Senator Rod Adair bids adieu

Senator Rod Adair

From Capitol Report New Mexico.com - Big news in the Roundhouse. Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican reports that one of the most outspoken conservatives in the state Senate, Rod Adair of Roswell, has decided to withdraw from his race against fellow Republican Bill Burt:. Adair has spent 16 years in the legislature and in addition to his conservative positions, Adair has also been an ardent supporter of greater transparency in government. Due to redistricting, Burt was moved from Senate District 40 over to Adair’s District 33. With Adair gone, Burt gets to skip the Republican primary race and move on to the general election in November, where he will meet Democrat Stephanie Dubois. Adair is now the ninth member of the Senate to decide not to run for re-election. Nine out of 42 members. That’s 21.4 percent. Read more

Senator Rod Adair bids adieu

Snow helps Northern NM ski resorts

From Santa Fe New Mexican - by Staci Matlock  - Ski Santa Fe closed on April 1, but the latest snowstorm Monday night is helping a couple of other New Mexico ski resorts stay open.  Taos Ski Valley reported 15 inches of new snow and will stay open through the weekend.  Sipapu Ski received 14 inches of new snow overnight and resort officials will keep the resort open through today.  Angel Fire Ski also had already closed when the storm hit. "Never fails, shut down for the ski season and we receive more than a foot and a half of snow," tweeted Angel Fire Ski staff. Read more

Snow helps Northern NM ski resorts

Should you clap at government meetings?

From the Rio Rancho Observer - When is it OK to clap at a city council meeting? That’s what a couple of residents wanted to know at Wednesday night’s Rio Rancho Governing Body meeting. Their comments came after Mayor Tom Swisstack said near the beginning of the meeting that he does not want clapping at council meetings. Swisstack made reference to the March 14 Governing Body meeting, at which several audience members broke out in spontaneous applause after a resident questioned why only one councilor attended the swearing-in ceremony of new Councilor Chuck Wilkins. After the applause at the March 14 meeting, Swisstack cautioned the audience not to clap before they know the facts — that is, in his case at least, that he called Wilkins in advance of his swearing-in to tell him the mayor had another commitment that night. “Let me clear something up,” Swisstack said at Wednesday night’s Governing Body meeting. “I don’t allow clapping. I’m trying to maintain some sense of order. This is not a circus.” Read more 

Should you clap at government meetings?

Experts: Drug violence key in Mexico vote

From the El Paso Times - By Diana Washington Valdez  - Mexico's drug violence is the most important issue the country's four presidential candidates must face during their campaigns over the next four months, experts say. "The narco violence is the biggest issue in this election. Everyone will be wondering how each of the candidates will deal with the narco-traffickers," said Jaime Aguila, a professor at Arizona State University who specializes in Mexico topics. The Mexican presidential election will take place in July. More than 44,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug violence since President Felipe Calderón, 49, launched his crackdown against the drug cartels in December 2006, according to Mexican government figures. His six-year term ends in September, and Mexican presidents cannot run for re-election. Read more

Experts: Drug violence key in Mexico vote

Tucumcari official requests help from water authority

Ute Lake

From the Clovis News Journal - By Kevin Wilson  - PORTALES — A Tucumcari city commissioner requested help Tuesday from the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority. He figured the authority had more pull with the Interstate Streams Commission than he did. He first said he was in full support of the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System — a pipeline from Ute Reservoir to authority members in Curry and Roosevelt counties — but some protections needed to be in place for Tucumcari and Quay County, where the reservoir is located.. Lumpkin said the city and county were being required to hook up to an intake structure (pump station) the authority was building. But Lumpkin said that would be a cost of $6 million, and Quay County and Tucumcari are already working with another provider on a separate intake structure as part of development of the Ute Lake Ranch development. Lumpkin also requested the authority help establish a minimum elevation for the reservoir, built in the 1950s to create a sustainable water supply for eastern New Mexico. Lumpkin asked for the long-promoted elevation of 3,765 feet, almost 12 feet below the reservoir's current level, and reduced pumping when the elevation nears that mark. "It would always be there to protect the future of that reservoir," Lumpkin said, "and the future of the project." Read more.

