Logjam: No Movement on State Budget

KOB TV - There was no movement on the long-overdue budget bill at the state legislature Tuesday. It remains on a temporary agenda in the House of Representatives, while Senate leaders warn of a legislative logjam if they do not get the budget soon.

The budget was due out of the House last Tuesday - a week ago - and while action is expected tomorrow it will leave the Senate only a week to work on the bill, which is the only absolutely mandatory piece of business in the entire 30-day legislative session.
The $5.6 billion dollar budget will run state government and the public schools and universities for the next budgetary year that starts July 1. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Logjam: No Movement on State Budget

Town fighting for Spaceport visitor center location

From KOB-TV.com - By: Marissa Torres, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - A New Mexico town is fighting plans to build a new visitor center for the Spaceport Authority. People in Truth or Consequences held a town hall meeting on Tuesday to argue a change in location. Right now, the center is slotted to go up just off Interstate 25 outside of town, but residents said they want it in downtown T or C. A while back, the town voted to dish out some of their own tax dollars to help fund the New Mexico Spaceport Authority in the hopes of reaping economic benefits. "We feel [that] now we've been left in the cold and ignored. Decisions are being made without any thought of the people who actually paid for it," said Hans Townsend, President of the Sierra County and T or C Chamber of Commerce. Townsend said T or C is already willing to give up a little of their properties to clear an area for the visitor center. It would ideally be down by the river, next to a park. The Spaceport hired a contractor to help choose a spot for the visitor center and out of eight locations, it decided on a site just off I-25. Officials said part of that decision was based on easy accessibility to the highway. A second visitor center will also be built in the Village of Hatch in Dona Ana County. Spaceport authorities said it will also sit just off the highway. Read more

Town fighting for Spaceport visitor center location

UNM Walk-On Quarterback Trujillo Off The Team

From KOAT-TV.com - The University of New Mexico says former Manzano High School star quarterback Ryan Trujillo who was a walk-on to the UNM team has been removed from the team and has been advised to enter university counseling. The announcement was made Monday, about two weeks after Trujillo was arrested by Albuquerque police in a restaurant parking lot on a domestic violence charge.  A criminal complaint says the incident started when Trujillo entered the restaurant and found his girlfriend eating with a friend. Witnesses told police he was agitated and grabbed her keys.  In the parking lot, Trujillo is accused of spraying his girlfriend in the face with a pepper-spray canister that was on the keychain. He told officers it was an accident.  The team says Trujillo's status may be re-evaluated prior to the 2012 season.  Ryan  joined the program as a freshman last August. Read more

UNM Walk-On Quarterback Trujillo Off The Team

Will the House redistricting decision be sent back?

NM Supreme Court hears House redistricting appeal

From Capitol Report New Mexico - Things are never simple in New Mexico politics. A couple months after a redistricting court judge — selected by the state’s Supreme Court – ruled in favor of a plan establishing new voting boundaries for the House of Representatives submitted by attorneys for Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, the high court listened to appeals from Democrats’ attorneys on Tuesday (Feb. 7) arguing that the decision was flawed. And while it’s always dangerous to discern what justices may rule based upon the questions they ask, it appears that at least two of the five jurors are open to the idea of remanding the case back to redistricting Judge Jim Hall. “Why shouldn’t we just let Judge Hall give it another try to preserve a community of interest” concern brought up by the appellants, asked Justice Richard C. Bosson during the two-plus hours of arguments. “The failure of the legislature and the governor [to reach an agreement on redistricting] is pretty remarkable,” Justice Edward L. Chavez said from the bench, adding that “we as a Supreme Court should offer some guidance [to Judge Hall].” An attorney for the governor, Paul Kennedy, argued that remanding the cases back to Judge Hall would open a host of problems. “Judge Hall made a reasonable decision,” Kennedy told the court. “If you send it back and tell him to redraw [the redistricting map] … you’re still going to have the same effect on the map … every map has some political bias.” Read more

Will the House redistricting decision be sent back?

