artdirector@sfreporter.com
Morning Word
City posts, submits Midtown development plans
The City of Santa Fe moved closer yesterday to a Nov. 9 City Council vote on plans for the Midtown campus by submitting applications related to the land development plan for the site to the Planning and Land Use Department. According to a news release, two “interdependent documents,” one for land development and one for community development, establish the master plan and public policy objectives, respectively. “Midtown is moving forward!” Mayor Alan Webber said in a statement. “We’re seeing important progress with both the zone change and the master plan. Community voices continue to play a key role in defining what will happen on the site and we’re hearing from interested developers who recognize Midtown as the new center of Santa Fe. I’m excited to see all of the work of preparation with the community and planners now turn into action.” The plans, the news release notes, “represent the culmination of several years of planning with the public, city staff, consultants, developers, and elected officials” and are “based on objectives expressed by residents of Santa Fe for a multi-use civic district that’s environmentally sustainable, socially equitable, affordable, economically robust, and continually responsive to public wishes for its evolution.”
Convicted teen appeals murder conviction
Attorneys for Estevan Montoya, found guilty last May for first-degree murder in the shooting death of local basketball star Fedonta “JB” White in August of 2020, yesterday filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court. In addition to being found guilty of first-degree felony murder, a Santa Fe County jury found Montoya guilty of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; possession of a handgun by a person less than 19 years old, a full misdemeanor offense; and negligent use of a firearm, a petty misdemeanor. Montoya, who was 16 when he shot and killed White at a high school party, was sentenced in June to a term of two life sentences plus 54 years consecutively. The appeal is based on “irregularities in the trial” and alleges “cumulative error throughout the trial and specific error for the court’s failure” to grant Montoya “a change of venue” and “for refusing an instruction of self-defense when there were facts to support a finding of self-defense.” Moreover, it alleges the court erred by not allowing consideration of requested lesser offenses of voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. Other issues cited for the basis of the appeal include allegations the court erred by not allowing the defendant’s expert to testify regarding the trajectory of the bullet; limiting the testimony to the position of the victim; and by not allowing the introduction of items taken from the victim’s wallet, including the receipt for a .22-caliber pistol.
Post-fire, Las Vegas faces water shortage
In the aftermath of the devastating Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, the Associated Press reports the City of Las Vegas has less than 30 days’ worth of drinking water left. “It is disheartening to our families and our children to not know that they may not have water in a month from now,” City Manager Leo Maestas says. The city has implemented Stage 6 water restrictions, which ban all outdoor watering, new water accounts and refilling swimming pools, among other prohibitions. In July, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency for Las Vegas due to burn scar flooding threatening the area’s drinking water supply, and made $2.25 million available to take measures to protect the water supply. That declaration followed Las Vegas’ disaster declaration, also in July. Earlier this month, the state environment department said Las Vegas’ water remained safe to drink and that it continues, with the city, “to closely monitor the impacts of the Calf Canyon and Hermits Peak Fire post fire runoff and monitor potential effects on the city’s drinking water supply.” The city expects a temporary treatment system will be installed next week that will supplement supplies with water treated from a nearby lake—a solution Las Vegas Mayor Louie Trujillo describes as temporary. The city’s usual source of water, the Gallinas River, “has been choked by ash and debris,” since the fire, the AP story says. Trujillo is holding public forums this week on the city’s water crisis.
State awards final VW settlement funds
Yesterday, the state environment department announced $7.3 million from the Volkswagen Settlement fund for seven projects across the state, the third and final round of federal settlement funding for diesel emission reduction projects. In Santa Fe County, the awards include approximately $953,000 for the Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency to replace two haul trucks and one roll-off truck and about $1.1 million to the Santa Fe Public Schools for three electric school buses. In total, the recipients will purchase 29 new electric transit buses; electric and alternate-fueled school buses and shuttle buses; and alternate-fueled and clean diesel solid waste and public works vehicles. According to a news release, the applications were evaluated on criteria that included emissions reduction; environmental justice and impacted population; as well as cost effectiveness. “These cleaner industrial vehicles will eliminate more than 15 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions that contribute to ozone pollution while improving air quality in the communities in which they operate,” Environment Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said in a statement. The Santa Fe Police Department also is in the process of preparing 15 new hybrid vehicles for duty.
