News New Mexico

Martinez Instrumental in Arrest of Murder Suspect

2012-02-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

Susana Martinez at the target range

Yesterday Governor Susana Martinez and District Attorney Matt Chandler stood with the family of murdered 10-year old Carlos Perez to announce that fugitive murder suspect Noe Torres has been arrested in Chihuahua, Mexico and is awaiting extradition. Torres is wanted for the September 15, 2005 murder of Perez in Clovis, New Mexico. He has been on the run since Perez was shot while sleeping in the middle of the night, believed to have been hiding out in a Mexican religious compound.
On January 18th, Torres wrote a letter to Governor Martinez requesting that she provide assistance in dropping the murder charges against him.

Matt Chandler

The next day, Martinez met with District Attorney Chandler, who provided her with information about where authorities believed Torres to be located in Mexico, as well as details about previous activity in the case. Later that evening, Martinez met with Chihuahua Governor Cesar Duarte prior to an economic development summit that was held in Pojoaque and provided him with all relevant details on the case – including the address at which Torres was believed to be hiding, photos of the hideout, and his mug shot. She asked Governor Duarte to provide the information to Mexican law enforcement officials and for his help in securing the arrest of the suspected killer.
After more than six years of evading capture, while law enforcement officials at the state and federal level worked to keep the case alive and bring Torres to justice, Torres was arrested in Chihuahua, Mexico on January 25th.

Identity Documents Targeted

2012-02-01T04:15:00.000-07:00

KOAT TV - Police said burglars ransacked a home in the North Valley and took the all of the family members' legal documents. Homeowner Cynthia Ruiz said she can barely sleep at night after burglars broke into her home and stole more than just a TV and some jewelry.

"They took every single legal document that you can imagine -- birth certificates, Social Security cards, death records -- every legal document," Ruiz said.

After a recent move, Ruiz said she thought her family's paperwork was safe, tucked deep into a photo album inside a paper box. "It was awful. At first, I thought, 'Maybe they're thrown somewhere,'" Ruiz said. She said she called identity theft security companies and went to the Social Security office to figure out her next move.
Police said burglary cases similar to Ruiz's are occurring at an alarming rate. Read full story here: News New Mexico

GOP House Members Try for Election Reform, Again

2012-02-01T04:11:00.000-07:00

House Republicans have introduced three bills that address election integrity: HB 113 is sponsored by Representative Cathrynn N. Brown (R-55), HB 207 is sponsored by Representative Jim Smith (R-22), and HB 237 is sponsored by Representative Dianne Hamilton (R-38).
“As we laid out in our Centennial Plan for New Mexico, the citizens of our state have made it clear that they favor a law requiring voter identification at the polls,” said Minority Leader Tom Taylor (R-1). “The voter ID bills introduced this session by House Republicans provide New Mexico voters with confidence that our election system is secure, accurate and reliable.”
“Fair and square elections – that’s all we’re asking for. Photo ID provides safeguards the majority of voters want,” said Rep. Brown of Eddy County. “In the age of identity theft, we need poll officials putting a face with a name.”

“New Mexico voters deserve to know their vote counts and the voting process in New Mexico is conducted lawfully,” added Rep. Smith. “This measure allows folks to present a variety of forms of ID at the polling place. Under this legislation, voters will have flexibility in what they present and confidence that the process is sound and that the voice of hard-working New Mexicans is being honestly expressed.”

“New Mexico faces a serious problem with the integrity of our elections. We need to address the shortcomings of our voting system and ensure voter confidence at the ballot box. Voter ID is a common sense initiative to improve the security of our elections. I am proud to bring this legislation before the House again this year. Now is the time to act,” concluded Rep. Hamilton.

"All of the Above"

2012-02-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Conservativedailynews.com

janice2012.us

NM legislative session reaches halfway point

2012-02-01T01:13:00.001-07:00

From KOB-TV.com - By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - State lawmakers are struggling to reach a compromise on the budget as the 30-day legislative session hits the halfway point. Under normal circumstances, that is the time when the House of Representatives would be voting on the budget and sending it over to the Senate, so that it would arrive on the Governor Susana Martinez' desk in good time. But these are not normal circumstances. Oil and natural gas revenues- especially natural gas - remain a mystery for economists trying to gauge the state's income for the next budget year. The forecast they have come up with is about $257 million on new money, after several years of declines, but stagnant natural gas prices make that prediction shaky. The budget drafted before the session would spend only about $215 million in new money, but the bill remains stuck in the House Appropriations and Finance Committee while Democrats and Republicans squabble over details. "I would say we probably have about a day and a half more," said Democratic Rep. Kiki Saavedra, Appropriations and Finance chairman. "We're gonna meet with the minority party and they've got some concerns about the budget, so we'll probably meet with them this evening or tomorrow morning and see what we can iron out." At the heart of the disagreement is the governor's power to decide on budget cuts if there is less money than expected, or tax cuts or spending increases if there is more money. Read more

KRQE: Prison gang adopts UNM Lobo as symbol

2012-02-01T01:06:00.001-07:00

From KRQE-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE - The gang is called Los Burqueños or the Burqe Boys, and members are using well-known Albuquerque symbols to identify themselves.The Burqueños started as a New Mexico prison gang where members of different Albuquerque street gangs would band together behind bars. The goal was to protect each other from rival gangs housed in the same facilities. Now their numbers inside state lockups have increased by 40 percent, and that's in this year alone. "They try to challenge staff for control of our prisons and control of the inmate population," said Dwayne Santistevan, administrator of the Security Threat Intelligence Unit with the New Mexico Department of Corrections. "They charge other inmates rent, cause assaults and what have you." He says the Burqueños can be very dangerous, and they are using common city images to brand themselves. They get tattoos of the city's downtown skyline, the image of the Albuquerque Duke, the Zia sun symbol and even the University of New Mexico Lobo logo. And they have a special purpose for the Lobo's paw print. "That paw means something," Santistevan said. "They had to commit some sort of felonious act or assault to receive those paws," Read more

Preparations in place for Floyd Jamboree (we hope)

2012-02-01T00:56:00.001-07:00

From the Clovis News Journal - The Floyd Jamboree will go on this year despite no one showing for Sunday’s auditions, according to Floyd Lions Club Vice President and Jamboree Program Chairman Fred Patterson. He still expected to have a full slate of participants. Floyd New Mexico is about thirty miles east of Portales. There were about 30 participants at the 2011 event. “I’ve already contacted everybody (from last year) and everybody’s told me their plans are to be on the show,” Patterson said. “There are even a few people who know they have conflicted schedules Saturday night, so they plan to be in the show Thursday and Friday.” Patterson said this year’s jamboree will be held March 29-March 31, with the Sunday gospel show April 1.Patterson and Lion’s Club Secretary Paul Benoit said the event sticks strictly to country music but song selections are different every year with the exception of two or three favorites, which audience members request almost every year. Read more

Bill to ban fireworks fizzles in Santa Fe

2012-02-01T00:40:00.001-07:00

From the Alamogordo Daily News - By Milan Simonich, Texas-New Mexico Newspapers - A bill permitting bans on the use and sale of fireworks appears on the verge of fizzling. The measure would enable the governor, as well as city and county governments, to declare an emergency and institute bans of up to 30 days. The bill stayed alive Tuesday after a 90-minute hearing in the Senate Public Affairs Committee, but even one of the sponsors said the time was right for a compromise with the fireworks industry. Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, said he wanted to sit down with owners of fireworks businesses to discuss an alternative. Gentry is cosponsoring the bill with Democratic Sen. Dede Feldman of Albuquerque. Eddie Arnett, who owns fireworks businesses in southern New Mexico, told the committee the bill was unnecessary. Arnett said fireworks almost never are the cause of wildfires. By the state's estimates, nearly 1 million acres burned last year, and about 3,700 acres were linked to fireworks use. Feldman and Gentry said they agreed that fireworks cause few fires. But, they said, fireworks can be controlled. Wind and lightning cannot. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez called for the power to impose fireworks bans last summer, one of the worst seasons ever for wildfires in New Mexico. Read more

Sandoval County considering eliminating jailhouse smoking

2012-02-01T00:26:00.002-07:00

From the Rio Rancho Observer - BY ARGEN DUNCAN - BERNALILLO - Need that nicotine fix? It may no longer be available at the Sandoval County jail. County commissioners are set to vote on whether to ban tobacco products from the grounds of the county jail. The measure is on the agenda for the commission meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday in the county administration building in Bernalillo.If approved, the ban would prevent inmates from using or having tobacco products. Staff members would be allowed to use and have them only in the employee parking lot. As it stands, inmates and staff can smoke in outdoor areas.Detention Center Director Al Casamento said the ban is aimed at creating a healthier environment for employees and inmates.Commis-sioner Don Leonard said he supports the ban because the county must pay for health care for inmates, including state prisoners housed in Sandoval County. Removing tobacco use could curb health problems in both smokers and inmates exposed to second-hand smoke, he said."I'm sure it's going to be tough," Leonard said.Some inmates are addicted to tobacco, so the ban will be a struggle, he continued. However, Leonard said taxpayers should get relief because they would pay for fewer inmate medical problems.The ban would forbid staff, inmates, visitors and contractors from having or using tobacco inside or on the outdoor grounds of the jail or in jail vehicles, according to county documents. Inmates would never be able to use or have tobacco products, including when they were off-site under supervision of jail personnel. Read more

Obama's old Chrysler offered on eBay for $1 million

2012-01-31T23:58:00.000-07:00

From the Washington Post - If you’ve got $1 million and a burning desire for a 2005 Chrysler 300C once driven by the then-senator, you can snag it on eBay. Obama leased the car until 2007, when he replaced it with a greener Ford Escape hybrid, reports CNN. Chicago’s Tim O’Boyle bought it from a showroom — only 20,800 miles on it — and tried to auction it off after the 2008 election. Jokers ran the price up to $100 million. Ha! No sale. Hoping to capitalize on the campaign season, O’Boyle got serious again two weeks ago and re-listed the car — with pre-screening and a $2,000 deposit required to bid. ”Please understand that the $1 million dollar starting price is not a joke,” reads the listing. The current Blue Book value of the Chrysler is around $14,000. The auction ends Wednesday night. As of press time, exactly zero bids. Read more

2012 Non-political humor

2012-01-31T19:33:00.002-07:00

2012 Political Humor (On the Right)

2012-01-31T19:28:00.001-07:00

My Daughter's Moving Out -
Last night, my daughter just walked into the living room and said, "Dad, cancel my allowance immediately, rent my room out, throw all my clothes out of the window, take my TV, stereo, iPhone, iPod, and my laptop. Please take all of my jewelry to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. Then sell my new car. Take my front door key away from me and throw me out of the house. Then disown me and never talk to me again. And don't forget to write me out of your will and leave my share to my sister."
Well, she didn't put it quite like that. She actually said...
'Dad, I have decided to work for Obama's re-election campaign.'"

2012 Political Humor (on the left)

2012-01-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

Approved: $21.5M Rate Increase for NM Gas Co.

