LAS CRUCES — An extension of two agreements between the city and Rocket Racing League regarding development of an aerospace park just south of Las Cruces International Airport will give the league more time to identify specific employers who would locate to the aerospace park.
The extension to March 1, 2009 was approved unanimously Monday by the Las Cruces City Council. That will help the league pay for the purchase and construction of land it acquired from the city in two agreements approved last year.
“It’s big because if the extension hadn’t been granted, Rocket Racing League probably would have relocated to some other state,” said Jon Hummer, a Las Cruces real estate executive who is helping league officials find tenants and develop the aerospace park. “We’re going to see a lot more activity out there.”
In January, league and city officials broke ground on the construction of two hangars, and Hummer said those facilities should be finished within a few weeks.
The league has established its world headquarters in Las Cruces, and as its name implies, plans to establish a league that will race rockets, similar to NASCAR. Colson said the league’s first prototype rocket racer has been developed and will participate
in the Oshkosh (Wisc.) Air Races — the world’s largest air races — in July.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the seven-member council unanimously approved the award of a $1.25 million contract to Smith and Aguirre Construction Co., of Las Cruces, for reconstruction of an approximate .75-mile portion of Stull Drive, from Ralph Drive south to Sambrano Avenue.
Public Works Director Mike Johnson said the project could start in two weeks, with completion in about nine months. It is estimated that the street is about 50 years old and is in dire need of reconstruction.
“It’s past the point of us being able to provide any type of maintenance,” Johnson said. “…We’ll be pushing to get it moving as quickly as possible.”

lcsun-news.com

The National Hockey League heads into its final week, and there’s no assurance both the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks will advance into the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Canucks have called up rugged Prince Edward Island defenceman Nathan McIver, and his presence has added grit to the Canucks’ lineup. The Canucks could be without star goaltender Roberto Luongo, whose wife is expecting a baby any day now. If that happens, the Vancouver club may have to rely on another Islander, Drew MacIntyre.
MacIntyre is good enough, and although he’s back with the Manitoba Moose, it’s likely he could be promoted should Luongo opt to stay at his wife’s side.
Whether Luongo plays, however, the Canucks have been too inconsistent down the stretch, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Nashville or even Edmonton catches the Canucks for that final Western Conference playoff spot.
In the Eastern Conference, even the most sturdy of Leafs fans have donned the life-jackets and prepared to abandon ship. The loss of standout Mats Sundin hurt the Leafs’ chances over the past 10 days, but the Leafs gave it a great try down the stretch.
The way the Leafs handled the Ottawa Senators this past week suggests had the Leafs gotten into the playoffs who knows how far they could have gone. Any team can win the East, it’s that wide open.
Gone to the Dogs
The Saint John Sea Dogs swept the P.E.I. Rocket in four straight games and left no doubt as to which was the better team in the opening round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.
In fairness to coach Guy Chouinard, he made the playoffs with a young team and that’s all that could have been expected. The Rocket will return in September with the nucleus of a good young club with good goaltending, three young defencemen in Jordon Southorn, Danick Malouin and Raphael Neiderer and a solid cast of good young forwards. If they can be as successful as Saint John in the draft over the past two years, they’ll have a much better club in 2008-2009.

theguardian.pe.ca

‘89. Ed Harris. Oil-platform workers, including an estranged couple, and a Navy SEAL make a startling deep-sea discovery. (PG-13) (4:00) SCI-FI: Thu. 11 P.M.
• Ace in the Hole
‘51. Kirk Douglas. A New York newsman in New Mexico delays a cave-in victim’s rescue to milk the story. (NR) (2:00) TCM: Mon. 2 P.M. (CC)
‘05. Charlize Theron. In the last city on Earth, underground rebels dispatch their top assassin to kill a government leader. (PG-13) (1:35) TMC: Tue. 11:45 A.M., 10 P.M. (CC)
‘90. Mel Gibson. CIA-funded pilots hit drug traffic while flying supplies for the covert war effort in Laos. (R) (2:00) TBS: Fri. 10 A.M. (CC)
‘97. Michael Jeter. Abandoned by a disagreeable clown, a golden retriever with a knack for basketball befriends a lonely boy. (PG) (1:40) ENC: Mon. 6:20 P.M. (CC)
‘80. Robert Hays. A pilot afraid to fly follows his stewardess ex-girlfriend and must take over for the poisoned crew. (PG) (2:00) COMEDY: Sun. 11:30 A.M., Sat. 4 P.M. (CC)
• Akeelah and the Bee
‘06. Laurence Fishburne. Akeelah, an 11-year-old girl living in South Los Angeles, discovers she has a talent for spelling, which she hopes will take her to the National Spelling Bee. (PG) (2:00) SHO: Wed. 4:15 P.M., Sat. 2:45 P.M. (CC)
‘35. Joe E. Brown. An eccentric ballplayer known for his unorthodox pitching style finds major-league trouble with a girl and gangsters. (NR) (1:30) TCM: Fri. 1 P.M. (CC)
• Alien Nation: Dark Horizon
‘94. Gary Graham. A police detective and his humanoid partner unearth a plot to destroy aliens in near-future Los Angeles. (NR) (1:35) MAX: Wed. 5 P.M.
• All About the Benjamins
‘02. Ice Cube. A bounty hunter and a con artist work together to retrieve a lottery ticket from a group of diamond thieves. (R) (2:00) USA: Sat. midnight (CC)

post-gazette.com