THE PAST 100 YEARS

From The Santa Fe New Mexican:

April 3, 1924: Is the Republican old guard going to make a despairing attempt to keep control of the city council in its hands?

Rumors that Pablo Duran or Carl Gilbert may institute a contest have been heard.

April 3, 1949: For the first time since the depth of the depression New Mexico school teachers will probably receive no salary raises this year beyond the scale advancements for time in service. It’s all because of a li’l ol’ law that the public didn’t hear much about in the last legislature.

It doesn’t sound very important — merely changes the number of pupils per teacher. The new ratio is one teacher per 20 pupils in rural grade schools instead of one to 25 as at present; one teacher per 25 pupils for municipal grade schools instead of one to 30; and one teacher for each 22 tots in the first and second grades of municipal schools. The existing ratio is one to 25.

That will cost the state $2.5 million a year and require 800 more teachers.

April 3, 1974: Two Nambe men were arrested last week by the Santa Fe Metro Burglary Squad in connection with the estimated quarter of a million dollar jewelry robbery from the Kiva Shop March 20, and police say they are searching for a third suspect in the robbery, The New Mexican learned today.

However, Santa Fe Police Chief Felix Lujan said none of the silver and turquoise Indian jewelry has been recovered.

April 3, 1999: It’s called Serenity, but it has New Mexico health officials worried.

Serenity is the name for a new potion being marketed on the World Wide Web. Health officials say it contains a slightly altered version of a solvent sold as a muscle-building dietary supplement that sent 14 New Mexicans to the emergency room between October and January, before the state banned it Jan. 21.