Walking tall
Thousands took to the streets Saturday to walk in concert with the March for Our Lives in Washington, DC. The aim was to stop gun violence in schools and to curb ownership of assault-style rifles. Marches in Santa Fe ($) and Albuquerque drew thousands of students and others.
New counsel
Former city attorney Geno Zamora is returning to a familiar role. Zamora, who held the post under former Mayor David Coss, will start work as the temporary city attorney next week, if the contract is approved by the City Council. Alan Webber, who gets to hire the city attorney as part of the new powers of his office, says the temporary contract will give him the time he needs to pick the right person for the job. Zamora tells SFR he is not applying for the permanent gig.
More water?
Some residents in the East Mountains don't think so. Last week, testimony wrapped up in a court case that could help decide whether a developer can claim 114 million gallons of water every year from the Sandia Water Basin, which includes parts of southern Santa Fe County. The state engineer has previously decided against the plan—and is, in fact, a defendant in the court case—but the current state engineer supports the drilling.
Even more
That's a lot of water, especially if there isn't any left to appropriate. But down in the oil fields of the Permian Basin, 115 million gallons is brought to the surface every day ($) by oil and gas producers who need water for the drilling process known as fracking. The LA Times dispatched a reporter to study New Mexico's unique geology and why the oil boom puts water at risk.
‘Hail Caesar!’
That was the shout that greeted the new mayor of Columbus, New Mexico at the latest council meeting. Residents in the tiny border town are upset that the new mayor seems to be running things as he sees fit, no matter how much power he legally has. A hastily altered agenda at the City Council meeting may violate the New Mexico Open Meetings Act.
Sweet gig
Former state Rep. Paul Pacheco is a staunch ally of Gov. Susana Martinez. Over at The New Mexican ($), Milan Simonich draws a line between that relationship and Pacheco's $100,000 new gig that shields him from being fired, should the new governor desire to get rid of Pacheco. He won the position at the Department of Corrections despite having little experience in prisons and only a high school diploma, though the job description called for a masters degree.
We’ll take that
The federal government has seized millions in gambling profits from the Pojoaque Pueblo. The money was in an account set aside for the take after the pueblo refused to sign on to a revenue-sharing agreement with the state. The pueblo agreed to terms last year, but the money from 2015-2017 has been left untouched until now.
Bring it
A back-door cold front could collide with moisture on Tuesday and dapple the landscape with rain across much of the state. Chances are pretty decent—about 50 percent according to the latest computer models—that we'll see some moisture. It could bring the most snow we've seen in a while to the mountains.
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