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Griffin faces campaign reporting charges as he heads to court
Otero County Commissioner and Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin’s trial for his participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol starts today. Griffin is scheduled to appear before US District Judge Trevor McFadden this morning for a bench trial—in which only McFadden and not a jury will hear and decide the case—on two misdemeanor criminal charges he knowingly entered a restricted area during the insurrection and for disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted area. Griffin, the second person to appear in court following the events of Jan. 6, filed a response to the government’s motions on Friday, which seems to center on the whereabouts of former Vice President Mike Pence during the riot, Politico writes. A Friday order from McFadden, Politico also notes, will allow Griffin’s defense to question Secret Service agents about Pence’s location, a question that could be crucial for both Griffin’s case and hundreds of others charged in a similar manner (although prosecutors say Secret Service agents are not going to answer those questions). Griffin, who says he won’t run for re-election in 2022, has reportedly announced plans to show up for his trial on horseback.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Hector Balderas on Friday announced unrelated charges against Griffin for one count of violating the Campaign Reporting Act. Griffin has continued to defy Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s order that he register Cowboys for Trump as a political action committee, and challenged the order in federal court. Last month, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the challenge, but Griffin has still not registered the organization. “We live in a nation that ensures that no elected official is above the law,” Balderas said in a statement. “Citizens have the right to expect reporting and disclosure transparency from all elected officials.” Griffin tells the Associated Press he intends to bring another challenge, this time aided by Trump attorney Sidney Powell. “I feel very strongly that we’re gonna get through this and when we do it’s going to be a big win,” he told the AP.
Gov, lawmakers announce special session
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state lawmakers on Friday previewed a special legislative session starting April 5 focused on economic relief measures and a reassesment of a revised spending bill following the governor’s veto earlier this month of Senate Bill 48, aka the “junior bill.” According to a news release from the governor’s office, Lujan Grisham and lawmakers “worked in partnership to agree on parameters for a revised bill, including ensuring that projects are appropriately budgeted as recurring or non-recurring funding,” one of the concerns cited in her veto. As for the economic measures: “As prices remain high nationwide, it is clear that we must act swiftly to deliver more relief to New Mexicans,” the governor said in a statement. “Across the state, families are facing hard choices: can they afford to take their kids to school, to drive to work, to buy baby formula. It is our responsibility to do what we can to ease that burden. In this time of global and economic instability, we are taking action as one state government to protect New Mexicans’ paychecks and deliver additional relief and financial security.” Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, described the special session in a statement as a “win-win” proposition, saying: “We will provide much-needed relief from high fuel costs and fund [$50 million] in projects that will benefit communities across the state.”
Meow Wolf union announces deal
Members of the Meow Wolf Workers Collective announced on Friday it has a tentative contract agreement with management. Negotiations between the company and the union—which formed in October 2020—have been underway for approximately 16 months. “It’s a good day today,” Milagro Padilla, a staff member with Communication Workers of America, of which the Meow Wolf union is a local affiliate, tells SFR. “The top lines are that there are a lot of really big wins for the workers.” As detailed by the union on Twitter, some of the highlights of the contract—which still needs to be ratified—include: overtime for salaried workers; doubled parental leave; lactation breaks on paid time; 401(k) matching up to 3%; all current artists at Meow Wolf now earn more than $60K, and no artist will ever be hired for less than $60K; layoff protections; job posting and salary transparency; yearly employee performance evaluations with rules and protections. The negotiating points follow a series of high-profile worker-related events over the last two years, including layoffs at the start of the pandemic; litigation from former employees; and outcry last year over anti-union language in a job posting. “Our members fought hard for this, and it shows,” the union said on Twitter regarding its drafted contract. “When we fight, we win.”
COVID-19 by the numbers
New cases: 156; 516,171 total cases
According to the state health department’s weekly report on geographic pandemic trends across the state, Santa Fe County has an average case rate per 100,000 population of 17.4 for the seven-day period ending March 13.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new “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 of New Mexico’s counties currently have “green”—aka low—levels, except for Cibola County, which is yellow for “medium” levels. That assessment updates on Thursdays.
