Latest news with #NewMexicoGasCo.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Moving hidden gas line causes two-week delay to Guadalupe Street construction project
The discovery of a gas main only 6 inches below the asphalt at the intersection of Johnson and Guadalupe streets will lead to a two-week paving delay in the ongoing Guadalupe Street project, the city announced Tuesday. "For public safety and to comply with the City Code, the gas main must be relocated to be 3 feet below the new pavement," city officials said in a news release. "New Mexico Gas Co. will expedite this unscheduled work, with a projected completion date of June 12." Paving will be delayed until the move is complete, but other work on the project will continue, the release said. Begun in January 2024, the long-running overhaul of the downtown thoroughfare has led to frustration from area business owners unhappy about the impact to car and foot traffic. This is the latest utility discovery that has led to a delay in the project — project manager Kody Keelin said in April contractors had also discovered leaking gas valves and water mains that had to be repaired. The new paving schedule is: * North San Francisco to Catron: June 21. * North Catron to Paseo de Peralta: June 23 through July 11. * South Paseo de Peralta to Catron: July 12-26. * North Catron to Johnson: July 26 through Aug. 8. * South Johnson to San Francisco: Aug. 2-9. * South San Francisco to Alameda: Aug. 9-16.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
Gas utility findings in Hackman home not factors in deaths, sheriff's office says
After an investigation into possible gas leaks and carbon monoxide in the house in which actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead last week, New Mexico Gas Co. confirmed there were "no significant findings" but did flag a few minor code violations "not involving gas leaks or carbon monoxide." The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating their deaths, made the announcement in a news release Tuesday. Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead in separate rooms of their large Hyde Park-area home — along with one of their three dogs — by property maintenance staff on the afternoon of Feb. 26. The sheriff's office investigation into their deaths has also ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning, Sheriff Adan Mendoza said last week. Investigators do not suspect foul play, but a search warrant affidavit from detectives stated the circumstances of their deaths were "suspicious enough to warrant a thorough search and investigation." The investigation by staff from the gas utility confirmed there were no findings investigators believe could be factors in Hackman's and Arakawa's deaths, but utility staff did issue five "red tags," which indicate appliances or systems that need to be fixed or replaced, according to several online sources. Utility staff flagged one of the stove burners for a "minuscule leak" that resulted in .33% gas in the air, the release states, which is "not a lethal amount." The other four red tags were issued for code violations related to a water heater and gas log lighters installed in three fireplaces in the home, according to the sheriff's office. Hackman, the star of many well-known films, lived in Santa Fe for more than three decades before his death. The mysterious deaths of Hackman and Arakawa have attracted interest from national and international news outlets. Mendoza has pointed to pending autopsy and toxicology reports for more answers, but he said those reports — from the state Medical Investigator's Office — could take three months or longer.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
'No significant findings' of carbon monoxide or gas leak in Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's home
The deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife remain a mystery as authorities confirm there were "no significant findings" of carbon monoxide or gas leaks at their New Mexico home. The New Mexico Gas Co. conducted an investigation after the Oscar-winning actor; his wife, Betsy Arakawa; and their dog were found dead last week. Authorities found Hackman, 95, in a mudroom near the kitchen of his Santa Fe home, according to a search warrant. Arakawa, 65, was on the floor of a bathroom, and a German shepherd was discovered about 10 feet from her in a closet in the bathroom. Two other dogs were found alive on the property. On Tuesday, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office released a brief update on the investigation, saying it had received the gas company's findings. "Those results are not believed to be a factor in the deaths of Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa or their dog though the information was relayed to the Office of the Medical Investigator for consideration," the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's office added that the gas company issued five red tags: one for a minuscule, nonlethal leak at one of the stove burners and four for code enforcement violations not involving leaks or carbon monoxide. The violations involved a water heater and gas log lighters installed in three fireplaces, the sheriff's office said. The gas company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Authorities have said the deaths are "suspicious," but Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza has said he's "confident there's no foul play" involved. The sheriff's office previously said that the medical examiner's preliminary findings found no signs of external trauma. Hackman and his wife may have been dead for several days or possibly weeks before they were found, Mendoza said. The search warrant stated that both bodies showed "obvious signs of death." When Arakawa was found, there was a space heater near her head and a prescription bottle with pills scattered across the counter, the warrant said. The sheriff said the information about the pills had been passed onto the medical investigator to help determine a cause of death. This article was originally published on
NBC News
04-03-2025
- NBC News
'No significant findings' of carbon monoxide or gas leak in Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's home
The deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife remain a mystery as authorities confirm there "were no significant findings" of carbon monoxide and gas leaks at their New Mexico home. The New Mexico Gas Co. conducted an investigation after the Oscar-winning actor, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were discovered dead last week. Authorities found Hackman, 95, in a mudroom near the kitchen of his Santa Fe home, according to a search warrant. Arakawa, 65, was on the floor of a bathroom, and a German Shepherd was discovered about 10 feet from her in a closet in the bathroom. Two other dogs were found alive on the property. On Tuesday, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office released a brief update on the investigation, saying it had received the gas company's findings. "Those results are not believed to be a factor in the deaths of Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa or their dog though the information was relayed to the Office of the Medical Investigator for consideration," the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's office added that the gas company issued five red tags: one for a minuscule, non-lethal leak at one of the stove burners and four for code enforcement violations not involving leaks or carbon monoxide. The violations involved a water heater and gas log lighters installed in three fireplaces, the sheriff's office said. The gas company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Authorities have said that the deaths are "suspicious," but Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza has said he's "confident there's no foul play" involved. The sheriff's office previously said that the medical examiner's preliminary findings found no signs of external trauma. Hackman and his wife may have been dead for several days or possibly weeks before they were found, Mendoza said. The search warrant stated that both bodies showed "obvious signs of death." When Arakawa was found, there was a space heater near her head and a prescription bottle with pills scattered across the counter, the warrant said. The sheriff said the information about the pills had been passed onto the medical investigator to help determine a cause of death.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
