Gabrielle Porter
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Articles by Gabrielle Porter
Berkeley bird festival soars for social and environmental justice
Birding enthusiasts have been waiting ‘owl’ year for the annual Berkeley Bird Festival to return, and last Sunday, their wishes were granted. Guests flocked inside and around the David Brower Center for the free event, with festivities across the first two floors and out onto Allston Way. With “Myth and Memory” as the theme of this year’s festival, guests were encouraged to celebrate birds and their habitats while also looking toward future environmental preservation.
Former 'Rio Grande Sun' sports writer was 'consummate small-town newspaper reporter'
George Morse could have been a different sort of sports reporter. He could have focused his coverage for the Rio Grande Sun more on basketball — a safe choice in hoops-crazy Northern New Mexico. He could have skipped more games at the smaller schools that dot the region, written a lot fewer stories. That wasn't how he worked. “He was just always there," said Kristi L. Salazar Martinez, a volleyball player Morse covered when she played for Española Valley High School. "...
‘Sense and Sensibility’ is a stylish, serviceable adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic
Grade: 3.0/5.0 As far as universally acknowledged truths go, it is fair to surmise that filmmakers in search of inspiration will often return back to the canon of Jane Austen. The latest film adaptation of Austen’s debut novel “Sense and Sensibility” has arrived 215 years after the book’s initial publication, from director Georgia Oakley. The eponymous film is an ode to human sensuality and naturalistic desires, but overindulges in its aestheticism to its detriment.
Mike Flanagan’s ‘Carrie’ lacks care for the core of its story
Grade: 2.0/5.0 Stephen King’s debut 1974 novel “Carrie” contains some of the most striking imagery of modern popular culture: a gym engulfed in flames as a prom queen drenched in pig’s blood leaves her classmates for dead. In 1976, Brian De Palma brought the book’s dark imagery to life, cementing “Carrie” in horror and film history. Unfortunately, De Palma’s film was the first and last time “Carrie” effectively tormented audiences.
Santa Fe Hispanic chamber founder and Highlands supporter spent years in diplomacy, business Original
When Leveo Sanchez II moved to Santa Fe after decades away from New Mexico, he was taken aback that the capital city didn't have a Hispanic chamber of commerce. During the Lamy native's career, which spanned the worlds of government, diplomacy and business, both in the U.S. and abroad, he helped found one of the first Hispanic chambers in the country in Washington, D.C., as well as Hemisphere National Bank, which prioritized lending to minorities. Leveo Sanchez II, pictured in 2006.
Abiquiú artist Walter Nelson was bold, brash and 'a lover of people'
It was 1989 and, on the adventure of a lifetime, Walter Nelson was driving his best friend crazy. Nelson, a photographer and artist who died last month in Abiquiú, was along for a 10-week horseback ride with writer Douglas Preston, tracing 1,000 miles of the route conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado took in the 16th century during his famed expedition through today's American Southwest. "We'd be riding along, it's 110 degrees in southern Arizona.
New Mexico governor wants probe into DEA after reports of controversial fentanyl tactics
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has asked the New Mexico attorney general to investigate and potentially prosecute federal agents following reports that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration allowed eye-popping amounts of fentanyl to flood the state in an apparent bid to build larger cases.
Proprietor of longtime Santa Fe apparel store Pinkoyote had 'sixth sense' for fashion industry
When Patricia "Patty" Schumann Kempe chose to leave a successful fashion merchandising career behind to hang her own shingle in Santa Fe, it was a leap of faith. Kempe had worked her way up the big retail ladder, from a sales job at JCPenney in her native Utah to buyer roles at Best & Co. and Bloomingdale’s in New York and at Macy’s in Kansas City, according to brother Fred Kempe.
O'Keeffe museum co-founder helped shape Santa Fe's cultural institutions
When asked in 1997 how and why Santa Fe's Georgia O'Keeffe Museum came to be, John Marion said he and his wife felt the late famed artist simply wasn't getting her due in her adopted home. "It seemed to her and to me that it was criminal, almost, that there were no O'Keeffes of any note to be seen in the city," Marion told a reporter with the Los Angeles Times, referring to his wife, Anne Windfohr Marion.
