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| Amy Orlando |
For DA Orlando lands new job
Newsbreak New Mexico 8am Webcast 1/7/13
Newsbreak New Mexico 8am Newscast with Vanessa Dabovich
Listen here:
Ben Ray Lujan appointed chief deputy whip
Amy Orlando lands job
Dona Ana County Commission to support Pegasus site
Gary Smith allegedly slashed tires in Texas
Listen here:
Ben Ray Lujan appointed chief deputy whip
Amy Orlando lands job
Dona Ana County Commission to support Pegasus site
Gary Smith allegedly slashed tires in Texas
Dona Ana County Commission to vote in support of Pegasus site
The Dona Ana County Commission is
scheduled Tuesday to consider a proposal supporting a private firm's plans to
build a $1 billion scientific ghost town.
Pegasus Global Holdings picked
a location south of Interstate 10 between Deming and Las Cruces
he project would be located mainly in Luna
County , but a private access road
could be in located in Dona
Ana County
The project's plans called for an uninhabited replica of a mid-size American
city to help researchers test everything from intelligent traffic systems and
next-generation wireless networks to automated washing machines and
self-flushing toilets.
Smith tire slashing allegedly extends to Texas
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| Gary Smith |
Kenneth Propps told The Associated
Press on Friday that Gary Smith slashed the tires of a number of family
vehicles following a dispute over damage from a 2007 wind storm.
Propps said
Smith unsuccessfully sued him twice after a piece of his air conditioning unit
tore off and damaged Smith's skylight.
Smith appeared in court Friday for
violating conditions of release in the tire slashing case in Albuquerque
New Mexico Statehood: Working early and working late
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| Bill Gallacher in 1908 while at college |
I drove out to his ranch one time in 1978 to ask him about the day New Mexico became a state, January 6, 1912. Since Bill was four years out of college by then he would be a perfect person to ask. I pictured writing a story about people firing guns in the air, firecrackers going off, dogs barking, people toasting statehood at the local bar and speeches being made about, "Our date with destiny and our place in the sun."
New Mexico spent 60 years trying to become a state with one thing or another stalling our chances. Finally on August 21, 1911, President Taft signed the resolution admitting New Mexico as the 47th state in the union. The first election was on November 7, 1911. Bill Gallacher’s neighbor back then, William C. McDonald was New Mexico’s first elected governor, and owner of the famous Bar W ranch north of Carrizozo.
Bill greeted me warmly and we sat over coffee at the kitchen table. He was the kind of person to always look right at you when he spoke. You knew right away what he thought. We started off by discussing the happenings of the day. Bill was like that, more interested in today than yesterday. After a while we had run through all of the available topic so I finally got a chance to ask about statehood and told him my perception about the celebrations of January 6, 1912. In fact, I told him that I felt sure that there must have been real big celebrations in Lincoln County since the first elected governor of New Mexico was William C. McDonald from the Bar W.
He thought a moment and then leaned closer, as a school master would a student who was a slow learner, “Celebrations?” He remember back all of those years and didn’t smile.
“On the day we became a state I got up about an hour before dawn, had a little breakfast and at first light went out to tend to sick animals, kill coyotes and do all of chores that used up the entire day so that about an hour after sunset I came back and had a little supper and went to bed. I was cold, tired and hungry. I would not have gone into town for a celebration.
“The truth is we never even noticed statehood for the first 25 years or so. Most of us were too busy just trying to stay alive, to feed ourselves and to carve out a place that would become our home to notice any politicians, or even a fine cattleman like McDonald. Every day I got up early and worked late. I had no other energy and didn’t come in off of the range sometimes for months at a time.”
He noticed my lack of comprehension so he continued, “Politicians and celebrations were a luxury most of us then could not afford. For 30 years on this land I worked with all of my energy. It wasn’t a 40 hour a week, it was seven days a week or we just wouldn’t have made it. Only after the ranch was on solid footing did I notice the government and in fact became part of it as a member of the Lincoln County Commission and the school board.”
I was thankful that Bill brought me back to reality before I wrote something silly about the celebrations the citizens all had when New Mexico became a state. It was a hard time back then, more so than most of us can even realize. And January 6, 1912 was, for most of the citizens of New Mexico, just one more working day. The way to celebrate the anniversary correctly is by going to work early and working late.
Governor pushes for job creation
From KOB-TV.com - By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - Governor Susana Martinez has a one word priority for this year's sixty day legislative session that starts in less than two weeks: jobs. Martinez laid out her proposals for economic development for business leaders at a luncheon with the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce today. The big question is: How much can she get the legislature to pass?
