The Jaroso Fire northeast of Santa Fe has grown to 10,400 acres. Containment is at zero percent as the fire covers extremely rugged terrain not accessible by ground crews. The fire is said to be very hot on its south side and progressing toward the east, on the west side of the Pecos River. The entire Pecos Wilderness area is now closed to the public. Meanwhile, the Santa Fe National Forest has ordered a Wildland Fire Management Team to assume command of Jaroso firefighting operations as of tomorrow.
Santa Fe City Council plans a public hearing tonight on that proposal to ban the transfer, possession or sale of large capacity ammunition feeding devices that hold more than ten rounds within the city limits. Feeding devices that can carry up to 100 rounds of ammunition are legal currently on the streets of Santa Fe. Any feeding device that holds over ten rounds that was purchased before the ban takes effect will be grandfathered in. Individuals who are retired from service with law enforcement agencies and are in good standing are exempt from the ban. KSFR will carry the city council meeting live beginning at 7PM.
Equality New Mexico and Progress Now New Mexico are hosting a viewing party in Albuquerque at this hour, awaiting the US Supreme Court's highly-anticipated ruling on 2 cases concerning marriage equality. Members of ACLU New Mexico are on hand to explain what the court’s decisions will mean for same-sex marriage across the nation and here in our state.
New Mexico Senator Tom Udall is voicing strong support of President Obama's call for the US to aggressively address global warming. Udall says the time for action is now and noted that temperatures here in New Mexico have been rising 50 percent faster than the global average in recent decades. The senator took to floor to further instruct his colleagues on the climate change challenges facing our state...****clip
The Legal Tender restaurant in Lamy will be re-opening tomorrow, nearly a month after a dispute with the Lamy museum shut it down. The latest move follows a judge's ruling issued just last week. Operators of the restaurant had been at odds over the arrangement to run the restaurant in the building that houses the Lamy History and Railroad Museum. The judge has ordered a full trial in the matter but no date has been set yet.
A number of new state laws take effect July 1st, including the split off of the state's insurance division from the Public Regulation Commission. Today, state officials will be naming the person who will head the agency. A number of people have applied for the post, including the current insurance superintendent John Franchini.
The drought-depleted water flow in the Rio Grande coursing through central New Mexico is about to enter what the US Bureau of Reclamation terms "unknown territory." Today's Albuquerque Journal reports that the river will begin drying up in the Duke City's bosque by next week as water levels drop to their lowest since the 1980s. Albuquerque's water utility plans to draw water exclusively from deep wells come July 1st. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service Office says Albuquerque precipitation totals for the past 12 months are the lowest since record-keeping began in the late 1800s.
Weather for Santa Fe – sunny, dry and hot both today and Thursday. Highs from the low-to-mid 90s. A very slight chance for precipitation arrives Friday.