COVID-19 by the numbers
New cases: 1,327 (includes the weekend); 606,805 total cases
Deaths: 18; Santa Fe County has had 336 total deaths; there have been 8,365 fatalities statewide. Statewide hospitalizations: 110. Patients on ventilators: 11
Case rates: According to the state health department’s most recent report on geographical trends for the seven-day period of Aug. 8-14, Santa Fe County’s case rate continues to decline and was at 26.3, compared with 34 the prior week. The state recorded 4,500 total cases statewide—based on reported cases—over the seven-day period, a nearly 15% decrease from the previous week.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent update for COVID-19 “community levels,” Santa Fe County has green, or low levels. The state map, which updates each Thursday for the prior seven-day period, uses a framework that combines case rates with hospital metrics. Santa Fe is now one of 13 counties with green or low levels and only four—down from 11 last week—have “red” or high levels. The community levels site has accompanying recommendations at the bottom of the page. The CDC also provides a quarantine and isolation calculator.
Resources: Vaccine registration; Booster registration Free at-home rapid antigen tests; Self-report a positive COVID-19 test result to the health department; COVID-19 treatment info: oral treatments Paxlovid (age 12+) and Molnupiravir (age 18+); and monoclonal antibody treatments. Toolkit for immunocompromised individuals. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453. Vaccines for children: Parents of children ages 6 months to 5 years can now schedule appointments for vaccinations at VaccineNM.org.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
Listen up
If cooler temperatures have you lacing up your sneakers for longer runs (or you’re contemplating starting to run), be sure to check out Sandia High School cross-country Coach Seb Romero’s Running New Mexico podcast for inspiration. On the most recent episode, Romero talks with Santa Fe runner, father and CPA Kevin Brennan, whose former High Desert Dirt blog still provides a good resource to runners, bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts.
State announces arts grants
Numerous Santa Fe organizations received funds through the state New Mexico Arts agency as part of $1.1 million in cultural investments announced yesterday. Grants are going to 178 arts and cultural organizations and eight folk arts apprenticeships in 25 counties. In Santa Fe County, more than 50 organizations will receive close to $322,000 total funds for the 2023 fiscal year, including $6,905 for YouthWorks for its community screen-printing program; $6,829 for Wise Fool New Mexico’s youth programs and other series “that deliberately serve the LGBTQ+, disabled, and disadvantaged alike and focus on community building”; and $6,905 for the Santa Fe International Film Festival’s 14th annual program. Other awards include $7,057 to Littleglobe for its ¡Presente! television program; $7,133 to IndigenousWays for Creative Natives In Parks events and school concerts and/or educational workshops; and $7,133 for National Dance Institute New Mexico’s classes and performances.
In wine, there is truth
Best Life rounds up the 10 best cities for wine lovers to visit, including Albuquerque as an unexpected but fertile spot for oenophiles. “New Mexico’s high desert climate and dry, nutrient-rich soil is ideal for producing wine and has led to more than 40 vineyards and wineries statewide, with several in Albuquerque,” Visit Albuquerque Director of Communications and Public Relations Brenna Moore tells BL. Moore’s top picks include Gruet Winery (Santa Fe’s Gruet tasting room also is very pleasant); Sheehan Winery (which offers guided wine and bike tours); and Casa Rondeña Winery, “located among the ancient cottonwoods in Albuquerque’s serene North Valley.” We’ll pipe in and remind wine lovers that Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta is less than a month away (Sept. 21-25), and it placed fourth in USA Today’s 2022 Best Wine Festival rankings.
More filming starts in NM
The state Film Office yesterday announced two more productions will be filming in and around Albuquerque this month. LaRoy, directed by Shane Atkinson, tells the story of a man named Ray “who discovers his wife is cheating on him and decides to kill himself. Before he can pull the trigger, he is mistaken for a low-rent hired killer. Desperate for a little respect, and with nothing else to live for, Ray decides to take the job—and soon begins to question whether he made the right choice.” LaRoy stars John Magaro (The Umbrella Academy) and Steve Zahn (The White Lotus), and will employ approximately 30 New Mexico crew members, 24 New Mexico principal actors, and approximately 70 New Mexico background talent. Poker Face, directed by Rian Johnson, is a mystery-of-the week series that “follows a card dealer with an innate ability to tell if a person is lying. The card dealer is on the run from her dangerous former casino-owner employer.” One episode is filming this month, according to the film office. The series stars Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll, Orange is the New Black) and Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order,) and will employ approximately 300 New Mexico crew members, 20 New Mexico principal actors, and approximately 260 New Mexico background talent.
Autumn showers
Today will be partly sunny with a high near 77 degrees and scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. The National Weather Service forecasts a 40% chance for precipitation today in Santa Fe and a 30% chance tonight. A look ahead at the week shows chances for rain continuing as temperatures rise back into the 80s as the week progresses.
Thanks for reading! The Word would like to see the beluga whales and polar bears Olivier Morin photographed in real life one day.
