Morning Word: Drug Overdose Death Rate Improves in New Mexico

By Peter St. Cyr

Drug Overdose Deaths Decline in New Mexico

After having one of the nation’s highest drug overdose death rates for years,

New Mexico's ranking has finally dropped

from second on the list to eighth-worst.

The Number of People Seeking Custody of Abused Children Jumps

Phaedra Haywood reports, “The number of Northern New Mexico residents seeking custody of abused and neglected children born to relatives had been growing steadily over the past decade, but that

growth has skyrocketed

in the last two years."

Shoppers Object to "Racist" Signs

Signs at a convenience store in Mayhill, near Cloudcroft, New Mexico, are

rais
ing a ruckus

. Some locals call them sick and racist while others says they’re protected by free speech rights. KOB showed a sign stating that Muslims and President Barack Obama are not welcome.

Legalizing Pot Could Generate Millions for New Mexico

A growing number of state lawmakers are looking at legalizing cannabis to

generate additional tax

revenue to offset state budget shortages when they return to the Roundhouse next month.

Sonntag Threatens Defamation Lawsuit

Carla Sonntag, the president and founder of the New Mexico Business Coalition, says she’ll sue the state Republican Party for defamation if it does not

retract statements

it made accusing her of sending anonymous attack emails to party activists by today.

New Year's Eve Celebrations Don't Have to Break the Bank

WalletHub

compiled a list

of the most fun and affordable spots for counting down to 2017, analyzing 100 cities using criteria such as the average price of a New Year's Eve party ticket and a bottle of wine, to the crime rate and probability of rain. Albuquerque was ranked 49th most affordable.

New Year's Eve Hot Spots

If you’re still looking for something to do tomorrow night at midnight, check out See the Southwest's New Mexico

bucket list here

and SFR's list of Santa Fe happenings

here

.

SFR's Photo Contest Launches

After the champagne corks pop,

start clicking pictures

. SFR’s annual photo contest starts on January 1, 2017. Entries are only $5 and you could win $100 from The Camera Shop and see your photo published in the 2017 Santa Fe Manual.

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