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Morning Word
NM paintings stolen en route to Santa Fe
The Boulder, Colorado police department is asking for the public’s help in tracking down the culprits who stole paintings worth more than $400,000 off an art moving truck last month. Three of them were painted by members of the Taos Society of Artists and sold recently during the Bonhams auction of the collection of G. Andrew Bjurman, a collector of Southwestern art. Those paintings were: “View of the Taos Pueblo” by Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), which sold for approximately $38,000; “Taos Pueblo at Night” by Eanger Irving Couse (1866-1936), which sold for nearly $71,000 (and was owned by Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe at one point in its history); and “Laguna Pueblo” by Ernest Martin Hennings (1886-1956), which sold for about $20,000. The other stolen paintings were Elaine de Kooning’s “Untitled (Madrid Series #3)” and Jane Freilicher’s “Burnett’s Barn.” According to Channel 9 news in Colorado, employees of the company transporting the art, who had come from Los Angeles, found the five paintings stolen after they spent the night in a hotel in Boulder and someone cut the padlock on their truck. Boulder Police Public Information Officer Dionne Waugh tells SFR the three Taos Society of Artists paintings were headed to new owners in Santa Fe—private owners and a gallery—none of whom wish to be identified. The other two were headed to Colorado owners. “We do know the people who bought them would really like to have their art,” Waugh said. “That’s what most important to them.” The FBI is assisting in the investigation. Anyone with any information about the crime is asked to call Detective R. Montano-Banda at (303) 441-1906 and reference case 22-12364.
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Lawmaker wants spring burns banned
With the repercussions of last year’s Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire continuing to unfold, at least one state lawmaker wants to ban the US Forest Service from conducting controlled burns in the spring. A proposed law from state Sen. Ron Griggs, R-Alamogordo, would prohibit so-called “prescribed burns” (variations of which led to both the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon fires) from being conducted by individuals, local, state, federal or tribal governments between March 1 and May 31. It remains to be seen whether such a law would be legal. State legislators have begun pre-filing bills for the session beginning Jan. 17. In the state Senate, that includes a proposal from state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, D-Albuquerque, to amend the state Constitution to provide for environmental rights, aka the so-called Green Amendment; and a joint bill from state Sens. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, and Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, to amend the Campaign Reporting Act to add disclosure for payment of electronic communications, among other items. In the House, state Reps. Christine Chandler and Joy Garratt, Democrats from Los Alamos and Albuquerque, respectively, have pre-filed a bill proposing to improve public school ventilation systems. Both Chandler and State Rep. Miguel Garcia, D-Albuquerque, have pre-filed bills to raise and automatically adjust the state’s minimum wage based on the consumer price index published by the US Department of Labor. Read the proposed bills in the Senate so far here and those from the House here (click “go” to view the House bills).
Gov hires new chief of staff
As her second term begins, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has hired a new chief of staff: Daniel Schlegel will replace Interim Chief of Staff Courtney Kerster, who returns to her role as senior advisor to the governor and director of federal affairs. “Dan has been a trusted and integral member of my team throughout my tenure as governor,” the governor said in a statement, citing Schlegel’s role on the Economic Recovery Council during the “worst” of the COVID-19 pandemic as “instrumental in our state’s economic rebound and continued growth. His strong relationships with legislators, business leaders and community members across the state has been critical to the successful delivery of key legislative and policy initiatives, and I am greatly looking forward to his service as chief of staff.” Schlegel will make $185,000 a year in his new position, the Albuquerque Journal reports; he previously served as the governor’s director of strategic initiatives and worked for Lujan Grisham in her Washington, DC office during her time in Congress. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine, and a master’s degree from Portland State University. “We forged a strong team during the governor’s first term, and I am privileged to lead this office to build upon our work in service of New Mexicans,” Schlegel said in a statement. “I am committed to delivering on the governor’s bold vision in the upcoming session and throughout the next four years, as well as deepening our relationships with the Legislature.”
