Santa Fe police officer dies in chase of suspected kidnapper - Associated Press
A Santa Fe police officer died in a car crash Wednesday while chasing a suspect who allegedly kidnapped a woman, authorities said.
Police said the suspect survived the multi car crash Wednesday on Interstate 25 and several law enforcement agencies were searching for the man.
The name of the officer who died was being withheld until his relatives could be notified.
Police said a kidnapping was reported about 11 a.m. at an apartment complex where a man armed with a knife allegedly stole a vehicle occupied by a woman.
Officers unsuccessfully tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver got onto I-25.
Police said a crash ensued involving at least four vehicles — two Santa Fe Patrol Units, the fleeing vehicle and an uninvolved vehicle.
They said a Santa Fe police officer and a motorist died in the crash, but the suspect fled the scene.
The kidnapping victim managed to exit the vehicle and was transported to a hospital. Her name also wasn't immediately released.
Police were asking area residents to stay in their homes as they searched for the suspect.
Mikaela McCray, a hostess at a restaurant near the crash scene, said the highway was full of police vehicles including at least one helicopter overhead.
Official: New Mexico to remain vigilant amid virus respite - Associated Press
New Mexico's top health official said Wednesday that the state is transitioning into a new phase of the coronavirus pandemic but that it will remain vigilant in case of another surge.
Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase told reporters during a virtual briefing that there has been a precipitous drop in cases and hospitalizations over recent weeks and that hospitals are seeing relief. He pointed to more available beds but noted that the state still needs to do more to build up its nursing workforce.
Scrase said part of the state's focus has been on ensuring that residents have the tools they need — from testing options to access to early treatments — so they can weather future outbreaks and avoid hospitalization.
"I'm hoping that we can find a way to empower every New Mexican to do this so that mandates won't be necessary," he said.
While New Mexico recently ended its mask mandate for most indoor spaces, public health requirements imposed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham early on in the pandemic spurred much criticism from the parents of schoolchildren, business owners and others. The mandates also prompted numerous legal challenges, but state officials have defended their handling of the pandemic.
Scrase said New Mexico supports the latest guidance from the federal government that outlines community risk levels based on factors such as how many people have been admitted to local hospitals in the last week and how many new COVID-19 cases a county has had in the last week.
The latest map shows 10 of New Mexico's counties at the high level, with the remaining 23 classified as either low or medium risk.
Harassment complaint against New Mexico legislator advances - Associated Press
An attorney for a woman who alleges she was sexually harassed by a prominent New Mexico state legislator says an investigation by the Legislature is moving forward after an initial vetting of the complaint.
Attorney Levi Monagle on Tuesday said he received confirmation that the harassment complaint is being forwarded to an investigative subcommittee and special counsel.
Monagle is representing political lobbyist Marianna Anaya in her complaint against Democratic Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, chairman of a Senate committee that vets major legislative initiatives and political appointments. Monagle says the harassment complaint filed with the Legislature closely resembles accusations outlined by Anaya in a public letter.
In that letter, Anaya accused Ivey-Soto of groping her at a hotel reception in 2015 and of recent aggressive and disrespectful behavior while discussing proposed legislation over drinks, calling on the lawmaker to resign.
Ivey-Soto said he has no recollection of touching Anaya during the encounter and that his encounters with Anaya over the years were never sexual.
Legislative Council Service Director Raúl Burciaga, lead attorney to the Legislature, declined to confirm or deny Monagle's statements. He said legislative staff are prohibited by law from publicly disclosing any information related to the filing of an ethics complaint unless a finding of probable cause is reached regarding misconduct allegations.
So far in 2022, four complaints of misconduct have been filed against New Mexico legislators. It is unclear who is involved in addition to Anaya's complaint.
The Associated Press generally does not identify people alleging sexual assault, but Anaya has been openly public about her allegations and prior advocacy against harassment.
Anaya in 2017 publicly accused Democratic gubernatorial contender Jeff Apodaca of trying to kiss her on the mouth at a whiffle ball game in Santa Fe that brought together staff from the Democratic Party and a labor union that employed her.
