Slow down
The Santa Fe Police Department plans to reinstitute speed cameras in Santa Fe, and will request approval tonight from the Public Safety Committee for a contract with Verra Mobility Corporation to provide technology to do so. "The essential purpose of the STOP Program is to promote safety on our streets by targeting city roadways which have high reports of speeding and/or traffic related crashes," said Police Chief Andrew Padilla in a city press release. "By using technology, we can use our officers to be utilized in other public safety issues around the City of Santa Fe." The department wants to set the amounts for STOP fines so that first and subsequent fines will be $50, while school zone and construction zone fines will be $100. According the release, the City of Santa Fe STOP program previously operated from 2008 to 2014; the Santa Fe City Council approved a resolution to restart the program in August, 2017.
Martinez trial underway
A bench trial for State Sen. Richard Martinez began yesterday, with testimony and video footage of his arrest following a crash in Española last June ($TNM). Video presented showed Martinez' difficulty counting backward and demonstrating motor skills. "He was very slow in his speech and stopped several times in the process," Española police Officer Dustin Chavez testified. Prosecutors from the Attorney General's office provided a photograph they say shows Martinez urinated on himself. "It's an indicator of someone who is intoxicated, highly intoxicated, unable to hold their urine," Chavez said. Martinez' lawyer says the crash was an accident, and that his client's disorientation was from hitting his head on the windshield, rather than intoxication. Martinez, a Democrat from Ojo Caliente, has pled not guilty to charges of aggravated DWI and reckless driving, and does not plan to resign his seat even if he is convicted.
The grass is greener
State Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, plans to pre-file a bill for next year's legislative session that would legalize recreational cannabis in New Mexico. Although similar efforts have failed in the past, Martinez and supporters—including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham—believe the effort has a strong shot next year. Martinez says he's still tinkering with the bill, "…but it's a good bill and I don't think there will be any surprises." Rep. Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, says he thinks the bill has a better than 50-50 chance of passing. For more dope on dope, check out this month's SFR Leaf Brief.
Put on your thinking caps
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will host a town hall on education tomorrow night in Albuquerque. The public can submit questions online in advance of the event, which also will be live-streamed. Cabinet members Early Childhood Education and Care Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart and Higher Education Secretary Kate O'Neill also will attend. The event takes place at 6 pm, Wednesday, Dec. 18 at the APS Berna Facio Professional Development Complex, 3315 Louisiana Blvd. NE.
Green chile forever
New Mexico's chiles, as everyone knows, are the greatest in the world, bar none. They also are facing crop-wide challenges, as detailed in The New York Times article, "Hard Times for a Hot Commodity, the Prized New Mexico Chile" ($). June Rutherford, 95, matriarch of the Franzoy family—one of the first to commercialize sales of Hatch chile—says she's never seen such a bad chile season. Blame higher temperatures and lack of water for "threatening the future of the state's signature food." Add to that challenges—fostered to a degree by tightening immigration policies—in finding workers for hand-picking the easily bruised crop. Upshot: Farmers are growing fewer acres of chiles to save water for other crops, and the state's signature crop has become less dependable.
Flying start
Over the weekend, Southwest Airlines announced it would be testing a seasonal flight from Albuquerque International Sunport to San Antonio International Airport on Saturdays beginning in mid-June. Roundtrip tickets will start at less than $150. Nyika Allen, director of aviation for the city of Albuquerque, says the city followed a similar process for the now-daily flights to San Jose and Austin; the Sunport currently serves 24 US cities and 27 airports.
The show must go on
The New Mexico Film Office is hoping to continue to grow its staff to keep pace with the uptick in film and television productions in the state. In the last month, the office added two full-time positions to its three-person office; in the upcoming legislative session, the office will ask for funding for yet another two employees. "We are restructuring the New Mexico Film Office to better meet the needs of the film and television industry, as well as lawmakers and the public who are asking for better data reporting and more accountability," Alicia J. Keyes, state economic development secretary, said.
SFR swag alert
Know someone who would like a T-shirt or tank designed by local artists? Peruse our Best of Santa Fe swag shop. Today is your last chance to purchase SFR T-shirts before Christmas, so place your orders by close of business today, Tuesday, Dec. 17, and they will be ship tomorrow. Shop here. We'll be back in business Dec. 26.
Cold comfort
Yup, it's cold, but sunny today, with a high near 34 today and wind chill values as low as -3. North wind 10 to 15 mph. Tonight will have a low around 12 degrees, with wind chill values as low as -1. High temps around the state are expected to be 10 to 15 degrees below normal.
Thanks for reading! The Word has never been to the New Mexico Mineral Museum, but wants to after reading this recent CBS story.
