Preparing for Change
In this week’s Chile Street:
Experts urge New Mexico communities to prepare for climate change
Northern New Mexico residents left to find stopgap housing solutions when federal aid doesn’t come
UNM students of color denied entry to event held on campus
Stabbing suspect to remain jailed ahead of trial
New Mexico sees uptick in women registering to vote
And much more!
Good morning! Today is Friday, Sept. 23. Here’s a look at the past week in New Mexico news.
Preparing for Change
A New Mexico State University climatologist warned this week that communities need to prepare for the impacts of climate change, including constantly rising temperatures and more heat waves, Hannah Grover reported for the New Mexico Political Report.
Speaking at the Four Corners Air Quality Group meeting Wednesday in Farmington, experts highlighted New Mexico’s efforts to address emissions but noted that since 1970, the northwest corner of the state has warmed an average rate of 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit per decade.
At the same time, the southwest United States has been gripped by drought for more than 20 years. Experts also said that drought is a complex issue that involves more than just a lack of precipitation because dry soil and increased evaporation means less water is available even when it does rain.
The impact that climate change has on humans extends beyond increased temperature-related health conditions such as heat stroke. A longer growing season also means an uptick in allergies and there are concerns about conditions like valley fever, which is caused by a fungus found in dust.
Increased wildfires are also caused by climate change, and beyond the loss of homes these fires often cause, they also produce smoke that can cause respiratory distress in humans. Burn scars also threaten drinking water supplies.
Experts say local communities need to take steps to prepare for these health risks, like setting up cooling stations to help at-risk people during heat waves.
For more, read Grover’s story here (no paywall): nmpoliticalreport.com/2022/09/22/state-climatologist-communities-need-to-prepare-for-climate-change/
Filling in for FEMA
Living in cars, RV trailers, or staying with friends for months. This is reality for many in areas of northern New Mexico struggling to recover from wildfires and burn scar flooding as they navigate the often-tricky network of federal assistance, Megan Gleason of Source New Mexico reported.
Though FEMA and other agencies have offered help for residents of areas devastated by the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire, that help is often delayed or minimal, leaving many people to figure out stopgap solutions for housing on their own.
Read Gleason’s story here (no paywall): sourcenm.com/2022/09/20/northern-nm-residents-piece-together-rough-housing-solutions-when-fema-aid-doesnt-come/
Other Top Stories
Students of color denied entry to event at UNM — Multiple students of color were denied entry to an event hosted on the University of New Mexico campus Sept. 15 by Turning Point USA, Gabriel Saiz & Maddie Pukite of the Daily Lobo reported.
The event featured a talk by right-wing commentator Tomi Lahren, who in the past has likened the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ku Klux Klan. Several students said they were denied entry despite having tickets to the event.
Read the story from Saiz and Pukite here (no paywall): dailylobo.com/article/2022/09/students-of-color-denied-entry-at-turning-point-event-at-unm
Stabbing suspect with lengthy criminal history to remain jailed ahead of trial — The man accused of stabbings four people in downtown Albuquerque this week will stay in jail until trial, KRQE-TV reported.
The man had been released on parole six days before the stabbings, and he has a criminal history dating back to 2006 with cases that range from burglary to drug possession. He was also accused of stabbing a man in 2019, but charges against him were dropped.
Watch or read the KRQE stories here (no paywall): krqe.com/news/crime/albuquerque-stabbing-suspect-will-stay-in-jail-until-trial/
And here (no paywall): krqe.com/news/crime/downtown-albuquerque-stabbing-suspect-has-criminal-history/
Popular restaurant owner killed, husband charged with murder — Kim Yacone, the owner of Forghedaboudit Southwest Italian Cuisine in Las Cruces, was shot to death Sunday night in the master bedroom of the home Yacone shared with her husband, chef Robert Yacone, Algernon D'Ammassa of the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.
A warrant was issued for Robert Yacone's arrest Tuesday on charges of first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Read D'Ammassa's story here (paywall): lcsun-news.com/story/news/crime/2022/09/20/forghedaboudit-chef-bob-yacone-charged-in-wife-kim-yacone-death-picacho-hills/69506482007/
New Mexico sees uptick in women voters after overturn of Roe — Women in New Mexico between ages 21 to 60 registered to vote at a higher pace than men for three successive months, Dan Boyd of the Albuquerque Journal reported.
While voter registration numbers typically tend to swell during summer months as political campaigns work to win over new voters, the gender-based trend suggests the court ruling overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision might be motivating some women in New Mexico to register to vote.
Read Boyd's story here (paywall): abqjournal.com/2532542/nm-saw-uptick-in-new-female-voters-after-abortion-ruling-ex-roes-de.html
DOJ loosens grip on APD — The Department of Justice has agreed to suspend several paragraphs of the agreement the Albuquerque Police Department has been subject to for years over its use of force practices, KRQE reported.
The DOJ found the department has sustained compliance in several areas, including training, the creation of a task force to investigate shootings, and recruitment and hiring.
Watch or read the KRQE story here (no paywall): krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/doj-loosens-grip-on-albuquerque-police-department-following-report/
That’s it for now. Have a great weekend!
If you like this newsletter, please share it with a friend (or 10) and encourage them to subscribe!
Who’s responsible for Chile Street? The culprit is Ryan Lowery, a New Mexico journalist living in Albuquerque.
Please help us continue publishing Chile Street by donating through our Buy Me A Coffee profile, or through venmo.