N.M. Has Weak Animal Cruelty Laws
DWI Unit reports one-third of Albuquerque DWI cases tossed out
From KOB-TV - By: Heather Mills, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - The number of DWI arrests in Albuquerque is on the rise. The Albuquerque Police Department's DWI Unit is reporting a 15 percent increase so far this year. If that is not bad enough, nearly one-third of those cases are thrown out and never prosecuted. As of November 23, 2011, there have been 3,159 reported DWI arrests in the City of Albuquerque. 1072 were dismissed. In 848 cases, the reason was because "the prosecution was unable to proceed." KOB Eyewitness News 4 asked Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg what that means. "I wish I could point the finger at someone and say, it's because of them," she said. Paul Heh is a retired APD Sergeant. He said officers are often double-booked at court and since they cannot be in two places at one time, there is a hierarchy for appearances. Heh said there is incentive for officers to go to court, beyond the conviction, but sometimes, they just cannot get there. "In APD, if you don't show up for court, you get a missed court notice, there's discipline involved," Heh said. Heh calls it "forced overtime." If an officer does not show up, the case gets tossed. But so many times, he says cases drag on, which means overtime, each time. "I have personally shown up 23 times on one case." He said. "The defense is just hoping that I don't show up one of these times and when I don't show up, they'll move for a dismissal." That is costing tax payers money. Brandenburg said the percentage of dismissed cases has not changed in the last 20 years. She added that there is no easy fix. Read more
Funeral homes struggle as violent deaths in Juárez decline
From the El Paso Times - By Lourdes Cardenas - JUAREZ - More than a year ago, things looked good for Juan H. Pharo, a funeral home representative. But recently he finds it very difficult to get money to support his family. "The last time that I booked a service was a week ago," said Pharo while waiting outside of the state prosecutor's office in Juárez for the relatives of those who have died in violent incidents. As he has done for more than three years, Pharo daily goes to the prosecutor's office to offer funeral services to the families who show up there to identify the body of a relative or to fill out the paperwork needed to release the body. There, Pharo and his colleagues from other funeral homes, wait for the families to offer them the best deal for a funeral. "Today (Tuesday) there are five dead people, but (the families of) two have already chosen a service," he said. "Three remain and there are five representatives of funeral homes." What represents a problem for Pharo is now a relief for most of the people in Juárez, who have seen a decrease in the violence, particularly in the number of homicides in the city. According to figures from the Fiscalia del Estado de Chihuahua, the prosecutor's office, the number of homicides has been declining this year. In January, there were 215 homicides, while in October the number reached 144 and this month there have been 98. Read more
N.M. Voters Strongly Support Tax Credits
Portales Police captain shredded traffic tickets
From KRQE-TV.com - by Bill Diven - A Portales police captain has been charged with tampering with public records for allegedly destroying traffic citations before they could be filed in court.A statement from Ninth District Attorney Matthew Chandler said Capt. Lonnie Berry of the Portales Police Department was arrested today. Berry is charged with three counts of tampering with a public record. The charges are fourth-degree felonies. Chandler’s statement said investigators from his office and the New Mexico State Police began looking into Berry’s activities in June after a police officer reported he was removing and shredding citations issued to a Portales resident. The resident and his or her relationship with Berry is not discussed in Chandler’s statement. Investigators allege that over nine months Berry intercepted eight traffic citations before police records personnel could file them with the appropriate court and either destroyed or hid them. As part of the investigation a search warrant was served on Portales police headquarters on Dec. 1. Berry was placed on paid leave the next day and following his arrest has agreed to resign, Chandler said. Read more
Judge Murphy Case is One for the Books
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| Michael Murphy |
Train in Vain? Once a beacon of progress, the Rail Runner now faces an uncertain future
