Heinrich says $2.5 billion in aid for northern NM fire victims major step in restoring region – By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
New Mexico’s senior United States Senator said he expects the $2.5 billion in compensation for victims of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire will go a long way toward revitalizing a 500-square-mile section of northern New Mexico and life for those in it.
The United States Senate on Thursday voted to approve a short-term spending bill that funds the government and other priorities, including the billions for New Mexicans hurt by the biggest fire in state history. The bill is expected to sail through the House of Representatives and to be signed by President Joe Biden before the Oct. 1 deadline.
Heinrich, in a brief virtual news conference after the vote, said the compensation program is likely the biggest of its kind and was necessary given that the federal government was liable: The United States Forest Service, after all, ignited the colossal fire.
In the last days and hours of negotiations, he and other members of the congressional delegation worked to convince colleagues that it must be included and included now, instead of kicked down the road into other spending bills or legislation.
Even though he touted the $2.5 billion as a historic win for the victims, he said it’s possible it won’t go far enough. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is in charge of spending the $2.5 billion, estimated a full restoration might require $5 billion, Heinrich said.
“If we need to go back to our colleagues and future funding cycles, whether that’s at the end of the year, or in the coming appropriations bill, we’re not going to be shy about doing that,” he said. “But first and foremost, we need to get this setup well, and get the money flowing into the community.”
Once it is enacted, FEMA will have 45 days to establish rules and procedures. It could take several weeks after that to get the program running, Heinrich said, and he did not provide an estimate about when the first payments might be made.
“We’re going to be riding herd on that first 45 days to make sure that when they publish, it’s a program that makes sense for this particular community, because this funding is specific to this fire in these communities,” he said. “… We want to make sure this gets set up right to begin with, and then we want to start pushing the money out with the right safeguards.”
Many residents in the burn scar have complained about slow or inadequate responses by FEMA on a number of fronts, including acequia restoration, ongoing fire-related flooding, lack of housing, high denial rates and unnecessary bureaucracy. Heinrich said he thinks congressional oversight and this new program will finally give FEMA the right tools to compensate victims of the fire.
Heinrich has also co-sponsored a separate bill aimed at improving FEMA’s wildfire response.
Still, he said he is confident that FEMA will be able to administer the $2.5 billion effectively.
“FEMA doesn’t have a challenge spending resources. They have a cultural challenge around, historically, they weren’t really expected to incorporate the Western fire-then-flood scenarios into their disaster management,” he said. “And they still have a long way to go to prove that they can do that as well as we want them to, but they are also the only game in town.”
Kathryn Mahan believes her home in Las Dispensas was the first of more than 500 destroyed by the escaped prescribed burn that became the Hermits Peak wildfire in early April. She sought help from FEMA but was denied because the agency erroneously determined that her home was safe to occupy, even though it was only ashes and debris, among other incorrect reasons.
She eventually got the full compensation amount from FEMA – $40,000 – after a report by Source New Mexico and intervention by U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez.
Mahan told Source New Mexico that news of billions coming to her area was a big relief.
“That’s really exciting,” she said. “… We were trying to have faith that this would happen.”
She and her family were considering moving out of state to avoid the harsh winter in their temporary housing, which is not insulated. Some cash soon might keep them in New Mexico, she said.
“It’s not winter-ready,” she said. “So the idea that we could actually live there the whole time would be really exciting.”
She did have some trepidation hearing that FEMA is the lead agency.
“I’m not sure who else would administer it,” she said. “We would hope that they would be able to do this a little more smoothly than what happened before. Our first reaction wasn’t, ‘Oh great! They were so great to work with last time.’”
But she said she remains hopeful. It’s a quality she says many of her neighbors have shown over the last few months, despite the circumstances.
New Mexico Senate Rules Committee chair Ivey-Soto resigns - Associated Press
Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, who has been accused of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior, resigned his position Thursday as chair of the New Mexico Senate Rules Committee.
In a one-page resignation letter to Senate Democratic leadership, Ivey-Soto said he didn't want to be a distraction to the work of the Senate or harm it as an institution.
