Albuquerque celebrates Juneteenth - KUNM News
The city of Albuquerque celebrated Monday’s Juneteenth holiday over the weekend. The now federal holiday has long celebrated the proclamation of freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865 — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
New Mexico Juneteenth 2023 included three days of events on Civic Plaza beginning Friday, with the debut of the short film Being Black in New Mexico by Janae Heffenger and numerous musical acts.
Saturday’s festivities included a performance by the Grammy-nominated jazz duo The Baylor Project and a drag show by The Chocolate Factory during what event organizers dubbed “Black Pride Hour.”
The New Mexico United soccer team also held a Juneteenth celebration game that evening. The team tweeted that it was “celebrating black joy and liberation.”
The weekend-long event wrapped up Sunday with a Father’s Day tribute featuring gospel music from Healing Waters Ministry, God’s House Church, the NM Mass Choir and others.
The event also included soul food and vendors set up on the plaza.
Juneteenth National Independence Day became a federal holiday in 2021. Albuquerque’s city council passed a resolution the year prior recognizing it as a city holiday.
U.S. Forest Service starts assessing fencing damage on southern half of Black Fire burn scar - Megan Gleason, Source New Mexico
Wandering livestock in the Gila National Forest could be contained again later this year as the U.S. Forest Service works on repairing and replacing fences that the 2022 Black Fire and following flooding wiped out.
Federal officials are paying for it, too.
It’s something ranchers living in the Gila need assistance to cover. They’ve seen their cows graze beyond pastures, unable to keep them in one place after losing their fencing to disasters.
One mile of fencing could cost over $10,000 to set up depending on the material, according to Iowa State University.
So, the U.S. Forest Service is stepping in to cover fencing costs. Maribeth Pecotte, spokesperson with the Forest Service, said the National Forest Foundation and the local Black Range District are putting together an agreement to build new fences.
Once that’s settled, work could get started in late August to actually place the fencing.
Pecotte said local officials have assessed fencing damage on the northern half of the burn scar already and need to reconstruct 65 miles of fencing. On Monday, she said they’ll start looking at how badly fencing was charred or flooded out on the southern end of the burn scar.
The rangers and Forest Service workers plan to fly in about 30 miles of fence via helicopter once their agreement is finalized, she said.
So far, Pecotte said the agencies have bought and received 60 miles of fence material, though they’re still waiting on other parts.
New Mexico regulators look into alleged issues with community solar facility selection process - Megan Gleason, Source New Mexico
The process to make renewable energy more accessible to New Mexicans through community solar has been met with multiple delays and issues.
Now, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission is looking into more alleged errors that could weigh down the setup of the renewable energy program.
WHAT IS COMMUNITY SOLAR?
Lawmakers approved the creation of New Mexico’s community solar program in 2021 with an intent to get affordable solar energy to low-income communities. New Mexicans who opt-in can get credits on their utility bills.
At a public meeting on Wednesday, the state’s Public Regulation Commission addressed complaints and a petition that allege the organizations selected to set up and run community solar generation facilities were unfairly chosen.
PRC commissioners didn’t take any action last Wednesday, deciding they need more information about how the independent company InClime selected the solar facility operators.
Commissioners said they plan to check in on this again this week.
PRC officials hired the company to help sort applicants for the program. More than 400 applications were submitted to the state.
HOW WE GOT HERE
It’s been a bumpy road to determine who will operate renewable energy facilities under the new solar program.
The PRC originally wanted project winners announced in March or April 2023. InClime told the commission they’d choose in May 2023.
On May 9, the PRC followed up with complaints from organizations that applied to set up the solar facilities and caused a delay of the announcement, saying InClime needed to rescore project proposals by May 16.
InClime missed that deadline too, but on May 22, finally picked 45 organizations to set up and operate New Mexico’s community solar program.
Shortly after, multiple organizations that weren’t chosen responded by filing complaints to public regulators about more alleged inaccuracies in the scoring system the second time around.
The PRC dismissed those complaints.
A company that wasn’t chosen and filed a complaint remained undeterred.
Prosperity Works turned in a petition to the PRC, asking largely the same thing as the original complaints — for commissioners to analyze the new scoring system’s fairness.
Under the original process, InClime scored applicants under different categories based on a sliding scale. After the PRC ruling in May, the company changed the scoring system to an all-or-nothing basis.
THE UPDATED SCORING SYSTEM
InClime determined rankings by scoring applicants based on different criteria. Some of the categories included innovative commitments that would benefit the local community or community solar program, contracting with local businesses or minority communities, and working with tribal nations.
