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NM chief justice urges caution in criminal justice reforms<\/b><\/p>\n
The COVID-19 pandemic paved the way for a more technologically driven approach for the state judiciary, state Supreme Court Chief Justice C. Shannon Bacon said yesterday during her\u00a0State of the Judiciary address<\/a>\u00a0at the Legislature. \u201cRemote and hybrid hearings, depositions, mediations, and even bench trials not only kept participants safe, but saved time and costs, and improved access for those New Mexicans who have a difficult time traveling \u00a0to court,\u201d she said, noting that the judiciary is now looking to expand its use of technology. For instance, a pilot program starting this month will select remote jurors for trial to study whether it is a viable option and explore creating \u201cjustice stations\u201d in communities \u201cso that litigants can appear remotely even if they do not have broadband.\u201d In addition to discussing the judiciary\u2019s accomplishments over the last four years and its fiscal and legislative requests, Bacon also waded in to the legislative hot topics of crime and crime reform in\u00a0her speech<\/a>. Specifically, rising crime has led to\u00a0controversial proposals<\/a>\u00a0to revamp the state\u2019s pre-trial detention rules. Bacon asked the lawmakers to make any policy decisions \u201cbased on what the Constitution mandates, and on verified data and facts\u201d; to consider fiscal impact of criminal justice reform and the need for it to be adequately funded; and to remember the human impact of such decisions: \u201cWe all feel deep sorrow and fear when we read about a senseless death and other tragedies from crimes,\u201d Bacon said. \u201cYet, we must remember why our Constitution protects the rights of every person, including those accused of crime. They are just that\u2014accused, and presumed innocent in the eyes of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n After hours<\/b><\/p>\n Here are some of the topics currently slated for public comment at\u00a0tonight\u2019s Santa Fe City Council meeting<\/a>: a proposal to update the city\u2019s code with\u00a0gender-neutral language<\/a>; a bill that would\u00a0add paid staff<\/a>\u00a0to help city councilors; a\u00a0previously postponed bill<\/a>\u00a0that would increase fines for drivers whose vehicles violate the city\u2019s noise ordinances. To name a few. The meeting starts at 5 pm, but who knows how many people will comment and how late the meeting might stretch? SFR staff writer Andrew Oxford\u00a0unpacks the increasingly late hours<\/a>\u00a0for City Council meetings, creating fatigued decision-making; curtailed public participation; and repeated delays on action items. City Councilor Sig Lindell, sponsor of the proposed muffler-noise bill, tells SFR postponing review of some issues to accommodate hours of discussion on others can dissuade residents from participating. \u201cThe more times you put things off, the harder it is to get people to come and give public comments,\u201d she says. Last weekend, the council held a special Saturday meeting on a proposed\u2014and ultimately approved\u2014controversial rezoning request for Old Pecos Trail. Special meetings for controversial issues; changing the time the council meets; and even meeting more often are some of the ideas on the table for addressing meetings that drift into the early hours of the next day. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to do something different,\u201d Mayor Alan Webber told SFR last weekend before Saturday\u2019s meeting began.<\/p>\n NM Voting Rights Act forthcoming<\/b><\/p>\n Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, legislative leaders and advocacy groups yesterday\u00a0previewed a forthcoming Voting Rights Act<\/a>\u00a0that will make its second appearance this year after state\u00a0Republicans filibustered it in 2022<\/a>. According to a news release, the bill is expected to be formally introduced on the House Floor later this week and includes: protections for Native American voters; enhancements to voter registration systems and voter data privacy; the restoration of voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals; creation of a permanent absentee list so voters can choose to vote by mail; and a proposed state holiday on Election Day. \u201cWhile other states across the country are rolling back voter rights and restricting access to the ballot, New Mexico is working hard to remove unnecessary barriers so that all eligible voters can make their voices heard,\u201d House Speaker Javier Mart\u00ednez, D-Albuquerque, said in a statement. Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, who will be a sponsor of the bill, noted in a statement that \u201cvoting restrictions disproportionately affect people of color, tribal communities, the elderly, and working parents\u2014those that are often most deeply impacted by the policies established by elected leaders.