President Biden arrives in NM today

President Joe Biden’s visit to Western states this week includes a stop today at the Grand Canyon before he heads to Albuquerque. The president’s time out West is intended “to highlight how his administration’s historic investments in climate, conservation, and clean energy are delivering good-paying union jobs to the American people while propelling our economy forward,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters yesterday aboard Air Force One en route to Arizona. In the same press gaggle, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said during the New Mexico portion of the trip, “we’ll get a chance to see how the President’s historic leadership through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and hundreds of actions coordinated through his entire government are sparking a manufacturing renaissance across the United States.” As an example, Zaidi cited Belen where two weeks ago, he said, “a bunch of folks showed up as Arcosa held a job fair for the 250 folks they’re going to hire to work at this factory that’s going to manufacture wind towers.” Biden’s visit comes just before the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes a variety of measures geared at addressing climate change. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who will meet with Biden during his time here, described the act upon its enactment as “one of the most important pieces of legislation in our lifetime.”

City Council schedules vote on ballot measures

Two weeks from today, the Santa Fe City Council will take public feedback and vote on proposed measures to appear on the Nov. 7 ballot, the city announced yesterday. The council will meet at 5 pm, Aug. 22 at the Santa Fe Convention Center for a special meeting, which will also be streamed on the city’s YouTube channel. Seven measures are up for debate, several of which grew out of work by the city’s appointed Charter Review Commission, which meets every 10 years to discuss potential changes to the governing document. Any ballot measures approved Aug. 22 by the council will then require voter approval. The measures under consideration include ones that would allow voters to: approve an excise tax on high-end real estate to help fund affordable housing; create an independent office of inspector general for the city; reduce the signature requirements for referenda and initiatives from 33.3% to 15% (along with other calculations); require the governing body, commissions and boards to “adopt procedural rules stating they must adhere to established principles of procedural due process and fundamental fairness when functioning in a quasi-judicial role”; specify rules related to the Charter Commission itself regarding appointment, terms and functions; and amend the charter to limit the mayor’s ability to vote when there is a tie.

Loan forgiveness for dentist, vet and optometry students

The state Higher Education Department announced yesterday it is accepting applications for a program that provides up to 100% student loan forgiveness for New Mexico residents who graduate from one of 23 out-of-state graduate and professional programs in dentistry, optometry and veterinary medicine. The application closes on Oct. 16 for people seeking admission to participating programs for the 2024-2025 school year. “New Mexico is fully invested in recruiting and maintaining qualified, licensed professionals to serve our communities in high-need fields, but there are some advanced degree programs that are only offered in other states,” Higher Education Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez said in a statement. The program is through the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE) Loan-for-Service Program. According to a news release, HED also has exchange agreements with partnering schools that provide New Mexico students preferred admission and reduced tuition rates. Students must declare their intentions to return to New Mexico to practice as a condition of each loan, and then a portion of the loan is forgiven for each year of service. “This initiative presents a fantastic opportunity for New Mexico graduates to receive support as they pursue advanced degree programs in fields that are not currently offered within our state,” Health Secretary Patrick Allen said in a statement. “Through this program, we aim to attract and retain qualified professionals, ensuring that our communities have access to essential services in high-need areas.”

Health department issues smoke guidance

With hot, dry and windy conditions creating several wildfires in the state this week, the state health department yesterday issued guidelines for dealing with smoke in the air. The guidance includes “assessing visibility outdoors with your eyes” to determine “whether it is safe to be outside.” The state recommends using the 5-3-1 method, which delineates specific groups who should stay inside when visibility is 5, 3 or 1 mile (everyone in the last case). The state also recommends people with ongoing breathing issues consider setting up a “clean room” in their homes. “Amid the current fire-induced challenges, the health and well-being of our residents remain our top priority,” Heidi Krapfl, deputy director of the DOH Epidemiology & Response Division said in a statement. “The guidance we are releasing today empowers individuals to make informed choices that mitigate the potential health risks associated with wildfire smoke. By following these guidelines, we can ensure our communities’ resilience against these hazards.” Additional information on fire, smoke and health can be found here.

