When it comes to high finance, New Mexico is still the Wild West. Shady characters come from all over to take big risks in a casino-like, almost lawless market. One such story is told in a lawsuit filed late last month in the 1st Judicial District Court in Santa Fe.

Jerome Block Jr. runs afoul of the courts...again, and Bingaman pimps for Eunice, NM.

Kaziah Mraz, 34, has done everything society expects of a responsible citizen. And yet when she hit a rough spot, society—represented by the New Mexico Human Services Department—told her it couldn’t help. When she broke into tears, society had a security guard escort her away.

In a recession, it turns out, everyone's likely to turn to thievery. Or at least the excessive collection of free pens.

Santa Fe city employees party out of town, the 400th anniversary turns out to be just as sketchy as Santa Fe's founding, and the Sheriff's Department cracks down on domestic violence.

In May 2007, the Santa Fe City Council approved a $45 million bond to build a new campus for the eponymous companies of local finance tycoon Garrett Thornburg.  By that fall, Thornburg’s mortgage company began investigating a new strategy: Had it succeeded, Thornburg might have been eligible for some of the $700 billion federal bailout that followed. Things worked out differently.

Santa Fe Mayor David Coss is running for re-election in the March 2, 2010 municipal election. Former City Manager Asenath Kepler is challenging him, as is District 3 City Councilor Miguel Chavez. SFR reached all of them by telephone to ask the week’s most burning question.

SFR's ongoing investigation into trip-ups and alleged illegal activity at Thornburg Mortgage.

WEB EXTRA: Audio of the calls related to Roybal received by the Santa Fe Regional Emergency Communications Center. The calls suggest any errors that may have been made by local first responders might have been compounded by triage nurses or doctors at the hospital. Five hours may have elapsed before doctors understood Roybal's condition.

Hopes for a cinema in the Railyard stayed alive at the Oct. 19 meeting of the City of Santa Fe Finance Committee, despite some skepticism. The resolution, whose chief sponsor is Councilor Matthew Ortiz, would begin the process of issuing a $35.4 million bond to build a movie theater in the Railyard and would authorize the city manager to negotiate with Railyard Co.