2012-01-31T19:05:00.001-07:00

From therepublic.com -New Mexico regulators have approved a $21.5 million rate increase for New Mexico Gas Co. The Public Regulation Commission made its decision Tuesday after a two-hour meeting in which commissioners heard recommendations from a hearing examiner and the utility's attorneys. The rate increase was $13 million less than what the utility initially requested. Commissioners say they approved the lower rate to ease the burden on low-income customers. The rate hike will take effect Wednesday. New Mexico Gas officials say residential customers will see their monthly bills increase by an average of $3.19, or about $38 a year. The 6.4 percent rate increase stems from a settlement reached last fall by the utility, ConocoPhillips, an advocacy group and the U.S. Department of Energy. The utility serves about 505,000 New Mexico customers.

N.M. To Hold Tours Of 1980 Pen Riot

2012-01-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

From koat.com -New Mexico's Corrections Department is opening to the public the site of the violent 1980 riot at the state's penitentiary near Santa Fe. The state will begin offering public tours Thursday of the infamous "Old Main" prison building. That's the anniversary of one of the nation's worst prison riots in history that claimed 33 people before National Guard units were called. Corrections Department spokeswoman Rosie Sais said the idea for the tours followed Gov. Susana Martinez's request that all state government departments organize public events in connection with the state's Centennial celebration this year. More News New Mexico

Law Abiding Mexicans Taking Up Illegal Guns

2012-01-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

From npr.com - In Mexico, where criminals are armed to the teeth with high-powered weapons smuggled from the United States, it may come as a surprise that the country has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world. Law-abiding Mexicans who want a gun to defend themselves have no good options. Either they fight government red tape to get a legal permit, or they buy one on the black market. After an outbreak of violence, one embattled community in northern Mexico called Colonia LeBaron has begun to ask if it's time for the country to address its gun laws. More News New Mexico

Occupier Strangles Parents

2012-01-31T08:18:00.000-07:00

From thegatewaypundit.com - Friends and relatives said Susan Poff and Robert Kamin of Oakland were the perfect pair to adopt a foster child. They had dedicated their careers to helping others escape poverty, she as a physician assistant in a city-run clinic in the Tenderloin and he as a clinical psychologist for inmates in the San Francisco County Jail system. But now, less than a decade after they adopted, their 15-year-old son stands accused of strangling both Poff, 50, and Kamin, 55, then hiding their bodies in the back of the family’s PT Cruiser… Co-workers said Poff and Kamin were having some arguments with their son, some of it having to do with him spending too much time in the Occupy Oakland encampment, but nothing that sounded beyond the scope of typical teenage rebelliousness. More News New Mexico

House Committee Delays Budget Vote

2012-01-31T04:23:00.000-07:00

KOAT TV - A proposed $5.6 billion state budget hit a last-minute snag in a House committee Monday after Republicans objected that several of the GOP governor's initiatives might get chopped if the state's revenue outlook dims. The Appropriations and Finance Committee postponed a final vote on the budget, and the chairman, Rep. Henry Kiki Saavedra, D-Albuquerque, said he was surprised by the GOP complaints because members of the panel had tentatively agreed last week on provisions of the spending plan. The budget proposal calls for a spending increase of nearly $216 million, or about 4 percent, in the fiscal year that starts July 1. However, the plan leaves about $41 million available for possible tax cuts - a high priority for the governor - or additional budget increases.
Economic growth is expected to generate about $257 million in new revenues next year that lawmakers can use for the budget or to cover the cost of tax reductions. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Journal Takes Gary King to Woodshed

2012-01-31T04:12:00.001-07:00

Gary King

Albuquerque Journal - This month New Mexicans were treated to an absolutely surreal exercise in dissembling courtesy of their attorney general, one that would almost be amusing if it wasn’t coming from the state’s top lawyer on taxpayers’ time and dime. When confronted with a civil lawsuit investigation that concluded his office had been made aware of an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud scheme at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center back in 2008 — and the fact his staff claimed it had known about the case for only a few months — New Mexico Attorney General Gary King offered the astonishing explanation that his “folks” were “just trying to be indefinite” and not say too much about an ongoing investigation.

His “folks” also haven’t tried to prosecute the case criminally — four years in. And that should prompt New Mexicans to ask what else have they gotten from this attorney general. Read full column here (subscription required) : News New Mexico

"Pigs Snout"

2012-01-31T03:31:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of Conservativedailynews.com

janice2012.us

Reader Feedback and Reply

2012-01-30T23:34:00.004-07:00

Michael and Conrad

Received Monday, January 30, 2012 10:45 PM from a reader.
Subject: Excuse me?
"You obviously miss the point of the #Occupy movement.
It doesn't play by your rules, or the rules that the 1 percent have put in place.
The only way the #Occupy Movement can command attention is to act within its own rules.
Not yours, not the 1 percent's, but OURS.
Wrap your head around that.
Your dog is bigger than your mind."
Dear Reader,
How Quaint! Yes, my dog Conrad is smarter than me and I might add that he lives a much better life. For one thing I am up at four a.m. to do the News New Mexico broadcast statewide from 6 to 9 a.m. and he says, “See ya.” And goes back to bed. He and Brownie hang out all day and enjoy that I take them on walks and direct their attention to the backyard at regular intervals. Because of coyotes, I even stand with them while they are outside for their protections. Yep, much smarter, no argument from me.
I have not missed the point of the Occupy movement, I point out that the movement must move within our society, it cannot violently overthrow the government. Yes, you do have to play by the rules of the society or suffer the consequences. Remember that I do agree with some of what you believe but not actions outside the law, which law? The law. Now that you have commanded our attention, now what? You have told us off, and we have heard you, now what? Now what? Do something constructive. Run for office, support someone for office. You cannot overthrow the government from the outside as much as you might wish to do so, you must get within the belly of the beast and make the change for a better future. Or is the movement all talk?
Thanks for reading - Michael

Carlsbad Troubadours perform at Roundhouse

2012-01-30T22:46:00.001-07:00

From the Carlsbad Current-Argus - CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad High School Troubadours are singing their way onto the political scene recently, and they started in the state capital Monday. The Troubadours, directed by Ken Miller, were invited to a centennial celebration in a joint House and Senate session of the state legislature. Gov. Suzanna Martinez, her cabinet and visiting dignitaries also were present. "We are truly honored to have been selected to sing our National Anthem and our State Song for this historic occasion," said Miller. Sen. Vernon Asbill, R-Eddy/Otero, and Rep. Cathrynn Brown, R-Eddy, nominated the Troubadours for this honor, and moved the nomination through the selection processes in the Capitol. "These beautiful singers made all of us in Southeastern New Mexico proud today with their renditions of the National Anthem and our state song," Asbill said. "What a tribute to our state and to its 100th anniversary as a state." "These young people moved all of us in the capitol, some of my fellow legislators even mentioned they had goose bumps. These students are quite remarkable," he said. Read more

Anti-Corruption Bill Heads to House Floor

2012-01-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Rep. Nate Gentry

From newmexicowatchdog.com - A bill that would stiffen penalties for public officials convicted of corruption charges — include potentially forfeiting their state pensions as well as banning them from lobbying or entering into contracts with the state — cruised through the House Judiciary Committee on Monday (Jan. 30) and is now heading to the House of Representatives for a floor vote. House Bill 111′s co-sponsor, Rep. Nate Gentry (R-Albuquerque), thinks there’s momentum behind the measure — not only from legislators but also from voters across the state: “It’s clear to me that we’re not getting through to all our public officials. There’s just one corruption scandal after the next and people are taking note of that. I think there’s public support for this type of legislation.” More News New Mexico

N.M. Counties Receive $11M in School Payments

2012-01-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

From alomogordonews.com -Nearly two dozen New Mexico counties will share more than $11 million in federal rural schools payments. The funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will help pay for schools, roads, forest restoration projects and other programs in 22 counties. U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman says the payments are designed to help rural counties that rely economically on national forest lands. He says the payments have been particularly important during the national economic downturn. Bingaman's office says the senator led the congressional effort to reauthorize the program in 2008. At that point, there was a change to the distribution of program funds that dramatically increased the benefits of the program to New Mexico counties. The highest payment of more than $3.4 million will go to Catron County in western New Mexico.

Chicano Movement Icon to Speak at N.M. Capitol

2012-01-30T19:11:00.001-07:00

From krqe.com - Reies Lopez Tijerina an icon of the Chicano Movement, is slated to make a rare appearance. The 85-year-old ailing land grant activist is scheduled Thursday to speak at the New Mexico Capitol Rotunda at an event honoring the anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signing. Tijerina was the leader of a land grant rights group and said the U.S. government stole millions of acres from Latinos after the Mexican-American War in violation of the treaty. In 1967, Tijerina and a band of armed followers raided a Rio Arriba County courthouse in Tierra Amarilla, N.M. to attempt a citizen’s arrest of then-District Attorney Alfonso Sanchez. The raiders shot and wounded a state police officer and jailer, beat a deputy and took a sheriff and reporter hostage. The hostages later escaped.

New N.M Water Boss Talks Drought Challenges

2012-01-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

From therepublic.com -The past month has been a whirlwind for New Mexico's new water czar. There have been meetings with lawmakers, mayors and federal officials and briefings with staff around the state. And at the end of every day, State Engineer Scott Verhines finds time for an hour or more of reading so he can catch up on pending lawsuits over how New Mexico's water is managed, lessons learned by other drought-stricken states and the latest high-tech tools for measuring and monitoring the dwindling resource. Coming up with solutions to New Mexico's water problems promises to be a challenge as long as the drought lingers, Verhines said. Having worked as a civil engineer for more than three decades, Verhines said he always knew the decisions made by water managers were far from black and white. More News New Mexico

NM House Puts Off $5B Budget Vote

2012-01-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

From cbsnews.com - A proposed $5.6 billion New Mexico budget hit a last-minute snag in a House committee Monday after Republicans objected that several of the GOP governor's initiatives might get chopped if the state's revenue outlook dims. The Appropriations and Finance Committee postponed a final vote on the budget, and the chairman, Rep. Henry Kiki Saavedra, D-Albuquerque, said he was surprised by the GOP complaints because members of the panel had tentatively agreed last week on provisions of the spending plan. The budget proposal calls for a spending increase of nearly $216 million, or about 4 percent, in the fiscal year that starts July 1. However, the plan leaves about $41 million available for possible tax cuts — a high priority for the governor — or additional budget increases. More News New Mexico

Mr. President, you are building the wrong car.

2012-01-30T14:41:00.001-07:00

Marita Noon

In a May 2007 speech before the Detroit Economic Club, Candidate Obama chastised American automakers for building the wrong cars—while they were building “bigger, faster cars,” “foreign competitors were investing in more fuel-efficient technology.” He stated that “it’s not enough to only build cars that use less oil—we also have to move away from that dirty dwindling fuel altogether.” He noted that “the transformation of the cars we drive and the fuels we use would be the most ambitious energy project in decades.” He promised “generous tax incentives” and “more tax credits” to make this happen. He believed that the additional costs are “the price we pay as citizens committed to a cause bigger than ourselves.” He claimed to be a leader who could make this happen as he intoned, “Believe me, we can do it if we really try.”
While that speech did not mention the Chevy Volt, or even electric cars, it surely laid out his ideology. For the most part, these are campaign promises he has kept. He has driven Detroit to “move away from that dirty fuel altogether.” He has offered “generous tax incentives” and “more tax credits.” To see “the most ambitious energy project in decades” become a reality his administration has handed out loans to virtually every strata in the electric car’s foundation.

