Report says NM infrastructure is inadquate
Engineers have concluded that repair and construction funding for New Mexico's infrastructure is inadequate and that some critical infrastructure such as flood control is deteriorating fast.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the American Society of Civil Engineers concluded the state's infrastructure is average.
A report by the group says deficiencies are largely the result of age and a lack of investment in improving and maintaining them.
The engineers recommended the state consider tolls, user fees and other methods to fund improvements.
The report says New Mexico's airports receive only about 66 percent of the funding they need and are experiencing a steady decline.
The group also says more than 70 percent of the state's dams are considered deficient or not in satisfactory condition.
Information from: Albuquerque Journal.
New caves discovered at Carlsbad Caverns
Caves at Carlsbad Caverns National Park that are millions of years old are still being explored today.
Cavers just made a huge discovery there, and it's continuing to spark the curiosity of people around the world.
There are 117 known caves at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. When explorers ventured into Lechuguilla Cave this summer, they found new passages and climbed for days to discover one of the largest rooms in the cave.
"That was totally new, no one had ever seen that before," explained Stan Allison, cave technician for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. "So it's really exciting to be able to go somewhere where no one has ever been before, ever."
And it's what volunteers from all over the world aim to do there. On an expedition in May, skilled cavers made a five-day climb to the top of a 535-foot dome, now known as the deepest pit at the park.
Volunteers spent a week in the cave gathering information and exploring.
There are 117 known caves at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. When explorers ventured into Lechuguilla Cave this summer, they found new passages and climbed for days to discover one of the largest rooms in the cave.
"That was totally new, no one had ever seen that before," explained Stan Allison, cave technician for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. "So it's really exciting to be able to go somewhere where no one has ever been before, ever."
And it's what volunteers from all over the world aim to do there. On an expedition in May, skilled cavers made a five-day climb to the top of a 535-foot dome, now known as the deepest pit at the park.
Volunteers spent a week in the cave gathering information and exploring.
"They came out with about a mile of new survey, which brings Lechuguilla Cave to a little over 135 miles of surveyed cave," said Allison. That makes it the sixth-longest cave in the world, he added.
Allison said Lechuguilla Cave has been known since the early 1900s when cavers dug through the entrance area. Back then, the cave was considered to be about 500 ft. long...
Allison said Lechuguilla Cave has been known since the early 1900s when cavers dug through the entrance area. Back then, the cave was considered to be about 500 ft. long...
Aircraft crashes at Double Eagle Airport
An aircraft has crashed at Double Eagle Airport near Artrisco Vista and Interstate 40.
A man was trying to land an experimental aircraft when it crashed. Authorities said the plane was blown off the runway.
The pilot is expected to be OK, according to Sunport spokesman Dan Jiron.
Albuquerque police, Albuquerque firefighters and state police are at the crash scene.
There is a minor fuel spill in the area.
Read more...
Study says ABQ should cut jobs
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| Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry |
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the Matrix Consulting Group's report also recommended creating about a dozen new jobs, increasing animal adoption fees and having one company - not two - in charge of managing and marketing the Convention Center.
A city official says it will take months to analyze the report by the California-based company and determine which recommendations to pursue.
Matrix estimates its recommendations would result in at least $4.7 million in annual savings or new revenue, though that figure would be offset somewhat by suggestions for increased spending in other areas.
No funds for LANL project in Senate bill
A budget bill approved by the Senate on Saturday and headed to President Barack Obama’s desk contains no money for a multi-billion plutonium project at Los Alamos National Laboratory, prompting cheers from nuclear weapons activists.
But the yearlong congressional debate over the future of the Chemistry Metallurgy Research Replacement Facility isn’t over.
Defense authorization bills still pending in the House and Senate would continue development of the CMRR facility at LANL over the objections of the White House. The project has a price of about $6 billion, which is a key reason that the Obama administration and some in Congress want to kill it.
The Senate on Saturday passed a so-called “continuing resolution” to keep the federal government operational for the next six months, giving the deeply divided Congress more time to negotiate a longer-term federal budget deal.
The stopgap measure contained no line item for the CMRR facility – in fact, it didn’t mention the project at all.
The president’s 2013 budget zeroed out funding for CMRR. The continuing resolution, once Obama signs it, will keep the government running until March. Final decisions about CMRR spending in 2013 will be made when Congress enacts full-year spending and defense authorizing legislation...
Muslim Day speakers call for end to first amendment
Take a look at this video. It captures Muslim speakers invited to speak to a gathering in New York City just this weekend on Muslim Day Parade there. The words and phrases uttered by these people, just a few steps from Ground Zero are chilling. This occurred on American soil in an event that was actually sanctioned by the city of New York.
Sunland recalls peanut butter
Portales-based Sunland Inc. is recalling 76 types of peanut butter and almond butter from its stores across the U.S. after one of its products was linked to a salmonella outbreak at Trader Joe’s.
According to a report in the Albuquerque Journal, Sunland announced the voluntary recall Sept. 24 of the products under multiple brand names after the federalFood and Drug Administration and theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention linked 29 salmonella illnesses in 18 states to Trader Joe’s
There are no confirmed salmonella cases in New Mexico.
Sunland manufactures and packages the Trader Joe’s product. Trader Joe’s recalled the Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter from its stores Sept. 22.
There are two Trader Joe’s in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe...
Caught in open meetings act violations, Grisham-Lujan ducks Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce debate
In one of her final acts as a Bernalillo County Commissioner Michelle Lujan Grisham was caught in a recent violation of the Open Meetings Act. The subsequent negative publicity she received, particularly in a recent expose in the Albququerque Journal has turned Lujan-Grisham cautious about question and answer sessions regarding her behavior.
Yesterday, Janice Arnold-Jones, Lujan-Grisham's opponent in the race for New Mexico's First Congressional District seat, again called on Lujan-Grisham to reconsider a debate opportunity sponsored by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber debate would have focused on the top priority for CD-1 voters this year: creating jobs and building our economy but Lujan-Grisham has refused to participate.
“I’m disappointed Michelle Lujan Grisham has refused an opportunity to specifically discuss our different visions for how to put people back to work,” said Arnold-Jones. “Voters in CD-1 have a right to know where we stand on the most important issue of this race,” she added.
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| Janice Arnold-Jones |
“I’m disappointed Michelle Lujan Grisham has refused an opportunity to specifically discuss our different visions for how to put people back to work,” said Arnold-Jones. “Voters in CD-1 have a right to know where we stand on the most important issue of this race,” she added.
Sunport gets third solar grant
Albuquerque's Sunport is getting a third federal grant to expand its solar efforts. U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman and Mayor Richard Berry say the international airport is getting a $3.3 million grant from the FAA to install more photovoltaic solar arrays and canopies over the long-term parking lot.
When the project is complete next year, Sunport's multiple solar arrays will be able to produce nearly two megawatts of power, which will save the city nearly $400,000 in annual electricity costs.
Sunport already has 11 solar arrays that were installed thanks to two previous grants worth $4.2 million.
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