News New Mexico: 06/28/12

News New Mexico began July 1, 2010

From our family at News New Mexico to your family in New Mexico as we finish our second year, we want to say thanks for the two years we have been a part of each other’s lives.

This program started July 1, 2010. Much has changed but at the core of our mission, at the core of each day is our commitment to provide news and commentary to New Mexico communities about New Mexico and about best practices.

To everyone who makes this program possible we thank you and look forward to our next year in New Mexico.

Schott Solar to close Albuquerque plant; 250 lose jobs

NewsNM Swickard: What about the 130 million dollars the State of New Mexico gave to get them to come to New Mexico? Are we, the New Mexico taxpayers, out the money? From KOAT-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Schott Solar will close down its Albuquerque plant by the end of the summer, Action 7 News has learned. Employees told Action 7 News that the company will cease manufacturing operations as of Friday, shedding more than 200 jobs. The company will keep a small staff through the end of the summer until they close down the entire plant. Schott is offering a severance package of two months of pay and benefits, but a lot of folks leaving told Action 7 News that is far different than having a place to show up every day. When the company announced plans for a plant back in 2008, it was thought that the facility would employ 1,000 New Mexicans. The company plans to continue operations in the U.S., but not in New Mexico. Read more

Paychecks for thousands of state workers will be short Friday

From the Santa Fe New Mexican - by Kate Nash - The State Department of Finance and Administration says more than 7,000 state employees will not get the entire paycheck amounts they are owed on Friday because of a software glitch. Some of the 7,111 employees who will receive checks with the incorrect amounts will get paid for 40 hours of work while others will get 56 hours of pay instead of 80, said DFA spokesman Tim Korte. The state is investigating the problem and plans to bring in a third party to analyze the situation and the PeopleSoft software in use by the state. In the meantime, the state hopes to make up the difference in the checks by issuing supplemental checks on Friday, but Korte said it could be Saturday before all employees get their full pay. In one pay period in May, state employees didn’t get their paychecks on time after a human error caused them to be sent late. Read more

Aguilar essay lands entire family a free trip to D.C.

The Aguilar Family from Rio Rancho in D.C.

From the Rio Rancho Observer - by BY GARY HERRON - Can there be a greater trip for a high school student than a free one to Washington, D.C.? Yeah, maybe, but the June jaunt to the nation’s capital was just right for the Aguilar family of Rio Rancho. Under the spires of the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va., Rand McNally recently awarded two grand prize winners from among 12,000 essays submitted in the “America the Beautiful” short essay contest. Although Celina Aguilar’s entry wasn’t a grand prize winner, her family enjoyed the bounty of her essay – that trip to D.C. Celina, ranked third in her Cleveland High School Class of 2013, said she’s always been a pretty good essay writer, which is what the winners were based upon. Jennifer Aguilar said her daughter has a great sense of humor in addition to her writing skills and that she plays cello in the CHS orchestra, or “Dork-estra,” as Celina joked. Launched in March, “America the Beautiful” asked this simple essay question: “What’s the one place in the U.S. that truly inspires you?” Subjects ranged from hometowns to the special memories about places visited, to meaningful landmarks. Aguilar wrote about Corrales, where she spent her early years — all of her grandparents live in the village — and its wildlife, beauty and family memories. Celina Aguilar, busy with calculus and psychology classes at CNM this summer, said she plans to be a pharmacist someday. Read more

Woman arrested for library fines that were not hers

From the Clovis News Journal - by By Robin Fornoff - Lori Teel says she doesn't use the Portales Public Library, never has, and probably never will after what happened to her the night of June 12. Teel, pregnant and the mother of four small children, was arrested, handcuffed and hauled away to jail in front of her kids for failing to pay library fines of $35.98. "My children are still traumatized by it," Teel said. Teel and her attorney Eric Dixon filed notice Tuesday that she intends to sue the city of Portales and Roosevelt County for false arrest and because of the way she was treated by courts and police. Dixon said Teel was never given notice by the city before it sought charges against her. Court records show the charges against Teel were dismissed Monday at the request of City Attorney Stephen Doerr. Teel says she didn't owe the money because she didn't check out the materials and doesn't even own a library card. Dixon called the library's charges "bogus." "I was very, very upset by it," Teel said Thursday morning. "I have never in my life been in jail ... never have I ever been in trouble." Teel was arrested by Roosevelt County Sheriff's deputies when they discovered the outstanding warrant against Lori Teel. Dixon called Lori Teel's arrest outrageous. He said in addition to money damages — Teel had to post $610 bond to get out of jail — Teel wants the city to stop using the criminal process to collect library fines."They need to give people a chance and listen to people and not treat people like animals," Teel said. Teel's arrest stems from a bench warrant issued by Municipal Judge Frederick Arnold and what Dixon described as a series of bureaucratic errors. Court records show notice of the past due materials was mailed to a home Dixon said Teel hasn't lived in since she was a child. When she didn't appear in municipal court after a summons was mailed to the same address and returned marked "return to sender: not here," Arnold issued a bench warrant for failure to appear in court. Read more

