Santa Fe

Santa Fe voters will decide in November whether to instate a “mansion tax” or extra tax on buyers of houses over $1 million. Dozens of residents turned out ahead of a city council vote on the proposal Tuesday, and most voiced frustration with the high cost of housing in the city.

The Santa Fe Police Department announced a new drone program last week. The department said the five new drones will be employed in search and rescue missions, among other uses.

Like much of the country, New Mexico is dealing with a crunch on affordable housing. Rent in the state has increased 70%, just since 2017, according to the Legislative Finance Committee. Rick Jacobus is an expert on inclusionary housing who works with cities to plan for more equitable options. He spoke recently in Santa Fe and told KUNM’s Megan Myscofski that while many factors go into the lack of lower- and middle-income housing, the underlying problem is we have built a system that’s overly defensive.

Officials and residents gathered in Santa Fe Plaza to remember those who died of COVID-19 and their loved ones, and to celebrate essential workers and first responders.

The items included autographs from Muhammad Ali and Alfred Hitchcock, sculptures, paintings and a Native American beaded shirt. Some were valued in the six figures.

On this episode, we talk with Audra Bellmore, author of the fifth edition of "Old Santa Fe Today." For decades, the book has been used by tourists, writers and scholars to delve into the history and architecture of the City Different. It was originally published in 1966 and the new edition explores Santa Fe’s architecture, history and important figures through properties designated as worthy of preservation by the Historic Santa Fe Foundation.

The City of Santa Fe announced it will bring back a no-camping policy that would prohibit sleeping in parks. With around 150 people unhoused on the streets of Santa Fe each night, the city will also begin strategizing to meet the needs of that community.

People caught in human trafficking often go unseen by authorities, especially if they’re afraid to seek help. That’s why a new training program is helping law enforcement recognize the signs of trafficking and understand effective ways to intervene. KUNM spoke with Democratic Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez about how these training programs could help missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives as well.

The Auditor's office said in a statement that the City of Santa Fe had failed to take years of concerns over things like the late filing of financial reports seriously.

Pete's Place was opened more than a decade ago because in the cold Santa Fe winters, people who were drunk or high and had nowhere to go could and did freeze to death. It has likely saved many lives. But the shelter has lately become a focus of frustration for some local residents and businesses, who say more people are living on the street outside, that their behavior is antisocial and they sometimes cause damage.