Breakthrough cases: According to the weekly vaccine report, between Feb. 14-March 14, 42.2% of COVID-19 cases were among people who had not completed a primary vaccination series; 27.1% were among those who had completed the series but had not received a booster; and 30.7% were among those who were fully vaccinated and boosted. For hospitalizations, those figures change to 61.6%, 17.4% and 21.1%. The percentages shift to 66.6%, 20% and 13.6% for fatalities.
Deaths: 17; Santa Fe County has had 259 deaths thus far; there have been 7,145 fatalities statewide. Hospitalizations: 113; Patients on ventilators: 16
Vaccinations: 91.9% percent of adults 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 78.3% have completed their primary series; 45.2% 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 61.5% have completed their primary series; Children ages 5-11: 39% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 30.6% 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
On the most recent episode of KUNM’s University Showcase, host Megan Kamerick talks with University of New Mexico Assistant Professor Dr. Matthew Wilks, medical director at the Sandoval Regional Medical Center in Rio Rancho, and a member of international disease relief organization Team Rubicon. Wilks spoke with KUNM from Ukraine, where he is volunteering and helping to set up aid stations.
Stop and smell the lavender
Apparently today is National Fragrance Day, an ill-conceived holiday about which we learned from Thrillist magazine, which marked it with a story celebrating the lavender aroma one will find at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm in Albuquerque. Among its various lavender-related amenities, Los Poblanos’ accommodations include field rooms, where one can at least view the lavender farm, if not smell it. According to the story, Los Poblanos grows Grosso lavender, a French hybrid that yields the highest percentage of essential oil, which it uses to make myriad products for sale in its farm shop. Guests can also volunteer to help with the lavender harvest June through August, although it doesn’t sound quite like our idea of a vacation. “You’re gonna be out there all day so you need to dress accordingly with comfortable shoes, maybe pants and a long-sleeve shirt,” Los Poblanos Horticulture Director Wes Brittenham says. “We tell people, just imagine you’re going hiking for a day. Pack a hat for the sun, and a bottle of water to drink.” Plus: “We have lots and lots of beehives, and when the lavender’s blooming it’s full of bees. So if you’re allergic to or afraid of bees, maybe helping us harvest is not a great idea.” Either way, one can imbibe a lavender reward at the inn’s restaurant Campo, such as a lavender latte, margarita or lavender grapefruit spritz.
Behind the scenes with GRRM
George RR Martin talks with the UK Independent about the May Santa Fe Literary Festival, in which Martin will be participating, telling the paper: “I’ve attended many literary festivals and each one is different and has its own personality. It would be great to see the Santa Fe Festival become part of the traditions of the town and eventually grow into something as big as Edinburgh or SXSW in Austin, Texas. I love Santa Fe and I love books. Seems like the perfect marriage…” The story also covers Martin’s purchase of the Jean Cocteau Theater in 2013; his work with Meow Wolf as its “chief world builder;” and his latest venture as co-owner of Sky Railway. Lastly, Martin and his wife Parris McBride also provide support for Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, an animal sanctuary in Ramah, with Martin helping the sanctuary create fundraising videos. While the Independent story delves into Martin’s life apart from his Game of Thrones’ empire, Martin himself wrote recently on his blog about the forthcoming book, The Rise of the Dragon (Oct. 25), which he describes as a “deluxe reference book” and “a lavish visual history of House Targaryen—the iconic family at the heart of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.” The book includes 180 illustrations in which Westeros’ “most infamous family—and their dragons—come to life in partnership with some truly incredible artists.”
Spring showers
Our first Monday in spring begins with scattered rain showers between 9am and noon followed by rain and snow showers. The National Weather Service forecasts an 80% chance of precipitation and a high temperature near 48 degrees with north wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. More scattered rain showers tonight before 9 pm morphing into a slight chance of snow showers between 9 pm and 3 am. As of now, we could also see some precipitation in the form of rain and snow tomorrow.
Thanks for reading! The Word enjoyed this 60-second documentary about a snow artist.