Apodaca's campaign said the accusations were false. There was no official vetting. Apodaca lost in a three-way Democratic primary.
Bill would prohibit US funds for spent nuclear fuel storage - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
U.S. senators from New Mexico and Texas are proposing legislation that could affect efforts by private companies to build temporary storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel from commercial power plants around the U.S. as the federal government has yet identify a permanent solution for the radioactive material.
Democrat Martin Heinrich and Republican Ted Cruz on Wednesday introduced legislation to prohibit federal funds from being used to carry out any activities at private interim storage sites.
Federal regulators already granted a license for one facility in West Texas, and New Jersey-based Holtec International is seeking approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a separate multibillion-dollar facility near the state line in southeastern New Mexico.
Heinrich, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and others have been vocal about their opposition to interim storage, saying their states stand to become a permanent dumping ground.
"That is not something my state is signed up for," Heinrich said in a statement.
Cruz said that while nuclear power is a reliable way to help meet growing energy demands, communities in Texas have concerns.
Until a permanent repository is built, the federal government will continue to be responsible for the costs incurred by the owners of commercial reactors for storing the spent fuel at sites around the country. That liability has been estimated by independent federal auditors at more than $30 billion.
The Government Accountability Office in its report issued last fall stated that congressional action was needed to break an impasse and develop a permanent solution for spent nuclear fuel.
The auditors reported that about 86,000 metric tons of spent fuel is stored at 75 operating or shutdown nuclear power plants in 33 states and that the amount grows by about 2,000 metric tons each year.
The legislation would require the U.S. Energy Department to submit a report on possible locations or a description of a possible siting process for future federal interim storage facilities and repositories.
A companion bill also was being introduced in the U.S. House by Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico and August Pfluger of Texas.
Some nuclear watchdogs have argued that it would be safer to keep the material at the reactor sites rather than shipping it cross-country for temporary storage and then transporting it again if and when a permanent disposal site is created.
Officials with Holtec have argued that the operation would be safe, noting that multilayered transportation casks made of steel and lead would hold the spent fuel and they would be guarded.
The company did not immediately respond to questions about the proposed legislation.
New Mexico lowers cap in interest rates for storefront loans - Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation aimed at underwriting loans to local start-up companies with taxpayer dollars and a consumer protection bill that lowers the maximum interest rate on storefront installment loans of $10,000 or less.
The governor on Tuesday signed legislation that allows the state to dedicate $50 million to future investments in New Mexico-based venture capital projects that can be risky for investors but have the potential for above-average returns.
The bill from Democratic legislators including Reps. Javier Martínez of Albuquerque and Linda Serrato of Santa Fe responds to concerns about New Mexico's ability to retain and attract businesses in early stages of development.
The governor also signed legislation that lowers the maximum interest rate on storefront loans to 36%, down from 175%, with some exceptions for loans of $500 or less.
The bill from legislators including Democratic Rep. Susan Herrera of Embudo also doubles the maximum size of storefront installment loans to $10,000.
Supporters say new restrictions are needed to ensure borrowers don't fall into vicious cycles of debt that contribute to poverty in New Mexico. The new loan restrictions take effect Jan. 1, 2023.
Lujan Grisham, a Democrat seeking reelection in November, has until March 9 to sign legislation including a proposed $8.5 billion state general fund spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1. Leftover bills are automatically vetoed.
New Mexico increases focus on race in K-12 despite backlash - By Cedar Attanasio Associated Press / Report For America
New Mexico's K-12 students will see a greater focus on race and ethnicity, including Native American history, in their curriculum over the next two years under new standards aimed at making social studies teaching more culturally responsive.
The New Mexico Public Education Department recently finalized the changes following months of debate that included pushback from parents worried their kids would be labeled racist. The standards don't mandate specific lessons or textbooks but will require school districts to increase their focus on social identities and understanding the world through the lens of race, class and privilege.
New Mexico is the latest Democratic-led state to approve new public school standards amid a move toward more open discussion of race. As in Washington and New York, the standards require students to identify and articulate their cultural identity starting in elementary school. Ethnic studies will now be part of the high school curriculum, though not required for graduation as in California.
