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Flooding closes State park entrance
“Although we are thankful for the rain, we regret this inconvenience,” said State Park Division Director Tommy Mutz.
Directions to get into the park from Roswell:
Take Highway 285 south to Junction of State Road 2. Take State Road 2 to Dexter, and at the Allsups in Dexter turn left on Shawnee Road and follow it to where it ends at Wichita Rd. Turn left on Wichita Rd until it ends at Highway 409, which is the loop road around Bottomless Lakes State Park. Turn left to get to the Lea Lake Campground. The Visitors Center is 1.5 miles past Lea Lake.
Directions to get into the park from Artesia:
Travel north and turn right on to State Rd 2 and follow until Dexter. In the center of Dexter turn Right on Shawnee Rd and follow to where it ends at Wichita Rd. Turn left on Wichita Rd and take until it ends at Highway 409, which is the loop road around Bottomless Lakes State Park. At Whichita Rd and Highway 409 turn left to get to the Lea Lake Campground and the Visitor Center is 1.5 miles past Lea Lake. More
Swickard: Accessing truth is the problem
Often truth has been hijacked for political or anarchist reasons. There are hundreds of false reports each day that make it into the media. These false reports are either called out or assimilated into the culture of our society. Often they live as slogans, “Bush lied and people died.” Or, “America did not land on the Moon.”
It is now possible to “prove” or “disprove” any fact or theory. There is probably a blog chronicling that Elvis is alive and playing golf with Michael Jackson who is also alive. If not, wait a minute, it will be up shortly.
My first connection to a wider world was in 1988 when I was a tester for Prodigy while living in California. At first it was opinions and advisories and in the 1990s it changed to data repositories.
In 1992 I was using email at NMSU such that I was on a project with a women in Jamaica and a man in New Zealand. We never met face to face but worked a year together. The data we sent back and forth stayed true on the worksheets and it was great.
Certainly I was aware in 1998 of the Y2K scare which came from the Internet to the media and back. Now it seems mildly humorous that so many people believed that life on this planet was going to end due to a programming problem when the clock strikes the year 2000.
Well, not everyone was freaked out and worried including myself, but the media played the concern to the hilt. People started stocking up on food, water and generators. However, I did not stock up or hoard above my normal two weeks or so of stuff.
In 1999 I wrote a column asking: how were these hoarders going to deal with their neighbors when they have the only warm house in the neighborhood? It was going to get ugly, especially when the lights came back on. Neighbors will have long memories of you shoving a gun in the faces and telling them to scram. Read full column
Court rules Ortiz recall petition can continue
The ruling allows the recall petition process to continue. If the petition gets 82,000 signatures, Ortiz will face a recall election.
In January, local attorney James Dory went before a judge to ask permission to start a petition to recall Ortiz. The Bernalillo County commissioners have accused Ortiz of mishandling county finances, saying his investments may have cost county taxpayers around $23 million.
Oritz has maintained his innocence. He previously said in court that he paid every bill that came into his office. More
Sundowner Motel renovated as apartment units
Architect Garrett Smith designed the makeover – vintage Vegas. Smith also designed the rebuilding of the Luna Lodge a couple of miles east on Central Avenue. The developer of both projects is New Life Homes – a nonprofit with a mission to provide affordable housing for people with special needs. The price tag on the Sundowner project was $9.2 million, with state and local governments chipping in for the public/private partnership.
Here’s one of the worst-kept secrets of the Sundowner: back in 1975 a couple of guys lived there for a brief time, writing computer programs and trying to start a company. One guy named Paul Allen. Another guy named Bill Gates. A little company named Microsoft. They couldn't acquire financing here and moved on to greener pastures. More
Marita Noon: the liberty and energy connection
I've spent the past couple of days at a conference on “Energy, Economics and Liberty.” There discussions took place on the energy debate, government’s role, market solutions, and the geo-politics of energy. About twenty men—all experts in various aspects of energy—attended. I wasn’t just the only female I was the only energy advocate. The topics brought Greg’s request to mind and the conversations helped form the answers.
One of the participants, Jim Clarkson, wrote an article titled: “The Shale Gas Paradigm,” in which he states: “Increased access to energy is a key to economic progress in the undeveloped world.” Similarly, in my book, Energy Freedom, I quote Robert Bryce, author of Power Hungry, who says: “Electricity is the energy commodity that separates the developed countries from the rest. Countries that can provide cheap and reliable electric power to their citizens can grow their economies and create wealth. Those who can’t, can’t.”
