News New Mexico: 04/19/12

NM horse racing officials look to adopt stricter rules: “We need to get tough,” chairman says

Courtesy of Rob Nikolewski

Capitol Report New Mexico - Within the next two months, the rules and penalties concerning New Mexico horse racing might get a lot tougher. And if the legislature goes along, so might drug testing. On Thursday (April 19), the state’s Racing Commission is considering adopting regulations from the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) in addition to possibly increasing the number of horses tested for illegal drugs from two to three following each race, even if it might triple the amount already budgeted for testing. “We have to take immediate measures now. We really do,” agency director Vince Mares said after the commission’s monthly meeting Thursday. Last month, the New York Times ran a 6,400-word exposé that has rocked the horse racing community across the United States. But the Times article painted a particularly harsh picture of New Mexico, depicting the state as a place where race horses are regularly drugged to dangerous levels and where offenders are too easily let off the hook. According to a statistical study done by the newspaper, five of the seven tracks in the country with the highest rates of incidents were in New Mexico. Members of the racing commission and those in the industry across the state criticized theTimes report but have acknowledged there are problems in New Mexico. Read More News New Mexico

Oil & gas leases bring millions to NM

Carlsbad Current-Argus - Federal oil and gas leases in New Mexico and Oklahoma sold for more than $33 million in the Bureau of Land Management's quarterly auction. The lease auction was held Wednesday in Santa Fe. The leases were mainly in New Mexico, where bidders paid more than $31.7 million for 20 parcels. Eight parcels in Oklahoma brought in more than $1.4 million. The highest per-parcel bid was $7.8 million for a 602 acre parcel in Lea County, N.M. In Eddy County there were two parcels totaling 760 acres. A 640 acre parcel brought $3.8 million and a 120 acre parcel fetch $600,000, according to sale results posted on the BLM's website. Winning bidders are awarded leases that allow them to drill for oil and gas for 10 years and continue producing for as long as the wells are producing in paying quantities. Read More News New Mexico

Investigating New Mexico's less-famous UFO landing

CNET - Roswell gets all the glory. It has a UFO festival, a UFO museum, and a prominent place in the national mindset. Roswell happened back in 1947, but it wasn't really popularized until the late 1970s. Before Roswell got famous, Socorro, N.M., made national news in 1964 after a very peculiar incident on an April evening. Police officer Lonnie Zamora was chasing a speeding car near the outskirts of town when he turned off to investigate a loud roaring sound and a flame in the sky. What he initially thought was a car turned over in an arroyo turned out to be what he described as a shiny whitish object, shaped like an "O" with legs. Two figures the size of small adults were near the object, he said. As he got closer, the object rose up and flew away. Indentations and burn marks on the ground marked the spot to corroborate his report. You can read the full report from Zamora, copied from the U.S. government's Project Blue Book files. There are plenty of theories about what he saw, but everybody seems to agree that Zamora was a well-regarded and reliable officer who spotted something mysterious. Some people believe it was an alien visitation, others that it may have been a hoax. It's 2012 and I'm standing above a dusty, scrub-filled arroyo with Dave Thomas, president of New Mexicans for Science and Reason, a nonprofit that aims to promote science and critical examinations of extraordinary claims. He holds a folder labeled "Socorro UFO X-File" in one hand and a GPS device in the other. We are at the location where Zamora saw the mysterious object. Wind blasts over the mesa and the only sign that something happened here is a human-built pile of rocks meant to mark the spot. Read More News New Mexico

Can Heather Wilson pick up a Senate seat in New Mexico?

Washington Post - Former New Mexico congresswoman Heather Wilson (R) has tried this before. In 2008, she ran for the U.S. Senate but lost narrowly in the primary to Steve Pearce. That might have been fortunate for Wilson’s future political prospects. In a victorious Democratic election cycle, Pearce went on to get clobbered by Tom Udall by more than 20 points, while President Obama carried the state by 14 points. In 2012, however, the political landscape has changed, and Wilson’s prospects to take back a seat from the Democrats looks good. But why would she want to work in a dysfunctional place like the U.S. Senate? Wilson told me on Tuesday during our interview on Capitol Hill that what is appealing about the Senate is the chance to “shape the agenda.” That’s something the current Democratic leadership, which refused again this week to pass the budget, certainly hasn’t done. Wilson got her start in national politics under the tutelage of a New Mexico legend, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, for whom she has great admiration and affection. In the Senate, he was a tough negotiator, but back in New Mexico, she said, “He was just ‘Pete.’ ” Her other model is former senator Jack Danforth (R-Mo.), a conservative respected on both sides of the aisle and a man with a wonkish devotion to policy. Wilson is a conservative in what has lately been a blue state. But like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, she is the sort of Republican who has successfully rounded up votes from independents and Democrats. She told me, “I became a Republican because I trust people more than I trust government” to make important life decisions. And as important, she said, “After Vietnam, the Democrats became fundamentally the anti-military as a party.” As a former Air Force officer and a National Security staffer (for President George W. Bush), she is all too aware that in a crisis we don’t have time to rebuild a depleted military; A responsible, long-term plan for defense spending has to be in place. Read More News New Mexico

