
Birthdays and taxes
Don't miss one of the most exciting holidays of the year this weekend. No, we aren't talking about the Word's birthday. It's tax-free weekend in New Mexico, and The New Mexican ($) and the Albuquerque Journal have info about what you can buy without paying gross receipts tax and why it's a great idea to do so.
We don’t need another
New Mexico will not get another racino (that means a casino with a race track). We already have five (in Hobbs, Ruidoso, Farmington, Albuquerque and Sunland Park), and the New Mexico Racing Commission, complete with appointments from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, decided that is enough.
Conflicts about parole
Lawmakers and prosecutors disagree on whether and how to move forward on parole reform in New Mexico. Changes favored by lawmakers would have required the Parole Board to issue detailed, written findings when it denies someone's release after 30 years behind bars. Their proposal also would have made it harder to land back in prison on technical violations of probation. But Dianna Luce, a district attorney from Southern New Mexico, says, "It's just a lack of accountability for someone who has committed a crime and a lack of consideration for victims' rights. … If there's going to be no accountability, why are we placing them on probation in the first place?"
Dips and spikes
State museums and historic sites experienced a 2% decrease in visitors in the past year. Fiscal year 2018 saw just over 1 million visitors; FY 2019 had just under. A couple sites have become more popular, however: Fort Stanton, down near Ruidoso, enjoyed an attendance boost of 15%, and the ethereal Jemez Historic Site had a rise of 7%.
Patience
On Wednesday, 28-year-old Jeremiah Delgado felt that his vehicle repairs were taking too long at the Kia dealership on St. Mike's, so he threw a rock through a minivan's back window, threatened a manager and then started injuring himself. Cops were called to the scene, whereupon Delgado continued to act aggressively; he was tased and taken into custody ($ TNM).
Space force?
Did you know a defense-related aerospace mega-company has operated in Albuquerque for nearly 50 years? No? Well, neither did most people. But Aerospace Corp. is lifting the veil and showing Albuquerque what it can do, which includes modernizing the US's nuclear arsenal and overhauling the country's space-defense systems.
That ain’t enough
Three city workers in Santa Fe say they were not provided proper safety equipment to clean up sewage near St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, and are suing as a result. Documents say the only protective gear they were given to clean the backup, which included hazardous waste and needles, were steel-toe shoes, gloves and hard hats.
Stormy
The National Weather Service says we should look out for "scattered to numerous" storms in the northeastern part of the state today. Yowza! Santa Fe is looking at only a 31% chance of storms, but up near Cimarron, that number is more like 88%. Here are chances of rain for the whole weekend, too.
Thanks for reading! The Word is now reconsidering her birthday plans of camping in Cimarron all weekend.