The pending job vacancy for the District Attorney for New Mexico’s Judicial District One incorporating Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Rio Arriba Counties is now filled. Governor Susana Martinez on Tuesday naming Jennifer Padgett as Santa Fe district attorney to serve out the remainder of current D-A Angela "Spence" Pacheco’s term. Pacheco is retiring a year before the expiration of her elected term.
Elections in November 2016 will determine who fills the high-profile post in early 2017. Pacheco’s replacement—official New Year’s Day—is Jennifer Padgett, who has worked recently as an attorney and administrator at New Mexico's Children, Youth and Families Department. I spoke with the incoming D-A Tuesday afternoon. I began the conversation by asking if her appointment is something she expected or if it came as a surprise.
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The National Weather Service says record snowfall in recent days has helped to push New Mexico further from drought. In fact, things haven't looked this good since the fall of 2010. Preliminary data released by the weather service this week shows conditions were warmer and wetter in Albuquerque and portions of eastern New Mexico during 2015. The result is that as 2015 comes to a close, there is no portion of the state seeing drought conditions.
Roswell police say a man was found buried in snow and was dead when rescue crews arrived yesterday afternoon. Another Roswell-area man died on Sunday while shoveling snow. Neither man has been identified. A heavy snowstorm left many stranded and forced Roswell city officials to shut down several city buildings. The state received more than a foot of snow in some areas.
Santa Fe Weather: Areas of freezing fog before 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 28. Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with the overnight low at ten-degrees and wind chill values as low as zero. Tomorrow: Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 28, wind chill values as low as minus two.