The letter didn't directly mention the allegations against Ivey-Soto, which he has vigorously denied.
Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart removed Ivey-Soto from his position as chairman of the New Mexico Finance Authority interim committee on Saturday.
She also wanted Ivey-Soto to step down from the Senate Rules Committee but didn't have the power to remove him from that post unilaterally.
Ivey-Soto's four-year term representing a portion of northeast Albuquerque runs through the end of 2024.
Stewart said she was "relieved and pleased" that Ivey-Soto stepped down.
"Today marks a difficult but important step in the right direction for the State Senate and our caucus," Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth said.
Groups: Retaliation after migrants report detention center - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
Migrants held by U.S. authorities at a detention center in rural New Mexico have endured retaliation rather than aid after reporting unsanitary conditions at the government-contracted jail, a coalition of civil rights advocacy groups said Wednesday.
A public letter signed this week by at least a dozen migrants within the Torrance County Detention Facility describes broken plumbing, insect infestations, insufficient access to medical care and rationed bottles of drinking water.
A companion complaint Wednesday to the office of civil rights at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security documents retaliation, including restrictions on access to legal representation and a falsified accusation of misconduct against an immigrant under the Prison Rape Elimination Act.
The new complaint adds to concerns raised in August by the coalition — which includes the American Civil Liberties Union, Innovation Law Lab, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center and the El Paso, Texas-based Justice for Our Neighbors — drawing on information from interviews with scores of migrants at the center.
The Torrance County Detention Facility, privately operated by CoreCivic, is among about 130 detention centers used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold migrants while their immigration cases are reviewed, though in many cases it allows people to remain free under monitoring.
Representatives for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately return messages seeking comment. However, officials with CoreCivic disputed the allegations, saying the migrants were making false claims about conditions at the lockup.
Matthew Davio, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, said the detention center is monitored closely by ICE and is required to undergo regular reviews and audits to ensure an appropriate standard of living for all detainees. He also said ICE employs a compliance officer to ensure the detention center adheres to the agency's strict standards and policies.
Orlando de los Santos Evangelista, a 39-year-old construction worker from the Dominican Republic, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he stopped eating Monday with five other inmates to protest conditions. He said he ate reluctantly on Wednesday after jail officials threatened to force- feed inmates through a tube.
Jail officials said Thursday that no one had missed a meal.
De Los Santos said detainees also fear being placed in a solitary cell that he called "the hole." He said the corridors at the detention facility smell of feces, and water enters his sleeping area through a broken window, soaking his bed and immigration paperwork.
The Dominican national said he arrived in the U.S. in June and was shocked to be transfer to a prison-like facility.
"The conditions are inhumane. I've suffered from verbal mistreatment and psychological torture," he said. "We ask that you listen to us."
A government watchdog in March cited unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the detention facility and suggested everyone held there should be removed and transferred elsewhere.
Those findings from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General were based on an unannounced inspection in February. The findings were disputed by CoreCivic and ICE.
More recently, a 23-year-old Brazilian national held at the Torrance County Detention Facility was found unresponsive by staff on Aug. 17 and died several days later at a hospital in Albuquerque. The death is under review by ICE, while the ACLU says it appears to be linked to a suicide attempt.
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Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
Albuquerque Starbucks becomes first store to unionize in the state - By Megan Gleason, Source New Mexico
A Starbucks in Albuquerque became the first store in the chain to unionize in New Mexico on Thursday.
The National Labor Relations Board counted 10-7 ballots from workers in favor of unionizing at the Interstate-40 and Rio Grande location. This makes New Mexico the 34th state with a unionized Starbucks location.
Barista Jacob Sherwood has been working at that Starbucks for about a year and was one of the leaders of the movement to unionize. He said he’s seen the same issues afflicting everyone for as long as he’s been there, like losing work hours and inadequate pay.
So the store filed the union petition on July 11, despite anti-union actions that Sherwood said came from managers. He’s been targeted by managers and getting unfairly disciplined, he said, and has seen it happen to other union supporters at the store, too, even for small concerns like dress code.
There are multiple unfair labor practice complaints at this location that are pending review by the National Labor Relations Board.
