
Women v the Wolf
A lawsuit against Meow Wolf ($ TNM) alleges unfair labor practices and discrimination, and that employees were then fired when they tried to bring said discrimination to light. Former employees Tara Khozein and Gina Maciuszek filed Tuesday in the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, and also hope to have their case recognized as a class action suit to include more than 50 women who work at Meow Wolf. The company's CEO, Vince Kadlubek, denies any wrongdoing.
The wait is over
It's been decided: The 2020 census will go forward without the controversial "citizenship question," and forms have started getting printed. Officials in New Mexico greatly feared such a question, knowing it would reduce participation in the census and therefore undercount New Mexico, which would then reduce our eligibility for federal funds. The president has said he wants to delay the census as a result, but appears to have backed down ($ NYT).
Missing in ABQ
Nathon Lucero, 28, has gone missing in our neighboring city to the south, so Worders in Albuquerque please keep an eye out for the man, who cannot communicate well. He's been missing since yesterday.
She said, she said
In a case out of Santa Fe, Rachel Smith is charged with killing the son ($ TNM) of Angel Arellano. Smith used to babysit Arellano's kids, and one morning, after injecting heroin the night before, Smith says she awoke to find Arellano's 3-month-old son was not breathing. The boy had injuries consistent with strangulation and blunt force trauma, but there are differing scientific opinions about when the injuries may have occurred; therefore, the defense claims that Arellano hurt the boy before putting him in Smith's care. The jury will continue to deliberate today.
Losin’ it
Santa Fe police have apparently lost evidence related to a grisly murder case, and the defense is now requesting that the charges be dismissed as a result. Christopher Garcia is charged with fatally stabbing his girlfriend at the Vista Alegre Apartments on Airport Road in June 2017, then attacked two more people at the apartment complex after the alleged murder. The defense then learned ($ TNM) that cops lost 11 pieces of evidence that had not yet undergone DNA testing, including hair found on the victim and the victim's fingernail clippings.
Park it
Albuquerque City Hall has a practice of validating parking for folks coming to the offices on business, but it's suspected that employees of City Hall have also been using the validation stamp. Employees of ABQ City Hall are expected to pay from $8 a day to $84 a month to park at work, and officials say they suspect some city workers, either innocently or knowingly, incorrectly used the validation stamp … they just can't figure out who it was. The biggest clue? The city went from spending about $3,000 in 2017 on validated parking to paying over $12,000 in 2018. It's unlikely that public participation in city affairs is up that much, so the employees are now the suspects. But (and here's the kicker), there's no paper trail.
Nom nom nom
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Turtle Island Patriot
You won't be hearing from the Word tomorrow, as we will be 'Murrica-ing with our friends by eating pancakes on the Plaza when we're usually Word-ing, but your July 4 looks pleasant and perfect for outdoor activities. Have fun (we have some suggestions on how), be safe, don't set off your own fireworks, and remember to honor the folks whose land we party on today and every day.
Thanks for reading! The Word has six boxes of sparklers, all ready to go.