On January 20, we witnessed the peaceful transfer of power in Washington D.C. and celebrated with snow. After briefly being blanketed in white the snow disappeared, revealing blue skies.
The 2021 New Mexico Legislature is in session. The usually bustling corridors are quiet due to COVID-19. You can still follow what’s happening and participate in committee meetings remotely. Check out the NM Legislature official website (https://www.nmlegis.gov/) or on Twitter at #nmleg. Find a bill, watch proceedings (live or taped) and more. LegisScan, a national site with a NM section (https://legiscan.com/NM), allows you track our state's bills. The Albuquerque Journal and the Santa Fe New Mexican have extensive coverage. For example, follow Robert Nott in the Santa Fe New Mexican (click box at bottom of article to get his reporting via email). See a recent piece here (https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/legislature/new-mexico-legislature-opens-2021-session-with-little-pomp-and-circumstance/article_70c20b98-5a00-11eb-ba2b-63ff1f960aac.html) or an A to Z guide (https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2021/01/17/1141163/) to the session. The television program NM In Focus did a piece last week previewing the session. If you want to follow the state bills that most affect municipalities, check out the priorities of our lobbying organization, The New Mexico Municipal League (NMML) (https://nmml.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2021-NMML-Legislative-Priorities.pdf).
Young people’s voices have power. Our own young Corrales poets offered their work in 2020. Check out National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman reciting “The Hill We Climb.” (https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/politics/amanda-gorman-inaugural-poem-transcript/index.html). She concluded, “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.”
I’m told Corrales is close to approval for a vaccination POD and is in line for another one at our Senior Center. Commander Lattin is also working out the details of a program to vaccinate the homebound. Planning is strong and the state is doing well at distributing dosages (https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/public-dashboard.html) Now New Mexico must make sure it gets adequate amounts of vaccine. Some of you have received one or both shots. Hooray! Everyone else, keep checking your state registration site for updates. (https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/) Yes, the next few months will bring challenges AND then the whole picture should be much brighter.
Music in Corrales is continuing to offer online video concerts featuring artists who were originally scheduled to perform at the Old San Ysidro Church. The next concert will be available anytime from Saturday, January 23, 7:00pm thru Sunday, January 31. Tickets at www.musicincorrales.org/concerts/
Next Tuesday January 26 at 6:30, there will be a Village Council meeting. Find out what’s happening! Check the website on Friday afternoon for the Agenda, packet of public materials and instructions on how to join the meeting via zoom. We will be doing a public shout out to our latest Local Hero John Perea.
This weekend brings the possibility of rain or snow. We can only hope. Get out while you can, or if indoors, watch the NFL Conference Championships, read a good book by the fire or binge-watch. No one will judge. Whatever you do, please stay safe and enjoy yourselves, Corrales-style.
Jo Anne Roake
Mayor of Corrales