artdirector@sfreporter.com
COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials on Thursday, Dec. 23, reported 1,150 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 342,649. DOH has designated 295,977 of those cases as recovered. Bernalillo County had 387 new cases, followed by Doña Ana County with 121 and Santa Fe County with 88. The seven-day statewide test positivity rate was reported last week at 9.4%; the state’s target rate is 7.5%.
The state also announced 44 more deaths, 25 of them recent; there have been 5,745 total fatalities statewide. As of Thursday, 546 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. CNN recently visited the state to report on the over-taxed hospitals, describing health care workers here as “exhausted” and “despondent.” Scotty Silva, a respiratory therapist at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, who has been in the field for nearly 30 years, acknowledged the conditions for staff were akin to that in a war zone, “to the point of it being almost unbearable,” he said, choking back tears.According to the most recent DOH vaccination case report, over the last four weeks, 70.6% of COVID-19 cases have been among those who are not vaccinated, as have 82% of hospitalizations and 87.4% of deaths. DOH is expected to provide a four-day update on cases, hospitalizations and fatalities this afternoon.
Currently, 88.4% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75.6% are fully vaccinated. Among that demographic, 33.3% have had a booster shot. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 66.4% of people have had at least one dose and 56.9% are fully inoculated. Among children ages 5-11, 26.1% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 14.8% are fully vaccinated. In Santa Fe County, 99% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 85.3% are fully vaccinated.
New Mexicans can register for a COVID-19 vaccine here, schedule a COVID-19 vaccine booster here and view a public calendar for vaccine availability here. Parents can add dependents to their vaccine profiles here. You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
With travel rebounding, Santa Fe Airport prepares for expansion
Airlines say the Omicron variant, coupled with winter weather, drove the cancellation of approximately 10,000 flights over the recent Christmas weekend. That was about 8,000 flights between Dec. 24 and 26, with another 2,000 heading into today (not to mention thousands of delays, according to FlightAware). But closer to home, travelers may see more options at the Santa Fe Regional Airport, where officials say they are close to breaking ground on $20 million worth of upgrades and expansions. That will add approximately 9,000 square feet to the airport terminal, including a third departure and arrival gate; and the old terminal building will be remodeled to accommodate an additional airline, rental car company, cafe and snack shop, Airport Director Mark Baca tells the Santa Fe New Mexican. While the airport does not have a groundbreaking date yet, he said, “we will be announcing one and hopefully get the project underway within the next couple of weeks.” The COVID-19 pandemic reduced traffic at the airport—about 280,000 people passed through in 2019—but Baca said the numbers are starting to rebound and he expects in the count of 200,000 or so for this year. Many of the improvements are based on a 2017 master plan for the airport; the City Council approved the construction in October, but problems arose when some councilors raised concerns the Finance Committee hadn’t reviewed the contract.
Chile farmers wait for pay day
New Mexico doesn’t confine its love for red or green to the holiday season. Nonetheless, the fate of increased pay for chile workers remains unsettled, according to a report from Source New Mexico. Approximately $2.2 million in wage subsidies for thousands of workers remains unspent at the Department of Agriculture, journalist Patrick Lohmann reports, as “the casualty of a billion-dollar dispute between Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and some legislators.” Last August, the governor announced the state would commit $5 million from federal American Rescue Plan funds to pilot a wage supplement program, the Chile Labor Incentive Program, for the chile industry amid concerns about a labor shortage that could impact the 2021 production of the state’s signature crop; she extended the program in November, at which point about $2.8 million had already been spent. Then at the start of December, Agriculture Secretary Jeffrey Witte posted a letter on the AG department’s website saying the program had been suspended, per a recent state Supreme Court decision that reified the Legislature’s authority over federal funds. New Mexico Chile Association lobbyist Charlie Marquez says he was told previously the funds would be disbursed and is frustrated they haven’t been. “The state made a commitment to them, and these poor guys, these poor farmers, they bank their life on what they do every year,” Marquez said.
