Molesting teacher found guilty

Gregor bounced from district to district, evading accountability

Gregor guilty

A jury found Gary Gregor guilty of 12 counts related to molesting students ($) while teaching at an Española elementary school. The 62-year-old faces nearly 200 years in prison if he's convicted. He also faces charges in three more cases, including in Santa Fe. SFR profiled Gregor's accuser, Nallely Hernandez, for a story early this year about teachers like Gregor who evade capture by cutting deals with school districts to leave quietly. Española Schools' handling of his case has cost the district millions through civil settlements.

The edge of space

Sounds exciting, right? It has for about 14 years now. Virgin Galactic opens the window today for its next manned spaceflight test. If successful, the journey would break an altitude record and also let the company simulate weight distribution for commercial tourist flights. Those are supposed to launch from New Mexico's spaceport. This flight will take off from California.

What’s in a name 

With no debate beyond what's already taken place in the newspapers and on TV, Santa Fe's governing body voted to rename Torreon Park to include Mike T Jaramillo's name. He's famously the late husband of former Mayor Debbie Jaramillo. Two councilors objected to the measure previously. One cited a provision requiring people to be of good moral character if the city names something to memorialize them. Jaramillo was reportedly fired from his city job and served time in prison for tax evasion. He returned to continue working for the community. The ex-mayor tells SFR she's proud that most of the council and the mayor stuck to their plan.

Yes to cannabis

Santa Fe's governing body also voted to support recreational cannabis legislation, approving a measure signalling as much to the New Mexico Legislature. The state is expected to take up the matter in earnest during the legislative session that starts next month.

Santa Fe boosts public campaign cash

The busy City Council approved a change to city law that will effectively double public financing for mayoral campaigns ($). City Council races will see a 50 percent increase in public funding. Not all of the new money will come from city accounts; half of each hike will come from private donations the city will let candidates collect, then match with public money. Mayor Alan Webber's campaign raised almost $300,000 in the last election cycle, dwarfing second place finisher Ron Trujillo's publicly financed campaign's $60,000 cap.

Save or spend

After years of belt-tightening and emptying reserve funds, some lawmakers are pushing back against what they feel are overly cautious recommendations by economists to save much of the state's oil windfall. Between this year and next, some $2 billion is expected to flow into state accounts above current spending levels. The temptation to spend it is great, but oil revenue is particularly volatile, budget hawks warn, and a ratings agency has twice downgraded New Mexico's bond rating in the recent past.

Woven Talon

The Word fully admits to never having heard Woven Talon's music. But based on the description, it's a perfect name. Check them out at Opuntia Café—and check out the café—tonight at 6 pm.

Storm

A wind-driven wintry storm has closed I-25 north of Raton, created icy driving conditions and delayed schools around the state, including Santa Fe. Expect highs in the 30s and 40s across most of New Mexico.

Thanks for reading! The Word loves storms. Mostly.

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