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Sunday, September 1, 2013
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Estate Guide
2013
Grand Hacienda
Lobos drop opener 21-13
A contemporary entry by Tierra Concepts receives top honors in the annual Parade of Homes tour. Home, InsIde
The University of New Mexico football team picks up where it left last season, extending its losing streak to seven games with a loss to Texas-San Antonio. sPoRTs, C-1
obama asks Congress for vote on syria
White House drafts resolution to authorize U.S. military action By David Espo
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Short on support at home and allies abroad, President Barack Obama unexpectedly stepped back from a missile attack against Syria on Saturday and instead asked Congress to support a strike punishing Bashar Assad’s regime for the alleged use of chemical weapons. With Navy ships on standby in the Mediterranean Sea ready to launch their cruise missiles, Obama said he had decided the United
States should take military action and that he believes that as commander in chief, he has “the authority to carry out this military action without specific congressional authorization.” At the same time, he said, “I know that the country will be stronger if we take this course, and our actions will be even more effective.” His remarks were televised live in the United States as well as on Syrian state television with translation. Congress is scheduled to return from a summer vacation on Sept. 9, and in anticipation of the coming debate, Obama challenged lawmakers to consider “what message will we send if a dictator can gas hundreds of children to death in plain
46 YEARS TOGETHER
From left, Claudia Sanchez, 70, and Raquel Llamas, 69, were among the first same-sex couples to wed in Santa Fe.
“
If we don’t stand up, then that means young people after us are going to be in a type of limbo like we have been.” — Claudia Sanchez, newlywed
A long-awaited moment Older gay couples seize opportunity to wed in Santa Fe
Please see sYRIA, Page A-5
InsIde u Analysis: Congressional approval not guaranteed. PAge A-5
President Barack Obama says he has decided the U.S. should take military action against Syria, but he will seek congressional authorization for the use of force. EVAN VUCCI/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
32 YEARS TOGETHER From left, Frank Renz, 67, and Randy Grissom, 64, married in Santa Fe. PHOTOS BY LUIS SÁNCHEZ SATURNO/THE NEW MEXICAN
BY ANNE CONSTABLE THE NEW MEXICAN
Lawsuit: Attorney fired after audit complaints Whistle-blower claims action was retaliation By Steve Terrell The New Mexican
A lawyer fired by the state Human Services Department is claiming whistle-blower status because she had complained about the agency’s handling of a controversial audit of government-funded mental health care. Elizabeth Jeffreys says in a lawsuit against the department that her firing was in retaliation for her complaints to the state Attorney General’s Office and the State Auditor’s Office months before the audit resulted in a shake-up in the state’s mental health system. In a complaint filed in state District Court on Monday, Jeffreys said she went to the attorney general and state auditor Feb. 26 to report
“irregularities in the arrangements for audits of behavioral health providers on behalf of OptumHealth,” the company under contract with the state to oversee New Mexico’s managed care system for behavioral health. A spokesman for the department said Friday he couldn’t comment on the lawsuit because it is pending litigation. In late June, the department announced that an outside audit by Public Consulting Group, a Boston company, had found as much as $36 million in overpayments to 15 behavioral health providers in the state. Citing new federal regulations, the department suspended all Medicaid payments to 14 of the providers and contracted with five Arizona companies to take over the caseloads of many of those New Mexico providers.
Please see FIRed, Page A-5
T
hey came in wheelchairs. Or shuffling behind walkers. Or accompanied by grown children. Many said they had been in committed relationships for decades, 40 years or more. They had survived the ups and downs of married life. They had experienced years of legal discrimination. They had sometimes defied friends and family to be with the ones they loved. And finally the day came that some never thought they would see: Santa Fe County began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Sophistication, flexibility and quality are words often associated with high-end home design and furniture, but they also describe what parents want for their children’s rooms. ReAL esTATe, e-1
Plaza arts events: A boon or bust fo for local merchants? Downtown business owners consider the economic pros and cons of the city’s eight annual arts events. LoCAL news, d-1
Calendar A-2
Classifieds e-9
Lotteries A-2
When the lines began forming a little more than a week ago, many of the couples had gray hair and worn faces — along with joyous smiles. Among the first 334 people to apply for marriage licenses, 120 of them were 60 or older, and 192 were 50 and up. The oldest was 87, and another 11 were born in the 1930s. Most didn’t hesitate after learning on Facebook or other social media that the county clerk, ordered by a
obituaries
Beyond cute children’s rooms
Index
Sanchez and Llamas’ marriage certificate, modified to list the names of both brides.
Neighbors C-8
Opinions B-1
Police notes d-3
Editor: Ray Rivera, 986-3033, rrivera@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Kristina Dunham, kdunham@sfnewmexican.com
Today
PAge d-2
PAge C-7
Sports C-1
Please see momenT, Page A-4
Pasapick
Volker de la Harpe, Aug. 25 James (Jim) Stevens Gilmore, 92, Los Alamos, Aug. 20 William Stewart Johnson, 80, Aug. 21 Bonnie Murchie Koch, Los Alamos, Aug. 28 Albert Lopez, Aug. 27 Margot MacDougal, 73, Santa Fe, July 15 Victoria Marie Waltz, 26, Taos, Aug. 29
Real Estate e-1
state judge, was issuing marriage licenses. When word spread, they often didn’t bother to change out of the shorts and T-shirts they were wearing. “It was so emotional,” said Cindy Blodgett, 64. “We were just so moved.” Sitting down later with Abby Lieb, 54, now her legal wife, Blodgett said, “I couldn’t get over how amazing it felt. I didn’t really
www.pasatiempomagazine.com
Sun and clouds throughout the day; mostly cloudy at night. High 87, low 60.
Time Out/puzzles e-16
Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010
mariachi extravaganza Annual concert in conjunction with Fiesta de Santa Fe, performers include Mariachi Los Arrieros, Antonio Reyna and Anita Lopez, 7:30 p.m., Santa Fe Opera, 301 Opera Drive, $30-$65, 986-5900, santafeopera.org.
Six sections, 44 pages 164th year, No. 244 Publication No. 596-440