Give of oneself
If “volunteer for public service” appears on your New Year’s resolution list, you’re in luck: Opportunities abound. Close to home, the City of Santa Fe is looking for new planning commissioners in all four districts. Planning commissioners review and approve proposed developments, which will either sound like an awesome responsibility or a circle of hell Dante forgot, depending on your disposition. If the former, apply by Jan. 19 by sending a letter of interest and resume to Jason Kluck, interim Planning and Land Use Department director: jmkluck@santafenm.gov. Terms last two years, with the commission meeting at least the first Thursday of the month and sometimes the third as well. More deets here. For those hoping to make a statewide impact, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has an open call for numerous state boards, including the Board of Body Art Practitioners; the Board of Directors for the National Hispanic Cultural Center; and the Board of Examiners for Architects (and a whole lot more). Find the list and directions on how to apply here.
Listen up
Throughout December, the Augmented Humanity podcast has been exploring the concept of reimagining digital collections. Specifically, hosts Craig Goldsmith and Ellen Dornan speak with Liz Neely, curator of digital experience at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. The museum has several projects intended to “develop new ways of revealing connections between art, archival and historic home collections to facilitate a broader exploration and study” of O’Keeffe. You can read more about Neely in an interview SFR conducted in 2018 when she began in the position.
Be well in NM
When we spotted the headline “Travel as Healing,” we assumed we’d find some reference to New Mexico within the story, and so it was. The New York Times’ trend piece looks at travelers’ shifts to prioritizing wellness over tourist attractions, citing a recent American Express survey in which 76% of participants said they wanted to spend more on travel that improves their well-being. For traveler Ann Chen, 58, a composition instructor, that means a planned trip with a friend in June 2022 at Ojo Santa Fe, planning ahead in part in order to research the area and understand its “culture, attitudes and beliefs.” The trip’s modus operandi, she says, is “to be soothed, to work on being calm, to work on eating good food…This kind of resort is getting us back to more of a normal feeling in our lives, where we’re just not so stressed out by worrying about whether we’re going to live another day.” The wellness travel trend, appears here to stay, experts tell the Times. “This is where we were headed,” Simon Marxer, associate vice president for wellness offerings at Miraval Resorts & Spas says. “The pandemic has brought the future forward in an accelerated way.” (And for those interested in more traditional tourism fare, worry not: AFAR magazine rounds up the eight best “things to do” in Santa Fe this month: museums, shopping, eating etc.)
Read on
End-of-the-year lists can be hard to resist, particularly when they involve books and extra-particularly when they involve New Mexico authors. Enter New Mexico Magazine, which presents “books we loved” by writer Molly Boyle and Managing Editor Kate Nelson. Among them find Michael McGarrity’s Head Wounds, in which Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Detective Clayton Istee—son of retired police chief Kevin Kerney—goes up against an elusive Mexican hitman. Planning a road trip in 2022? Check out Laurence Parent’s Scenic Driving in New Mexico. If you’re looking for more historical, quasi-macabre adventures, Heather L. Moulton’s Graveyards of the Wild West; New Mexico might be the ticket. In addition to featuring local authors, the roundup shows local presses also delivered, as with Jim Kristofic and Edison Eskeets’ Send a Runner; A Navajo Honors the Long Walk from University of New Mexico Press, which recounts Eskeets’ 330-mile run in 2018 to commemorate the Long Walk—over the course of 16 days—from Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, to Santa Fe. The list goes on and we’re guessing we may have plenty of time to read in 2022.
Snow drift
The National Weather Service forecasts today to be mostly cloudy, with a high near 43 degrees and southwest wind 5 to 15 mph. But cross some fingers and toes as we have a 30% chance for scattered snow showers after 11 pm tonight heading into Tuesday (accompanied, naturally, by howling winds).
Thanks for reading! Though saddened by Joan Didion’s death, The Word also felt heartened reading the outpouring of smart remembrances, such as this one from Slate and this one from the Atlantic.
