Morning Word: Sad Details from Clovis

Shooting scenario unfolds
We're learning more about Nathaniel Jouett, the 16-year-old Clovis High School sophomore who walked into the public library Monday and shot six people, killing two. A local pastor says Jouett was suicidal, though many felt he had been making progress in his struggles since becoming more involved with a church. As the New Mexico town comes to grips with what happened, prosecutors say they'll charge the teen as an adult.

Realty check
As candidates for city office get set to begin their runs this Friday, the Santa Fe Association of Realtors rolled out a poll it last did in 2013. The new results show the persistence of two Santa Fes. Those who are college-educated and live in Council Districts 1 or 2 are much more likely to feel the city is headed in the right direction. No college degree and a residence in District 3 or 4 means you tend to think the city is on the wrong track. There's also a difference in racial outlook, although the only two choices in that category were white and Hispanic. 

DACA in Northern New Mexico
Attorneys general of 11 states have threatened to sue the federal government over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program if a phase-out doesn't begin by Sept. 5. The DACA program is an Obama-era patch for immigration decisions regarding working-age immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children. In Santa Fe, it stands to affect hundreds—and it will affect thousands in New Mexico—as the people who balance books, work in clinics and carry server's trays at restaurants wait for a decision. 

Master plan
Santa Fe's airport hasn't had a new master plan in 15 years. The city has invested millions in the aging facility with the hope of attracting more commercial air service. Now, as a new plan for the next 20 years runs the gamut of city committees, there are some big decisions ahead. Namely, whether to build a new terminal to ease congestion both inside and outside. One question that's yet to be answered: Is there a way to get the FAA to help pay for it?

'Clear as mud'
It's not the most original descriptor we've ever heard, but it sure seems to fit. New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller says $20 million in administrative funding for charter schools is next to impossible to track. The Public Education Department says it's a load of politically charged hooey from Keller, who's running for mayor of Albuquerque. Auditors insist the lack of detail about how the public money is spent at charter schools makes their case. 

Changing faces at UNM
The president is out, and so, too, is his chosen spokeswoman. Former TV anchor Dianne Anderson is leaving her position at UNM. It was recently redesigned and stands to undergo another makeover after Anderson leaves. The UNM Health Sciences Center may also see a departure, as its executive director of communication and marketing, Billy Sparks, announced he's contemplating retirement. Both positions were part of a communications shakeup that brought the medical arm of the university more closely under the main campus.

New rules, dark money
Today is the final public hearing for proposed campaign finance rules. Offered by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, the new guidelines would force some dark money groups that choose to spend money in elections to disclose their donors. Such a move would let voters see who has skin in the game. A coalition of mainly conservative and libertarian groups opposes the measure.

Last howl
Thousands of comments on a proposed recovery plan for the Mexican gray wolf made their way to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the final hours before the deadline for the public to voice its opinion. A new plan is due by the end of November. The State Game Commission supports the plan, though as SFR explained recently, many argue it's half-baked.

Thanks for reading! The Word wonders why it took us so long to discover baking soda as the perfect cleaning agent.

Subscribe to the Morning Word at sfreporter.com/santafe/signup.

Santa Fe Reporter