Photo by David Mason
In a preview of potential cost-cutting measures to come, the state of New Mexico has stopped accepting individuals into a program that helps uninsured New Mexicans pay for health coverage.
The State Coverage Insurance program (SCI) helps nearly 50,000 low-income [...]
“One of Our 50 is Missing” is a popular and long-running feature in New Mexico Magazine. It features stories from New Mexicans who have mistakenly been identified as being from a country that isn’t the United States.
Now, this situation may be getting a little worse with new rules with [...]
Two projects in New Mexico won federal ’smart grid’ stimulus money today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced.
But it’s difficult to tell how much of the money will actually stay in New Mexico. More than $4.7 million of $6.5 million awarded to projects in New Mexico according to the [...]
The New Mexico Environment Department has fined Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Dept. of Energy nearly $1 million for failing to monitor groundwater in a waste dump area, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. About this, the Labs’ second fine, one Environmental Dept. official states: “I am extremely [...]
According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, former Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was the third-most discussed news story of the week from November 16-22, trailing only health care and the economy. The “uproar created by a recommendation that women [...]
A debate has erupted in Maryland over higher taxes levied against the state’s wealthiest residents, according to Stateline.org. It’s of interest here in New Mexico because raising income tax rates on the state’s wealthiest residents will be a major issue in the coming January legislative session in Santa Fe [...]
Lou Hoffman with mayoral candidate Richard Romero at a press conference in May. Photo by Marjorie Childress.
Former City Treasurer Lou Hoffman was a vocal supporter of Richard Romero during Albuquerque’s [...]
More than half a million New Mexicans could benefit immediately if health care reform passes Congress and is signed into law by President Barack Obama, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The report is available on HealthReform.gov.
According to the administration’s [...]
Last week, Politifact looked at the claim by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, that the Senate version of health care reform is longer than War and Peace. The claim was “barely true,” found Politifact, a Pulitzer-prize winning fact-checking Web site from the St. Petersburg Times.
New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall also thinks [...]
A new iPhone app allows users to shake the bobbly-jeebus out of their Congressional representatives. “Bobble Rep” features full contact information, as well as caricatures of all 540 members of Congress; when you shake the phone, their heads bounce…not quite like a real bobblehead, but well, close enough.
Paul Schmelzer, [...]
The Freedom from Religion Foundation is posting 10 new billboards in Albuquerque, reports KRQE. The boards highlight the importance of science and the separation of Church and State.
The Taos News reports on the local school district’s bond construction and a $675,000 extension approved for the Parsons Commercial [...]
La Politica New Mexico posts, “The Funeral: Microcosm of the Bruce King Legacy.” This blogger gives a sense of the event, including those in attendance, a review of King’s work in the state, and his relationships with both the political class and the Average Joe citizens of New Mexico.
Next, [...]
While the national unemployment rate of 10.2 percent is a sobering reminder of the depth of this recession and the protracted timeline a recovery will take, the challenges posed by long-term unemployment are far greater.
“We are breaking every record post-Great Depression on long-term unemployment,” said Heidi [...]
Senators from both parties are pushing to free up billions of dollars for federal highway projects, as Congress looks to infrastructure investment to combat double-digit unemployment, according to the Wall Street Journal. Federal highway funds to states could drop by an average of $1 billion a month, or 30 [...]
“Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
I quote Mark Twain for the laugh, yes, but also as a reminder that American dislike of government is deeply ingrained in our national character.
So when NMI readers [...]
New Mexico State Sen. Kent Cravens announced earlier this week that he is running for lieutenant governor. In a video of Craven’s announcement by reporter Peter St. Cyr, Cravens says “CO2, I didn’t think, is a harmful thing,” Cravens said. “I thought that’s what plants need. I don’t [...]
Governor Bill Richardson echoed concerns made by sportsmen today about a land swap in the Whites Peak area. The Stanley Ranch is expected to get the land by exchanging 3,300 acres of its land for the 7,000 acres the State Land Office currently holds in the Whites Peak area.
[...]
Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration is proposing to overhaul Medicaid, the government’s low-income health insurance program, to cope with a projected budget shortfall of $300 million next year, the Associated Press is reporting.
