artdirector@sfreporter.com
COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials on Friday reported 2,104 new COVID-19 cases, a 33% decline from the day prior. The new cases bring the statewide total so far to 489,701; DOH has designated 350,084 of those cases as recovered. The statewide test positivity rate on a seven-day rolling average continued to decline: from 24.2% to 23.3% (the target is 7.5%).
Bernalillo County had 435 cases, followed by Doña Ana County with 419 and San Juan County with 238. Santa Fe County had 114 new cases, 47 from the 87507 ZIP code, which ranked 10th in the state among ZIP codes for the most new cases.
According to the state’s most recent vaccination report, over the four-week period between Jan. 3 and Jan. 31, 55.5% of COVID-19 cases were among those who had not completed their primary vaccination series, as were 77.4% of hospitalizations and 92.8% of deaths. In response to a question from SFR during last week’s COVID-19 update, Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said DOH plans to incorporate a third metric into that report that accounts for booster shots.
The state also reported 19 additional deaths, 10 of them recent, including a female in her 30s from Santa Fe County who had been hospitalized. There have now been 235 deaths in Santa Fe County and 6,535 statewide. As of Friday, 615 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, close to a 12% decline from the day before. DOH is expected to provide a three-day update on cases, hospitalizations and fatalities this afternoon.
Currently, 91.5% percent of adults 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 77.4% have completed their primary series. Among the same demographic, 42.1% have had a booster shot. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 70.2% of people have had at least one dose and 59.7% have completed their primary series. Among children ages 5-11, 36% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 25% have completed their primary series. In Santa Fe County, 99% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 86.6% have completed their primary series.The health department on Friday renewed the state’s existing public health order, which requires—among other provisions—indoor mask wearing. A news release noted that while the state’s COVID-19 cases have declined, they “continue to hover around 3,000 per day, requiring the extension of the mask mandate for the time being. The highly infectious nature of the Omicron variant requires continued vigilance until the number of New Mexico hospitalizations decrease.” The order remains in effect through March 4.
New Mexicans can register for a COVID-19 vaccine here, schedule a COVID-19 vaccine booster here and view a public calendar for vaccine availability here. Parents can add dependents to their vaccine profiles here. You can read the guidelines for quarantine and isolation here.
You can order free at-home COVID-19 tests here and find other testing options at findatestnm.org. The health department is offering drive-through PCR testing through Feb. 21; to find an appointment (recommended only for people with symptoms), register here.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
City of Santa Fe releases names of police chief wannabes
The City of Santa Fe on Friday made public the names of the 10 applicants for the Santa Fe Police Department’s next chief, following former Chief Andrew Padilla’s retirement last December. Among the all-male roster (according to a news release, no female candidates applied), three contenders come from SFPD: Thomas Grundler, lieutenant of support operations; Paul Joye, deputy chief of police operations and interim police chief; and Benjamin Valdez, deputy chief of police administration. Two others work for Albuquerque and Rio Rancho police departments. In addition to posting the names of the candidates, the city is soliciting public feedback via community surveys (in English and Spanish), which will remain open until Feb. 25. Starting the week of Feb. 14, each of the candidates will participate in two virtual dialogue sessions with “local leaders who are focused on public safety and community partnership,” the make-up of which will are being finalized. Finalists will meet with city leaders at the end of the month and City Manager John Blair says he expects to make a decision by the end of March.
“We’re the City Different, and our next police chief has to understand what that means,” Blair said in a statement. “Our next police chief has to both promote public safety and fairly and appropriately enforce the laws in our diverse community.” Blair and Community Health and Safety Director Kyra Ochoa are leading the police chief search. “Santa Fe has joined other communities around the country in responding to public health and safety needs with a holistic, innovative approach,” Ochoa said in a statement. “Our next police chief should be someone committed to professional, just, and equitable policing so that all our residents can enjoy a safe community.” SFR’s litigation against the City of Santa Fe for its refusal to release police discipline records—a lawsuit supported by the Albuquerque Journal, Santa Fe New Mexican, the Foundation for Open Government and the New Mexico Press Association, to name a few—remains pending in the state Court of Appeals.
Bill to raise teacher pay heads to House
The state Senate on Friday passed Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, and Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, D-Silver City, which increases minimum pay for all three tiers of licensed teachers. Specifically, the bill raises the pay for tier 1 teachers from $40,000 to $50,000; from $50,000 to $60,000 for tier two teachers; and from $60,000 to $70,000 for teachers with level three licenses. “New Mexico educators deserve better compensation, it’s as simple as that—and we are delivering it,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “I want New Mexico teachers to be the best-compensated in the region, and today we are one step closer to making that a reality.” The bill, passed unanimously by the state Senate, now heads to the state House. “Today’s passage of Senate Bill 1 sends a clear message to our teachers that we see them, we admire and respect the work they do every day, and we will continue to support them in this critical moment for the students of New Mexico,” Stewart said in a statement. New Mexico has been grappling with soaring educator vacancies, exacerbated by the pandemic, with the governor recently calling upon the National Guard and state workers to volunteer as substitute teachers.
