Being Hispanic and Jewish: A Hidden History

Being Hispanic and Jewish: A Hidden History

“I think we are Jews.” The thought crystallized during a conference Sonya Loya attended in Glorieta during 1999 where others were exploring their Jewish roots. It was a turning point for the Ruidoso resident who was raised Catholic. Looking back on the conference, she remembers trying to avoid a woman who dogged her, persistently asking questions about her family. Polite at first, Loya finally asked: “Why do you want to know?” “Because it sounds like you are from the Marranos,”…

Read More Read More

A Police Officer Shooting: The Story of Two Accounts

A Police Officer Shooting: The Story of Two Accounts

Before the police officer shooting of Timothy Jones in Ruidoso in 2015, the last fatal officer shooting in Ruidoso took place on April 23, 1971. Paul Green, who had been arrested earlier in the day, asked to make a call and was led to the police department’s phone, dialed a number, suddenly dropped the receiver and ran from the building. Officer Victor Brooks ran after the escaping prisoner. In his later retelling of events, confirmed by the dispatcher, Brooks yelled…

Read More Read More

“I Survived BTK” A Story of the Quest for Redemption

“I Survived BTK” A Story of the Quest for Redemption

One of the first scenes in the documentary “I Survived BTK” (also known as “Feast of the Assumption: BTK and the Otero Family Murders”) is Charlie Otero speaking from prison where he was serving a 44-month sentence after accepting a deal to plead guilty for aggravated battery. The scene is ironic but telling. Otero’s life was upended when his parents and two young siblings, ages 11 and 9 were murdered by Dennis Rader, Wichita’s BTK killer. Charlie at age 15…

Read More Read More