Author: Scott Albright

Not sure when to plant a certain crop? What are those white spots on the grape leaves? When should the potatoes be harvested? The Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardener Program can answer those questions, and much more. Master Gardeners are volunteers trained in horticulture by the New Mexico State University Cooperative Service. Sara Moran, extension horticulture agent and Bernalillo County advisor for the Master Gardener program, said there are between 300-400 members in the program. “If there is an issue with your plant, like it’s turning yellow or brown, we can help with those sorts of diagnosis. We also have…

Desert Ridge eighth-grade language arts teacher Annie Syed was surprised to learn she won the 2021 Golden Apple Excellence in Teaching Award while in front of her class last week. “It was such an epic moment. I am so grateful that my students were there to witness it when they came in to share the surprise,” Syed explained. “I am over the moon to be accepted for this award. It means a lot to be recognized.” Syed and six other middle school teachers across New Mexico were presented the award. The Golden Apple Foundation of New Mexico website says, “Those…

The Albuquerque Police Department’s Auto Theft Unit is hosting a VIN etching event May 14 in the Target parking lot, 6100 Paseo Del Norte Blvd. The free drive-thru event will be from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. “Basically, what we do is just put the VIN number for the car on all the pieces of glass that’s on the car, including the sunroof,” said APD Sgt. David Taylor. “If they have the intention of taking it to a chop shop, they have to replace all the glass. They’re more likely to abandon it and we can recover the vehicle.” Brian…

Albuquerque Academy boys and girls golf teams won the 2022 4A State Golf Championships with a total score of 324 for the boys and 348 for the girls. St. Pius boys came in second with six strokes over Academy at 330, and Lovington took third with a total score of 338. For the girls, Lovington took second with a total score of 377, and Goddard took third with a score of 379. Chargers Neil Parasher and Tay Hwang shared a total score of 76 with Belen’s Grady Cox and Silver’s Jacob Alcorta for the boys individual competition. Cox was the…

Tickets for the eighth-grade dinner and dance at Desert Ridge Middle School go on sale May 16. The tickets can be purchased in the lobby for $10 May 16-18 during lunch. A permission form is required to purchase a ticket, and all sales are final. The luau-themed event includes a dinner menu of beef lasagna, tortellini, salad, breadsticks and dessert. The dance is scheduled for May 25. For more information, contact the school at 505-857-9282.

Albuquerque Academy and La Cueva varsity tennis teams are state champs in their respective classes. Both the Chargers and the Bears were seeded No. 1 in the tournament, with Academy taking first place in the 4A tournament and La Cueva first in the 5A tournament. Bears girls finished the tournament with a 6-0 win over No. 2 Rio Rancho, also taking first in individual singles and doubles matches. The girls finished the season 9-1 overall, with 125 wins and 10 losses. In an Albuquerque Journal article, Bears coach Amy Heimerl said, “We worked hard to be seeded (No. 1), and…

The La Cueva High School Class of 2022 is in its final stretch. However, seniors expecting to graduate May 11 still have some business to attend to. A mandatory graduation rehearsal will take place from 9-11 a.m. May 10 in the main gym. Cap and gown distribution will take place after the rehearsal. From 12:30-1:30 p.m., graduates will walk through two local elementary schools to be honored by students in the hallways. Also on May 10, an honor ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. in the main gym. Seniors must arrive by 5:15 p.m. On graduation day, May 11,…

Eisenhower Middle School is joining the fight in the wildfires of New Mexico. The school is collecting items this week, May 9-13, for firefighters and others affected by the fires. “We are accepting donations all week, and what we’re doing is we’re looking at donations to not only help out members of the community up north, but mostly the firefighters,” said Sandra Spiess, seventh-grade science teacher at Eisenhower. “We have staff that have family members that live in the Las Vegas area and we also have some family members who are working as firefighters up there right now.” The school…

The La Cueva Bears varsity softball team will take on Roswell May 12 in the first round of the 5A 2022 NMAA Softball Championships after winning the May 6 play-in game against Atrisco Heritage 3-1. The Bears are seeded No. 4 in the state tournament and ranked No. 7 in the state. The May 12 game will be in Roswell at 11 a.m. Roswell is seeded No. 12 in the tournament and ranked No. 11 in the state. The Bears are on a 15-game winning streak, winning all 10 games in their district, with an overall record of 19-6. See…

The La Cueva varsity baseball team advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Piedra Vista 14-4 and 11-1 in the first round of the 5A 2022 NMAA Baseball Championships over the weekend. The Bears take on sixth-seeded Cleveland at UNM’s Santa Ana Star Field at 4 p.m. Thursday. La Cueva is seeded third in the state tournament and ranked No. 2 in the state rankings after dropping below now No. 1-ranked Rio Rancho. Cleveland is ranked No. 8 in the state, behind Albuquerque Academy, a class 4A team. Albuquerque Academy defeated Kirtland Central 11-0 and 10-0 in its first games of…