ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Former New Mexico state Treasurer Michael Montoya admitted to stealing millions of dollars while he was in office, but now he’s struggling to pay off a $25,000 fine imposed on him by a federal judge. The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/Aozq2p) that there was almost nothing left of the money Montoya took by the time the FBI caught up with him in 2006. Now out of prison after fin- ishing a 40-month sentence for an extortion conviction, Montoya is out of work, although his wife is working. So far, he has paid about $8,000 of the fine imposed on him, but has a balance of just over $17,000. Although he was ordered to pay $700 a month toward the fine, a court filing says that he has managed that amount just once, in October 2010. If Montoya gets a job or starts receiving unemploy- ment benefits, he must inform the probation office or the U.S. Attorney’s Office and submit a new verified financial affi- davit. The court had been consider- ing whether Montoya was complying with the conditions of his release. If he fails to cooperate, his wages and his wife’s wages may be garnished. In addition to the fine, Montoya was required to for- feit property he bought with the kickback money and spend five years on supervised release after getting out of prison. Restitution, interest and penalties were not imposed at the time the fine was imposed. Prosecutors had hoped the court would give Montoya at least six years in federal prison, arguing that he was the most culpable of those involved in a long-running cor- ruption scheme that also took down his successor in the trea- surer’s office, Robert Vigil. But Montoya pleaded guilty within two months of his arrest and testified extensive- ly against others. That cooperation, including testimony at Vigil’s two trials, helped win him a reduced sen- tence. SUNLAND PARK (AP) — Elections officials in Sunland Park on Friday certified results from this week’s bizarre elec- tions, but the border town’s newly elected and newly indict- ed mayor may not be able to take office. Secretary of State Dianna Duran said the law requires that all elected city officials be sworn in by the city council. That ceremony is scheduled Monday. But Mayor-elect Daniel Salinas is barred from going to city hall or having any contact with city officials since he was arrested on extortion charges. Salinas and City Manager Jaime Aguilera are accused of trying to force candidate Gerardo Hernandez out of the race by secretly recording a video of him getting a topless lap dance, then threatening to take the video public. Salinas’s attorney, Bradley Sims, had said earlier in the day that he was hoping to find a way to have Salinas sworn in at another location, but Duran, who was in town for the vote canvassing, said there are no exceptions to the rules. The official canvass showed Salinas won with 644 votes to 556 for Hernandez and 66 for a third candidate, Jose Luis Hernandez. Duran said Salinas has up to 30 days to go to court to get the terms of his release from jail amended. Sims has said he plans to do that. At the same time, Hernandez said he had found an attorney who would file an appeal of the election results on his behalf. “I am confident that in my appeal it will be shown that there was fraud in the votes cast during absentee voting,” he said. Hernandez said he will also seek to be appointed mayor if Salinas is unable to be sworn in and the seat is declared empty. Meanwhile, investigations continue into allegations of widespread voter fraud in the town. And the state auditor con- tinues his probe of the city’s finances. On Thursday, a third person was arrested on voting fraud charges. Former Sunland Park City Councilor Angelica Marquez was arrested Wednesday and charged with false voting and conspiring to commit false vot- ing. The 41-year-old was briefly jailed then released on a $50,000 secured bond. Authorities said Marquez reg- istered to vote four nonresi- dents to vote in last week’s municipal elections. Two other city officials have been arrested in connection to the state voting fraud investigation. ALL SHOWS BEFORE 6 PM ($6.00) EXCEPT 3D ACT OF VALOR (11:20 2:00 4:30) 7:20 9:45 “R” *JOHN CARTER 3D (11:20 2:45) 6:05 “PG13” *JOHN CARTER 2D 9:15 “PG13” *DR. SEUSS THE LORAX 3D (11:45 2:25) 7:00 9:00 “PG” *DR. SEUSS THE LORAX 2D (4:30) “PG” *JOURNEY 2 3D (11:30 2:20 4:45) 7:00 9:30 “PG” *SILENT HOUSE (11:40 2:20 4:45) 7:00 9:30 “R” *GHOST RIDER SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE 3D (11:20 2:30) 7:10 9:40 “PG13” GHOST RIDER SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE 2D (4:45)“PG13” *PROJECT X (11:30 2:00 4:10) 7:25 9:30 “R” No Pass, Discount or Gift Tickets on * Movies ALL 3D MOVIES MATINEE ALL SEATS $8 EVENING $8 CHILD $10 ADULT BY GE The Workhorse 206 W. Broadway 397-4605 720P 600HZ HG TV 51” TV $ 699 99 MICROFIBER SOFA & LOVESEAT Retail $999 $ 629 99 BLACK OR BROWN SET $ 629 99 WASHER $ 399 99 DRYER $ 299 99 LOCAL & STATE 3 HOBBS NEWS-SUN • SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2012 TODAY Educational retireees The Lea County Association of Educational Retirees will meet at the Lea County Center for the Arts, 122 W. Broadway in Hobbs. Lunch is at 11:30. The Hobbs members will be providing the food and drink for this gathering. Carol Hammond, recently retired direc- tor of the Center, will present the program, in which she will high- light the history of the Commission and the work of the artist of the month. All Lea County retired educators and their spous- es are invited to attend. Lovington VFW dance The Lovington VFW dance, one mile north of Lovington on the Tatum Highway, will be from 7- 9:30 p.m. Cost is $5 per person with potluck refreshments. The Class Act will play. Open house Hobbs Masonic Lodge, 2400 N. Jefferson, by the Scottish Rite is hav- ing an open