Local company to be featured nationally with Smokey
For the last decade, P&M Signs has been manufacturing Smokey Bear signs in Mountainair. As a result, the Smokey Bear Association chose them to be featured in their newsletter which is distributed nationally to all federal agencies. It will be available for the public at the beginning of the new year.
“We are very honored to be given this national publicity out of Washington and look forward to providing our fire fighters with a tool that will help stop wildfires not only in New Mexico, but throughout the country,” said Phil Archuletta, owner and CEO of P&M Signs in a press release.
Archuletta first became involved in manufacturing Smokey Bear signs in 1980 while he was co-owner and Chief Operating officer of Ojo Caliente
Craftsman, a sign manufacturing company in a different part of the state.
He said at that time the region three road engineer was working with them on federal contracts and he added a new design for the Smokey Bear fire danger rating sign. The design had to be approved by the Forest Service national committee, of which Archuletta was a member of at that time.
The new design became a part of the national specification and got added to the business' contracts, which created the opportunity for them [Ojo Caliente Craftsman] to make the signs. He said at that time the Smokey Bear image had to be purchased from the Federal Prison Industries by the U.S. Forest Service.
In the 90s Archuletta moved to Mountainair and opened P&M Signs with his sister Maybel Ocaña. The pair were able to get a new national contract for the new business to manufacture signs for all federal agencies.
Archuletta heard from a colleague, that there were complaints coming from all over the country about the Smokey Bear signs. People were saying that the signs didn't hold up well over time, only lasting about three years, and the images were deteriorating due to ultraviolet exposure on the vinyl.
To correct the problem, the Smokey Bear licensing committee was asked if P&M Signs could get a license to print the signs on reflective sheeting using transparent inks, a design that would make the signs visible at all hours and last up to 15 years.
The application was approved and P&M Signs began making the new signs. Currently they offer over 100 Smokey Bear images for federal agencies across the country to use.
Life can sometimes overwhelm you, and last week it sure did a number on me. For most of us, we can now see Covid in the rear-view mirror. I enjoy seeing friends and neighbors at Smith's, Walgreens and Walmart with no masks, even if it is only a smile and nod. It's better than the two and a half years of fears, when people were in a hurry to shop, to see what was not on the shelves and to try not to touch the food carts. I had a box of lightweight rubber gloves, and I used them. Plus, when I got in the car, I wiped them off with hand sanitizer. We got shots and we got lucky. So far so good.
I also had a kind offer in Smith’s parking lot this week, from Kendra.
She had finished putting her groceries in her car just as I did mine. I wasn't in a rush, so I said, “May I take your cart back?” And she laughed and said, “I was just about to ask you. My Mom would not hear of you taking mine.” I gave her my cart and said, “Your Momma raised you right. Thank you, I am glad we can speak and wish each other well. God bless.” And I got into my car and took off with a smile and a little smirk in the knowledge that the stupid virus that caused such an uproar in our lives could not ruin good manners and kindness to one another. My faith in my fellow men, women, and young people was not in vain. And to prove it, my story goes on.
The shopping at Smith’s was on Thursday, and when Friday came along, I was in a desperate hurry. The problem of living in the country is the Canyon. Wherever you go to Albuquerque you must leave sometimes an hour and a half early to be sure to get there on time. I use Route 66 and avoid the semis. I make sure to drive the speed limit and know it will take me a little longer.
I had a medical appointment at Breast Imaging behind Women’s Hospital at 2 p.m. I used to go twice a year and now, with modern medicine, I go just once a year. I left very early and went by my brother Arch’s house to have lunch with him at noon. There was plenty of time. We had Panda Express, and it was delicious. We spent a while arguing about books, history and what Walt Disney comics would do now they are drawn in Italy. (But that is another column.) We got into it about World War II and General Macarthur not taking the nurses with him in 1942, instead leaving them to be Japanese prisoners of war.
Suddenly, it was 1:30 and Arch’s house is by Morris and Montgomery. I was almost late! I ran out of his house, jumped into the car and (going the speed limit), got there five minutes early. Except that I left my purse at
Arch’s and had no form of ID, medical papers from my doctor, not a driver’s license. Nada! I couldn’t even prove I was Josephine White.
I really needed this mammogram. What to do? I got on a mask and cleaned my hands at a station in front of the registration desk. I was close to tears. I sure did feel being s75. The lovely lady behind the desk, Jackie, said not to worry. She got last year’s papers, and I was allowed my test. Tiffany was the expert on the machine that saves so many lives and she was extra careful to help a patient, with patience. The kindness of strangers is back!
I drove carefully to get my purse back and take some flack from my history expert brother. I felt both happy and sad. Arch trying to make me feel better reminded me of many times when I was in a hurry and I made silly errors. Breathe! Feel your Chi! And be kind to one another, especially strangers. Thank you. Our friends are everywhere. Roaring Mouse, Out.
Florida governor and 2024 presidential favorite Ron Desantis came to Carlsbad this past Saturday to keynote a campaign rally for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti. The rally also featured newly redistricted/gerrymandered CD2 Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, who was a guest speaker. A thousand people attended. Statewide media covered it.
Yet, the mood and tone and coverage of the event all seem somewhat muted. Bringing a GOP presidential frontrunner to campaign for your governor’s race would normally be a great idea; in 2022 in New Mexico, it’s not so simple.
First of all, Ronchetti’s strategy since the end of the primary has been to work to take the center. Desantis is not a centrist candidate. And it’s unlikely that his farright message would help Ronchetti in a bluer Albuquerque, where he must make a sizable showing to beat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in November.
