Billy Mills’ historic Olympic moment captured by local sculptor Page A-10
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Monday, November 4, 2013
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Report highlights education disparity among third-graders By Robert Nott The New Mexican
A new report released Monday raises alarms about whether America’s 8-year-olds are prepared for success. Only 36 percent of third-graders in the U.S. score at or above the national average in math, reading and science, according to the report, which also exposes the income and racial divide
in America. White children from higher-income families score significantly higher than other children on these tests. Published by the private, nonprofit Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, the report, “The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success,” presents the case for investing in the early years of a child’s life and argues that classroom
learning must be integrated with the child’s social, emotional and physical development to ensure kids have the skills to succeed in life. The foundation annually publishes the Kids Count Data Book. New Mexico ranked dead last in that publication this year, behind Nevada and Mississippi, in child welfare.
Please see EDUCATION, Page A-4
Cowboys avoid upset Tony Romo gets another chance and comes through this time, lifting Dallas to a 27-23 win. SPORTS, B-1
Concussions and the classroom
Making an ‘Iron Man’
A new report says students with head injuries should take a break from studies, not just sports. FAMIly, A-9
Military seeks real prototype of suit from comic books. TECh, A-8
A fine (dotted) line
Mayoral candidates’ collection of online signatures tests public financing rules
Melony Gutierrez and Sammy Naranjo of Santa Clara Pueblo discuss the damage heavy rains did to their home. JANE PHILLIPS/THE NEW MEXICAN
Waiting on aid, pueblo tries to recover from storm damage By Uriel J. Garcia The New Mexican
The adobe duplex where Sammy Naranjo and Melony Gutierrez live at Santa Clara Pueblo has been hit hard this year by heavy rains. Severe summer storms caused a wall in an unoccupied portion of the home to fall down and part of the ceiling to cave in. In September, more storms caused 2 inches of water to seep into the other half of the residence, damaging Naranjo and Gutierrez’s kitchen floor. “It’s crazy, I’ve never seen [the rain] come down like that before,” Naranjo said of the September weather. “It’s like someone was throwing buckets of water into the house.” The home is one of a dozen or so pueblo structures damaged by storms and flooding. The tribe’s health center is still closed because of damage it sustained, and residents must go to the Santa Fe Indian Hospital for any urgent care needs, as well as for prescription drugs. On any given day, there are still about 100 peo-
ple at the pueblo cleaning up storm debris. Meanwhile, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are assessing damaged areas, but their work was delayed in October by the partial government shutdown. FEMA already has declared a major disaster on Santa Clara land, but the tribe has yet to receive any government aid. Even when the money does come in, none of it will be available to fix Naranjo and Gutierrez’s kitchen floor because federal aid can only be used to remove debris deposited by storms. Naranjo, 41, and Gutierrez, 32, are both potters who use the kitchen to make their art. They sell their work from their home, and the flooding has set them back financially. Naranjo said they don’t have the money for a new kitchen floor. But more than that, Naranjo is worried about the possibility of mold developing under the house. Gutierrez’s 15-year-old son has nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disorder
Please see STORM, Page A-4
Nannette Alarid signs a petition for mayoral candidate Javier Gonzales in October. She also gave him a $5 contribution, one of 600 he needs to qualify for public campaign funding. With mayoral candidates seeking public financing for the first time under a new law, questions have come up about the validity of signatures and contributions collected online. CLYDE MUELLER/THE NEW MEXICAN
By Daniel J. Chacón The New Mexican
A
s all but one candidate in the Santa Fe mayor’s race seek public financing for their campaigns, a new question has emerged about whether contributions collected electronically count toward the qualification requirements for taxpayer funding. Each candidate must collect 600 contributions of $5 each to qualify for public funds. At least two candidates — City
Councilors Patti Bushee and Rebecca Wurzburger — are soliciting contributions online to help reach their goal. After an inquiry by The New Mexican, City Clerk Yolanda Vigil requested an opinion from the City Attorney’s Office on whether voters can sign qualifying contribution forms online. The city’s Public Campaign Finance Code is unclear on the matter — the latest example of a law that candidates and others say is well-intentioned but in need of clarifying language.
The law was designed to strengthen public confidence in elections and eliminate the danger of undue influence on elected officials who might feel beholden to contributors. City Council candidates, who run in districts, tested the law in the last municipal election, but this is the first mayoral race with public financing in the mix. Under the law, candidates who qualify for public financing must forgo additional fundraising from private sources.
Please see FINANCINg, Page A-5
HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE
Those facing plan cancellation have options By Staci Matlock
Pasapick
The New Mexican
Small-business owner Patti Rogoff is among an estimated 7,000 Santa Fe County residents who buy their own health insurance and soon will have to decide whether to stick with their current plan or switch to a new one through the just-opened federal exchange. Their timeline and choices are tied in part to what plan they have now. In many cases, these consumers will be forced to opt for new coverage that
www.pasatiempomagazine.com
Old Santa Fe Tales A lecture by Bill Field and Joe Valdez, 2-3 p.m., Main Gallery, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, 750 Camino Lejo, Museum Hill. $10, 982-2226. More events in Calendar, A-2
Index
Calendar A-2
Classifieds B-6
Today Partly sunny. High 58, low 37. PAgE A-12
Comics B-12
Family A-9
El Nuevo A-7
Opinions A-11
Editor: Ray Rivera, 986-3033, rrivera@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Kristina Dunham, kdunham@sfnewmexican.com
complies with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act because their current plans will be canceled. Rogoff, who owns the Santa Fe Basket Co., is one of about 26,000 New Mexicans who have been notified that their insurance policies will be terminated at the end of the year because they don’t meet all the federal requirements — such as accepting all preexisting conditions, covering maternity care and putting no cap on lifetime medical costs.
Police notes A-10
Please see OPTIONS, Page A-4
Sports B-1
Tech A-8
BE PREPARED Paperwork to have on hand when enrolling in an insurance plan through the health exchange or with an insurance company: u Social Security number for each person to be covered under the plan u Copy of tax forms or pay stub; IRS Schedule C if you are self-employed u Copy of a utility bill
Time Out B-11
Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010
u ZIP code u A list of your family’s medical history and past medical costs. (This can help determine the level of plan you want — bronze, silver, gold or platinum.)
Two sections, 24 pages 164th year, No. 308 Publication No. 596-440