\u201d Toulouse Oliver,\u00a0who has been on the frontline of battling election misinformation<\/a>, said \u201cit\u2019s more important than ever that we step up to protect New Mexicans\u2019 right to vote. The message we are sending with this bill is that your voice matters, your rights and fundamental freedoms are protected, and your elected leaders have your back.\u201d<\/p>\n And speaking of elections, if you thought having a Republican election-denier arrested for allegedly masterminding shootings at Democrats\u2019 homes might cause some local GOP repudiation of former President Donald Trump, think again. So reports the national media on the ongoing fallout following the arrest of failed Republican candidate and\u00a0election-denier Solomon Pena<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0allegedly orchestrating shootings<\/a>\u00a0at elected Democrats\u2019 homes.\u00a0The\u00a0Washington Post<\/i>\u00a0caught up\u00a0<\/a>with former Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti, who said of Pena\u2019s accused crimes: \u201cIt\u2019s important that we say we can\u2019t stand for crap like this. But blaming Trump\u2014that\u2019s not fair to do.\u201d Prominent state Republican Michael Candelaria sums up the GOP\u2019s conundrum succinctly\u00a0for the\u00a0New York Times<\/i>, saying<\/a>: \u201cYou don\u2019t take a group of people whose support you want and tell them, \u2018You\u2019re a bunch of crazies.\u2019 You\u2019re going to have some extremists that you have to figure out how to keep their support.\u201d<\/p>\n Senate douses bill to limit prescribed burns<\/b><\/p>\n The state Senate Conservation Committee yesterday basically quashed\u00a0Senate Bill 21<\/a>, which would have prohibited controlled burns during New Mexico\u2019s windy season (watch the discourse\u00a0here<\/a>, right around the 10:18 mark). The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ron Griggs, R-Alamogordo, follows last spring\u2019s\u00a0Hermits Peak\/Calf Canyon<\/a>\u00a0conflagration, both of which began because of types of prescribed burns. \u201cFire and catastrophic fire have become an all-too common occurrence in New Mexico,\u201d Griggs said yesterday. \u201cCitizens have lost their lives and millions of dollars of property, both public and private, have been reduced to ashes. Too many of these fires started because a prescribed burn got out of control.\u201d As the\u00a0Albuquerque Journal<\/i>\u00a0reports<\/a>, the committee ended up voting 4-3 to table the bill; state Sen. Liz Stefanics, D-Cerrillos, the committee\u2019s chairwoman, cast the tie-breaking vote to table. The hearing included testimony in favor of the bill from Gallinas Canyon volunteer firefighter Mary Kay Root, who lost her home to the fire last year; others, such as State Forrester Laura McCarthy, testified against the bill and said prescribed burns are a necessary tool at times. \u201cThere are circumstances where prescribed burns are necessary,\u201d she said. Check out today\u2019s legislative schedule\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n COVID-19 by the numbers<\/b><\/p>\n Reported Jan. 24<\/a>:\u00a0New cases<\/b>: 206; 663,868 total cases.\u00a0Deaths<\/b>: three; Santa Fe County has had\u00a0385 total deaths<\/a>;\u00a08,927 total fatalities statewide.\u00a0Statewide<\/b>\u00a0hospitalizations: 80.\u00a0Patients on ventilators<\/b>: three<\/p>\n The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s most recent Jan. 19\u00a0\u201ccommunity levels\u201d map<\/a>\u00a0shows one county categorized as \u201cyellow\u201d\u2014medium risk\u2014for COVID-19: Roosevelt County. The rest of the state\u2014including Santa Fe County\u2014is green, aka has low risk. Corresponding recommendations for each level can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Resources<\/b>: Receive four free at-home COVID-19 tests per household via\u00a0COVIDTests.gov<\/a>; Check availability for additional free COVID-19 tests through\u00a0Project ACT<\/a>;\u00a0CDC interactive\u00a0booster eligibility tool<\/a>; NM DOH vaccine & booster\u00a0registration<\/a>; CDC\u00a0isolation and exposure<\/a>\u00a0interactive tool; COVID-19\u00a0treatment<\/a> info<\/a>; NMDOH\u00a0immunocompromised tool kit<\/a>. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH\u2019s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453. DOH encourages residents to download the\u00a0NM Notify app<\/a>\u00a0and to report positive COVID-19 home tests on the app.<\/p>\n You can read all of SFR\u2019s COVID-19 coverage\u00a0<\/i>here.