THE PAST 100 YEARS

From the Santa Fe New Mexican:

Sept. 2, 1918: The Museum of New Mexico, which was the first to respond to the call of the state council of defense for a public bulletin board, [has placed a board] at the southwest corner of the Palace of the Governors and it is kept right up to date with bulletins of the food administration, the various war drives and announcements of national, state and county councils of defense. More people pass that corner in Santa Fe than probably any other corner and it is not unusual to find a group of people lined up before the board reading the announcements.

Sept. 2, 1993: To a large extent, the mock accident Wednesday involving a shipment of radioactive waste along U.S. 285 was about public relations — selling the notion that New Mexico is prepared to handle spills and other trouble on the roads to the controversial Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad.

… John Shea, WIPP project director for the Public Safety Department, said WIPP drills are criticized for being either too spontaneous and secretive or too much of a show. The Public Safety Department, the governor’s office and “just about anyone involved” were criticized by the press and other officials because adequate notice was not given about a WIPP drill near Raton this year, Shea said.

This time, comments about the drill left on forms in the reception tent said, “too packaged,” “too staged” and “where were the irate motorists?”