Gun reform payments move first committee
The New Mexico Legislature’s Home Client and Public Affairs Committee yesterday handed two payments aimed toward reforming gun management in New Mexico on 4-2 votes, sending each to the Home Judiciary Committee subsequent. HB 100 would create a 14-day ready interval for buying weapons. HB101 would ban assault weapons like AR-15s. Each proposals predictably drew quite a few advocates and detractors. New Mexico Convention of Catholic Bishops Government Director Allen Sánchez spoke in favor of the proposals (proper round 2:15 within the linked video): “We bury the victims,” Sánchez stated. “I wish to repeat that. We bury them. These are actual folks with actual mourning households. Now we have to start out someplace and I do know we will’t all agree on the identical factor, however this effort is an actual begin.” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham praised the passage of HB101, noting in an announcement that whereas she is “a agency believer in accountable gun possession…the actual fact of the matter is that our communities, our households and our legislation enforcement are put in danger each single day when weapons of conflict fall into the incorrect palms.” State Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, who’s sponsoring each payments, additionally reiterated in an announcement that whereas “most gun house owners in New Mexico are accountable,” so long as excessive capability weapons are authorized, they are going to be used to harm folks. “Now we have seen far too many mass shootings carried out utilizing these weapons,” Romero stated. “As state lawmakers, we’ve got the facility to take this necessary step to stop these mindless tragedies.” A number of different gun-related payments are additionally within the queue throughout this yr’s session, which ends March 18. The Albuquerque Journal has a rundown.
Baldwin legal professionals need Rust prosecutor disqualified
In a brand new movement within the Rust case, Alec Baldwin’s legal professionals need particular prosecutor Andrea Reeb disqualified. A movement filed yesterday argues Reeb’s involvement violates the state structure as a result of she is a member of the state Home of Representatives (R-Clovis). “Reeb will not be constitutionally permitted to serve concurrently as a legislator and a particular prosecutor,” the movement reads. “Doing so vests two core powers of various branches—legislating and prosecuting—in the identical particular person and is thus barred by the plain language of Article III of the New Mexico Structure.” First Judicial District Lawyer Mary Carmack-Altwies appointed Reeb, a former DA for the Ninth Judicial District, to the case final August. Of their movement searching for her elimination, Baldwin’s legal professionals additionally flip to Nevada for examples of comparable constitutional violations, noting that New Mexico doesn’t seem to have any judicial precedents “maybe as a result of nobody has tried such a facially unconstitutional motion on this state.” The movement follows involuntary manslaughter fees Carmack-Altwies filed final week towards Baldwin and the movie’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed within the Oct. 21 taking pictures dying of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the Rust set. The movie’s assistant director, Dave Halls, accepted a plea deal on the cost of negligent use of a lethal weapon; the first hearings for all three have been scheduled beginning Feb. 24. “Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys can use no matter techniques they wish to distract from the truth that Halyna Hutchins died due to gross negligence and a reckless disregard for security on the Rust movie set,” First Judicial DA spokesperson Heather Brewer stated in an announcement supplied to SFR. “Nevertheless, the district lawyer and the particular prosecutor will stay targeted on the proof and on attempting this case in order that justice is served.”
Metropolis Council tackles CHART, weapons, improvement tonight
Tonight’s Santa Fe Metropolis Council assembly—kicking off at 5 pm—options the return and introduction of a number of objects positive to be of curiosity to myriad people. As SFR not too long ago reported, a decision will probably be launched tonight proposing subsequent steps for the Plaza obelisk, which demonstrators upended on Indigenous Peoples Day in 2020. Councilors may also hear from Mayor Alan Webber on his proposal to help Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s gun reforms, together with the proposed ban on assault weapons (a replica of Webber’s proposal doesn’t look like out there on the town’s assembly info). Councilor Renee Villarreal is slated to introduce a decision “in help of the investigation and prosecution of the individuals accountable for the trouble to criminally intrude with or overturn the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election that culminated within the Jan. 6, 2021 assault upon the USA Capitol; and calling for the passage of federal and state legal guidelines to eradicate the dangers of future insurrections and efforts to delay, disrupt, or overturn elections, and to raised defend and safeguard the election course of.” The council may also resume dialogue of the controversial South Meadows improvement proposal from Homewise that started at its final assembly. You’ll be able to view the assembly on Comcast Channel 28 and Comcast HD928 or stream it dwell on the Metropolis of Santa Fe’s YouTube channel.
