In This Together

Students across New Mexico walk out of class in response to school shootings

United, for a moment

Students across Santa Fe, the state and the country walked out of class yesterday to voice their anger, heartbreak and frustration over continued school shootings. Santa Fe's school district supported the protest, as did many districts across New Mexico. Rio Rancho, apparently, did not.

Getting to work

New Mayor Alan Webber isn't wasting time shaking things up at the city. The newly elected full-time mayor has new power and is exercising it. He's asked all senior staff at the city to reapply for their jobs and has solicited applications from supporters and others. He also ran his first City Council meeting last night, which featured three new councilors and a flock of frustrated bicyclists who asked that the city take their safety seriously. Webber was just about the last guy to leave City Hall after the meeting and seems to enjoy his new job.

Council plans to meet on Southside

New District 3 City Councilor Roman Abeyta suggested the council hold its next meeting at the Southside Library. The idea was brought up by former councilor and mayoral candidate Ron Trujillo during the campaign and praised by Webber. Abeyta, who delivered a strong promise to prioritize the southern parts of the city during his inaugural speech, made the suggestion last night, which the council approved unanimously. The meeting is March 28.

No for Noble

Kate Noble finished third in her first citywide race, losing her mayoral bid to both Webber and Trujillo. On the heels of a well-supported, but unsuccessful attempt, Noble tried to win the president's seat on the Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education, where she's a member. She didn't win ($) and didn't get reelected to her seat as board secretary. The board was also less than enthused by another member's decision to seek another office, as Rudy Garcia announced a run for county commissioner.

Opioid epidemic hits tribes hardest

Over a 16-year period encompassing the first part of this century, Native American communities saw their rate of opioid overdose deaths increase 500 percent. That's more than any other subset measured by the federal government, and it's probably an undercount due to racial misidentification on death certificates.

Peter D drops out

Santa Fean Peter DeBenedittis, who's represented himself as the true progressive choice in the Democratic race for governor, has decided to officially call it quits. It's not a huge surprise, as DeBenedittis told his supporters at this month's pre-primary nominating convention to vote for Jeff Apodaca. DeBenedittis had struggled to take his message statewide.

Blow me down

It's going to be a windy day across the state, with 20-30 mph winds expected this afternoon and evening. There's a decent chance of rain and snow, too, which wasn't on the radar earlier this week and is a good example of why meteorologists have jobs. It will still stay warm today, with highs in Santa Fe near 60 and cooling a touch tomorrow.

Thanks for reading! The Word didn't really forget about spring winds, but more hoped that they'd settle down until April or so.

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