SUNDAY
Prep boys, girls begin district play
January 21, 2024
SPORTS, D-1
Toppin leads Lobos to conference win over Air Force
Safeguarding waterways After U.S. Supreme Court ruling removed protections, state regulators are seeking more funding. LOCAL & REGION, C-1
SPORTS, D-1
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Keeping Tewa alive With Pueblo language in danger of being lost, preservationists aim to teach it to all ages
GABRIELA CAMPOS/THE NEW MEXICAN
Clinic coordinator Sabrina Owens pulls down a fresh piece of paper on an exam table Jan. 10 at the schoolbased health center at Robert F. Kennedy Charter School in Albuquerque. The center serves families at five charter schools in Albuquerque’s South Valley.
School-based health care providers say funding dry Groups doing work like suicide prevention left waiting for state grants to materialize By Margaret O’Hara
mohara@sfnewmexican.com
PHOTOS BY JIM WEBER/THE NEW MEXICAN
ABOVE: Tewa student Mary Evelyn Jiron laughs as teacher Patrick Aguino embellishes a story during Aguino’s Tewa language class for all ages Jan. 9 at Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. Aguino runs classes almost year-round on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The classes mostly serve adults from Ohkay Owingeh but also attract Tewa learners from other pueblos. BELOW: Aguino breaks down the meaning of a Tewa prayer.
By Maya Hilty
mhilty@sfnewmexican.com
OHKAY OWINGEH ne of dozens of handwritten posters lining the walls of Joseph Patrick Aguino’s portable classroom phonetically spells out a Tewa prayer for a dance. Another, with a drawing of GEICO’s gecko, sports a Tewa translation of “Somebody help me, please, I have a flat tire!” Stacked on and around Aguino’s desk are binders of songs, prayers and translations of stories; vocabulary worksheets filled out by his students; and a homemade storybook about a rabbit and coyote with speech bubbles in Tewa. The materials have accumulated since Aguino, a member of the Ohkay Owingeh Tribal Council, began teaching two-hour, twice-weekly Tewa language classes
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ALBUQUERQUE — Dan Frampton expects his organization will be out of money by mid-February. Frampton, a licensed clinical social worker, serves as president of the board of trustees for Breaking the Silence New Mexico, a nonprofit that provides suicide prevention and mental health education to students across the state. “We literally save lives by the work we do,” he said. The organization, which according to tax documents receives “a substantial part of its support” from public funds, entered a contract in July with the state Department of Health to provide in-school services to students. But Frampton said the department still hasn’t paid the $50,000 it owes Breaking the Silence New Mexico. “We’ve got about $20,000 left in the books,” he said. “So what happens after that?” Among organizations working in and around schools — including dozens of school-based health centers — Frampton’s experience is relatively common: Department of Health grant payments have been delayed since July, providers said. The problem resulted from the department’s slower-than-expected shift to a new administrative services Please see story on Page A-4
Pasapick
Please see story on Page A-4
pasatiempomagazine.com
LEGISLATURE
THE 2024 SESSION
Mayer Hawthorne
Today
Top traits for lawmakers: Good ears, thick skin
Singer-songwriter; doors 7 p.m.; Meow Wolf, 1352 Rufina Circle, 505-395-6369; Chulita Vinyl Club opens; $30-$105; meowwolf.com.
Rain, snow possible. High 42, low 28.
Even in polarized environment, elected officials say they must figure out how to work together
More events Fridays in Pasatiempo
PAGE D-6
Obituaries
Gavino Romero, Oct. 26 Rosalinda Avila Romero, 83, Albuquerque, Jan. 10 Loyhannah Walker, Santa Fe, Jan. 5
INSIDE u Lawmakers speak about their jobs. PAGE A-5 u Tough road for state GOP. PAGE C-4 u Committee advances clean fuel bill. PAGE C-5
By Daniel J. Chacón
being a good listener one of the key qualities of a good lawmaker — a trait that will prove especially important over the next three weeks during what will likely be a hectic 30-day session with contentious bills and dueling multibillion-dollar budgets under consideration.
dchacon@sfnewmexican.com
It’s been said politics is the art of the possible. House Speaker Javier Martínez said politics also is the art of compromise, which makes
Index
Classifieds E-7
Comics Inside
“Not just hear, but listen,” Martínez said. An inside-the-Capitol survey of lawmakers, lobbyists and advocacy organizations about just what makes an effective legislator — not merely a dependable vote — drew a variety of responses last week, though many agree the ears are just as important as the ayes. Still, those who understand the political process say that’s just the start. The ideal legislator, many say, also draws on
Crosswords B-6
Local & Region C-1
Design and headlines: Zach Taylor, ztaylor@sfnewmexican.com
Please see story on Page A-5
Lotteries A-2
Opinion B-1
Real Estate E-1
Sports D-1
Leandro Benavidez, 89, Tesuque, Dec. 23 Lucille C. Bossolt, Jan. 13 Vince Demmer, Santa Fe, Dec. 30 Nora Fisher, Dec. 24
Bertram Heil, 99, Santa Fe, Sept. 29 Louise C. Jimenez, Santa Fe, Dec. 29 Betty Jo Mares, Jan. 7 Ernest Montoya, 88, Santa Fe, Jan. 12
Time Out B-6
Main office: 505-983-3303 Late paper: 505-986-3010 News tips: 505-986-3035
PAGES C-2, C-3
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