The equation is pretty simple. Republican Governor, Democratic-controlled legislature. Gridlock? Both sides say no way, that's for Washington DC, not Santa Fe. The governor's plan is a mix of tax breaks and incentives aimed at attracting companies to move to New Mexico and hire people. The package includes money to help companies train workers, money to help local governments invest in infrastructure and land to close deals with employers, and small business tax credits for hiring and retaining new employees.
The Martinez plan also includes a reduction in New Mexico's corporate income tax from 7.6 percent to 4.9 percent. Right now it's the highest among our neighboring states. In fact, Texas has no corporate income tax at all. "I want those companies that are leaving California, I want them to stop right here in New Mexico," Martinez said. "I don't want them going over to Texas. I want to keep making those phone calls to the governor of Texas and letting him know that they're stopping here because we're competitive. We're in competition with Texas and Arizona." Democratic legislative leaders told KOB Eyewitness News 4 they don't have much trouble with most of the Governor's proposals, but the corporate income tax cut could be in jeopardy, unless she can show how the state would make up for any loss of revenues. They say they'll be unveiling their own economic development agenda near the start of the session. Best bet? Some kind of compromise. Both sides like jobs. Nobody wants gridlock on these issues. Read more
Local shop offering to buy guns
From KOB-TV.com - By: Danielle Todesco, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - An Albuquerque gun store is offering anyone wanting to get rid of their guns to bring them to sell instead of bringing them to the City's gun disposal program.
The City of Albuquerque's program starts Saturday, January 5. It is completely voluntary and anonymous, but they are not buying the guns.
The owner of ABQ Guns, Belinda Gallegos, said she wants to give people the opportunity to recover some of their money and it would boost her inventory.
"We are willing to try and put them on consignment for customers that want to try to sell them, or if it's something that we can afford to outright purchase from them, we can do that," Gallegos said.
Gallegos is also offering to dispose of any unwanted guns or ammo at their Paseo del Norte and Golf Course store, no questions asked.
The City's program runs every Saturday in January from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the APD Crime Lab at 2nd Street and Montano. Albuquerque Police said they have already received six handguns, two semi-automatic rifles, and a lot of ammunition before the program even started Read more
Advocates want to expand DWI ignition interlocks
Advocates of ignition interlock
devices to combat drunken driving want to expand the requirement so that
convicted offenders have to install devices in their home to detect whether
they're using alcohol.
Richard Roth of the Santa Fe-based advocacy group Impact
DWI says the proposed requirement would apply to offenders who claim they don't
have a vehicle and are not driving.
The expanded interlock requirement would be
the centerpiece of the group's legislative agenda for the 2013 legislative
session that begins Jan. 15.
Smith arrested again for stalking
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| Gary Smith |
The
arrest comes days after Smith was arrested for allegedly slashing the tires
belonging to his former political rival, Janice Arnold-Jones. Smith was an
announced candidate for the Republican nomination to the U.S. House. He
lost to Arnold-Jones, a former state legislator, in the June primary, and she
was defeated by Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham in the November election.
When
Smith was released on bond Saturday, the judge told him to stay away from
Arnold-Jones' home. But he showed up again. Smith doesn't deny he was
there. Garcia says the APD’s crisis-intervention team will likely be
doing a mental health evaluation on Smith.
In a strange twist, a police officer
also visited Smith's house earlier in the day -- after he'd called them --
claiming he'd been ripped off while selling electronic equipment on Craigslist.
GOP reps bail on voter ID bill
NewsNM Swickard: So how about a fingerprint scanner for everyone who does not have a photo ID? They just need to bring their fingers and that will assure we know who voted? I suspect that idea is dead on arrival, eh? The political leaders in New Mexico intentionally are creating a system that fosters fraud. Why? Because it favors their political party. From the Alamogordo Daily News - By Milan Simonich, Texas-New Mexico, Newspapers - SANTA FE -- Two New Mexico legislators are dropping their attempts to require photo identification or a Social Security number to vote."We don't have the votes to pass anything," said Brown, a second-term lawmaker from Carlsbad. She introduced bills in each of the last two years that would have required government-issued photo identification to vote. Both failed.
Hamilton, of Silver City, sponsored voter identification bills for four consecutive years, only to see each one killed by Democrats. Last year Democrats controlled the House 36-33-1. Now, after the fall election, their advantage has increased to 38-32 -- too large a difference to bother with another bill this year, Hamilton said.
"It's never passed before. It wouldn't pass this time," she said in an interview. Perhaps no issue is more partisan in New Mexico than this one.
Republicans lined up behind the Brown and Hamilton bills, saying photo ID is necessary to cash a check so it should be required to make sure elections are honest. In turn, Democrats closed ranks to block the bills. They said identification requirements would rob otherwise qualified electors of their right to vote. Read more
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