Thunderous farewell at Duke for Coach K, even in defeat
Some schools rethinking grading practices
RESCUE PETS Training dogs for search missions entails intensive work — but also lots of fun ADVENTURE, A-7
EDUCATION, A-6
SPORTS, B-1
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Deaths of cops raise questions about justice U
ntil last week, no Santa Fe police officer had died in the line of duty in 89 years. The old case was a bizarre showdown — a captain shooting his own chief of police through the door of an outhouse at a speakeasy. Questions will always linger about exactly what happened. The biggest is whether justice was served, or if a killer walked free after one year in prison because of Milan racism, cronyism or some other evil. Simonich New Mexico Ringside Seat really was the Wild West when violence between the two lawmen exploded on March 12, 1933. Robert E. Burrus, the police captain, was playing cards at a boozy gathering in a house near downtown. Prohibition against alcohol was still the law of the land, but that didn’t quench tastes for liquor. Someone tipped other police officers about Burrus having himself a time in a bootlegging club. Police Chief Apolonio Pino arrived to do more than break up the party. He intended to suspend Burrus from the police force. Pino hoped to announce Please see story on Page A-8
Vehicles protesting virus rules encircle D.C.
Monday, March 7, 2022
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WAR IN UKR AINE
‘Rivers of blood and tears’ SANTA FEANS SUPPORT UKRAINIANS
By Yuras Karmanau Associated Press
LVIV, Ukraine ussian forces intensified shelling of cities in Ukraine’s center, north and south, a Ukrainian official said, as a second attempt to evacuate besieged civilians collapsed. With the Ukrainian leader urging his people to take to the streets to fight, Russian President Vladimir Putin shifted blame for the invasion, saying Moscow’s attacks could be halted “only if Kyiv ceases hostilities.” The outskirts of Kyiv, Chernihiv in the north, Mykolaiv in the south, and Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, INSIDE faced stepped-up u Ukrainian shelling late Sunday, families fleepresidential adviser ing country Oleksiy Arestovich feel pain of said. Heavy artillery separation. hit residential areas in u Some in Kharkiv and shelling Russia doubt damaged a television war is happentower, according to ing. PAGE A-4 local officials. The attacks dashed hopes that more people could escape the fighting in Ukraine, where Russia’s plan to quickly overrun the country has been stymied by fierce resistance. Russia has made significant advances in southern Ukraine and along the coast, but many of its efforts have become stalled, including an immense military convoy that has been almost motionless for days north of Kyiv. Food, water, medicine and almost all other supplies were in desperately short supply in the southern port city of Mariupol, where Russian and Ukrainian forces had agreed to an 11-hour cease-fire that would allow civilians and the wounded to be evacuated. But Russian attacks quickly closed the humanitarian corridor, Ukrainian officials said. “There can be no ‘green corridors’ because only the sick brain of the Russians decides when to start shooting and at whom,” Interior
R
ABOVE: From left, Karen Wilbanks and Althea Pak, 7, work on organizing the care packages that were assembled for Ukrainian refugee relief Sunday at United Church of Santa Fe. Matthew Torres, 10, and Marilyn Garder are working in the background.
RIGHT: Hilary Gutkin and her husband, Grisha Gutkin, and their daughter, Beatrice, 2, march around the Santa Fe Plaza on Sunday. Grisha’s mother is in St. Petersburg, Russia. About 30 people showed up in support of peace for Ukraine. PHOTOS BY JANE PHILLIPS FOR THE NEW MEXICAN
By Madeleine Ngo, Adam Bednar and Esha Ray
Citizens lack food, water as Russian attacks prevent more people from escaping Ukraine
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New York Times
WASHINGTON — Draped in American flags and fueled by anger, hundreds of vehicles led by a group of truckers encircled the nation’s capital Sunday, hampering traffic outside the city for hours by driving at slower speeds to protest COVID-19 mandates. The convoy of vehicles — dozens of trucks, along with minivans, motorcycles, pickups and hatchbacks, with many displaying signs that read “Freedom” — aimed to complete two loops on Interstate 495, a 64-mile highway known as the Capital Beltway, before returning to a staging area in Maryland, with plans to potentially ramp up the demon-
Las Vegas, N.M., retailer marks 65 years working at store 87-year-old says he is almost ready to retire but expects leaving the shop to be hard By Gwen Albers For The New Mexican
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Today Mostly cloudy. Few snow showers tonight. High 41, low 18. PAGE A-10
Index
Adventure A-7
Classifieds B-5
GWEN ALBERS FOR THE NEW MEXICAN
Anselmo Valdez takes a payment at Gamble’s hardware, appliance and furniture store in Las Vegas, N.M., where he has worked for 65 years. Valdez purchased the store when the chain that owned it dissolved.
Comics B-10
Design and headlines: Natalie Fritzson, nfritzson@sfnewmexican.com
Crosswords B-5, B-9
Learning A-6
When Anselmo Valdez at age 22 accepted the credit manager’s position at a Las Vegas, N.M., hardware and appliance store, he decided to make it a career. Valdez has kept that commitment for 65 years. “I live alone, and it’s hard to stay in one place and not have anything to do,” said the 87-year-old, who began working at Gamble’s in 1956 before purchasing the store in 1983. “I can still get around, but there are a lot of things I can’t do anymore. I think this is the next-best thing.” “His work ethic has been like this ever since I was born,” added his daughter and the store’s assistant manager, Maxine Valdez-Ortiz, 58.
Lotteries A-2
Opinion A-9
Sports B-1
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Time Out B-9
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“That’s all I knew when I was growing up. He was always at Gamble’s.” Valdez has never sent an email or used the internet. He uses an adding machine to calculate the day’s receipts, does manual ordering and keeps track of customer accounts without a computer. The father of six refused to stay home when the coronavirus pandemic hit. “He made sure things were taken care of to keep his customers supplied with what they needed [including] cleaning supplies, masks and sanitizing products,” said Valdez-Ortiz. Although the pandemic hurt the retail industry, Gamble’s survived. “We did very well,” Valdez-Ortiz said. “Other stores were selling out of essential items, and we still had the items people were looking for. We had customers coming in from Colorado to purchase freezers when everyone was out.” Valdez, who’s somewhat hard of hearing,
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