“We’ve seen a lot of discrepancy between people who are actively out and vocal about being pro-union and people who aren’t really pro-union,” Sherwood said.
Naomi Martinez is a volunteer organizer with Starbucks Workers United, a collective of Starbucks workers organizing unions across the U.S., and a shift organizer at a store in Arizona. She confirmed the disciplinary actions union leaders endured at the New Mexico store, adding that managers were constantly watching the location and holding union-busting meetings.
Sherwood said workers that supported unionizing waited nervously for months to see if enough votes would come through while they thought their jobs were on the line.
“It’s really nerve-wracking, because you can clock in, and you don’t know if that’s going to be your last shift working at that place,” Sherwood said. “There were so many times where I was brought in, and I was just really, really worried that they’re gonna find something or trying to dig something up to fire me.”
Because of all the anti-union rhetoric, Martinez said it’s not surprising how close the vote was. But now that the vote is over and people don’t feel as scared, she said she thinks more people will warm up to being unionized.
“I think regardless of the vote, now that they’ve won, I think there’s a lot of room for them to grow together and become a lot more united, even if they did originally vote no,” she said.
The vote will get certified in coming weeks, Martinez said, and then the union will set a date for contract negotiations. There’s not a set timeline yet, she said, though they hope to get a date set this year.
A Starbucks spokesperson wrote that the store will respect the National Labor Relations Board process and bargain in good faith, and hopes the union does the same.
But Sherwood anticipates issues will continue until a contract is signed, he said. There needs to be legal accountability in place for these problems to stop, Martinez added.
“The bottom line for these higher-ups is always going to be profit, and you get so many top-down decisions that are being made with partner and corporate discussion,” she said. “And so for me, the bottom line to unionizing is that you have equal accountability to prevent them from making changes that your store isn’t OK with.”
UNIONIZING AT OTHER LOCATIONS
Martinez said she hopes this sets off a movement of unionization across locations in the state.
“I really think that this first store in Albuquerque is going to start a second wave of excitement in the New Mexico area,” she said.
But Sherwood isn’t as sure. While he said he hopes other stores will follow suit, he met a lot of Starbucks workers with other union reps on a trip around town who were against unionizing.
“Whether it’s because they’re fed misinformation by Starbucks, or they don’t have the whole picture, it’s hard to really tell,” Sherwood said.
Another store in Santa Fe filed a petition to unionize in August but withdrew their application last week. There are still unfair labor practice complaints filed for the store. Martinez said the management of that store was displaying unlawful behavior and engaging in similar anti-union actions happening at the one in Albuquerque, and workers got overwhelmed.
“What the store in Santa Fe went through, it shows Starbucks’ blatant disregard for just the Constitution and democracy in itself,” Sherwood said.
As of Thursday, 243 stores across 34 states have unionized as part of the Starbucks Workers United movement. Sherwood said he hopes other stores at least start conversations about unionizing.
“It’s a really surreal moment,” Sherwood said. “I hope other people start talking about this.”
Federal legislation aims to improve FEMA response to wildfires - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
UPDATE, Thursday, Sept. 29, 10:42 a.m.: The FIRE Act passed the Senate on Wednesday with a unanimous vote. It’s now on its way to the House.
A bill cosponsored by New Mexico’s United States senators aims to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency better help victims of wildfires. Such blazes are growing in number and intensity across the West.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) said Wednesday on the Senate floor that FEMA has gotten “pretty good” at responding to floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. He pointed to the amount of preparation in place of Hurricane Ian, making landfall in Florida as he spoke.
“FEMA’s current procedures and requirements don’t always work for post-wildfire recovery needs,” he said. “This bill will close those gaps.”
The bill was introduced in October 2021, and New Mexico’s senators announced their support in April, just as the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire was ripping through the Santa Fe National Forest and forcing evacuations. It was heard Wednesday on the floor as it nears a possible vote.
Padilla’s remarks came while the Senate is considering $2.5 billion in compensation for New Mexico victims of a botched federal prescribed burn. In the aftermath, people in the region have voiced ongoing concerns about FEMA’s response.
