Governor committed to an accurate 2020 Census

Stakes are high to get it right

We've mentioned before that US Census participation in New Mexico is both vital in securing federal funds and difficult to guarantee due to our state's lack of reliable roads, infrastructure and internet. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced a goal to count every single New Mexican in 2020, pledging $3.5 million in state funds to achieve that end. SFR reported earlier this month that insiders say even a 1% population undercount could result in $23 million in lost federal funding. The gov says that an estimated 43% of the state's 2 million-plus residents live in "hard to count" areas, and a new commission will work with immigrant rights groups and Indigenous tribes to make sure everyone is counted.

We need more

Even though Santa Fe Public Schools are getting an additional $7.1 million this year thanks to legislative decisions related to the Yazzie-Martinez case, which established that New Mexico was not fulfilling its obligation to properly educate its kids, our school district still predicts it's going to be short on funds next year and programs will have to be cut. Around $6.7 million of the $7.1 million "extra" money SFPS is getting will go to mandatory teacher and staff raises, and the leftovers just aren't enough to float the district comfortably, leaving schools at a $2.3 million deficit ($).

Just doing my job

A mail carrier in Albuquerque was killed by a teenager along his route this week. When the mailman, Joze Hernandez, came upon teen 17-year-old Xavier Zamora having a fight with his mother, Hernandez tried to intervene; Zamora shot and killed him. Zamora is still at large, and is sought by federal authorities ($), due to Hernandez' job as a federal government employee. A fellow postal worker said of Hernandez, "We lost one of our good buddies. … His co-workers loved him; they still love him."

Fine dining merger

The owner of Coyote Café, that beloved Water Street institution with killer cocktails and the best rooftop patio around, has purchased fellow beloved institution Santacafé ($), and is closing it temporarily for renovations. New owner Quinn Stephenson says he plans to carefully change up the bathrooms, bar and point-of-sale system, and hopes to be open again by June, but has made no promises.

Love for the mountains

The wee village of Jemez Springs received a nod from Men's Journal recently, named one of the magazine's 50 best spring getaways. The mountain town is indeed a hidden gem, but we knew that; this Friday also starts the multi-day Jemez Springs Spring Paintout, which features plein air painters fanning out all over the gorgeous valley to capture the vistas on canvas. You can visit the painters while they work, and an art show of the works opens May 4. Head on up; the weather's supposed to be beautiful for a few days.

Just when I think I’m out …

The mayor of the tiny town of Logan, New Mexico, has a spotty past. Voters knew about his history of teaming up with a con man (or a "film-flam furnace man," as anchor Larry Barker says), working as an electrician without a license and being asked to resign as mayor when they re-elected him, but still, KRQE took another look this week. Mayor David Babb maintains that he was helping his village and that his constituents appreciate the work he did. The state disagrees, and has changed him with another misdemeanor for contracting without a license.

On the up & up

Tuition at the University of New Mexico is taking a leap. The Daily Lobo's Danielle Prokop reports that the 3.1% tuition hike will go toward paying professors more, and that the Board of Regents believes that students value their profs enough that the hike, which will amount to anywhere from about $330 to $630 per year depending on courseload, should be understandable.

Lookin’ good, Taos

Headed to the Taos Vortex festival in August this year? Meow Wolf sold out of early bird tickets before it even announced the musical acts, and yesterday, they finally made said announcement. It's a doozie. The acts are awesome and the rest of the tickets, accordingly, shouldn't last long. Get on it if you want to go.

Thanks for reading! The Word believes that poetry is the queen of literature.