Were Desantis to be the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, it’s unlikely he would carry New Mexico. So why, in a blue state where both the governor’s and the CD2 races seem to slightly favor Democrats, at least by sheer numbers, would you bring a potentially polarizing national figure to the state to stump for you?
Because one thing that Ronchetti and Herrell do need is GOP voter turnout.
They both need every Republican vote along with a fair number of independent and decline-to-state voters. In a midterm election, voter turnout can be lighter. There is additional concern that prochoice voters will come to the polls in large numbers to support Democrats. So rousing the GOP base in the geographical center of the base, Carlsbad, made sense.
And Ronchetti and Herrell will get much more bounce from the visit than the rather tepid state media coverage would imply. Desantis has 2.6 million Twitter followers, and thousands of donors. Given the general disdain the far right has traditional media, the social media pickup will carry far. Surprising no one, there was also fundraising tied to the rally.
Will the Democrats use the event to paint both Ronchetti and Herrell as rightwing extremists? Probably. I don’t know that it will be effective. Ronchetti as a campaigner is a convincing chameleon who takes on the persona he wants voters to see. Herrell is an unapologetic conservative who also has a strong track record of working hard for her constituents.
The defeat of the Kansas constitutional ban on abortion in that primary earlier this month by a significant margin in a heavily red state is giving Republicans pause going into the fall campaign season. The governor is already exploiting this in her campaign ads.
Republican candidates everywhere face similar dilemmas: Attract the moderates with more mainline messages about the economy, public safety, education and the like, while still keeping the hard right base motivated enough to show up in a midterm without expressly mentioning abortion if it can be helped.
This could mark a welcome return to the local and regional issues that our state candidates should be addressing to their voters.
But, at least in the governor’s race, I still predict more personal attacks than real issues. In the 2nd Congressional District, Herrell remains a formidable candidate even with a numbers disadvantage post-redistricting. She does have a vulnerability related to the 2020 election certification that her opponent could exploit to turn away independents in her newly redrawn district.
Even if it seemed to give fuel to detractors, even if his message is out of sync with a lot of our state, Governor Desantis’ visit was a solid win for both Ronchetti and Herrell. They are going to need a big getout-the-vote effort within the GOP itself to get over the line, and Desantis’ far-right star power was exploited at the right time (early) and in the right town.
Merritt Hamilton Allen is a PR executive and former Navy officer. She appears regularly as a panelist on NM PBS and is a frequent guest on News Radio KKOB. A Republican, she lives amicably with her Democratic husband north of I-40 where they run two head of dog, and two of cat. She can be reached at news.ind.merritt@gmail.com.
“Toes on three! One-two-three TOES!” Moriarty High School’s boys soccer team’s pregame chant rang out loud and clear just before the Pintos’ Aug. 18 home opener against Artesia.
The 2022 high school soccer campaign is underway as Moriarty’s boys and Manzano’s boys and girls played their season openers this week.
Moriarty’s and East Mountain’s girls play their season openers today, and East Mountain’s boys get rolling Aug. 23.
The Moriarty boys kicked off their season Aug. 16 with a 4-0 loss on the road at Santa Fe Prep. The Pintos followed their season-opening defeat with a 3-1 loss at home against the Artesia Bulldogs.
Artesia came out very aggressive and scored a goal two minutes into the first half. The Bulldogs continued attacking and scored their second goal in the 28th minute.
Moriarty defended well and got several saves from goalkeeper Isaac Dominguez, but didn’t take a shot on Artesia’s goal until the final minute of the first half—and it was saved by Artesia’s goalkeeper.
The Pintos changed their approach in the second half and got on the board in the 41st minute with a goal by James Bentley.
But Artesia added another goal in the 54th and held on for the win.
“We played much better in the second half,” Moriarty boys head coach Jordan Allcorn said.
Allcorn said the Pintos have a lot of things they need to work on, and at this point, he is “just trying to put the puzzle together,” but he thinks the team will be competitive.
“I think we’ll just have to take it game by game and see what happens,” he said.
The Moriarty girls team kicks off its season Aug. 19 at the Socorro tournament. The Lady Pintos face Silver in the tournament opener, followed by host Socorro.
Moriarty girls head coach Val Luker said the team has some new girls who have never played soccer before, but there are eight returning players from last year’s squad.
“We’ve got girls that are working hard and they’re willing, so there’s a lot you can do with willing,” Luker said.
Luker said she’s “very hopeful” for the season and is looking forward to starting with a tournament—where the team will play a minimum of three games in two days.
“That’s gonna be key, to just hit it hard right out of the gate at that tournament, get everybody acclimated,” Luker said.
East Mountain’s girls squad gets rolling Aug. 19 at the Taos tournament. The Lady Timberwolves have a new skipper at the helm—jason Burnette, who was last year’s assistant coach. Burnette replaces John Sabrowski, who left after last season.
Burnett said his team has “quite a few new faces,” but the Lady T’wolves had a solid offseason, including summer workouts that were “really productive.”
East Mountain lost five starting seniors from last year’s team who were Alldistrict players—two of them made the All-state team.
“There’s a lot of talent and leadership that’s no longer here,” Burnette said, adding that the team’s lone senior, Amber Pino, is ready to step up, and the
Lady T’wolves’ goal is “to play fundamentally sound, possession-based soccer.”
“Personally, I just wanna have the most fun I can have this season,” Pino said. “I’m ready to get going.”
The East Mountain boys squad’s season opener is Aug. 23 at Ruidoso.
Manzano’s Lady Monarchs won their Aug. 16 season opener, outlasting Del Norte 5-4.
Manzano’s boys squad lost its season opener on Aug. 16 to West Mesa 7-1. The Monarchs hosted Sandia Aug. 18.