Latest news with #Zozobra
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Unfortunately, it's the trees or Zozobra': Battle over Siberian elms puts Zozobra in jeopardy
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – It's a major ultimatum from Zozobra organizers, who said they won't hold their event if a group of trees in and around Fort Marcy Park aren't removed. While the idea has some support, others said it's not worth it for the one-day event. Story continues below New Mexico Strange: When prophetic dreams come true: New Mexico local speaks on visions of 9/11 Food: Traditional, glamourous, casual: A look at Albuquerque's tea rooms News: VIDEO: Albuquerque officers catch suspect who thought he was meeting an underage girl Trending: Cicada killer wasps spotted in Albuquerque. Here's what to know Less than a month away from its 101st burning, this year's Zozobra is in limbo. 'Unfortunately, it's the trees or Zozobra,' said Zozobra event chairman, Ray Sandoval. The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe announced at a neighborhood meeting Tuesday night, 12 trees have to go for Old Man Gloom to go up in flames. Sandoval showed KRQE News 13 the trees in question, including nine Siberian elms in the arroyo and three more along the path at nearby Magers Field. 'The thought of cutting down a lot of nice trees for an extremely short window opportunity to view something is shortsighted,' said concerned neighbor, Bill West. Sandoval said it's more than just improving the viewing experience, citing safety concerns that could cost the event its insurance. 'What happens is we have a jumbotron in the corner, and so as soon as the lights go off, everybody crowds this bridge,' said Sandoval. While the 90-foot concrete bridge can handle a heavy load, it's still a risk. 'We understood that if we had an emergency situation that we were going to hurt people just in terms of trampling,' said Sandoval. Some say they'd rather see the trees go than lose out on tradition, but not everyone is on the same page. KRQE News 13 heard from multiple neighbors who didn't want to go on camera. They said one of their biggest concerns is that while it's only 12 trees now, there's no guarantee that more won't come down in the future. 'I bring my grandkids here to play, as do a lot of other people, and it's part of the attractiveness to this particular park,' said West. When asked if it could be put in writing that only 12 will come down, Sandoval said no. 'Before anything else, my goal is that people go home safe that night, and if safety requires that I go in front of people and they get mad at me and they yell at me, that's part of the responsibility of running a safe event,' said Sandoval. KRQE News 13 reached out to the City of Santa Fe to see when they will make their decision on the issue, but have not heard back yet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A dozen trees at Fort Marcy Park cut down ahead of 101st Zozobra burning
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Residents near a park in Santa Fe are mourning the loss of a dozen trees that organizers said had to go before this year's burning of Zozobra. Some neighbors said they're outraged, while Zozobra organizers said it lays the groundwork for something better. Story continues below News: New Mexico Chile Association: Crop looks good but there were challenges Trending: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish to sell nearly 500 leftover deer licenses New Mexico News Insiders: What Happens When The Rio Grande Runs Dry? Community: KRQE Cares Shoes for Kids is raising money to put new shoes on kids at selected Title 1 schools Nearby residents near Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe said they visit the park almost every day. And for decades, they say a dozen trees stood tall. But on Tuesday, those trees came down. 'It makes me really sad, it's old-growth trees, they won't be back in our lifetime,' said Shelley Bachicha as she watched the trees being cut down. Throughout the afternoon, people walked up to a fence to watch the work being done. One resident even pointed out a few of the dirt patches at the edge of the grass area, saying that's where trees used to stand. This comes nearly a week after the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe said the trees had to go, for Old Man Gloom to go up in flames for the 101st burning in just under a month. Event organizer Raymond Sandoval said the state legislature granted the city of Santa Fe $200,000 for the project, which includes replanting the trees. 'We believe this is a good compromise for the safety of the event, but it also allows us to now go back and provide shade in parts of the park,' said Sandoval. Sandoval said the community will get to help make the next decisions when it comes to replanting or additional shade structures. Without the change, Sandoval said, Zozobra's insurance was in jeopardy, since the poor sightlines were pushing visitors to crowd a nearby bridge, which was also an evacuation route. 'We have to do what we can to make Fort Marcy the safest that we possibly can,' said Sandoval. He also cited a study showing other Santa Fe venues would not be able to accommodate the event. Some community members said they weren't notified about the problem or asked for input. 'No one's against Zozobra, but the way this was conducted was really, really unfair to this community,' said David Cortez. But Sandoval said they sent out postcards to every mailbox in the area a month before they announced the proposal at a neighborhood meeting, saying, 'We were transparent about exactly what we were doing.' There will be a meeting on August 21 at the Fort Marcy Gazebo at 5:30 p.m. for the community to discuss what the money will be used for, and how it may include new trees and shade structures. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