Pearce Votes for Tax Cut That Will Benefit More Than 30,000 In-State Businesses

Steve Pearce

Washington DC - Today, Congressman Steve Pearce voted in favor of H.R. 9, the Small Business Tax Cut Act, which gives a 20 percent tax cut to local New Mexico businesses that have fewer than 500 employees.“New Mexico has over 30,000 businesses that will benefit from the tax cuts provided in the legislation we passed today,” said Pearce. “Current tax rates on businesses are too high. Washington is taking too much from our local businesses and making it difficult to hire additional employees. With national unemployment stagnant at 8.2 percent, we cannot continue to tax hard working Americans out of their jobs. Having our local businesses keep more of their hard-earned money here at home in New Mexico—not back in Washington—will allow for long-term private sector job creation.” This week, the Senate attempted to raise taxes by passing the so-called ‘Buffett Rule.’ In response, Pearce stated: “The Senate is doing nothing more than bringing forward gimmicks that will raise taxes on small businesses and grow our deficit. While the Senate and the President have been playing politics, the House has passed 27 bills that will create jobs. Job creation is the best solution to our current economic crisis, and it is time to put aside political games and work together for the good of hard working Americans.” H.R. 9 passed the House of Representatives today and will be sent to the Senate for consideration.

NM Teachers Discuss High School Dropout Crisis on PBS

From kob.com -from across New Mexico came together to talk about the state's high school drop out crisis. Right now the state has a graduation rate of about 67 percent. Wednesday night was a chance for teachers to sound off and think of solutions. New Mexico PBS hosted the "Teacher Town Hall." The goal was to address what is wrong and how it can be fixed. More than 150 teachers from across the state joined in. There was a lot of emphasis on making classrooms smaller so teachers can spend more time working with each student. Some also brought up getting parents more involved. The full discussion can be seen on PBS (Channel 5) on April 27 at 7p.m.

First Contract Awarded For Navajo Water Project

From cbsnews.com -Federal officials say they have awarded the first construction contract for work on the massive federal Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. The 280-mile, $1 billion pipeline project will serve more than 43 Navajo communities in New Mexico and Arizona, the city of Gallup and a portion of the Jicarilla Apache Nation in northern New Mexico. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the $10.75 million contract with Idaho-based McMillen LLC on Monday. The company will be placing the first four miles of the pipeline near Twin Lakes in western New Mexico. Federal officials say the first water delivery to Navajo communities could happen in two to three years. The pipeline project was authorized by legislation passed by Congress in 2009. The legislation settled Navajo water rights claims in the San Juan River Basin. More News New Mexico

Online Retailer Owes NM Sales Tax

From krqe.com -A nationally known online bookseller must pay more than a half million dollars in taxes for books, music and movies bought by customers in New Mexico, the state Court of Appeals has ruled in a dispute over the state's power to tax corporate chains and Internet shopping. The court's decision came Wednesday in a case involving an out-of-state online business, Barnes&nobles.com, LLC, which was part of the corporate family of bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc. The online retailer was assessed gross receipts taxes in 2006 of $534,563 for sales from 1998 to 2005. The company protested and a state agency hearing officer agreed with the company that it wasn't required to collect and pay the tax because it had no presence in the state or what is known as a "substantial nexus" with New Mexico. The online retailer was organized under Delaware laws and it had no employees or offices in the state. However, a separate Barnes and Noble company operates three bookstores in New Mexico, with the first of those started in Albuquerque in 1996 and the most recent in Las Cruces in 2003.

Two Spaceport America Contracts Awarded to New Mexico Companies

LAS CRUCES, NM – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has announced two contract awards to companies located in the State of New Mexico. The contracts are for Spaceport General Services and the Spaceport Operations Center (SOC) Fit Out Design.
Western Building & Development, LLC of Las Cruces was selected as the Spaceport General Services Contractor. Western will be tasked with the development of policies and procedures for pre-operational and operational support for all general services activities to include: building and utility maintenance and repairs, interior and exterior building maintenance, janitorial services, fuel storage operation and maintenance, motor vehicle and aircraft fueling, Foreign Object Debris (FOD) removal, grounds-keeping and landscape maintenance. Western’s vision of Spaceport America’s General Services operations is to maximize the use of qualified vendors, contractors and employees located in Sierra or Dona Ana Counties. Western’s basic Time and Materials contract has an estimated value of up to $1,660,000.

