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Its the Law: Avoiding Probate
By Ray O. Sage, Attorney at Law, For Southwest Senior
Secretary: Mr. Sage, Mrs. Jones is here for her appointment.
Sage: Send her in. Hello, Mrs. Jones. How are you?
Jones: Well, not so good, Mr. Sage.
Sage: Nothing serious, I hope. How can I help you?
Jones: I've heard so many bad things about probate. How can I avoid it?
Sage: Is your husband still living?
Jones: We're divorced.
Sage: Do you own your home?
Jones: Yes, I do and it's paid for, thank goodness.
Sage: Do you have children?
Jones: Yes, I have a grown daughter and a grown son.
Sage: Who do you want to have your property after you die?
Jones: Just my daughter and my son. I don't have anyone else.
Sage: No grandchildren?
Jones: No, not yet. Read more...
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Local Headlines
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Crime Stoppers seeks help solving 1979 slaying of NMSU student
Sun-News report
LAS CRUCES — Las Cruces Crime Stoppers is seeking help in solving a 1979 case that involved the slaying of a New Mexico State University student.
On Oct. 4, 1979, 39-year-old Ann Billings was found murdered in her apartment at 505 W. Griggs Ave. in Las Cruces. Billings had recently moved from Silver City to Las Cruces and was attending classes that fall semester at NMSU, according to the Las Cruces Police Department.
Billings was last seen alive, by her parents, around 8:15 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 1, 1979. Billings then failed to attend her 9:30 a.m. class the same day.
Her body was discovered several days later with a fatal stab wound to her torso.
The killer was never found, but Las Cruces police believe the homicide is now solvable because of the amount of evidence recovered at the scene and recent advances in forensic science.
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New Mexico Headlines
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Udall challenges Pearce to three televised debates
Associated Press Writer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Democratic Senate candidate Tom Udall has challenged Republican opponent Steve Pearce to three televised debates to be held after Labor Day.
Tuesday's challenge comes days after a Pearce spokesman charged that Udall "put his foot down" to a debate proposed by the New Mexico Farm Bureau on July 26.
In a letter to Pearce's campaign that was released to the media, Udall's campaign manager Amanda Cooper wrote, "... New Mexicans deserve to see the candidates side by side, engaging in a vigorous exchange of ideas with each other."
Cooper also wrote that the debates should be coordinated to reach every corner of the state and consist of a variety of formats to allow the most interaction with voters.
The Pearce campaign agreed that "at least three debates" be made available to all media in New Mexico "in a format that provides the widest discussion of ideas," Pearce campaign manager John Billingsley wrote to Cooper.
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National Headlines
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Obama campaign unveils Spanish-language radio ad
Crucesnews.com
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is out today with his first Spanish-language radio ad, a personal look at his life in which he aims to relate to Hispanic voters.
“Some people have power and connections. But most of us have to make our own way through life. This is true even for the man who could become the next president, Barack Obama,” the ad’s narrator says in Spanish. “He grew up without a father -- raised by his mother with the support of his grandparents. Through student loans and hard work, he graduated from college.”
“Obama never forgot his roots. He worked with churches to help families get job training and after-school care for their children. In the state Senate, he passed a law that helped reduce the welfare roles by over 80 percent by helping families to secure jobs,” the narrator states. “And despite the political pressure, Obama has stood with us for immigration reform and spoke out for our veterans.”
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Health Headlines
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Cancer center director warns of cell phone risks
Memo based on early, unpublished data; other studies show no danger
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.
The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don’t find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science and he believes people should take action now — especially when it comes to children.
“Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later,” Herberman said.
No other major academic cancer research institutions have sounded such an alarm about cell phone use. But Herberman’s advice is sure to raise concern among many cell phone users and especially parents.
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Desert Dilemmas:
You ask, we answer
Help! Something has bored a hole into our agave plant and leaves are stopping to drop off. Can our plant be saved?
- Pat
Oh, no – sounds like a question for local gardening expect Jackye Meinecke of Enchanted Gardens. Here’s what Jackye has to say about this dire situation:
There is a beetle that bores into agaves and yuccas and lays its eggs. The larvae then hatch and dine on the agave as they progress in their lives to becoming beetles. This often kills the host plant. If the plant has been attacked, there is little that can be done. Prevention is possible. In the past, we used diazinon (the insecticide for grubs). Diazinon has been taken off the market. There are new products for exterminating grubs, but I don't know if they also work on the beetles and larvae that attack our agaves.
Sorry, Pat. It doesn’t sound like good news for your agave.
Do I need to worry about rattlesnakes being around this time of year? I thought all the reptiles would be hibernating, but the other day I saw a lizard scurrying away and started wondering if the snakes would be out on a nice day, too.
- Cheryl
Yes, this is my own question! My dogs and I walk in the desert almost every day and I’ve let my guard down about rattlesnakes lately. I’ve only seen one rattlesnake while on a walk, and he was sadly deceased after a heavy rain, but should I be looking for snakes now?
I asked Chris Newsom, the naturalist at the Las Cruces Museum of Natural History to give us some guidance about snakes. Chris says that this time of year snakes have gone over to their den sites, where they are not actually hibernating but in a state called “brumation.” The difference is that with brumation the sleep is not as deep and that if it is warm enough, they will come out to bask on the rocks near their den. Since brumation is a torpor induced by cool temperatures, a warm day will rouse them. Chris shared a personal winter snake encounter, saying “In February of 2005, I was out at a den site north of town and encountered 17 individual animals – Western Diamondback rattlesnakes. The high of the day, as I remember, was about 56 degrees. They were coiled up and basking within about five feet of their den site.”
So the answer is, the warmer the winter day, the higher the chance of finding a snake enjoying the weather just like you.
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On the Road
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4 secrets to cope with airline downsizing
As carriers cut back, research and planning can get you to your destination
By Christopher Elliott, Travel columnist
Is your flight about to be canceled?
Joshua Peterman’s was. He recently bought three Delta Air Lines tickets from Seattle to Bangkok. But a few weeks ago, Travelocity e-mailed him with word that his flights were “no longer confirmed” — a nice way of saying he had no reservations.
“The only option that they’ve offered is a refund, which is useless at this point, since the tickets are twice as expensive as they were when I purchased them,” he says. “Delta is claiming their codeshare partner changed the schedule and that they’re under no obligation to offer us new travel dates unless the partner airline has tickets with the exact same fare code.”
In other words, Peterman didn’t pay enough for his ticket.
This scenario is likely to repeat itself more in the coming months. Airlines have canceled twice as many flights in the first half of 2008 as they did last year — about 65,000 — and they have no intention of tapping the brakes. In fact, domestic airlines are expected to cut the number of flights by up to 15 percent during the next year, which is the biggest reduction in service since 9/11, and maybe ever. Read more...
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Local Roots
July gardening
tips of the week
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Harvest rainwater
Harvest rainwater by attaching gutters to you roof and directing the down spouts into plastic trash cans or wooden barrels. Keep the barrels covered to prevent algae growth and mosquito breeding. You can attach a hose bib near the bottom of the barrel to distribute the rainwater to your garden and landscape later in the year
Fertilize palms
Fertilize palms with a palm special fertilizer. Large, mature palms should receive 5 to 7 lbs., small palms 3 to 5 lbs. per tree. Apply the fertilizer in a band around the trunk, out about one foot from the base of the trunk. After applying the fertilizer, slowly water it into the ground More next week!
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