Albuquerque’s new mayor
Tim Keller will be taking the elevator all the way to the top of City Hall for the next four years. The Democrat trounced Republican City Councilor Dan Lewis in yesterday's runoff election, taking 62 percent of the vote to Lewis' 38 percent. Keller inherits a city that's trying to grow in spite of itself, as it struggles with crime and a police department that's locked in a contentious oversight relationship with the Department of Justice.
Griego’s tearful, testy testimony
Former state senator Phil Griego took the witness stand yesterday in his public corruption trial, telling the court there's a lot he would have changed about the real estate deal that led to his undoing in the Senate and the eight public corruption charges he now faces. Griego dabbed at his eyes as he read his resignation letter for a jury. But on cross examination, an upstart prosecutor got under Griego's skin as he challenged the ex-senator's account of the deal. The case should go to the jury today.
Senior care stunner
The parent company of Casa Real and the Santa Fe Care Center has filed for bankruptcy. Preferred Care, Inc. is staring down a $30 million judgment in Kentucky for substandard care and a lawsuit by the New Mexico Attorney General. The nursing homes were operating yesterday, and administrators say they will remain that way for the time being. They are the only two such facilities in Santa Fe that accept Medicare and Medicaid.
Police say teen only lacked a gun for SFHS shooting plan
A spokesman for the Santa Fe Police Department says Aaron Encinias would have gone through with a plan for a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School, but he didn't have access to a gun. Encinias is being held in juvenile custody as he faces charges. Meanwhile, prosecutors dropped charges against two other boys who had been shown the plan by Encinias.
Family of mentally ill man sues police for shooting
Santa Fe police shot and killed Anthony Benavidez in July after the 24-year-old man stabbed a social worker and barricaded himself in his apartment. Police responded with a SWAT team and ultimately ended up shooting Benavidez, who had been living with mental illness, through a window they'd broken. His family says the case is a prime example of how not to handle someone who is having a mental health crisis. They're suing the city.
Drilling drama
Sandoval County is considering a new ordinance to regulate oil and gas drilling, but a group of residents says the measure is a house of cards that doesn't go far enough to protect air, water and land. Most of the drilling in the county is closer to the San Juan Basin, but recent years have seen rumblings by companies interested in exploring what's underground just west of Rio Rancho.
Winter wildfires
It's not a concern in Santa Fe, but as a La Niña winter weather pattern looks more certain, southeastern New Mexico faces the prospect of grass fires. That part of the state is actually doing better than last year in terms of acreage burned, but that means more fuel for a warm, windy weather pattern.
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