The SOC Fit Out Design contract was awarded to SMPC Architects of Albuquerque. SMPC’s contract is essential to providing SOC interior design development including construction drawings, selection of interior building finishes, and construction administration services for the interior build-out effort. SMPC’s basic Time and Materials contract has an estimated value of up to $294,000.

Courtesy of Conservative Daily News

janice2012.us

APS handcuffs hundreds of students

From KRQE-TV.com - by Crystal Gutierrez - ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The Albuquerque Public Schools district is getting national attention for its cops on campus in an article that highlights a debate on when school policing goes to far. FOX News recently published an Associated Press story that highlights arrests made in a handful of school districts including APS. According to the AP, in 2009 and 2010 more than 900 APS students were referred to the criminal justice system. It states of those around 500 were handcuffed and sent to the juvenile detention, and about 200 were for minor, nonviolent misdemeanors. The 200 listed became the basis for a lawsuit filed against the Albuquerque Police Department by Attorney Shannon Kennedy. “What Albuquerque has done to its public school kids by handcuffing them is outrageous,” Kennedy said. Kennedy said the complaints came from parents. She said some of the kids listed in the suit were arrested for minor offenses like talking in class, talking back to authorities or having cell phones. Read more

Mescalero gets big U.S. settlement

From the Ruidoso News - The Mescalero Apache Nation is one of 41 tribes in the United States that have settled lawsuits against the federal government. The settlements will provide more than $1 billion to the tribes. The Mescalero Apache Nation will receive nearly $33 million. The tribes had alleged that the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Department of the Treasury had mismanaged money and natural resources held in trust for the benefit of the tribes dating back more than 100 years. The settlements followed 22 months of negotiations between the tribes and the United States. The Interior Department manages almost 56 million acres of trust lands for tribes and more than 100,000 leases on the lands for various uses, including oil and gas extraction, rights-of-way and easements, timber harvesting, farming, grazing and housing. "These important settlements reflect President Obama's continuing commitment to ensuring empowerment and reconciliation for American Indians," said U.S. Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar. "It strengthens the government-to-government relationship with tribal nations, helps restore a positive working relationship with Indian Country leaders, and empowers American Indian communities." Read more

EPA releases regulations that will target air emissions

From the Farmington Daily Times - By Chuck Slothower - FARMINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released new standards to reduce air pollution coming from oil and gas sites, including the first federal air standards on hydraulically fractured wells. The rules, released late Tuesday, will be phased in by 2015. They require producers to flare their wells if they do not use "green completion" technology. After Jan. 1, 2015, all wells will be required to use the technology. The delay will ensure green completion technology is widely available by the time the rule fully takes effect, the agency said. The EPA said oil and gas production can continue to grow while reducing harmful pollution. Industry officials on Wednesday were still digesting the changes. Steve Henke, president of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said he was not prepared to comment. Western Energy Alliance spokeswoman Kathleen Sgamma said the EPA "seriously overestimated the benefits and underestimated the costs of compliance." Read more

Boss: Driver took wrong turn into Juárez with load of ammo

From the El Paso Times - by Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera - The U.S. truck driver detained by Mexican authorities Tuesday with 268,000 rounds of ammunition was transporting a legal cargo to Phoenix but mistakenly exited to Juárez, the man's employer said on Wednesday. Dennis Mekenye, owner of Demco Transportation Inc. in Arlington, Texas, said Bogan Jabin Akeem, 27, left Dallas on Monday with a trailer with nine pallets containing the ammunition. The cargo was being taken from Tennessee to an ammunition retailer in Phoenix called United Nations Ammo Co. as part of a legitimate transaction, Mekenye said. Akeem made a stop in El Paso and, before driving the last stretch toward Phoenix, he accidentally took a wrong turn toward the international Bridge of the Americas, his boss said. "It was a mistake for him to take a wrong turn and find himself in Mexican soil," Mekenye said. "He missed the exit, and he went south. He asked one cop there, 'I missed my exit, how can I turn around?' " Mekenye said Akeem could not turn the vehicle around at the bridge and had to continue into Mexico. Coming back, Mexican authorities told him they had to inspect his vehicle. Mekenye said he didn't know whether Akeem declared he was transporting ammunition or whether Mexican authorities discovered the cargo upon inspection. "It was a legitimate movement from Tennessee to Phoenix," said Mekenye, who also said that his company does not ship to Mexico and that he has never been investigated for shipping contraband. "All the media was calling it cartel ammo, but we paid for that ammo, it's really our property. In no way whatsoever was that ammunition ever supposed to go to Mexico," he said. "We ordered this ammunition, and it's ammunition meant to be sold in the United States of America for legal hobbyists, legal shooters and legal enthusiasts." The cargo had a value of $100,000, he said. "It's a tremendous shipment we paid for," he said. "We're hoping they will release the man and our property so it can be delivered to us." Read more