COVID-19 by the numbers
Reported Jan. 5: New cases: 278; 660,424 total cases. Deaths: 11; Santa Fe County has had 378 total deaths; 8,842 total fatalities statewide. Statewide hospitalizations: 103. Patients on ventilators: five
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent Jan. 5 “community levels” map shows just one county categorized as “yellow”—medium risk—for COVID-19: San Juan County. The rest of the state—including Santa Fe County—is green, aka has low risk. Corresponding recommendations for each level can be found here.
Resources: Receive four free at-home COVID-19 tests per household via COVIDTests.gov; Check availability for additional free COVID-19 tests through Project ACT; CDC interactive booster eligibility tool; NM DOH vaccine & booster registration; CDC isolation and exposure interactive tool; COVID-19 treatment info; NMDOH immunocompromised tool kit. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453. DOH encourages residents to download the NM Notify app and to report positive COVID-19 home tests on the app.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
Listen up
You don’t need to be professional lobbyist to have sway at the state Legislature. In advance of the 60-day session starting Jan. 17, the League of Women Voters of New Mexico presents a free online program from 10 am to noon tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 7, with tips about how to interact with legislators; speak at hearings; and advocate for your cause. Speakers include: state Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque; state Rep. Kristina Ortez, D-Taos; and lobbyist Linda Siegle. Register here.
Graying LGBTQ adults look for safe spaces
The Wall Street Journal includes a New Mexico-based business in its roundup of LGBTQ retirement communities, with the story noting that there are approximately 3 million LGBTQ adults over age 50 currently in the US, a number that could grow to 7 million by 2030. “The generation that grew up in an era before laws protected LGBT rights is now grappling with fears of discrimination amid a search for senior housing,” the story says. AARP senior research adviser Cassandra Cantave tells WSJ AARP’s research shows “82% of LGBT older adults do not feel like they have the social supports they need as they get older, and 52% are socially isolated, reporting that they lack companionship, feel left out or feel isolated from others.” As such, a welcoming community is key. Bonnie McGowan, founder of Birds of a Feather LGBTQ Community in Pecos tells the Journal she used her own money to buy the land in the 1990s and opened her 140-acre gated community in 2004. “There was no bank or private investor that wanted to invest in the concept of a gay-friendly community because there was no experience or history of them being a success,” she tells WSJ. “Nobody was willing to take that risk.” These days, she receives two to six inquires daily. “There aren’t enough of these places around the country where gays can feel supported,” she says. This isn’t the first time New Mexico has featured in a national look at LGBTQ senior facilities: The New York Times included Santa Fe’s former LGBTQ retirement community, RainbowVision, in a 2011 story about gay retirement homes’ struggles during the recession; RainbowVision went bankrupt that year.
SF Shelter launches “name your own price” event
Starting the new year over capacity isn’t ideal, Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society Public Relations Officer Murad Kirdar says. In an attempt to alleviate crowded conditions, the shelter is offering “name your own price” adoptions throughout January. The “name your own price” promotion includes spay or neuter; microchip; and age-appropriate vaccinations. The promotion does not include shelter heroes. “We are putting out an urgent call to find homes for over a hundred dogs and to encourage adoptions,” Kirdar said in a statement, adding that for those who are not ready to adopt, fostering provides animals a chance to decompress from the shelter and have the experience of living in a home rather than a loud kennel. “Many animals that come to the shelter are not used to the noise, strange smells, and small kennels, and they don’t do well here,” he said. “It’s a scary environment for them. A home environment provides the animal a place to relax and unwind.” To view animals available for adoption or learn more about fostering, visit the shelter’s website.
Fair weather, friends
The National Weather Service forecasts today will be mostly cloudy, and then gradually become sunny with a high temperature near 40 degrees. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph increases to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon, with winds that could gust as high as 30 mph. The weekend will be mostly sunny with high temps in the low 40s.
Thanks for reading! The Word is working her way through reading the National Restaurant Association’s 2023 culinary forecast. She’s open to trying pickle pizza while it’s still trendy, less interested in fruit-flavored coffee and will happily sip a ghost-pepper cocktail as soon as Dry January ends. If you’d like a shorter take-away, Food & Wine magazine has the highlights.
