Secret agent might have found new alias, gigs, digs and girlfriend in Santa Fe
New Mexico, 1938-40. Santa Fe was a place for Grigulevich to cool his heels, develop a new identity for his next assignment, and make a connection with Zook’s drugstore.
Tom Sharpe
Tom Sharpe has been a print journalist for most of his life. He grew up in East Texas, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and began coming to New Mexico to work as a forest firefighter out of Questa in 1971. He has worked full-time for the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Santa Fe bureau of the Albuquerque Journal and the Santa Fe Reporter, has freelanced extensively for the Denver Post, Engineering News-Record and Agence France-Presse, and was a press aide for New Mexico Gov. Toney Anaya (1983-86).
Sharpe and his wife Stacy Brown, an artist (paintings and drawings available at Snakestone Studios in Truth or Consequences) and master knitter (knitted toys available at Dust), have six children from previous marriages. They began coming to Truth or Consequences for long weekends away from Santa Fe more than 20 years ago, and after retiring from their jobs and selling their Santa Fe home in 2023, moved to the Truth or Consequences Hot Springs District.
Spanish civil war taught Grigulevich about assassination, celebrity and manipulating the media
Spain, 1936-38. Trotskyist became a dividing line in the Spanish Civil War where Grigulevich learned how to manipulate public opinion while doing his first professional killing.
Polyglot, communist convert recruited as spy in Paris and sent to Argentina
Lithuania-Argentina, 1913-1935. Josif Grigulevich grew up in a turbulent world, traded his Karaite Jewish roots for Marxism and accepted an offer to reunite with his father in Argentina, learn Spanish and become a Soviet spy.
How I stumbled onto the story of a secret agent waiting in Santa Fe to kill Trotsky in Mexico
Josif Grigulevich was a Soviet assassin, saboteur and master manipulator of the media and politics in Latin America, Spain, the United States and Italy, 1933 to 1953. During his stint in New Mexico, mid 1938 to early 1940, he laid low, hung out at two pharmacies near the Santa Fe Plaza and might have had a fling with the daughter of one of the owners.
Move along. Nothing to see here: Elephant Butte to leave hospital over being treated like a ‘bastard stepchild’
Hospital's ownership and management changing despite insistence that its finances are better than ever.
In retirement Tom Hinson never bragged about his high-powered career shuttling photography into fine art
Tom Hinson was a reserved man who during his decade in Truth or Consequences seldom talked about his career acquiring contemporary art for the prestigious Cleveland Museum of Art and developing its collection of photography. Hinson, 80, died May 29…
Sierra joins Catron County in declaring a disaster due to wolves killing cattle and asking that wolf relocations cease
Some counties are calling for curtailment of wolf relocations after recent cattle killings in Catron County. But figures show depredations have held steady or decreased, despite growth in the number wolves in the wilds.
`Historical architecture gem’ is mostly empty, leaving an opening for local preservationists
Three fourths of the old Carrie Tingley Hospital is empty now that all the veterans housed for 38 years have moved to new residences. No plan yet how to use it.
Polio hospital began with publisher’s plea to FDR who hid his paralysis from the public
For 44 years, Carrie Tingley Hospital was TorC's biggest industry, treating polio and other orthopedic disorders
New veteran digs are among swankiest skilled nursing units you’ll find but they’re not cheap
The six new residential buildings at the New Mexico State Home provide a home-like atmosphere for veterans needing higher levels of care, with each bloc of 12 units sharing a kitchen staffed by professional cooks.
Air Force looks to expand low-level flights over Gila Wilderness
Opponents of a plan to conduct lower altitude military training flights in parts of western New Mexico and Arizona say that current operations are already impacting communities like Rodeo, New Mexico and Portal, Arizona.
Bulletproofing county clerk office won’t start until after contentious election
The growing threat of violence against county officials who count votes has Sierra County planning to install bulletproof doors and windows to the clerk's office.