NM Wild: $5,000 reward to catch petroglyph vandals
The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance on Friday announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the desecration of the La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs. The US Bureau of Land Management announced last month the discovery of vandalism—described as including swastikas and racial slurs—on 10 protected petroglyphs in La Cienega. As described by BLM, the petroglyphs, “some of which may be up to 8,000 years old, are located on the ancestral homelands of the Pueblo people, west of Santa Fe and are protected by the National Historic Preservation Act, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, and the Galisteo Basin Archaeological Sites Protection Act.” BLM Taos Field Manager Pamela Mathis said in a statement the agency also is “actively investigating the defacement of these cultural properties and other crimes on all public lands. We are asking for information and that families have a dialogue about protecting and honoring New Mexico treasures.” (1-800-637-9152 to report information) BLM partners with New Mexico SiteWatch, whose volunteers monitor prehistoric and historic resources on public, private and tribal lands in their communities. SiteWatch has documented two prior violations to the petroglyphs—when they were defaced with graffiti—acts that can be charged as felonies and carry up to two years in prison and $20,000 per charge under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. New Mexico Wild is actively raising money for its reward; you can contribute here.
Listen up
The most recent episode of Your New Mexico Government, “Who’s Watching Whom,” focuses on issues of government transparency, particularly in light of challenges that have emerged in covering this year’s legislative session, and recent shake-ups in the delivery of the health department’s weekly COVID-19 news briefing. Guests include: Source New Mexico Editor-in-Chief Marisa Demarco and KUNM’s Nash Jones and Jered Ebenreck. Your New Mexico Government is a collaboration between New Mexico PBS and KUNM.
NM everywhere
New Mexico’s aesthetic continues to infiltrate the world at large. A new San Diego, California restaurant, Wolf in the Woods—recently touted in Eater and San Diego Downtown News—opened after a long delay and, in the restaurant’s words, “is our take on classic and modern New Mexican aesthetics. By blending Native American, European, and Hispanic cultures, we have created a style uniquely beautiful in itself.” The restaurant’s menu reflects the restaurant’s preoccupation with New Mexico and includes, among other items, New Mexico State Fair Ribbon Potato Chips (the restaurant’s owner is a native Californian, and we’ve yet to ferret out the source of his NM-devotion). The restaurant’s interior, its website says, “is inspired by the legendary folklore and arts of native New Mexico. Long considered very special geographical energy vortex on planet earth. Its rich heritage captured the hearts and imaginations of artists, visionaries and free thinkers drawn to its culture, inspiring desert landscapes and breathtaking sunsets for centuries.”
One of those artists, Georgia O’Keeffe, is the inspiration behind a new interior design collection touted by the Business of Home. Specifically, “Surface,” a new collection from Mokum, “takes inspiration from the expansive desert landscape and solitary and profoundly artistic life of Georgia O’Keeffe, at her iconic Ghost Ranch home.” For instance, in the words of Mokum’s description, “The textural, soft edges of the adobe brick, natural materials, found objects and sparse, considered furnishings created an inherently modern, minimalist aesthetic which transcends momentary trends and continues to inspire contemporary interiors.” The series’ “hero upholstery pattern,” by the way, is named Santa Fe and it “takes inspiration from the plateaus and tableaus of the majestic desert, illustrating these geographical forms, via tactile yarns and raw natural fibres.”
Show some love
Chances are between the cold and the COVID, you could use some positive affirmation. Such is also the case for Santa Fe’s business, arts and community organizations. Enter SFR’s Best of Santa Fe 2022 nomination process, in which Santa Feans put forth names for their favorite places to eat, shop and play. Nominations began last week and are open through March 15. You’ll be asked to register with your email address and from there the process is painless—even fun! You can share one of your favorites in each category (or skip some if you like), but you don’t have to finish it all at once. You can add a nomination in any skipped categories by logging in again before the deadline. The top six nominees in each category go on the final ballot in May. You’ll find 11 sections and 166 categories ranging from best band to best budtender (no, that’s not a typo) to best electrician to best breakfast, well, you get the idea. Start nominating here (you can review last year’s winners here).
Cold hands, warm heart
The National Weather Service says today should be sunny with a high near 35 degrees and wind chill values as low as -2. North wind 5 to 10 mph. On the bright side, the week will warm up (relatively speaking) after today, with temps in the higher 30s and up to the mid 40s.
Thanks for reading! The Word found Emergence Magazine’s multimedia feature on the migration of trees enthralling.