The spending bill is still pending as of Wednesday at 6 p.m. In addition to the $2.5 billion, it also seeks to increase the amount FEMA can spend in disaster situations like wildfires. Some fire victims have received small amounts to help them recover in the immediate aftermath, including a maximum of $40,000 in compensation for a fully destroyed house.
Padilla’s bill would let FEMA send resources to areas before fires even start. The agency would monitor red-flag warnings, which are called by the National Weather Service during periods of heightened wildfire risk. The agency already sends help before a hurricane lands.
On the day the Santa Fe National Forest crew ignited prescribed burn that became a massive wildfire in N.M., areas nearby had red-flag warnings, and the 1,200-acre section of forest was red-flagged the two days prior.
The bill would also make it easier for local governments to get access to FEMA funding. A 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office found that FEMA imposed “onerous documentation requirements for FEMA’s Public Assistance grant program and (had) difficulties locating alternative housing for survivors whose homes were completely destroyed,” according to a summary of Padilla’s legislation.
Some fire victims told Source New Mexico that they were living in their cars, in their barns, in trailers or elsewhere while waiting for housing. And Paula Garcia, director of the New Mexico Acequia Association, said FEMA imposed unnecessary hurdles in giving aid to local acequias through that grant program.
“The bill will help provide better housing assistance, case management and crisis counseling for survivors with a focus on equity for underserved communities and tribal governments,” Padilla said.
Heinrich, in a statement at the time he cosponsored the legislation, said FEMA needs every resource possible to help wildfire victims. It’s known as the FEMA Improvement, Reform and Efficiency Act.
“I’m looking for additional resources to combat elevating wildfire risks at the federal level,” he said. “That’s why I’m cosponsoring the FIRE Act to better prepare FEMA’s capabilities to prepare for and respond to wildfires in New Mexico.”
The bill is expected to cost about $137 million over the next 10 years, including $69 million in additional spending, $51 million to increase the amount of time the state could bill for post-disaster building code inspections, and $17 million to build tribal emergency operations centers for the first time, according to a recently completed analysis by the Congressional Budget Office.
Senate passes stopgap bill to avert shutdown, aid Ukraine - By Kevin Freking Associated Press
The Senate passed a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a partial government shutdown when the current fiscal year ends at midnight Friday and provide another infusion of military and economic aid to Ukraine as it seeks to repel Russia's brutal invasion.
The bill finances the federal government through Dec. 16 and buys lawmakers more time to agree on legislation setting spending levels for the 2023 fiscal year. It passed by a vote of 72-25 and now goes to the House for consideration. All of the no votes came from Republicans.
As has become routine, lawmakers waited until the final hours before the shutdown deadline to act. But passage of a bill to fund the government was hardly in doubt, particularly after Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin agreed to drop provisions designed to streamline the permitting process for energy projects and greenlight the approval of a pipeline in his home state of West Virginia. Those provisions had drawn opposition from both sides of the political aisle.
Still, the bill merely puts off for a few months the maneuvering that will be required after the midterm election to pass a massive government funding package, as negotiators will have to bridge their differences over spending on hot-button issues such as abortion, border security and climate change.
The bill approved Thursday, with some exceptions, keeps spending at federal agencies at current levels through mid-December. The most notable of those exceptions is the more than $12 billion that will be provided to aid Ukraine, on top of more than $50 billion provided in two previous bills. The money will go to provide training, equipment and logistics support for the Ukraine military, help Ukraine's government provide basic services to its citizens and replenish U.S. weapons systems and munitions.
"Seven months since the conflict began, it's crystal clear that American assistance has gone a long way to helping the Ukrainian people resist (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's evil, vicious aggression," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "But the fight is far from over."
Republican leader Mitch McConnell also voiced support for the Ukraine aid, while admonishing the Biden administration to get it out the door more quickly.
"Assisting Ukraine is not some feel-good, symbolic gesture," McConnell said. "It's literally an investment in our own national security and that of our allies."
