Free Republic

Snobby, entitled wealthy liberals from all over the country have turned Santa Fe, New Mexico into their own playground. So we went for three days to see how that is impacting their community.

After a storied career, that included over 70 film credits and two Academy Awards, Gene retired from film in 2004, after making his last appearance in Welcome to Mooseport. Five years after trading in the lights of Hollywood for a quieter life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife Betsy Arakawa—and 16 years before his death at the age of 95—the French Connection star finally explained why. “The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York,” Gene said in an interview with Empire magazine published in 2009. “The doctor advised...

As Tax Day approaches on April 15, a new WalletHub report ranks New Mexico dead last in the nation for taxpayer return on investment (ROI), raising serious questions about how effectively state government uses public funds. The annual study from WalletHub evaluated all 50 states using 29 metrics across five key categories: education, health, safety, economy, and infrastructure & pollution. New Mexico ranked 50th overall despite having one of the highest tax burdens in the country. The state placed near the bottom in nearly every category: 49th in education 42nd in health 50th in safety 45th in economy 34th in...

Last September, the FBI released its national crime statistics for 2023. The numbers for New Mexico can be described only as catastrophic.New Mexico had the highest per capita rate for violent crime of any state at 7.8 incidents per thousand and the highest rate for any state for property crime at 29.84 per thousand. Violent crime includes the offenses of aggravated assault, homicide, rape, and robbery. Property crime includes arson, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.I wanted to do a deeper dive into the crime stats for New Mexico’s five largest cities and compare those stats to the national averages...

Legendary Hollywood actor Gene Hackman has been found dead in his Santa Fe, New Mexico home alongside his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, citing police. Santa Fe County police discovered the body of the two-time Oscar winner, 95, and 63-year-old Arakawa — his wife of 34 years — and their dog on Wednesday afternoon. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed the news on Thursday, saying no foul play is suspected.

Sheriff: Gene Hackman, wife found dead in Santa Fe home; no foul play suspected By Nicholas Gilmore ngilmore@sfnewmexican.com Nicholas Gilmore Feb 27, 2025 Updated 55 mins ago Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 19, 2003, where he would receive the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Cecil B deMille Award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press file photo Legendary actor, two-time Oscar winner and author Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead Wednesday afternoon in...

Democratic presidential candidates have won seven of the last eight general elections in New Mexico, but results from Tuesday’s election show that the state followed similar gains made by Trump nationwide. Trump — who lost New Mexico by about 8 percentage points in 2016 and nearly 11 percentage points in 2020 — cut into that deficit, and did so in historically Democratic counties as well as Republican strongholds, according to unofficial results from The Associated Press. “That is a breakthrough for the Republicans at the presidential level,” said New Mexico-based political columnist Joe Monahan as ballots were being tallied. “Where...

The parents of a former Texas high school student accused of killing 10 people during a 2018 shooting on his campus bear responsibility for what happened because they failed to help their son amid a mental health crisis or to limit his access to the family’s guns, an attorney representing victims’ families told jurors this week. “This shooting was premeditated, it was predictable and it was preventable,” attorney Clint McGuire said during opening statements in the civil trial of a lawsuit seeking to hold Dimitrios Pagourtzis and his parents, Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos, financially liable for the shooting...

The creature's shape is striking, as it has not been connected with any known animal. Residents of Totoras in the province of Santa Fe report that a creature is wandering the streets and has even slain two dogs. The photograph, taken and night and somewhat blurry, has already made the rounds of social media to warn against the possible danger. An audio broadcast expains that the beast squared ofrf against a Pitbull and a German Shepherd who lost the encounter and died. The creature subsequently vanished. ... Dentro Irime Cydar noticed that the image matches that of a character appearing...

According to a letter from Santa Fe’s St. Michael’s High School’s principal, Martin Sandoval, men and boys will continue to be allowed to use girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms. The supposedly Catholic high school’s principal wrote, “The thorough review and consideration around the school’s approach to our LGBTQ+ students have led administrators to be at peace with practices currently in place.” “Current practices include, for students that identify as a gender different from their gender assigned at birth or otherwise listed on their birth certificate, to work with parents and school counselors to educate staff on their gender identity. The...

SANTA FE — A wandering bull moose was captured in downtown Santa Fe and relocated to a suitable habitat in northern New Mexico, authorities said Tuesday. State Game and Fish officials and Animal Service Officers for the city said the moose was spotted around 8 a.m. near Fort Marcy Park. Officers set up a perimeter to protect residents and pedestrians in the park, which is a popular walking area. The moose was sedated with a tranquilizer dart and loaded onto a trailer before being evaluated by a state Department of Game and Fish veterinarian and determined to be in good...

