News New Mexico

NM Health Dept. says get flu shots now

Health officials are reminding New Mexicans to start making plans to get flu shots.

The New Mexico Department of Health says the flu vaccine is arriving in some doctor's office and pharmacies.

And while it may seem early, Health Secretary Retta Ward says now is the time to make an appointment to get vaccinated. She says it is hard to predict how intense the next flu season will be, so New Mexicans shouldn't wait until flu season starts to get vaccinated.

Ward says everyone six months of age and older should get a flu vaccine each flu season, especially children, pregnant women, people over 50 and anyone with special health conditions or other issues that put them at a higher risk.

NM SUPCO to rule on retirement pension case

New Mexico highest court will issue a decision over whether the state can cut cost-of-living increases for retired educators to shore up the pension system's finances.

The state Supreme Court heard from lawyers Wednesday in a case brought by four retirees, who contend the state Constitution protects their pensions from reductions such as those required under a law enacted this year.

There's no deadline for a ruling by the justices.

The retirees say they have a property right in their retirement benefits, but the attorney general's office told the court that the cost-of-living adjustments can be changed to preserve the pension plan's solvency.

Retirees saw their pensions increase by just under 2 percent despite the cuts implemented in July.

Los Alamos County issues same sex marriage licenses

A northern New Mexico county has become the eighth in the state to allow marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The Los Alamos County clerk's office issued a license Wednesday to a lesbian couple shortly after a state district judge upheld a decision requiring that to happen.

Janet Newton and Maria Thibodeau were denied a marriage license last week and they filed a lawsuit that led to a ruling by District Court Judge Sheri Raphaelson that same-sex couples are entitled to be married in New Mexico.

Dona Ana County's clerk led the way on the gay marriage issue Aug. 21 by deciding independently to allow marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples. Other counties have followed, including Grant County, which plans to start granting licenses next week.

Oil and gas management courses being offered

From KOB-TV.com - By: Ashley McElroy, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - Oil and gas production is a way of life in the Four Corners and other parts of the state. Now, two New Mexico colleges are offering a degree program to help more students develop their careers San Juan College and New Mexico Highlands University have teamed up to offer the first bachelor's program in oil and gas management.
"We believe it one of the first degrees of its kind in the United States,” said Randy Pacheco, Dean of the School

of Energy at San Juan College.
The schools have been designing this program for about a year.Officials at San Juan College say this is an opportunity for people who work in the field to take their career to the next level from field work to management.
"I think when they're searching for bachelor’s degree they want something specific for their industry something they can really relate to that they can use in their everyday job," said Pacheco.
Students at the School of Energy said they’re excited about the new program. Matthew Burt wants to take what he's learned in natural gas compression a step further. "In order to someday be an expert, I really need to learn all the basics and that's critical in thiscourse

," he said.
Cody Watson hopes this new degree will help him and other students develop their careers in the four corners. "Oil and gas is the lifeblood of San Juan Basin so if we can put students out there with a good knowledge base then they can develop themselves better as employees," Watson said.
Highlands University says the program is all online and they are already seeing a lot of interest. They expect to have 20 to 30 bachelor's and master's students enrolled in the spring. More

Las Cruces City Council votes to increase GRT

The Las Cruces City Council voted Tuesday to increase the city's gross receipts tax by three-eighths of one percent.

That amounts to about four cents on a ten dollar purchase.

The council voted 6-1 for the tax increase, which will take effect on January 1. Councilor Miguel Silva was the lone "no" vote. Councilors voting "yes" said the tax increase was needed due to a reduction in state tax revenue.

The state legislature voted to remove the so-called "hold harmless" provision over a period of years.

The move was part of a last-minute bill that reduced corporate taxes in New Mexico.

Santa Fe Reporter files lawsuit against Gov.

Gov. Martinez

The Santa Fe Reporter has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Susana Martinez, alleging violations of the state's open records laws as well as retaliation by her office against the alternative weekly.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in state district court. It alleges seven instances where the governor's office failed to produce calendars, emails, documents about pardons and other material sought by the Reporter under the state's Inspection of Public Records Act.

Martinez's administration is being accused of violating the state's guarantee of a free press with "unlawful selective withholding of public information and retaliatory and discriminatory conduct."

The lawsuit asks that Martinez, who ran on a campaign of transparency, be ordered to implement a system for adequately responding to public records requests.

PNM plans to shut down coal units at power plant

From KOB-TV.com - By: Erica Zucco, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - PNM and several other power producers have proposed a plan to shut down two coal units at the San Juan Generating Plant near Farmington. The plant is required to comply with a federal visibility rule that was going to create a huge cost for customers in the state by forcing companies to install costly pollution-reducing technology. Instead, PNM proposed a plan that would make two of the units defunct, but would cost consumers a lot less in the long run.
They will propose the plan to the Environmental Improvement Board on September 5 and 6. If the EIB approves it, the Environmental Protection Agency will then approve it. If the EPA approves it, units 2 and 3 would be retired by December 31, 2017. They will also need to come up with a replacement power source. What it will be is still up in the air, but there’s a possibility of a mix of gas fire generation nuclear power. If the replacement is expensive, there’s a possibility PNM will have to ask for rate recovery from the Public Regulation Commission.
PNM has made a commitment not to lay off any workers at the plant. They are also investing $1 million in Navajo Nation workforce training. More

Super Resources that Only Democrats Could Hate

Commentary by Marita Noon - Energy is a super-resource. It is beneficial to several targeted economic problems and may even help some political conditions. The qualities of energy make it a special category of elements found in nature: a super-resource.
Berries, broccoli, and beans are all considered superfoods which are defined as a special category of foods found in nature; a food that is considered to be beneficial to your health and that may even help some medical conditions. They pack a lot of punch.
Oil, natural gas and coal, are all super-resources. They are found in nature. They pack a lot of punch. They are beneficial to the economy in that they create jobs, increase revenues, and help balance the trade deficit.
The Keystone pipeline would create thousands of jobs—primarily union jobs in construction (one of the hardest hit industries in the economic recession) and increased service employment in supporting communities. America’s abundance of natural gas—due to the combined techniques of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, and new technologies—means that there is more natural gas available than can be used within our borders. Many countries, such as Japan (with whom we run a $6 billion trade deficit), want our excess, but to ship it, the natural gas must be liquefied—which requires special liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.The US contains one-fourth of the world’s coal reserves and the Powder River Basin (PRB) found in Wyoming and Montana accounts for about 40 percent of US coal reserves. The 13 active coal mines in the Wyoming portion of the PRB employ more than 6800 workers. Read full column

Play-by-play icon calls last game

From KRQE-TV.com by Dick Knipfing - One of New Mexico's best known voices signed off for the final time Friday night after broadcasting his last high school football game. Mike Roberts is best known as the "Voice of the Lobos." He did the play-by-play of Lobo football and basketball games for 40 years.
After that ended five years ago he switched to high school sports: "I enjoyed it," Roberts told KRQE News 13. "I started doing play-by-play when I was in high school. "That was one thing I really loved doing, and I was lucky enough to have people let me do it."
Mike, who's now 80, says he doesn't know what he'll do now, but he'll have to learn how not to work. Roberts began his broadcasting career in Atmore, Alabama, at WATM in December 1951. More

Hunting season officially underway in NM

Oh deer, it's hunting season

From KOB-TV.com - By: Jeffery Gordon, KOB.com - Hunting season is officially underway around New Mexico. Sunday marked opening day for hunting deer, elk, squirrel, dove, grouse and band-tailed pigeons.
The department of game and fish is urging all hunters to be safe in the field. They also want hunters to be mindful of private property and to follow all laws and rules. More

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