Disaster assistance was attached to the stopgap bill, including $2.5 billion to help New Mexico communities recover from the Calf Canyon/Hermit's Peak Fire, the largest wildfire in the state's history; $2 billion for a block grant program that aids the economic recovery of communities impacted by recent disasters and $20 million for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements previously authorized for Jackson, Mississippi.
An additional $18.8 billion was included for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to current and future disasters, such as Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida on Wednesday.
The bill would provide an additional $1 billion for a program that helps low-income households heat their homes. And it would transfer $3 billion from a Pentagon aid program to the State Department for continued Afghan resettlement operations.
Lawmakers also included a reauthorization of the Food and Drug Administration's user fee agreements for five years, which ensures the agency can continue critical product safety reviews and won't need to issue pink slips for thousands of employees working on drug and medical device applications.
One thing missing from the bill is the billions of dollars in additional funding that President Joe Biden sought to aid the response to COVID-19 and monkeypox. Republicans criticized the health spending as unnecessary. The White House said the money would have been used to accelerate the research and development of vaccines and therapeutics, prepare for future COVID variants and support the global response.
The bill's passage is the last must-do item on lawmakers' list before returning to their home states and districts to campaign before the mid-term elections that will determine which party controls the House and Senate over the next two years. Lawmakers were anxious to get out of Washington and focus on campaigning without the specter of a shutdown.
"The last thing the American people need right now is a pointless government shutdown," Schumer said.
New Mexico settles wrongful death suit over veteran's death - Associated Press
A wrongful death lawsuit filed against the New Mexico Department of Health after a Vietnam War veteran contracted COVID-19 at a veterans' home has been settled for $300,000.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that 75-year-old Rickey Lee Widener of Ruidoso died at the New Mexico State Veterans' Home in Truth or Consequences on Dec. 3, 2020.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of Widener's widow alleged medical negligence, according to the newspaper.
News of the settlement comes after state lawmakers last week received a new evaluation of state-operated hospitals for veterans, the mentally ill and the elderly describing inadequate oversight that threatens the ability to provide quality care, including harmful conditions at a care facility for military veterans in Truth or Consequences.
The facility risks losing funding agreements with Medicaid and Medicare programs if deficiencies are still unresolved in December.
The suit said that during a Department of Health survey of the veterans' home, it was found to be in non-compliance with applicable rules, regulations and policies and procedures regarding COVID-19, causing a finding of "immediate jeopardy" to be called on Dec. 9, 2020, the lawsuit said.
Immediate jeopardy in the context of a hospital, nursing home or similar facility means it "has been determined to represent an immediate risk of serious injury or death to its patients/residents," the suit said.
The survey's findings of noncompliance included a coronavirus-positive employee who was allowed to provide care to residents with confirmed cases and those who hadn't tested positive, including allowing the staff member to hand out food trays and assist in transferring residents from unit to unit, according to the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health declined to comment on the settlement because there is one remaining lawsuit involving COVID-19 at the State Veterans' Home.
New Mexico has assigned at least $60 million to the Department of Health to build a new veteran's home buildings at Truth or Consequences that are scheduled for completion next year.
Churches defend clergy loophole in child sex abuse reporting - By Jason Dearen And Michael Rezendes Associated Press
Clergy in 33 states, including New Mexico, are exempt from laws that require professionals such as teachers, physicians and therapists to report information about alleged child abuse to police or child welfare officials.
That loophole has resulted in an unknown number of predators being allowed to continue abusing children for years despite having confessed the behavior to religious officials.
An Associated Press review finds that over the past two decades, more than 130 bills have been proposed in state legislatures to create or amend child sex abuse reporting laws. After intense opposition from religious groups, the clergy privilege remained unchanged.
Often, legislative efforts to close the loophole run up against lawmakers who are also church members.
In 2003, New Mexico lawmakers added clergy to the list of reporters amid the Catholic Church’s scandals. However, the clergy privilege loophole was left in the law, and that piece was never debated.
With the privilege protected, the bill sailed easily through both chambers and was even supported by The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which has been embroiled in its own sexual abuse scandal.
Since then, there have been several bills introduced in the New Mexico Legislature aimed at clarifying language in the reporting law. Only one would have eliminated the clergy-penitent privilege, and it died in committee.
