Latest news with #Armijo
Winnipeg Free Press
12-08-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Investigators search for Native American items stolen decades ago in New Mexico
SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — The decades-old case file describes a medium-sized bowl crafted at Santa Ana Pueblo more than a century ago. Handed down over generations, this pottery piece adorned with dark red triangles was used for making bread. The bowl is among nearly 150 antiquities stolen from the Native American community's ceremonial village during a series of burglaries that started in the summer of 1984. War shields, traditional clothing, moccasins, willow baskets and woven rugs were taken — all items that would fetch favorable sums given their rarity. Federal authorities and tribal police in New Mexico eventually busted the thieves. Pleas were entered, punishments doled out and the case was closed. Inexplicably, authorities never pursued recovery of the stolen items. Now, the pueblo's historic preservation and repatriation experts are partnering with a tribal conservation officer who once served as the top cop for the federal Bureau of Land Management to crack this cold case, one irreplaceable item at a time. Little to go on Picking up the trail has not been simple. Memories fade, and digging up old documents is a monumental task. Case files provided by the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs have helped, but key pieces of evidence are missing, including Polaroid photos found during a search of a suspect's home. The original reports contain only limited descriptions of the stolen items, further complicating the search. The team has spent months combing through auction catalogs, gallery websites and even Pinterest and Instagram posts. A northern New Mexico antiquities dealer purchased some of the items decades ago, not knowing they were contraband. A breakthrough came when his family opened up his ledgers detailing acquisitions and sales. The investigators started to connect dots, tracing the journey of the bowl across four decades through sales records, interviews and an out-of-print Santa Fe gallery publication. The most recent purchasers returned the bowl after learning its story. Family members gathered this summer inside the tribal council room to be reunited with an heirloom they thought they would never see again. The bowl was sitting on the table; it was real. Disbelief gave way to tears. Pueblo Gov. Myron Armijo described the moment as wonderful but emotional. For pueblo people, a sacred item is like another person — living, breathing and intertwined with their identity. 'You can't put a dollar amount on what was taken,' said Armijo, whose family home was among those burglarized 40 years ago. 'They were taking war shields, drums, pottery and many other items that meant so much to our community. It just really hurt the pueblo.' Under cover of darkness The first burglary happened in early August 1984, about a week after the pueblo northwest of Albuquerque celebrated a feast day, a rare occasion when outsiders are welcomed inside to watch traditional dances and share food. According to case files and court records, the thieves treaded stealthily through desert scrub and sandy washes at night to the secluded pueblo at the edge of the Jemez Mountains. Over 10 months, the thieves targeted homes and traditional society houses in the village that had been added to the national list of historic places a decade earlier. 'Picture these guys stealing blankets, filling them up with pots, everything they could carry,' said William Woody, the conservation officer helping with the investigation. As the thieves fled, they dropped some items along the road. A rancher found other artifacts that had been stashed in the desert to be recovered later. A nighttime sting ended the scheme in May 1985. Court records identify an Albuquerque antiquities dealer as the ringleader and some of the hired hands as members of Laguna Pueblo, another Native American community west of Albuquerque. Federal investigations found other New Mexico pueblos were also targeted. New Mexico is home to 19 pueblos, many situated along the Rio Grande where their ancestors settled after migrating from Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico and Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado. Pueblo people maintained their homelands throughout the Spanish conquest centuries ago and later as the United States made its westward expansion. Unlike other pueblos, Santa Ana — known as Tamaya in the Keresan language spoken there — did not sell its pottery to people outside the community. Because of its rarity, Santa Ana pottery sold for comparatively high values during the 1980s, according to the tribal historic preservation office. No place in the commercial market Investigators say many of the stolen items are directly related to traditional activities, meaning they qualify as sacred objects under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Those more than a century old qualify as antiquities protected under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. NAGPRA has opened up more opportunities for tribes to reclaim culturally significant items from museums, universities and other institutions over the last year, and Congress passed legislation in 2022 to prohibit the export of sacred Native American items. But the export law has yet to be implemented, and tracking items through auction houses and private collections can be difficult because descriptions are often incorrect or intentionally misleading, according to Shannon O'Loughlin, CEO of the Association on American Indian Affairs. 'These are items that were part of another culture's religion, life ways, ways of being, things that hold close to our identity and that are part of our story and our relationships with one another,' said O'Loughlin, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The association, which monitors auction houses around the world, has this year identified more than 200 auctions selling 13,900 potentially sensitive items tied to Indigenous nations in North America. Not giving up At Santa Ana, the mission is simple — to bring home as many of the stolen items as possible. 'We know they're out there,' said Armijo, the pueblo governor. 'We're not giving up.' Atop the list is a buffalo hide war shield decorated with a pair of horns and rays of alternating colors — symbolism still revered by the pueblo. After reviewing ledgers kept by Larry Frank, an author and Native American art expert in northern New Mexico, the team discovered the shield had been listed for sale at a gallery in New York City. The gallery posted a picture of the shield online in 2021, saying it was from Jemez Pueblo, not Santa Ana, and noting the shield had been acquired by a Canadian collector. Donald Ellis, the gallery's owner, told The Associated Press via email that Frank had the shield for more than two decades and that there were no claims or concerns regarding its provenance when the gallery acquired it in 2005. 'The shield was acquired in good faith, from a credible and reputable source,' Ellis said. He said his gallery reviews all available documentation for the work it acquires and consults with experts to identify gaps in ownership history, but that it can be difficult to establish the provenance of Native American pieces from the 19th century and earlier. Ellis said he didn't fact-check the Instagram post about the shield being sold to a Canadian collector and that he has no information on its current whereabouts. Jarrett Lujan, a cultural resources coordinator with the pueblo, said his grandfathers taught him about passing along traditions to the coming generations. That means he must bring back the stolen pieces of Tamaya culture for his daughter and others. 'That's all we're looking for,' he said, 'to empower them and encourage them to keep the culture alive.'
