
Some morning wtf for you
Back in March we linked to the Rio Grande Sun and a story in which a woman was threatened by her boyfriend, and then the boyfriend's lawyer said the woman exaggerated her claims due to her menstrual cycle. That boyfriend, as it were, is also a Taos County sheriff's deputy. New development: First Judicial District Court Judge Jason Lidyard ruled that the boyfriend, Lorenzo Sanchez, will be allowed to keep his weapon despite the domestic violence charges as he awaits trial.
The Plame flame burns again
There were whispers of it earlier, but now it's official: Former CIA agent Valerie Plame is running for Congress. She cites her knowledge about national intelligence from her experience at New Mexico's national laboratories as a boon, and, as a Democrat, says she will advocate for health care reform. She said she hadn't considered running before, but the recent shake-up in New Mexico's First Congressional District had her rethink her desire to "serve her country" (TNM $).
Smells fishy
Everyone was all heart-eyes emojis when Shohko Café announced its impending closing last week, and while we still love their sushi, the shine has worn off for workers involved in an unpaid wages dispute they won in court earlier this year. Advocacy group Somos Un Pueblo Unido has filed two liens totaling $116,000 (TNM $) on behalf of three workers who say they were not paid properly for overtime. Shohko has made no payments on that debt since a judge ordered it to pay in February, and the liens will prevent the Fukuda family from selling any property until the money is paid off.
Prison pipeline
Investigative journalism nonprofit Searchlight New Mexico reports that students with disabilities are not only getting the shaft in schools, but are ending up in jail much more often than their neurotypical and abled peers. The story introduces us to a teen with autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, PTSD, epilepsy and ADHD whose bright future was derailed by encounters with school police in an increasingly law-enforcement-linked school in Alamogordo. As Jesse Clifton, an attorney with Disability Rights New Mexico, says, "There's a common attitude in New Mexico that it's easier to write off difficult students and just let law enforcement deal with them."
Sedition be damned
For both your weekend long-read as well as a dose of what's cool to do around town, SFR's cover story discusses You & Distant Wars, an immersive educational installation by theater professional Nandita Dinesh. Dinesh, born in India, has long worked to process and explore the conflict in Kashmir through experiential theater, and has risked arrest and imprisonment in her home country by doing so. In America, she's more free to make art on her own terms, but she discussed with SFR the baffling censorship and fascinating details of her unique work around the world. You & Distant Wars opens tonight, and is open each weekend through the end of May.
Kid things
A 12-year-old in Alamogordo has been arrested for drunk driving. That's a real bummer of a sentence, isn't it? The Albuquerque Journal reports that the child, with three other minor passengers who were also all intoxicated, led police on a brief chase before crashing into a street sign. There were no injuries reported, and cops say they will work with the public schools there on "disciplinary action."
Where the money goes
Cops in Santa Fe are looking at a 10.5% raise in the new city budget. The powers that be at the city say they need to boost raises to stay competitive with places like Albuquerque in order to keep our law enforcement talent here. Other city workers will see a 2% raise. Mayor Alan Webber also says the budget includes $195,000 for housing support grants, as well as funding to improve Santa Fe's cell phone service.
Bad vibrations
If you've driven between Stanley and Galisteo on Highway 41 any time recently, you probably sat still for a while due to road construction on the two-lane highway. Local residents say that construction was poorly done, the road is lumpy, and driving the "finished" product is like one long rumble strip. The $22 million project, which could have seen this ruin due to the wet winter we had, will cost taxpayers an additional $4.2 million to fix.
Thanks for reading! The Word likes DIY spaces, and a particularly cool art show is going down in one tonight. Get there.