Arizona museum exhibit marks end to de Kooning painting saga - By Terry Tang Associated Press
After a Willem de Kooning painting worth millions was brazenly stolen in 1985 from an Arizona museum, the staff clung to the hope that it would turn up one day. But nobody could have predicted "Woman-Ochre" would find its way back through the kindness of strangers in a neighboring state.
"I would kind of imagine what would that look like," said Olivia Miller, interim director and exhibitions curator at the University of Arizona Museum of Art in Tucson. "Would it just show up as a mysterious package in the mail or something like that? ... I certainly never thought I'd make friends from it."
The 1955 oil painting by the Dutch-American abstract expressionist is finally back home and ready to be shown. It will be the centerpiece of an entire exhibition opening Oct. 8 until May at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. The whole ordeal of the theft and its return in 2017 via New Mexico will be chronicled in the show. It has spent the past two years at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles for restoration work and display. The painting will be in the same spot it was stolen from — but under a case.
"That's one of many security layers that it will have," Miller said.
Almost like something out of a heist movie, the theft unfolded the morning after Thanksgiving. A man and a woman showed up at the museum where only a security guard and students working the front desk were present, according to the curator at the time.
The woman distracted the guard with small-talk while the man went to an upstairs gallery. He cut the painting right out of the frame, police said. The edges of the canvas were still attached. The entire heist lasted 15 minutes. He left with the painting rolled up.
There was no security camera system and no leads.
On the theft's 30th anniversary in 2015, the museum displayed the empty frame at a news conference in hopes of generating tips.
A break in the case came in August 2017 when David Van Auker, his partner Buck Burns and their friend, Rick Johnson, bought the painting along with other items at an estate sale in Cliff, New Mexico. The trio own Manzanita Ridge, a furniture and antique store 40 miles (64 kilometers) away in Silver City. When they brought it back to the store, three different customers remarked how it looked like a real de Kooning.
His interest piqued, Van Auker did a Google search. That led him to a 2015 article about the theft. They immediately attempted to contact Miller, University of Arizona and even the FBI, he said. But nobody got back to them right away.
Van Auker became terrified about safeguarding what could be the actual painting reportedly worth $100 million.
"I sat up all night with three guns and the painting behind a sofa," he recalled. "I thought somebody would end up coming and killing us for this painting."
He even left a voicemail for Miller making it clear that he was not interested in any reward or taking advantage of the situation. Miller found the voicemail endearing and wants to include it in the exhibition.
"My favorite part was he says something along the lines of 'Put this on record. I want you to have the painting back. If it's yours, the university's — just come and get the painting,'" she said, chuckling.
Miller and a conservator with the university made the the three-hour drive from Tucson to Silver City the next day. They found there were enough indications to take the painting back for further verification. A conservator deemed it a real de Kooning.
Its return triggered an FBI probe. But the case is now considered closed "following a thorough investigation," Brooke Brennan, a spokeswoman for the FBI Phoenix office, said.
The estate the painting came from belonged to Jerry and Rita Alter. The art work had been hanging behind a bedroom door. Relatives also discovered a photo that showed the couple had been in Tucson on Thanksgiving Day in 1985. Jerry Alter died in 2012 and his wife in 2017. Authorities never publicly called them suspects.
Miller earlier this year met with the couple's nephew. When the story first came out, he didn't believe they could have committed such a crime.
"Now that the shock has worn down for him, he now can see that they could have been the ones who stole the painting," Miller said.
Van Auker sometimes imagines if the painting had fallen into different hands in New Mexico. The thrill of playing a role in its return never fades.
He definitely wouldn't trade the experiences of the last five years for any money. His store's business has doubled or tripled at times because people were touched by their actions. He, Burns and Johnson have been hailed as heroes at events in Tucson and the Getty Museum. They've stayed friends with Miller and the rest of the museum staff, even hosting them at their guest house back in Silver City.
Not a surprise considering what Van Auker said to Miller when she left with the painting back in 2017.
"I said to Olivia 'we're bound for life now.' She turned to me and said 'Yup I know that.'"