Santa Fe’s only bowling alley space has been transformed into an interactive art exhibit created by arts collective Meow Wolf. The exhibit on Rufina Circle opened to a preview audience yesterday, and visitors are giving it rave reviews. The Santa Fe New Mexican and Pasatiempo are reporting on the event today, noting that there are no guides for the exhibit. Instead visitors must explore the winding staircase, spaceships, refrigerators and crawl into domes on their own. The exhibit will be open most of the week, and later on Friday and Saturday nights.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is acknowledging the concerns of officials in New Mexico and elsewhere. Those worries include the stirring up of contaminants left behind by the Gold King Mine spill in southern Colorado once spring runoff begins. EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry wrote in a letter to the state's congressional delegation that the federal agency is providing $2 million for long-term monitoring and planning. States and tribes can apply their share to begin monitoring this spring. Curry also confirmed the agency is reviewing the state's most recent request to be reimbursed $1.5 million for expenses related to the August 2015 spill. In early March, the New Mexico congressional delegation told the EPA it had concerns over delays in compensation for expenses and damages caused by the spill. That environmental calamity fouled rivers in three Western states.
An environmental group is accusing a New Mexico utility regulator of misconduct for asking the state's largest electric provider to make a political donation to a Democrat running for the state treasurer's office. New Energy Economy filed the complaint against Public Regulation Commissioner Karen Montoya with the Secretary of State's Office on Thursday. The Santa Fe-based group had called out Montoya last year and questioned her relationship with Public Service Co. of New Mexico. The group argued that Montoya was not impartial toward the utility and should have recused herself from a major case that involved the future of PNM's coal-fired power plant in northwestern New Mexico. Montoya previously dismissed the criticisms. She did not immediately return messages seeking comment Thursday about the new complaint.
A judge has set a $5,000 bond for one of the women accused of helping two convicts after they escaped from a prison transport van last week. A public defender argued in Albuquerque Metro Court that police didn't have probable cause to arrest Michelle Abeyta and suggested she was probably scared for her well-being. The Albuquerque Journal reported that the judge dismissed the claim and imposed the bond after hearing from prosecutors about Abeyta's criminal history. Abeyta is accused of letting escaped convict Lionel Clah stay at her northeast Albuquerque apartment for two nights before turning him in. State police have also charged the sister of one of the escapees with helping in their escape. Olivia Cruz is already in jail on unrelated charges. Police are not saying how the pair got to Albuquerque from where they escaped in Artesia last week.
New Mexico election regulators have disqualified at least eight aspiring legislative candidates after reviewing applications and signature petitions, leaving several certified candidates unopposed in primary or general elections or both. The New Mexico Secretary of State's Office confirmed the disqualifications Thursday. The developments are unlikely to tip the balance of power in the Legislature because they mostly concerned districts dominated by one party or a popular incumbent. Republicans currently control the House by a 37-33 seat advantage. In the state Senate, Democrats outnumber Republicans 24 to 18. Democratic Senator Benny Shendo of Jemez Pueblo is running unopposed after former state Rep. Sandra Jeff was disqualified for failing to follow state campaign finance rules. Home-address discrepancies knocked out Democrat Dell Washington of Belen, who sought to challenge Republican House Speaker Don Tripp of Socorro.
Attorney General Hector Balderas is holding a cooperative event between government, nonprofits and businesses, bringing them together to extend the reach of their services to the public. The event at the Albuquerque Roadrunner Food Bank is called, “Extend Your Reach New Mexico,” and will include a presentation by Balderas on the current state of youth in New Mexico. The Attorney General’s office says more than 20,000 youth and families received trainings on collaboration last year, and some of them attending today’s event will talk about what they gained from the trainings.
In International News: South Korea says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea. South Korea's government says the missile flew 800 kilometers (500 miles) before crashing off the North's east coast this morning. It wasn't immediately known what type of missile was fired. The launch came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered tests of a nuclear warhead and ballistic missiles capable of carrying warheads. North Korea had also said it succeeded in a simulated test of a re-entry vehicle aimed at returning a nuclear warhead safely back to the atmosphere from space during a missile launch.
A new Associated Press analysis finds that the U.S. government set a record last year for the number of times it could not find files requested under the federal Freedom of Information Act. In one in six cases, government searchers said they came up empty-handed. Justice Department spokeswoman, Beverly Lumpkin, said the administration answered more records requests and reduced its backlog of leftover requests, which should be considered good work on the part of the government in fulfilling information queries.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says Hillary Clinton is still beatable for the Democratic presidential nomination. He's predicting the upcoming calendar of races in several Western states, including Arizona and Washington, and April contests in Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania offer him the chance to catch up. Clinton holds a lead of more than 300 committed delegates but Sanders rejects the notion she's got it all but sewn up.