Longtime publisher remembered for helping create Santa Fe's literary community
When organizers of the massive Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara sent word inviting New Mexico's literary community to appear as the 1994 event's featured guest, it was an honor, but it was also a problem. "There was no organization or anything," said Jeanie C. Williams, owner of PenPower book marketing services. "Everybody was doing their own thing in little pockets of New Mexico." Enter Richard Polese.
Longtime lobbyist 'paved the way' for healthcare reform in New Mexico
When Mary Feldblum used to say New Mexico could achieve universal healthcare by developing "our own plan, smothered in red and green chile," she wasn't being cliché. "She researched healthcare systems all over the world — Canada, France, Taiwan," said Josette Haddad, who worked with Feldblum for years at the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign.
Longtime lobbyist 'paved the way' for healthcare reform in New Mexico
When Mary Feldblum used to say New Mexico could achieve universal healthcare by developing “our own plan, smothered in red and green chile,” she wasn’t being cliché. “She researched healthcare systems all over the world — Canada, France, Taiwan,” said Josette Haddad, who worked with Feldblum for years at the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign.
New Mexico's Ted Turner: Conservation, tax protests and loads of land
Across most of the country, Ted Turner’s name might be synonymous with media moguldom. But in New Mexico, his name is often followed by the word “ranch,” a catchall for his vast land holdings. Turner, a broadcast pioneer who founded CNN and who died Wednesday morning, loomed large in New Mexico. An avid environmentalist, hunter and outdoorsman who once was New Mexico’s largest private landowner, Turner has ties to the state going back decades.
Santa Fe's top graduating seniors honored at Super Scholars banquet
Santa Fe's best and brightest students and educators took center stage Tuesday evening at the annual Super Scholars Award Banquet. The event, co-hosted by The New Mexican and Century Bank and held at La Fonda, honored "the educational excellence of Santa Fe's top graduating seniors and the remarkable educators that have the biggest influence on the student's scholastic lives," according to the event website.
Santa Fe's top graduating seniors honored at Super Scholars banquet
Santa Fe’s best and brightest students and educators took center stage Tuesday evening at the annual Super Scholars Award Banquet. The event, co-hosted by The New Mexican and Century Bank and held at La Fonda, honored “the educational excellence of Santa Fe’s top graduating seniors and the remarkable educators that have the biggest influence on the student’s scholastic lives,” according to the event website.
League of Women Voters volunteer, water expert 'did not pull punches'
When Neva Van Peski took an interest in a local issue, she meant business. A career economist who moved to New Mexico in the 1980s after retiring from the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C., Van Peski joined the League of Women Voters of Santa Fe County and turned her considerable intellectual abilities to understanding and analyzing things like water supply and taxation calculation as a private citizen.
League of Women Voters volunteer, water expert 'did not pull punches'
Neva Van Peski, a retired economist and active member of the League of Women Voters in Santa Fe, passed away at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy of meticulous research and civic engagement. Van Peski's dedication to good government and thorough analysis led to significant discoveries, including errors in the calculation of a college's mill rate that cost the institution nearly $1.5 million.
Santa Fe's resident Irish folk musician brought 'a lot of joy'
When Gerry Carthy crashed his car on St. Michael's Drive 40 years ago partway through a cross-country road trip, Santa Fe didn't have much of an Irish music scene. In a way, Carthy — a tenor banjo master from Ireland's County Mayo, who by then was well-known in Galway's vibrant pub-based traditional music communities — became the scene himself. "He was stuck here and one thing led to another," said Laura Carthy, who was married to Gerry Carthy for more than 25 years.
Influence of St. John's search and rescue co-founder 'just ripples out'
Not all the people Herbert Kincey Jr. rescued were stranded in the backcountry. A co-founder of the St. John's College Search and Rescue Team and a veteran of the outdoor education program Outward Bound, Kincey trained hundreds of young people and community members in how to stay safe in the outdoors and help others do the same.
Influence of St. John's search and rescue co-founder 'just ripples out'
Not all the people Herbert Kincey Jr. rescued were stranded in the backcountry. A co-founder of the St. John’s College Search and Rescue Team and a veteran of the outdoor education program Outward Bound, Kincey trained hundreds of young people and community members in how to stay safe in the outdoors and help others do the same.
