Open books
A state District Court judge has ruled that internal communications and other records from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe will be unsealed after KOB-TV filed a request with the court. The records involve conversations and personnel files from three priests involved in the child sex abuse scandal: Jason Sigler, Arthur Perrault and Sabine Griego. The decision marks a huge turning point for survivors of priestly sexual abuse because, if they haven't filed suit, they likely haven't seen what the church knew about accusations and what it did about criminal priests.
Raft of resignations
There's a crisis at New Mexico's Interstate Stream Commission. Three members have resigned this week, citing concern with interference by the state engineer, Tom Blaine. The commission guides New Mexico water policy as it relates to waterways and also makes sure the state gets and gives what it's promised in river compacts with other states. The state engineer, who controls ground water and other surface water, sits on the commission but the two are distinct entities.
Bad reputation
The Public Regulation Commission's penchant for scandal and lack of support for employees has made it difficult to attract and retain professional staff at the utility regulator, according to a new report. The National Regulatory Research Institute says there are few people at the agency who can truly educate commissioners on complex decisions involving utility rates and projects. It also says the Legislature needs to get a full audit of the PRC.
A weekend of film
SFR's cover story this week looks at the upcoming Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, which has grown from a side project to a full-fledged festival that will hand out awards, feature talks with filmmakers and screen 100 movies in four days. It's also a great telling of the kind of passion that's needed to cultivate any good idea and grow it into something great.
Another 'study' for Berry
A crime study touted by RJ Berry, the outgoing mayor of Albuquerque, a supposed guide to trouble spots in the city and potentially a road map for moving forward, will be virtually ignored by his successor. Both Tim Keller and Dan Lewis told New Mexico in Depth that there's little in the report, authored by former Susana Martinez deputy chief of staff Scott Darnell, that they can be sure is statistically significant or based on any solid data that typically accompanies such a study. The report comes about a month after we learned a study cited by Berry to support the city's bus rapid transit project was essentially a PowerPoint presentation based on an educated guess.
A new deal
Metal workers at Sandia National Laboratories have inked a new deal with management for 430 of the labs' more than 12,000 employees. The metal workers had voted to authorize a strike if negotiations were unfruitful and accused the lab of going around union negotiators in trying to sell the management offer.
Mad mod
Tesla's Model 3 electric car sports 400,000 reservations, but production problems mean you won't see many on the road. An auto-enthusiasts website spotted one in New Mexico recently that it believes is the first modified Model 3 in the country.
Frickin' freezing
A quick one-two punch from cold fronts will plummet temperatures this weekend, especially Sunday, but it shouldn't be miserable. If you're headed to see those balloons on the last weekend, pack a hat and gloves and a warm jacket.
Thanks for reading! The Word is craving hot apple cider with a big ol' cinnamon stick used to stir up all the good stuff at the bottom.
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