From the Santa Fe Reporter - It’s 6 pm in the middle of the week, and two-thirds of the seats on a southbound New Mexico Rail Runner Express train are full. Most of the passengers are coming home from a long day of work in Santa Fe. They live near or in Albuquerque, which offers a cheaper cost of living and “more things to do,” as one passenger puts it. On board, many of them shoot the breeze during the hour-long commute. A few chuckles and a feeling of camaraderie pervade the atmosphere. In its five-year history, the Rail Runner’s ridership has grown to 4,500 passengers per day. Last month, the train celebrated its 5 millionth passenger. Its financials, however, are far less rosy. This year, the Rail Runner lost $1.2 million in federal funding. By next year, the train, which costs roughly $24 million a year to run, could lose as much as $5 million. On top of that, a new study by the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration estimates that, in order to service debt the train has incurred, the state will be on the hook for a whopping $784 million by 2027. So far, the only solutions that have emerged are piecemeal—such as an impending fare increase, which will cover a meager 2.5 percent of the train’s total operating budget. The combination of mushrooming costs and a lack of big-picture solutions has led some detractors to push for shutting the Rail Runner down entirely. Read more
In New Mexico an interesting moon event
From the Weekly Alibi - E.J. Maliskas - On Saturday morning, a total eclipse of the moon will be visible in the skies of western Northern America. For those on the West Coast, the shadow of the Earth will begin to eclipse the moon at around 4:45 a.m. PST. By 6:05 PST, the moon will be fully engulfed in a reddish-brown light. The total eclipse will be visible all the way from the Pacific Coast of North America to Asia and Eastern Europe. Sadly, for us New Mexicans, we will miss out on the full-fledged, actual, total eclipse of the moon. We will, however, be able to see a partial eclipse at moonset, which will happen at 7:05 that morning. Partial or not, I contest that it will be quite romantic to face west for an eclipsed moonset whilst the sun rises over the Sandias to the east. This kind of magic doesn't happen every day, and this kind of eclipse won't happen again until 2014. Read more
Eurofighter Plane Coming to Holloman AFB
"Tense" Negotiations with Public Unions
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| Governor Martinez |
The Santa Fe Reporter - To the three public employee unions currently negotiating new state contracts, the state’s offers are nothing more than the governor’s latest sneer toward organized labor. Though they’ve been at the table since the summer, both sides “haven’t even begun to address 75 percent of the contract” for Communications Workers of America members, according to Robin Gould, a lead negotiator for CWA. The Fraternal Order of Police and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have similar perspectives. “We haven’t gotten to the major issues yet,” David Heshley, executive director of the FOP’s state lodge, tells SFR. “I’m not expecting anything to get done [this month], and we’ve been going since July.” Read full story here: News New Mexico
New Political Weapon - the Osama bin Laden Card
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| Osama bin Laden |
Mimi Stewart Will Seek a 10th Term
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| Mimi Stewart |
Representative Mimi Stewart from House District # 21 in Albuquerque will seek re-election for the 10th time. Stewart has served in the New Mexico House of Representatives since 1995. In a tweet earlier this morning Stewart had this to say: "Thanks friends-fantastic fund raiser last night! 50 diverse folks w/ good food, great hosts, and hope for future. I'm running again 4 House!"
We Aren't Scientists
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| Dr. Ivar Giaever |
No, we are not scientists. However, Dr. Ivar Giaever is a scientist, and a pretty good one. He is a former professor with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the 1973 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics. It seems that back in September, Dr. Giaever abruptly announced his resignation from a premier physics society in disgust over its officially stated policy that "man made global warming is occurring." The official position of the American Physical Society (APS) supports the theory that man's actions have inexorably led to the warming of the planet, through increased emissions of carbon dioxide. Dr. Giaever does not agree.
The problem the religious fanatics have with these scientists is the scientists think the idea of making policies that completely dismantle our existing energy infrastructure and the viability of our economy should be scrutinized.
