Ski season in New Mexico is now underway

From KOB-TV.com - The lifts at Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort in northern New Mexico opened Saturday. It is the first ski area to open in New Mexico for the 12th consecutive year.
       Lifts are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
       Lift tickets are $25 for adults, $19 for teens (ages 13-20) and $15 for kids (ages 7-12) and seniors (ages 61 and older). Kids 6 and younger, 4th graders, 5th graders, and guests ages 40, 60 or 70 years and better receive a free lift ticket every day. More

Ski season in New Mexico is now underway

Would someone get ready to run for office?

© 2014 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. - Why would anyone run for office in today's world where outright lies and personal attacks are the currency of the political kingdom? We Americans have just endured months upon months of one candidate calling their political opponent everything but smart and handsome. The lies and innuendos have flowed throughout our towns.

       The non-stop attack advertisements sound like middle-school kids shouting, "You're a poo-poo head." Followed by the rejoinder, "No you're a poo-poo head." Mostly I am very sorry for the family members of the candidates who had to listen to attacks upon their loved ones for the purpose of politics. Some even were the targets in some communities.

       Worse, there is a price to pay for business people who run for office since the first step is to declare a party. Often members of the contradictory party then boycott that business such that the business suffers because someone wants to do their civic duty.

       Why, oh why, would anyone with any kind of sense put up with such shabby treatment? More so there is the concern that the people we would like to get into public service will not submit to this kind of treatment. The business leaders of our communities support people running for office but often will not tolerate those personal false attacks, therefore, will never run for office.

       The First Amendment question: can people knowingly lie but hide behind the Constitution's protection of free speech? Yes, they can and do. This does not mean there are no consequences for those who campaign by falsehood. We who value truth will remember falsehoods and act accordingly.

       Even though an election has just ended if someone was thinking about running next time, that decision must be made soon to get all of the things done to have some kind of chance against an incumbent. But the sting of the false statements and insults are still ringing in our ears. We may forgive but never forget the lies told. Read full column

Would someone get ready to run for office?

Intense football rivalry leads to post-game brawl

From KRQE-TV.com - LAS CRUCES - A New Mexico high school football rivalry escalated into an ugly brawl, and now both teams learned there will be consequences just as they enter the playoffs.
       The Las Cruces vs. Mayfield game quickly became an example of bad sportsmanship Friday night. Five players from Las Cruces and four players from Mayfield have been suspended for their next games, the first in the playoffs.
      The post-game fight erupted in front of a crowd of more than 20,000 at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The Mayfield Trojans had just beaten the Las Cruces Bulldawgs, winning the District 3 6-A Title. The final score was 28 to 27.
       Right after the game ended, all the chaos erupted on the field. “It’s an intense rivalry. Everybody knows that. Tempers flare. Things happen, but that being said, that’s no excuse,” said Jim Miller, Las Cruces High School coach.
      Mayfield’s coach, Michael Bradley, said, “This is one of the top rivalries in the nation. We’re under the eye of everybody, I tell our kids all the time is everybody’s watching you.” Las Cruces Public Schools superintendent Stan Rounds said the district holds its athletes to high standards and expects them to live up to those expectations.
       “For 48 minutes we had good football,” Rounds said. “For 35 seconds we had bad decisions made by athletes,” he added at a Wednesday news conference. Both teams are entering the class 6-A playoffs. Some of the suspended students are starters, but the district hasn't identified them.
       They won’t be allowed to participate in their next games, can’t travel with the team and can’t sit on the sidelines, Rounds said. Las Cruces will play Atrisco Heritage in Albuquerque Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Community Stadium.
      Next weekend, Mayfield will face the winner of the Sandia-Clovis game. More

Intense football rivalry leads to post-game brawl

Farmington PD evidence room theft could result in four case dismissals

From KOB-TV.com - FARMINGTON -- Almost a month after missing evidence was first reported at the Farmington Police Department, we now know how the theft of drugs and cash from the evidence lockup will affect open cases.
       "At this time there are just over a dozen - 12 to 15 cases - that have been affected by evidence problems," said San Juan County District Attorney Rick Tedrow. "Of those, we are thinking about four of those will result in dismissal of the cases."
       28-year-old evidence technician Ashley Goodvoyce has been charged with the thefts and has since resigned from the department. Police say 70 bags of evidence were tampered with and $9,069.02 dollars in cash are gone.
      "When we have a case where evidence was tampered with, it affects the chain of custody, and the appropriate and just thing to do, under the law, is probably to dismiss those cases," said Tedrow.
       While police were investigating the thefts, they have also worked on a plan to add security cameras and remodel the rooms where evidence is stored, and are examining and implementing new policies to keep this from happening again. More

Farmington PD evidence room theft could result in four case dismissals

From the battlefield to the oilfield, it’s all about jobs for veterans

Commentary by Marita Noon - One-and-a-half million to 2 million men and women served in America’s defense during the Global War on Terror. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 250,000 service members enter civilian life each year and that number will rise with the draw-down of soldiers from Afghanistan. 

      As troops return home, they face a new fight: finding a job in a competitive labor market that doesn't understand how their military experience translates into employees with discipline, organization, and motivation.

