
Litz splits
Santa Fe City Manager Eric Litzenberg has stepped down after 13 months on the job. In 2018, he took on the position after former City Manager Brian Snyder was asked to resign for sidestepping regulations regarding pay raises for employees. Litzenberg's official departure date has not been set ($ TNM), as he says he wants to help the mayor find just the right replacement.
It was a nice idea
Three months ago, Albuquerque City Council loudly approved $250,000 to help migrants and asylum-seekers in the city; the money, however, remains untouched. Officials say changing policies have reduced the number of migrants needing temporary shelter.
The saga continues
Up in Las Vegas (Lil' Vegas), embattled Mayor Tonita Gurule-Giron wanted to keep a public meeting about the city budget a secret because "she's tired of reporters showing up to public meetings and asking her questions," KOB 4 reports. One minor problem: Private meetings about those public matters are not legal in New Mexico.
Who watches the watchers?
A lawsuit filed on Monday alleges that prison guards at the women's facility in Springer sexually abused inmates with no repercussion. KUNM talked to lawyer Lalita Moskowitz about the disproportionate power held by prison guards and why inmates are afraid to speak out against them.
The wheels on the Airbus
A major European aerospace company is testing its 3-D printed parts with quality assurance technology developed right here in Santa Fe. Airbus is taking part in Sigma Labs' new "test and evaluation" program, in which a company pays 20% of the cost of Sigma's software and hardware for testing before fully integrating it into its manufacturing process at full price. Sigma Labs' technology can detect problems in 3-D printing ($ TNM) in real time.
Howling for food
New owner Quinn Stephenson says he plans to re-open Santa Fe fine dining staple Santacafé ($ TNM) on Aug. 7. Stephenson began what's become a two-part dining empire at Coyote Café, where he started in 1999 as a 19-year-old busser; he now owns Coyote outright. He says he's remodeled "every square inch" of Santacafé and has revamped the entire menu to be "clean" and "sophisticated."
Boom
Officers are still investigating a Friday night explosion in an Albuquerque motel that blew out a wall, but they have discerned that it was caused by a propane tank in a room. The explosion has left 23 permanent residents unable to stay in their rooms at the Hiway House, as cops are investigating the scene and won't allow anyone back in until that's complete. The motel owners are paying for rooms elsewhere, and the Red Cross is helping with supplies.
Steamy
It's gonna be another hot one, but it's fixing to cool down this weekend. From 89 to 84 or so, sure, but we'll take what few degrees we can get.
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