house from 9-11 a.m. SUNDAY Southwest Symphony Southwest Symphony Orchestra will feature Lisa Liu fresh off her recent tour with Josh Groban at First United Methodist Church. Jewish Pioneer exhibit “Jewish Pioneers of New Mexico” will be on display at the Scarborough Memorial Library on the USW campus, located at 6610 N. Lovington Highway in Hobbs, throughout the month of March. The 30-panel display details the day-to-day life of Jewish immigrants who arrived to what would become New Mexico between 1921 and 1917. A public reception will be held at the Scarborough Memorial Library Atrium on March 11, 2012 from 2 - 4 p.m. with Dr. Noel Pugach, a professor emeritus and historian at the University of New Mexico, providing a lecture. Lea County Archers The Lea County Archers will have their monthly shoot. Start time is 8 a.m. Cut off time for signing up 1 p.m. The shoot will be held at the White Hills Archery Range on the Eunice highway. For more information call James Dean at 441-3469 or Jimmy King at 390- 0068. MONDAY Lovington Commission The Lovington City Commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. in Lovington City Hall. This meeting is open to the public. Lea County Fair Board The Lea County Fair Board will meet at 6 p.m. at the Lea County Fairgrounds in Lovington. Women’s golf association Ocotillo women’s golf association is having its annual sign-up day meeting from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Ocotillo Club House, West of the Lovington Highwa. They will play golf after the meeting. All area ladies wishing to play golf with a group of fun ladies are invited to join. For more informa- tion call Sharon Sagerty at 575- 441-7812 or Joyce Tilley at 575- 392-4673. Girls Scouts The Girl Scouts will celebrate their 100th anniversary at 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Girl Scout Program Center, 522 E. Broadway. There will be food and then a parade to City Hall to receive a mayor’s proclamation. Mark the date GUIDELINES READERS ARE WELCOME to sub- mit items to Mark the Date cal- endar. The event should have a local connection and be open to the public. E-mail items to edi- [email protected]. SUBMITTED PHOTO Lea Regional Medical Center staff recently gathered to celebrate passing a Transitional Care Unit survey. Pictured from left are Dawn Bliss, RN; Sami Harrison, RN; Kirk Roeske, registered dietician; Kathy Sowers, administrator; Veronica Garcia, physical therapist; and Kathryn Hoover, occupational therapist. NEWS-SUN REPORT Lea Regional Medical Center’s Transitional Care Unit recently passed an unannounced and rigorous state recertification survey with fly- ing colors. The hospital’s TCU is a separately licensed long-term care unit — also called a skilled nurs- ing facility, which is the same designation given to nursing homes — located within the hospi- tal. The TCU successfully passed the New Mexico Department of Health’s re-survey inspection with zero deficiencies in patient care or envi- ronment of care. “It really demonstrates our commitment to excellence in providing quality care and ongo- ing compliance with the rigorous standards,” said Tim Thornell, chief executive officer of Lea Regional. “We have an exceptional team of professionals who have a gift for caregiving and enjoy the opportunity to make a difference in the residents’ lives. Most of the employees in TCU have been there for quite some time, as they appreciate the work and the environ- ment.” Lea Regional's TCU provides transitional care for patients who have completed their acute stay in the hospital, yet still require round the clock skilled nursing, and other supportive care before returning home or to other living arrangements. Because the TCU is part of the hospital, every service provided by the hospital is available to TCU residents as needed. “The TCU provides a valuable service to patients by allowing them extra time in the hos- pital to recover from an illness or injury,” said Kathy Sowers, director of the TCU. Sowers said the team approach to care on the TCU involves the resident and family. “For each resident, we create a plan to help them get back to the best possible health, as quickly as possible,” she said. Sowers also noted that in her career as an administrator of skilled nursing facilities and facilities like Lea Regional's TCU, she has only had the pleasure of a zero deficiency survey one other time. Judy Parks, acting director of the DOH’s divi- sion of Health Improvement, said only about 10 percent of the state’s facilities receive a zero deficiency recertification each year. “I am really glad they can maintain their standing and compliance,” Parks said. Transitional Care Unit gets perfect marks on review LEA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER Sunland Park election results certified Former N.M. treasurer who stole millions struggling to pay fine SANTA FE (AP) — A massive jury pool is expected to begin descending on Santa Fe on Friday to decide between a sentence of life or death for a man convicted of killing a Bernalillo County deputy. The state District Court jury clerk’s office mailed out more than 3,100 jury questionnaires to area residents — an unprecedented number. Court clerks expect to funnel 2,000 potential jurors through the Santa Fe Community Convention Center on Friday. Waves of about 500 people each will be individually inter- viewed throughout the day. The jury selected will decide whether to sentence Michael Paul Astorga to life in prison or the death penalty for killing Deputy James McGrane Jr. during a traffic stop in 2006. The jury selection process is expected to take up to two months. Judge Neil Candelaria approved a request by Astorga’s defense attorney, Gary Mitchell, in December to move the trial to Santa Fe because of fears that Astorga might not get a fair trial. Massive jury pool expected for sentencing