
What to do with water
The New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission will likely vote today on whether or not to spend $1.8 million to complete environmental impact statements about damming the Gila and San Francisco rivers, and Sen. Martin Heinrich penned a piece published by the New Mexico Political Report about why diversion is a horrible idea; he writes, "It is irresponsible to continue throwing away millions of dollars studying wasteful diversion projects that would dewater the upper Gila River in New Mexico." The gov isn't a fan either.
Cops to see more money
In an attempt to plug the drain that's caused police staffing shortages in Santa Fe for years, cops in our city are likely getting a big raise. The hike to $22 an hour for new officers represents a 30% bump, and established officers will see a 5% increase. Of course, it depends on whether or not City Council approves the proposal on June 26. In the last year, 13 Santa Fe officers have transferred to Albuquerque, and our department currently has 28 vacancies ($ TNM).
You can’t do that
The editor of the Los Alamos Monitor is suing Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, alleging that an unknown male took advantage of her when she was numb and incapacitated. Jill McLaughlin was lying face-down and unable to move her arms, but conscious, when a man she presumes was a hospital employee (since they were in an operating room) took her hand and put it on his genitals. She reported it to the hospital, but the institution reportedly did not handle it well ($ TNM).
No movement
There hasn't been much done up at Bishop's Lodge in the last two weeks, despite claims from folks in charge that leins would be taken care of and construction would resume. At the end of May, SFR reported that there were outstanding property taxes of over $130,000 on the property, and that creditors, including the IRS, had more than $2 million still sunk into the property. The powers that be told us at that time that it would be taken care of in the next week. It's been two weeks, nothing's been paid, and now the spokesperson for the hotel group won't call us back.
Fill the seat
After the death of Rep. John Pinto, the long-beloved former Navajo Code Talker who served District 3 near Gallup, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has been given two names of folks to possibly fill his seat: Wallace Charley of Shiprock, a former county commissioner and former Navajo Nation Council Delegate, and Carol Bowman-Muskett of Gallup, a former McKinley County commissioner. The two are going head-to-head, and the gov's spokesman says she aims to choose one as soon as possible. The gov's pick will serve out Pinto's four-year term until December 2020.
Heinous and horrifying
Gov. Lujan Grisham is pretty grossed out by the president's tweets about "removing" "millions" of undocumented immigrants, making it very clear how she feels. At a press conference on Wednesday, she said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been too busy playing political games to help New Mexico identify and remove "bad actors" coming into the country or provide aid to legal asylum seekers, of which there are thousands.
I want to go to there
So, apparently the Hyatt Regency Tamaya at Santa Ana Pueblo is maybe the best place to work on the planet. The Word is basing this solely on its pet-friendly policies, but they are pretty legit. The resort offers bereavement time for the loss of a pet, as well as "pawternity" leave when an employee adopts a new animal. (Not sure how these policies compare to their human-loss and human-adoption/birth policies, but we love it nonetheless.)
Hazy
Get ready for the social media posts asking where the smoke's coming from. Thanks to the Albuquerque National Weather Service's Twitter, you know to say it's coming from burns in New Mexico and Arizona. Temps will warm up today to about 90 in town, and that is gross. (In the Word's opinion, that is. Yours may differ.)
Thanks for reading! The Word reminds you that this is a high-class place. Act respectable.