Odds & ends

Meth labstolenart

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) >> An Albuquerque officer searching a former meth lab stumbled upon artwork by late-American Indian artist Al Momaday that was worth more than $30,000 and likely was stolen, police said.

Police said the officer found the valuable prints last week during a protective sweep of the condemned apartment right before city official were to board up the property. Authorities say the building was deemed uninhabitable for two years following the discovery of a methamphetamine lab.

According to police, the officer spotted an art portfolio case containing Momaday prints on the floor. The officer googled Momaday’s name and discovered he was a Mountain View, Oklahoma-born Kiowa painter who died in 1981.

“Knowing this, and knowing all the history about this apartment, I knew (whoever) left this property behind had no lawful reason to be in possession of this (artwork),” the officer wrote in his report.

The officer took the prints to an Albuquerque Museum curator who valued them at $33,000.

Investigators believe the art might have been stolen while on loan. They are still trying to determine who it belongs to and what to do with it.

Momaday’s paintings depicting his Native American heritage have gained international acclaim and are featured in galleries around the country. He also created plaques for Albuquerque churches. Staff members at the Albuquerque museum are helping the Albuquerque Police Ddepartment identify some precious stolen artwork recovered by the police. Pictured is one of a few limited-edition prints found in the case. So far, museum curators have identified the artist as Al Momaday, a well-known Native American artist.

A teacher, Momaday married Natachee Scott at Jemez Pueblo and helped bring Native American art lessons to New Mexico.

He is the father of N. Scott Momaday, the first American Indian to win a Pulitzer Prize for literature.

An assistant to N. Scott Momaday told the Albuquerque Journal that the author believes some items were stolen from him during a recent move to Santa Fe. However, he wasn’t sure if those items included artwork by his father.

In recent years, the abandoned building where the prints were found had been used as a drug den and a place to store stolen goods, authorities said.

No arrests have been made. The case remains under investigation.

Speedy chihuahua

LOSANGELES(AP)>> A speedy, two-legged male Chihuahua without a tag, microchip or home was picked up in Southern Cali- fornia this week.

Alerted to a report of an injured dog Tuesday night, San Bernardino County Animal Care and Control officers rounded up a 6-yearold Chihuahua in Highland, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles.

The dog was actually uninjured. Unlike most dogs missing two legs, this dog is missing most of his right front and rear left legs. But he runs naturally as if he’s been running that way his whole life.

County communications officer C.L. Lopez says it is likely a birth defect.

If the owner doesn’t show up by Sunday, the dog will be put up for adoption.

Horse stuck in tub

ORANGEVALE, CALIF. (AP) >> Firefighters in Northern California rescued a horse that got stuck in an outdoor bathtub.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Capt. Michelle Eidam says the horse was dancing around in her stall to protect the bath- tub used as her food trough when she suddenly fell in Wednesday.

The horse, named Phantom, was stuck in the bathtub for about 25 minutes with her feet up in the air. Her owner saw the horse fall and called the fire department.

Between firefighters and the owner’s family, they were able to prop the bathtub on its side and pull Phantom forward onto her feet.

Phantom, a Palomino/ Appaloosa mix, was not injured.

Latin confusion

MONTPELIER, VT. (AP)>> A Vermont student’s proposal for a state motto in Latin drew a burst of Internet fire from people who apparently confused the Romans’ language with Latin America, but the teenager is taking it in stride.

Sen. Joe Benning, a Caledonia County Republican, filed a bill on behalf of St. Johnsbury Academy ninthgrader Angela Kubicke, who proposed that Vermont add to its English-language motto, “Freedom & Unity,” one in Latin: “Stella quarta decima fulgeat.”

That means “The 14th Star Shines Bright,” honoring Vermont’s history as the 14th state to join the Union following the original 13 colonies.

When television station WCAX did a story about the proposal, its website’s comment section lit up with vitriol, with many seemingly linking the Latin motto to the immigration debate. Those comments were followed by others trying to deliver a combined lesson in language, history and geography.