Zia Pueblo artist who painted New Mexico Bowl trophies preserved values, traditions
Every year when it came time for Marcellus Medina to unveil the new pot he and his wife, Elizabeth Medina, had created for the annual Isleta New Mexico Bowl trophy, he said the same thing. The couple would wrap the trophy in a blanket, place it in a laundry basket and carry it into the office of Jeff Siembieda, executive director of the college football bowl game played at University Stadium in Albuquerque.
Zia Pueblo artist who painted New Mexico Bowl trophies preserved values, traditions
Every year when it came time for Marcellus Medina to unveil the new pot he and his wife, Elizabeth Medina, had created for the annual Isleta New Mexico Bowl trophy, he said the same thing. The couple would wrap the trophy in a blanket, place it in a laundry basket and carry it into the office of Jeff Siembieda, executive director of the college football bowl game played at University Stadium in Albuquerque.
St. Elizabeth Shelter director dies suddenly at age 52
The unexpected death Friday of 52-year-old Martin Ruybalid, the executive director of St. Elizabeth Shelters and Supportive Housing, has left many in his circle reeling. Ruybalid, a veteran in the world of behavioral health treatment and homeless shelters, was hired to lead the organization last year following a stint at the Santa Fe Recovery Center. The cause of his death was not clear Tuesday, and family members were waiting on the results of an autopsy.
Longtime sergeant-at-arms for New Mexico House 'dedicated to his job'
The late state Rep. Jim Trujillo became part of local lawmaking history nine years ago when, despite being in recovery from emergency heart surgery, he managed to show up at the state Capitol to cast a vote for a high-profile bill. But, according to then-House Speaker Brian Egolf, another Santa Fean also deserved credit: Wilfred Quintana, who had just been elected sergeant-at-arms for the New Mexico House of Representatives.
Cathedral Basilica's 'Doña Eloisa' was constant presence for decades
Snow lay on the ground one Christmas Day about a decade ago and Eloisa Bustos didn't have a ride to Mass. Bustos, who had late-onset Alzheimer's disease, was in an assisted living home at the time. But the native Santa Fean — who for most of her life rarely missed a single daily Mass — would not be denied her Christmas service.
Bill to expand forced mental health treatment in New Mexico heads to governor
A proposal to strengthen New Mexico authorities' ability to force people into mental health treatment is heading to the governor's desk — but not without a final bit of wrangling about who should make the call that someone is a danger to themself or others.
New Mexico budget bill clears Senate without state worker raises Original
New Mexico senators greenlit a version of the state budget that slashed proposed 1% raises for all state workers Monday afternoon, albeit with plenty of grumbling. Those raises were cut from the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget — which, with $11.1 billion in spending, still constitutes the largest budget in state history, and a 2.6% increase from last year — by members of the Senate Finance Committee on Sunday, drawing backlash from union representatives.
Vietnam vet, longtime Santa Fean remembered for service during and after war
If James "Jim" McKay spoke about his military service, it was usually in response to a question, in service of a joke or in praise of other soldiers he knew. "He never bragged about himself, but he would always talk about other men that he served with," said now-retired Brig. Gen. Jack Fox, who worked with McKay for years in the New Mexico National Guard. "I thought that was an awesome characteristic.
Vietnam vet, longtime Santa Fean remembered for service during and after war
If James “Jim” McKay spoke about his military service, it was usually in response to a question, in service of a joke or in praise of other soldiers he knew. “He never bragged about himself, but he would always talk about other men that he served with,” said now-retired Brig. Gen. Jack Fox, who worked with McKay for years in the New Mexico National Guard. “I thought that was an awesome characteristic.
Taos painter, calligrapher was 'creating it for herself'
Generate Key Takeaways In the famed modern dance piece “Beach Birds,” the dancers’ movements are gentle, fluttering and utterly birdlike. Adding to the illusion are their costumes: simple white unitards with black sleeves, shoulders and gloves that, with arms outstretched, create the impression of a wingspan in a single black line.
Taos painter, calligrapher was 'creating it for herself'
In the famed modern dance piece "Beach Birds," the dancers' movements are gentle, fluttering and utterly birdlike. Adding to the illusion are their costumes: simple white unitards with black sleeves, shoulders and gloves that, with arms outstretched, create the impression of a wingspan in a single black line. The elegant design by Taos artist Marsha Skinner was inspired by nature, of course — but also by the clean and fluid lines of Japanese calligraphy, which Skinner practiced for years.