The company ranked applicants on a sliding scale originally but changed that to a pass-or-fail following the PRC’s order in May.
For example, for the innovativeness category, applicants could previously get anywhere from zero to five points, with zero being the worst and five being the best. However, under the revised scoring system, applicants could either get scored a zero or a five.
Some applicants who received full points on the sliding scale dropped to zero under the all-or-nothing system, according to complaints filed over the past month.
PRC DEBATES THE ISSUE
On Wednesday, PRC regulators wondered out loud how the scores could change so drastically. Public regulation commission counsel Russell Fisk explained the issue to the state officials after Commissioner James Ellison brought the topic to the table for discussion.
“Does it make sense to you, Mr. Fisk, that InClime would, on a sliding scale, award a company a five for having the maximum points for innovative commitments, and then, under the all-or-nothing, give them a zero?” Ellison asked.
Fisk said he sees Ellison’s point.
But, he said, InClime had to start from scratch so the new rankings could make sense. He continued to say that under the scoring process, a company ranked higher on a sliding scale, could sensibly go to zero on an all-or-nothing scale
PRC Commissioner Gabriel Aguilera said he could understand the new scoring system InClime used the second time.
Still, Ellison wasn’t entirely convinced.
“It just seems to me that if you gave a project a five previously under the sliding scale (then) you thought they were extremely innovative,” Ellison said. “And then to say, no, they weren’t innovative at all in the next scoring round — I’m just not sure that I can support that given the information that I have right now.”
Ellison and Aguilera voted to table the matter until next week. PRC chair Pat O’Connell didn’t speak much on the issue and voted against tabling it. He was overruled by a 2-1 vote.
“None of this is ideal,” Aguilera said.
SOLAR APPLICANTS BURNED
Tobin Booth is the CEO of OneEnergy, a Washington-based solar energy company that wasn’t chosen for the community solar program. OneEnergy was also one of the companies that filed a complaint to the PRC commissioners.
Booth told Source NM he’s not satisfied with the PRC’s handling of the scoring issues. He said via email that the change in grading applications “could be viewed by those communities as a failure of the state to represent their interests.”
“The NM PRC’s actions are reprehensible in my opinion,” he said. “The PRC should be held accountable for short-changing the New Mexico people, at a minimum.”
Other states creating community solar programs are looking to New Mexico as a role model, Booth said, and changes to the solar facility selection process without public input “deepens existing inequities and fails to meet what should be a high standard in the clean energy transition.”
At the Wednesday meeting, Ellison requested that PRC staff gather more information from InClime, including data about the new scoring process. Aguilera agreed that the PRC could ask more questions about how the new scoring worked.
OBTAINING THE SCORES
Source NM has requested public records showing the original project scores and the revised scores. The Public Regulation Commission said it would take a few months to fulfill the request.
However, Aguila said, the PRC hired InClime as an independent administrator to take care of this work in order for the PRC to stay away from the solar facility selection process. He doesn’t want to get too involved himself.
Ellison agreed that it’s up to InClime to run the selection process, not the PRC, but said the scoring still seems inconsistent.
“We have been and should continue to be hands-off,” he said. “I do think that it makes sense to check to see whether they’re doing a good job in this one area.”
Heat wave triggers big storms, power outages in US Southeast, raises wildfire concerns in Southwest - By Scott Sonner Associated Press
Forecasters warned people celebrating Father's Day outdoors to take precautions as triple-digit temperatures prompted heat advisories across much of the southern U.S., triggered thunderstorms that knocked out power from Oklahoma to Mississippi and whipped up winds that raised wildfire threats in Arizona and New Mexico.
A suspected tornado struck near Scranton, Arkansas early Sunday, destroying chicken houses and toppling trees onto homes, the National Weather Service said. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
Meteorologists said that dangerous and potentially record-breaking temperatures would continue into midweek over southern Texas and much of the Gulf Coast. Storms producing damaging winds, hail and possibly tornadoes could strike the lower Mississippi Valley.
"If you have outdoor plans this #FathersDay, don't forget to practice heat safety! Take frequent breaks, stay hydrated, NEVER leave people/pets alone in a car!" the weather service office in Houston said on Twitter.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency for north and central parts of his state after strong winds and severe weather caused widespread power outages on Saturday. On Sunday evening, more than 515,000 people were without electricity in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi, according to PowerOutage.us.