He’s bailed out GM—which allowed government manipulation of the market to produce the Volt in the first place. Read the rest of the column: News New Mexico

AARP Dubs Cruces and Santa Fe

2012-01-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

The Three Crosses in Las Cruces

NM Business Journal - Las Cruces and Santa Fe are among AARP’s Top 10 Sunny Places to Retire. The organization touts Las Cruces’ average of 350 days of sunshine per year, its small town feel and its four-month “full-tilt fiesta season” that starts around Labor Day. It also highlights the presence of New Mexico State University, which it says “supports a fertile arts and music scene.” And it gives a nod to COAS Books, which stocks half a million titles and has frequent readings and book signings.

Downtown Santa Fe

AARP also highlights the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra and the historic village of Mesilla, as well as the farmers’ and crafts markets, and the proximity of public land. It also mentions the low pay of many jobs and the fact that more than one-fifth of residents live below the poverty line. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Senator Says Put an End to Free Political Billboards

2012-01-30T05:09:00.000-07:00

KOAT TV - A New Mexico senator said Sunday the state's habit of naming public buildings after sitting public officials needs to go. Sen. Mark Boitano, R-Bernalillo, called public buildings named after officials who are still in office 24/7 campaign billboards, and he said he wants to put a stop to the practice. "The buildings are 24/7 billboards to advertise for those elections officials," Boitano said. For example, Boitano said that Albuquerque Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, who is still in office, has her name on the African-American Cultural Center. Boitano said his bill would set up a committee to get community input on naming buildings but only after an official had died. Read full story here: News New Mexico

7th Straight Month of Job Growth in NM in December

2012-01-30T04:53:00.001-07:00

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions reported late last week that the state benefitted from the seventh straight month of positive job growth. On a year over year basis there were 7,400 more jobs in December. However the department's payroll survey showed that the construction industry continued to suffer job losses. Many experts believe the looming threat of local impact fees in areas like Las Cruces added to joblessness. Government jobs also declined slightly.

New Approach to Wolf Reintroduction

2012-01-30T04:36:00.000-07:00

Santa Fe New Mexican - ALBUQUERQUE -- Wildlife managers are running out of options when it comes to helping Mexican gray wolves overcome hurdles that have thwarted reintroduction into their historic range in the Southwest. Harassment and rubber bullets haven't worked, so they're trying something new -- a food therapy that has the potential to make the wolves queasy enough to never want anything to do with cattle again. As in people, the memories associated with eating a bad meal are rooted in the brain stem, triggered any time associated sights and smells pulse their way through the nervous system. Wildlife managers are trying to tap into that physiological response in the wolves, hoping that feeding them beef laced with an odorless and tasteless medication will make them ill enough to kill their appetite for livestock. Cattle depredations throughout southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona have served as an Achilles' heel for the federal government's efforts to return the wolves. Conditioned taste aversion -- the technical term for what amounts to a simple reaction -- is not a silver bullet for boosting the recovery of the Mexican wolf, but some biologists see it as one of few options remaining for getting the program back on track after nearly 14 years of stumbling. Read more News New Mexico

In 2011 Verizon Poured $180 Million into NM

2012-01-30T04:29:00.001-07:00

NM Business Journal - Verizon Wireless spent nearly $180 million in New Mexico and El Paso in 2011 to provide new wireless services, expand network coverage and add capacity for customers. The company has invested a total of $550 million since 2000 in New Mexico and El Paso, said Verizon Wireless Southwest Region President Brian Danfield in a news release. “We know customers depend on their smartphones, tablets, laptop modems and other wireless devices to stay connected, to be more productive and for entertainment,” Danfield said. “That’s why we are always investing and working to ensure our network wireless solutions are the very best.” Read full story here: News New Mexico

Sandia Labs Paid $400 Million in 2011 to NM Businesses

2012-01-30T04:26:00.000-07:00

NM Business Journal - Sandia National Labs paid about $400 million to New Mexico businesses for goods and services in fiscal year 2011, according to Sandia’s annual economic impact report, released Jan. 26. About $296 million, or 74 percent, went to small businesses, said Small Business Utilization Program Manager Don Devoti in a news release. “Sandia National Laboratories is committed to strengthening our relationships with the New Mexico business community and, in particular, to be a strong advocate for New Mexico’s diverse small business suppliers,” Devoti said. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Tres Amigas Super Station Needs One More Friend

2012-01-30T04:22:00.000-07:00

Albuquerque Journal - Legislators are considering tax incentives aimed at enticing the developers of the $1.5 billion Tres Amigas SuperStation to locate their headquarters and an associated trading exchange in the state. The Tres Amigas project, announced in 2009, includes building a hub across 22 square miles of rangeland in eastern New Mexico to link the nation’s three major electrical grids. Construction is set to begin this summer, but Tres Amigas President and CEO Phillip Harris said New Mexico’s tax structure is forcing the company to consider locations in Texas for its headquarters and the exchange. Read full story here (subscription rquired): News New Mexico

Firefighter & Pecan Growers Arrested in Federal Bust

2012-01-29T14:49:00.004-07:00

From washingtonpost.com -Federal authorities said Friday they’ve taken down two major drug trafficking and money laundering operations in different parts of New Mexico, one involving an Albuquerque firefighter and the other southern New Mexico pecan growers. Agents have seized caches of drugs, cars, cash, guns and even a tractor from a pecan growing operation near the New Mexico-Texas border. Federal officials said both busts will make communities safer and help with the effort to shut down distribution networks that funnel marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines throughout New Mexico and from Mexico to other locations in the United States. In one case, 15 men living in the Albuquerque area were named in a 29-count federal indictment that was announced Friday by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Gonzales. More News New Mexico

Santa Fe Woman Pledges $1M for Food Bank

2012-01-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

From therepublic.com - Santa Fe woman has pledged $1 million to help a community food bank build a new warehouse and other facilities to meet expanding demanding. The pledge from Barbara Hall will allow the nonprofit Food Depot to accept and store more perishable food items and accommodate more volunteers. More News New Mexico

"Johnny" Lee, Former Otero County Sheriff died at 58

2012-01-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

From therepublic.com - John "Johnny" Lee, a former Otero County sheriff, has died at his home in a small community east of Alamogordo. He was 58. His wife Kay found him when she returned from work early Saturday, said his brother, Alamogordo Municipal Court Judge Steven O. Lee. He apparently died of natural causes, his brother told the Alamogordo Daily News. Steven Lee said the brothers had played a round of golf Friday. "He was probably the most honest person you'll ever meet," Steven Lee said. More News New Mexico

Frostbitten Man Pulled From Rio Grande

2012-01-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

KOAT TV - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Fire crews rescued a man from the Rio Grande River on Saturday. Officials said a biology teacher and her students from La Cueva found Clayton Senn, 35, tangled in some reeds in the river. Albuquerque police said tall grass and vegetation caused Senn to get disoriented as he took a nature hike around the Bosque. "It was very tough. We're dealing with a couple feet of mud and two feet on top of that. The going was really slow," said Capt. Richard Campos, of the Albuquerque Police Department. The Albuquerque Fire Department said the man claimed to have been in the river for three days. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Dona Ana County Leaders Do Damage Control Tour

2012-01-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

Dona Ana County Building

KOB TV - Dona Ana County leaders gave the media a tour of the county detention facility where a DWI suspect was held for nearly two years in solitary confinement. A jury just awarded Stephen Slevin $22 million for what he went through at the jail. On Friday, leaders gave the media access to the solitary confinement area where Slevin was held. From day one, Slevin said he pleaded for medical help to treat his depression, but says his requests were ignored. Jail officials said Slevin was observed for several days and then he was offered to join the jail’s general population, but refused. Read full story here: News New Mexico

N.M. National Guard Deployed to Egypt/Israel

2012-01-28T15:54:00.001-07:00

From kob.com -About 400 New Mexico National Guard soldiers will soon be on their way to Egypt, as part of a multi-national mission to help keep the peace between Egypt and Israel. The troops are from the 1st Battalion of the 200th Infantry Division - the same men and women who helped fight wildfires around the state last summer, and came to the rescue of thousands during the deep freeze cold snap last winter. It's 7,000 miles from Albuquerque to the Sinai peninsula where the New Mexico soldiers will spend at least 9 months. Today brought farewell ceremonies in Farmington and Albuquerque, and there will be another one in Las Cruces tomorrow. More News New Mexico

Border Patrol Seized 400 Pounds of Marijuana

2012-01-28T15:46:00.001-07:00

From therepublic.com -U.S. Border Patrol agents working in southern New Mexico have seized more than 400 pounds of marijuana and have made three arrests in two separate busts. Agents near Santa Teresa spotted a vehicle and two people north of the border Thursday. The vehicle sped off but agents were able to stop it. Inside, they found three large burlap bundles of pot. The driver, 19-year old Melissa Vargas Otero, and 18-year old Jason Nathaniel Harrison, were arrested. More News New Mexico

Swickard: The Occupy Santa Fe movement needs to move differently

2012-01-28T09:12:00.002-07:00

© 2012 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.

Occupy Santa Fe Press release: “… OSF understands the continuing corruption of our democracy is a matter of sheer survival with 146 million Americans at or below the poverty line. A noisy interruption of the ALEC $250 dinner is mild compared to the economic, social, and environmental devastation caused by corporate domination… ALEC members choked two women protesters with their own scarves while simultaneously punching them in the back, one by Representative Kintigh of Roswell. Following them to the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, an ALEC member punched a male protester in the face, and shoved another male protester to the wall in a chokehold. Four security guards from the Eldorado Hotel contained the violent ALEC legislative member.”

I was not there nor have I spoken to any of the participants. However, I am gravely concerned at two things: first, that a peaceful group of elected New Mexico legislators on private property were subjected to a frightening violent interaction. Second, that the Occupy Santa Fe group was able to barge into a private dinner.
If the Occupy Santa Fe protesters had remained at their protest outside the hotel it would be a non-story. Instead they came onto public property, a hotel dining room and caused a fuss. They called causing a fuss civil disobedience, but they are wrong.
Be noisy, be in the face, be on public property. Step onto private property without permission and it is not fine. The hotel, while open to the public is still private property. The protestors have no right to walk into any store, restaurant or hotel without permission.
The authorities and security forces were absent and that left it up to the legislators to protect themselves. There is a charge of excessive force against Rep. Dennis Kintigh when he removed at least one person. He is a New Mexico certified police officer and a retired FBI agent. That he felt compelled to act speaks volumes as to the safety of the legislators in the room.
Where do we go from here? I hope Occupy Santa Fe troops are not trying to force the legislators to huddle behind protected walls. We have a great citizen legislature where anyone can walk almost anywhere in the Roundhouse without hassle. The dialog may have started to try to contain the “terrorist” effect of protestors.
I do have to protest the protestor press release, “…the continuing corruption of our democracy is a matter of sheer survival with 146 million Americans at or below the poverty line.” So one half of all Americans are at or below the poverty line? Yet most have a house, car and cable. How is that poverty? I suspect the fragile population is closer to five percent and yes, they do need our prayers and our help.
Also, the New Mexico Legislature has been firmly in the hands of the Democrats since before World War Two. The Occupy Santa Fe group was yelling at Republicans who rarely if ever have any say in what the Legislature does. If corporations have bought the New Mexico Legislature protest the Democrats.
I would like to give some honest helpful advice for the people in the Occupy Santa Fe movement. Stay on public property. We hear you and dare I say it, I agree with some of your more reasonable concerns. I have raised them myself as to money and politics.
Importantly, if you really want to make a difference, go to each legislative district and put up a candidate against the incumbent so that a year from now the entire 112 members of the New Mexico Legislature could all be newly elected Occupy members who will completely cleanse the political process. Do the change right.
The Occupy people all over our nation do have our attention but we will not be bullied, we will not be intimidated and they cannot come on private property and attack New Mexico citizens without the full response of angry citizens being conveyed to them. If they want to change the political process it is open to them to do so. Do it in the way that our US and New Mexico Constitution allows, get elected and lead us to a better world.

