Latest news with #Ribe
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
25 years later: A look back at the Cerro Grande Fire
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (KRQE) – At the time, it was the most destructive wildfire in New Mexico's history. So, how did the Cerro Grande Fire start, and how did it impact those who were living in Los Alamos and the surrounding areas at the time? On May 4, 2000, the National Park Service started a prescribed burn, but several critical errors were made before the fire started. 'They didn't plan for the level of complexity and the level of possibility of escape given the place where they were burning,' said Author Tom Ribe, 'Infero by Committee.' Ribe said that the crew that was working the fire was understaffed. 'Had they understood the complexity of what they were doing realistically and not made some key bad assumptions, they would have had a lot more people up there, or better yet, they would have said now is not the time to do this fire lets wait till fall when things are wetter,' said Ribe. According to a report, the fire burned quicker than expected, and with high winds, it grew out of control. 'This was described to me as a cloud, imagine a cloud filled with burning cigarettes, I mean, in as burning cigarettes, that cloud went over the fire line, and boom, like a bomb, exploded on the other side of the fire line,' said former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson in February 2025. The fire burned toward Los Alamos, and crews had a hard time staying in front of the flames. 'They set up fire lines to prevent the fire from going past the lines; they actually believe the fire jumped from a mile away in one of the hotspots, given the wind and the conditions,' said former Gov. Johnson in an interview in May 2000. 'In some cases, it's burned so hot that the ash is a foot deep or more. And in some places, the soil is sterilized and may even look like glass beads where the atomic bomb was first exploded,' said an official at a news conference. As the fire raged, the decision was made to evacuate Los Alamos on May 10. 'We start driving around Los Alamos, we're left, everyone's leaving Los Alamos, and there's literally fires starting in people's front yards, and I'm out there stomping out fires,' said Gov. Johnson in 2025. Crews from around the state worked together to battle the flames. 'They tell me 3,000 houses are going to burn that night in Los Alamos, which is just staggering. And I'm there, and I get emotional every time I talk about this, but that evening, early evening, in rolls dozens of fire trucks from surrounding communities into Los Alamos. And oh my gosh, I mean unbelievable, they drive in in a convoy and that evening basically, they spend the entire night putting out fires and I mean homes that burning but all those firefighters are out there putting out fires in people's front yards that would've spread to their homes,' said Gov. Johnson in 2025. In total, more than 48,000 acres and 280 homes would burn. At the time, it was the most destructive fire in New Mexico history. In 2011, the Los Conchas Fire was sparked in the Jemez Mountains from a downed power line. While people braced for the worst, the fire was stopped by the Cerro Grande Fire burn scar. 'It had two heads, one head went down into Bandelier and the other head went directly towards Los Alamos and if that head of the Los Conchas Fire had not run into the fire burned out area that was left behind by the Cerro Grande Fire, it slammed directly into Los Alamos and would have been a much more intense much more disastrous fire than Cerro Grande was,' said Ribe. In total, the Los Conchas Fire burned more than 150,000 acres. The Hermits Peak Calf Canyon Fire would burn more than 340,000 acres and more than 900 structures in 2022. It is now the most destructive fire in New Mexico history. It was started by the U.S Forest Service. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
World Bank veteran takes over as new IFAM board chair
Folk art is evolving, and the International Folk Art Market has a role to play in shaping public understanding of that evolution, according to IFAM's new board chair. Helena Ribe said the annual summer market will remain the organization's focus, but she also wants IFAM to help expand the definition of folk art. For most of its history, Ribe said, folk art has been defined solely by the beauty and quality of the work. But over time, it has assumed a deeper meaning, she said, noting that folk art creators speak for many who have no one else to speak for them. 'It's not just beautiful things on a shelf,' she said, adding that folk art now is a vessel through which an entire way of life or a culture can be conveyed. Ribe said she would like IFAM to enable the artists with whom it works to find their voices and reach a greater audience on a year-round basis, not just during the market, which is scheduled for July 10-13 this year in Santa Fe's Railyard Park. She took over as board chair in January after serving on the board for the two previous years and as a volunteer for the market since its inception. Ribe said she loves the event itself. 'The world comes to Santa Fe for four days — it's exhilarating,' she said. 'The artists feel welcome, and they are very grateful for the interest people show in their crafts.' Ribe, a U.S. citizen who was born in Colombia, has a deep understanding of the richness of many of those cultures. She holds a doctorate from Yale in economics and spent 30 years as an international development economist with the World Bank. It was a career that took her from Asia to Africa to Latin America, allowing her to work with a wide variety of people in their own language and culture, she said. She had many memorable experiences along the way, she said, but what she remembers most is her travels in rural Guatemala and seeing the fundamental goodness of the people there. 'They suffered so much,' Ribe said. 'You would see the parents coming to school with their kids, many of whom were so malnourished. And, yet, they were so eager to learn. And the parents were so eager to be more involved.' Ribe said she had an extremely rewarding experience in Zimbabwe, where she worked to help change the way local governments interact with individual communities by giving residents a greater voice in determining which infrastructure projects to build. Those residents often chose to build water wells, and it was not unusual for the women of a village to take the lead in learning how to maintain them, Ribe said. 'It is an incredibly powerful experience' to see people in such situations take on those kinds of responsibilities, she said. Ribe said she came to love working with people all over the world and learning to navigate cultural differences. Those experiences have positioned her well for the challenges she faces as the IFAM board chair, she said. 