Speed determined a factor in February crash

Excessive speed

No charges will be filed in the case of the Feb. 22 crash that killed a father and son at the corner of St. Francis and Hickox. Santa Fe police have determined that excessive speed was the culprit ($ TNM), but that the speeder is also one of the deceased; investigating officers say Dominic Archuleta was traveling at an estimated 63 miles an hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone. Both Archuleta and his son Jeremiah died as a result of the crash.

Tell someone

Victims and survivors of alleged clergy sexual abuse have until 5 pm on Monday June 17 to file their accusations in order to be included in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe's bankruptcy proceedings, and more than 200 more people are coming forward. Attorney Cammie Nichols of Rothstein Donatelli LLP, who is representing some of the survivors, says that the time crunch can be stressful for folks who aren't sure if they want to talk about the abuse yet, but she strongly encourages people to reach out as soon as possible.

No re-do’s

There's a new cop-based reality show in the neighborhood, and Santa Fe is front and center. Turns out it's actually not very interesting, though. Live PD is an A&E feature that is exactly what it sounds like: live broadcasts from police departments around the country, so it includes a lot of humdrum traffic stops and drawn-out interviews. If it feels like a strange invasion of privacy, it kind of is, and a few cities have said "No thanks." Lt. Sean Strahon of SFPD, however, says that people are always wanting body-cam footage, and that's basically what this is, so be careful what you wish for. Only, you know, this is on national TV, and readily available without a public records request.

Gotcha

Albuquerque has CrimeStoppers to thank for catching one of the motorcyclists who allegedly vandalized a rainbow crosswalk. The Pride-themed crosswalk, which cost $30,000, had a few of its colored stripes damaged, and they will cost $1,700 to replace. A bystander caught the brazen vandalism on video, and a number of people called police to identify 31-year-old Anthony Morgan as the rider who spun his tires so hard that one of them popped. Detectives then matched photos on Morgan's Instagram to videos of the incident.

Up it

The New Mexico Department of Health will consider permanently raising the plant cap for growers of medicinal cannabis. The current official cap is 450 plants, though a temporary emergency rule aimed to combat supply shortages has increased it to 2,500 plants for now. The proposed change would set the number of plants allowed per grower at 1,750. Insiders expect a spike in patient numbers due to recent approval of opioid addiction as a qualifying condition.

Baseless claims

In a long-form investigative piece from Searchlight New Mexico, writer Ed Williams looks at what happens when schools call CYFD for false alarms. The idea of "better safe than sorry" works well when the consequences of being wrong aren't so harsh. The story opens with the case of Christy Cartwright, a Carrizozo resident who believes her conflicts with school administration led to retaliation in the form of baseless accusations of child abuse.

It’s a fahr

A wildfire in Albuquerque's foothills has burned about 25 acres. What has been dubbed the Elena Gallegos Fire is burning near the Michael Emery Trailhead near Tramway and Academy, and was reported around 6 pm yesterday evening. A second unrelated fire broke out at a warehouse/recycling center last night about an hour later. Causes of both fires are under investigation.

More of the same

Did you like yesterday's weather? Yes? Well, good for you, you'll get more of it today. Santa Fe is expected to hit around 80 degrees again. Yesterday the airport clocked us all the way at 88 degrees, so it may be a little cooler thanks to a cold front last night, but it's still downright balmy.

Thanks for reading! The Word sure did enjoy a free community poetry workshop last night. Maybe you should go to it next week.