Business Journals
20-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Amplify Credit Union launches Changing Austin podcast for business and nonprofit leaders
When you've historically been one of the fastest-growing cities in America, it can sometimes take a moment to measure exactly how far you've come. That's the goal of Changing Austin, a new business podcast produced by Amplify Credit Union. This series brings together leaders from across industries to talk about how businesses and nonprofits can honor the spirit of yesterday's Austin while meeting the needs of the Austin of tomorrow. At first blush, a podcast may seem like a strange endeavor for a regional credit union. But to hear the Amplify team describe it, Changing Austin is evidence of the good ideas that can come from listening to your customers. 'One of the first things we do with any new member is sit down to better understand their organizational challenges,' Julie Macaluso, vice president of commercial banking at Amplify, said. 'Invariably, these conversations focus on the ways in which each business and nonprofit has adapted to the decade's many challenges. The more stories we heard, the more we wanted to hear, and the seed for something like Changing Austin was planted.' expand Each episode of Changing Austin will run 30 minutes, with episodes released on the first and third Friday of the month. Episodes will be available in video format via YouTube as well as audio-only on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Guests will come from a cross-section of Austin's business, civic and nonprofit communities, with a particular emphasis on the organizations that are transforming or being transformed by Austin's rapid growth. The first four episodes of Changing Austin will feature conversations with: Mason Ayer, CEO of Kerbey Lane All Day Cafe The Honorable Denise Hernández, presiding judge of County Court at Law #6 Davon Barbour, president and CEO of the Downtown Austin Alliance Kara Hanaoka, executive director of Good Work Austin The series is hosted by Stacy Armijo, chief experience officer at Amplify. With 16 years in public relations and two years as a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin's Moody College of Communications, she brings deep expertise in media relations to every conversation. 'Our goal for Changing Austin was to recreate the kinds of conversations you have over drinks with an old friend,' Armijo said. 'What Austin means to people is rooted as much in philosophy as it is in business, and I want our audience to feel like they've pulled up a chair to listen to a really smart person wax poetic about our great city.' Each episode shares how guests and their organizations are bridging the gap between the Austin of yesterday and the one of tomorrow. expand 'In our first episode, you'll hear Mason talk about the evolution of Kerbey Lane Cafe from Austin's favorite 2 a.m. hangout to your family's favorite restaurant,' Armijo said. 'That's a great example of changing with our community without sacrificing what made your business special in the first place.' While Amplify's own community of business and nonprofit leaders will appear throughout the series, the focus of Changing Austin goes far beyond the credit union's book of business. 'Amplify may not be the biggest fish in the pond but our contrarian streak often puts us at the cutting edge of conversations about Austin's future,' Armijo said. 'Changing Austin is about providing a platform for the people who inspire us. I hope our listeners are inspired too.' Amplify Credit Union offers fee-free banking and award-winning lending to anyone who lives or works in Texas. In 1967, the organization was founded as the credit union for IBM employees in Austin. Today, it provides digital-first banking and lending services to over 50,000 members, including home loans, checking & savings accounts, commercial lending, and more.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Yahoo
A fatal crash with no citation? Police cite loophole in New Mexico law
A recent fatal crash involving a Santa Fe city bus driver appears to point to a loophole in New Mexico's statutes and raises a question: Is it possible for a driver to kill someone without being cited for even a traffic violation if the collision doesn't occur on a roadway? The answer, according to Santa Fe police and a local attorney, is yes. "What's surprising is that it does seem like something fell between the cracks, but at the same time, these have been the laws for a long time," attorney John Day said. City bus driver Robert Armijo was on duty, driving a city-owned Honda Civic, one day in late March when he struck and killed 75-year-old Glen Smith, who was sitting on a bus stop bench outside the Santa Fe Place mall. Armijo told police he had meant to put the car in reverse, but it moved forward, and instead of pressing down on the brakes — as he meant to do — he put his foot on the gas pedal twice, according to reports. The Civic jumped over a curb and onto a median and struck the bench where Smith was sitting, pinning Smith under the car. Smith, a longtime appraiser at Stephen's A Consignment Gallery, was pronounced dead at the scene. Reports from the Santa Fe police investigation into the crash indicate officers found cause to charge Armijo with careless driving, a petty misdemeanor, but he wasn't charged "since the crash occurred on private property." Day said he agreed with the investigators' conclusions after reviewing the relevant state statutes. The driver doesn't appear to have shown signs of driving "recklessly, wantonly or willfully," which is the standard for "criminal negligence" a prosecutor would need to pursue a case of