'It's very similar in a way,' she said. 'Connecting people and connecting cultures is something I have always enjoyed doing, especially when you're working with a purpose to provide more economic opportunities for people.' As the board chair, Ribe said much of her work will focus on 'the perennial challenge of fundraising,' although she noted the market is doing quite well in that respect. IFAM strives to raise half its revenue through the philanthropic community, she said, and the other half through revenue from the annual market. Ribe said she will work to develop greater sales opportunities for the artists with whom IFAM works while also making inroads with more foundations and potential sponsors. Ribe said she learned during the coronavirus pandemic, when virtual communication became so important, that it had become much easier to stay in touch with people around the world than it was during her career with the World Bank. 'Even the most remote artists in the most remote village have cellphones,' she said. Ribe acknowledged she worries about how tariffs imposed by the Trump administration could affect artists and whether their ability to travel to the market will be impacted. 'I see challenges, and I see opportunities,' she said. 'But I also see the opportunity for the market to demonstrate to people the beauty and value of multiple cultures.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Missing American college student Sudiksha Konanki: Police reveal male friend is under investigation
The search for 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, who vanished from a five-star resort in the Dominican Republic, is intensifying as police reveal a male friend she was with is currently under investigation. According to La Policia Nacional, the country's national police force, Konanki was last seen entering the beach early Thursday morning at the Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana. It is unclear who the "young man" is, but police said he was in the water at the same beach, and they were questioning him in an attempt to corroborate his version of events, according to a translation of a Spanish-language statement. Konanki, who was born in India but is a legal permanent U.S. resident from Virginia, was on a spring break trip with five female classmates, authorities said previously. Missing American College Student's Spring Break Disappearance 'Too Early' To Rule Drowning She arrived on March 3 and was last seen around 4:15 a.m. on March 6, on surveillance video, headed onto the beach with her friends, according to local police. Read On The Fox News App Dominican news outlet El Nacional reported that Joshua Steven Ribe, a 24-year-old tourist from Iowa, was the last person to see Konanki alive. Ribe, who was also a guest at the same resort, reportedly told police several different versions of what happened. American College Student Believed To Have Drowned In Big Wave: Report Local outlet Noticias SIN reported that Ribe told police he entered the water with Konanki, but the rough surf made him sick so he went back to shore, leaving Konanki in the water. In another version, he said he felt sick and left Konanki in knee-deep water before he passed out on the beach. Lastly, according to reporting from Noticias SIN, Ribe claimed he saw Konanki walking on the beach before he fell asleep on the beach. Pitt Student Vanishes On Spring Break Trip To Dominican Republic While Walking On Beach It is unclear if Ribe is the male friend that police said is under investigation. Local media also reported that Konanki's clothes were found on the beach. Her whereabouts remain unknown, but ABC News reported Monday that she may have drowned, citing law enforcement sources. As the search for Konanki intensifies, INTERPOL is being asked to help. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Virginia has requested a worldwide police alert – known as a Yellow Notice – for missing persons, according to reporting by CBS News. Konanki is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown bikini, hoop earrings, bracelets and an article source: Missing American college student Sudiksha Konanki: Police reveal male friend is under investigation
Fox News
11-03-2025
- Fox News
Missing American college student Sudiksha Konanki: Police reveal male friend is under investigation
The search for 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki, who vanished from a five-star resort in the Dominican Republic, is intensifying as police reveal a male friend she was with is currently under investigation. According to La Policia Nacional, the country's national police force, Konanki was last seen entering the beach early Thursday morning at the Riu Republica Resort in Punta Cana. It is unclear who the "young man" is, but police said he was in the water at the same beach, and they were questioning him in an attempt to corroborate his version of events, according to a translation of a Spanish-language statement. Konanki, who was born in India but is a legal permanent U.S. resident from Virginia, was on a spring break trip with five female classmates, authorities said previously. She arrived on March 3 and was last seen around 4:15 a.m. on March 6, on surveillance video, headed onto the beach with her friends, according to local police. Dominican news outlet El Nacional reported that Joshua Steven Ribe, a 24-year-old tourist from Iowa, was the last person to see Konanki alive. Ribe, who was also a guest at the same resort, reportedly told police several different versions of what happened. Local outlet Noticias SIN reported that Ribe told police he entered the water with Konanki, but the rough surf made him sick so he went back to shore, leaving Konanki in the water. In another version, he said he felt sick and left Konanki in knee-deep water before he passed out on the beach. Lastly, according to reporting from Noticias SIN, Ribe claimed he saw Konanki walking on the beach before he fell asleep on the beach. It is unclear if Ribe is the male friend that police said is under investigation. Local media also reported that Konanki's clothes were found on the beach. Her whereabouts remain unknown, but ABC News reported Monday that she may have drowned, citing law enforcement sources. As the search for Konanki intensifies, INTERPOL is being asked to help. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Virginia has requested a worldwide police alert – known as a Yellow Notice – for missing persons, according to reporting by CBS News. Konanki is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown bikini, hoop earrings, bracelets and an anklet.
