KC Counts:
Okay, with the triple digit heat setting in here in the lower elevations, a lot of people are going to be headed toward Silver City in the Gila National Forest to cool off a little bit. Of course, it is fire season and we have seen some earlier than normal thunderstorm activity that can be a blessing and a curse all at the same time. But so far, For Grant County, it looks like it's been the former.
Nick Seibel:
Yeah, I think, and knock on wood, of course, we have been incredibly fortunate so far this season. When you compare where we were, the trout fire broke out around this time last year and just scorched A tremendous amount of the Gila National Forest, not far at all from the populated areas of Grant County. And as with all these things, that was sort of a double-edged sword. You know, it basically burned out, a lot of that was not really intense fire, burned out a lot of dead material, a lot of undergrowth, and really, I think, set us up for hopefully some less severe fire seasons. And as dry as this winter was, we have had these periodic rain showers, which have kind of kept things from getting just super, super dry like they are this time of year. So we're moving into those really hot temperatures, but you know, you got to have that heat to set up the weather pattern to drag in the monsoon. So we have to remember, you just have to suffer through June to get to July.
KC Counts:
Which is only the second hottest month for the region. All right, well, let's move on to a story a lot of people were following regarding the settlement for the death of a very famous woman who ended up at the Gila Regional Medical Center.
Nick Seibel:
Yeah, Nichelle Nichols, who's best known for her role as Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek series and the movies that came out of that, was a resident of Grant County for the last period of her life before she passed away back in 2022. Her son still lives here in Grant County. And so shortly, right before she passed away, she ended up spending a night at Gila Regional Medical Center, it's a county-owned hospital, and was diagnosed there with congestive heart failure. her family basically and then right after being released essentially she passed away so uh that went before a jury here in Grant County and uh last week they uh decided uh for judgment for damages in the amount of $13 million which uh they allocated 60% of that responsibility was to the was the doctor that attended Nichols who didn't work for the hospital was just contracted by them and then 40% of the fault was found to lie with he Regional now what's What's interesting is the doctor wasn't actually part of this lawsuit. So that physician is involved with another lawsuit that's taking place in district court up in Santa Fe County, actually, and that's still ongoing. So this is really about the hospital and their responsibility for it. And you'd say 40% of $13 million sounds like a lot of money. But I mentioned earlier that Healy Regional is a county-owned hospital. And so early on in the process of this lawsuit, District Judge Jim Foy basically determined that the hospital qualifies under the Mexico Tort Claim Act, which limits damages against government entities to $400,000. So despite the big judgment that the jury determined the hospital is actually only on the hook for $400,000, there was still a lot of money, but certainly not millions and millions of dollars. And there is insurance involved in this as well.
KC Counts:
It's kind of a disappointment for folks who are hoping to catch a movie this summer at the Silco Theater. But in the end, it'll be, it's like Rd. construction, right? It's kind of miserable while it's going on, but it's nice.
Nick Seibel:
It's June. You've got to get through it to get to July. It's like the renovations at the Silco. You've got to get through them to have a better theater for the community. Of course, the Silco Theater was renovated by Silver City Main Street and of Silver City, and they actually brought the same contractor back on board to do innovations to the stage facility, could install a new retractable screen and curtains, and basically open up the stage, resurface it, and allow it to be used for more live theater productions, for more musical performances. They say, of course, that the movies are still going to be a big part of what happens at the Silco. But it's going to open up that facility to a lot of other different kinds of uses funded by a capital outlay allocation and a grant from New Mexico Main Street. So important work. But unfortunately, the timing of some of that funding meant that they had to do it now in summer blockbuster season, which idles Grant County's only movie theater. They are still open Friday and Saturday nights. So if you need your popcorn fix or some candy to take home as you watch a movie on Netflix for an inferior experience, but such as it is, you can still have access to your movie theater goodies.
KC Counts:
Thanks so much for the update. You can read all about these stories and more at scdailypress.com. Have a wonderful week and stay cool.
Nick Seibel:
Do my best.