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NM judge bars insurrectionist Griffin from holding office
First Judicial District Judge Francis J Mathew yesterday barred Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, founder of the group Cowboys For Trump, from holding public office for his participation in the June 6 assault at the US Capitol. In a statement, Noah Bookbinder, president of the Washington DC-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, described the decision as “a historic win for accountability for the January 6th insurrection and the efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power in the United States. Protecting American democracy means ensuring those who violate their oaths to the Constitution are held responsible.” CREW and local law firms represented several residents from Santa Fe and Los Alamos counties in the suit against Griffin, filed in the wake of his misdemeanor conviction for trespassing on US Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. Mathew’s decision found Griffin’s various arguments against the suit without merit and ruled Griffin’s participation in the events of Jan. 6 disqualified him from public office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. A CREW news release says the court is the first to invoke Section 3 in this way since 1869; the New York Times says it hasn’t been enforced since 1919. CREW also described Mathew’s decision as the first time any court has characterized the Jan. 6 attack as an “insurrection,” (a Georgia judge ruling in May in favor of Republican US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appears to have at least conceded it could have been one).Thus far, prior challenges to remove or block lawmakers around the country from holding public office for their roles in Jan. 6 have failed. Common Cause New Mexico, which filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs, hailed Mathew’s decision for having far-reaching consequences. “Judge Mathew’s decision is a signal to elected officials everywhere who want to snub their noses at the constitution, foment mob violence and disobey the law,” said Mario Jimenez, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico, in a statement. “Our elected officials—and candidates—must obey the law. They are not above it. That’s the very essence of democracy, and this ruling affirms it.” Griffin, in remarks to CNN, said he was “shocked” by the ruling. “I really did not feel like the state was going to move on me in such a way,” he said, telling CNN he had been ordered to clean out his office. “I don’t know where I go from here.” He told the Albuquerque Journal he intends to appeal.
Ronchetti releases education plan
If elected governor, Republican candidate Mark Ronchetti says he would provide low-income families stipends for first through third grade for academic support outside of the classroom; require schools to spend their COVID-19 funds on “classroom learning interventions” to help those who fell behind during the pandemic; and launch summer academies to help struggling students “get back on grade level over the summer.” These ideas and more are components of Ronchetti’s education plan, which he released yesterday, while taking shots at incumbent Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, saying in a tweet she “has done nothing but set our kids further back.” State Democrats and New Mexico Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, in turn, denounced Ronchetti’s proposals. “We have achieved so much for education under Governor Lujan Grisham, but all of that is now at risk,” said Stewart, a former educator. Whitney Holland, president of American Federation of Teachers New Mexico, in a statement characterized Lujan Grisham as a “consistent partner and advocate for strong public schools. We don’t have to rely on the hope of campaign promises. We’ve seen her work firsthand with student-focused policy, higher salaries, and a greater respect for our profession.”
NM opioid case begins
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas yesterday laid out the state’s argument in its lawsuit against pharmacies for their role in the opioid crisis. Reuters reports Balderas argued Walgreens, Walmart and Kroger “were supposed to act as a ‘dam’ against a flood of illegitimate opioid prescriptions by refusing to fill prescriptions with ‘red flags’ that signaled abuse.” The state says those three companies doled out 550 million opioid pills in New Mexico between 2006 to 2019. The lawsuit, filed in 2017, is being heard by First Judicial District Judge Francis Mathew in a non-jury trial. The state alleges the companies have violated the state’s public nuisance and unfair practices law and “engaged in a civil conspiracy” in their distribution of opioids. The companies deny the allegations, with lawyers arguing, among other points, the state would be unable to prove pharmacists had knowingly filled illegitimate prescriptions. The AG’s office has said it is seeking to recover reimbursements paid from state insurance programs for opioid prescriptions that were not medically necessary and the costs of publicly funded medical care to those patients, among other compensations.
