Presidential rally sees 9,000-plus attendees

No fake news here

The president's visit to Rio Rancho yesterday sparked protests, but nothing violent or fiery ($ TNM) like his last visit to the state. Inside the Santa Ana Star Center, the president said that "a vote for any Democrat in 2020 is a vote for radical socialism" and said he plans to flip New Mexico from blue to red in next year's election. A few hundred protesters gathered outside and at a counter-rally in Albuquerque, in contrast to the 9,000 people inside the rally; some groups who had planned to protest bowed out, and instead issued warnings on social media that those actions didn't feel safe for people of color, queer folks and women/femme-presenting people.

Can’t buy access

It's a pretty common practice for politicians to sit down to dinner at parties that cost a few hundred dollars a head. Some people even sum it up as buying access to power. Shocking. A New Mexico PR firm used those words when encouraging bids for an auction of one such party, but Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office ain't having it. "That kind of language, even in a salesmanship type of context, is troubling and inappropriate, because that's not what dinner with the governor entails," said Lujan Grisham's spokesman Tripp Stelnicki.

Honoring the helpers

Speaking of the gov, yesterday she presented the first-ever Governor's Humanitarian Award to Deming and Luna County in those jurisdictions' efforts to aid migrants and asylum seekers sent into New Mexico from our southern border.

Casted

SFR has just released the second installment in our new podcast series, which takes a look at the review of police shootings in New Mexico, where officers have killed more people by population than in any other state three of the past four years. Click that link up there to give a listen, or find us on iTunes and Spotify too.

Santa Fe River victim identified

Cops have identified the man found dead in De Vargas Park on Sunday as 37-year-old Aaron Chapman, who they believe was experiencing homelessness. There are no suspects in Santa Fe's fifth homicide of the year.

Give it away now

The Albuquerque Journal reported over the weekend that Jeffrey Epstein, infamous and now-deceased pedophile and sex trafficker who owned a ranch south of Santa Fe, donated a combined $275,000 to science research and education center the Santa Fe Institute. His most recent donation was in 2010, in an amount of $25,000. SFI now says it is working on a plan ($ TNM) to donate that $25,000 "to an appropriate charity that would help victims of sexual violence, abuse or trafficking."

Carve it up

The most important news of the day comes from Los Alamos, where they're gearing up to break a world record next month. As long as 1,300 people or more gather downtown on October 26 to carve jack-o-lanterns, the record will be beat; tickets cost a measley $5 or $7 and include a big pumpkin to take home. Is the Word just a huge dork, or does this sound like the most fun thing ever?

Mop it up

We're looking at a high of 77 today and chances of more rain, so bring your umbrella and your sweat-rag (that humidity yesterday, amirite?).

Thanks for reading! The Word really does love carving pumpkins, even if she does find Halloween to be the worst holiday of the year. Bring out the PSLs, it's fall-time!