
A dubious honor
The Motel 6 in Midtown Santa Fe is quite the hot spot for police activity. Over the weekend, The New Mexican reported that the budget lodger has hosted an average of more than two police visits every day this year for incidents like murders, robberies and domestic violence. SFR reported recently on the scourge of sex trafficking in New Mexico, making mention of a Motel 6 in Albuquerque recently under scrutiny. Motel 6 representatives seem to be mum on all fronts.
Lymon found guilty
It took an Albuquerque jury only two hours to decide Davon Lymon is guilty of first-degree murder, among other charges, for killing an APD officer during a traffic stop. The Word has kept you updated on the case, in which Lymon says he feared for his life and couldn't hear the officer's commands through his motorcycle helmet.
Got bit
The first plague case of the year has turned up in a Quay County dog (Quay County includes Tucumcari, for anyone else who needed geography help). The dog got treatment and should be just fine, but it's a reminder to keep your pets flea-free, your property as rodent-free as you can, and to carefully monitor the health and behavior of everyone you love (both four- and two-legged) during the summer season. There were three cases of animal plague last year, and 28 in 2017.
Big box blues
Santa Fe's last video rental store (and maybe one of the last on the planet) is "hanging in there," outlets report, and is still working toward raising money in a GoFundMe to keep its doors open. The Video Library stocks films that you have probably never heard of (aka that you would never be able to snag from a streaming service), and is quite the beloved institution in town. Both the money raised online and an influx of customers both new and old has helped keep the store afloat through fears it may have to close, but it's not out of the woods ($).
Let’s go get this money
Counties across the state, from Eddy to Mora, have been designated natural disaster zones thanks to recent drought, and producers in those 21 counties can apply for US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency emergency loans. And yes, we had an El Niño this year with plenty of precipitation, but the Word offers the friendly reminder that weather is not climate, and we should get used to drier, hotter conditions.
Public made private
The tiny town of Jal, New Mexico, sits at the heart of the Permian Basin oil boom, and the newspaper there is about to get a huge chunk of municipal money. The paper says officials withheld documents and violated the Inspection of Public Records Act ($), and the city has agreed to pay $400,000 to settle the case. That's nearly 10% of the town's annual budget. It all stemmed from whether an oil well was contaminating a water source, whether authorities would inspect the well, and whether a ranch was getting free water (so, basically, it's all about oil and water). "The more we reported, the less information they would give us," says Gregg Fulfer, Jal Record owner and state senator. SFR can relate.
Big Brother is watching
The Santa Fe Police Department has launched "Operation Spring Blitz" to crack down on reckless and dangerous driving around town. While the Albuquerque Journal endorses the use of speed vans, no one seems to fully endorse full-on state-sponsored surveillance robots. But maybe the robot legion has plants in the local media, and this is just the beginnings of their revolution.
How ’bout that
We're not even going to try to decipher what that weather was about on Saturday, but yesterday sure was gorgeous, right? Today, get ready for more fiery conditions in the eastern part of the state, and possible rain tomorrow. Temps will probably dip this week, but we might be nearing full and total spring. Maybe. Perhaps. We don't wanna jinx it.
Thanks for reading! The Word heard from a reader on Friday who brought it to our attention that a phrase we thought was merely a silly colloquialism actually has roots in prejudicial and racist history. Yikes! This was, of course, completely unintentional, and we apologize to anyone whom we offended. SFR is always thankful when you hold us accountable, and to a high standard. Happy Monday, readers.