Amid a series of controversies, including chronic late audits and unresolved tension over the fate of the Plaza obelisk, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber last night delivered his first in-person State of the City since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking for just over half an hour at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center to a limited audience, Webber acknowledged both issues, but largely focused on three new initiatives he intends to shepherd through in his second term: raising the citywide living wage; protecting the Hopewell Mann area from gentrification as the Midtown Campus develops; and working more collaboratively with other Northern New Mexico communities on drugs and mental health. “This is how we took on COVID,” Webber said regarding the latter goal. “We pooled our resources. We joined forces to shelter and fed those in need. We erased old boundaries and drew a circle of inclusion that brought everyone together. It’s time once again to join hands and join forces to save lives, house the homeless, treat the addicted and minister to the emotionally troubled.” A recent Los Angeles Times story focuses on the devastating impact fentanyl has had on Española, and the valley’s growing homeless population. As for the other goals, Webber did not specify targets for raising the living wage, but said as the city enters a new fiscal year “we’ll begin another conversation and involve every part of our community.” The...
Tehran – Saba: The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the subversive actions taken by the rulers of Abu Dhabi against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Last night, Tasnim News Agency reported that the...