Gov heads to DC; NM Dems reply to Biden
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham left yesterday for Washington, DC to attend the Nationwide Governors Affiliation 2023 winter assembly. In accordance with a information launch, amongst different conferences, Lujan Grisham will attend a enterprise session on the White Home with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and different members of administration management; a Western Governors Affiliation assembly with a number of federal cupboard secretaries; and at midday ET tomorrow will take part in a press convention with governors from the Democratic Governors Affiliation. She returns Sunday.
In the meantime, New Mexico’s congressional Democrats all launched comparable statements yesterday responding positively to Biden’s State of the Union speech final night time (right here’s the textual content as ready). US Sen. Ben Ray Luján’s assertion, for instance, stated Biden had “delivered an optimistic and efficient handle to the American folks detailing the progress made and the work that is still. President Biden and Congressional Democrats delivered a historic funding in our nation’s infrastructure, expanded veterans’ well being care, promoted science and innovation, tackled the local weather disaster, and minimize well being care prices. Regardless of a divided Congress, I’m assured that President Biden will proceed to seek out areas to work with Republicans and Democrats to ship for the American folks.” Democratic Occasion of New Mexico Chair Jessica Velasquez’s assertion, however, additionally took goal at Republicans, saying they “have proven their hand time and time once more. Whether or not they’re undermining pupil debt reduction or prolonging the exhausting debacle that was Kevin McCarthy’s election to be Speaker, it’s clear that the GOP places political video games and self-interest forward of insurance policies that put folks first. It’s fairly outstanding that the Biden-Harris administration was in a position to accomplish a lot whereas coping with nonstop dogmatic shows of partisan pandering from the Republicans at each flip.”
COVID-19 by the numbers
Reported Feb. 7 : New circumstances: 154; 665,895 whole circumstances. Deaths: eight; Santa Fe County has had 395 whole deaths; 8,985 whole fatalities statewide. Statewide hospitalizations: 74. Sufferers on ventilators: 4
The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention’s most up-to-date Feb. 2 “neighborhood ranges” map exhibits the identical 4 county categorized as “yellow”—medium threat—for COVID-19 as final week: De Baca, Curry, Quay and Roosevelt counties. The remainder of the state—together with Santa Fe County—is inexperienced, aka has low threat. Corresponding suggestions for every degree might be discovered right here.
Sources: Obtain 4 free at-home COVID-19 assessments per family by way of COVIDTests.gov; Test availability for extra free COVID-19 assessments via Venture ACT; CDC interactive booster eligibility software; NM DOH vaccine & booster registration; CDC isolation and publicity interactive software; COVID-19 therapy data; NMDOH immunocompromised software package. Individuals searching for therapy who wouldn’t have a medical supplier can name NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453. DOH encourages residents to obtain the NM Notify app and to report constructive COVID-19 residence assessments on the app.
You’ll be able to learn all of SFR’s COVID-19 protection right here.
Hear up
With the Legislature underway, New Mexico Surroundings Secretary James Kenney says his company wants extra funding so as to implement a rule that went into impact final yr that goals to cut back ozone-causing air air pollution by 260 million kilos a yr. KUNM reporter Nash Jones talks with Kenney about his division’s funding challenges and the way that performs out within the area. As an illustration: “If there may be an environmental spill in Silver Metropolis on the similar time that there’s releases of pollution to the air in Carlsbad, whereas Chama is operating out of consuming water, we’ve got to select winners and losers,” he says, acknowledging: “That’s not truthful to New Mexicans. It’s additionally fairly unfair to our division to be put in that place.”
