Sunspotting

Observatory opens after security threat

Observe and report

After a week-plus of unexplained inactivity at the solar observatory south of Cloudcroft, the facility reopened yesterday. The FBI shut the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot (that's the name of the town and the facility) earlier this month and has said as little as possible about its actions since then. The group that runs the Sunspot Observatory has started open up and plans a news conference ($) later this week.

Live/work

A proposal to build housing for entry-level teachers on Santa Fe Public Schools property ($) failed to break ground at last night's school board meeting. Two board members were absent, which meant "no" votes from Maureen Cashmon and Kate Noble were enough to defeat Steven Carrillo's idea to build condominiums for new teachers. Cashmon felt it amounted to an unfair bonus for new teachers and Noble worried it was too narrow and relied too much on school district personnel who may equipped to handle housing development.

Citizens of Santa Fe

Backed by a $25,000 grant over the next two years, Somos Un Pueblo Unido and the mayor's office hope to lead many of the city's legal immigrants to citizenship. There are 4,000 of them, and the America is Home award from the group Cities for Citizenship will helps with a series of efforts geared toward naturalization.

Sounds different

There's a shakeup at Santa Fe's Frogville Records, which is parting ways with longtime engineer and producer Bill Palmer, who's off to do his own thing. Owner John Treadwell says he'll keep the doors open at the Santa Fe institution through the end of the year, but he, too, isn't certain what comes next. The studio has churned out album after album for local artists.

Settled

The state of New Mexico paid out more than $5 million in settled lawsuits last year. The payouts from the state's Risk Management Division often involve employee issues or medical claims, according to an Albuquerque Journal analysis. The division relishes its secrecy, some of which is mandated by a six-month gag rule about settlements under state law, though open government attorneys say the state chooses to interpret that timeline broadly.

Trump approval

President Donald Trump's job approval numbers in New Mexico are low. The Albuquerque Journal's latest poll shows 38 percent of New Mexicans think Trump is doing a good job. That contrasts against a 54 percent disapproval mark. Both numbers are worse than President Obama's at this point in his presidency, when Democrats lost a stunning mid-term election in 2010 that flipped control of the House of Representatives.

Fair game

The New Mexico State Fair put a bow on its 2018 run yesterday, but left behind are more than memories. Hundreds of understandable and unexplainable items end up in the lost and found at Expo New Mexico. Is that one stirrup in the picture? Wouldn't you just ride in circles?

NOW about this?

If only there were something relevant going on to really bring home the importance of the National Organization for Women and the Noise for NOW concerts. Oh well. It'll still probably be a heckuva night at the Santa Fe Opera as St. Vincent and Andrew Bird ply their trade. It ain't cheap, but it's for a good cause.

Thanks for reading! The Word is back on the pumpkin thing. It may have to be sweeter this time. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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