
That’s not weird at all
It turns out that convicted/admitted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, former bestie of millionaires, wanted to turn his New Mexico ranch into "a baby-making factory in the desert," and also wanted his genitals frozen for … posterity, I guess? Whatever. Dude is an absolute degenerate dumpster fire. Next!
Weedy wordplay
Schools are concerned about proposed new rules concerning minor students who also use medicinal cannabis. The rules, which would go into effect Aug. 27, require someone on every school campus to be designated to store and administer the medicine, and districts interpret this to mean that someone on staff is required to store and administer the medicine. Subtle difference, but meaningful to the district. "Permitting students into schools who use medical cannabis is far different than requiring involvement of employees," Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Raquel Reedy wrote.
Country club living
The senior living organization El Castillo wants to build a new facility across Paseo de Peralta from the post office (where the Ghost Ranch center used to be), but city councilors balked last night at taking the property out of the tax revenue stream for the 30 years it would take El Castillo to pay off bonds. City Councilor JoAnn Vigil Coppler called El Castillo "the country club of assisted living centers;" councilors also cited a low number of permanent jobs to be created at the facility as a reason to be hesitant about approving an industrial revenue bond plan.
Hold on, cowboy
New Mexico Highlands University has a new logo, and it's pretty snazzy ($ TNM). Criticisms of the old logo said it looked a bit too much like the University of Wyoming's, and the new one is more noticeably different. The New Mex reports that the new NMHU logo cost over $2,000; just a quick reminder that Santa Fe County spent $99,000 on its new logo in 2016 that it never even used ($ TNM).
Young entrepreneurs?
Students at the University of New Mexico have been indicted on an international scam scheme in which they conned thousands of dollars out of university employees around the country. About 50 people fell for the phishing email sent by the students, which asked the recipient to enter their payroll information into an official-looking website that was, in fact, fake, and directed the money to hackers in the US, China and Nigeria.
Scarinzi sues
Santa Fe musician Betsy Scarinzi, frontwoman of popular band The Hollyhocks, is suing Presbyterian Health Services and three of its doctors formissing early indications of lung cancer ($ TNM) in 2017 and 2018, which she says then led to her terminal diagnosis a year later.
Wild West Nile
Mosquitoes in Albuquerque have tested positive for West Nile Virus. Use bug repellent, get rid of standing water on your property and keep your screens closed, and also pay attention to symptoms. Only about 1 in 5 people develop symptoms of West Nile, and 1 in 150 get very ill, but it's not something you want to deal with.
The potential for late-night liquor
Local wine and spirits shop Susan's is fighting fire with fire; to combat the opening of Total Wine on the Southside, which employees say has caused problems for many local retailers since last year, Susan's is opening an in-store bar this Friday. The retail experience may change too, as the shop's new license allows it to sell and serve until midnight.
Read my lips
Makeup giant Tom Ford has debuted a new product that bears a striking similarity to one from a Rio Rancho company. Blush & Whimsy, the New Mexico cosmetics company, has a clear lipstick with gold flakes … and now, so does Tom Ford. B&W founder Micaela Brown doesn't plan on taking any legal action; she says, "It made me excited because it meant that a luxury brand notices what I was doing."
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