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Morning Word
DA announces new policies for aggravated fleeing
In the wake of two high-profile cases involving “aggravated fleeing,” First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies yesterday announced a new policy her office will employ for such cases. Defendants charged with aggravated fleeing, she said in a statement, will no longer be able to enter plea agreements with terms of probation, and pre-trial detention motions will be filed on all offenders charged with aggravated fleeing. “In the past few weeks, we have seen an uptick in aggravated fleeing from law enforcement cases, not only in the First Judicial District, but across the state of New Mexico,” she said. “The outcome of this type of crime has proven deadly and endangering to the public at large.” In one case that transpired last week, Nathaniel Bueno-Diaz, 22, lead local law enforcement on a high-speed chase—and drove the wrong way on Interstate 25—after allegedly forcing a woman, who turned out to be his girlfriend, into a vehicle at a local shopping area. District Judge T. Glenn Ellington yesterday ordered Bueno-Diaz held without bond until trial. Last week, First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled Jeannine Jaramillo will face trial for two counts of felony murder and several other felonies after she led police on a wrong-way chase that ended with Santa Fe Police Officer Robert Duran and retired Las Vegas firefighter Frank Lovato dying in a crash. “Aggravated fleeing should be held to a higher standard, equivalent to other violent crimes because of the dangerousness it encompasses towards innocent civilians and first responders alike,” Carmack-Altwies said in yesterday’s statement. “This office policy will provide procedural enforcement to ensure offenders are held behind bars, awaiting trial and after they have been found guilty. I want the public, as well as offenders, to know that this is a serious offense and will not be disregarded here in the First Judicial District.”
DOH: Plenty of medical cannabis
With adult recreational cannabis sales starting April 1, the health department yesterday issued a statement reporting “a stable, long-term supply of medical cannabis” for patients. Steps to ensure sufficient supply include “requiring the industry to reserve 20% of their products for cannabis patients and increasing the amount of medical cannabis patients may buy at one time,” DOH says. “We are proud to help more than 132,000 New Mexicans who use cannabis to alleviate pain and other medical symptoms,” Medical Cannabis Program Director Dr. Dominick Zurlo said in a statement. “As part of our commitment to improving the quality of life for our patients, we continue to work closely with the Cannabis Control Division to ensure an adequate, safe, long term and stable supply of product for all of those enrolled in the Medical Cannabis Program.” DOH says it also has expanded telehealth options for both patients and providers through the online patient portal, which allows people to track their medical cannabis purchases, and recently increased the amount of medical cannabis patients may obtain from 8 ounces to 15 ounces every 90 days. Enrollment in the program does not restrict medical patients from participating in commercial purchases.
Flights of fancy
The City of Santa Fe will host a groundbreaking ceremony at 2 pm today for its expansion project of the terminal and parking lot at the Santa Fe Regional Airport. The city says the first phase of the project is on track for completion in January 2023, while it is still seeking funding for the design of phase two. You can look at the plans here, but some key features for the terminal expansion include: an additional departure and arrival gate; enlarged secure area; more bathrooms; more administration facilities; public art; and baggage claim in a renovated portable building. There will also be a new concessions facility as part of the terminal remodel. As for the parking lot, look for more than 700 spaces for both short-and long-term parking; a cellphone waiting lane; and landscaping, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, among other new features. “This project has been on the runway and now it’s taking off,” Mayor Alan Webber said in a punny statement. “The airport is a significant part of Santa Fe’s future. It represents economic opportunity and support for tourism. This $21.5-million-dollar investment will improve the customer experience—and it’s only the first phase. After this, we’ll go for another $20-million investment.” City Councilor and Airport Advisory Board Chairman Chris Rivera in a statement noted the changes to the parking lots and roads “will improve the flow of traffic,” whereas the terminal additions will “retain the quaintness of the terminal while adding seating capacity” and the additional gate “creates the potential for airlines to add routes.”