involuntary manslaughter, he noted. Instead, the case likely boiled down to a possible charge of either careless driving or reckless driving — two charges with different legal standards for prosecution — Day said. While "reckless driving" could occur on private property, the statute for careless driving includes language stating an incident must occur "on highways" for a driver to be charged, and past rulings have held the charge does not apply to driving that takes place in a parking lot. Santa Fe attorney Tom Clark highlighted the differences between careless driving and reckless driving. "You can't be charged for vehicular homicide just for driving in a careless manner," Clark said. "A lot of vehicular homicide cases deal with the question of 'carelessness' versus 'recklessness,' which is either driving under the influence or speeding plus other things, like running stop signs or something like that." Clark emphasized the words "willful or wanton" in the state statute on reckless driving — which involves driving "carelessly and heedlessly in willful or wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others." He noted it is "a pretty high standard." Police said they didn't file a charge of careless driving against Armijo because the incident took place on private property, reasoning the bus stop was privately owned by the owners of Santa Fe Place. The city has been granted "conditional access privileges" to the property, police said. Day said that appears to be in accordance with the law, including the provision requiring careless driving to take place "on highways." The owners of the mall and its parking lot — New York-based Kohan Retail Investment Group — did not respond to emails and phone calls seeking comment. State lawmakers who are concerned about careless drivers falling through that loophole — by, say, driving carelessly in parking lots — might take a look at the language in the statute, he said. For police to enforce traffic laws in the mall parking lot, Day said, the mall's owners would likely need to provide written permission, and the city would need to pass an ordinance saying as much. State Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, said in a recent interview the fatal crash in Santa Fe was "not the first time" she has heard of the location of a crash — on private property — being the distinguishing factor as to whether or not certain traffic laws can be enforced. Chandler said she would like to hear from law enforcement about how often the private property question poses an impediment to enforcing traffic laws. "It's worth taking a look at because there could be other situations, and obviously this one is horrifically tragic," she said. "We don't want to be, as you say, 'out for blood,' but it's that there is no accountability mechanism at this point, from what I'm interpreting the police to be telling us." Santa Fe police Deputy Chief Ben Valdez noted a bill was proposed in the recent legislative session that would have allowed officers to charge a driver with a careless driving offense if an incident on private property results in "great bodily injury" or death, making it a fourth-degree felony. During a committee hearing in March, Valdez spoke in support of the bill on behalf of the department, he said, but it was not advanced. "The discussion has started, and I am hopeful it will have an opportunity to be considered in a future legislative session," Valdez said. Several other careless driving charges have been filed in Santa Fe County so far this year. In one, a man was charged by a New Mexico State Police officer for driving 55 mph on Interstate 25 without having his emergency lights on, and in another, a man was charged by a Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy in Nambé for striking a stopped car when he apparently made too wide of a turn, according to court records. "In this case, you've just got to have criminal negligence or this recklessness — this willful disregard, you know," Day said, acknowledging the Armijo case didn't appear to meet the standard for reckless driving. "As surprising as it is, it may just be something that is relegated to the civil courts — like, if the estate of this poor guy wanted to sue the city." A wrongful death lawsuit would likely proceed the same way with or without a traffic or criminal citation, Day said, based on the facts presented by the police investigation. While a criminal case would need to prove "guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," a potential civil case would need to prove negligence based only on "a preponderance of the evidence," he noted. Day criticized the Santa Fe Police Department's initial finding of "no driver error" on Armijo's part, which appeared in a crash report released in the weeks after the incident. He called it an "absurd" finding and said it "raised questions about the independence of the investigation." "If they claim that the investigation shows there's no criminal charge, that's one thing," he said. "And that's why, I would think, if you're a taxpayer in the city, you might want an outside agency investigating something like that, that involves a city employee, but that's not how they chose to do it." In response, Valdez pointed to past statements about the crash report, in which he said the department "filed and made public the initial crash investigation for this incident prematurely," adding "the investigation remains active and the forwarding of the report should have been done once complete." A report disclosed by the agency states the case was closed in April, but Valdez said the department is "still evaluating all avenues to determine if the officer can lawfully charge or issue a citation."