Electric fences approved in the El Paso city limits

From the El Paso Times - By Aileen B. Flores  - El Paso City Council passed an ordinance allowing the use of electric fences within the city limits. Currently, electric fences are only used in farming and ranching areas. The new rule attempts to deter crime on commercial and industrial sites. Under the new ordinance, the electric fence shall be surrounded by a 6- to 8-feet tall non-electrical fence or wall. Visible signs warning the public about the existence of an electric fence are also required under the new law. In addition, the fence shall only be energized at times when the business is closed to the public. Some council members raised concerns about the safety and the danger that an electric fence system may cause to the general public or site workers.  A video of The Electric Guard Dog CEO Jack DeMao touching an electric fence was showed to council to show that the electric system does not harm anybody, but only helps to prevent criminals from trespassing.  Michael Pate, director of business development of The Electric Guard Dog, said the point of the demonstration is to show that the sensation of touching an electrified fence is very unpleasant.  "People just do not like to have anything electrical running through their body," he said. "This is a very safe product." Read more

Electric fences approved in the El Paso city limits

Santa Fe School District Report raises option of shutting Atalaya school, to parents' dismay

From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - by Robert Nott - Many Atalaya Elementary School parents are unhappy about a new report suggesting, among other things, that the school district consider closing Atalaya and sending the students to nearby elementary schools.  The 32-page "Atalaya Elementary School Facility Program and Recommendations" report, prepared by the Albuquerque-based Hartman + Majewski Design Group, also offers three options for renovations and additions to the existing school, and one option that calls for the demolition of the facility and relocation of the existing student body to another location for up to two years while a new school is constructed.  But the report recommends that the Board of Education review the school's demographics, declining enrollment, location, programs and facility conditions, and "consider whether or not an elementary school continues to be needed in this area and the BOE should consider full facility closure."  Board Vice President Glenn Wikle, who represents District 2, told The New Mexican via email that closure is "a recommendation which a majority of the board and the superintendent do not support."  Read more

Santa Fe School District Report raises option of shutting Atalaya school, to parents' dismay

Coach Jim Bradley Suffers Stroke

The Trojan Football Facebook page for Mayfield High School and the Las Cruces Sun-News are reporting that legendary football coach Jim Bradley suffered a stroke yesterday and is recovering from neuro-surgery in a Las Cruces area hospital. More details to follow.

Coach Jim Bradley Suffers Stroke

Legislators Ask for $3 Billion Capital Outlays

KRQE TV — Every year, lawmakers get the chance to request money for local projects for their districts, and this year is no different. Legislators have asked for money for hundreds of projects, everything from building a little league field in Albuquerque's North Valley to constructing a sewer line at Elephant Butte. The total pricetag for all requested projects is more than $3 billion.

"Everyone wants to take a little pork back to their districts," said Rep. Andy Nunez, I-Hatch.

Capital outlay projects are funded by severance tax bonds, which are funds collected from natural resources extracted from New Mexico. This year, Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, said $130 million will be available for local projects statewide. "The list goes on and on," said Cisneros. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Legislators Ask for $3 Billion Capital Outlays

Cold Albuquerque Case Arrest Made in Bay Area

KOAT TV - After 25 years on the run, a man accused of brutally killing his wife was finally captured on Monday. Albuquerque Police Department's Cold Case Unit uncovered the clues leading to the arrest in the Aug. 4, 1987, slaying. It's the kind of cold case that police find especially frustrating, they say, because they believe they who did it but the suspect vanished before they could put him away. Now, a quarter of a century later, they've got a break in the case and hope the suspected killer will finally face justice. Police said Diedre Brewington, 37, was shot and killed at her apartment on Coal Avenue in southwest Albuquerque. Her husband, Ronald Brewington, is the APD's main suspect. Police said the two had separated and Diedre wanted a divorce, but her husband vanished a short time later and hasn't been seen since -- until Monday. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Cold Albuquerque Case Arrest Made in Bay Area

Governor Backs Military Retirement Tax Break

Susana Martinez

KOB TV - It was a big day at the state capitol for New Mexico veterans, who rallied with the governor for some of her pet projects to make their lives a little easier. We are talking jobs and money - music to anybody's ears, but especially for veterans returning home and those retiring with military pensions.
Governor Susana Martinez backs a proposal to give retiring veterans a 25 percent tax exemption on their retirement pay that would gradually climb to 100 percent by 2016. She also favors giving a $1,000 tax exemption to employers who hire veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"They have sacrificed and risked their lives to fight enemies of our country half a world away," Martinez said. "They come home, take off their uniforms, and find that there are no job openings." Read full story here: News New Mexico

Governor Backs Military Retirement Tax Break