School's Zozobra burning gone wrong, Teen charged with gun, Hotter temperatures, EV fires, La Ristra balloon
Final group of students graduate from Taft Middle School ahead of closure Pilots take to the sky ahead of Roswell air races What's happening around New Mexico May 23-29? Salsa on Sunday and more Stolen paintings returned to Harwood Museum of Art in Taos 40 years after heist 'Tracking the Chupacabra' author speaks on evidence of the legend Man who helped shoot the homes of NM elected officials gets shorter sentence Harvard sues the Trump administration over ban on enrolling foreign students [1] Lawsuit filed over Santa Fe charter school's Zozobra burning – A lawsuit claims The Academy For Technology and The Classics Charter School in Santa Fe was negligent when they had their own Zozobra burning and left some students injured. The suit claims a 9th-grade student was given accelerants to light a 15-foot marionette, while other students, including the plaintiff's child, watched nearby. The suit said the Zozobra narrator said, 'Can someone please make me burn again?' That's when the suit said that same student poured more accelerant, causing a large flash of fire. A few students were reported to have minor injuries, but the lawsuit claims the plaintiff's child had second-degree burns that will leave permanent scars and has been diagnosed with PTSD. [2] ABQ student charged with bringing gun to middle school will stay in custody – Another gun was confiscated from a student at an Albuquerque school Tuesday. The gun was found at Jimmy Carter Middle School. The Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office said staff found the weapon in the student's backpack after getting a tip that the student had a gun. Investigators say there was a bullet in the chamber. The student was booked into a juvenile facility and was charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon on school property. On Thursday, a hearing officer ruled that the 13-year-old student will remain at a juvenile facility as his case goes through the judicial process. [3] Hotter weather today then muggier by Memorial Day – Friday is going to be even hotter, with more places climbing into the 90s. A few more places should hit 100° in southern New Mexico. Temperatures cool off a few degrees Sunday afternoon. A couple isolated showers and storms are likely in northeast parts of the state. Moisture will increase across the eastern half of New Mexico by Memorial Day afternoon. This will bring a chance for isolated storms to the eastern half of the state. Temperatures will again be a couple degrees cooler on Memorial Day, but right around average for this time of year. [4] How will Albuquerque firefighters battle EV fires? – With more electric vehicles on the roads, Albuquerque Fire Rescue is taking steps to make sure they're ready to respond if they catch fire. So far, the department says they have yet to see and EV fire in Albuquerque, but AFR says it's only a matter of time before they have to deal with one. AFR says a fire blanket is an effective method to putting out an EV fire without using thousands of gallons of water. This different approach is necessary because of the lithium-ion batteries found in EVs. [5] Chile ristra-shaped hot air balloon returns to New Mexico – The 'La Ristra' balloon has not flown for several years, but this year, it's making a return. For years Balloon Fiesta visitors would see the 'La Ristra' hot air balloon flying over the city. However, after spending 25 years flying, the former owner had to focus on other aspects of his life, and the special shape sat around for years. Former owner Mike Shrum says he sold the balloon for $20,000 to Rainbow Ryders and Visit Albuquerque will lease it from them. Visit Albuquerque said it will feature La Ristra at signature events such as the ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lawsuit filed over Santa Fe charter school's Zozobra burning gone wrong
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – A school reenactment of a New Mexico tradition quickly turned dangerous, and now some parents are taking legal action. A new lawsuit claims The Academy For Technology and The Classics Charter School in Santa Fe was negligent when they had their own zozobra burning and left some students injured. Story continues below Job News: NM proposes rule aimed at preventing heat illness for workers Poll Results: Where is the best place to go fishing in New Mexico? Don't Miss: One man's journey out of the juvenile justice system to mentorship According to the lawsuit, last August, the charter school did their own burning of Zozobra on campus without a burn permit. The suit claims a 9th-grade student was given accelerants to light up a 15-foot marionette, while other students, including the plaintiff's child, watched nearby. The suit said the Zozobra narrator said, 'Can someone please make me burn again?' That's when the suit said that same student poured more accelerant, causing a large flash of fire. A few students were reported to have minor injuries, but the lawsuit claims the plaintiff's child had second-degree burns that will leave permanent scars and has been diagnosed with PTSD. The plaintiff's attorneys said the charter school had a duty to keep the environment safe and failed to do so. KRQE News 13 reached out to The Academy For Technology and The Classics Charter School for comment on the lawsuit, but did not hear back. Santa Fe Public Schools is also named in the lawsuit,t but the district told KRQE News 13 they are inappropriately named, citing state law that states the district is not liable for incidents like this at charter schools. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