Defending Tim Jennings

2012-01-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

Tim Jennings

by Jim Spence - Senator Tim Jennings of Roswell was talking facts in Santa Fe Friday. He spoke of the enormous contributions the oil and gas industry makes to the revenue side of the NM state budget. Suddenly the tweeting began. One tweet came from Carter Bundy, a well know public employee union lobbyist who said that oil and gas companies contribute a “tiny fraction” of their profits to government coffers. Since the data is so readily available, we looked at Exxon Mobil to determine what "fraction" was truly applicable to the discussion.

First, Exxon Mobil made huge land lease payments to both state and federal governments last year. It also made huge royalty payments to both the state and federal governments last year. Lease payments were received from Exxon Mobil regardless of production. And royalties were paid based on production volume, not profits.

On the pre-tax bottom line (gross income net of costs) Exxon Mobil earned $52.9 billion in 2010 and paid a whopping $21.5 billion in income taxes. Even if you ignore both the royalty and lease payments, which would be foolish, Exxon Mobil paid 40.6% out of its net income in taxes. These tax to income ratios are pretty much the same across the industry whether you are looking at Chevron, Conoco Phillips, or any other oil and gas company. You can see the actual Exxon Mobil income statement by clicking here.
It didn’t take me long to do the homework. But it will always be much easier to simply toss out a grossly misleading phrase like "tiny fraction," when describing the government's share of the oil and gas company’s income and revenue streams. Not only should Senator Jennings be defended, the contributions of the oil and gas companies should too.

Facts are stubborn things. The payment of $21.5 billion in income taxes, out of $52.9 billion in profits is 40.6%. Add in the royalties and lease payments that go to government and it looks like we are looking at pretty close to a 50-50 split, with the oil companies putting up all the capital and taking all of the downside risks while government cashes the checks. When splitting 50-50 is the fundamental fraction involved, it is pretty difficult to see how using the term “tiny fraction” could be anything other than 1) an effort to misinform or, 2) a reflection of being uninformed.
With billions in revenue at stake for our state government, being uninformed in this area can be costly. Though we don’t think about these things very often, most New Mexicans, including public employees, really appreciate the fact that when we need to fill our tanks we can do so. Some of us are old enough to remember the gas lines in 1973…..and we don’t want to go back to those days when everybody lost.

Martinez: Won't Sign a Bill That is a "Sham"

2012-01-28T05:23:00.000-07:00

Michael Sanchez

NewsNM note (Spence) Think it is easy to clean up this state? Think again. New Mexico's driver's license issuance law has created a sanctuary for crime syndicates. And those crime syndicates were heard cheering wildly this week. Why? Because Democrats in the New Mexico legislature led by Michael Sanchez of Belen in the Senate and Speaker Ben Lujan in the House, consciously chose to either look the other way, or actively work in unison, mostly behind closed doors, to kill reform that would send these crime syndicates packing. Not a single Democrat was heard condemning the obstruction and none lifted a finger to put a halt to what was happening. This is true despite the fact that early in the week an Associated Press report showed that unidentified and undocumented foreigners are as a matter of routine, fraudulently and repeatedly using the same addresses at smoke shops and auto-repair shops to get state driver's licenses. The conditions are creating nightmares for law enforcement. Governor Martinez spoke out.

Ben Lujan

KOAT TV - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Gov. Susana Martinez called an alternate bill that aims to tighten the state's driver's license laws "a sham." Martinez told Target 7 that she won't stop until illegal immigrants are banned from getting licenses in the state.
On Thursday, Martinez's bill was shelved in committee and Democrats offered an alternative that would, in part, require license renewal after two years.
"What they've done is actually drafted a sham. They're still going to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, and I won't sign a bill that does that," Martinez said.
This is the second time in two legislative sessions that the bill has disintegrated.
"I will never give up doing what New Mexicans want me to," Martinez said. "Every opportunity I have, I need to fight to repeal this law." Read full story here: News New Mexico

Martinez PRC Appointment is "News"

2012-01-27T14:16:00.004-07:00

Susana Martinez

NMPolitics reports that back in November Susana Martinez appointed Doug Howe, an openly gay man, to serve on the Public Regulation Commission. According to the story (which you can read here) neither the Governor nor Howe made an issue of his sexual orientation during the interview process or after the governor appointed him.
Strangely enough, and despite the fact there is hardly an extended family in America of any size whatsoever that doesn't have at least one gay member, this story is still considered "news."
There are several factors at work that make this story news. First, it is a complete contradiction to the stereo-type perpetuated mostly by progressive activists seeking leverage for additional group rights, that goes like this: all Republicans are gay bashing bigots. Second, there are more than a few naive, narrow-minded, and/or hateful people, who claim they are for limited government......except when the subject of sexual orientation comes up in policy debates. Third, there is the vast majority of what could best be described as "the rest of us." This is the huge majority in New Mexico and in America that simply wants government to leave us alone and also leave our family members, friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who happens to be gay, alone.

Doug Howe

The truth is Governor Martinez did not do anything extraordinary when she appointed Dough Howe to the PRC. She simply did what successful business people do every day. She hired a very talented individual with the credentials to get the job done. All of us who want to live in peace will be far better off when fringe groups that continue to stir up prejudices wise up and shut up. And we will also be better off when those that traffic in paranoia about prejudice, and do so strictly for political purposes, shut up too.

A TRI-Partisan Bill Introduced in the House

2012-01-27T13:19:00.001-07:00

Andy Nunez

Santa Fe – Today Representatives Nate Gentry (R-30), Joseph Cervantes (D-52), Zach Cook (R- 56), Cathrynn Brown (R-55), and Andy Nunez (I-36) introduced a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the state to recover the costs associated with impeachments proceedings for corrupt government officials.
Currently, the New Mexico constitution provides that the New Mexico Legislature may only remove public officials from office. HBX would permit the legislature to enact legislation that would require impeached officials to pay for the costs associated with their impeachment.
“There is no reason that the taxpayers of the state should pay to remove corrupt government officials from office. This constitutional amendment would allow the state to recover the cost of impeachment proceedings from the corrupt official,” said Rep. Gentry.
“This constitutional amendment should make corrupt elected officials think twice before running up the tab on the people of this state for their corrupt behavior,” said Rep. Cook.
Added Rep. Brown, “This constitutional amendment would not deter honest people from running for public office.” Although they both resigned before the proceedings were completed, the New Mexico Legislature spent over $233,000 on the Jerome Block Jr. and Robert Vigil impeachment proceedings. Some estimate that a completed impeachment proceeding could cost the state as much as one million dollars.
Representatives Cervantes and Cook were co-chairs of the impeachment committee empanelled to begin the impeachment proceedings against former PRC commissioner Jerome Block, Jr.

Fed Delivers REAL State of the Union Message

2012-01-27T11:22:00.003-07:00

It was with an almost great sense of irony that on Wednesday the Federal Reserve Board released its own “State of the Union” message. And in doing so, the Fed told us all we need to know about the U.S. economy. Here is an excerpt:
“The Committee decided today to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and currently anticipates that economic conditions–including low rates of resource utilization and a subdued outlook for inflation over the medium run–are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through late 2014.”
Say what? What does all of this jargon actually mean beyond the fact that seniors and other savers living on fixed incomes can expect to continue to get cheated out of a decent rate of return on their interest bearing investments until 2014?
In layman’s terms, the phrase: “Anticipates economic conditions including low rates of resource utilization,” means the Fed forecasts no significant job creation and no significant increase in economic activity until at least 2014.
Hey wait a second! This statement by the Fed is in direct contradiction to the president’s State of the Union message delivered less than 15 hours earlier when he uttered the following: “We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again.”

By the way, the roaring stock market the president referred to actually produced a 2.11% rate of return in 2011, as measured by the S & P 500 index. Now, a 2.11% return could be called many things by many people, but only a smoke blowing politician seeking re-election would call it “roaring.”

So there you have it. Those running for re-election say we are poised for progress. And those making critical interest rate policies that squeeze seniors and others relying on interest income, say they must continue to severely harm all interest seeking savers because the economy is so bad they are afraid of returning interest rates to normal levels.

There is even more deception in the shell game being played on seniors and other savers. Those who continue to preside over the borrowing of $4 billion dollars every day don’t really want to ever pay savers and seniors normal interest rates. Instead they want to use their iron grip on the Federal Reserve's policies to make sure the can borrow cheap. They are simply hoping voters living on fixed incomes don’t connect the dots linking reckless fiscal policies to their own lost interest income streams.

Gwyneth Doland to Lead Open Gov't Cause

2012-01-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Gwyneth Doland

KOB TV - The fight for open government in New Mexico has a new leader. The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government has named Gwyneth Doland as executive director. The journalist and longtime Albuquerque resident takes over the non-profit Feb. 20. She replaces Sarah Welsh, who is resigning to attend graduate school. Doland is currently the producer and host of KNME's Public Square, as well as a correspondent for KNME's New Mexico in Focus and an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Mexico. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Duke City and Kirtland Brace for Cuts

2012-01-27T05:17:00.001-07:00

Kirtland AFB

KOAT TV - The Kirtland Air Force base and the entire state is preparing, waiting to find out if the air base, a multi-billion-dollar industry that fuels Albuquerque and helps protect the entire city, will be one of the bases to close due to Department of Defense budget cuts.
"It's all very important to national security, and it happens to be in our city," said Mayor Richard Berry. "The $4.3 billion of direct spending in our city, the 21,000 jobs are very meaningful for Albuquerque."
Berry said he'll fight tooth and nail to keep the base open if necessary.
On Thursday, the Department of Defense announced that it will look to close some military bases as part of a proposed massive cost-cutting overhaul, but which bases remain unknown.
Officials said Kirtland has been down the same road before. In 1995, the base ended up on a list of potential closures, but Michael Chase, of the Kirtland partnership committee, said they were able to convince Washington to keep the base open. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Egolf Feels Need to Condemn Occupier Violence

2012-01-27T04:55:00.003-07:00

Representative Brian Egolf of Santa Fe felt compelled to chastize a group of "Occupy" protesters claiming to represent 99% of America after they engaged in violence on Wednesday night. Egolf conceded that the actions of the group he has great sympathies for were, "terrible."

Brian Egolf

During a gathering of lawmakers at a Santa Fe restaurant a number of occupiers stormed into the dining room and began throwing protest propaganda at people seated at tables. The edge of one of the protest cards hit the female guest of state Representative Bill Rehm of Albuquerque in the eye and another diner suffered a wrist injury. The extent of the victim’s eye injury is still unknown and Santa Fe police are investigating the incident, reportedly in an effort to determine the identity of the perpetrators. Eventually, Representative Dennis Kintigh a former FBI agent helped clear the room of the occupiers and restore some semblance of peace.

