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Meow Wolf, Too
The Santa Fe-based arts collective behind the wildly popular House of Eternal Return plans to open a fourth immersive art installation in the nation's capital by 2022. Meow Wolf announced its plans for a Washington, DC location yesterday. It joins Denver and Las Vegas as the third spin-off location announced by the group this year. None of the locations has opened yet. Meow Wolf partnered with a local foundation to get seed money for the planned three-story interactive exhibit. Expect news stories about the group to boom when it opens its doors in DC.
Bailout
Facing $6 billion in unfunded pension promises ($), the state's Public Employees Retirement Association is suggesting a three-year freeze in cost-of-living adjustments, as well as adjustments in how those amounts are figured and when they kick in. The PERA Board yesterday also backed a 1.5 percent increase in payments from employees into the pension fund and a 1.75 percent boost from employers until funds reach an 80 percent funding ratio. And, as if to underscore how bad the situation is, the board voted to ask lawmakers for a $200 million cash infusion into the fund from the state's surplus revenue.
Mine fight
Despite the Environmental Protection Agency's refusal to pay out much more than a handful of claims related to the Gold King Mine disaster it created, the state of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation are among a small group of claimants pushing for more than $1 billion through lawsuits. Both the state and the tribe claim lingering effects from the 2015 pollution, as well as sometimes crippling economic impact as crops and livestock died.
Boy Scouts sued
The same group of attorneys that's spearheaded many of the recent suits against the Catholic Church for priestly sex abuse has long said such behavior isn't limited to the church. This week, a victim sued the Boy Scouts of America and its New Mexico arm for allowing two priests to serve as leaders, expanding the boys available to them for grooming, and later, sexual abuse.
Don’t fence me in
Santa Fe County's open space and trails plan is nearing completion. An advisory committee recently mapped out the next decade's worth of projects and management ideas. County commissioners are scheduled to debate and possibly approve it in January. The marquee project is a joint city-county extension and improvement of the Santa Fe River Trail.
Geared up
New Mexico lawmakers will once again debate the merits of allowing airports to charge landing fees to smaller commercial and larger private aircraft. The Legislature passed a bill last year that would allow the practice, but the governor pocket vetoed it. Airports like Santa Fe's point out New Mexico is the only state in the country that has a ban, forcing them to hike gas taxes and other fees or lean on the general public to fill the gap.
Superintendent foils robbery
Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Veronica Garcia outwitted a pair of would-be robbers ($) last week. Two men approached her as she unpacked the trunk of her car Thursday evening. One had a long metal pipe. They demanded her purse, which she agreed to get from her car. But she locked herself inside and made a racket, scaring off the men.
Ornaments!
The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture up on Museum Hill is having a free clay ornament-making workshop today from 10 am-2 pm. You can mess around with micaceous and polymer clay until you've fashioned something suitable for hanging. All it will cost you is the creativity to create another ornament for the museum's own tree.
Thanks for reading! The Word is a big fan of hanging holiday ornaments.
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