COVID-19 by the numbers
New cases: 881 (includes three-day weekend); 613,025 total cases
Deaths: two; Santa Fe County has had 347 total deaths; there have been 8,471 fatalities statewide. Statewide hospitalizations: 116. Patients on ventilators: eight
Case rates: According to the state health department’s most recent report on geographical trends for the seven-day period of Aug. 22-28, Santa Fe County’s case rate continues to decline and was at 19.8, compared to 20.5 the prior week. The state recorded 3,420 cases statewide—based on reported cases—over the seven-day period, a nearly 11% decrease from the previous week.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent update for COVID-19 “community levels,” only one New Mexico county—McKinley—remains “red,” aka has high levels—down from three the week prior. Santa Fe County is one of 23 counties with green, or low levels. The state map, which updates each Thursday for the prior seven-day period, uses a framework that combines case rates with hospital metrics. The community levels site has accompanying recommendations at the bottom of the page. The CDC also provides a quarantine and isolation calculator.
Resources: Vaccine registration; Booster registration Free at-home rapid antigen tests; Self-report a positive COVID-19 test result to the health department; New Curative testing site: 9 am to 5 pm, Monday-Friday, Santa Fe Technology Department, 2516 Cerrillos Road; 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. Vaccines for children: Parents of children ages 6 months to 5 years can now schedule appointments for vaccinations at VaccineNM.org.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
Listen up
September has arrived and, along with cooler nights, a “full blast harvest.” So says Tomato Lady Jannine Cabossel on the most recent episode of The Garden Journal show. Cabossel and host Christine Salem broadcasted live from the Santa Fe Farmers Market, where the bounty of the season was on full display. Cabossel previews and advises what to do in the garden during September, along with tips for dealing with tomato hornworms; preparing for cool nights; and planting fall trees.
It was all yellow
The array of sunflowers around town heralds more yellow coming this Fall. Yes, we’re talking about aspens. Leaf-peeping advice abounds, with the annual foliage map from the Smoky Mountains tourism site just launching its 2022 edition. New Mexico has a little time before the colors change, but is already receiving accolades. Taos, which ranked second in the country in last year’s USA Today’s best destination for fall foliage, is currently on the leaderboard for 2022 in first place (you can vote here). PureWow also has love for Taos in its 10 best fall road trips story, specifically the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, with stops for hiking, fishing and otherwise enjoying the great outdoors or nearby Elizabethtown and Red River. The latter, by the way, makes Best Life’s list of eight small towns in the US that make you feel like you’re in a Hallmark movie (for reasons not particularly connected to foliage but, rather, fall festivals and coziness; the story includes a fairly detailed plot idea for the Red River Hallmark movie, by the way). Closer to home, Luxury Travel Magazine recommends the newly swank Bishop’s Lodge in its roundup of top destinations for fall foliage and experiences, as does Forbes magazine. The Traveling Spud also name-drops Santa Fe for its best spots to travel in the fall, describing us as “underrated when it comes to fall foliage,” because “when most people think of the state, they think of its [desert] vibes and delicious green chile.”
Wine up
Regular Morning Word readers will likely recall lots of national props of late for New Mexico’s wine scene, such as Albuquerque’s top 10 ranking in Best Life’s list of best cities for wine lovers and Bloomberg’s recent write-up on Vara Winery & Distillery. New Mexico magazine delves into the burgeoning industry in a story by Lynn Cline (photos by Doug Merriam) that delves into the numbers and context. First the numbers: 55 wineries, 65 tasting rooms, not to mention festivals, winery tours and more. The story visits several of those wineries, including Vivác Winery in Dixon, where the patio “backs up to leafy vineyards overlooking dramatic mountains. Beneath a canopy of grapevines and shade sails, the sound of clinking glasses blends with laughter as locals and out-of-towners sip Rosé of Sangiovese and other award-winning wines over cheese and handmade chocolate truffles.” Finish reading the story before you jump in the car to visit, as Cline also stops at La Chiripada Winery and Black Mesa Winery & Cidery, in nearby Velarde, among many others, providing the history and tradition for winemaking in the state. “We do not want to be a mainstream wine industry, but we do want to be passionately followed by people in the know,” Chris Goblet, executive director of the nonprofit New Mexico Wine, tells the magazine. “We want people to come to New Mexico wineries and say, ‘That was so much fun. I can’t wait to go to the next one.’”
High and dry
The National Weather Service forecasts widespread haze today, along with increasing clouds and a high temperature near 87 degrees. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph will become southeast in the afternoon. Our next chance for rain arrives on Friday.
Thanks for reading! Despite eating almost nothing but corn for the last month, The Word has only just learned of the viral “Corn Kid” video. Here’s the backstory.
