A new city project to collect and compost green waste gathered 142 tons of yard, plant and tree trimmings and other biodegradable items from customers over a recent two-week period.

The waste is being recycled into mulch for city parks and also is being sold at the city’s Montessa Park Convenience Center at 3512 Los Picaros SE.

The program lessens waste taking up landfill space, helps keep parks green, increases recycling participation and helps conserve water, according to the Solid Waste Department.

“In the desert southwest, the market for compost and mulch is limitless.” Mayor Richard J. Berry said in a statement released today. “These products maximize soil nutrient value, conserve water, and control soil erosion. With our sandy soils and low rainfall, these products are in high demand.”

The collection took place from April 30 through May 11 and had customers bagging their green waste and leaving it curbside on their regular trash collection days.

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The annual Great Bus Race hits the streets of Albuquerque Saturday as contestants fan out by ABQ Ride buses and foot competing for prizes.

Thirty teams of two people each have signed up for this year’s race, which requires following clues to find city-owned venues where they will encounter tasks to perform.

For the first time contestants must have smartphones or mobile devices to scan Quick Response matrix codes at each venue.

The first four teams collecting the most points from QR codes and reaching the finish line win prizes.  The top prize is an iPad 2 for each team member.

“This year, the Great Bus Race will showcase many of the interesting and exciting venues operated by City of Albuquerque,” ABQ Ride Director Bruce Rizzieri said in a statement released by his office. “The race aims to show how easy it is for contestants or anyone else to access these venues using public transportation.”

Winners will be announced around 3 p.m. at the Alvarado Transportation Center at First Street SW and Central Avenue.

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Online: KRQE.com traffic maps, alerts and news>>

Some customers of the Jemez Mountains Electric Co-operative will be without power from 11:55 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday.

The cooperative reports the planned outage affects the Jemez Springs District  is due to Tri-State Generating repair a substation that feeds the area.

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The Read to Me Book Drive has collected and will distribute 36,000 books.

On Monday May 21, 2012 at 9:00 a.m., the Albuquerque Business Education Compact (ABEC) in conjunction with the City of Albuquerque will kick off its distribution of books from the tenth annual Read to Me Book Drive.

The event will be held at Dolores Gonzales Elementary School, 900 Atlantic SW. The distribution event will feature storytelling with Liz Mongral and Bob Kanegis. Representatives from various ABEC community partners will also be on hand to distribute books to the students.

“The Read to Me Book Drive is a wonderful example of how the community can come together to support our youth.” stated Robin Dozier Otten, Director of Family and Community Services.

For information, contact Paula Delap-Padilla at 848-1334.

Join the City of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department’s Open Space Division, REI, Kirtland Air Force Recreation and other local organizations for the annual National River Cleanup event.

“As our city grows, citizen stewardship of the Rio Grande and its cottonwood bosque becomes more and more important.Participating in the National River Cleanup is a great way to help show that we as a community care about our Rio,” says Mayor Richard J. Berry.

• WHEN: May 19th 2012 from 8:00am – 1:00pm.
• WHERE: Volunteers will meet on the northwest side of the Central Avenue Bridge. Parking is available just north of Sunset. Parking is limited, so please carpool!
• REGISTER: Pre-register with REI online at www.rei.com/albuquerque or call 247-1191.
• DONATED LUNCH AND PRIZE DRAWING: Registered volunteers are invited to a delicious donated picnic and prize drawing, after the event.

When it comes to using public transportation to navigate and to learn more about their community, the Kindergarten teacher and staff at Helen Cordero Primary School in Southwest Albuquerque believe their students are never too young to start.

That’s why this year, the Kinder class and teacher Patricia Salisbury have become experts at getting to their field trips using ABQ RIDE.

“I’m grateful that Ms. Salisbury is not only showing students how to use ABQ RIDE, but also some of the great places our city has to offer,” said Mayor Richard J. Berry, who visited the Kinder class today. “This is a great example of how an educator is thinking outside the box to benefit students.”

Photos from photojournalist Jeremiah Mosher:

The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Drinking Water Bureau is lifting the “Precautionary Boil Water Advisory” for the Lybrook MDWCA water system in Rio Arriba County.

NMED issued the precautionary advisory on May 3, 2012 following a water outage.

This advisory applied only to drinking water for the Lybrook MDWCA water system and did not extend to any of the other surrounding water systems.

As a precaution, Lybrook MDWCA water system consumers were advised to seek an alternate source of drinking water, such as bottled water, or boil the water for five minutes before drinking, cooking and dishwashing. To ensure no bacteriological contamination occurred during the outage, the NMED Drinking Water Bureau required the water be tested before the advisory would be lifted. All sample results were negative for bacteriological contamination.

For more information, call NMED Communications Director Jim Winchester at (505) 231-8800 or Nora Romero, Drinking Water District 1 manager, at (505) 222-9531.

Mayor Richard J. Berry will kick off the Department of Senior Affairs’ Encore! Albuquerque’s 50+ & Returning Veterans Job Fair this Friday May 11th, 2012 at the Palo Duro Senior Center from 9 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The fair is for jobseekers that are either over 50 years in age or post 9/11 veterans.

In addition to having over 20 employers on-site, the event will feature various community resources for job seekers and training sessions throughout the day. Job seekers with children can utilize the free childcare available offered next door at the Erna Fergusson Library during job fair hours. Library staff has arranged for activities and storytellers for the children.

“These individuals bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise and reliability to potential employers,” Mayor Berry said. “I want to encourage local businesses, interested in hiring these amazing individuals, to participate in this event.”

There is no charge for this event and participants do not need to pre-register to attend.

For more information>>

The Palo Duro Senior Center is located at 5221 Palo Duro NE Albuquerque, NM 87110-1201. Phone: (505) 888-8102.

Mayor Richard J. Berry, Councilor Trudy Jones, Parks & Recreation Director Barbara Baca and local community members will hold a ribbon cutting for Prospector’s Ridge Park.

The newly renovated park has undergone substantial changes over the past year, including, two new children’s playgrounds, new security lighting, and additional trees- just to name a few.

• What: Prospector’s Ridge Park Ribbon Cutting
• When: 1 pm Wednesday, May 9
• Where: Prospector’s Ridge Park (Kielich Ave & San Victorio NE)

An effort to improve another section of roadway, Route 66 in Albuquerque is the subject of a public town hall Tuesday night at the Kimo theatre at 7 o’clock.

The 15 mile stretch of Central Avenue from 98th Street to Tramway Boulevard is the focus.

The mayor wants to consider tax incentives and enticements to encourage business development.

The hope is Route 66 will become a tourist attraction.