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Morning Word
COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials yesterday reported 155 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 207,002. The health department has designated 195,881 of those cases as recovered.
Doña Ana County had 25 cases, followed by Bernalillo County with 23 and both Eddy and McKinley counties with 11. Santa Fe County had nine new cases.
The state also announced 10 additional deaths—nine of them recent—from eight counties, among people ranging in age from their 30s to their 80s. As of yesterday, 86 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. In a recent COVID-19 news conference, Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase said in New Mexico more than 96% of current cases, nearly 95% of hospitalizations and approximately 98% of deaths are among those who have not been vaccinated for COVID-19.
Currently, 71.8% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 63.8% in that age group are vaccinated. Among those 12-17 years old, 44% have had at least one dose and 35.2% are fully vaccinated. In Santa Fe County, 82% are partially vaccinated and 73.3% are fully vaccinated. You can register for a vaccine here and view available vaccine events by area here.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
County weeds out cannabis restriction
Santa Fe County staff yesterday squashed a proposal that would have required cannabis growers to keep their plants inside, following negative feedback from both the public and commissioners (Feedback example: “This has to be one of the most insane proposals ever in Santa Fe County”). Growth Management Department Director Penny Ellis-Green, who had recommended plants now legal under state law be limited to indoor cultivation because of concerns about odor, reversed course at yesterday’s Planning Commission meeting, noting a county ordinance already prohibits “[a]ll disagreeable or obnoxious odors or stenches.” Instead, the Planning Commission voted overwhelmingly to remove the section of proposed ordinance amendments that addresses personal growing. Now, most of the county’s proposed rules address cannabis production businesses and would, among other provisions: limit hours of operation to the same as alcohol sales as regulated by the state; treat production facilities with the same rules as dairy farms; and treat consumption areas with the same rules as alcohol sales with respect to hours of operation. A public hearing will next be scheduled before the County Commission.
Questions, discrepancies remain in recent police shootings
While State Police have still not named the Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot 45-year-old Edward Daniel Santana on July 7 in Tesuque, SFR has learned it was Deputy Patrick Ficke, who has a complicated history that includes resigning from another department amid domestic violence allegations in 2013 along with saving a small child during a traffic stop last month. Multiple sources familiar with last week’s incident identified Ficke as the shooter, while State Police, who are investigating several recent police shootings by local agencies, would not answer questions. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office also refused to confirm Ficke killed Santana nor answer any questions about his employment. Ficke could not be reached for comment. Santana’s family has raised questions about the circumstances of the shooting.
New Mexico state police yesterday, however, did release the names of the three Santa Fe County deputies who fired shots that ultimately killed Nathan Roybal, 32, of Santa Fe, but questions remain about that shooting as well. The officers named were Corporal Chris Zook, along with deputies Jacob Martinez and Leonardo Guzman, the latter of whom fatally shot another man during his previous stint as a Santa Fe Police officer. That case raised questions about potential violations of SFPD policy, though it is unclear whether Guzman was disciplined because the department refuses to release information about its internal punishment system, and a panel of DAs ultimately cleared Guzman. In the most recent case, state police say in a news release the shooting followed a series of events that included vehicular pursuit. Once Roybal pulled over: “The deputies saw Roybal point and discharge a handgun towards them from outside the driver’s side window. At this time, all three deputies discharged their duty weapons towards Roybal. Roybal got out of the vehicle armed with the handgun. Roybal brandished the handgun towards deputies, who again fired at Roybal.” However, video of the shooting contradicts the official version as it appears to show Roybal dropping the gun when he exits the vehicle and starts to flee. According to State Police, he died at the scene.
Downwinders push for compensation
The Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium will host several events this weekend marking today’s 76th anniversary of the first atomic bomb test at the Trinity site; these include a candlelight vigil and town hall tomorrow to discuss progress and amendments to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Axios delves into the legacy of health problems the bomb created for generations of residents, noting that “descendants of those families use the July 16 anniversary to pressure lawmakers to compensate those who have suffered rare forms of cancer ever since the explosion.” RECA is set to expire next year and excluded numerous impacted people, such as Tularosa residents and the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders, tells Axios her organization expects the US Senate to consider a bill this year that would extend the law and include southern New Mexico residents, in addition to Navajo uranium miners, among others. US Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-NM, is pushing the extension and expansion, and has said previously the US government should also issue an apology.
Listen up
New Mexico receives some of its water from the Colorado River, as do approximately 40 million people in the West. The severe drought has caused a 20% drop in the river’s flows, leading to drying reservoirs, with Lake Mead at its lowest levels since it was filled in the 1930s. An article in Science magazine urges scientists to plan for even greater declines in the river, and co-author John Fleck, director of the Water Resources Program at the University of New Mexico, says there are important lessons to be learned about the future from the past. Fleck, who wrote the story with Brad Udall, senior water and climate research scientist in the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University, talks with KUNM about the history governing today’s science of water management.
State awards Santa Fe arts orgs $
Approximately 60 Santa Fe arts organizations were among the more than 180 receiving a total of $1 million and change from the state Department of Cultural Affairs’ New Mexico Arts division. The state announced the recipients yesterday, who will be funded by the state general fund with federal matching funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. “With these Fiscal Year 2022 grant awards, our CARES and FY21 grant funding awards, and our upcoming American Relief Plan funds announcement, New Mexico Arts will have directed more than $3.3 million state and federal funding into the hard-hit nonprofit arts and culture sector of New Mexico,” Michelle Laflamme-Childs, executive director of New Mexico Arts, said in a statement. “These funds help save jobs and keep the doors open to arts and culture organizations who add tremendous value to our economy and the creative life and livability of our communities.” Santa Fe recipients include: Alas de Agua Art Collective, which received $5,230 to produce six community arts events and four art or writing workshops centering the experiences of the Southside community of Santa Fe; Littleglobe, with an award of $6,758 for its 2021 ¡Presente! project developing stories about home, belonging and displacement; and SITE Santa Fe with $6,614 to support 2021-2022 contemporary art exhibitions and corresponding education and public programs. Read the complete list here.
The ice cream wars
Careful readers of this newsletter may have observed a slight preoccupation with ice cream of late. We’re just following the news. Last week, we bemoaned the Chicago Tribune’s roundup of the most popular ice-cream treats in every state, convinced widespread voter fraud had led to the conclusion that New Mexicans “are all about the Firecracker.” With Travel & Leisure’s new list, based on a new study from Instacart, all is once again right in the universe. On this clearly superior list, New Mexico’s favorite flavor is chocolate, chocolate chip, and it’s the only state that chose that particular flavor, whereas some states shared the same picks (Moose Tracks seems very popular). As long as we’re talking about ice cream again, SFR has frequently recommended Santa Fe’s Oasis Ice Cream shop (418 Cerrillos Road or 4641 Airport Road), and New Mexico Magazine’s July profile and photos do Oasis’ cold treats justice. Perhaps next year, New Mexico’s favorite ice cream will be the churro-topped milkshake.
Stormy weather
Expect more widespread haze today, according to the National Weather Service, along with a high temperature of 87 degrees, a 40% chance for rain via scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon and increasing clouds (Plus: wind… always wind—a north wind 5 to 15 mph becoming south in the afternoon). As for the weekend, same high temp on Saturday, but the chances for rain tick up to 60%, whereas Sunday’s high should be in the lower 80s with a 70% chance for rain.
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