6 Headless Bodies Dumped Near School

From yahoo.com -Suspected drug hitmen dumped six headless bodies outside a school in northern Mexico Monday a day after forensics pulled victims out of a nearby mass grave in a stream of unrelenting violence that is pressuring Mexican President Felipe Calderon.  Assailants left the bloodied, beheaded men outside the secondary school in the colonial city of Durango just before dawn and sprayed threatening messages on a nearby wall, hours before students were due to put on a show to celebrate Mother's Day, Durango state attorney general's office said.  Prosecutors declined to give more details and police quickly painted over the spray-painted threats, but also confirmed the discovery Sunday of 11 bodies in a shallow grave in the back of a mechanic's garage in the city. It was the fourth mass grave to be found in Durango since early April.  More News New Mexico
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Voter Fraud Investigation Continues

Dianna Duran
From capitolreportnewmexico.com -Secretary of State Dianna Duran says her office has turned over records to the state police department to investigate charges of voter fraud in New Mexico but Duran says she can’t reveal how many instances have been recorded or whether the investigation is nearly completed because of the ongoing nature of the case.  In March, Duran told reporters that her office has found:
*Of 1.16 million registered voters in New Mexico database, there were 161,000 exceptions in which Social Security numbers did not match *Of 88,000 foreign nationals identified through the Motor Vehicles Department, there were 83 percent “good matches” comparing the database to Social Security numbers  The Secretary of State’s Office was looking  into the remaining 17 percent without matches. Presumably the state police department is now looking into that number as well.  More News New Mexico
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Obama to Decide if National Guard Will Stay on the Border

From dailypolitical.com -President Obama will soon decide on whether or not to keep a group of 1,200 National Guardsman currently deployed on the Mexican and U.S. borders to combat immigration violators. Funding for the mission is up in June.  The president is speaking on the issue with his upcoming trip to the area to talk about immigration reform.  The troops were authorized about a year ago after congressional Republicans and border state governors demanded that more be done to stop illegal immigration. The troops have authorization to help the Border Patrol with immigration enforcement operations in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.  More News New Mexico
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Unemployed in NM? This Is What You Are Up Against

Council On State Taxation (COST) - The Council on State Taxation is pleased to announce the release of a new study ranking states by tax burden on new investment. The study, “Competitiveness of State and Local Business Taxes on New Investment,” is the latest contribution by Ernst & Young in conjunction with COST to the growing field of research in the state and local business tax arena. The study assesses the competitiveness of current state and local business taxes on mobile capital investment on a state-by-state basis.The rankings consider state and local statutory tax provisions and the financial characteristics of the new investments.
The analysis focuses on capital investments in industries that have location choices such as factories or headquarters, rather than those like retailers or hotels that are tied to a specific geography. The estimated tax burdens on selected investments are combined to provide an overall measure of the business tax competitiveness of each state. The index includes all major state and local business taxes associated with new capital investments including corporate income and franchise taxes, real and personal property taxes and sales taxes on business input purchases. It focuses on five types of mobile capital investments that states compete to attract: headquarters facilities; research & development facilities; office and call center facilities; durable and nondurable manufacturing facilities. Although many additional factors ultimately weigh into a decision by a company to invest in a state, this study advances the state and local tax portion of that equation well beyond an assessment of tax rates and bases, which is typically the norm.
It does not consider certain variable issues such as combined reporting, availability of tax credits or incentives, certain industry specific taxes, and unemployment taxes. These variable issues are important—and can be the dominant factors in certain location decisions—but they are frequently industry or company-specific or limited to certain geographical regions and thus not suitable for a study of the “general” state and local business tax system. Overall, the business tax competitiveness index shows a large difference in tax burdens among the states. Key findings include:
NM Gov. Bill Richardson (2002-2010)
Maine imposes the smallest burden on new investment due to factors such as a favorable corporate income apportionment formula that compensates for a relatively high tax rate, a property tax exemption for new equipment and low state and local sales tax rates.
Oregon ranks second due to an advantageous corporate income apportionment formula and the absence of a sales tax on business inputs and franchise taxes. New Mexico’s state and local business tax system imposes the greatest burden of any state, resulting from factors such as a corporate income apportionment system that makes a large portion of the income from new investments taxable, an above average corporate tax rate and the imposition of a gross receipts tax on virtually all business activities. Click here to view the full study: News New Mexico
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Pearce to Hold Lordsburg Townhall Meeting

Steve Pearce
Lordsburg, NM (May 9, 2011) Congressman Steve Pearce will hold a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, May 18th, in Lordsburg. The meeting will be held at 4:00 pm at the Baxter Civic Center, at 313 E. 4th Street. Congressman Pearce plans to discuss jobs and the economy in New Mexico, which has been his top priority in Congress. He is working to reduce burdensome regulations that harm small businesses and kill jobs in New Mexico. His recent work in Congress has also included energy legislation to put Americans back to work and lower gas prices. Congressman Pearce looks forward to listening to attendees and answering questions. Hearing from constituents about what issues are important to them is vital to Mr. Pearce’s work in Washington. Mr. Pearce will be at home in New Mexico during the week of the 18th, visiting with constituents and providing updates on his work in Washington. For more information about the meeting, telephone 1-855-4-PEARCE, (1-855-473-2723), or visit www.pearce.house.gov.