Tucumcari official requests help from water authority

Martinez addresses Nuclear Summit

From the Carlsbad Current-Argus - by Matlin Smith - CARLSBAD — In town for several hours Tuesday, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez talked about nuclear fuel. The nuclear summit, which runs through Thursday, brings together policy makers, nuclear experts and industry professionals to discuss the findings of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future and the way forward for nuclear energy in the United States.The Blue Ribbon Commission visited Carlsbad in January 2011, when they toured the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a nuclear waste repository 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad.Martinez said Tuesday that WIPP is the best location for spent fuel and nuclear waste, adding that the future of nuclear energy is a matter of national importance.New Mexico has been intertwined with the nuclear industry since World War II, Martinez said. In the late 1970s, Carlsbad assumed a prominent role in nuclear waste with the instillation of WIPP.During its construction phase, WIPP provided full-time jobs for 1,500 people and currently employs 700 area residents.However, WIPP suffered budget cuts and consequential job loss this fiscal year, going from a budget of $220 million to $218 million, costing 90 jobs. Read more

Martinez addresses Nuclear Summit

Challenger alleges petition fraud against NM Sen. Pinto

Senator John Pinto

From the Alamogordo Daily News - by Milan Simonich Texas-New Mexico Newspapersalamogordonews.com - SANTA FE -- Matthew Tso, a candidate for the state Senate, has filed a lawsuit alleging that incumbent Democrat John Pinto filed fraudulent and inaccurate nominating petitions. Tso, also a Democrat, is asking a judge to remove Pinto from the June primary election ballot. Pinto, 87, could not be reached immediately for a response. Tso, 33, said today that Pinto incorrectly listed his address on his candidacy filing. In addition, Tso alleges that most of the 900 signatures Pinto collected were duplicates, photocopies or otherwise fraudulent. "He signed his own petition twice," Tso said in a telephone interview. Court records show that Tso filed the lawsuit Friday in the court of Judge Karen L. Townsend of the Aztec-Farmington District. Pinto, of Tohatchi, has been a state senator since 1977 and is the oldest member of the Legislature. Read more 

Challenger alleges petition fraud against NM Sen. Pinto

WSJ: Fed Buying 61 Percent of US Debt

From MoneyNews.com - The Federal Reserve is propping up the entire U.S. economy by buying 61 percent of the government debt issued by the Treasury Department, a trend that cannot last, Lawrence Goodman, a former Treasury official and current president of the Center for Financial Stability, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion article published Wednesday. "Last year the Fed purchased a stunning 61 percent of the total net Treasury issuance, up from negligible amounts prior to the 2008 financial crisis," Goodman writes. Goodman also warns that U.S. economy and markets are “at risk for a sharp correction” if conditions aren’t “normalized.” "This not only creates the false appearance of limitless demand for U.S. debt but also blunts any sense of urgency to reduce supersized budget deficits." Read more

WSJ: Fed Buying 61 Percent of US Debt

Another $17 Trillion Surprise Found in Obamacare

From dailycaller.com - Senate Republican staffers continue to look though the 2010 health care reform law to see what’s in it, and their latest discovery is a massive $17 trillion funding gap.  “The more we learn about the bill, the more we learn it is even more unaffordable than was suspected,” said Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Republicans’ budget chief in the Senate. “The bill has to be removed from the books because we don’t have the money,” he said.  More News New Mexico

Another $17 Trillion Surprise Found in Obamacare

Scientific Ghost Town to be Built in Hobbs or Las Cruces

From therepublic.com -The group behind plans to build a $1 billion scientific ghost town in New Mexico has narrowed its list of potential sites from 16 to two.  The Center for Innovation, Technology and Testing, or CITE, will be built near Hobbs, on the New Mexico-Texas, border, or near Las Cruces in southern New Mexico, said Bob Brumley, senior managing director of Pegasus Holdings and its New Mexico subsidiary, CITE Development.  "They are two really good sites," he said. "Now we just have to go through ... and find the one that best suits this business." Two sites were chosen instead of one, he said, because the company is intent on meeting its June deadline for breaking ground on the project and details have yet to be finalized for securing the land. Plans call for development of what is being billed as a first-of-its kind smart city, or ghost town of sorts, on about 15 square miles where researchers can test everything from renewable energy innovations to intelligent traffic systems, next-generation wireless networks and smart-grid cyber security systems.  More News New Mexico

Scientific Ghost Town to be Built in Hobbs or Las Cruces