Human Services Department officials told lawmakers on Thursday that Medicaid benefits and eligibility probably would be [...]
So you’re looking for some information that can only be found the public records of a government agency or office–but when you request those records, you hit a brick wall. What do you do? The New Mexico Independent is teaming up with the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government [...]
KOB-TV wonders if Albuquerque mayor-Elect Richard Berry is being “as conservative as promised.” With a possible budget shortfall upwards of $30M when he takes office, he has been making several new hires. KOB looks into the numbers.The Santa Fe New Mexican writes on Somos un Pueblo Unido, a immigrant-rights [...]
Here’s something New Mexico state officials can back up with experience: predicting revenues in this recession are incredibly difficult, says Stateline.org. Indiana hasn’t produced an accurate monthly tax revenue estimate in over a year. The state has never been so wrong, says an Indiana University professor who has worked [...]
Stimulus critics were abuzz this week flogging the federal Web site Recovery.gov for flaws in its first big data release. Problems ranged from confusing variation and gaps in job numbers to mistakes that put projects in nonexistent congressional districts to spending that never made it into [...]
The second meeting of Governor Bill Richardson’s budget balancing task force happened today.
Not on the list of revenue options under consideration is adding a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. When New Mexico eliminated its tax on food a few years ago, it also eliminated the tax on those kinds of [...]
Hassan Nemazee, a longtime Democratic moneyman, was arrested last August and later accused of perpetrating a $292 million Ponzi scheme. Nemazee has pleaded not guilty to the bank fraud charges, but “it may be unsettling for New Mexico citizens to now learn that a New York firm that [...]
Governor Bill Richardson’s Budget Balancing Task Force is meeting in Albuquerque at Expo New Mexico and the New Mexico Independent is on hand to liveblog and webcast the proceedings. Come join us as we see what options the task force will be discussing to bridge the budget gap that [...]
Cravens
Sen. Kent Cravens, a Republican from Albuquerque, announced yesterday that he will join the race for lieutenant governor, the AP reports. He joins a field already crowded with nearly a dozen other candidates, mostly Democrats. Cravens has become known for his work on DWI laws [...]
Today Steve Terrell of The Santa Fe New Mexican laments the lay-off of veteran AP reporter Deborah Baker, who covered the sights and sounds at the Round House for almost 20 years. He writes, “Now why’s that so sad? This way the state government can tell its story about [...]
A report released this week by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy provides state by state comparisons of how regressive or progressive a state’s tax system is. The analysis of New Mexico is found on pages 78 and 79, and shows that the state has a regressive tax [...]
With another candidate withdrawing his name from consideration, regents at New Mexico State University have three candidates to choose from when they meet today to select the school’s next president.
But, considering that the regents held a closed-door meeting to deliberate on Tuesday and canceled a closed-door meeting scheduled for Wednesday, [...]
Media coverage of University of New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert’s conduct in a recent game is sexist, two University of New Mexico faculty members say in an Albuquerque Journal opinion piece today.
Had Lambert been male, her conduct would have been seen as natural athletic aggression, examples of which [...]
According to a post by New Mexico Watchdog, money was given to “phantom districts” in New Mexico (and others nationwide) from the recovery package. At least according to recovery.gov, the Web site designed to track recovery funds.
On The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Vice President Joe Biden said [...]
The University of California’s Board of Regents is expected to raise students’ fees today by 32 percent, pushing the annual cost of a UC education, not including campus-based fees, to $10,302 — about triple the UC costs of a decade ago, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile on the [...]
The U.S. Senate introduced its version of health care reform Thursday night. Senate majority leader Harry Reid said that he expects the battle over health care reform will be a long one.
“We all know that this legislation is tremendously important,” Reid said at the news conference according to the [...]
[...] Expect for the Senate health care reform bill to be a big topic in Congressional Roundups for the foreseeable future — especially with the news that the Congressional Budget Office scored the Senate version of health care reform.
The CBO says the bill “will cost $849 billion over 10 years, [...]
Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh says he is opposed to trying accused terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in federal civil court, citing a Wall Street Journal opinion piece from Saturday.
“Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to provide a ‘fair’ day in court on U.S. soil for the same terrorists who seek [...]