Egolf a House member from protestor-friendly Santa Fe has repeatedly expressed support for the thought processes and activities of the occupiers in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and other cities around the nation. Apparently Egolf's open and public sympathies for the group prompted him to feel it was necessary for him to personally condemn their violent behavior Wednesday night.

New Mexico Legislature rejects driver's license ban

2012-01-26T21:48:00.002-07:00

From KOB-TV.com - By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - Governor Susana Martinez continues her push to ban driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. On Thursday, her bill that would accomplish that has undergone some major changes that certainly will not please Martinez. Democrats in the majority on the House Labor Committee amended the governor’s proposal to basically allow the state to keep issuing the licenses, but with more restrictions. The Democrats' move comes a day after the Associated Press published results of an investigation showing what appears to be fairly widespread fraud in the issuing of the licenses, especially in the multiple uses of 170 addresses for 2,662 license applicants who are foreigners. One of the addresses is for a smoke shop. "When you read how many people are coming in from all over the world in here, Pakistan - you've seen that just recently - and from Colombia and everywhere, and so we gotta put a stop to it," said Rep. Andy Nunez, the Hatch Independent who sponsored the governor's bill. But Nunez saw the Labor Committee pull the bill's teeth tonight. Illegal immigrants would still be able to get licenses, but with tougher residency requirements, two year limits and increased penalties for any fraud artists who might get caught in license scams. Rep. Bill O'Neill, an Albuquerque Democrat, introduced a compromise bill that would allow provisional licenses for illegal immigrants that would only be valid in New Mexico. "But they're not real licenses," O'Neill said. "They are provisional licenses. They cannot travel with them but they can get insurance, they can drive their kids to school, they can drive themselves to work." Compromises usually don't please people with rigid opinions on hot-button issues, and O'Neill ruefully admits that both immigrant-advocates and the governor's side actively dislike his bill. Since the current state law went into effect in 2003, more than 90,000 licenses have been issued to immigrants in New Mexico, and state officials say most of them are probably immigrants. It's hard to say for sure, because license applicants are not asked about their immigration status. Read more

The final consequences of political actions

2012-01-26T21:39:00.002-07:00

Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. - Individual politicians say they have to be financially irresponsible or be thrown out of office. That is true. If a candidate does not clamor for money to bring to the district they are unelectable. Current politicians only have one plan, “I will spend the resources of our nation on you, whether we have resources or not.”So, my fellow Americans, we have discovered the problem and the problem is us. Now that we have the culprit firmly grasped by the collar what are we to do with ourselves? The politics of promise is where the power and money is in our society. Anyone with a frugal streak is unelectable because voters rightly understand that if one state foregoes the federal largess another state will get that benefit instead. Voters rationalize that someone will get those resources; we must elect someone to look after our short-term interests.At the core what is being practiced in our country is a political system designed to give amazing power to a few while taking the resources of many. Because so many people benefit from the theft of resources, there are not enough protestors to the theft of our country’s future. Know this: the promises sound great but are not sustainable. One day the bill will come due. Our country will be like Greece in that riots will precede the collapse. Will there be a collapse? There has to be, no other outcome is possible. Read column

Guest of NM state rep suffers eye injury during Occupy protest in Santa Fe

2012-01-26T21:12:00.004-07:00

Capitol Report New Mexico.com - Occupy protesters came under fire at the Roundhouse on Thursday after a handful of them burst into a dinner for state legislators at the Eldorado Hotel on Wednesday night, shouting political slogans, trying to rope off the diners with crime scene tape and throwing protest material that ended up hitting the female guest of state Rep. Bill Rehm (R-Albuquerque) in the eye, possibly causing some damage. The protesters were angry that a number of New Mexico lawmakers some Democrats but mostly Republicans were taking part in the dinner, which was hosted by the American Legislative Exchange Council , a conservative organization that calls for smaller government but is targeted by many on the left as a tool for corporate America. According to lawmakers who attended the dinner, a protest was held outside the hotel prior to the dinner, with the demonstrators loudly insisting that the legislators skip the dinner. About 70 people were in a private room at the Old House Restaurant at the Eldorado when, according to lawmakers interviewed by Capitol Report New Mexico, about five or six protesters burst through the doors, shouting, grabbing yellow police tape “as it this was a crime scene, I guess,” one legislator said and then started throwing 5 x 8 cards “they were fake invitations of some sort,” one witness said and one of the cards struck Rep. Rehm’s guest in the eye. Witnesses say the woman throwing the card was “in her late 20s, a slender, white female” and was hustled out of the room by Rep. Dennis Kintigh (R-Roswell), who is a former FBI agent. Read more

Audit blasts PRC; state auditor calls for chairman to resign

2012-01-26T20:39:00.002-07:00

From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - State Auditor Hector Balderas on Thursday called for Public Regulation Commission Chairman Pat Lyons to step down for what Balderas said was an improper use of a state vehicle.Lyons' use of a Ford F-250 truck for approximately 65 days, potentially violating the rules of a federal program, resulted in more than $1,100 of questionable costs to the public, Balderas said. The call for Lyons' resignation Thursday coincided with the release of a special audit into the scandal-plagued Public Regulation Commission that found sloppy recordkeeping at the agency. Separate from the audit, Balderas also announced Thursday that he had forwarded to the proper authorities several emails from or to PRC employees containing possible communications about the purchase of illegal drugs.Balderas, a Democrat, and Lyons, a Republican, have sparred publicly about this audit in the past. Lyons said he questioned the ability of Balderas' office to conduct the audit, which led to seeking an independent firm conducting the audit. Balderas said Lyons was obstructing the audit initially. Read more

"Typical Voters"

2012-01-26T14:57:00.002-07:00

Courtesy of Conservativedailynews.com

janice2012.us

Overnight Energy: Chu To Tout Obama Energy in N.M.

2012-01-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

Steven Chu

From thehill. -Energy Secretary Steven Chu is taking President Obama’s State of the Union energy message on the road Thursday. Chu will “discuss the Obama Administration’s commitment to energy innovation and advanced manufacturing” in Albuquerque, N.M., according to the Energy Department. Rep. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will join Chu on a tour of the Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility in the morning. Then Chu will hold a town hall at the University of New Mexico. The trip is part of a broad push by the administration to tout the energy proposals Obama outlined Tuesday night in his State of the Union address. Obama, in the speech, outlined plans to expand renewable energy on public lands and called on Congress to pass legislation to “help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings.” More News New Mexico

Hollywood Back at Roundhouse with Hand Out

2012-01-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

KOB TV - The battle over New Mexico's rebates for the film industry may be over before the shooting starts. Governor Susana Martinez told lawmakers not to bother passing any bills that would do away with the $50 million cap on the payback deal for movie-makers. The bill does not stand a chance of becoming state law. Film makers who spend a dollar making a movie in New Mexico will get 25 cents back. The old deal had no limit but last year, Martinez compromised with lawmakers and got the $50 million cap. Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives have the votes to rid the cap but Martinez said they should not waste their time.
"I will not sign a bill that changes what is in law and in place right now," Martinez said. "I want predictability for the film industry and they have received predictability and I think they really appreciate the fact that there is predictability. It allows us to formulate a budget and balance the budget." Read full story here: News New Mexico

Senate Democrats Attempt to Explain Position on Issuing Driver's Licenses to Illegals

2012-01-26T05:46:00.001-07:00

SANTA FE-- The Democratic Caucus of the New Mexico State Senate released the following statement on the drivers licenses for foreign nationals law.
"This issue has drawn national attention and it has made one thing very clear: the current law must be strengthened to include provisions that clearly address the flaws. Repealing the law and forcing a fraction of the driving population to go without proper licensing, registration or insurance puts New Mexican families at risk. That is why in the last session we fought for a law that would directly address the challenges that we face.

The compromise bill would have required license renewal every two years, required fingerprints in a database that would have been available to all departments of law enforcement and would have raised the penalties for those who knowingly provided false paperwork for foreign nationals.
There are more than 90,000 foreign nationals with licenses, and 97 percent of them have complied with our state's licensing requirements. Repealing the law would not advance public safety, would not help law enforcement and would not eliminate instances of fraud. A sweeping approach may create safety issues. We need to address those actually committing fraud while making sure that everyone driving is licensed, registered and insured."

"Obama 2012 Platform"

2012-01-26T05:39:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Conservativedailynews.com

janice2012.us

Rue Continues Fight for More Open Government

2012-01-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

Sander Rue

Santa Fe – State Senator Sander Rue of Albuquerque said more state government employee names and salaries will be on New Mexico’s Sunshine Portal, and the requirement to put the information on the state’s website would be in state law and would not be at the whim of future governors, if his bill to expand the definition of “state agency” in the Sunshine Portal is passed.
The definition will be expanded to include all branches of government. If SB 30 passes, employee names, titles and salaries of the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches of state government would be required to be included on the state’s website. Because they are state employees, school personnel including teachers and administrators would be included, too.
“Governor Susana Martinez has done an excellent job requiring her administration’s employee names and salaries be on the state’s website so members of the public, who pay their salaries, can have this information,” Senator Rue said. “ If this expansion of the Sunshine Portal passes, future administrations will have to follow suit and all branches of government will be required to include their employees’ names, positions and salaries on the website.”

His SB 30- State Agency Sunshine Portal Requirements – would require the directory of state employees, not only non-exempt employees, be included on the state’s website with their titles and salaries. Senator Rue’s bill provides exceptions for undercover police officers and anyone who has filed for a protection order under the Family Violence Protection Act.

Less than two years ago, the Sunshine Portal Transparency Act was signed into law. Currently, all exempt employees, their titles and salaries are made public on the portal, as well as financial information. The state’s budget is also on the state portal. The address for the portal is: Sunshineportalnm.com It is called the Official Government Transparency Portal of New Mexico.

