Santa Fe's Railyard may get a cinema within the coming year and a half. The board of the organization that operates the Railyard property has approved a proposal by a movie theater company from Austin for a 16,000 square-foot theater complex devoted to arts and Spanish-language films. The site would have 11 cinemas, nearly all of them with just 50 seats. A competing proposal would have required destroying El Museo de Cultural and the popular Santa Fe Clay. But the winning plan offered by the Violet Crown company would allow those entities to remain.
A trial is underway in Santa Fe over the physical condition of the historic St. Catherine's Indian School near the national cemetery. Developer Max Tofoya faces charges from the city that he has let the property fall into disrepair. But the Journal North reports that Tofoya's lawyer claims he is no longer a partner in the company that owns the property.
The Santa Fe Public Schools office says that construction to begin at Atalaya Elementary School in May will cause students and staff to be relocated to Kaune Elementary for the next school year. Kaune had been sidelined by the district some years ago in cost-cutting measures and in response to declining enrollment. Atalaya School, meanwhile, will be getting a major overhaul expected to be completed by the summer of 2014.
A popular longtime Santa Fe eatery is being sold to real estate developer Gerald Peters. Maria's New Mexican Kitchen, owned and operated by Al and Laurie Lucero for the past 27 years will change hands by June. Peter's Santa Fe Dining Inc. also owns several other restaurants including the Rio Chama Steakhouse and La Casa Sena. Maria's first opened back in 1950 at its present location on Cordova Road.
A public forum on human trafficking takes place today at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, focusing on children who are forced into sexual slavery. The Santa Fe Coordinated Community Response Council will talk about how vulnerable youth -- those who are homeless or runaways -- need protections to prevent their sexual abuse. The meeting gets underway at 11:30.
The number of cases of syphilis in New Mexico is on the rise. The state health department says doctors reported more than 100 cases last year, the most in 24 years. Counties with the highest rates are McKinley, Cibola, San Juan and Bernalillo.
Weather for Santa Fe – Partly sunny today with highs in the mid 50s and breezy at times. The afternoon brings a 10% chance for a passing shower. Much colder tonight with lows in the mid 20s and a 20% chance for snowshowers. Unseasonably cold tomorrow with highs only in the low 40s, dropping again into the mid 20s in the overnight hours.