After years of arsenic contamination, New Mexico intervenes in Sunland Park’s water crisis.
Silvia Foster-Frau reports for The Washington Post.
In short:
Sunland Park, a majority Latino community, has faced dangerously high arsenic levels in its drinking water for over 16 years, with minimal effective intervention.
Local residents, including those suffering health effects, have repeatedly voiced their concerns at public meetings, questioning the utility’s commitment to resolving the issue.
The state has recently stepped up enforcement, issuing significant fines and demanding stringent compliance from the local water utility.
Key quote:
“People are dying from this. We’re paying for something that’s poisoning us.”
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— Elvia Acevedo, local resident
Why this matters:
Access to safe drinking water remains a challenge in various parts of the United States, particularly affecting low-income and minority communities. Long-term exposure to arsenic can lead to severe health effects, including cancer, skin lesions, developmental effects, cardiovascular diseases, neurotoxicity, and diabetes.
The risks are pronounced in regions where groundwater is the primary source of drinking water and arsenic concentrations are high, and Southwest U.S. communities and Hispanics are most likely to have arsenic-laden water.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Christian Cook had 19 points in New Mexico State’s 78-48 win against Louisiana Tech on Saturday night.
Cook shot 7 for 11, including 5 for 6 from beyond the arc for the Aggies (9-6, 2-0 Conference USA). Robert Carpenter scored 16 points and added six rebounds. Peter Filipovity shot 5 of 9 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 15 points, while adding eight rebounds.
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The Bulldogs (11-4, 0-2) were led by Sean Elkinton, who posted 12 points. Amaree Abram added 10 points for Louisiana Tech.
New Mexico State took the lead with 13:31 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. Carpenter led his team in scoring with 14 points in the first half to help put them up 44-19 at the break. New Mexico State pulled away with an 8-0 run in the second half to extend a 24-point lead to 32 points.
New Mexico State’s next game is Saturday against UTEP on the road, and Louisiana Tech hosts Florida International on Thursday.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The house made famous by the “Breaking Bad” TV series is up for sale, and the owners of the otherwise unassuming home in one of Albuquerque’s older neighborhoods are hoping the property’s role in the long-running series will help them fetch a pretty penny.
Centered on mythical methamphetamine cookers Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, the series wrapped up more than a decade ago, but its legacy continues to draw looky-loos to the home and other associated filming spots around town.
New Mexico’s governor also recently tapped the Walter White character, played by Bryan Cranston, to star in a campaign against littering in New Mexico.
While “Breaking Bad” certainly has left its mark on New Mexico and this quiet block in Albuquerque, the listing is sure to reignite interest.
FILE – Poles for a new fence stand outside the house used in the AMC-TV series “Breaking Bad” in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017.
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Russell Contreras / AP
Time to move on
Fans often flock to the home, sometimes with hundreds of cars driving by in a single day, Joanne Quintana told Albuquerque television station KOB-TV.
Quintana said her parents purchased the home in the 1970s and that she and her siblings grew up there. As her parents got older and the show’s popularity skyrocketed, it became harder to protect them. The family was forced to put up a metal fence and install security cameras to keep fans at bay.
Now that her parents are gone, it’s time to sell.
“This was our family home from 1973, almost 52 years,” she told the station. “So we’re going to walk away with just our memories. It’s time to move on. We’re done. There’s no reason to fight anymore.”
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Hollywood magic
It was 2006 when a film scout first approached Quintana’s mother about shooting a pilot episode at the home. Within months, the equipment was set up and filming began.
The family got to meet Cranston and the other stars and watched from behind the scenes as crew members worked their magic. Quintana’s mother was always sure to have cookies for the cast and crew.
The inside of the home was used to prep, while interior scenes were shot in a studio.
For the famous pizza scene, Quintana remembers boxes of pizza lining the sidewalk. Plenty of unsliced cheese and pepperoni props were at the ready in case Cranston didn’t nail it on the first try. He did — landing the pizza face-up on the roof after his character’s wife shut the door in his face.
The homeowners had a hard time keeping fans from attempting their own pizza tosses or trying to sneak dips in the iconic backyard pool.
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Priced to sell?
The housing market in New Mexico’s largest city certainly isn’t what it would have been when Walter White was applying for a mortgage, and the price paid by Quintana’s parents five decades ago is unimaginable now. The median price in the Albuquerque area is approaching $400,000, and interest rates are expected to hover around 6% this year.
Some online real estate calculators put the estimated market value of the four-bedroom ranch-style home at just over $340,000. But with the star power of “Breaking Bad” behind it, the global luxury realty service that is listing the home for Quintana and her family has it priced at just under $4 million.
David Christensen with eXp Luxury told The Associated Press on Friday that it’s been a busy day with the listing going live and that investors will be looking at the property. Ideas include turning the home into a vacation rental or a museum.
The listing company has set up a website to showcase the property, billing it as a chance to own a piece of pop culture history.
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