For art lovers on a budget, Santa Fe thrift shops can house hidden gems
“Did you find something you love?” Jennie Cooley posed the question to a friend she bumped into at Resourceful Santa Fe — one in a crowd of bargain hunters there last week. Cooley, 83, is a thrifter who makes use of secondhand goods in her own recycled art. She has a trained and practiced eye, and has found valuable works — a Smithsonian-caliber painting in the art bin at Savers, for instance.
A generation of New Mexico artists is aging. What happens to their work when they die?
ABIQUIÚ —Animal skulls and feathers. Stacks of magazines and photographs. Totem poles 10 feet tall, and canvases the same height. There's hardly an open wall or uncovered surface at Doug Coffin's Abiquiú studio, where he has been working for more than two decades. "This is all the stuff I have to get rid of," said the sculptor, painter and jeweler while gesturing at his workspace, where he estimates he has about 400 works stashed away.
Aging artists: Here are some things to consider when planning your estate
Death is easier for Troy Buchleiter to discuss than most. That's partly because Buchleiter, now director of New Concept Gallery on Canyon Road, used to work as an office manager for a funeral home. “Where death is a really awkward and uncomfortable topic for a lot of people, for five years, that was my job,” Buchleiter said. Several artists at the gallery have broached the subject of death and legacy with Buchleiter.
'Our hearts and her organizational skills': Anne Wheelock Gonzales helped organize Santa Fe Indigenous Center
Anne Wheelock Gonzales grew up used to feeling like she didn’t belong. Born to a father from the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and a Finnish American mother, Wheelock Gonzales lived in nine different communities across seven states throughout her childhood thanks to her father’s different postings with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and his military service during the Korean War.
Santa Fe artist Maurice Burns 'lived life on his own terms' Original
Maurice Burns in the late 1960s was living large. From humble beginnings as a bricklayer and later a soldier, Burns' talent for math had set him on a track for success. He took a job for Illinois Bell Telephone Co., and then, after learning programming, moved to Chicago City College, where he designed systems in the days when a computer might take up an entire room, his daughter Mara Burns said.
Santa Fe painter also designed houses, said goal was 'to just have fun painting'
When Santa Fe artist Douglas Atwill picked up a brush, he worked fast, he worked confidently and he never seemed to agonize. “It seemed like he never hesitated,” said Troy Buchleiter, director at New Concept Gallery on Canyon Road, where Atwill showed his work in recent years. “... He was very comfortable just with what he put down on the canvas.
Santa Fe painter also designed houses, said goal was 'to just have fun painting'
When Santa Fe artist Douglas Atwill picked up a brush, he worked fast, he worked confidently and he never seemed to agonize. “It seemed like he never hesitated,” said Troy Buchleiter, director at New Concept Gallery on Canyon Road, where Atwill showed his work in recent years. “... He was very comfortable just with what he put down on the canvas.
Proprietor of beloved Las Vegas cafe was 'a great figure in the community'
In the kitchen Jin Hall Yee ruled for years, the stovetops and prep areas were a cross-cultural sight to behold. Pork fried rice might be cooking alongside a cheeseburger deluxe. A Chinese combo plate, a burrito and a ham-and-cheese sandwich might be going out at the same time, all prepared at lightning speed under Yee's watchful eye.
Tireless advocate for Santa Fe's unhoused, Chaplain Joe Dudziak, dies at 66
As freezing temperatures bear down on Santa Fe this week, the people who live on its streets and in its parks and arroyos might typically expect to see Joe Dudziak showing up at their figurative doorsteps. They might expect to hear the little red bell he always rang as he approached encampments and hideaways — his signature salutation, intended to set homeless people at ease and let them know it was him, "Chaplain Joe," who was approaching, bringing supplies, sleeping bags, a kind word.
