Pope Francis has appointed Salt Lake City Bishop and immigration reform advocate John Wester as the new archbishop for Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced Monday that Wester, who’s 64, will replace Archbishop Michael Sheehan in June. Wester, a California Native who just spent eight years in Utah, spoke English and Spanish at an introductory news conference Monday. The 12th archbishop of the Santa Fe diocese said he looked forward to learning about the many cultures of New Mexico. *****042815-Wester-2 :31***** Church officials say Wester and Sheehan will serve in their current posts until Wester he is installed on June 4. The Santa Fe Archdiocese includes more than 300,000 Catholics in central and northern New Mexico.
The list of mayors urging Governor Susana Martinez to call a special session to consider funding more than 260 million dollars in public improvement projects has doubled to nearly 100. The New Mexico Municipal League sent a second letter to the governor last week adding signatures of an additional 44 mayors from across the state. All are asking the New Mexico Senate and House of Representatives to craft a mutually acceptable capital outlay bill. A attempt at such a package stalled on the final day of the legislative session in March and much finger-pointing has followed. Martinez's office says it has been working with leaders from both parties. Legislative leaders also have been talking. There's no indication yet that any agreements have been reached. A bill would have to be done no later than May 15.
Meantime, a key Democratic state senator is asking Republican Governor Susana Martinez's administration for answers as a mental health provider prepares to pull out of southern New Mexico. Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen says she's concerned about the thousands of people who currently receive care from Arizona-based La Frontera. The provider is set to stop services June first. Papen outlined her questions about continuing patient care in a four-page letter made public Monday. She sent the letter to three of Martinez's cabinet members. Papen says an independent assessment of La Frontera's performance confirms that the needs of those with serious mental illnesses haven't been met over the last 21 months. The state Human Services Department has said it's working to help clients find services.
The state's inspector general is investigating allegations that the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department allowed dangerous animals to be placed with families. The Albuquerque Journal reports department director Barbara Bruin is the subject of a complaint filed in late March by two upper-level employees who say she tried to "pull the plug" on the investigation, and keep evidence of dangerous dog adoptions from investigators. Bruin denies the allegations. Behavior tests for animals are recorded as pass or fail, but Bruin said that isn't the only factor in whether animals are eligible for adoption. The department is in the process of revising its assessment policies. Jim Ludwick, the department's second in command, and Carolyn Hidalgo, program manager and animal behavior specialist, claim 132 dangerous dogs were adopted out in 2014.
Two New Mexico lenders are the defendants in a 900-thousand-dollar lawsuit that claims they tricked low-income individuals into taking out high-interest tax refund anticipation loans. The Farmington Daily-Times reports interest rates were as high as 240 percent on loans offered by Jeffrey Scott Thomas of J. Thomas Development of NM Inc. and Dennis Gonzalez, owner of Southwest Tax Loans. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Navajo Nation Department of Justice filed the lawsuit, saying tax filers who qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit were being steered toward these high-interest loans. Thomas ran four H&R Block franchises, but the company severed its ties with him and is not named in the civil suit. Thomas's lawyer, Allen Denson, said the financial protection bureau has mischaracterized his client's business.
The New Mexico Highlands University board of regents has voted unanimously to offer incoming freshmen an incentive to earn their undergraduate degree in four years. Students who do that will received a $1,000 bonus check from the university after graduating. The board on Friday also approved a nearly seven-percent increase in tuition and fees for resident undergraduates and instituted a six-percent per year tuition cap on increases going forward for the incoming freshman class.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today with the high near 60. Tonight: Partly cloudy with the overnight low, 38. Tomorrow: sunny skies with the high near 70.