Chicago Tribune
23-02-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Catholics pray for Pope Francis as he remains in critical condition
Chicago-area Catholics gathered at Holy Name Cathedral on Sunday to pray for the health of Pope Francis, who remained in critical condition with double pneumonia. 'I'm praying that he pulls through,' said Rose Williams, who attended morning Mass. 'He deserves that opportunity to continue to lead us, and so we just hope he'll pull through and be able to lead us through these trying times.' The 88-year-old pope, who has a chronic lung disease and is prone to respiratory illnesses in winter, was admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. He suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection, the Vatican said. Blood tests show signs of early kidney failure but he remains alert and 'well-oriented,' according to the Vatican. He also participated in Mass with 'those who are caring for him during these days of hospitalization.' Chicago Catholics praised the pope Sunday for his courage to speak out against injustice and his willingness to challenge traditional viewpoints in the Catholic Church. 'He's led by a lot of words, but his example is extraordinary,' said the Rev. Louis Cameli, a priest with the Archdiocese of Chicago and who has met Pope Francis. Cameli pointed to the pope's 2013 visit to Lampedusa, an island in southern Italy, to meet with and pray for refugees and migrants as an example of that. The pope used his visit to the Island – a transit point for many African refugees – to spotlight the plight of migrants and asylum seekers fleeing war, persecution and poverty, a topic he has revisited often during his pontificate. 'He demonstrated with that visit that he is really concerned about people who are on the edge and that causes all of us, I think, to take another look at how we deal with people on the margins,' Carmeli said. For some, the pope's more progressive actions were a welcome change. Ivan St. John, who lives in the Ukrainian Village and came to Holy Name to pray, liked how Pope Francis has been more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ population and has had more lenient stances on divorce compared to his predecessors. 'I think the Catholic Church needs to move forward with time,' St. John said. 'So I think he's been great in that sense, especially if you compare him to his predecessor, that he's been a really breath of fresh air.' Theresa Armijo, who was visiting Chicago from New Mexico, expressed a similar sentiment. 'He really believes in the poor, and he's practiced it and he loves the Church and he loves its people,' Armijo said. She also expressed admiration for the pope's Argentinean origins. 'I love that he's from South America, because we have a lot of people…from South America that have not been represented because we've always had Italian popes, so I like that we shook it up a little bit,' Armijo said. Others were not as enthusiastic with the pope's track record. Anna Leja, who stood outside Holy Name to raise awareness for the closed St. Adalbert's Catholic Church in Pilsen, wished the pope would have embraced a more traditional church. 'I think he was very confusing to a lot of Catholics,' Leja said, who said she was 'disgusted' by the pope's comments that people do not need to breed 'like rabbits ' in order to be good Catholics. Despite these comments, Leja is still praying for the pope. 'He's old and he has all kinds of health problems, so at this point, I would pray for a good passing and that he is received in heaven' Leja said.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who's running for Albuquerque mayor? Here's what we know.
Feb. 7—There are 270 days until the mayoral election, and so far one person has filed to run. Mayling Armijo, former deputy county manager for Sandoval County, is the first candidate listed on the City Clerk's website. If elected, she would become the first female mayor of the city. "I'm not a politician. I want the job. I want to fix this, I want to do this. I'm very passionate about the city," Armijo told the Journal on Monday. "Moving away is not an option. Fixing it is." While the mayor's race is technically nonpartisan, Armijo said she identifies as a moderate Democrat. Armijo worked as director of economic development for Bernalillo County and served in the Navy Reserve for 14 years with one deployment. She will challenge incumbent Tim Keller, who is vying to become the first Albuquerque mayor elected to three consecutive terms. Keller has not filed yet. "Mayor Keller is focused on running the city and will likely get to filing in March," Staci Drangmeister, a spokesperson for the mayor, said in a statement. Like Keller, Eddie Aragon is planning to file in March. The local conservative radio show host ran for the city's highest office in 2021, coming in third with 18% of the vote, as Keller cruised to reelection with 56%. Aragon told the Journal that he only got 18% of the vote because he entered the race so late and wasn't taken seriously by the media. "I brought a lot of energy. There were lines out the door. I believe that I got way more than 20%," Aragon said, adding that his vision for the city is the same as it was in 2021. Aragon won't be the only Republican-leaning candidate in the race. Eddie Varela, a 72-year-old retired firefighter who served as a deputy chief and union president, told the Journal he is running for the job. "I was born and raised here. It's been good to me, and I remember the days when it was a beautiful city, and I think we can do that again," Varela said in an interview last month. He also has yet to file. The Regular Local Election, which also includes the seats in City Council Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9, is slated for Nov. 4. The deadline for candidates to file is Aug. 26.
