapsed Wednesday in Bangladesh have discovered another 50 people trapped on what remained of its third floor. Two women who gave birth under the debris have been rescued along with their infants.

Kermit Gosnell defense rests without calling any witnesses.

21-year-old Albuquerque corrections officer accused of giving alcohol to youths.

Woman arrested after allegedly breaking into a home naked through the doggy door before found by the homeowners sitting in their bathtub.

Cats with their heads stuck in yogurt containers is sort of hilarious.

• the daily word
• bangladesh
• north korea
• kermit gosnell
• susana martinez

Missing Brown student's body has been found.

Two fuel barges light up the Mobile River in Alabama.

So, TMZ apparently got the first wind on Justin Bieber's alleged pot bust, but this is still a developing story, people.

Grants High School students aim to get teacher to resign after they say he ignored a student who suffered a miscarriage in the hallway.

Gay marriage resolution passed!

Apparently Steve Kush did not know people could read his Twitter and Facebook comments.

Impostor Seattle nurse stole meds from patients' IVs. ... What is the world coming to?

Patrick Hoesly

 

The Bernalillo County Commission has approved a measure boosting the pay of those earning minimum wage in Bernalillo County. County commissioners voted 3 to 2 to raise the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour; workers earning the state’s minimum wage are currently paid $7.50 an hour. The commissioners voted along party lines with three Democrats supporting the measure while Republicans voted against. Workers impacted by the increase will see two 50-cent hourly increases over the next year to earn $8.50 an hour by January 1, 2014.

“Bernalillo County families deserve a fair wage for a hard day’s work,” says Commissioner Art De La Cruz, who sponsored the measure. “I am committed to economic development and creating jobs, as well as livable wages for the workers that are the backbone of many successful companies and businesses here in Bernalillo County.”

But Commissioner Wayne Johnson, who voted against the measure, believes the push for a wage increase was political pandering at its finest.“The only real beneficiaries of this policy are politicians who pander to extreme interest groups and larger businesses that have the ability to survive the arbitrarily imposed costs and benefit once their smaller competitors are forced out of business,” said Johnson.

The new ordinance will apply to about 1,400 businesses in the unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County outside the city limits, and it's consistent with the wage increase approved by Albuquerque voters. Last November, Albuquerque residents approved a minimum wage ordinance that went into effect Jan. 1, 2013, raising the city’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $8.50 per hour.

The increase was met with controversy after Mayor Richard Berry backed City Attorney David Tourek's hesitant stance on stepping in to private sector employer-employee disputes to enforce the increase. More than a week later, Berry's administration changed its tune by filing a lawsuit against a local business refusing to honor the increase.

Tipped employees are also covered by the new county wage ordinance. If a tipped employee’s hourly rate, including tips, doesn't meet the minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. Tipped employees can continue to pool tips under the new ordinance. As with the city's minimum wage ordinance, the county will adjust the wage according to cost of living increase.

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin just bought the Jean Cocteau theater in Santa Fe. “I’ve always loved movies and I’ve always loved old theaters,” he said, as naked prostitutes writhed around him in a way that didn't really seem to advance the plot.

Despite the opposition of the Obama administration, the wrath of PETA and a voicemail in-box full of death threats, Valley Meat Co. in Roswell is one step closer to slaughtering horses.

Bernalillo County voted to pass its own minimum wage increase. Route 66 Malt Shop co-owner Eric Szeman spoke against it. Because nobody's sick of that guy yet.

It turns out the Elvis impersonator did not, in fact, mail ricin laced letters to the President. Suspicions now fall on his nemesis, the evil martial arts instructor, Master Dutschke. Somehow, this is real.

The Post Office is super mad at Lance Armstrong.

Swedish llamas protect sheep from wolves.

And, as always, when it comes to big news, remember to look for a second source.

 

“Look toward the future.” This saying has been engraved in my mind since ... well, since the beginning. I’ve been told by my parents, teachers, advisors, bosses, nearly everyone to strive for what’s ahead, to keep on pushing forward. I realize this is a common theme in society. I’m sure most people have had at least a few anxiety attacks in the middle of the night concerning that overbearing word: “future”.