Gallup Couple Miffed By Traffic Stop

2012-01-25T21:26:00.002-07:00

NewsNM (Swickard) Wikipedia: The smartass (Equus genius) is a type of donkey known for its very high intelligence, From KOAT-TV.com - GRANTS, N.M. -- A Gallup woman accused a Department of Public Safety (DPS) officer of being rude and calling her husband a derogatory name. Sarah Terrell said she is angry at the way a motor transportation officer treated her husband Tuesday. Terrell said the officer pulled them over for passing him on the freeway. Justin Terrell, Sarah Terrell's husband, said his wife had been following the officer for more than 20 miles while she was driving in the left lane. "I had decided enough was enough because there were cars piling up behind me," Sarah Terrell said. Sarah Terrell said when they passed him, the officer pulled her over and wrote her a citation for following too closely and passing in the right lane. Sarah Terrell said she was wrongfully pulled over and cited, and it's all caught on video. When her husband was asking the officer for clarifications, the officer was caught on camera saying, "You're just trying to be a smartass is what you're doing." "There was no mistake that he meant to call my husband a smartass to his face. It was just very disrespectful," Sarah Terrell said. Terrell said the officer even wrote the wrong statute on her ticket, and a DPS spokesperson said the officer did write the wrong number. Read more

Trying to curb “tax pyramiding”

2012-01-25T21:18:00.002-07:00

From Capitol Report New Mexico.com - Gov. Susana Martinez held a news conference Wednesday (Jan. 25) to promote legislation in the current 30-day legislative session aimed at helping New Mexico’s construction industry by curbing the practice of ”tax pyramiding” in which companies get taxed multiple times. Rep. David Doyle (R-Albuquerque) has introduced legislation aimed at lessening the effects of pyramiding and the governor’s news conference comes two days after Senate Democrats held their own media event in which they touted 11 of their bills aimed at boosting businesses across the state. Read more

Mourners Pay Respect to Archbishop Sanchez

2012-01-25T20:39:00.001-07:00

From kasa.com - Nearly two decades after he resigned in scandal, Archbishop Robert Sanchez's body returned to the cathedral where he was high priest of New Mexico's largest Catholic diocese for 19 years. Sanchez, who died last Friday at age 77, was appointed to the post of Archbishop of Santa Fe in 1974, the nation's first Hispanic archbishop. He was criticized for failing to stop pedophile priests who abused children in several parishes and resigned in scandal in 1993 after it was revealed he had had affairs with several women. That past was not forgotten by Sanchez's successor, Archbishop Michael Sheehan. "We ask God to forgive him his failings his sins and to comfort those loved ones he leaves behind and we also ask God to comfort those who have been harmed and hurt in any way during his time here," said Archbishop Sheehan. More News New Mexico

Navajo Nation President Under Fire for Comment to Governor

2012-01-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

From therepublic.com -Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly is facing criticism for remarks he made about the governors of Arizona and New Mexico. Some in the audience gasped and others laughed when Shelly said in a speech at the Arizona Legislature last week that Gov. Jan Brewer "turns me on." He also said he loved his family, the lawmakers and Brewer's straight-forward style. A day later, Shelly told New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez that it appeared she had gained weight. Neither governor was offended by the comments, their spokesmen said this week. But Navajo Nation Council Delegate Joshua Lavar Butler told Shelly the comments were inappropriate coming from the leader of one of the country's largest American Indian tribes. Shelly didn't back down, saying the comments weren't out of line but could be misconstrued when taken out of context. The president, who is a year into his four-year term, has been known to speak off the cuff. More News New Mexico

Are NM’s pensions heading for the Intensive Care Unit?

2012-01-25T19:40:00.002-07:00

From Capitol Report New Mexico.com - Members of the Senate Finance Committee who thought New Mexico’s two state-sponsored pension plans are doing pretty well and just need some tweaking to stay financially secure received a splash of ice-cold water on Monday (Jan. 23) when two financial analysts said just the opposite. “The numbers are actually worse than they appear,” said Sean McShea, a fixed-income portfolio manager for Ryan Labs Asset Management out of New York City. And Brad Day, a retired Albuquerque business owner who specialized in retirement pension plans, urged committee members to “get off the road we’re on now, which is a road to nowhere.” The Educational Retirement Board (ERB) and the Public Employees Retirement Assocation (PERA) comprise two state-supported pensions. In recent committee meeting hearings in the Roundhouse, leaders from the ERB and PERA acknowledged to lawmakers that adjustments need to be made to keep their plans solvent into the future as more and more baby boomers retire and say their respective boards and members are willing to make refine their plans. But McShea and Day painted a much bleaker picture Monday, saying changes on the margins are not enough. “We all know there’s going to be a retirement crisis in 2020,” McShea said adding, ”I think one day we’ll look at municipal debt and everything is fine but the next day we’ll have an epiphany and everything has changed for the worse.” Both McShea and Day also called into question the expected return on investments for the state pension plans, posted at 7.75 percent per year — a number they say is way too high. Day — who is actually a trustee at the ERB – said unless fundamental changes are made, “It’s going to raise unfunded liabilities to a level that is catastrophic.” Day told the committee he recommends eliminating the cost of living adjustment to the ERB plan and raising the minimum retirement age at the ERB to 62. Day said he’s made these recommendations to the ERB but “I’m the only private sector person on the ERB … I get out-voted virtually every time … The recommendation of the ERB [board] in my opinion was like spitting in the ocean … it will have practically no effect.” Read more

Immigration reform more than just driver’s licenses

2012-01-25T16:51:00.005-07:00

From NM Politics.net - Commentary by State Senator Steve Fischmann, District 37 - We can continue the political soap opera over driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants or comprehensively tackle immigration issues impacting our daily lives. I’m sponsoring legislation that attempts to do the latter. I invite others to help me improve it. I have introduced guest worker legislation (SB 14) that addresses immigration issues in a manner that can significantly improve our security, our economy, and our quality of life; and that addresses driver’s license issues to boot. SB 14 creates a predictable immigration policy for New Mexico in partnership with the federal government. It ends policies that make lawbreakers out of employers and workers who serve the economic interests of our state, while protecting jobs for legal citizens, and increasing accountability for unscrupulous employers. It also creates a funding mechanism that requires no new taxes and will actually add money to our state coffers. Read more

AP: NM driver's license data points to fraud

2012-01-25T16:33:00.002-07:00

From KOB-TV.com - By: BARRY MASSEY Associated Press - SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - An Associated Press investigation has found that addresses of dozens of the same businesses and homes across New Mexico were used over and over again by people to get driver's licenses in a pattern that suggests potential fraud by immigrants trying to game the system. In one instance, 48 foreign nationals claimed to live at a smoke shop in Albuquerque to get a license. In another case, more than a dozen claimed to live at an automotive repair shop over a one-year period. The scenario has been repeated at other addresses since New Mexico changed its law in 2003 to allow illegal immigrants to get the same driver's license as a U.S. citizen - one of just two states allowing that. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is pressing the Legislature to scrap the law because of public safety concerns about widespread fraud. She contends New Mexico has become a magnet for out-of-state immigrants seeking a license, which can be used to board airplanes, conduct financial transactions or get another license in some other state. The governor's proposal will be considered by a legislative committee on Thursday. Having an address in New Mexico is a critical part of getting a license. Applicants without a Social Security number must prove their identity with multiple documents such as a passport or notarized English translation of a foreign birth certificate. They also must show New Mexico residency with other documents, including property lease agreements, utility bills and bank statements. Of the more than 90,000 licenses issued so far to foreign nationals, it's impossible to know how many are illegal immigrants because the state doesn't ask a person's immigration status. Read more

Compassion or Enslavement?

2012-01-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Jim Harbison

The recent Republican presidential debates have largely focused on media-generated folklore intended less to edify than to attract attention and sell air time. One such issue is the claim that mean-spirited Republicans want to totally eliminate welfare, unemployment, food stamps and all other social safety net benefit programs. It is true that conservatives oppose these programs, at least as they exist in their current forms. Conservative objections have never been about the need for assistance to the unfortunate; but rather on how to develop programs that create the climate for long term opportunity for employment, job security, independence, economic growth, and self reliance.
What is missing from meaningful public discussions are accurate portrayals of the alternatives conservatives advocate to replace this unfortunate and growing dependence on well meaning but singularly misguided and spectacularly failed government programs. There are more Americans dependent on food stamps today than at any time in our history. The inescapable truth is that after nearly 50 years of the "Great Society" programs and over $40 trillion of well-intentioned assistance, generations of Americans still live in ignorance, poverty, crime, and government dependency. These programs offer transient relief but no viable path out of dependency; and, as a practical matter, represent little more than a 21st century form of government sanctioned economic and social slavery. Read rest of column here: News New Mexico

Savers Will Continue to Subsidize Government Borrowing - Interest Rates Likely on Hold Until 2014

2012-01-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

Ben Bernanke

NewsNM note (Spence) - Are you hoping you might be able to get a higher rate on a CD sometime soon because the economy is improving? THINK AGAIN

The bond market has already shifted expectations that there will be no changes in interest rates by the Federal Reserve until 2014. The market reacted to this excerpt on the Fed's statement regarding its January meeting:

To support a stronger economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation, over time, is at levels consistent with the dual mandate, the Committee expects to maintain a highly accommodative stance for monetary policy. In particular, the Committee decided today to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and currently anticipates that economic conditions–including low rates of resource utilization and a subdued outlook for inflation over the medium run–are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through late 2014.

Don't believe what any politician tells you about economic recovery. Watch the Fed for signs that we are returning to a stronger economy.

Martinez to Scale Back Scope of Session

2012-01-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

Susana Martinez

NMPolitics - After receiving criticism from some Democratic legislative leaders that she had put too much on their plate for the 30-day session that’s in progress, Gov. Susana Martinez plans to scale back the scope of the session later today. Martinez spokesman Scott Darnell said a final list of messages allowing the consideration of various topics should be published today on the governor’s website, and it will include the rescinding of most of the more than 40 messages the governor sent to the House last week. He gave no clues about what would be cut. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Heather Wilson to Appear on News New Mexico

2012-01-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

Heather Wilson

Former U.S. Congresswoman Heather Wilson will appear on News New Mexico on Tuesday morning at 7:30am. We will be talking to Wilson about her plans to run for the U.S. Senate Seat being vacated by Jeff Bingaman in 2012. Wilson served in Congress from 1998 to 2009. She is the second female veteran to have been elected to Congress. Wilson opted not to run for re-election to the House in 2008 and sought the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Senator Pete Domenici, but finished second in the Republican primary to Congressman Steve Pearce, who then lost the general election to Democrat Tom Udall. Please email your questions for Heather Wilson to jim@newsnm.com

"Decline of the Union Address"

2012-01-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Conservativedailynews.com

janice2012.us

Man receives $22 mil. for inhumane treatment in Dona Ana Co. solitary confinement

2012-01-25T04:37:00.002-07:00

From KOB-TV.com - By: Marissa Torres, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - It is one of the largest prisoner civil rights settlements in the history of this country. On Tuesday, a federal jury awarded Stephen Slevin $22 million for inhumane treatment while in solitary confinement at the Dona Ana County Jail. Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for a DWI then tossed in jail and completely forgotten about for two years. Slevin said he made countless requests to see a doctor and get medication for his depression, but that was denied until just a few weeks before he was released. He also said during the two years, he was forced to pull his own tooth because they would not let him see a dentist. During his time in confinement, Slevin never saw a judge and was released when the DWI charges were dropped. Slevin said taking Dona Ana County to court was never about money, it was to make sure this never happened to anyone else. Read more

Social media takes off when rumors fly about Depp's visit to Farmington

2012-01-25T04:17:00.004-07:00

From the Farminston Daily Times - By Kurt Madar - FARMINGTON — Johnny Depp might have visited the Four Corners over the weekend, but he definitely was not at Arby's, Target, Three Rivers Brewery or buying a mutton-and-green chile sandwich on fry bread in Shiprock. If the star was here, it was entirely on his own and not in any official capacity for the film "The Lone Ranger," said a publicist for Jerry Bruckheimer Films. What did happen over the weekend and could have fueled the rumors was members from the production company scouting shooting locations, an inside source said Monday. What is almost as interesting as the star himself is how quickly the rumors of Depp's appearance spread, and how nearly everyone heard of him visiting the same places. People who have never met, let alone talked, were reporting the same information, and after reading it on Facebook or hearing it from somebody who had read it on Facebook. Gas station attendant Emerson Napoleon was told by a customer that Depp had been seen at Arby's, Target and Three Rivers Brewery. Arby's Manager Molina Begay got a phone call from the Farmington Chamber of Commerce asking if Depp had developed a craving for a roast beef sandwich. "The rumor was that he came in on Sunday," Begay said. "I worked all day Sunday, and he definitely wasn't here. It would have been nice, though." A search of Facebook showed that the most repeated Depp sightings were Walmart, Arby's, Three Rivers Brewery and Olive Garden. Read more

