Rep. Mary Helen Garcia to Appear on NewsNM

New Mexico House of Representatives member Mary Helen Garcia will appear as a guest on News New Mexico Tuesday morning July 27th at 8:30am. Tuesday's show will deal almost exclusively with education issues affecting Las Cruces, Dona Ana County, the State of New Mexico, and the United States. Mrs. Garcia enjoyed a lengthy career as an educator and also served as a school principal before being elected to the state legislature. Garcia is unopposed in November.
Share/Bookmark

Michelle Rhee - Making an Impact

One-quarter of the 4,000-member teaching force in D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) could be kicked out of their classrooms by the end of the next school year if they fail to measure up to a new evaluation tool that plays a major role in President Obama's education-reform plan.
The national school-reform spotlight is again shining on D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and, as with her other efforts, teachers are again on edge. This time, the issue is how she grades teachers. One-quarter of the 4,000-member teaching force in D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) could be kicked out of their classrooms by the end of the next school year if they fail to measure up to a new evaluation tool that plays a major role in President Obama's education-reform plan. Read more here:

Share/Bookmark

Obama Children Don't Attend Public Schools in D.C.


Continuing a tradition among Washington's power elite, President-elect Barack Obama and his wife have decided to send their kids to Sidwell Friends School. Michelle Obama confirmed yesterday that Malia and Sasha, the incoming first daughters, will enroll at the pricey private school when the family moves into the White House in January. Although Mrs. Obama has said that public schools were under consideration and consulted with D.C. school officials, the decision narrowed this week after she and the girls visited Sidwell and the private Georgetown Day School. Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, visited classes and met with students while their mother talked with administration officials and parents. Mrs. Obama also visited both schools last week when she came to Washington with her husband to tour the White House and meet with President and Mrs. Bush. Read more here:
Share/Bookmark

Anthony Casino Proposal Returns

From the Las Cruces Sun-News LAS CRUCES - A proposal by the Jemez Pueblo of northern New Mexico to build a $60 million, off-reservation casino and hotel in Anthony, N.M., is back on the table.  A group of pueblo officials and representatives of Santa Fe art dealer Gerald Peters, the developer who's partnering with the tribe, met with trustees of the newly seated Anthony governing body last Wednesday. Read more here:
Share/Bookmark

Martinez Candidacy Drawing National Attention

Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez may be the “most frightening” candidate in the nation for Democrats in 2010, writes Molly Ball on Slate.com. In addition, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza has added the New Mexico gubernatorial race to the list of contests that are most likely to result in a party switch this fall. Read more here:
Share/Bookmark

Speaker Lujan Vulnerable?

From the archive of NMPolitics.net - Many say House Speaker Ben Luján’s near-loss in last week’s Democratic primary should be a warning to all incumbents that no one is safe this election year. I disagree. I’m convinced that voter anger is strong, but I’m not convinced that it’s motivating the masses to reject all incumbents, regardless of their records. What Luján’s near-loss does show is that his power is continuing to fade away. Don’t count him out – the man who holds the second-most powerful position in state government is a skilled politician who holds a lot of cards and undoubtedly still has a few tricks up his sleeves. Read the rest of Heath Haussamen's column here:
News New Mexico heard persistent rumors prior to the last session of the New Mexico legislature that Dona Ana County's own House member Joseph Cervantes (right) may well be in line for Speaker of the House when the long often torutous and controversial reign of Ben Lujan finally comes to an end. Cervantes is a seasoned legislature and would make an excellent successor according to many sources we rely on.




Share/Bookmark