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Parker: Competing Institutions in Society

Star Parker
Townhall - As Americans celebrate Mother’s Day 2011, I doubt many will be thinking about any connection between their Mom and budget negotiations in Washington. But there is a connection. Mother’s Day became a national holiday by way of a resolution passed by Congress in 1914. Although since then the country has grown to become the world’s undisputed superpower, at the same time key social realities that helped enable us to get to this point have changed and eroded. In 1914, the total take of government at all levels – federal, state, and local – was less then ten percent of the American economy. Today it is close to forty five percent. Beyond the obvious economic and fiscal dimensions of this, this change reflects important shifts in basic attitudes of Americans toward life in general. Although individualism has always defined American life, few would ever have denied that the social aspects of our lives are as vital and fundamental as the individual aspects. What really has changed is how a large part of our population now sees these social aspects. There’s been a shift in the center of gravity from family to government. Increasingly Americans have come to see government rather than family as the institution through which we primarily help each other. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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Evacuation Expected Due to Gila Wilderness Fire

KOB TV -Forest officials expect to issue mandatory evacuation orders shortly for homeowners near a fire burning in the Gila Wilderness. High winds were expected to spread the 28,000-acre Miller fire Monday. Fire officials have warned residents to be prepared to leave as soon as they hear sirens. Voluntary evacuations of Gila Hot Springs have been in effect since Sunday. Fire officials say power has already been turned off in the area. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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News NM Welcomes Carlsbad - Eddy County

Senator Vernon Asbill
News New Mexico is scheduled to take the air in Carlsbad this morning on KATK AM -740. It will be our great pleasure to interview Senator Vernon Asbill from 7:30am - 8:00am. Asbill represents District 34 (Eddy and Otero County). He is the ranking member on the Senate Education Committee and is a retired educator. We will talk to Senator Asbill about the Sand Dunes Lizard, higher education funding, as well as the failure of the Senate to pass a social promotion education bill sponsored by Rep. Mary Helen Garcia of Dona Ana County and endorsed by Governor Martinez. Please use the contact page above to send your questions to Senator Asbill.
 

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Blame La Nina for Drought?

KOB- TV - SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - La Nina has made for extreme weather across the West - bringing joy to skiers and urban water managers yet flood and fire worries elsewhere. Northern Utah is bracing for dangerous runoff as snowpacks in some lower elevations in the mountains east of Salt Lake City are as much as 750 percent of normal. In New Mexico, relentless winds and drought conditions have already fueled some 400 fires. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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Mexican Federal Officers: Juarez Mayor's Bodyguards Look Like Organized Crime Gunmen

El Paso Times - In response to the confrontation that erupted between Juárez Mayor Héctor Murguía and Mexican federal police Wednesday afternoon, officials from México's Department of Public Safety said the mayor's bodyguards looked like "organized crime gunmen." The argument between Murguía and federal police officers started around 3 p.m. in Juárez after federal officers allegedly aimed their rifles at the mayor's bodyguards on a city street. According to a federal police official in México, federal officers were patrolling Juárez streets when they came across a "convoy of heavy armed individuals riding in three vehicles and speeding, looking and behaving like organized crime gunmen," the official said in a statement.
Juarez Mayor Hector Murguia
Those men turned out to be mayor's bodyguards. After asking for back up, the federal officers stopped those civilians on Libramiento and Mutualismo streets, Manuel Gómez Morín neighborhood, the official said in a press release. Until then, the riders of the second vehicle identified themselves verbally as local police officers, but they didn't produce any badge or identification, the official said. Juárez Mayor Héctor Murguía got out from one of the vehicles and complained about being pulled over by federal police, and said that he was in charge of the city, the federal police press release said. But Murguía alleges that his bodyguards produced their police badges to federal officers. Still, he said, the federal officers pointed their shotguns at the guards. Read full story here: News New Mexico

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Obama Administration Helps Unions Flex Muscles and Kill Jobs in S. Carolina

Newsnm note (Spence) - Ever wonder why organized labor gave hundreds of millions to Barack Obama before the election? Ever wonder how government can literally control every decision a job creating business can make? Read this story of what campaign contributions can buy from the NLRB - Bloomberg - U.S. House Republicans demanded that the National Labor Relations Board provide information about its decision to file a union-retaliation complaint against Boeing Co. (BA) for building an airplane factory in South Carolina. The House Education and the Workforce Committee gave the board until May 19 to submit documents and communications between a regional office that investigated the case and the national office, according to a letter released today by the Republican chairmen of the committee and a subcommittee.
The board filed a complaint against Boeing on April 20, saying it should add a production line in Washington state, where it has assembled its aircraft since 1916, because it retaliated against striking unions by building a South Carolina factory for the 787 Dreamliner.
The board’s action is an “extraordinary remedy that requires Boeing to relocate its operations across the country,” Representatives John Kline of Minnesota, chairman of the committee, and Phil Roe of Tennessee, chairman of the panel on health, employment, labor and pensions, wrote in the letter. Lawmakers, state officials and Boeing have joined in criticizing the board, with Republican senators urging President Barack Obama to withdraw the nomination of Lafe Solomon, NLRB acting general counsel, who filed the case. Boeing has faced increased labor tension, with a strike by engineers and four by the Machinists union since 1989, including a two-month walkout at the end of 2008. Read full story here: News New Mexico

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Spaceport Slow Paying Contractors

Las Cruces Sun News - LAS CRUCES - Widespread frustration among Spaceport America contractors about cost overruns and late payments for their work recently led one firm to walk off the job site. The departure of the subcontractor, Bowers Electric, could throw another wrench in the $32.5 million terminal-hangar, already four months behind schedule. The iconic building - expected to house the spaceport's anchor tenant, Virgin Galactic - is the largest unfinished component of the $209 million spaceport's first phase. Read full story here: News New Mexico
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