Restraining order against your boss
That's what a state worker is seeking at the Human Services Department, after she says her supervisor pushed her and punched her in the face as she tried to call first his boss and then the police. The confrontation happened after a work evaluation, when Ursula Montano, 25, tried to contact 51-year-old Donald Ortega's supervisor about the evaluation. Police think Ortega unplugged her computer, hung up her desk phone and stopped her from using her cellphone and other phones around the office. When he noticed she'd called 911, a report says Montano told police Ortega punched her. He's been on leave since the end of August and the district attorney is deciding whether to file charges.
Too far
An internal memo obtained by SFR says an outside investigator found sexual banter between a Santa Fe police lieutenant and a detective went too far. Apparently, Lt. Michele Williams and Det. Byron Campbell would occasionally engage in back-and-forth sexual comments. That's prohibited under department policy, even if neither side finds it objectionable. The city is deciding on discipline, but that will be kept secret from the public, as the department does not disclose how it holds accountable those with a badge.
The year in censorship
SFR's cover story this week looks at egregious examples of stories those in power tried to keep hidden. It's part of Project Censored, a national group that examines the cost of a less-than-fully informed public, including the Democratic National Committee's actions that imply it has the right to select presidential candidates before a single primary vote is cast. Or maybe it's doctors not being forthright about the risks of certain kinds of childbirth and the rise in maternal mortality. It's our annual reminder that secrecy affects you and you should demand more from your government.
Green money
The Verde Fund, brainchild of Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, may see dramatic changes under the next mayor. Or it could continue to grow as the city government's way to inject money into the problems of poverty and climate change. It could also disappear completely as the city refocuses on core services. Gonzales wants it to be part of his one-term legacy, but that's far from a certainty.
Judge sanctions ABQ police
Speaking of a lack of transparency, state District Court Judge Nan Nash sanctioned the department yesterday for failing to preserve evidence in the 2014 shooting of Mary Hawkes by APD officer Jeremy Dear. Despite broadly touting its body camera program for officers, this was yet another circumstance where cameras failed to capture the moment an Albuquerque police officer pulled the trigger to use deadly force. The judge's ruling means jurors in a civil trial won't have to determine whether police were justified in pulling the trigger—it's presumed to be unreasonable—and only how much the city should have to pay for taking Hawkes' life.
Off the tracks
The lead engine of an Amtrak train, presumably the venerable Southwest Chief, derailed last night near Watrous in Mora County. The sheriff says the train hit a boulder on the track, which forced the engine off the rails. All other cars, including a secondary engine, stayed where they were supposed to be. A conductor had to be taken to the hospital, but the 132 passengers aboard were okay. No word on how that boulder ended up on the train tracks.
Weekending it
We may have seen the last of the torrential downpours for a few days. That's good news for leaf viewing and Balloon Fiesta-ing. Temperatures will be crisp in the upper 60s for Santa Fe, with lows finally dropping into the 30s. Nothing you need to break out the frost fabric for, but start the sweater ceremony and unpack those woolen wonders.
Thanks for reading! The Word nearly had to tie the grill to the deck last night as the storm rolled through. There were veggie burgers—and real ones—everywhere. Soaked cheese slices. Inundated chiles. It was quite something.
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