A dozen other states have passed laws to restrict topics related to race and gender over concerns, particularly among the GOP, about "critical race theory," which has become a catch-all term for identity politics in education. In Virginia, the governor is looking to root out all traces of "inherently divisive concepts" some parents believe could make children feel as if they are racist because of their skin color.
In New Mexico, hundreds of parents, teachers and grandparents weighed in for and against the proposed changes last fall. Officials heard public comments in thousands of letters and hundreds of appearances in an all-day Zoom forum.
Supporters backed a closer look at the history of Indigenous communities in the state and more discussion of race and identity at an earlier age.
The final rule, published Feb. 16, rebutted some criticisms about identity and integrated a plea for including personal finance in the curriculum changes.
School districts can begin implementing the new standards next year and will be expected to do so in the fall of 2023.
It's the state's first overhaul of social studies standards since 2009, expanding sections in history, geography, civics, and economics.
The new standards change the way Native American histories are taught. In the coming years, students are more likely to study the state's 23 tribes on their own terms and more in depth. In the past, that history was cursory and focused on comparing and contrasting with European conquerors.
State education officials are also under pressure to make the K-12 school system more relevant to the 11% of students who are Native American, owing in part to an ongoing lawsuit. A court ruled in 2018 that the state isn't meeting the educational needs of Indigenous kids, and the education department has yet to release a plan to address the issues laid out by the court, and faces further litigation.
Alisa Diehl, an education attorney at the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty representing the plaintiffs, calls changes to the social studies standards a "first step toward providing a public education system that takes students' cultures, languages and life experiences into account as required by our statutes and constitution."
Opponents of the new approach expressed fears that children would be labeled as victims or oppressors based on their race.
Some commenters color-coded the entire proposed rule, identifying language that they saw as echoes of critical race theory, including phrases like "unequal power relations," "privilege or systemic inequity," and requirements that students identify their "group identity" starting in kindergarten.
The agency decided to keep that language, and even increased the instances of those terms in an effort to make the language consistent across different sections of the final rule.
The response to those criticisms stated that: "Critical race theory is suited for graduate school-level discussions, and is not contained in the standards."
At the heart of the debate is whether discussing differences in the classroom hardens social divisions or softens them.
Earlier this month, Republicans in the New Mexico Legislature proposed banning critical race theory. They also proposed replacing leadership at the education department, currently appointed by the governor, with an elected board. Both measures failed.
"Whether they fit all the definitions of 'critical race theory' or not, the new standards appear designed to divide New Mexicans by race, ethnicity and economic status," said Paul Gessing, president of the libertarian think tank Rio Grande Foundation.
Authors of the changes say identity has become a more important and more visible aspect of society and needs to be studied.
"It's more like a deep exploration that there are identity differences that exist, and that everybody is not always going to think the same. But the level of respect for everybody's varying opinions is what we want to bring out in the classroom," said Irene Barry, an English teacher in Aztec, New Mexico.
Barry says the biggest changes in the social studies standards are an incremental introduction to social identity from K-12, and the expansion of civics and geography into high school. The previous standards didn't focus on identity and wrapped up geography and civics in middle school.
Education department leaders said removing the language advocated by Barry and other teachers would devalue their work, despite the many objections from the public voiced in comments.
"You want to be respectful of them and their voice and the role they played in creating these (education standards)," said Gwen Perea Warniment, deputy secretary of teaching, learning and assessment for the education department.
In economics, the agency responded to public comments with sweeping changes, adding an entirely new section on personal finance, following a letter campaign backed by a local education policy think tank.
By fifth grade, students can be learning how to track spending and savings. In high school, standards include sections on understanding credit scores, the consequences of credit cards, and ways to build wealth with tools such as stocks, savings and real estate.
"New Mexico now joins the 45 other states that include personal finance in their K-12 education standards, which is an important first step to tackling intergenerational poverty," said Abenicio Baldonado, education reform director for Think New Mexico, which promoted the letter campaign.
Baldonado is advocating for personal finance to be required for high school graduation.