Alamogordo declares emergency at Bonita Lake

Bonita Lake north of Ruidoso

From the Alamogordo Daily News - Alamogordo has once again stopped pumping water from Bonito Lake after concerns that it has become unusable because of runoff from the charred watershed surrounding the lake. The Alamogordo City Commission declared an emergency at Bonito Lake on Tuesday night because of damage caused by the Little Bear fire burning in the area, a necessary step in receiving federal assistance to repair the lake. "This is required as part of the FEMA process," said utilities director and interim Public Works director Brian Cesar. "FEMA will be in Alamogordo on Thursday morning to begin the process for the flooding and debris we had deposited at Bonito Lake last Friday." Cesar said the city stopped drawing water from Bonito Lake on Friday. He said the lake was continuing to be drained Wednesday and was about 9 feet below the spillway. He said divers were going to continue working on the lake Thursday. He said portions of the watershed surrounding Bonito Lake suffered heavy damage as a result of the Little Bear fire. "It's basically bare earth and sticks where the pines used to be," Cesar said. Cesar said the city stopped drawing water from Bonito Lake last Friday. It had previously done so earlier in the month as a precaution but began drawing water from Bonito again. The lake supplies Alamogordo with about 15 percent of its water. Read more

The Supreme Court ruling on “Obamacare” and what it means for New Mexico UPDATE: Susana says “We’ll do what we need to do”

Capitol Report New Mexico - The reports about the demise of “Obamacare” were premature. On Thursday morning (June 28), the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was constitutional, with Chief Justice John Roberts casting the deciding vote, arguing the provision called the individual mandate — requiring citizens to pay into the system whether they want to or not — was a tax and not a violation of separation of powers. After weeks of speculation that the act would be struck down, reaction was swift and predictable in political circles, with Democrats telling critics “I told you so” and Republicans decrying what they see as an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government. “Today’s Supreme Court decision sets the stakes for the November election,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “Now, the only way to save the country from ObamaCare’s budget-busting government takeover of health care is to elect a new president” while President Obama said, “Whatever the politics, today’s decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold it.” What the decision mean for New Mexico? Read More News New Mexico

Late Night Jokes from Newsmax

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
While talking about the economy, Joe Biden said it's a depression for millions of Americans. He used the word "depression" to describe the economy. I don't know if Mitt Romney has picked a running mate yet, but Joe Biden sounds like he'd be perfect.
Yesterday morning Facebook was temporarily offline, leaving millions of workers unable to do anything except their jobs.

Richardson Crony Served Legal Papers in Paris

Bill Richardson

NM Watchdog - “We are winning,” a determined top lawyer to the New Mexico State Investment Council declared at its June 26, 2012 meeting. The SIC’s Chief General Counsel Evan Land outlined the SIC’s strategy of “flipping” and “leveraging” “seventeen or eighteen of the worst actors” to reach bigger fish and bigger pots of money that may compensate New Mexico for enormous losses allegedly caused by politically motivated investments during the administration of former Governor Bill Richardson. News that one of the key defendants in the SIC’s case had been tracked down in France drove home Land’s point that the SIC is on the offensive and moving forward.

“We served Marc Correra in the lobby of his Paris apartment building,” Land reported during the public session of the State Investment Council’s monthly meeting. Correra’s former wife revealed in the course of their divorce that Correra had fled the United States believing he could escape his legal problems. According to Land, Correra’s response to being found and served was less than courteous. The SIC’s lawyers employed the Hague Convention to serve the suit on Correra. Land also reported that Anthony Correra, Marc’s father, had been served a total of three separate times “so there would be no doubt” he had been brought under the court’s jurisdiction and must defend the claims against him or face a crushing default judgment. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Lujan: Ruling by Supreme Court "An important victory for the people of New Mexico"

Ben Ray Lujan

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District released the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act.
“For too long, families and small businesses in New Mexico have seen their health care costs skyrocket as they continue to pay more and receive less. The ranks of the uninsured grew while insurance companies continued to deny or drop coverage for those who needed it most. That is why President Obama and Democrats in Congress took to action to pass health insurance reform that ends the insurance companies worst abuses, expands coverage, and takes steps to bring down costs for hard-working New Mexicans.
“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the law is an important victory for the people of New Mexico. Young adults will be able to remain on their parents’ insurance plan, those with pre-existing conditions will be assured that they will have health insurance, and seniors will continue to pay less for prescription drugs and receive free preventive care.
“It is now abundantly clear that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and that the people of New Mexico will continue to benefit from its many important provisions.”