Rancho de Chimayó owner and operator of 60 years 'loved by everybody'
It would be tough to find anyone who witnessed more community and personal milestones in Chimayó than Florence Jaramillo. The hands-on owner/operator of Rancho de Chimayó since 1965, Jaramillo — who went by "Mrs. J" — served beans and chile to weary pilgrims making the Holy Week trek to Santuario de Chimayó up the road. She hosted celebrations for weddings, graduations, prom dinners, first Communions and baptisms.
Santa Fe Rotarian 'wanted to make the community a better place'
Santa Feans might have seen Kevin Southwick last Fourth of July, leading the pancake charge at the Rotary Club of Santa Fe's annual Pancakes on the Plaza event. They might have seen him serving at a local food bank with his co-workers from Del Norte Credit Union.
Rio Rancho woman pleads guilty in death of disabled woman, agrees to testify against caretaker
A Rio Rancho woman arrested in connection with the death of a disabled woman has pleaded guilty to several charges and agreed to testify against her girlfriend at the time, who served as the disabled woman's caregiver through a state-run program. Patricia Hurtado, 44, has pleaded guilty to counts of kidnapping, conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping and Medicaid fraud in the case that left 38-year-old Mary Melero dead.
From carpentry to fine art, Santa Fe painter was 'brilliant and focused'
Paul Steiner's meandering path to the art world started with 35 years as a carpenter, a few architecture classes and a bad back. But once he decided he was going to try his hand at painting full time, Steiner never looked back. A largely self-taught devotee of realism, he fully immersed himself in his work — typically oil paintings that prominently featured wild and remote New Mexico landscapes and that later sold at galleries on Canyon Road and elsewhere.
Longtime Santa Fe boxing coach was mentor to many
When Joaquin Zamora was younger, his blood a little hotter, he proclaimed to his boxing coach, Alfonso Lovato, that he never wanted Lovato to intervene to stop a fight. "It was kind of like, 'You know what, Coach, don't ever stop a fight,' ” said Zamora, who today is 47 and has been retired from his professional boxing career since 2019. "Don't ever stop a fight if I'm getting hurt because they're going to have to kill me to beat me." It was a bold statement. The coach shut it down immediately.
Longtime Santa Fe musician, educator Richard Snider taught thousands over career
Growing up with two teacher parents in Santa Fe, Britten Nelson was used to being introduced to strangers wherever she went. When she was out with her mother, Sandra Snider, Nelson said it was typically a “very normal interaction.” When she was out with her father, Richard Snider, though? A different story. “Invariably, whoever it was would look at me in horror and say, ‘Mr. Snider has kids?’ “ said Nelson, now 46 and a Seattle resident.
'Everybody's Uncle Snidey': Longtime Santa Fe musician, educator taught thousands over career
Growing up with two teacher parents in Santa Fe, Britten Nelson was used to being introduced to strangers wherever she went. When she was out with her mother, Sandra Snider, Nelson said it was typically a "very normal interaction." When she was out with her father, Richard Snider, though? A different story. "Invariably, whoever it was would look at me in horror and say, 'Mr. Snider has kids?' " said Nelson, now 46 and a Seattle resident.
Global explorer, artist, longtime Santa Fean left legacy of adventure
Helen Schreider used to tell a story about a pair of women she once noticed riding donkeys in the desert. She was in Syria, with then-husband Frank Schreider on a mission to retrace the path Alexander the Great once trod over the continent. The couple was making their journey in a Range Rover dubbed Bucephalus — a nod to the Macedonian conqueror's beloved horse — and were nearing the spot where they planned to stay the night, according to Camille Armstrong, Helen Schreider's niece.
Attorney spent decades steeped in land grant history, water rights
When Malcolm Ebright moved to Northern New Mexico in 1970, he hit the ground running. It was just a few years after the infamous and violent Tierra Amarilla courthouse raid in 1967, when activists stormed the courthouse, hoping to free a number of prisoners detained in a land grant-related case — and to capture the district attorney who had charged them.
30-acre fire with 'high spread potential' ignites in Northern New Mexico
A small wildfire with "high spread potential" is burning near the border of the Valles Caldera National Preserve and the Santa Fe National Forest, officials said on Monday evening. The 30-acre Twin Cabins Wildfire isn't currently threatening any people or property, according to the interagency New Mexico Fire Information website, but is burning in oak brush, ponderosa pine and Douglas fir in the Jemez Ranger District. It isn't clear how the fire started.
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