DA warns Doña Ana sheriff on compliance with camera mandate – Las Cruces Sun-News, Associated Press
A Doña Ana County sheriff's deputy didn't wear a required body camera during a shooting incident, prompting the district attorney to warn the sheriff that deputies must comply with the requirement set by state law.
District Attorney Gerald Byers included the warning in a Jan. 31 letter telling Sheriff Kim Stewart that a September non-fatal shooting of a suspect who aimed a rifle at deputies was justified, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
Byers' letter noted that the deputy removed his body camera ahead of the encounter in order to put on body armor and left it behind.
Lack of video could jeopardize prosecutions, Byers said, pointing out that the law says an officer who doesn't comply with the camera requirement "shall be presumed to have acted in bad faith."
Stewart said it was an oversight that the deputy to not put his camera back on after putting on body armor.
"The deputy was in a crisis scenario and removed his everyday vest to put on his tactical vest, which did not have the camera," she said.
Since September 2020, New Mexico law has required law enforcement officers to wear body cameras on duty and to record service calls and encounters with the public.
Harassment complaint against New Mexico legislator advances - Associated Press
An attorney for a woman who alleges she was sexually harassed by a prominent state legislator says an investigation by the Legislature is moving forward after an initial vetting of the complaint.
Attorney Levi Monagle on Tuesday said he received confirmation that the harassment complaint is being forwarded to an investigative subcommittee and special counsel.
Monagle is representing political lobbyist Marianna Anaya in her complaint against Democratic Sen. Ivey-Soto, chairman of a Senate committee that vets major legislative initiatives and political appointments. Monagle says the harassment complaint filed with the Legislature closely resembles accusations outlined by Anaya in a public letter.
In that letter, Anaya accused Ivey-Soto of groping her at a hotel reception in 2015 and of recent aggressive and disrespectful behavior while discussing proposed legislation over drinks, calling on the lawmaker to resign.
Ivey-Soto said he has no recollection of touching Anaya during the encounter and that his encounters with Anaya over the years were never sexual.
Legislative Council Service Director Raúl Burciaga, lead attorney to the Legislature, declined to confirm or deny Monagle's statements. He also said legislative staff are prohibited by law from publicly disclosing any information related to the filing of an ethics complaint until a finding of probable cause regarding misconduct allegations.
So far in 2022, four complaints of misconduct have been filed against New Mexico legislators. It is unclear who is involved in addition to Anaya's complaint.
New Mexico Supreme Court finds stream rule unconstitutional - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court determined Tuesday that a rule allowing private landowners to limit public access to streams and rivers is unconstitutional and contrary to state statute.
The court announced its decision after hearing oral arguments in a case that centered on whether the public has a right to fish or float on streams and other waterways that flow through private property.
While the debate over stream access has been going on across the West for years, the New Mexico court added more clarity with its ruling on a petition filed by a coalition of anglers, rafters and conservationists that argued the public has the constitutional right to fish, boat or use any stream for recreation so long as they do not trespass across private land to get there.
In court filings, the group pointed to similar conclusions reached over the years by courts in Montana, Oregon and Utah.
The group's attorneys argued Tuesday that the issue already had been decided in New Mexico decades earlier in a previous case in which the Supreme Court found the state constitution guarantees that the public has the right to use public waters for fishing and other recreational activities and that the right applies notwithstanding private streambed ownership.
The attorneys said the New Mexico Game Commission, which oversees wildlife conservation and hunting and fishing regulations, overstepped its authority as well as the scope of state statute in crafting a rule that allowed landowners to seek certification to make off limits segments of rivers and streams running through their property.
"It is nearly impossible for most stretches of most rivers in New Mexico for the public to enjoy that public use right guaranteed in the constitution with the rule in effect," Seth Cohen, an attorney for the petitioners, told the court.
The Game Commission voted last August against several landowners who sought to restrict access to streams and rivers crossing their property. An attorney for the property owners said after the decision that his clients' rights were being violated.
Jeremy Harrison, an attorney for the landowners, argued Monday that the anglers and boaters were seeking a broad interpretation of recreational use and the rule established by the commission was meant to clarify the ownership of the land underlying the stream or river segments in question.
