
Water talk
With all this water is a whole lot of talk about the Santa Fe River. Area residents want to weigh in on planning for the riparian areas and about releases for the "living river" flows, as SFR has reported this week, and The New Mexican tells us this morning about a coalition that is pointing fingers at the city for allegedly violating an ordinance and drying up a wetland off Upper Canyon Road ($).
Well that didn’t take long
Yesterday the Word crowed a bit about how a new rainbow crosswalk in Albuquerque was not only aesthetically pleasing, but would actually be more economical in the long run than a regular white crosswalk. Thanks to some motorcyclists, however, the crosswalk is now vandalized and damaged (but one of them appeared to blow a tire afterward, so karma's clearly a real thing). This is why we can't have nice things.
Very big bang
A dozen firefighters were injured, two life-threateningly, when fireworks exploded in Roswell. The firefighters were packing fireworks for a 4th of July celebration in a storage area when something ignited the explosives, causing two of the participants to be airlifted to a trauma center. KOAT has a video from a surveillance camera some ways away that shows the scale of the explosion, and it's a bit shocking (but good!) that more people were not seriously hurt or killed. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
Snappin’ snaps
In what cops are calling "data-driven policing," the FBI used Snapchat to track down a 17-year-old in Albuquerque with felony charges, guns, and a whole lot of Fentanyl. The teen posted pictures of himself on the social media app holding money and advertising drugs, and federal authorities caught wind of them from an informant. State Police Chief Tim Johnson referenced the recent "surge" of State Police in Albuquerque, saying the city would likely see more cases like this unless the law enforcement bootprint is kept the same size.
Public money
Looks like everyone seeking municipal office in Santa Fe will pursue public campaign funds, according to County Clerk Yolanda Vigil. Side note: Unlike our state and federal office races filling up for 2020, the field for City Council and other seats is woefully thin—only five people seeking six offices for the election this November. Meanwhile, in Albuquerque, 10 of 13 candidates qualify for its upcoming city races.
Let me introduce myself
Speaking of campaigns, SFR hit the campaign trail for a few stops with District Attorney Marco Serna, who's looking to serve in the US House of Representatives. A gem from this story: When asked if Marco Serna had arrived at an event yet, the chair of the Mora County Democratic Party asked, "Who's Marco Serna?"
Keep it in the ground
The Bureau of Land Management no longer opposes efforts to ban extraction around Chaco Canyon. US Senator Martin Heinrich says the newfound support (or at least not-opposition) from BLM "makes a much easier path forward" for the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act. Heinrich believes the change of heart can be attributed to a recent tour he took with BLM folks and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, in which they saw the site and met with tribal representatives.
Inconceivable
Hungry? Well, looking for an Impossible Burger in Albuquerque may keep you that way. It's not that restaurants won't stock it, no—it's that they can't keep it in stock. The wildly popular alt-protein (see: vegan) burger is becoming a big deal across the country, and SFR food writer Zibby Wilder tried some here in town to let you know about the best. But get on it fast, because who knows; we may soon see shortages like ABQ has.
Thanks for reading! The Word is remembering the human beings who stormed the beaches 75 years ago today, including Grandpa Willie in the first wave at Utah.