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| State Senator Mary Jane Gacia |
Sen. Mary Jane Garcia Double Dips Reimbursements Campaign Funds Illegally Cover Legislative Session
Gov. meets with state leaders on economy
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| Gov. Susana Martinez |
New Mexico is open for business, but given a recent mass exodus of local jobs it may be hard to tell.
"I've been looking for a job for a while, more than a year," said resident Jonathan Shields.
In the last couple of months, Schott Solar, Lovelace Hospital, HP and Cardinal Health all announced hundreds of layoffs.
Martinez said the only way to make New Mexico grow jobs is to change tax policies.
"We've started the work by investing in the construction and manufacturing sectors, by providing tax relief to small business owners ... And by attracting companies in that can create private sector jobs ... like Honeywell and AirUSA."
Martinez said maximizing the state's energy development and partnership with universities and the labs will also help the private sector grow. Martinez said it is an area that will help bring the state's economy back to life.
Albuquerque lost 4,000 jobs during the 2011 fiscal year alone and most of those job losses came from the government sector.
Read more...
Macy's to hire over 2,000 workers in NM and AZ
Macy's says it plans to hire 80,000 workers for the holidays. Officials say 2,300 of those workers will be hired in New Mexico and Arizona.
The department store chain, which also owns Bloomingdale’s, says the extra workers are needed for sales floors, store operations and call centers, as well as shipping centers for online orders.
Macy's is just the latest retailer to hire more employees in anticipation of a strong holiday shopping season.
Last month Toys R Us and Kohl's also announced they were adding more seasonal workers this year than last.
Tribal capital improvements approved
A state board has awarded about $13 million for capital improvement projects for 16 Indian tribes and pueblos in New Mexico.
The Department of Indian Affairs said 28 projects received funding from the Tribal Infrastructure Board. The largest amount was nearly $1.7 million for a wastewater collection system for Santa Clara Pueblo.
About $1.2 million was approved for infrastructure for Santa Ana Pueblo's Adobe Acres subdivision and $1.3 million for an enterprise zone for Zia Pueblo.
The board provided $600,000 for the Navajo Nation's White Rock Chapter for planning portions of the Eastern Navajo Water Pipeline and $417,678 for the Counselor Chapter for design and construction of a power line extension.
A 2010 state law earmarks 5 percent of New Mexico's severance tax bond financing for tribal infrastructure projects.
NMSU Board of Regents accepts Couture's resignation
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| Barbara Couture |
The NMSU board of Regents held a public meeting Monday announcing
a mutually agreed upon separation with Dr. Barbara Couture. Couture initiated
the separation by requesting annual leave last week with an official
resignation yesterday afternoon.
Couture is leaving NMSU
to take a Senior Advisory position with The Association of Public and Land
Grant Universities.
Dr. Couture stated, “I have great respect for
this university and all of the people I have worked with at NMSU. My
experience here over the last three years has convinced me of the importance of
affecting policy at the national level so that colleges and universities can do
a better job of assisting students through scholarship and loan programs.
This will be the focus of my work as senior adviser for APLU. I thank the
Regents, my staff, the faculty and the State of New Mexico
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| NMSU Board of Regents (Photo-Vanessa Dabovich) |
Details of the resignation are considered a
personnel issue and will not be discussed publicly. However, Regent Javier
Gonzales hinted at possible reasons saying, “We've seen falling enrollment, decline
in our research dollars, unreliable and inconsistent state funding, an athletic
program that's in danger of finding itself with no conference to play in, a
nursing school that just lost its accreditation and much more.”
Regent President Mike Cheney says an interim president will be
selected by October 15th. Cheney says there are standards in
mind for the next leader of NMSU.
"We're looking for leadership in terms of the ability to
connect with donors, connect with our alumni, connect with students, faculty,
staff all the stakeholders. We need someone strong to represent this university
because it's a fantastic university with a story to tell.", Cheney
said.
Couture will be on
administrative leave until December 31st and will be paid $450,000 per terms of
mutual contract separation.
Reporting for News New Mexico- Vanessa Dabovich.
Las Cruces tops list of places to retire
The sunny New Mexico
city hits the list at No. 2, barely missing the top spot which was given to Spokane , WA
According to Beth Velasquez of AARP New Mexico, the tax value, property values
and median home price of $148,000 all mean money stretches further, giving a
person the opportunity to pay bills and still have plenty to play with. But it
doesn't stop there, with good medical services, cultural amenities, a
university and outdoor activities.
The city received a high ranking for quality
of life for those looking to retire comfortably on $100 a day, which works out
to $36,500 a year.
Concerns over balloon fiesta landing sites
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is only a few days
away, and where the balloons launch and land may be an issue this year.
City
council members met Monday night to talk about an ordinance that clears up what
balloonists call an outdated zoning issue. Although areas like the airport,
pueblos, Kirtland Air Force Base and a few other select areas are off limits,
an obscure city ordinance states that, legally, balloons are only allowed to
take off and land at Double Eagle Airport
and Balloon Fiesta Park
Officials say it's hard to imagine any kind of enforcement during the fiesta. City
Council is considering a proposed ordinance that would allow balloons to take
off and land in all zoning areas, as long as pilots have the permission of
property owners.
Sunland Inc. expands nut recall
A
Sunland Inc. sells
its nuts and nut butters to large groceries and other food distributors around
the country. The company recalled products under multiple brand names after
salmonella illnesses were linked Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut
Butter, one of the brands manufactured by Sunland.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention says there are now 30 illnesses in 19 states that can be
traced to the Trader Joe's product.
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