Catherine Haley was hosting her six grandchildren, ages 7 to 13, in Shreveport, Louisiana when the storm knocked out electricity to her block and many surrounding neighborhoods. Haley, who has trouble breathing, said they draped damp towels around their necks to try and stay cool, but when the heat became unbearable the family took refuge at a cooling center set up by the city.
"I am so grateful. We tried the first day to stay at home and they were just so uncomfortable. And then I have COPD, and the heat really took effect on me as well," Haley, 64, said Sunday.
She said five of the grandchildren had just arrived from Houston for the summer when the storm hit, causing widespread damage. "Nice little welcome for them," she joked.
In Florida, the weather service issued another heat advisory Sunday, this time mainly for the Florida Keys. Forecasters said heat index readings - the combination of high temperatures and oppressive humidity - could reach between 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius) and 112 degrees (45 C) in places such as Key Largo, Marathon and Key West.
"These conditions will cause increased risk of heat illness for people outdoors or in non-air conditioned spaces," the weather service said in a bulletin.
In the Southwest, where fire crews are battling multiple wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico, forecasters said triple-digit temperatures and gusty winds would lead to critical fire weather over the next couple of days. Sunday promised to be the hottest day of the year in Arizona, with highs up to 110 degrees (43.5 C) in Phoenix.
Winds were forecast to gust from 30 mph to 40 mph (48-64 kph) on Sunday east of Flagstaff, Arizona along the Interstate 40 corridor and up to 50 mph (80 kph) on Monday, creating potentially critical fire weather across much of northeast New Mexico.
A large brush fire that broke out Friday afternoon south of Tucson, Arizona shut down a state highway on Saturday. Arizona 83 reopened on Sunday and no homes were in immediate danger, authorities said.
The prolonged closure took a toll on local businesses during what's usually a busy Father's Day weekend in an area with recreational lakes and reservoirs.
Dena Proez said the only business at her Corner Scoop ice cream shop along the highway in Sonoita was serving a few travelers who stopped to get updates on the fire "and feeding all the firefighters."
Much of Nevada was under a high-wind advisory with gusts up to 55 mph (88 kph) with blowing dust that could hamper visibility on highways, the weather service said.
Federal officials break up Guatemalan family smuggling ring in 3 state operation, 6 arrested - Associated Press
Federal authorities have arrested six people for their alleged roles in a human smuggling ring that brought migrants from Guatemala to the United States, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico said.
Alexander M.M. Uballez, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Francisco B. Burrola, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, Texas, said Thursday the arrests followed the unsealing of a federal grand jury indictment on May 24.
"Today's human smuggling organizations prey on the hope of Latin American migrants, targeting those who are most vulnerable for exploitation," said Uballez. "To combat human smuggling we will dismantle networks, arrest leaders, and seize bank accounts. "
Authorities said the six were members of the Lopez Crime Family, which allegedly has smuggling operations in Guatemala, Mexico and the U.S. that use a series of coordinated transports, stash houses and directed electronic money transfers. Authorities said all are Guatemalans and members of the family are associated with it.
The arrests were made in Arizona and California through an operation that included law enforcement agencies in three states.
Homeland Security Investigations in New Mexico led the investigation and the prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Ramirez for the District of New Mexico.
If convicted, each faces up to ten years in prison.
Detainee dies at New Mexico hospital after 'escape attempt,' authorities say - Associated Press
A man who was hospitalized with severe injuries after what an official called "altercations and an escape attempt" at a New Mexico county jail has been taken off life support and died, authorities said.
John Sanchez, 34, was pronounced dead Friday at University of New Mexico Hospital, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deputy Angelina Navarro told the Albuquerque Journal. The sheriff's office is investigating his death.
Navarro said Sanchez had been injured days earlier at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque.
Jail spokesperson Candace Hopkins told the newspaper that three jail officers were put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation into Sanchez's injuries and death.
Sanchez had been arrested June 8 after police said he was found behind the wheel of an SUV that had been reported stolen, according to the Journal report, citing court records.
An auto theft charge was dismissed by prosecutors on June 9 due to "insufficient evidence," and Sanchez was due to be released Monday — the same day he was taken to the hospital, the newspaper said.
For novelists of Westerns, Cormac McCarthy transcended — and reinvented — the genre - By Hillel Italie Ap National Writer
From the moment he read Cormac McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses," James Wade knew he was a fan for life and that his aspirations, as an author of Westerns, would never be the same.