Listen up

If you missed last month’s round of storytelling from Creative Santa Fe’s PechaKucha event, you can now catch up with all eight Vol. 18 “Commons” presenters on topics ranging from art to activism to data and more. Speakers included: photographer Ralph La Forge; City of Santa Fe Community Services Director Maria Sanchez Tucker; artist Cia Thorne; activist and artist Raashan Ahmad; urban planner Carlos Gemora; curator Cyndi Conn; investigator Patrick Schaefer; and Afghan-American somatic psychotherapist Ariane Mahmud-Ghazi. Creative Santa Fe also has a call out for presenters for Vol. 19 (“Myths”), which takes place Nov. 6. Proposals due on Aug. 25; guidelines to apply here.

The Pueblo revolt, past and future

Forbes magazine previews Pueblo Independence Day on Aug. 13 at Jemez Historic Site in Jemez Springs, an event featuring art, dances and tours to commemorate the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, and talks to artist Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo). While Ortiz’s career began as a potter, it has expanded to include a variety of genres, including art, fashion and video. He also has focused on Indigenous futurism through speculative work centered on the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. In May 2015, the Denver Art Museum curated Ortiz’s solo exhibit, Revolt 1680/2180: Virgil Ortiz. In October 2018, Colorado Springs Fine Art Center opened Revolution—Rise Against the Invasion, which Ortiz’s website describes as “a mash-up of Puebloan history interpreted with sci-fi fantasy iconography relatable to Native and non-Native youth alike.” Ortiz’s Revolt 1680/2180: Runners + Gliders opened in May at History Colorado (here’s an interesting Westword story about the exhibit); and his work also is currently featured at Meow Wolf Santa Fe’s House of Eternal Return and in the New Mexico History Museum’s exhibit Honoring Tradition and Innovation: 100 Years of Santa Fe’s Indian Market 1922-2022. Ortiz tells Forbes he continues evolving his speculative work on to help educate people. “I try to reach the next generation and kind of trick them into learning a history lesson,” Ortiz says, “but doing that with characters and storyline in two different time dimensions which allowed me to create cool sci-fi characters.”

Star light, star bright

Speaking of Jemez Historic site, it will also be hosting a summer star party at 8 pm, Aug. 19, featuring conversations with members of local astronomical societies, Pueblo food and art vendors and guided viewing of stars, planets and galaxies. New Mexico’s night skies offer viewers numerous opportunities to spot all nature of natural nocturnal wonders, as documented recently by New Mexico Magazine in a guide to stargazing in the Land of Enchantment. “In 1999, New Mexico became one of the first states to enact legislation making night skies a priority for the health of our people, wildlife, and economy,” Jennifer C. Olson writes. “And for millennia, the ancient people who first called these lands home have used the sky to plan their lives, track the seasons, align their buildings, dictate spiritual ceremonies, and portray cultural ideals.” The story begins at Cosmic Campground in the Gila National Forest, a place astronomer Al Grauer and his wife Annie worked to certify for Dark Sky protection. “At Cosmic Campground, it doesn’t matter if you’ve never looked at the night sky or spent your whole life looking up, there’s something there for you,” Grauer tells Olson. New Mexico, the story notes, has nine of the 201 certified Dark Sky places worldwide, including seven Dark Sky parks and the first Urban Night Sky Place: Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, near Albuquerque (be sure to also check out Olson’s tips for stargazing). (Also, we know we shared this previously, but ICYMI, here’s an interactive New York Times multimedia story on New Mexico stargazers from last spring). Finally: for a different kind of stargazer, Travel & Leisure magazine has broken down the best travel options by Zodiac sign. Sagittarius? Apparently Santa Fe will make a perfect fall fit.

Right as rain

The National Weather Service forecasts a 50% chance of precipitation today, and a 40% chance tonight, via scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon and again this evening before 9 pm. Otherwise, today will be partly sunny, with a high temperature near 84 degrees and west wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Thanks for reading! The Word is enjoying looking at the newly released images from the Webb Space Telescope, and reading the New Yorker interview with NASA scientist Jane Rigby about what comes next.