Here is a very stubborn fact. The "theory" that global warming is taking place and is man-made is still subject to fierce scientific debate. And by the way, you don't have to be a scientist to realize this is a FACT. Anyone denying this fact is woefully uninformed. You can read the full story of the Nobel Prize winning scientist's resignation here: News New Mexico
PNM Elects 1st Female Chairwoman of the Board
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| Pat Vincent-Collawn |
No Trial Date Yet for Vigil-Giron
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| Rebecca Vigil-Giron |
Richardson Grand Jury Will Meet December 13th
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| Bill Richardson |
Five Finalists for UNM President Job
NM Credit Outlook Clouded by Failure of Super Committee
Business Week - South Carolina, Tennessee and 119 top-rated municipal issuers had their credit outlook raised by Moody’s Investors Service to stable from negative, where they were placed because of exposure to federal spending cuts. The outlook remains negative for three top-rated states -- Maryland, New Mexico and Virginia -- and 36 municipalities, school districts and authorities because of their sensitivity to changes in U.S. aid or federal employment, Naomi Richman, a Moody’s analyst, said today in a statement. “Issuers with outlooks that remain negative are viewed as having greater exposure to potential cuts,” said Richman, a managing director in New York. Moody’s had revised the outlook for all the issuers to negative on Aug. 4 after taking the same step on U.S. government debt on Aug. 2. All are rated Aaa by the credit-grading company. The “expanded evaluation” of each government or agency looked at measures of federal aid and employment, health-care jobs, Medicaid spending and short-term debt, Richman said. The company also examined “exposure to capital markets disruptions” based on short-term debt, she said. South Carolina and Tennessee have “relatively lower levels of financial and economic exposure” to U.S. spending, Moody’s said. The economies of Maryland, New Mexico and Virginia “are highly dependent on federal employment and federal spending,” said Nick Samuels, a Moody’s analyst in New York. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Governor Announces Education Proposals in Santa Fe
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| Susana Martinez |
Today, Governor Susana Martinez announced a proposal to invest $17 million dollars in new funding to help New Mexico's children learn how to read. The Early Reading Initiative will provide new reading coaches and offer new screenings to students who are struggling to read, as well as increase funding for pre-K programs and supplemental instruction for children in need of reading assistance. The 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress found that 80% of New Mexico's 4th grade students cannot read at grade level, which can lead to poor student performance in later grades and a graduation rate in New Mexico that is among the lowest in the country.
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| Hana Skandera |
As part of the $17 million Early Reading Initiative, the state would spend over $6 million to invest in reading coaches throughout New Mexico. Each reading coach would support a group of about six elementary schools, and would work closely with teachers on the best strategies to help struggling students find success. Teachers would also be provided with screening assessment tools to regularly monitor a student's reading progress in early grades, and struggling students would get the help and attention they need.
“We know that a child that can't read by the 3rd grade is four times more likely to drop out of high school,” said Public Education Department Secretary-Designate Hanna Skandera. “Our children will be the leaders of our state before we know it. It's time we give them the opportunity they deserve.” As part of the Early Reading Initiative, the Governor will work in a bipartisan fashion with New Mexico lawmakers to ensure that students would no longer be advanced from the 3rd to the 4th grade without having learned basic reading skills.
In Defense of EPA: Farm Dust Prevention Act
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| Steve Pearce |
“The EPA’s actions to further regulate dust are a tremendous overreach that would prohibit New Mexico farmers and ranchers from doing their jobs,” said Pearce. “The dust under consideration here is naturally occurring and the amount produced is controlled by rainfall and blowing winds. If the EPA cannot control those factors, why should we expect our farmers and ranchers to?” "The caucus I Chair, the Congressional Western Caucus, released a Jobs Frontier Report that highlights 40 bills, that will reduce job killing regulations and start to put Americans back to work," Pearce continued. "The Farm Dust bill was highlighted in the report, because this legislation will give farmers and ranchers the certainty they need to continue to invest in their businesses without fear of harsh regulations. Washington’s purpose must be to expand job creation, not to control it so that this country can once again be the America where anything is possible and success is rewarded."
H.R. 1633 provides for a one-year moratorium on the EPA from adding any additional dust regulations already regulated under state, tribal or local law on production agriculture and rural America. The Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act passed the House of Representatives on December 8, 2011 with a final vote of 268-150. Congressman Pearce was the only New Mexico Representative to vote in favor of this bill which supports our farming and ranching communities.
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