COVID-19 by the numbers
New cases: 331 (includes weekend update); 517,521 total cases
Deaths: 13; Santa Fe County has had 261 deaths thus far; there have been 7,219 total fatalities statewide. Hospitalizations: 85; Patients on ventilators: nine
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “community levels” tracking system—which uses case rates along with two hospital metrics in combination to determine the state of the virus on a county level—all 33 New Mexico’s counties currently have “green”—aka low—levels. The CDC updates its map every Thursday.
Breakthrough cases: According to the most recent weekly vaccine report, between Feb. 21-March 21, 50.9% of COVID-19 cases were among people who had not completed a primary vaccination series; 21.5% were among those who had completed the series but had not received a booster; and 27.6% were among those who were fully vaccinated and boosted. For hospitalizations, those figures change to 71.4%, 13.1% and 15.4%. The percentages shift to 74.7%, 16.2% and 9.1% for fatalities.
Vaccinations: 91% percent of adults 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 77.6% have completed their primary series; 45.5% of adults 18 years and older have had a booster shot; 12-17-year-old age group: 71.2% of people have had at least one dose and 61.6% have completed their primary series; Children ages 5-11: 39.3% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 31% have completed their primary; Santa Fe County: 99% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 87.2% have completed their primary series.
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.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
Listen up
Last month, the Legislature confirmed Mike Hamman as the new state engineer. Hamman, who previously served as the state’s water advisor in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office, recently sat down with New Mexico PBS correspondent Laura Paskus on Our Land to discuss the state’s current water challenges, climate change and infrastructure funding, among other topics.
Garden variety
New Mexico landscape designer Judith Phillips offers up gardening advice to Sunset magazine, specifically when raised garden beds are the right choice. Phillips worked on Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm’s grounds renovation project (the magazine also recently featured Los Poblanos). Phillips admits to having “had a negative bias to raised beds,” in part because of their water use, but oversaw 24-foot long raised beds on the Los Poblanos’ property and acknowledges the decision to use or not use them is situational. “It varies with what [the clients] want to grow,” she says. “If they wanted to grow corn or squash, I would put those crops in the ground, because corn’s a heavy feeder. I will suggest to people that if they put in a vegetable garden, especially raised beds, make them east-facing or north facing so that they’re buffered some from the hottest part of the day.” Phillips also walks readers through some of the other factors for raised-bed gardening, provides suggestions for their construction and shares her favorite gardening tool.
Resilient mermaid
While some of us don’t envision boarding a cruise ship anytime soon (or any time at all), were we to have a change of heart (and greater resilience to sea sicknesses), we’d consider boarding Virgin Voyages’ third ship, The Resilient Lady, if only for its artwork. The ship sets sail to Greece this summer and “features a boldly strong and elegantly powerful mermaid at the helm,” the company announced yesterday, painted by Northern New Mexico artist Jodie Herrera. “Our new ship’s Latina mermaid represents the inherent power of women, specifically marginalized women, and the deep importance of confidently taking up space that previously wasn’t accessible,” Virgin’s blog reads. “Featuring a fiery red [tail] and resolute stance inspired by Rosie the Riveter, Herrera was intentional about every little detail—from her fist high in the air to the poised posture of a woman ready to take on the world; firm in her beliefs and unafraid of who or what she may encounter. Carrying Sailors forward, Herrera’s mermaid is an empowering figure rooted in her sense of self worth. A hero of the seas who is courageous, curious and resilient.” (And, yes, Virgin Voyages, like Virgin Galactic, is another Richard Branson joint).
Wet and windy
Santa Fe has an overall 60% chance for precipitation today, according to the National Weather Service, and could even have a thunderstorm after noon. Otherwise, it will be partly sunny with a high near 53 degrees, southwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon, with gusts potentially as high as 30 mph. Slight chance—30%—of showers tonight before 9 pm, and maybe even high winds throughout the night.
Thanks for reading! The Word thinks “dream engineering” sounds a little ominous...and yet intriguing.