Senate Major Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) once said: “Oil and gas are making us sick.” But I contend that they—along with coal—are the very things keeping us well. In Energy Freedom’s introduction, I point out: “Energy saves lives. When fire strikes or hurricanes are bearing down upon a city, it is energy—in this case in the form of gasoline—that allows people to drive away and escape death. … When weather is extreme, it is energy—usually in the form of electricity (most frequently from coal or natural gas)—that keeps people alive. Air conditioning allows people to live in comfort in Arizona in the summer. Heating keeps people from freezing to death in Alaska in the winter. Energy keeps us well. Energy makes us comfortable.” Read full column
Zozobra debate takes to social media
This year, the burning of Zozobra will take place Friday, Aug. 29. That’s sparked a fight between the group organizers, the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe and downtown business who want the event to take place on its traditional Thursday.
The merchants have the backing of city councilor Patty Bushee who’s taken the concerns to the city manager and mayor.
Now the Santa Fe New Mexican is reporting the club plans to put pressure on Bushee with a social media blitz and phone bank. They’re calling on people to pepper Bushee with the message that they support the Friday date.
An event organizer says if the date is changed, it could hinder the event all together. More
Swickard: Who is really in charge?
However, the federal government considers medical marijuana an illegal substance subjecting the person to the full fury of the federal government. The State of New Mexico says it is legal while the Federal Government says it is not.
There should never be a time in a nation of laws for something to be legal and illegal concurrently. But that is not as big a problem as the question: who ultimately is in charge in police matters?
The second example came recently when Otero County Commissioners asked Otero Sheriff Benny House to open a gate in Otero County that was shut by a federal authority. The feds insists on a closed gate, Otero County wants an open gate. They told the Sheriff to open it. Neither side intends to give an inch.
Imagine if I legally possessed medical marijuana. And imagine if Governor Martinez was in my truck as we were stopped by the Border Patrol. They would detect marijuana and attempt to confiscate it even though I showed my paperwork.
The second example came recently when Otero County Commissioners asked Otero Sheriff Benny House to open a gate in Otero County that was shut by a federal authority. The feds insists on a closed gate, Otero County wants an open gate. They told the Sheriff to open it. Neither side intends to give an inch.
Imagine if I legally possessed medical marijuana. And imagine if Governor Martinez was in my truck as we were stopped by the Border Patrol. They would detect marijuana and attempt to confiscate it even though I showed my paperwork.
Whether I was with Governor Martinez or my own County Sheriff we would have a difficulty. How would it play out? We do not know because it is not clear who is the final authority in New Mexico. Our New Mexico Constitution says it is the Sheriff of that county. Would the feds listen?
So let’s say I asked Governor Martinez to protect my legal property. Perhaps she would tell her State Police bodyguards to protect us from the feds. Well, friends, it could get dangerous. Who would back off? The federal government has become a military of their own with tanks, planes and guns galore. Read full column
Lawmakers, Bill Richardson near boiling point over Navajo water deal
In 2010, Gov. Bill Richardson signed a contract with the Navajo Nation. The contract agrees to give huge amounts of New Mexico’s water to the tribe. The water comes from the same source that reaches the Rio Grande and provides water for places like Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
“There are many people who are affected here, and as we all know, this drought situation that we're in, we don't know what the new norm is,” said Trujillo. Lawmakers are saying the contract is invalid and illegal because the Legislature didn’t pass it, which legislators say is their constitutional right.
“Make sure we get this process correct,” said Trujillo. “This is to preserve the people's voice, their right.” Lawmakers are asking the Supreme Court to ban the state engineer from giving away the water.
Instead they want the Legislature to be able to vet, debate and vote on an agreement with the Navajo Nation. Richardson disagrees with the arguments in the lawsuit. He said he didn’t need the Legislature’s approval for the contract.
Lawmakers make it clear that they are not opposed to an agreement with the Navajo Nation. They just want to be able to control the deal. The state engineer said the Legislature has supported the settlement by appropriating money over the years and as a result is providing safe, clean water in homes. More
Big state purchase collecting dust
In 2010 NMDOT purchased 1,384 Internet based Cisco phones for $117,640 so districts across the state could keep connected. According to NMDOT’s Cabinet Secretary Tom Church, the new phones use the Internet for calls eliminating expensive landline long distance costs. “They have a camera feature so you can do video conferencing, other than that they’re just a regular phone, only they use a different wiring system or internet system,” says Church.
All government entities are required to use the Department of Technology’s phone system but, four years ago when the previous administration purchased the phones for $85 each they didn’t realize the new system violated state statute.Today, 850 phones sit in their original boxes waiting to be installed in the Santa Fe office – more than $72,000 worth of new technology unused.
KRQE News 13 asked Church what’s taken so long. Church replied that the transferring of all the equipment is complicated, “We just haven’t gotten there yet. Ya know, phones don’t go bad.”
Others however like Republican Senator Mark Moores of Bernalillo County, say taxpayer money is not being put to good use. “When we spend taxpayers’ money we need to make sure it gets out there and used for taxpayers’ benefit,” he said. “It can not collect dust, if it can’t be used at this department we need to make sure it’s used somewhere else.”
Unfortunately, NMDOT’s Cabinet Secretary said there’s no timeline when the new phones will be installed. More
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