Morning Word: The end is near

The day the art school died
Students, faculty and staff at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design learned yesterday that the school will shutter in May 2018. The for-profit university plans to "teach out" about 170 students who can graduate by then, but is encouraging everyone else to transfer. Declining enrollment is to blame, the school says. Faculty will be phased out, too. Graduation next year seems like it might be pretty sad.

Supreme Court clarifies when to put people behind bars before trial

After district attorneys across the state asked the Supreme Court to clarify procedure for what's called a no-bond hold before trial, the court said judges have to lean on their experience and the facts of the case.

said Chief Justice Charles Daniels. The court said prosecutors do not always have to call witnesses if they want the court to keep someone in jail before they're found guilty. It plans to follow up with a written opinion later this year.

Juvenile justice system set for potential overhaul

The state Supreme Court and the Children, Youth and Families Department plan to

that will study New Mexico's juvenile justice system. The study will focus on ways to improve the system and possible alternatives to traditional stays in juvenile detention.

Higher Ed secretary didn't know about veto
You might think the woman the governor placed in charge of the state's universities would have gotten a heads-up from Susana Martinez before the governor vetoed the higher education budget. You'd be wrong. Secretary Barbara Damron says she got news of the veto just a few hours before it was announced and wasn't consulted. "We've looked at how we can do more with less, and we are doing more with less in many areas. But now we're getting to dangerous territory," she told business leaders yesterday.

Electoral imbalance
Santa Fe's City Council District 3 is booming in terms of population. But when it comes to registered voters, the Southside is dwarfed by the north and east districts. That means the part of town most likely to be impacted by both a sugary drink tax and by more pre-K seats will likely have the least say in whether or not the tax passes.

Boom goes the city's Fourth of July celebration
Councilors learned last night that the Boys and Girls Club has pulled out of sponsoring Santa Fe's annual July 4 fireworks. The nonprofit produced the show with city-bought fireworks and received parking revenue in return. The city plans to pursue a new sponsor and won't yet say if the pyrotechnic display could be canceled.

Homewise gets down payment grant 
In happier nonprofit news, Santa Fe's Homewise landed a grant worth several million dollars that it plans to use to help home buyers with a $10,500 down payment. The program will be for home buyers statewide.

The sweet taste of chile victory
Colorado has conceded defeat in the race to become the first state to have a license plate dedicated to chile. All is right again with the chile world.

Thanks for reading! The Word has learned that Puerto Rico is an acceptable destination for public display of Crocs.

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