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COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico’s health department has not reported COVID-19 cases since July 2. Presumably, it will provide a four-day update later this afternoon.Until then, here are some stats for Santa Fe County:Total cases: 10,632Breakdown by gender: Females: 52.19%; Male: 47.81%Largest age group: 20-29 with 1,979 casesSmallest age group: 90 and older with 105 casesTotal Deaths: 151Total Recovered: 10,302Total Tests: 241,023Cases at correctional facilities: 219
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here. If you’ve had experiences with COVID-19, we would like to hear from you.
Lawsuit alleges Fenn kept his own treasure
When SFR interviewed author and journalist Daniel Barbarisi in May about his book, Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death, and Glory in America’s Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt, Barbarisi said he didn’t think the Forrest Fenn saga was over yet. He wasn’t wrong. A new lawsuit filed recently against the Fenn estate in US District Court by French treasure hunter Bruno Raphoz alleges Fenn, who died last September at the age of 90, moved the treasure after Raphoz identified its location. “Our assumption is that [Fenn] went to retrieve the chest himself, declared it found publicly and kept the content for himself,” the lawsuit alleges, adding that Raphoz believed the treasure had been hidden in the southwest quadrant of Colorado rather than Wyoming, where it was reportedly found. The lawsuit also names Fenn’s grandson Shiloh as a defendant, along with Jack Stuef, the Michigan medical student who found the treasure, and Barbarisi himself, who chronicled the hunt and interviewed Stuef. Raphoz seeks the treasure itself and the “total rights to the proceedings in all subsequent commercial endeavors” or $10 million.
Realtor association: Housing demand likely to continue
ICYMI, the Santa Fe County median house price increased to $650,000 in the first quarter of 2021, according to stats released at the end of last week by the Santa Fe Association of Realtors. That represents a 13.5% increase from 2020. During the same period, median home prices within the Santa Fe city limits grew by 9.5% from $391,000 in the first quarter of 2020 to $428,000 this quarter. Inventory also decreased: SAR says the number of single family homes for sale in the city and county decreased by approximately 62% in the first quarter of 2020 to this quarter, and the days on market also dipped to 59 days for single family homes and 37 days for condos and townhomes. “With strong buyer demand and historically low inventory, multiple offers have become a common occurrence during the 1st quarter as the weather warmed and COVID-19 restrictions began to ease,” 2021 SAR President Roger Carson said in a statement. “Land sales picked up along with prices while condominium/townhome pricing remained stable and a more affordable option.” The association’s quarterly indicators report notes that the first quarter provides a likely indicator for how the rest of the year will unfold, and says strong buyer demand is likely to continue “even in the face of falling housing affordability. Existing home seller and new construction activity remains well below levels necessary for housing supply to come into balance with demand, so expect the soaring housing market to continue unabated in the coming months.”
City maintenance
The City of Santa Fe highlights its work on the 575 medians throughout the city, with a new video that details the labor and decision-making behind maintaining them. “It’s definitely one of our more challenging parks jobs,” Acting Parks Division Director Melissa McDonald says. “We have to do all of this work early in the morning before traffic gets out.” Nathan Saiz, superintendent for the department, notes that workers cover 118 miles of roadside—the equivalent of “walking a trip to Albuquerque and back.” If you’re wondering where the median maintenance crew will be next, the department’s schedule is public. “We’re doing a very important job,” McDonald says. “We do this for safety. We also do this for beauty.” Constituents also can report weeds and other roadside issues directly to the city, and track the status of complaints. According to the city, it has placed close to 800 work orders in the last 45 days based on citizen request/complaints, with issues related to trash and recycling pickup; illegal dumping; and potholes among the most common (the city says it filled more than 3,000 potholes between March 2020 and March 2021).
Listen up
The second part of the No More Normal podcast’s exploration of post-pandemic grief and transformation examines ways to process the events of the pandemic and its effects on families, friends, communities and ourselves. Guests include: Megan Devine, author of It’s OK That You’re Not OK; Dr. Froma Walsh, co-director and co-founder of the Chicago Center for Family Health; Children’s Grief Center Executive Director Jade Richardson Bock; Noah Cochran, a clinical social worker with the Covid Grief Network; Kristin Urquiza, co-founder, co-executive director and chief activist with Marked By Covid; and Nancy Mance, trauma consultant and grief counselor with the Office of The Medical Investigator. No More Normal is a collaboration between SFR, KUNM and New Mexico PBS.
Outdoor’s cooling gear
While consumerism isn’t our main jam, if we were going to take advice on gear from anyone, the folks at Outside magazine seem like a safe bet, particularly given that many of them provide advice on the best outdoor stuff to use in our own backyard. Such is the case for Outside’s June picks for staying cool in unprecedented heat (yes, it’s now July, but still plenty toasty). Associate Editor Abigail Barronian describes Santa Fe’s heat in June as “heinously hot” (preach) and “party time” as pandemic restrictions lifted. You see where this is going? Hydration is key, via a 40 oz Wide Mouth Hydro Flask and even bigger half-gallon Hydrojug in Barronian’s case. Meanwhile, contributing writer Jakob Schiller says the “New Mexico sun will burn my face red if I don’t run with a hat” (us too...minus the running part). He endorses a Ciele cap built with wicking recycled fabric on the sides and back and breathable mesh up top. Among its other features, the cap’s big, curved brim stretches far enough out to cover [his] extra-large nose and “reflective hits on the front and back help keep me safe during night runs, and it’s machine-washable so I can keep it smelling relatively fresh.”
Summer eating
For our money, a grilled Caesar salad and home-made ice cream sounds as though it’s just the thing as we head into the heart of summer. New Mexico Magazine has the recipe for the first, with a Southwestern flair and cumin croutons, courtesy of Chef Johnny Vee (aka John Vollertsen), along with tips and some history on the art of grilling. In addition, Vee put out a call on social media to learn what sorts of foods folks grill and the list runs the gamut—from pizza to grapefruit and everything in between. “I clearly need to up my grilling game!” Vee writes. In addition to the grilled Caesar, Vee also includes a recipe for New Mexico beer can chicken and grilled pears with syrup and mascarpone. Once you’ve polished off the Caesar, Edible New Mexico has a game plan for tomatillo and melon sorbet. Yes, you’ll need an ice-cream maker or you can use the same general ingredients to make a granita. Edible also includes instructions for what’s known as an “egg test” to ensure your sorbet is sufficiently sweet and creamy. So what time is dinner?
Let it rain
Santa Fe appears likely—80% likely—to experience showers and thunderstorms today, according to the National Weather Service, mainly after noon, with some of the storms producing heavy rain. The high temperature today will be near 82 degrees with northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. We may see some more rain this evening, as well.
Thanks for reading! The Word found many of this month’s stats from the Harper’s Index surprising, particularly that one-third of Americans think life is fair and that UFO sightings have only increased by 16% in the last year.