Beauty Health and Science Innovations could bring 350 jobs to Clovis

2012-01-25T03:49:00.003-07:00

From the Clovis News J0urnal - Clovis’ newest industry has plenty of work to do in the run-up, but officials are confident Beauty Health and Science Innovations could be moving products out of Clovis by the end of April.Brian Sperber, owner and CEO of BHSI — a product of merging Minnesota-based Z. Bigatti and California-based COBE Chem Labs — will start hiring maintenance crews in February to do a few weeks of refurbishing on the former FrozFruit facility. Sperber said while the cleanup is taking place, supplies and five production lines will be shipped to the plant. Production test runs could take place in March, while the company goes through a few weeks of inspections from the state. About half a dozen chemists will be coming from outside of the area, but most of the hiring will be of eastern New Mexico residents with numerous skill sets. The first-year estimate is 120 to 150 jobs, with a three-year goal of 350.
The Clovis City Commission agreed to provide up to $3 million in forgivable economic development loans, and $1 million of that is tied to BHSI employing 300 people for a 12-month period. The target products coming from the Clovis plant, Sperber said, will be skin care products and energy drinks, but future endeavors could include Prestige soaps and candles.
Sperber said BHSI will not do animal testing for its products. The only possible exception, he said, would be if BHSI produces dog shampoo on-site and then washes a dog with the shampoo to test its effectiveness. Read more

Committee shelves term limits for state legislators

2012-01-25T03:07:00.002-07:00

From the Alamogordo Daily News - SANTA FE -- By Milan Simonich Texas-New Mexico Newspapers - A proposal to limit state legislators to 12 years in office failed Tuesday in a committee of the House of Representatives. Members of the Voters and Elections Committee voted 6-5 to block the proposal by Rep. Dennis Kintigh, R-Roswell. Every Republican voted to keep the Kintigh's resolution alive, and every Democrat voted to block it. But the issue was not so simple as that. Rep. Thomas Anderson, R-Albuquerque, actually agreed with the Democrats. He said he opposed term limits because that system would give more power to lobbyists and legislative staff members. Anderson told of one of his bills being changed, without his knowledge, by a legislative staff member. The bill failed, but Anderson said he was upset that an employee meddled with a proposed law. That experience, he said, taught him that unelected people could seize power if term limits were enacted. Even so, Anderson voted with the unsuccessful minority in trying to keep Kintigh's proposal alive. Anderson said term limits deserved more discussion than a hearing in a single committee. Read more

Commission Considers Shortening State Fair

2012-01-24T22:16:00.001-07:00

From therepublic.com -Closing the New Mexico State Fair on Mondays and Tuesdays over the past few years hasn't saved as much money as hoped, so the commission that runs the annual event might shorten the fair from 17 days to 12. "The dark days obviously were a failure," interim general manager Dan Mourning told State Fair commissioners Monday during their first meeting of 2012. More News New Mexico

N.M. Ranks 35th on National Education Report Card

2012-01-24T22:13:00.002-07:00

From krqe.com - New Mexico’s education system ranks 35th in the nation, according to a new report by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC’s 17th Report Card on American Education: Ranking State K-12 Performance, Progress, and Reform is a comprehensive report that ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia according to data from national test scores, state education policy, charter school regulation, and other benchmarks of quality. New Mexico improved from 48th in 2010 based on student performance and progress on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exams. More News New Mexico

Activists Protest End to Drivers License for Illegals

2012-01-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

From koat.com -About 400 immigrant-rights activists surrounded the capital Tuesday morning to protest what they said was a controversial push by the governor to do away with driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. With the exception of one counter-protester, all were in favor of letting illegal immigrants continue to have driver's licenses, which they said improves the driving standards on our streets. "We can't tell people that they can't have a driver's license. This is a safety issue. They need it to get to work. What is going on?" protester Sharon Argenbright said. More News New Mexico

Martinez Proposes Stiffer Penalties for Child Abuse

2012-01-24T13:39:00.001-07:00

Susana Martinez

Yesterday, Governor Susana Martinez announced a major legislative proposal that will change New Mexico’s Criminal Code to help better protect New Mexico children from child abuse and predators.
The Governor's bi-partisan bill beefs up prison time for child abusers, increases penalties for drunk drivers who kill kids, and defines new crimes where certain behavior toward children is predatory.
Martinez wants to increase penalties for first-time and repeat child abusers, allowing for additional prison time in child abuse cases even those that do not result in great bodily harm or the death of the child.

The proposed legislation will increase jail time for first-time child abusers from three years to nine years. Repeat offenders would face up to 18 years in jail, instead of only nine years.

Obama's Keystone Debacle Has One Winner: Burlington Northern, Warren Buffett's Railroad

2012-01-24T13:10:00.002-07:00

NewsNM note (Spence) - I originally found this story on Bloomberg. Strangely, the story was quickly taken down as President Obama makes plans to play the "envy" politcal card and Warren Buffett's secretary serves as his designated prop in the upcoming State of the Union address tonight. Fortunately, the story is now all over the internet, so the effect of Bloomberg pulling what if thinks might be damaging to Obama, has no real effect on the flow of information.

News Room America - A railroad largely owned by billionaire Warren Buffett stands to benefit financially from a decision by the Obama administration to reject a major oil pipeline project that would have stretched 1,700 miles south from Canada to refineries in Texas.

Warren Buffett

Bloomberg News reported Tuesday that Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC is among U.S. and Canadian railroads that stand to gain from the U.S. State Department's rejection last week of the Keystone XL pipeline project. Buffett is a long-time political and financial supporter of Obama.

"Whatever people bring to us, we’re ready to haul," Krista York-Wooley, a spokeswoman for Burlington Northern, a unit of Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc., investment house, told Bloomberg. If the pipeline deal falls through, she added, "we’re here to haul." Read full story here: News New Mexico

The Case for Newt Gingrich

2012-01-24T09:06:00.001-07:00

Jim Spence

As one of tens of thousands of “Decline-to-State” independents, the state of New Mexico denies me the right to vote in any primary election. But the state cannot deny me the right to speak my mind about Newt Gingrich. On a personal level, I find the former Speaker more than wanting. Coming from a broken home where our father ran off with another woman, I most certainly disagree with those who quote Dorothy Sayers, “As I grow older and older, and totter toward the tomb, I find that I care less and less, about who goes to bed with whom.” No ladies and gentlemen, everyone should care about who goes to bed with whom, under certain circumstances where children are concerned.

Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich

There is however, from a governing standpoint, much to admire about Newt Gingrich. And nobody owes a greater debt of gratitude to Gingrich than the legacy of William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States.
A little irony of history is in order. Clinton began to aggressively pursue the idea of higher taxes on the job creators and Hillary-Care right after his inauguration. The public was horrified that the man who ran as someone with common sense could propose such a massive government takeover of our health care and punishment of the business community.

Tom Foley

In the off election year of 1994, Clinton presided over the biggest wipeout of Democrats in Congress since the Civil War. Even Clinton supporter and the sitting Speaker of the House, Tom Foley of Washington was ejected from his House seat.

While Clinton retreated to lick his massive political wounds and contemplate the meaning of such of a severe beating, none other than Newt Gingrich took over the House of Representatives. And with Gingrich at the helm, a unique new era of pro-growth, pro job creation policymaking took hold.

In the end, the four year period when Gingrich served as House Speaker was one of the most remarkable eras in U.S. history. The House and Senate passed legislation and President Clinton, often over the vociferous objections of hardcore partisan Democrats occupying politically safe seats, signed the Gingrich bills into law. During the Gingrich – Clinton era the federal budget deficit was wiped out, welfare was reformed, and wealth and job creating trade agreements were ratified.
Despite an astounding wave of prosperity the hardcore partisan Democrats were furious. They trumped up ethics charges against Speaker Gingrich and eventually he grew tired of the perniciously toxic environment in Washington and walked away to teach history and write books.

History suggests that two things led to the mini wave of temporary budgetary sanity of 1994-98. First, the complete repudiation of Clinton’s grandiose big government schemes of 1992-93. And second, the way Newt Gingrich politically dragged Clinton, often kicking and screaming, to presiding over an era of U.S. prosperity.

For those still daring to harbor some hope for the U.S. when polls suggest an overwhelming majority of citizens think we are headed in the wrong direction,…..this is the case for giving Newt Gingrich the chance to once again clean up the terrible mess we see going on in Washington D.C. every single day.

Governor Urges State Business Leaders to "Hold State Legislators Accountable"

2012-01-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

Susana Martinez

NM Business Weekly - On Monday Governor Susana Martinez exhorted the state’s business leaders and their employees to hold their state legislators accountable for creating a more business-friendly climate in the state. Speaking before an audience of 500 in Albuquerque, Martinez told businesspeople they should track specific pieces of legislation, call and email their lawmakers and show up to committee meetings at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. “The easiest way to kill a bill is to not hear it,” Martinez said. “Your voice has to be heard. Don’t assume that what is going on in the Roundhouse is in the best interests of small businesses.” Read full story here: News New Mexico ------- Find contact information for your legislator here: News New Mexico

League of Women Voters Turning Partisan?

2012-01-24T05:51:00.000-07:00

A number of Republican Senators boycotted a stacked panel discussion on Voter ID that the League of Women Voters sponsored last night. The panel selected by the "league" was asking the dubious question, “Is Photo ID Essential?” And the panel discussion entitled, “Voter Verification: Facts and Fallacies” was dominated by people with a bias against the basic tenets of election fraud prevention contained in Voter ID.
“The League of Women Voters clearly has not included any top supporters of requiring photo identification when voting in New Mexico,” State Senator John Ryan said. “I suspect the forum will be supplying biased information that is not useful because of it being so partial.”
Senator Ryan is one of many elected officials supporting legislation requiring New Mexicans to show a photo ID when voting in New Mexico elections. Ryan said that while Republican Senators were invited to the event, most of the panelists selected have expressed opposition to voter ID. The panelists include members from the ACLU and the UNM Political Science Department.

"Another Vacation"

2012-01-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Conservativedailynews.com

janice2012.us

Last Code Talker Turns 92

2012-01-24T04:23:00.001-07:00

KOB TV - The last surviving member of the original Navajo Code Talkers turned 92 years old Monday. The City of Albuquerque recognized Chester Nez for his contributions in World War II. Nez was one of 29 original code talkers who developed a code based on their native language to help the United States fight Japan during the war. Nez said he was happy to represent such an important part of U.S. history. Read full story here: News New Mexico

APD settlement costs rise in 2010, 2011

2012-01-23T23:09:00.002-07:00

From KRQE-TV - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Over the past two years combined, the city of Albuquerque has paid out more than $8 million to settle police misconduct cases. The Albuquerque Journal reports that in the previous eight years, the city had paid nearly $10 million to resolve such cases. Mayor Richard Berry has done away with his predecessor Martin Chavez's policy of settling a limited number of cases. Chavez, now running for Congress, in the past has defended his limited settlement policy and has said the city prevailed in almost every case instead of paying out. But Rob Perry, Albuquerque's chief administrative officer, said the Chavez administration saddled Berry's team with a high number of unresolved cases and said that while payouts have gone up, the city could have lost more money in some cases if it had gone to trial. All but five of the 60 payouts in 2010 and 2011 stemmed from cases that were initiated during Chavez's tenure as mayor, Perry said. The city felt it was in its best economic interest to settle some of the cases, he said. A statement from the president and vice president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association says the policy shift amounts to a lack of support for police officers from the city administration. Read more

Santa Fe New Mexican editorial: Powering up Santa Fe?