      Most have served in the Middle East, risking their lives for America, and ensuring an uninterrupted energy supply. They believe in the greatness of America.
      Their experiences in the military make these returning veterans ideal employees for America’s booming oil-and-gas industry. Many companies have seen the value veterans bring to their organization and are actively recruiting veterans—both enlisted and officers.
      What better way to honor them for their service than to minimize the need to return to the Middle East by making America energy secure, by developing our own abundant resources?
       The U.S. oil-and-gas industry has added millions of jobs in the past few years and expects to add more and more—especially with the new energy-friendly Republican-controlled Congress. Just the Keystone pipeline—which is now likely to be built—will employ thousands. Increased access to reserves on federal lands will demand more personnel. But finding potential hires that fit the needs of the energy industry in the general labor pool is difficult, as they lack discipline, the ability to work in a team and, often, can’t pass a drug test. Here the fit for the veteran becomes obvious. Read full column

From the battlefield to the oilfield, it’s all about jobs for veterans

‘E.T.’ games selling for more than $800

From KRQE-TV.com - ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (KRQE) – Some of the old Atari games dug up from an Alamogordo landfill are fetching a pretty penny on eBay.
      One copy of “E.T.” is going for $810 right now and there’s still four days left to bid. The city of Alamogordo is putting a bunch of the crushed game cartridges on the auction block. They were dug up earlier this year.
      Those old games were dumped in the ’80s after the release of “E.T.” for Atari, a game so bad it nearly bankrupted the entire video game industry. More

‘E.T.’ games selling for more than $800

Unemployed not considered in minimum wage debate

© 2014 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. - For those talking of increasing the minimum wage, what about the unemployed? A higher minimum wage makes it even harder to get a job. This is especially so for low or no-skill workers looking for their first job. Sadly the proponents of increasing the minimum wage do not even invite the unemployed to discussions.

      We hear from employers, employees and certain members of the buying public who are overjoyed to pay more money so workers making the minimum wage take home more money. Well, I am a bit skeptical that people want to pay more money.
      So the unemployed are not at the table. How do they feel about raising the minimum wage? Many cheer because they do not equate an increase in the cost of labor for employers with a diminished job market for no and low-skilled workers.
      And the most important people not sitting at the table when we discuss what it takes to support a family of four are the unemployed who have not found their first job. Know this: everyone is worth a certain amount to an employer. Skilled workers trade productivity for wages and both the worker and employer are made better by the transaction.
      For most people their first job is the most important job they will ever get since without that they cannot get better jobs. We are seeing young people reaching thirty without a first job. The valuable lessons of the first job are best applied in their teens.
      That first job often in high school usually is a "no brainer" sort of happy hands job where the drill is to do exactly what the boss says and be on time. The most important thing young people must learn is be on time and do what the boss says. Read full column

Unemployed not considered in minimum wage debate

Day after re-election, Gov. Martinez strikes down '16 Vice Presidential run

From KOB-TV.com - By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - Hoarse but happy. That was Gov. Susana Martinez on the day after winning a landslide re-election and learning that the state House of Representatives will be controlled by her fellow Republicans for the first time in 60 years. Her political hand is immensely stronger. There is nothing lame about this duck.
       "We have to work together," Martinez said during an interview at Albuquerque's Marriott Uptown hotel. "I think that's what New Mexicans expect. We have an opportunity right now that was given to us by the voters. We have to deliver now. I know we still have a Democratic Senate, so we are still going to work in a bipartisan way. That's not going to change, and we've done it for the past four years, and we've done some good things."
      Martinez is looking forward to a House of Representatives that won't stifle her legislation in committee after committee, like her pet education bill. Ditto for those driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.
       Look for more economic development initiatives when the legislature convenes in January, including right-to-work legislation. Now – how about that talk of running for Vice President in 2016?
     "No," Martinez laughed. "No. I am committed to making sure that New Mexico's tomorrow really is better than today, and that's going to take four years of the commitment that I've made to New Mexicans – and this is where I want to be!" More

Day after re-election, Gov. Martinez strikes down '16 Vice Presidential run

‘Vote as often as possible’ email from college president causes stir

President Cheri Jimeno, NMSU Alamogordo

From New Mexico WatchDog.org - By Rob Nikolewski - A phrase the president of New Mexico State University-Alamogordo used in an email sent to the student body Friday raised some eyebrows, butPresident Cheri Jimeno said she did not intend to cause a stir leading up to Election Day.
      In the email, Jimeno wrote, “I would encourage you to vote as often as possible.”
      “Unfortunately, it seems some people misunderstood,” Jimeno told New Mexico Watchdog in a brief telephone interview Tuesday morning. “You can only vote once. That’s what it means. So, realistically, when you sit there and say, vote as often as possible, what does that mean? It means you can vote once. That’s what it means.”
      The email was picked up and distributed across the Internet by Gateway Pundit, a conservative political website based in St. Louis. Jimeno confirmed she wrote the email Friday morning. More

‘Vote as often as possible’ email from college president causes stir

Marita Noon: The oil price election connection

Commentary by Marita Noon - After years of rising gasoline prices, people are puzzled by the recent drop that has a gallon of gas at levels not seen in nearly four years. Typically in times of Middle East unrest, prices at the pump spike, yet, despite the violence in Iraq and Syria, gallon of gas is now at a national average of $3.
      The public hopes it will last. The oil industry can’t afford continued price suppression. I believe the price will tick up in the days ahead (post-election)—which will make it economic for producers to continue to develop—but the increases will not be so dramatic as to take away the economic stimulus the low prices provide.
      Experts call the low cost the “equivalent to a tax cut averaging almost $600 for every household in the U.S.” while it boosts our gross domestic product by 0.4 percent. Consumers surely welcome the reprieve. But why now and why won’t it last?
      As gasoline prices have made headlines, several narratives are repeated. Generally the explanations revolve around two basic truths—but, as we’ll explore, there is more.
      The reasons offered for the drop in prices at the pump (which reflects the price of a barrel of oil) are 1) increased North American oil production and, 2) sluggish economic growth in Europe and Asia—which together result in a surplus, or a global glut, of oil. Read full column

Marita Noon: The oil price election connection