7th Straight Month of Job Growth in NM in December

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.

7th Straight Month of Job Growth in NM in December

New Approach to Wolf Reintroduction

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

New Approach to Wolf Reintroduction

In 2011 Verizon Poured $180 Million into NM

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

In 2011 Verizon Poured $180 Million into NM

Sandia Labs Paid $400 Million in 2011 to NM Businesses

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

Sandia Labs Paid $400 Million in 2011 to NM Businesses

Tres Amigas Super Station Needs One More Friend

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

Tres Amigas Super Station Needs One More Friend

Firefighter & Pecan Growers Arrested in Federal Bust

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

Firefighter & Pecan Growers Arrested in Federal Bust

Santa Fe Woman Pledges $1M for Food Bank

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

Santa Fe Woman Pledges $1M for Food Bank

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

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

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

Frostbitten Man Pulled From Rio Grande

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

Frostbitten Man Pulled From Rio Grande

Dona Ana County Leaders Do Damage Control Tour

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

Dona Ana County Leaders Do Damage Control Tour