Interview points to Sanchez quitting U.S. Senate race

Lt. Gov. John Sanchez

From NM Politics.net - by Heath Haussamen and Gwyneth Doland - UPDATE, Feb. 2, 11:50 p.m. In response to this article, campaign spokesman Corbin Casteel said Sanchez “has made no plans to exit the Senate race.” He said any source stating otherwise is “simply uninformed.” NMPolitics.net stands by this article.
NMPolitics.net - Republican John Sanchez has decided to drop out of the race to replace the retiring Jeff Bingaman in the U.S. Senate, NMPolitics.net has learned.  And while a spokesman said today that Sanchez has “no interest” in running for the First Congressional District seat being vacated by Democrat Martin Heinrich, who is running instead for Bingaman’s Senate seat, Sanchez was less clear in an interview with NMPolitics.net. Sanchez didn’t confirm that he’s dropping out of the Senate race during the interview, but a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed that Sanchez has made that decision.  During his interview with NMPolitics.net, Sanchez sounded at times as though he intends to stay in the Senate race. For example, he said his campaign team is “preparing for the conventions and then obviously the final stretch in the spring.” But instead of directly answering when asked if he would “swear” that he’s “not dropping out of the Senate race,” Sanchez, the state’s lieutenant governor, said this: “I can tell you as of today I am a candidate for the United States Senate.” “That sounds evasive,” NMPolitics.net replied. Sanchez went on: “And I can tell you that I am not a candidate, though, for CD1.” Read more

Interview points to Sanchez quitting U.S. Senate race

Teacher Under Investigation Fires Back At APS

From KOAT-TV.com -  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A middle school teacher fires back after Albuquerque Public Schools suddenly put him on paid leave this week.  Tony Hillerman Middle School teacher Steve Buford sent Action 7 News a strongly worded statement on Wednesday. In it, Buford said he's angry, hurt and has no idea why he's being tried in the court of public opinion.  Buford's sudden departure from his middle school classroom and the word that he'd been placed on administrative leave left parents and students wondering what happened.  "Actually he's a really good teacher, and we really don't know what's going on. This is crazy," parent Julie Rose said.  Even Buford said he doesn't know why he was put on leave.  "Today is Wednesday and I still have no idea what I'm being accused of," Buford wrote to Action 7 News. "I was presumed guilty and treated like a criminal from the beginning without due process."  An APS spokeswoman called the issue a personnel matter and said Buford was sent a letter explaining his rights and the action taken against him. She also said Buford had a "lengthy conversation with an employee relations specialist where he was told why he's been placed on leave."  Buford said he got the letter, but never had a conversation with an employee relations specialist. Read more

Teacher Under Investigation Fires Back At APS

Controversial education secretary may be at crossroads

Hanna Skandera

From the Alamogordo Daily News - By Milan Simonich, Texas-New Mexico Newspapers - SANTA FE -- One powerful state senator hinted Thursday that Gov. Susana Martinez's choice to head the Public Education Department could be in trouble. But another senator, often at odds with the administration over education policy, said the governor is entitled to select the management team she wants. The next couple of days may bring discussion over Hanna Skandera's fitness to be secretary of public education, said Sen. Michael Sanchez. Skandera has been running the department for a year, never having gone through a Senate confirmation hearing. "I'm not sure she meets the criteria" to hold the job, said Sanchez, of Belen, the floor leader of majority Democrats.But Sen. Howie Morales, D-Silver City, said Skandera had his support as a matter of fundamental fairness. Morales, who has a doctorate in education, said he probably had disagreed with Skandera on policy issues as much as anyone. But, he said, the people elected Martinez as governor and she put her confidence in Skandera. "She has the right to choose her team," Morales said.  Read more

Controversial education secretary may be at crossroads

Skandera: It’s time to embrace education reforms

From NM Pollitics.net - by Hanna Skandera, secretary-designate for the N.M. Public Education Department. - The passion for truly educating our children in New Mexico goes without question. I know this is true, despite our current ranking (48th in the nation). So it’s now time to take notice of our failing school system, examine the opportunities for positive change and give our public education system the chance to live up to its potential. And it’s time for our parents, our communities and our legislators to embrace the reforms necessary to make it so. In the past year I have visited nearly 50 of our 89 school districts. I have heard the resounding voices of adults and children – all eager to see our schools and students succeed. With each visit to every school, and in every classroom, I have witnessed the optimism, desire and hope on the faces of every student across the state. Our students, educators and parents deserve to be recognized for their continued trust in our public school system and deserve to realize true progress as a result of their faith. There is no magic solution to our current status, but there are a few key initiatives that will have a lasting impact on our students’ futures. Two bills before the Legislature right now will, when passed, dramatically and positively impact our students. Read more

