Senate committee approves Ken Gonzales for federal judge

Ken Gonzales

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday unanimously approved the nomination of U.S. Attorney Ken Gonzales as New Mexico's next federal judge.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the committee had delayed its vote on Gonzales since February over concerns by the panel's ranking Republican, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, about Gonzales's handling of a Deming-area gun case.

Grassley said on Thursday that a committee inquiry into the matter allayed his concerns.

The nomination now goes to the full Senate for final approval. No vote has been scheduled but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he wants to move quickly on a batch of stalled judicial appointments.

Senate committee approves Ken Gonzales for federal judge

Gov. on the road to raise funds

Gov. Martinez

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is in Colorado to raise money for her re-election campaign and speak to a business group.

Martinez political adviser Jay McCleskey said Thursday that the governor is holding a fundraiser in Denver and will appear at a separate non-campaign event.

Martinez will attend a reception by the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry at Coors Field. The owner of the Colorado Rockies baseball team will speak at the event and Martinez will talk briefly about an economic development package of tax cuts that was approved by the Legislature and signed into law.

McCleskey said the re-election campaign will pay for Martinez's travel and she will return to New Mexico Thursday evening.

Gov. on the road to raise funds

NM Labs look OK under Obama's budget plan

Los Alamos National Laboratory would see a 7 percent budget increase while Sandia's spending would remain basically flat under the Obama Administration budget plan unveiled on Wednesday.

 The Department of Energy spending proposal requests $1.96 billion for Los Alamos and $1.8 billion for Sandia in fiscal 2014. Total spending for cleanup of radioactive waste at Los Alamos would rise 16 percent to $215 million. 

NNSA officials say that given the tight budget times, they are also going back to reevaluate what might be done to more affordably upgrade the plutonium research facilities at Los Alamos. 

The administration last year proposed putting on hold any further work on a controversial $6 billion project known as the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Nuclear Facility.

NM Labs look OK under Obama's budget plan

New report looks at health and economy

New Mexico health officials have released a report that looks at the effects of economic status on health. 

Health Secretary Retta Ward says many factors can influence a person's health and those with low economic status often experience more barriers in receiving preventative health care. 

The report shows more than one in four adults in New Mexico ages 45 and older has been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases, such as arthritis and cardiovascular disease. The top reasons for inpatient hospitalization among those 65 and older are heart disease, influenza, and pneumonia. 

The report also includes some positive findings. Suicide attempts among high school students have decreased since 2003 and teen smoking is on the decline, dropping from 30 percent in 2003 to 19.9 percent in 2011.

New report looks at health and economy

Alamogordo splits police and fire depts.

Alamogordo plans to split its Department of Public Safety into separate fire and police departments. 

The Alamogordo Daily News reports that a city memorandum indicates that the split approved by the City Commission Tuesday night will produce net savings of nearly $230,000 in the coming fiscal year. 

City officials say the separation should improve training, retention, recruitment and morale. According to city officials, police and fire personnel do not want to perform both tasks.

 The new departments will come into existence on July 1 with the start of the next budget year.

Alamogordo splits police and fire depts.

New state law gives schools flexibility

A new state law will give school districts flexibility for another next year to cope with tight finances by having larger classes and taking other steps. 

Gov. Susana Martinez signed legislation into law last week that will allow waivers of certain state educational mandates, such as teaching load requirements and the length of school days, to give districts more leeway in spending state aid and adjusting their budgets in the 2013-2014 school year. 

Similar relief has been provided since 2009, when the Legislature cut state spending to cope with a budget shortfall after the economy soured. But that flexibility would have ended this year without legislation to extend it.

 Legislative analysts say the new law can help districts with growing enrollments avoid hiring additional teachers.

New state law gives schools flexibility

Gov. vetos Nancy Lopez statue

Nancy Lopez 

Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed money the city of Roswell sought for a statue of Hall of Fame golfer Nancy Lopez and her father, who taught her the sport in the southeastern New Mexico community. 

The $150,000 for a bronze statue was among $4 million Martinez rejected last week in a measure financing capital improvements statewide.

 Roswell Mayor Del Jurney said the statue was to be placed at a municipal course recently renamed in honor of Lopez, who won 48 LPGA Tour events. 

A spokesman for the governor said Lopez's life story is inspirational but a primary purpose of state capital improvement financing is for critical infrastructure investments.

Gov. vetos Nancy Lopez statue

Preservation Alliance adding three new properties

The New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance is expanding its list of endangered cultural properties. 

The organization will be adding to the list the plains of San Augustin in southern New Mexico, the Masonic Temple Center in Santa Fe and a historic lodge at Conchas Dam when it meets for an annual conference this week in Portales. 

The organization says it hopes the three new listings will alert the public to possible threats to their preservation. 

The San Augustin Plains include vast grasslands. Ranchers in the area are concerned about plans for drilling wells and pumping water out of the area. The Masonic Temple Center may be up for sale, endangering the future of the unique building and its furnishings. The Conchas Lodge has been closed since 2003 and is deteriorating.

Preservation Alliance adding three new properties

Gov. loses green building court battle

Gov. Martinez 

Gov. Susana Martinez's administration has lost a court fight over repealing energy efficient building requirements implemented by her Democratic predecessor. 

The state Court of Appeals last week overturned a 2011 decision by the state Construction Industries Commission to revamp green building codes that former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson's administration promoted as among the most environmentally friendly in the country. 

The court said the commission failed to provide reasons for changing the construction standards. The case was ordered back to the commission for reconsideration and a new vote. 

The Martinez administration contended the building requirements were too expensive for developers and property owners.

Gov. loses green building court battle

The next NMSU President may know how to milk a cow

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. These are interesting times at New Mexico State University as the NMSU Regents are set to select the next president. Smart money says they already have a choice but must go through the entire selection process for legal reasons. So there will be five people selected from which they select one.

     Is there anything wrong with some Regents in their heart of hearts knowing right now who they want for president? They have to put on a show and there is a slight chance someone could come in and wow them such that they would reconsider who they already want.

     But knowing already who they want is a good sign to me because the last NMSU President was a puzzle in that I could not understand what those Regents had in mind in their selection.

     What is most important in my mind is the question of institutional identity and that is at the forefront of any decision. The Regents get hundreds of people interested in guiding NMSU in the coming years so they must select someone who reflects and will defend NMSU’s tradition and missions.

     Unless the Regents want to change that mission in the future, the next president needs to know their way around the Ag Barns. In the pool of candidates for president there will be several possible identities for the institution.

     If a person with a background in Hotel Management is selected president, it would surprise me, and it would mean a sea-change for the institution compared to if they selected someone who knows how to milk a cow. I stay in hotels and drink milk so I have interest of both. And do not get me wrong, the NMSU President does not have to milk cows; I just want someone who knows how. Read column

The next NMSU President may know how to milk a cow