Advocates of private property rights have warned that if waterways are opened up, property values will decline and there will be less interest by owners to invest in conserving tracts of land along streams. Some fishing outfitters and guides have said their businesses will be adversely affected.
As part of its decision, the court said previous certificates granted to landowners by the commission would be voided.
Sherry Barrett, chair of the New Mexico Paddlers Coalition, said her group was looking forward to the removal of no trespassing signs, fencing and other dangerous barriers that have prevented paddler access to the upper Pecos and Chama rivers.
"Paddlers have enjoyed recreational use of these rivers for decades and look forward to continued exploration of New Mexico's waterways," she said.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and others have been outspoken against limiting access to what they say are public waters.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is running for reelection, has been careful to walk the line on the stream access issue. Some critics say that's because of political campaign contributions by wealthy landowners, but her office has argued that the statute and the rule that led to the fight predates Lujan Grisham's administration.
It's unclear whether there will be any pressure for the Game Commission, which is appointed by the governor, to take up the matter again and rewrite the rule in light of the Supreme Court's decision.
Aaron Wolf, an attorney for the Game Commission, acknowledged during questioning by the court that he believed the rule as it stood was unconstitutional and that the matter was of great public importance.
"I think private ownership of land that covers waterways is increasing dramatically in New Mexico," he said. "Many out-of-state people are buying up large parts of property and to me the larger issue is creating a reasonable balance between the public in New Mexico and the private ownership."
New Mexico governor asked to stand up to more nuclear waste - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
A coalition of environmentalists and nuclear watchdogs on Tuesday delivered more than 1,000 petition signatures to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asking her to take all steps necessary to stop any expansion of the federal government's nuclear repository in southeastern New Mexico.
Dozens of people gathered at the state Capitol because they are concerned about the potential for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to be a disposal site for diluted plutonium.
They said the dump was never intended for that type of radioactive waste.
The underground repository currently takes in special boxes and barrels packed with low-level waste that consists of lab coats, rubber gloves, tools and debris contaminated with plutonium and other radioactive elements.
The repository was carved out of an ancient salt formation about a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) below the surface, with the idea that the shifting salt would eventually entomb the radioactive waste left from decades of bomb-making and nuclear weapons research.
In the petition, the group raises concerns about diluted plutonium being shipped across the country and through New Mexico. They also point out that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is the federal government's only underground repository and that New Mexico stands to serve as the nation's dumping ground without the development of other disposal sites.
The speakers at Tuesday's demonstration ran the gamut from a third-generation cattle rancher to a Santa Fe County commissioner. A group called Veterans for Peace flew a white-dove flag.
The governor's office said Tuesday that Lujan Grisham has been in contact with U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and has relayed the concerns New Mexicans have.
"This citizen petition highlights the frustration of New Mexicans with DOE's Environmental Management program," said Nora Meyers Sackett, a spokeswoman for the governor. "We fully expect the Department of Energy to meaningfully engage with stakeholders in New Mexico communities on this issue."
Sackett also pointed to previous criticisms made by New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney about a lack of transparency regarding the plutonium plan and waste shipments to WIPP more generally.
Lujan Grisham also has voiced opposition to a separate proposal that calls the temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel from commercial power plants at a planned private multibillion-dollar facility in southern New Mexico.
In that case, the governor and members of the state's congressional delegation have written letters and submitted public comments against storing the spent fuel in the state because the federal government has yet to come up with a plan for permanent disposal of the material.
In December 2020, the Energy Department indicated that it would begin drafting an environmental impact statement as one of the first steps toward diluting and disposing of plutonium left over from the Cold War.
The notice states that processing the material would be necessary to reduce radioactivity enough for the waste to be accepted at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The work would involve shipping the material from the Pantex Plant in Texas to Los Alamos National Laboratory, where it would be turned into a powder, and then to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, where it would be further diluted, and then back to New Mexico for disposal.
New Mexico Gov. signs education bills, $10k teacher raise - By Cedar Attanasio Associated Press / Report For America
New Mexico's governor signed four bills into law that will increase funding for education, including major hikes to teacher salaries.
Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham held the ceremony Tuesday outdoors at an elementary school in Santa Fe, following the passage of the bills by the Legislature last month.
Flanked by schoolchildren and the national leader of a teacher's union, she signed one bill that will increase teacher and counselor salary minimums by $10,000.
"We have to pay our educators a salary that is commensurate with their incredible ... experience, education and the fact that they are working more than full time supporting their students," Lujan Grisham said.
Currently, teachers make at least $40,000 when they start out, $50,000 after additional training and experience, and $60,000 when they pass an intensive master teacher certification.
Increases in teacher pay and benefits come as the state seeks to fill 1,000 teaching positions, with about 5% of classrooms short of a licensed educator. Stopgap measures have ranged from having teaching assistants run classes to deploying around 80 National Guard soldiers to serve as substitutes.
Starting teachers and counselors earning a minimum salary would benefit the most, with a 22% raise.
The teacher raise bill faced no opposition in the Legislature last month, and Lujan Grisham mentioned at least one Republican lawmaker in a long list of thank-yous.
Many school workers, from nurses to janitors to those who already earn more than the minimum, won't benefit from that measure. But Lujan Grisham is expected to sign another bill that, after deducting increases in minimum salaries, will ensure all school workers at least 7% more than income than they earn now.
Grisham, who is running for reelection this year, is also set to approve a $15 minimum wage for school and state workers.
At the elementary school, Lujan Grisham also signed bills aimed at supporting teachers in training and luring retirees back to the classroom.
A teacher training program will increase to $35,000 a salary for aspiring teachers serving in classrooms during their final year of school. It also creates a stipend for teachers and principals who work with them as mentors.
A third bill she signed adds $100 million to a teacher pension fund over three years. A fourth bill makes it easier for teachers to return to the classroom after they retire, reducing the cooling-off period from one year to just three months, the length of a summer break.
One recently retired teacher, Rep. Debra Sariñana, D-Albuquerque, attended the bill signing. She said her old high school is asking her to come back, and she's weighing that against spending more time with her grandchildren.
Pressure mounts for language services at New Mexico agencies - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
New Mexico welfare agencies are coming under new pressure from a federal judge and state lawmakers to expand translation and oral interpretation services to minority households that don't speak English or Spanish.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation Tuesday requiring that major state agencies study the need for additional language assistance services and report back to the governor and Legislature. A companion bill would dedicate about $110,000 to the effort.
Advocacy groups for immigrants and Indigenous populations also are highlighting a federal court order to expand language services under the state Human Services Department. The agency oversees food stamp and Medicaid benefits and must change its automated phone system within 30 days to offer access to benefits in additional languages including Navajo, also known as Diné.
Sovereign Hager, legal director of the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, said census data shows that there are large numbers of New Mexico residents who speak Vietnamese, languages from China, and Navajo that meet the threshold in federal law that requires the state to translate documents into those languages.
U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Gonzales, at a court hearing Friday, affirmed the obligation of state agencies to identify languages spoken by families trying to access food and medical assistance and provide oral interpretation services.
The judge largely rejected arguments by the Human Services Department that the agency already provides meaningful language access to people with limited English proficiency beyond Spanish.
Gonzales gave the agency 30 days to add short wording in various languages to Medicaid notices to note the availability of expanded language assistance.
"They just need that point of access," Hager said. "Then they can complete an application like anyone else."
Officials with the Human Service Department had no immediate comment on the court order.
The court noted that the Human Services Department lacks adequate data to determine if more language services are needed to administer federal food benefits, ordering the agency to survey the state in coming months for small clusters of households that speak in Indigenous or foreign languages.
Sachi Watase, executive director of the New Mexico Asian Family Center, said she expects to see expanded access to certified interpreters in a variety of languages.
"We're really proud and excited to see this happening now," she said. "It's also really sad that it has taken so long and so many people have fallen through the gaps."
*This version corrects a list of languages that appear to be spoken in large enough numbers to require translation documents to include Vietnamese, languages from China, and Navajo. The list from Hager did not specifically include Mandarin, Cantonese, Dari and Arabic.