Santa Fe New Mexican, Jan. 13, 2024

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Critics love ‘intriguing’ show set in Española ‘The Curse’

Nation’s highest court to take on homeless camps case

N.M. IS IN THE SPOTLIGHT Lobos’ home game in The Pit against Aztecs airs nationally SPORTS, B-1

LOCAL & REGION, A-7

Locally owned and independent

NATION & WORLD, A-2

Saturday, January 13, 2024 santafenewmexican.com $1.50

City toils to clear roads ‘More active’ winter weather, freezing temperatures are putting pressure on snowplow crews

LEGISLATURE

THE 2024 SESSION

Governor’s public safety plan targets gun violence Lujan Grisham’s ‘comprehensive package’ includes restrictions on assault weapons, raising purchasing age, public parks ban By Robert Nott

rnott@sfnewmexican.com

PHOTOS BY LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN

Anthony Armijo with the Santa Fe streets division salts Calle Grillo on Thursday after a snowstorm. Back-to-back storms have put a strain on snow-removal crews, who have been working around the clock to clear snow and ice from roadways.

By Carina Julig

cjulig@sfnewmexican.com

T

ourism sites across the web tout Santa Fe for having 300 days of sunshine a year. This winter, the city might have missed the memo. Multiple back-to-back snowstorms, with more on the way, have made for a cold and soggy new year in the City Different. They’ve also put a strain on the city’s snow-removal crews, which have been working around the clock to clear snow and ice from roadways. “It’s been a lot,” said Public Works Director Regina Wheeler, who oversees the city’s streets team. In a Thursday news release, the city said the Water Division is measuring more snow in the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed than has ever been recorded at this time of year. Please see story on Page A-4

Please see story on Page A-4

Advocates say tax on alcohol could save lives in N.M. In state that sets records for number of deaths caused by drinking, public health experts say levy would curb consumption Anthony Armijo operates one of Santa Fe’s five snowplows. City Manager John Blair said street crews are “genuinely some of the hardest-working employees in the city of Santa Fe.”

Puns win the day in state’s plow-naming contest With over 23,000 votes cast in DOT’s competition, monikers such as ‘Snowzobra’, ‘Bisc-Snow-Chito’, ‘Ctrl-Salt-Delete’ get clear path to victory With over 23,000 votes cast, “New Mexicans did not disappoint,” Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic said in a Friday news release announcing the winning names. Winners include a number of state-specific

By Carina Julig

cjulig@sfnewmexican.com

Few puns were left on the table in the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s firstever snowplow naming contest.

Pasapick pasatiempomagazine.com

Index

Classifieds B-6

Call it a 21-gun salute in the name of public safety. Surrounded by a phalanx of state public safety officials, police officers and advocates pushing for efforts to reduce gun violence, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday unveiled a series of proposals she called the “largest, most comprehensive package ... in the history of the Legislature.” Many of the measures center on gun violence, which Lujan Grisham said “feels like it’s impacting every corner around the globe.” Republican lawmakers said they support some of the crime bills the governor announced — such as a more rigorous pretrial detention system for defendants charged with violent crimes — but stood firm against gun control measures they decried as “anti-Second Amendment.” They also noted Democrats, not Republicans, often stand in the way of Lujan Grisham’s tough-on-crime proposals. Lujan Grisham said she has consulted with the Democratic caucus and supporters of the bills in her public safety package, and she feels “much better about Democrat support this year. ... I feel very confident, but we’ll have to wait and see.” Most of the legislation she announced during a news conference at the state Capitol was not yet publicly available on the Legislature’s website Friday. The following measures are among those the governor hopes to see pass

references, such as “Snowzobra,” “Billy the Skid,” “Bisc-Snow-Chito” and homages to Breaking Bad and Better Caul Saul TV series characters Saul Goodman and Walter White — “Walter Whiteout” and “Better Call Salt.” Other names included groan-worthy plays on words like “Ctrl-Salt-Delete” and “Sleetwood Mac.” Please see story on Page A-4

Chatter North

Today

Obituaries

Violinists Elizabeth Young and David Felberg, violist Isabel Hagen, and cellist Felix Fan; 10:30 a.m., comedy set by Isabel Hagen follows; Center for Contemporary Arts, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, 505-982-1338; $5-$17; chatterabq.org/boxoffice.

Mostly sunny. High 35, low 20.

Lelan E. Keffer, 74, Santa Fe, Jan. 7

More events Fridays in Pasatiempo

PAGE B-5

PAGE A-8

Comics B-10

Crosswords B-6, B-9

Design and headlines: Nick Baca, nbaca@sfnewmexican.com

Local & Region A-7

Lotteries A-2

Opinion A-9

Religion A-10

Sports B-1

By Ted Alcorn

New Mexico In Depth

As 2023 came to a close, holiday celebrations slowed New Mexican workplaces to a crawl and many residents raised glasses to toast the new year. But University of New Mexico Hospital’s medical intensive care unit remained busy, caring for scores of patients who barely clung to life. As usual, the primary factor landing many of them there was excess drinking. There was a man in his 70s with liver cancer caused by alcohol who had begun bleeding internally, developed mental confusion and was now in a coma. A 50-something woman so dependent on alcohol that when she abstained, she went into severe withdrawal and developed a case of pneumonia serious enough to put her on a ventilator. A slightly younger woman with liver cirrhosis who had taken a hard fall, breaking an arm and causing bleeding under her skull. A 30-something woman with heart failure due to chronic drinking. Upon reviewing the cases, Dr. J. Pedro Teixeira, who has worked on the unit for four years, calculated one of every eight beds was filled by someone there because of alcohol. “If anything, I would expect somewhat more,” he wrote by email. New Mexico’s record-setting rate of alcohol deaths — higher than any other state and triple the national rate — is Please see story on Page A-5 Time Out B-9

Main office: 505-983-3303 Late paper: 505-986-3010 News tips: 505-986-3035

175th year, No. 13 Publication No. 596-440

YOUR ENERGY SOURCE MATTERS. Powering your home with solar energy is an easy, tangible way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while saving on energy costs & providing greater energy independence. LOCAL


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