After taking a year off for the pandemic, St Nick is expected to return to Corrales this December as the acme of the Corrales MainStreet Starlight Parade. The parade is set to begin on December 4 at 5:30pm. All villagers who wish to participate are invited to line up their festooned cars, floats, tractors and other vehicles beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the

The NMDOH website is reporting the staggeringly high number of 574 COVID cases in Corrales as of November 24. Corrales COVID expert Fire Commander Tanya Lattin reports that November 2021 is on track to be the highest month ever for Corrales Covid cases, with 67 new cases so far. The highest case count in 2020 happened in December, when Corrales saw 69 cases.

Commander Lattin says, “Wednesday November 24, we had eight- new cases. Our five-day case rate has been outrageous, and I am, of course, expecting more after Thanksgiving.” When looking for reasons why Corrales is still experiencing so many COVID cases, it’s easy to point to pandemic fatigue, overcrowded bars and restaurants, or that stubborn anti-vaccine movement.

But there is another significant factor that can’t be ignored, adding to the case numbers and often spreading the virus silently, Corrales kids. Albuquerque Public Schools has been reporting a rise in case numbers that mirrors the swell in Corrales. The week of November 1five, 88 APS school sites reported 330 total cases, a number that has tripled since October. Nationwide, that same week saw a 26 percent increase in pediatric COVID cases. “Kids’ numbers are going way up” Lattin says. Corrales parents are feeling the burden of the virus on so many levels.

Facing increased pressure to return to offices, many are frustrated when their child is sent home because a stuffy nose and upset tummy warrants a PCR test under COVID protocols. Even if a parent is lucky enough to get a same-day swab appointment for their child, that still amounts to at least three days of missed work and school, waiting for the test to come back.

Heads up, Corrales! The Sandoval County Commission is about to make a decision that may change the political landscape in the village for the next 10 years or more. A plan to redraw the Sandoval County district maps was presented at the last County Commission meeting on November 18. Private contractor and former Republican State Senator Rod Adair was hired by the commission and Commissioner Chairman David Heil to draw four possible redistricting maps for the county. He presented these

Even though the Village counselors will not meet until December 14 to revisit the cannabis issue, villagers have tried to make their voices heard in the interim by writing to the council. Published in this edition of the Comment are letters, and in one case, an advertisement for a petition, sent in the hopes of influencing the upcoming decision for

The annual holiday village food drive, fundraiser and giving tree will look a bit different again this year. With COVID-19 case numbers climbing in Corrales, in lieu of going to the office and picking up a gift tag, villagers are invited to make other, more covid-safe efforts. Monetary donations are welcome and can be made by writing a check to Kiwanis Club of Corrales with “Fire Holiday Drive” in the memo line. These can be dropped off at the fire station, or mailed to the Kiwanis Club at P.O. Box 3810 Corrales, NM 87048.

In 2020, monies were used to pay a local food distributor to provide food for families, and help cover bills that were unusually high because of the pandemic. This year, villagers can also bring in food items. Non-perishable, in-date canned goods can be dropped off at the fire station any time before December 18. Perishable items can also be donated by calling Commander Tanya Lattin at 505-702-4182.

Channels have been excavated in the Corrales Bosque Preserve between the outfall of the Harvey Jones Flood Control Channel and the Rio Grande to distribute stormwater to a proposed ten-acre wetlands. Major earthwork has been underway since early November to use not only stormwater from the vast Montoyas Arroyo watershed but also

The Village of Corrales has been asked to conduct a “scientifically informed assessment of the fire risk” in the Bosque Preserve before approving a project that would remove much of the vegetation along the east side of the levee. The Audubon Society, which designated the Corrales Bosque Preserve as an “important bird area” in 2014, has weighed in on the proposal to eliminate vegetation along the east side

Thinking about running for office with village government?  Want to be mayor? Councillor? December is the time of year when villagers —for a variety of  reasons— beginning seriously considering a run for elective office. If you’re one of those, you’ll have to make up your mind soon. Tuesday, January 4 is candidate filing day for the

The mystery continues as to what was inside the time capsule outside the Village Office, sealed away 25 years ago to mark the Village of Corrales’ 25th anniversary as an incorporated municipality. It’s now 50 years on, so the safe was to be opened to the amazement of onlookers and wellwishers, perhaps to be re-sealed with present-day items and mementos that would amaze folks in another 25 years, or 2046.

The daughter of a founding member of the artist cooperative Corrales Bosque Gallery, Joan Findley-Perls, has recently joined the venture. She is a daughter of Tommie and Jim Findley. Her graphite drawings will be on display and for sale at the gallery for its “Small Treasures” exhibit.

By Scott Manning

I attended the United Nations COP-26 with my editor, Jeff Radford. He has attended many United Nations conferences during his time as a journalist, and prior to COP-26 the last conference he coveered was the 2015 COP-21 in Paris. In contrast, this was my first United Nations event, and by attending I joined many young people getting involved in the climate crisis.

Climate change is a significant consideration for us. After all, my generation will be dealing with the consequences of climate change and working to develop solutions to the crisis throughout our lives. Yet my generation also shares similarities with older generations: young people have different degrees of engagement with the climate issue, and there are disagreements about what exactly should be done about

By Scott Manning

How will increasing temperatures and  a warming climate affect future water supplies in Corrales and  other parts of New Mexico? Officials at the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD), the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) are taking steps to conserve water and to conduct studies about the impact of climate change on the future water supply.

A tribute to the late historian and preservationist Ward Alan Minge was held at the Old Church Sunday, November 28. A plaque honoring his decades-long effort to save the Historic San Ysidro Church was revealed during the Corrales Historical Society program featuring talks by his neighbor, Michelle Frechette, and long-time society official Alice Glover.

For many years, he and his wife, Shirley, lived in the old Gutierrez house they bought in 1953 across from the Old Church. While they devoted years to restoring the historic home and transforming it into what is now Casa San Ysidro Museum, they also worked tirelessly to preserve the Old Church.

They transferred ownership of the home and antique collection to the City of Albuquerque in 1997 for use as a branch of the Albuquerque Museum, and they

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