Tribe requests meeting with Governor

Apache Tribal Chairman Jeff Haozous

From the Deming Headlight - Whether or not the Fort Sill Apache Tribe originally agreed to not open casino gaming at Akela is unclear following Governor Susana Martinez' statement that she does not support the casino because it was not originally included in the tribe's plan. On Tuesday, after an economic development speech in Deming, Gov. Martinez said the tribe had agreed not to open gaming at its site at Akela, which has been designated as tribal lands east of Deming. On Wednesday, Jeff Haozous, tribal chairman, declined to specify if the tribe had indeed made that agreement. "I wouldn't feel comfortable addressing it until we have a chance to talk to her," he said of Gov. Martinez. "We've requested a meeting with her." The tribe also released a statement alluding to, in short, that it does not want to step on any toes by clarifying the position. "We have taken a measured and cautious approach toward our Tribe's return to New Mexico and to this project," the statement detailed. "Over the course of the years, we have addressed a wide variety of misconceptions regarding our history in, and commitments to, the state of New Mexico. That misconceptions and misinformation still exist makes it clear that we still have work to do." It continued by saying the tribe had an "unnecessarily confrontational and litigious" relationship with the previous administration of Gov. Bill Richardson, who was not named in the statement. He had used New Mexico State Police to blockade the site in 2008. Chairman Haozous calls the project an economic engine that will enable the tribe to return to its home in New Mexico after being gone for more than 125 years. The tribe has touted that the project will create 245 direct and 56 indirect jobs with a $45.3 million economic impact to Luna County and surrounding counties. Additionally, the tribe says projected salaries and benefits, if gaming opens, would amount to about $12.5 million. Read more

Village of Logan files suit to halt Ute water project

From the Clovis News Journal - By Thomas Garcia - The Village of Logan filed suit Tuesday against state, federal and local agencies calling for the halt of construction, funding and advancement of any portion of the proposed Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System, more commonly known as the Ute Water Project. Logan's suit against the defendants, including the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority and Bureau of Reclamation, cite the entities for violating federal policy in the planning of the Ute Lake Diversion Project. "The Environmental Assessment conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation for the ENMWUA's intake structure at Ute Lake violates the National Environmental Policy Act," said Thomas Hnasko, lead council for the Village of Logan. Hnasko, an attorney based in Santa Fe, filed the suit in the Federal District Court of New Mexico. The Ute Reservoir is the water source for the project, which would pump water from the reservoir to ENMWUA entities in Roosevelt and Curry counties. Hnasko said the environmental assessment performed by the bureau showed the effects on Ute Lake if the project's intake structure, or pumping station, pumped the 16,400 acre feet reserved by authority entities. However, he said, the structure will be capable of pumping 24,000 acre feet per year. "We are asking that the assessment show the impact of the intake's maximum capacity," Hnasko said. "If a structure is capable of pumping 24,000 acre feet it stands to reason your assessment would include that impact data." An acre foot is the amount of water that would fill a one-acre parcel of land with one foot of water, and is roughly equivalent to 325,853 gallons. Hnasko said the second problem is that the environmental assessment was based off of 1994 precipitation and water runoff totals into Ute Lake. "We all know those numbers are wrong, and we're nowhere near those precipitation levels today," Hnasko said. "Based on the bad data they would breach the minimum pool level many times over 45 years." Read more

NM senator withdraws lawsuit against 1 opponent

State Senator George Munoz

From the Alamogordo Daily News - By Milan Simonich Texas-New Mexico Newspapers - SANTA FE -- State Sen. George Munoz, who was only hours away from a court hearing, today withdrew his lawsuit to disqualify one opponent from the primary election ballot. Munoz, D-Gallup, claimed that fellow Democrat Genevieve Jackson holds driver's licenses from two states -- New Mexico and Arizona -- putting her residency into question. But Munoz's attorney, Joel A. Davis, said the case targeting Jackson on her residency would have taken too long to establish in court. "There's not a method to attack the underlying voter registration issue based on the way the statute is written," Davis said. Munoz dropped his suit against Jackson just before it was to be heard by District Judge Raymond Ortiz of Santa Fe. Jackson said she lives in New Mexico and meets all residency requirements to run against Munoz in Senate District 4, which includes parts of Cibola, McKinley and San Juan counties. She says she does not have an Arizona's driver's license but admits that her vehicle is registered in Arizona her for convenience. Residents of the rural Navajo Nation find it difficult to get the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division to acknowledge a hogan without a physical address, Jackson said. She said she was able to register the vehicle in Arizona by showing a Navajo Utility Authority bill. Read more

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