On May 5th, two New Mexico students received awards for their volunteer services. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards gave Brianna Swinderman, from Rio Rancho, and Joseph Lee Estrada, from Velarde, titles as New Mexico's top youth volunteers for 2013 and as State Honorees.

A judging panel reviewed 5000 Local Honorees, and selected 102 to receive State Honorees titles. The panel chose these Honorees based on their personal growth, initiatives, impacts, and efforts.

State Honorees received $1000 dollars, silver medallions, and paid trips to Washington, D.C. for national recognition events. They also attended a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, visited congressional representatives, and met the top youth volunteers from around the world.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recognized ten of the State Honorees as National Honorees who received gold medallions, crystal trophies, additional $5000 awards, and $5000 grants, from The Prudential Foundation, that went to nonprofit, aid-giving organizations that the Honorees chose.

[Additional commentary from Nick Brown: What Sara failed to mention was that these teenagers got to shake hands with major Hollywood movie star Kevin Spacey. Spacey, you’ll notice from the photo, is even wearing a suit for the ceremony—it’s not like he just walked up there in a bathrobe and a bag of chips, demanding a $2,500 check. He took this thing seriously.

It reminds me of the time I got straight A’s in school; my parents were so pleased they hired Lee Majors to come to our house and congratulate me in person. Of course that never happened, and I never got straight A’s, either, but the story puts some perspective on how these kids must have felt shaking hands with Kevin Spacey. Spacey also recently photobombed a woman in Boston.]

 

I'm no historian. I don't remember everything about the infamous Watergate break in. But I'm pretty sure it involved an elvish broadsword. The Watergate Game totally backs me up on this fact. At first a serious Zork-style text/point-and-click adventure game that casts you in the role of investigative journalist Bob Woodward, the game goes off the rails about the time the editor of the Washington post hands you that elvish broadsword. Hilarious, ridiculous and at times even historically accurate, The Watergate Game is something you must waste time on right away. Hint: I highly recommend taking Timothy Leary's drugs when you get the chance.

An AFD firefighter was indicted on federal drug trafficking charges Friday.

There is a new commission trying to figure out what to do with thousands of tons of nuclear waste in America.

Gwynyth Doland is the new head of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.

Are Yelp and other crowdsourcing tools wrecking your chances for good time?

This guy figured out when Ice Cube actually did have that good day.

Here's a helpful guide about the American film industry's long-standing resistance to new technology.

The Pentagon wants a super-commando-mothership... and its name is the U.S.S. Ponce?

Uggs are banned at this Pennsylvania middle school.

Oakland Mayor tells Occupy Oakland protesters to "stop using Oakland as its playground." 300 arrested.

This physician wanted to reanimate George Washington using a bellows, fire and lamb's blood.

Cats in sinks photo gallery.

Robert Hegyes, Welcome Back Kotter's Juan Epstein died.

The Star Trek house may be dismantled and sold. By the builder's ex-wife.

On this day in 1880 W.C. Fields was born.

Restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area are under “terrorist watch.”

A bus-sized asteroid skims right past Earth this Tuesday.

A strange signal has been picked up from alien planet Gliese 581g.

Check out Russia’s new inflatable weapons.

Brett Favre is accused of sexting three women.

A balloonist is shot at traveling over Texas during the America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race.

A Rasmussen Poll puts Susana Martinez ahead of Diane Denish.

J’s Spa and Therapy on Tramway and Montgomery is shut down for prostitution.

It’s okay everyone, you can relax; Gap is keeping their original logo.

An armless pianist wins “China’s Got Talent.”

Trapped for 68 days, the rescue of the Chilean miners begins tonight.

Because of our sensational luck with this sort of thing lately, the moratorium on deepwater drilling is lifted.

He’s still got it, apparently; here’s a video of a woman fainting in front of Bill Clinton.