The Pueblo Revolt as comedy
A rolling world premiere is underway in Northern California for the play Pueblo Revolt, described thusly: “A homosexual Pueblo teen prepares for the Rebellion together with his older brother, whereas coping with a extremely pesky (and completely inconvenient) crush on the Spanish baker’s son. When historical past is within the making, what do bizarre folks do?” The play is operating Feb. 2-12 on the Arts Analysis Heart at UC Berkeley and Feb.13-26 at in San Rafael. Playwright Dillon Chitto (Mississippi Choctaw, Isleta and Laguna Pueblo) grew up in Santa Fe “studying the significance of artwork, tradition and traditions,” his bio reads. “In his playwriting, he explores these concepts via the lens of comedy.” Chitto tells the San Francisco Chronicle he wrote the play each from his experiences as a “New Mexico-raised Native American of Pueblo and Choctaw descent,” but additionally from his years in Chicago attending seminary faculty. “Having learn sacred spiritual texts—the Bible, the Torah, the Quran—when it comes to the universally relatable tales they current, I made a decision to put in writing the story of my folks when it comes to these common paradigms, in order that the viewers would relate to it as a lot as potential,” he stated. In a information launch concerning the play, Chitto says he’s excited to share Pueblo Revolt with audiences “as a result of it’s an Indigenous story of survival via a comedic lens.”
And talking of the New Mexico/San Francisco connection, the state Tourism Division introduced earlier this week its plans to take its New Mexico True advertising and marketing marketing campaign to San Francisco by way of a $20 million particular appropriation included within the Fiscal 12 months 2024 government price range advice. In accordance with a information launch, NMTD carried out a market potential examine in 2021 that recognized each Los Angeles and San Francisco as viable fly markets. Tourism entered the LA market in spring 2021 and says the state “realized an estimated 80,000 journeys and $107 million in customer spending attributed to New Mexico True promoting within the Los Angeles market” by the top of the 2021 marketing campaign. In accordance with the division’s analysis, San Francisco vacationers “view New Mexico favorably for qualities similar to authenticity, fascinating historical past and tradition, and nice Native and Indigenous experiences.” Tourism Cupboard Secretary Jen Paul Schroer stated coming into the San Francisco market has been a aim for years. “By bringing New Mexico True into the San Francisco market, we’ve got the chance to take New Mexico’s potential for financial improvement to a complete new degree,” Schroer stated in an announcement.
Hankering for Albuquerque
Common Morning Phrase readers have probably observed the nationwide accolades pouring in for Albuquerque’s meals scene. Bon Appétit enters the dialog with a narrative by Albuquerque native Eric See, whom we’ve additionally talked about greater than as soon as because the proprietor of Ursula, a New Mexican cafe in Brooklyn. Sure, See could dwell in New York, however his coronary heart stays right here. Or, as he begins his story: “New Mexico is the self-proclaimed Land of Enchantment, however rising up right here we known as it the Land of Entrapment—we wished to flee the little-town really feel of Albuquerque. Now that I dwell in Brooklyn, I can by no means wait to return. For people visiting for the primary time, or these of us who return, the concept of entrapment takes on a way more magical that means: Albuquerque’s serene magnificence ensnares you in such a means that you just wish to keep ceaselessly.” Whereas a few of See’s suggestions for staying, consuming and having fun with Albuquerque run the same old gamut—Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Natural Farm, Frontier Restaurant, Duran Central Pharmacy—the depth of information, particulars and humor he brings makes all of the recommendations sound contemporary and new. And we’re undoubtedly going to take a look at Burque Bakehouse the following time we’re in Albuquerque—we’d even make a particular journey.
The icy fang
Search for some areas of freezing fog immediately earlier than 8 am. Afterward, the Nationwide Climate Service forecasts a typically sunny day with a excessive temperature close to 41 levels and northwest wind 10 to fifteen mph. All Santa Fe Public Faculties are on a two-hour delay “out of an abundance of warning as a result of icy situations in some elements of the district,” together with full day Pre-Ok packages. Morning Pre-Ok packages have been canceled; afternoon packages are on a daily schedule. The following two days needs to be “brisk” with temps hovering within the 30s. Whilst you shiver, be sure you take a look at New Mexico Journal’s roundup of cozy fireplaces and what to drink whilst you sit by them.
Thanks for studying! The Phrase doesn’t have Imposter Syndrome (she feels pretty certified to put in writing this article), however she loved studying Leslie Jamison’s New Yorker essay concerning the syndrome as a result of she enjoys (virtually) all the pieces Jamison writes.