I’ll admit I’m slightly terrified by its presence. However, my perspective is shifting. I graduate from high school next month and suddenly, the world seems to be spinning multitudes faster than it used to. What happened to barely keeping my eyes open in first-period calculus? Or lugging around a backpack that felt like it was full of anvils? Now, I’m being thrown a diploma and told to go off into the real world, leaving this part of my life behind. Granted, graduating from high school is an accomplishment I’m proud of and while I had a great time overall, I cannot wait to throw my cap in the air while ironically performing a “High School Musical” signature jump. In the grand spectrum, these past four years account for a minuscule portion of my life. That isn’t to say they weren’t important, but there is so much more to experience and learn outside of the state-required curriculum.

But then here it comes again: the future spurning an existential crisis on my exhausted brain. Between worrying about what college will be like to what sort of chips to buy for my graduation party, my head is filled to the brim with anticipating the undeniable future. Perhaps the most frightening part is that in approximately four months, I will be moving over 2000 miles away to Boston.

That single fact awoke an urge to stop focusing primarily on the future and to really enjoy what I have right now. While moving and running toward reality is exciting, I also know I have to make an effort to really soak up all that’s around me right now. Boston will present me with some amazing adventures, but what about the adventures that are yet to be had here?

So, Alibi reader, welcome to “Blair rediscovers ABQ” (I’m sure I’ll come up with a catchier title later). Given the opportunity to blog for the Alibi, I hope to not only find new things about this beloved desert city that I never knew existed, but also let you know about them. This place has so much to offer and before I leave, I want to be able to say, “I know Albuquerque,” and share my newfound knowledge. Before Boston, diplomas, packing all my stuff into not-so-neat little boxes; before my life turns upside down, I want to explore my home to the absolute fullest during the last summer I have the privilege to call it that.

Thus begins the Albuquerque adventures. Next stop: Food trucks.

• albuquerque
• high school
• boston
• diploma
• college
• the future
• existence
• adventure

Albuquerque's weekly SWAT standoff.

Northern New Mexico's used tire problem.

Rio Arriba County police blotter.

Plants grown with Black Sabbath playing really loud have "the best flowers...."

The cult of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

FAA layoffs resulting from the sequestration are screwing up flight times.

Half the prisoners at Guantanamo are staging a hunger strike.

Brian Wilson taken into custody for not going surfing.

ABBA museum opening soon in Stockholm.

Bagram Batman.

Richie Havens is dead.

A moment of silence will be observed today for the victims of the Boston Bombings.

Over the weekend, 3 Doors Down bassist charged with vehicular homicide and Reese Witherspoon was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Formerly homeless UNM student is graduating in May.

Tijeras couple warns of possible dognapper.

Zooey Deschanel mistakenly named as one of the Boston Bombing suspects.

A car accident at Central and Louisiana on Sunday left 1 dead and 3 injured.

The “Cinnamon Challenge” is no joke.

Need words to live by? These 22 movies have you covered.

Police have killed one suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing in a shootout and have mounted house-to-house searches for a second man.

12 bodies have been found at the site of Wednesday’s fertilizer plant explosion.

Former Albuquerque firefighter accused of laundering money for the Sinaloa drug cartel pleaded guilty Thursday to one of the federal charges against him.

Wildfire near Mayhill, NM now 90% contained.

When Google Earth’s algorithm fails, whacked-out distortions ensue.

Fort Sumner appears to have a little bit of a train derailing problem.

Siri has a record of all of the ridiculous questions you have asked her.

Georgia police officer charged with felony aggravated assault after allegedly pulling a gun on a customer in the drive-thru line of a McDonald's.

Last night, I watched a live broadcast interview with one of the West, Texas first responders and he described a scene of carnage and chaos so horrific that his only point of reference was a horror movie. ... Today, CBS reports that between 5 and 15 people are dead, and more than 160 are injured.

An exhausted UNM pediatric medicine resident and marathon runner dived into the aftermath of the Boston marathon bombing to help; she was being treated for blood pressure and severe calf cramping when the bombs detonated.

"A Senate in the Gun Lobby’s Grip," Gabrielle Giffords' editorial in the New York Times is a must-read.

Walmart abandons efforts to build a new big box store at Coors and Montaño. And there was much rejoicing.

Jack Ehn reports on New Mexico's economic drought for the New Mexico Mercury.

Local zinester, gallerist and musician Marya Errin Jones interviews the founder of Tom Tom Magazine, the first publication entirely devoted to female drummers.

Photographer Liz Wolfe's work juxtaposes beauty and fear in a way that seems appropriate on this day.

Prog-rock power trio Rush (finally) gets inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "We will make them give us light. ..."

• Yay for no Wally World in the bosque (genericabqfema​​le) [ Thu Apr 18 2013 11:44 AM ]