Pearce: Repeal the Healthcare "Tax"

Steve Pearce

Washington, DC (June 28, 2012) Today, Congressman Steve Pearce issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the President’s healthcare law:
“I have long believed that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2011 was an unconstitutional overreach by the President. ObamaCare is a violation of our individual rights and an expansion of federal government power our nation’s founders would have found unfathomable.
“The Supreme Court, which has the responsibility of interpreting the law, found this overreach acceptable as a tax. While I do not agree, I respect its authority to make this interpretation.
“Since day one, the Obama Administration has denied that his law was a tax on the American people. Yet, the Obama Administration will claim victory, when all this law does is assess a greater financial burden on hardworking American families and small business owners.
“ObamaCare puts government bureaucrats between patients and their doctors, hurts small businesses and creates trillions in new government spending that will add a huge new weight to our already overloaded deficit.
“We need to get back to work on repealing this ‘tax’ and reforming our healthcare system. These reforms must be focused on protecting patient access to the care they need from the doctor they choose.”

Janice Arnold-Jones Comments on Ruling

Janice Arnold-Jones

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – I am disappointed the Supreme Court did not rule in favor of completely overturning the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The politicians assured us that ObamaCare was not a tax. President Obama assured us the Individual Mandate was not a tax. The Supreme Court plainly ruled that the individual mandate IS a TAX. Over 46% of Americans pay no taxes. This means the 1.7 Trillion in costs will be paid for on the backs of the middle class. States can opt out of ObamaCare Medicaid and this jeopardizes health care coverage for the poor.

This historic policy blunder limits the choices of the American consumer, penalizes small business and those who work and continues this administration’s massive government overreach and leaching of our freedom. In the middle of this controversy, the debt and deficit crisis remains unaddressed and this country continues to operate without a budget. All of this KILLS JOBS.

Excessive over taxation, fees and regulations added to trillions of dollars in spending is not a solution. We want our citizens to be at the center of their own health care answers. When did this “one-size-fits-all” government policy ever meet individual needs and choices? The call is for real leadership and common sense immediately.

When I am elected to Congress, I will work to repeal this bad law and replace it with a health care plan that places the American consumer at the center their own health care decisions.

Investment Council rejects governor's choice

Lee Rawson

Milan Simonich - The most powerful woman in state government lost a public showdown Tuesday. Gov. Susana Martinez failed when she tried to name her second-in-command on the State Investment Council. Martinez heads the council, but her nomination of Leonard Lee Rawson for vice chairman was defeated on a 5-4 vote. Rawson (right) is a Las Cruces businessman and a former Republican state legislator. After the council voted against Martinez's nomination of Rawson, it tabled the selection of a vice chairman until its July meeting. Voting against Rawson were council members Linda Eitzen, James Lewis, Peter Frank, Harold Lavender and Scott Smart. One council member, State Land Commissioner Ray Powell, was absent. The Investment Council manages about $15 billion in public money. New Mexico is the only state in which a governor heads the body responsible for investments. Read More News New Mexico

Obamageddon? Judgment Day Has Arrived

Daily Mail - Barack Obama faces Judgment Day as the Supreme Court is set to announce today whether his healthcare reform will be struck down and Attorney General Eric Holder faces being held in contempt of Congress.
Having spent his first 14 months in office on achieving Obamacare, for the former constitutional law lecturer to see his signature reform declared unconstitutional would be a humiliating blow.
In ramming the bill through Congress, Obama failed to secure a single Republican vote, thereby shedding his campaign image as a bipartisan uniter. Although passing the bill was a legislative victory, the reform itself has proved to be a political millstone. The censure of Holder, in which a number of Democrats are poised to join Republicans, would also be a major embarrassment because Obama has claimed executive privilege, something he blasted his predecessor George W. Bush for doing. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Courtesy of Conservative Daily News

janice2012.us

Alamogordo Water Supplies Damaged

Alamogordo Daily News - Alamogordo has once again stopped pumping water from Bonito Lake after concerns that it has become unusable because of runoff from the charred watershed surrounding the lake.
The Alamogordo City Commission declared an emergency at Bonito Lake on Tuesday night because of damage caused by the Little Bear fire burning in the area, a necessary step in receiving federal assistance to repair the lake.
"This is required as part of the FEMA process," said utilities director and interim Public Works director Brian Cesar. "FEMA will be in Alamogordo on Thursday morning to begin the process for the flooding and debris we had deposited at Bonito Lake last Friday."
Cesar said the city stopped drawing water from Bonito Lake on Friday. He said the lake was continuing to be drained Wednesday and was about 9 feet below the spillway. He said divers were going to continue working on the lake Thursday. Read full story here: News New Mexico

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