Skandera: It’s time to embrace education reforms





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N.M Hiker Finds Human Remains

From washingtonpost.com -New Mexico authorities say scattered body parts have been found in the Gomez Peak area over the past few weeks after a hiker picked up what appeared to be a lower jawbone on Jan. 19.  The medical investigator determined a bone found nearly a week later by a U.S. Forest Service worker was a femur.  The Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the medical investigator, members of the Forest Service and U.S. Border Patrol searched the area Tuesday near Silver City and discovered more remains.  A preliminary analysis shows the bones are from a man approximately 6 feet tall and weighing 200 pounds.  The remains were sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque in an attempt to determine the identity and cause of death.  More News New Mexico

N.M Hiker Finds Human Remains

N.M House Approves Tax Measure For Power Grid

From therepublic.com -The New Mexico House has approved a set of proposed 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.  Democratic House Speaker Ben Lujan is sponsoring the legislation. It passed Thursday on a unanimous vote and now heads to the Senate.  It had support from both sides of the aisle, as lawmakers talked about the jobs and spin-off businesses that are expect to result from the project.  The measure would offer a gross receipts tax deduction for Tres Amigas' trading operations as well as an exemption of certain taxes related to the conversion and transmission of electricity.  More News New Mexico

N.M House Approves Tax Measure For Power Grid

Sandia Labs Engineers Develop New Bullet

From washingtonpost.com -Figuring out how to pack a processor and other electronics into a machine gun bullet has been a challenge for engineers at Sandia National Laboratories, so weapons experts say the miniature guidance system the lab has developed is a breakthrough.  Three years in the making, the bullet prototype represents another step toward a next-generation battlefield that scientists and experts expect to be saturated with technology and information.  In the laboratory, I’m able to make machines so incredibly small it kind of boggles my mind,” said Red Jones, one of the Sandia researchers who helped develop the laser-guided .50-caliber bullet. “Where we’re headed, we’re going to be limited only by our imagination.”  More News New Mexico

Sandia Labs Engineers Develop New Bullet

Pearce: President Destroys Conscience Protections

Steve Pearce

President Obama and his cabinet have infringed upon a basic private right their newest sweeping federal mandate. This violation of the longstanding concept of conscience protection breaches the safeguards for personal religious and moral convictions that have been in place since our founding. In a recent op-ed in USA Today, Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, wrote that this latest demand “cuts against the grain of what it means to be American.” I believe the Archbishop hit the nail on the head.

Violation of the Constitution - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is aligning against the constitutional protection of one’s conscience and religious beliefs. We have the First Amendment to allow everyone to practice whatever faith in whatever manner without the government dictating the God that they worship. As the National Association of Evangelicals stated in response to this edict, “No government has the right to compel its citizens to violate their conscience.”

President Obama is dismissing our Constitution, and forcing religious organizations to violate their conscience by adopting the agenda of the administration’s favored special interests. This is an abhorrent assault on our fundamental liberties, including our right to live the way our faith prescribes. The government is interfering where it has absolutely no place—in our personal, spiritual lives.
Assault on Catholics - Read rest of column here: News New Mexico

Pearce: President Destroys Conscience Protections

Cartels Murder Five Police Officers, Force Juarez Police Retreat From Their Homes

NewsNM note- (Spence) In a speech made by President Obama in El Paso last year he declared that the border was safe and some people would never be satisfied. Unfortunately the number of atrocities on civilians and now police officers in Juarez, El Paso's sister city just across the border, are reaching the levels that are worse than the most vicious war zones on the planet.

President Obama in El Paso

CBS - The Associated Press is reporting that every police officer in Ciudad Juarez has been ordered to leave home and stay in a hotel after the killing of five officers by a local drug cartel. Just a week ago a local drug cartel threatened to kill one policeman a day unless Police Chief Julian Leyzaola resigns. The mayor of Juarez says the attacks carried out since then are a response to police action against drug cartels in the city across from El Paso, Texas. The mayor says there is no way Leyzaola is stepping down.
Juarez police spokesman Adrian Sanchez says officers have been ordered to stay away from their houses because all the attacks happened as officers were going to and from their homes. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Cartels Murder Five Police Officers, Force Juarez Police Retreat From Their Homes