About That Monument Review …

It's Wednesday, July 18, 2018.

Slow healing

When racial tension snapped last summer amid confederate monuments and attacks on protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, Santa Fe's mayor ordered a review of monuments throughout the city and promised to become "a leader in racial healing." That didn't happen. SFR's Aaron Cantú finds out why.

We vote when?

The city of Santa Fe is considering a move to combine municipal elections with other nonpartisan balloting every odd-numbered year in November. It's the same opportunity most other cities and towns across New Mexico have with the passage of the Local Election Act, which went into effect this month. Elections officials hope it will boost turnout. The state's voting machine manufacturer promises smooth sailing when ranked-choice ballots are combined with school board and conservation district ones.

Got your gun

It took all day for the full story to come out, but a Santa Fe police officer who was transporting an auto theft suspect lost control of both the suspect, who escaped from the back seat of a police cruiser, and his gun, which the suspect apparently gained control of long enough to fire a shot. Later reports said the police didn't know who fired the officer's gun.

Swift settlement

It took just two months for the state to settle with one of Gov. Susana Martinez' former bodyguards. Records dug up by Andrew Oxford ($) at The New Mexican show Ruben Maynes got $200,000 just weeks after the state learned his lawyer was investigating harassment and intimidation claims against Martinez and New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas. A current suit against Kassetas has shed new light on the old case.

No fair share

After a US Supreme Court ruling that weakened labor unions by ending the practice of fair share fees, the state of New Mexico has stopped deducting the money from the paychecks of some 1,800 nonunion workers in the state. The fees had been charged to workers who benefit from union contracts while not paying membership dues. Union members had the same deduction, plus dues. The administration also sent a letter with paychecks that informed members how to quit their union.

Feed the hood

Our Land, the occasional series on PBS's New Mexico in Focus, visits the South Valley for its latest installment. There, a group of teachers, community activists, farmers and young people have joined forces for a food justice program called Project Feed the Hood. It's a fascinating look at what makes a successful community group and how it connects young people with not just a paycheck, but a part of their community's past.

Would/Wouldn't

Would a bear take a bath in a backyard? Or wouldn't one? What if there existed a picture of a bear bathing? A Los Alamos homeowner with a game camera caught a very relaxed-looking bear having a soak in a backyard pond earlier this month.

Outer demons

Tonight's pick for something to do sounds pretty dang cool, even if you're not the comic book type. Lucy Bellwood writes said comics and they aren't the "BANG! BOOM! ZOP!" types you might envision. She explores self-doubt and the demon that is our inner critic. That little guy can pack a wallop, too. Swing by Big Adventure Comics at 5 pm to meet the woman herself. It's free.

Thanks for reading! The Word got a little too used to the daily rain, and feels empty after yesterday.

Spread the Word! Forward this and subscribe to our other newsletters at sfreportercom/signup.

The dollar signs ($) are links that require a paid subscription to the news source.