After over 25 hours I-25 is back open

From KRQE-TV.com - (AP) - A day after blizzard conditions shut down much of northeastern New Mexico, state highway officials say they are mopping up and getting major thoroughfares reopened. Paul Gray with the New Mexico highway department says officials have reopened Interstate 25 between Las Vegas and the Colorado line. He said highway crews had to clear drifts as high as 5 feet in some areas between Wagon Mound and Springer. White out conditions from Las Vegas to Raton forced state police to shut the road down early Monday leaving people to wait it out in Las Vegas while the storm passed and roads were cleared. Not only road crews have to clear the highway from snow and ice, state police and the National Guard had to clear I-25 from some cars that got stuck in the white out. Car and semis have been steadily streaming onto I-25 after hours of waiting and waiting. Hotels in Las Vegas filled up Monday night with drivers who had no where to go. Now the roads are open but that doesn't mean everyone is in the clear. State police are telling drivers to play it safe. There may still be some slick spots on the interstate. Read more
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Americans at the Mall and Congress out to lunch

Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. - The Civil War song, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, celebrated the men coming home. There will be no anthem from Iraq. America will still be at the mall and Congress will still be out to lunch. We always knew that America’s involvement would end. There was no strategy to “Win in Iraq.” In WWII the strategy was to subdue the military and dislodge the leadership of the three Axis countries. In Iraq we engaged until finally a politician called the troops home. To those military men and women who have come home from Iraq to an indifferent population I say, Thank you for your service. I am sorry your fellow Americans are at the Mall and Congress is still out to lunch. Read column
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DOJ Indicts Gun Dealers for Fast and Furious Style Sales

From washingtonexaminer.com -The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a complaint requesting "forfeiture of property" belonging to a New Mexico gun dealer charged with knowingly selling weapons to straw purchasers operating on behalf of Mexican drug cartels. This crime occurred during the same time frame in which DOJ conducted its own gunwalking scheme, Operation Fast and Furious, encouraging gun other gun dealers to do exactly the same thing.  More News New Mexico
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Gary Johnson Drops GOP For Libertarian Party

Gary Johnson
From washingtonpost.com - Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who has drawn little attention with his bid for the Republican nomination for president, is dropping his GOP campaign to run for the Libertarian Party nomination. Johnson plans to announce his candidacy for the Libertarian nomination next week, spokesman Joe Hunter said Tuesday night. More News New Mexico
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National Guard Troops to be Reduced at Border

From gsnmagazine.com - The contingent of National Guard troops stationed along the southwestern U.S. border will be reduced, said the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense on Dec. 20.  In a joint statement, the two departments didn’t specify how many National Guard troops would be withdrawn from the border, but said DoD will take on more aerial surveillance responsibilities, as it draws down the number of ground personnel along the border. Reportedly, the White House plans to pull 600 of the 1,200 National Guardsmen from the border.  More News New Mexico
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Shale and Conventional Gas From PA. to N.M.

From marketwatch.com -On January 12 and 13, the Economic Development Corporation of Lea County and the New Mexico Tech University's New Mexico Center for Energy Policy will kick off the EnergyPlex Conference 2012 Series with Shale Gas & Conventional Gas: From Pennsylvania to New Mexico. This conference will discuss the issues surrounding the development of shale gas using Lea County, NM and Bradford County, PA as case studies.  More News New Mexico
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Obama Appoints Kent Salazar to Valles Caldera Board

From therepublic.com -President Barack Obama has tapped the head of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation to serve as the newest board member of the Valles Caldera Trust. Kent Salazar has been sworn in to fill the vacancy left by Stephen Henry in 2010. Salazar owns an environmental consulting firm and is a former member of the state Game Commission.  More News New Mexico

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Dept. of Labor vs. American Farm Families

From americanthinker.com -Under new standards being advocated by the Labor Department, youths under the age of eighteen would be prohibited from working in hay lofts, giving shots, caring for baby animals, and being in the vicinity of animals whose behavior may be "unpredictable." For the estimated 1.3 million youths living or working on farms, this means no longer being able to perform routine chores if the farm is set up as a corporation or a business partnership. Today, the vast majority of family farms are legally structured in this manner. Citing agriculture's high fatality rate, uninformed liberal elites have taken it upon themselves to create an image of uneducated, backwards farmers who are too stupid to protect themselves and their children. In fact, the Labor Department believes that "[c]hildren employed in agriculture are some of the most vulnerable workers in America." Nothing could be farther from the truth.  More News New Mexico.
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Nunez is Truly Independent

Andy Nunez
On the News New Mexico radio show this morning Representative Andy Nunez of Dona Ana County, the only Decline to State (Independent) in the New Mexico State Legislature, suggested he would introduce legislation or seek a resolution that would pave the way for all independents to vote in the state’s primaries. Dominated by the self interest of party politics, both Democrats and Republicans have made sure that those that decline to state a party preference have no say in the candidates they have to choose from in the state's general elections.
During his appearance Nunez also expressed reservations about the wisdom of allowing state employees to continue to receive their salaries while serving in New Mexico’s volunteer legislature. Additionally, Nunez said that even if House Speaker Ben Lujan did not seek re-election in 2012, he would not re-join the Democratic Party. You can hear the entire segment of the Nunez appearance on the show here: News New Mexico

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Dysfunction in U.S. Senate Continues

NewsNM note - We will have Congressman Steve Pearce on NewsNM at 7:00am to shed light on the games being played in the U.S. Senate. Washington Times - All sides insist they want to see a yearlong extension of the payroll-tax cut, but its chances dimmed Monday as House Republicans spurned the Senate’s two-month compromise offer and demanded face-to-face negotiations - something Senate Democrats rejected out of hand. Senators have already escaped Washington for a monthlong vacation, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said Monday he won’t bring his troops back or begin to negotiate a full-year deal until the House agrees to a two-month tax-cut extension. But House Republicans said they want a full year’s worth of certainty for taxpayers, and Speaker John A. Boehner told senators to cut short their vacations and come back to town for face-to-face talks. “Our members do not want to just punt and do a two-month short-term fix where we have to come back and do this again,” the Ohio Republican said “We’re here. We’re willing to work.” Read full story here: News New Mexico
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