Santa Fe's new mayor and four city councilors elected last week have all been sworn into office at an event Monday night at the Greer GarsonTheatre. After taking the oath of office, Mayor Javier Gonzales spoke of the city's four-century history and passing the torch to the next generation. *****031114-Gonzales-1 :33****** Gonzales thanked his opponents in last week's election, telling the audience the community is stronger because of their campaign efforts. The new Mayor also spoke of the need to accept the challenge that climate change presents, seeing it not only as a city responsibility but as an opportunity for the City to lead in a so-called “green” energy and a green economy discussed during the mayoral campaign: *****031114-Gonzales-3 :39***** Mayor Gonzales and the new governing body officially meet for the first time tomorrow afternoon.
Published reports indicate that specially trained workers are finalizing plans to enter the underground area of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant following a mid-February leak that exposed more than a dozen workers to low levels of radiation. WIPP officials say initial testing shows there's no contamination at an air intake shaft that leads into the mine or at the bottom of the mine's salt shaft. However, what remains uncertain are the radiation levels deep in the repository where plutonium-contaminated clothing, tools and other waste from federal nuclear sites around the country are stored. Once the personnel enter the underground area, they will continue taking air samples as they get closer to the source of the contamination.
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Santa Fe Police report that property crimes remains on the decline in the capital city. Crime statistics released Monday show that the number of residential, commercial and automotive burglaries from last December through February of this year dropped about 36-percent. Now-retired Santa Fe Police Chief Ray Rael, whose last day on the job was yesterday, called the numbers a “great way to say farewell.”
A bill signed by Governor Susana Martinez Monday means that certain foster children in New Mexico will be able to attend college in the state without paying tuition and fees under a new law. Martinez signed legislation sponsored by Gallup Senator George Munoz of Gallup. It provides a tuition waiver for some students who were in the state's foster care system or in the legal custody of an American Indian tribe. Among those potentially eligible would be youth in foster care when they become age 18 and those who were adopted after turning 14.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today, with a high of 53 and a bit breezy this afternoon. Tonight, mostly cloudy with a low of 23. Tomorrow, sunny and cooler, with the high 46.