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n Listen up<\/b><\/p>\n Earlier this week on KKOB radio,\u00a0host Bob Clark spoke to\u00a0Antiques Roadshow<\/i>\u00a0Executive Producer Marsha Bemko<\/a>\u00a0about the show\u2019s first trip to Santa Fe on a hot day last June at Museum Hill. Thousands attended and three episodes emerged; the\u00a0first one premiered<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0New Mexico PBS<\/a>\u00a0on Monday, with two more forthcoming on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6.\u00a0SFR also spoke with one of the show\u2019s newest appraisers<\/a>, New Mexico artist Tony Abeyta, for a printed interview in this week\u2019s paper.<\/p>\n Budding industry<\/b><\/p>\n Alissa Jubelirer\u00a0<\/a>had worked for years in the cannabis industry as general counsel for a multi-state business in Illinois and had gained experience raising capital as well. Still,\u00a0she writes for\u00a0Rolling Stone<\/i>\u00a0magazine<\/a>, \u201cI did not expect it to be this hard when I opened my own cannabis company,\u00a0Dynamic Jack<\/a>, in New Mexico in 2021.\u201d Jubelirer, Dynamic Jack\u2019s CEO, talks about the challenges she faced raising capital over the course of six months to launch her company (which has\u00a0multiple locations<\/a>\u00a0across the state), and offers five tips for other cannabis entrepreneurs, including telling a story. In Jubelirer\u2019s case, that story is: \u201cAmbitious, high-powered Chicago attorney at the height of her career in the city trades it all in for a \u2018simple\u2019 life of cannabis farming in Estancia, New Mexico, with a population of 1,500 people.\u201d Posting assiduously on social media also helped generate interest and funds, she says: \u201cI posted pictures of New Mexico\u2019s many landscapes; the farm; me working on the farm; me and the team at conferences in Chicago, Vegas and Albuquerque; and anything funny, quirky or interesting I could come up with relating to Dynamic Jack.\u201d Looking for even more cannabis-related stories? You\u2019re in luck: A fresh, green copy of\u00a0this month\u2019s Leaf Brief<\/a>\u00a0dispatch has just published, courtesy SFR staff writer and cannabis reporter Andy Lyman (sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to make sure you don\u2019t miss any).<\/p>\n Choose your adventure<\/b><\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t stopped by a Walgreens lately, heads up: Valentine\u2019s Day is right around the corner. As such, the female-centric online magazine\u00a0The Zoe Report<\/i>\u00a0has\u00a0travel recommendations for a Valentine\u2019s Getaway<\/a>\u00a0and Santa Fe is among them. Specifically,\u00a0El Rey Court<\/a>\u00a0makes the list if you\u2019re in the market for a Southwest getaway. Its 5\u00a0acres, the story notes, allows guest to \u201cexplore its varied corners, whether it\u2019s sipping mezcal at the outdoor bar, La Reina, or catching up on your book by a kiva fireplace. If you get hungry, head a few steps out front to the\u00a0Turquoise Trailer<\/a>\u00a0food truck that serves up breakfast tacos, gourmet grilled cheese, and other savory bites.\u201d If you\u2019re more of the mind for a soulful vacation versus a romantic one,\u00a0InsideHook<\/i>\u00a0recommends a trip to Santa Fe and a stay at\u00a0Bishops Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection<\/a>\u00a0in its roundup of\u00a0\u201c10 Desert Escapes That Will Restore Your Soul.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0In addition to providing proximity to the great outdoors and an indoor spa, the resort also offers a variety of soul-enriching activity options, including classes in\u00a0ancient lettering<\/a>,\u00a0al-fresco painting<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0incense-making<\/a>. If you\u2019d prefer to just wallow in\u00a0the way things used to be<\/a>\u00a0on your vacation, look no further than Albuquerque, which\u00a0Drift Travel<\/i>\u00a0includes on its list of\u00a0\u201cfour destinations for nostalgia,\u201d\u00a0<\/a>thanks in main to the city\u2019s proximity to Route 66 and its myriad options for Route 66 retro accommodations.<\/p>\n Tip of the iceberg<\/b><\/p>\n The\u00a0National Weather Service<\/a>\u00a0forecasts a 20% chance for snow showers today with patchy freezing fog before 9 am. Otherwise, it will be partly sunny, with a high temperature near 30 degrees and north wind 10 to 15 mph. Tonight, look for a 20% chance for snow showers before midnight with a low temperature around 9 degrees and wind chill values as low as -2 degrees. The weather should dry up tomorrow, with\u00a0a chance of warming up<\/a>\u00a0into the low 40s come weekend.<\/p>\n Thanks for reading! The Word doesn\u2019t think there is anything amusing about the debt ceiling…except maybe\u00a0<\/i>this cartoon<\/i><\/a>\u00a0because of the cat.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n