"He really broke free from the traditional Western," says Wade, a two-time winner of the Spur Award for outstanding Western writing whose novel "All Things Left Wild" was billed as "an illustration of the violence and corruption prevalent in our fast-expanding country" — a description that could have been applied to much of McCarthy's work.
"He included all those elements from traditional Westerns, like cowboys and horses, but he also almost single-handedly brought the Western into the literary realm," Wade said. "As Western writers we can now take chances on more metaphysical topics, and not just heroes and villains."
McCarthy , who died this week at 89, has been widely praised as a descendant of William Faulkner and Herman Melville, among others, excavators of the American spirit whose biblically influenced prose raised their narratives to tragic and poetic heights. His admirers can be found throughout the literary world and beyond, from such prize-winning fiction writers as Colson Whitehead and Rachel Kushner to actor Tommy Lee Jones and the Coen Brothers, who faithfully adapted his "No Country for Old Men" into an Oscar-winning movie.
"It's like he was writing meta-Westerns," says Kushner, author of "The Flamethrowers" and other novels. "He writes about people gripped by existential compulsion, who don't know why they do the things they do."
"He was so fiercely dedicated to his own vision that he gave you permission to pursue yours," says Whitehead, whose books include the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Underground Railroad" and "Zero One," a zombie apocalypse inspired in part by McCarthy's "The Road," winner of the Pulitzer in 2007. "I read 'The Road' and thought, 'If Cormac can do "Mad Max," I can do "Night of the Living Dead."'"
For novelists of Westerns, he holds the kind of stature John le Carré has among spy novelists — as a master in the field whose work also transcended, and even reinvented it. The Western, a genre some feared was outdated, seemed new again. Authors remember encountering his work, from his Border Trilogy to "The Road" and "Blood Meridian," as exhilarating and sometimes intimidating.
"I read 'Blood Meridian' in college and was utterly baffled. I didn't possess the literary vocabulary at that point to understand what he was doing," Spur-winning novelist David Heska Wanbli Weiden says of McCarthy.
Weiden — an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota nation whose debut novel, "Winter Counts," centers on a Native vigilante at odds with the American legal system — came to appreciate the "audacity and ambition" of McCarthy and how he opened the genre to new kinds of stories.
"Most critics focus on his majestic, resplendent prose, but I see McCarthy's influence on the genre to be his alternative mythology of the West, his aesthetic vision, and the detached, dispassionate presentation of the brutal violence that was (and is) a part of the Western frontier," he says. "Whenever my own work is criticized for being overly violent, I recommend readers check out some of McCarthy's later work."
Kathleen Morris, whose novels include "Lily of the West," also read "Blood Meridian" years ago and remembered being "awed" and "slightly terrified" by his prose and his storylines. McCarthy became a kind of literary conscience, an author she would find herself summoning — "What would the man think of that?" — while working on her own books.
Like Weiden and Morris, author Rudy Ruiz didn't immediately find McCarthy pleasurable or even understandable. He would end up rereading the same page multiple times, making sure he hadn't missed something, and thought the despair and the loneliness of McCarthy's books "made them hard sometimes to engage with."
For Ruiz, whose "Valley of Shadows" is set along the Texas-Mexico border in the 19th century, McCarthy's influence would become literary and geographical. Ruiz is a Brownville, Texas, native who completed McCarthy's Border Trilogy — "All the Pretty Horses," "The Crossing" and "Cities of the Plain" — and responded to how it captured his own feelings about his native region.
"I was just really influenced by the way he captured the duality of the gritty realism alongside the stark beauty and power of the landscape, how a place can belong to a person as much as a person can belong to the place," he says. "McCarthy shows these timeless concerns about identity and belonging, and how we define ourselves. That is very palpable in the Southwest."
Gordy Sauer, whose debut novel "Child in the Valley" came out in 2021, says that McCarthy's presence among contemporary writers of Westerns is so strong that you don't have to read him to be influenced by him — "Anyone coming after that has to contend at least in theory with what he did and what he meant to the genre," Sauer says.
He remembers working on a story in graduate school about 15 years ago and being told by a fellow student that it reminded him of McCarthy's work, which he'd yet to read. When he did pick up "Blood Meridian," the effect was "transformative," he said, as if he would divide his life between before "Blood Meridian" and after.
"He broke down the Western and remade into an image of America unlike anything we had seen," Sauer said. "He stripped away the romance and the idea of romance. He forced us to look beyond the fabric of the genre and into the stitching, to understand how it was made."