Jailed

In jail

A Bernalillo County judge decided to keep the parents of a 7-year-old girl in jail until trial. They're charged with abusing and prostituting her. The judge said the girl's father used intimidation and acted so reprehensibly that it called into question his ability to follow instructions of the court, were Judge Alisa Hart to release him. The allegations have shone a spotlight on the Children, Youth and Families Department, which had been repeatedly asked to investigate the case.

APS booted teacher for giving student a sex toy

Albuquerque Public Schools got rid of a long-term substitute teacher only after a parent complained that the 57-year-old man had given a 14-year-old student at Jimmy Carter Middle School a vibrator as a birthday gift. The parent also said the school knew and did nothing about it. The district reassigned the principal and vice principal after the incident, but has refused for months to speak publicly about what happened.

BLM considers drilling near Carlsbad Caverns

The caverns in the southeast part of our state are big. Huge. The Word hasn't been there, but has heard many people say this. Is it true? The Word doesn't know, but people are saying it. What is true, however, is that the Bureau of Land Management is considering a September lease sale for drilling rights near the caverns. Sen. Tom Udall and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who once wore cowboy hats together to bond, had a brief exchange over the matter at a hearing last week. Udall has pushed back over Chaco Canyon drilling leases, too. Zinke says there are some places "too sensitive" to drill.

Just one more

The city of Santa Fe once again missed its deadline to submit an independent audit of its financial records. That's an annual task. This marks the fourth time ($) Santa Fe has asked for an extension as it tries to get a handle on its finances. The mayor says it should be ready by May 24.

We’re rolling

It's Bike Week. Not Bike to Work Week, just Bike Week. Santa Fe recently dropped the qualifier on its annual two-wheeled tradition and has fully embraced the panoply of community-driven events, while also injecting some city government ideas into the mix. As Elizabeth Miller reports in this week's Enthusiast column, there have been some bumps in the road for the heavily used Rail Trail, a project that's not yet complete.

Vote or die?

That's the message on T-shirts sold by a group called Everybody Votes at various events around Bernalillo County. But while Gen. John Stark (that's not a GoT reference) might demand the right to live free or die, the Democratic Party's county chair isn't wild about the slogan. He says it's offensive and has forbidden the group from selling T-shirts at county Democratic Party events.

NMSU signs top JUCO recruits 

The New Mexico State men's basketball team continues to attempt to cement its place as the state's best college basketball program. The Aggies announced the signing of a second top 10 junior college transfer yesterday ($).

Well, could it?

There's not a news organization around that hasn't done a "could it happen here" story, so we're not casting stones, but KOB-TV dove into the lava pit last night and found that, yes, a Hawaii-style eruption is possible here. Or we could be off by about 1,000 years. The most likely spot? Hard to say, but Socorro and Belen might be the first to get a bit bubbly. Cheers!
 
Thanks for reading! The Word is in awe of the take-no-prisoners style of molten rock. It's quite something.

Spread the Word! Forward this and subscribe to our other newsletters at sfreportercom/signup.

The dollar signs ($) are links that require a paid subscription to the news source.