A former special education teacher at Española Valley High School pleaded no contest in state District Court in Tierra Amarilla to three charges stemming from an incident in which she was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage student. Makana Masacayan, 26, was arrested in June of last year and initially was charged with fourth-degree criminal sexual penetration, fourth-degree criminal sexual contact of a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and enticement of a child. ---------- Masacayan appeared in court wearing a mask and stood next to her attorney, Dorie Biagianti Smith, while entering her plea. She accepted a...

Nearly 300 years ago, two great alliances collided on the Great Plains in a battle that changed the course of American history. But until now, no physical evidence of the storied conflict had ever been found. In the summer of 1720, where the Platte River meets the Loup in eastern Nebraska, Spanish soldiers, New Mexican settlers and their Pueblo and Apache allies clashed with warriors from the Pawnee and Oto nations of the Plains. In a daybreak raid, the Pawnee and the Oto — possibly with the support of French traders — routed the Spanish, killing their commander, Don Pedro...

SANTA FE, N.M. — Moments after involuntary manslaughter charges were to be filed against Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies spoke to CNN about the charges being filed. Transcript uh well along with my special prosecutor, we got the report from the santa fe County Sheriff's office. We initiated an extensive review of that and I will say that it was *** it was *** well investigated case, but we had some follow up that we had to do had to speak with some experts and and once we read through everything and researched the...

The late Santa Fe antiquities dealer, Fenn died at the age of 90 in September 2020, just months after revealing the treasure had been found. The treasure hunt started around 2010 after Fenn buried a box of riches in the Rocky Mountain wilderness in 2010; then wrote a cryptic poem about its location in his memoir titled “The Thrill of the Chase.” Hundreds of thousands of people are said to have searched for Fenn’s treasure for over a decade. Several people even died in the process. Online, Heritage Auctions’ listing page for the auction contains hundreds of coins, gold nuggets,...

Members of the Jewish community in Las Vegas, N.M., are trying to purchase Temple Montefiore, the first synagogue in the New Mexico Territory, from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The synagogue was sold by the Jewish community in the 1950s as the population of Jews dwindled. With a resurgence of Jews in Las Vegas and the diocese dealing with a bankruptcy, an opportunity emerged for the Jewish community to purchase it back. Jim Weber/The New Mexican Home News Local News Facebook Twitter Email PrintCopy article link Save Nearly 150 years ago, Las Vegas, N.M., was a center of Jewish life...

The Calf Canyon Fire was caused by a “pile burn holdover from January” that was started by the Santa Fe National Forest Service, officials said on Friday. The blaze later merged with the Hermits Peak Fire – also started by a federal prescribed burn – to become the largest fire in New Mexico history. The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire has burned more than 312,000 acres as of Friday morning and is 47% contained. More than 3,000 personnel are battling the blaze that has destroyed 761 structures, including hundreds of homes. “The Santa Fe National Forest is 100 percent focused on...

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two lawmakers are proposing funding “baby boxes” in each of New Mexico’s 33 counties in an effort to increase options for parents who want to abandon their babies under the state’s existing safe haven law. A bill to fund the initiative introduced by Sens. David Gallegos, a Republican, and Leo Jaramillo, a Democrat, would allocate around $30,000 for each of the boxes, which would be equipped with heat regulation and silent alarms. The legislation would change New Mexico’s safe haven law, which currently allow parents of newborns to abandon their baby without liability by presenting...

A distraught Alec Baldwin said on Friday there are ‘no words to convey his shock and sadness’ after accidentally shooting and killing the female cinematographer on the set of his new movie Rust, and that he was cooperating fully with the police investigation into what happened. Officially Baldwin accidentally killed Halyna Hutchins, a 42-year-old married mother-of-two and the Director of Photography on his new movie on a ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Thursday at 1.50 pm. As Reuters reported the husband of Halyna Hutchins is a corporate lawyer in Latham & Watkins’ Los Angeles office. Matt Hutchins joined...

Alec Baldwin shot and killed Halyna Hutchins in an apparent misfire of a prop gun. Why Baldwin, a freak about gun control, is in a movie that involves guns is beyond my comprehension. Does he not have enough money? But this is not about him. This post is about Halyna Hutchins because the victim matters more than the idiot who killed her. Born in Ukraine when it was a Soviet state 42 years ago, Hutchins grew up in the Arctic and had little to do except watch movies. She was 12 when the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine gained independence....