NM task force eyes anti-gang plan as problems grow
APS students jump ship to charters
From KRQE-TV.com - Albuquerque Public Schools will be losing millions of dollars next year as hundreds of student leave the district for other schools. Many of those leaving are heading to charter schools in record numbers. Charter schools have been around in New Mexico for more than a decade, but more and more are popping up. And more and more APS students are choosing to transfer to charters. Nearly 800 students next year will leave the district with the majority moving to charter schools. "Most of our students are, yes, from APS," said administrator Scott Glasrud of Southwest Learning Center. He said there is a long waiting list to get into Southwest Learning Center, an Albuquerque charter school. read more
Torrance County Commission says state auditor violated disclosure rules
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| State Auditor Hector Balderas |
From KOB-TV.com - By: Chris Ramirez, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - The Torrance County Commission alleges the New Mexico State Auditor violated his own rules when he gave an interview to 4 On Your Side reporter Chris Ramirez. The commission voted yesterday to send Auditor Hector Balderas a scolding letter. "I would like to send a letter of complaint to the state auditor," said County Commissioner Lonnie Freyburger. "I believe he is in violation of that policy and I would like for the county to send a letter of complaint to the state auditor that we don't like it." Freyburger believes Balderas gave findings of an audit into questionable contracts to the media before giving the findings to the county. Freyburger believes that is a violation of state rules. Balderas said he hasn’t revealed findings of the audit to the media because the audit isn’t complete. Balderas thinks the commission is resisting efforts from his office to look into how commissioners spend public money specifically, why $700,000 worth of contracts all went to one vendor. It’s a question many in Torrance County have asked.
Balderas said once he started asking questions, the county commission stiffed armed him. read more
Swickard: An effective incentive for graduation
Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. - The Lottery Scholarship pays tuition for certain New Mexico students and despite all of the hoopla, it is only a semi-good idea. For one thing, the primary idea should be to get the students to graduate. College is supposed to be an Alumni Mill, cranking out Alumni in increasing numbers. This being graduation time, that is what we focus on. But the Lottery Scholarship is focused on attendance. The incentive is to go to college, not graduate. When you graduate the money stops. Picture this: at each graduation, before awarding the degrees, some names are drawn. There are the usual dinners and car washes but then comes the better prizes. Several (lucky?) students get free tuition on their next degree. Even better, several get their student loans paid in full. Then will come the moment that has caused all of the media attention. One lucky graduate each graduation gets one million dollars paid over twenty years. I bet that would spice up the ceremony. How the entry tickets are calculated is even better. Every college credit a student takes translates to one entry so changing majors several times is not quite so bad, as long as the student eventually graduates. Further, they could even get three tickets for each A, two for each B and one for each C. Sorry, nothing for a D. On a larger scale, perhaps the school leaders would factor more tickets for harder degrees. Electrical Engineers would be envied because they earn ten times the number of tickets for each A as someone in a "less demanding" program. At graduation one student may have accumulated 5,000 entries while a classmate only has 1,000. Again, only those who finish get to be in the drawing. Each college would be reinforcing graduation rather than just time spent in college. Read column
Race against friend -- 'I hate it'
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| Dennis Kintigh |
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| Bob Wooley |
NM Rep. Heinrich introduces password protection bill
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| Martin Heinrich |
Shame on Smear Merchant Corwin and His PAC
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| Michael Corwin |
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| Cara Valente-Compton |
Democrats should be questioning why Corwin’s darling could possibly be someone as notorious as Sheryl Williams Stapleton. But so far the Democratic Party remains silent while ISPAC pounds away.
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| Sheryl Williams Stapleton |
Democrats would do well to distance themselves from smear merchant Corwin and his favorite political bully Sheryl Williams Stapleton. General election voters are wising up to the win at all costs tactics of Williams Stapleton and ISPAC. Their outrageous smear tactics against a fellow Democrat reflect poorly on anyone who is willing to tolerate them.
NM Finance Authority approves $3.5M for water projects
Another NM Judge Has A Problem
KOAT - FARMINGTON, N.M. - A New Mexico district court judge could be in hot water for a comment he made after a restaurant refused to serve him. Farmington police said San Juan County District Court Judge Thomas Hynes lost his temper with the manager at Three Rivers Brewery when the bar refused to serve him. The bartender thought Hynes had already had enough to drink. Police said Hynes had bloodshot, watery eyes and alcohol on his breath. "I had a drink. I had a drink before I got there," Hynes said. The police report said the judge became agitated when the manager pointed his finger at him and told him to leave. "It wasn't one of my finest moments, and I lost my temper and I did," Hynes said. "I said, 'If you stick that finger in my face one more time.'" Police said the judge told the manager that he'd break off his finger and shove it somewhere unpleasant. It's something that Hynes doesn't deny. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Pearce Backs USPS New Plan Rural Plan
Yesterday, Congressman Steve Pearce issued the following statement after the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced that they will not seek to close rural post offices, but instead reduce hours at some locations:
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| Steve Pearce |
“This is great day for our rural New Mexico communities,” said Pearce. “Local rural voices across southern New Mexico deserve the credit for holding Washington’s feet to the fire. I am proud to have stood with them in this fight, and I am pleased with the outcome. Closing facilities would have negatively impacted local communities and businesses, and our rural communities should not be saddled with carrying the weight of knee-jerk reactions to systematic mismanagement by the Postal Service. I hope that USPS will continue to look at long term structural and financial solutions that do not place rural areas as an across-the-board target. Their decision to keep these facilities open benefits many across New Mexico’s Second Congressional District, and I will continue to fight for the well being of those in our local communities.”
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