New Mexico Department of Health employees received an unwelcome Valentine’s Day gift last week when the agency’s Public Health Division director sent out a sweeping order.

“Vague.” “Disjointed.” “Unlikely to improve student achievement.”

That’s how the US Department of Education described New Mexico’s education reform initiatives when it denied the state’s request to opt out of the federal school rating system.

When I was 14 years old, a buddy and I took all his GI Joe figurines out back, positioned them on a tree branch reaching over a creek and executed them with a BB gun. Goodbye, childhood, we thought.

The New Mexico Supreme Court’s Feb. 10 order rejecting the latest New Mexico House of Representatives redistricting plan sent some Roundhouse Republicans into a fury.

Santa Fe County is betting on a new highly paid administrator to help it save money in the long run, and it’s willing to overlook his controversial past.

This week, SFR sat down with El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe Executive Director María Martínez and Board Chairman Fernando Casados.

Halfway through lunch period at De Vargas Middle School on Feb. 1, an announcement came over theintercom directing all eighth-grade teachers to report immediately to the cafeteria. One student was “screaming ‘f— you,’ at the top of his lungs” when De Vargas teacher Pat Dixon, who spoke to SFR on condition her real name not be used, arrived at the cafeteria, and several Santa Fe Police officers were on scene.

In 2006, real estate developer Jeff Branch convinced the city to annex land near Agua Fria Village to help him build a 222-unit subdivision. In return, Branch agreed to bring the city 23 acre-feet of water rights and make 40 percent of his housing units meet the city’s affordability guidelines.

Check out the sexy version of SFR's weekly matrix--a Love & Sex issue special!

Paul Singdahlsen has been a state employee for 18 years. Each day, he helps with maintenance work on art pieces and exhibits for the Department of Cultural Affairs. But only in the past four years has he begun to notice a trend: He and his colleagues have been taking on more work for less pay.