In Myanmar, President Obama gave a talk on immigration and said he can't “stand by” and wait for Congress to act.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel wants to fix the bomb.

A Dallas teacher was forced to resign after posting “racially charged” tweets laced with derogatory statements about the Michael Brown shooting.

According to the Pew Research Center, 40 percent of new marriages in the US are remarriages.

Police in Los Angeles arrested 23 people outside a Walmart who were protesting low wages and “its retaliation against employees who pushed for better working conditions.”

A woman who owns a horse ranch in Placitas found a dead horse in a storage room on the facility. It's not exactly The Godfather, but it's enough to make you lose your lunch.

Seven years later, the case of the missing man who left his severed penis on a doorstep is still unsolved.

A former teacher, Albuquerque Public Schools and two principals are being sued for a string of sexual abuse allegations.

Could New Mexico's seven-year oil production boom be coming to an end?

Some kids see ghosts. Some kids have imaginary friends. This one thinks he's a reincarnated marine.

We've all heard the gloomy scenarios of global warming: extreme weather, drought, famine, breakdown of society, destruction of civilization. Here in New Mexico it feels like we’ve made the switch from esoteric to actual, from computer model to daily life. My perch in Placitas feels like a front-row seat to the apocalypse. Smoke is in the air. Neighbors are fighting over water. Some of my outdoor flower pots have melted in the heat. Wild animals are getting thirsty, hungry and bold. It turns out, this might just be the new normal for the American Southwest.

If you're one of those twisted, forward-thinking Burqueños who gets their holiday shopping done before Thanksgiving, you're probably familiar with the Placitas Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Sale. Celebrating its 30th year, the event brings 80 artists from scattered Southwestern locales to show their wares. Encompassing everything from glass work to batiks to painted drums, it's held in three locations: the Anasazi Fields Winery, a tent next to Las Placitas Presbyterian Church and Placitas Elementary School. Anasazi is unveiling a cranberry wine, and all three locations will also be selling hot food—from gourmet shrimp tacos to homemade Frito pies. A notable addition to this year's show is linocut artist Susan Junge, who lives in Maine but was one of the festival's founders back in 1982. It all takes place on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 19 and 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

David Cramer was a highly skilled nature photographer and a fixture in the Placitas arts community. After retiring from a career in psychology in Texas, he moved to New Mexico and shot adamantly for the seven years until his death in 2010. His images depict leaping mountain lions frozen in mid-air against expansive vistas, menacing owls and wild horses roaming the open plains. He was also a founding member of the Placitas photo collective, Perspectives. A reception for his work will take place today from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Placitas Community Library (453 Hwy. 165). Cramer's work will be for sale, and all of the event's proceeds will benefit the library. The show is already up and runs through Nov. 30.

While fact checking a little while ago, I ran a search on Placitas, N.M. and happened upon Placitas Miniature and Toy Australian shepherds—I had no idea there was such a thing, and in such close proximity to my home. The website, linked above, hosts an abundance of cute images of the little pooches that should fill your heart with joy.