911 call reveals moments after workers discovered mummified bodies of Gene Hackman, his wife
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their dogs were apparently dead for some time before a maintenance worker discovered their bodies at the couple's home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, investigators said. The bodies were found Wednesday. Denise Avila, a sheriff's office spokesperson, said there was no indication they had been shot or had any wounds that would indicate foul play. But Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office detectives wrote in a search warrant affidavit investigators thought the deaths were 'suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.' Hackman, 95, was in an entryway, and his 65-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, was lying on her right side in the bathroom. A space heater was next to her head and may have fallen when she abruptly dropped to the floor, according to the affidavit. The New Mexico Gas Co. tested the gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to the warrant. At the time, it didn't find any signs of problems and the Fire Department found no signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning. A detective wrote that there were no obvious signs of a gas leak, but he noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide might not show signs of poisoning. The sheriff's office planned a Friday afternoon news conference to provide updates on the case. The gruff but beloved Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s. 'He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,' his daughters and granddaughter said in a statement Thursday. 'We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.' According to the search warrant affidavit, a maintenance worker reported that the home's front door was open when he arrived to do routine work Wednesday, and he called police after finding the bodies. But in a 911 call, the maintenance worker said he was unable to get inside when the operator asked whether the people in the house were breathing. 'I have no idea,' the subdivision's caretaker said. 'I am not inside the house. It's closed. It's locked. I can't go in. But I can see she's laying down on the floor from the window.' He and another worker later told authorities that they rarely saw the homeowners and their last contact with them had been about two weeks ago. Hackman appeared to have fallen, a deputy observed. A cane was nearby. A dead German shepherd was found in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, police said. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said during an unrelated news conference Thursday that the dog was found in a kennel. Two healthy dogs were found on the property — one inside and one outside. 'There was no indication of a struggle,' Mendoza said. 'There was no indication of anything that was missing from the home or disturbed, you know, that would be indication that there was a crime that had occurred.' The Los Angeles Times reported that their bodies were partially mummified. 'Both bodies showed signs that they had fallen down abruptly and were partially decomposed, with bloating in the face and mummifiation in the hands and feet,' the newspaper reported, citing the affidavit. Results of autopsies conducted on both bodies are not available yet, sheriff's officials said, noting that carbon monoxide and toxicology test results are pending. The search warrant affidavit suggests that police appear to have a working theory that 'some kind of gas poisoning' happened, but that they don't know yet and aren't ruling anything out, Loyola Marymount University law professor Laurie Levenson said. 'They don't have clear evidence that it's any type of homicide, but they're asking for blunt instruments or other weapons that could be used,' said Levenson, who has no connection to the investigation. 'It doesn't also look like some kind of planned double-suicide.' William & Mary Law School professor Jeffrey Bellin said the request for a search warrant was somewhat unusual because investigators who file one usually believe a specific crime was committed. In this case, no alleged crime was mentioned, Bellin said. Police tend to overstate what they know, but this is the opposite, said Bellin, who also isn't tied to the investigation. 'It just struck me as very careful in a way that search warrant affidavits often are not,' he said. Hackman routinely showed up on Hollywood lists of greatest American actors of the 20th century. He could play virtually any kind of role, from comic book villain Lex Luthor in 'Superman' to a coach finding redemption in the sentimental favorite 'Hoosiers.' Hackman was a five-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in a leading role for 'The French Connection' in 1972 and best actor in a supporting role for 'Unforgiven' two decades later. His death comes just four days before this year's ceremony. Tributes quickly poured in from Hollywood. 'There was no finer actor than Gene,' actor-director Clint Eastwood, Hackman's 'Unforgiven' co-star, said in a statement. 'Intense and instinctive. Never a false note. He was also a dear friend whom I will miss very much.' Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, when she was working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s. They soon moved in together and relocated to Santa Fe by the end of the decade. Their Pueblo revival home, a style typical in the area, sits on a hill in a gated community with views of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The four-bedroom home on 6 acres (2.4 hectares) was built in 1997 and had an estimated market value of a little over $4 million, according to Santa Fe County property tax records. Hackman and his wife also owned a more modest home next door. Hackman co-wrote three novels, starting with the swashbuckler, 'Wake of the Perdido Star,' with Daniel Lenihan in 1999, according to publisher Simon & Schuster. He then penned two by himself, concluding with 'Pursuit' in 2013, about a female police officer on the tail of a predator. In his first couple of decades in New Mexico, Hackman was often seen around the historic state capital, known as an artist enclave, tourism destination and retreat for celebrities. He served on the board of trustees for the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum from 1997-2004, the museum said in a statement. In recent years, he was far less visible, though even the most mundane outings caught the attention of the press. There were articles about him attending a show at a performing arts center in 2018, as well as pumping gas, doing yard work and getting a chicken sandwich at Wendy's in 2023. Aside from appearances at awards shows, he was rarely seen in the Hollywood social circuit and retired from acting about 20 years ago. His was the rare Hollywood retirement that actually lasted. Hackman had three children from a previous marriage. He and Arakawa had no children together but were known for having German shepherds. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
