Santa Fe schools to test water fixtures

Drink up

Some water fixtures in Albuquerque schools have recently been tested and found to contain lead. A similar voluntary testing program exists in Santa Fe, and Superintendent Veronica Garcia says that SFPS will be conducting the same kinds of tests soon. However, the district noted that in recent years it has performed other types of tests on its schools' water and air quality and found no adverse conditions.

Eat up

Kids in need of lunch this summer can take advantage of a program at Franklin Miles Park and other locations around the city that offer free meals to students and reduced-price sustenance to adults. SFR has the scoop on when and where..

Road closure

A couple near I-25's Villanueva exit in San Miguel County has blocked access to a private road that has long been used for Santa Fe National Forest access, and neighbors are not so pleased. Folks in the area say they have used the road for years to go horseback riding, hiking, gathering pinon nuts and other outdoor activities, but new area property owners, Jordan and Meleah Hosea, say that they have found too much trash and hypodermic needles to keep allowing their countrymen to use their road to access the public lands. Needless to say, it's a contentious situation.

Other claims

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe is going bankrupt, and survivors of sexual assault have been encouraged to come forward with their stories—but that isn't all that folks are suing the church for. Claims regarding injuries and defamation ($ TNM) are also in the bankruptcy inbox. Lawyers say that more than 200 claims related to sexual abuse by clergy members have been filed, and "a handful" are not related to sexual abuse, including one in which a former pastor says he "was humiliated by the Catholic institution, forced to live in unsanitary conditions, covered in feces and urine, and prevented from exposing an embezzlement scheme."

Look out below

A woman who was struck by a falling tree branch at an after-hours party at the ABQ BioPark Zoo on Thursday is in satisfactory condition. The city's Cultural Services Department said that the zoo is vigilant about keeping its cottonwoods healthy and safe for visitors and animals alike; this incident follows one in 2014 in which a camel was killed by a falling branch.

Once upon a time

In happier news out of ABQ, the city's first Drag Queen Storytime at the main public library drew about 250 people. Attending parents said it's a great opportunity not only to remind parents of the importance of being yourself and self-expression; it also allows children who may be questioning their sexuality or gender assignment to see someone who could inspire them to express themselves accordingly. One perhaps not-so-great role model who caused a disruptive scene was removed from the library.

Who did it

A Chamisal man being held on suspicion of murder says he's not the culprit—the victim is. Dominic Arguello (32) says that he did not shoot his brother, Shane Arguello (30), on May 23, and that Shane was suicidal and shot himself ($ TN). Crime scene investigators say that the evidence doesn't support that story; for example, the angle at which Shane was shot in the chest would be unlikely to result from a self-inflicted wound.

Goodbye, farewell

A Plaza mainstay will vend there no more. Cliff Mills' tinted historic photographic prints have made him a fixture on Palace Avenue ($ TNM) since 1996, but after a fall and a hospitalization, he says he is moving to Las Cruces to be closer to his family. Mills has sold colorized photographs from his family archives, and enjoyed telling buyers the history behind each one.

Thanks for reading! The Word spent yesterday in Alamogordo and its nearly 100-degree heat, and thus is thankful for the weather in the 80s we should be getting today (though that's still a little toasty for comfort).