2012-01-23T23:01:00.002-07:00

Editorial from the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - The notion that Santa Fe -- city and county together -- should explore the ownership of an independent municipal power utility is intriguing. Right now, Santa Fe and most of the county receive their electricity from Public Service Co. of New Mexico. Most of that power, as we know, is generated from coal-fired power plants in northwestern New Mexico. Plants, by the way, that are known for the pollutants they emit as much as the jobs they bring to the Four Corners area. Local citizens think there might be a different way to bring electricity to Santa Fe and more than 1,500 people have signed a petition asking the City Council to study the idea -- a renewable-energy municipal power utility owned by the public. That's a decent number of signatures, considering driving force, local builder Faren Dancer, just started gathering names on Jan. 12. Adding steam to the effort is this news from Santa Fe County Commissioner Kathy Holian: she says the joint city and county Regional Planning Authority has allocated $25,000 to study the idea. It's not unheard of for cities to own utilities. Santa Fe, for example, owns its own water company. Up on the Hill, Los Alamos County manages electricity, gas, water and waste for residents. Under that arrangement, PNM still owns the power lines, which Los Alamos then leases. The benefit to consumers is that the county can control its rates more closely, as well as push harder to develop alternative energy. Of course, the proposal is just in its infancy, but we hope to see both governments -- as well as the citizens who are backing the concept -- work hard to see whether Santa Fe is the right place for a citizen-owned electric company. Read more

Columbus, New Mexico struggles after gun-smuggling case wipes out leadership

2012-01-23T22:49:00.002-07:00

From the El Paso Times.com - By Reyes Mata III - COLUMBUS -- When federal agencies raided this small New Mexico town last year to stop a gun-smuggling operation they allege was sending guns into Mexico's drug war, they left a trail of indictments that gutted city leadership -- including the police department -- and turned residents leery of having outside law enforcement patrol it. "There were two police early this morning giving tickets, making people late for work," complained Alejandro Zapata, a resident of Columbus for more than 20 years. He pointed to a street corner where, he said, New Mexico State Police were handing out citations last week. "People said somebody put out a report that we needed more police. We don't. We have our policeman, and it's Ojeda. We don't need any more than him." The Ojeda to whom he is referring is Jose Ojeda, a corporal from the Luna County Sheriff's Department who, in July, was reassigned from Deming to patrol Columbus, about 50 miles to the south. Ojeda has been patrolling the estimated 750 homes in Columbus since July 7. That's the day the Village Council voted to dissolve its police department after Police Chief Angelo Vega, Mayor Eddie Espinoza, and trustee Blas Gutierrez were among 11 defendants charged in an 84-count federal indictment that ultimately linked them to the gun-smuggling operation. Read more

Guònián Hǎo - Chinese Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T22:43:00.004-07:00

Everyone at News New Mexico wants to wish you a Happy New Year in this Chinese Year of the Dragon.

Amendment prevents state employees who serve in the Roundhouse from getting paid while serving

2012-01-23T22:26:00.003-07:00

From Capitol Report New Mexico.com - One month after an outburst by Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton made national headlines and drew further attention to state employees receiving pay if they also serve in the legislature, three Republican state representatives introduced a bill in the House of Representatives on Monday (Jan. 23) that would prevent any employee who receives a state salary to get paid while attending to legislative duties. Reps. Dennis Roch (R-Texico), Rep. Jim Smith (R-Sandia Park) and Rep. Tim Lewis (R-Rio Rancho) — who are all teachers — co-sponsored House Joint Resolution 18. The amendment would not just affect teachers or school system employees but apply to all employees who work in state agencies. In order for the bill to become state law, it would not just have to pass both chambers of the Roundhouse but also go before the state’s voters as a constitutional amendment. “It’s about fairness,” said Rep. Lewis, who announced earlier this month that he is taking a leave of absence without pay from his duties as a high school business teacher during the 30-day legislative session as well as abstaining from receiving pay from his job with the Albuquerque Public Schools system for any other legislative-related responsibilities. “I want to show I’m a fighter for the taxpayers,” said Lewis, who told reporters Monday he estimates refusing his salary for the 30-day session will cost him about $5,000. Read more

Judge Orders Bailout of Union-Dominated School District

2012-01-23T22:02:00.003-07:00

From Big Government.com - These days a lot of school budgets are being held together by the accounting equivalents of bailing wire and duct tape. But one Pennsylvania school district is so broke that it needs the state to provide the wire and the tape. The Chester Upland School District began this week with only $100,000 in its savings account, and had no way of meeting its $1 million payroll – that is, until a judge ordered the state to give the district a $3.2 million advance in its allowance, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. The money will allow the teachers to be paid and the lights to remain on, at least for a few more weeks. The district is on track to be $20 million in debt by the end of the school year. What’s causing Chester Upland’s financial meltdown? According to school officials, the state has been illegally giving some of the district’s money to charter schools. State officials say the law requires it to fund the schools where students actually attend, and many choose to attend charter schools. A judge is expected to settle the dispute next month. While the district might win its case in court, it seems destined to lose in the court of public opinion. Since 2006, Chester Upland’s enrollment has dropped by almost 1,000 students. During that same time, the district has increased its workforce by 145 employees, and its budget by $28 million, reports the PhillyBurbs.com. Members of the local teachers union have pledged to keep working “as long as they are individually able … even if they are not paid.” While that makes for a nice press release, it appears that none the district’s three school employee unions have agreed to open their contracts and offer any concessions to help the district survive. Read more

N.M. Ranchers Sue Forest Service Over Grazing Rights

2012-01-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

From washingtonexaminer.com- A group of ranchers and one county said Monday that they are suing the U.S. Forest Service over its decision to limit grazing on historic land grant areas in northern New Mexico.The group of Hispanic ranchers and Rio Arriba County officials contend the agency is trying to push them from land that has been ranched by their families for centuries. They say at stake is a piece of Hispanic culture and the economic viability of several northern New Mexico communities that depend on access to surrounding lands for everything from grazing to fire wood. "Without the ability to access and utilize natural resources, our communities are drying up. We're not economically sustainable. We're losing our customs and our culture," said David Sanchez of the Northern New Mexico Stockman's Association. More News New Mexico

Wells Fargo Completes Financing for Solar Project

2012-01-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

From marketwatch.com -Wells Fargo & Company announced today that equity financing is complete for a 53.5 megawatt (MW) multi-site solar project in New Mexico. The 53.5MW solar project, one of largest photovoltaic solar power projects in the U.S., was fully activated in December. The multi-site solar project was made possible through a power purchase agreement between SunEdison and Southwestern Public Service Company which was previously announced in September. More News New Mexico

Senate Democrats to Introduce Jobs Bills

2012-01-23T13:30:00.002-07:00

Michael Sanchez

SANTA FE--The Senate Majority Caucus released the Helping Incentivize Real Employment (HIRE) Initiative, a collection of eleven bills that will help a broad range of small businesses in New Mexico revitalize the economy. This plan will take big steps to create jobs across New Mexico.

Some of the bills that will, and have been, offered from the members came from the bi partisan Jobs Initiative Group which was started by Senate Majority Leader Michael S. Sanchez and brought together members of the business community, as well as several chambers of commerce and labor leaders.

Tim Keller

“We need to make sure that we listen to the needs of the business community and the jobs group was an excellent way of doing that,” Senator Sanchez said. “We were able to bring everyone to the table, and when we do that, good ideas emerge.”
This broad based initiative draws a distinction to other jobs bills that would offer businesses only small amounts of help-- not enough to add any new employees or make meaningful improvements to their businesses. This initiative also broadens the scope of economic impact in contrast to narrowly constructed bills that constitute little more than giveaways to certain companies. Read rest of story here: News New Mexico

Obama kills Keystone while defending energy record

2012-01-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

Marita Noon

Within 24 hours of rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline project—angering unions, industry, and Republicans, President Obama released his first campaign ad touting his record on energy. The ad cites a study from the Brookings Institute and implies that President Obama has created 2.7 million jobs in green energy, a number that is “expanding rapidly.” Next the ad brags about the fact that for the first time in 13 years, America is now less than 50% dependent on foreign oil. Both numbers have some truth—but both have little to do with the President's efforts.

First, the jobs number. 2.7 million green jobs is the total number of green jobs in the economy—many of which existed long before President Obama took office. Additionally, according to a Reason fact check, while the 2.7 million number may be “clean” jobs, only a small fraction of that number are actually in the “green energy” industry: 140,000 according to Brookings—and this was before thousands of jobs were lost at Solyndra, Stirling Energy, Range Fuels, or other green energy companies that have gone under in the past few months. Read the rest of the column here: News New Mexico

Chevy Dealers Revolt Against Obama's Car

2012-01-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

NewsNM note (Spence) - Fresh off the latest story of Solyndra employees thowing away solar parts the government spent millions of dollars on, comes news of another vision of a prosperous future offered by President Obama. This vision has turned into a economic mirage. It seems that the car the president has praised repeatedly the Chevy Volt is being flat out rejected by car dealers.

Automotive News - DETROIT -- Some Chevrolet dealers are turning down Volts that General Motors wants to ship to them, a potential stumbling block as GM looks to accelerate sales of the plug-in hybrid. For example, consider the New York City market. Last month, GM allocated 104 Volts to 14 dealerships in the area, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Dealers took just 31 of them, the lowest take rate for any Chevy model in that market last month. That group of dealers ordered more than 90 percent of the other vehicles they were eligible to take, the source said. In Clovis, Calif., meanwhile, Brett Hedrick, dealer principal at Hedrick's Chevrolet, sold 10 Volts last year. But in December and January he turned down all six Volts allocated to him under GM's "turn-and-earn" system, which distributes vehicles based on past sales volumes and inventory levels. GM's "thinking we need six more Volts is just crazy," Hedrick says. "We've never sold more than two in a month." Hedrick says he usually takes just about every vehicle that GM allocates to him. Read full story here and watch CNN video here: News New Mexico

Martinez goes to Albuquerque today to talk jobs

2012-01-23T06:42:00.001-07:00

Susana Martinez

Today Governor Susana Martinez will address the “Creating Jobs, Getting New Mexico Working Again” luncheon hosted by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber, the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance, the Economic Forum of Albuquerque, the Greater Belen Chamber, and the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber. Governor Martinez will address members of the business communities from Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Valencia Counties and discuss her job creation proposals for the current legislative session.

Governor Martinez will address members of the business communities from Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Valencia Counties and discuss her job creation proposals for the current legislative session.

King Wants More Awareness of Human Trafficking

2012-01-23T05:10:00.001-07:00

Gary King

KOB TV - Dramatic ads on buses and billboards across the state are part of an effort by New Mexico Attorney General Gary King's office to educate law enforcement and the public about human trafficking.

The ads have pictures of men, women and children and declarations like "Stop Slavery," and "We are not for sale." The scope of human trafficking is largely unknown in many states. Read full story here: News New Mexico