A local organization that works for more openness in government is claiming victory after a state agency decided Tuesday to publicly release documents that had been sought by the media for months.
“Today’s action is a win for transparency,” Sarah Welsh, executive director of Foundation [...]
While Gov. Bill Richardson puts forward a plan to furlough state workers for five days over the holidays and into next year, state Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons says his own smart fiscal decisions mean he doesn’t have to do the same thing in his office.
“(Richardson’s) plan won’t [...]
In national news, about one million laid-off workers will see their unemployment benefits end in January unless Congress acts quickly to renew existing federally paid extensions, according to a new report and legislators and state officials, the New York Times reports.California faces a nearly $21 billion budgetary shortfall — [...]
The New Mexico Independent plans on liveblogging and webcasting the Budget Balancing Task Force meeting Thursday, which is set to be held from 1 p.m to 4 p.m. at the Leon Harms Youth Hall at Expo New Mexico.
The task force, appointed by Gov. Bill Richardson, [...]
Sarah Palin is headed to a town near you… provided you live in the conservative town of Roswell, New Mexico.
Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican reported today that the former Republican Vice-Presidential candidate is headed to Roswell on December 1 as part of promotional tour for her [...]
Former New Mexico State Investment Officer Gary Bland testified this fall before the federal Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of its own “non-public, fact-finding inquiry” into the investment scandal that is mushrooming, documents show.
Bland, who resigned last month from his $300,000 state job, was ordered to [...]
We know you’ve missed your daily dose of DC here at the Independent, but never fear, the Congressional Roundup is making its triumphant return. With Congress back in session after the Veteran’s Day recess, attention once again turns to the Senate where health care is the topic of the day [...]
Six years after the state repealed tax on groceries, lawmakers are looking at options to resurrect the tax in the face of our state budget deficit, The Santa Fe New Mexican reports .
The Las Cruces City Council is considering a ban on cell phone use while driving, [...]
Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, who is now among those prosecuting detainees at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, was profiled in this month’s edition of Esquire magazine. Iglesias spoke about waterboarding (”I don’t know if you’ve ever seen waterboarding, but it’s torture.”) and his belief that military commissions are the [...]
New Mexico is bracing for the worst but hoping for the best.
And right now all the hope appears to be focused on Washington, D.C., although it’s way too early to tell if it’s a mirage or the real thing.
Health reform legislation approved last week [...]
“I’m shocked to learn that a campaign flack would not tell me the truth,” The Santa Fe New Mexican’s Steve Terrell writes this morning. Can you taste the sarcasm dripping off that statement?
Terrell was writing about the revelation in a new book from Obama strategist David Plouffe that [...]
Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez picked up another endorsement today – this one from state Rep. William Gray, R-Artesia.
“Susana is an accomplished public servant who inspires confidence and hope,” Gray said in a news release from the Martinez campaign. “She is a strong conservative who has campaigned successfully in a county [...]
“Ground Zero. In some ways, New Mexico comes a close second to Chernobyl.”
So begins a review, published this week in the Akron Beacon Journal, of an exhibit of photographs of Patrick Nagatani. The New Mexico photographer’s work is on display at the Akron Art Museum for the next few months, in [...]
Governor Bill Richardson took to his official blog to unveil a draft plan to implement the five days of furloughs he announced last week.
The initial plan for the furloughs, which would include all employees except for “critical public safety and welfare positions,” is as follows:
The draft plan outlines the [...]
Vice President Joe Biden appeared in Albuquerque for a fundraiser for potentially vulnerable Democratic Congressmen Martin Heinrich and Harry Teague on Monday. Congressman Ben Ray Lujan was in attendance but was not a focus of the fundraising.
Biden spoke for a little more than half an hour at [...]
Budget woes continue for states across the nation. Tennessee might release up to 4,000 non-violent felons, including those convicted for drug dealing, to deal with that state’s woes, the Nashville Tennessean reports.
Meanwhile, Colorado can collect sales tax on medical marijuana, Attorney General John Suthers said Monday, according [...]
Gov. Bill Richardson (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Gov. Bill Richardson may be asked to share, under oath, whether he knows anything about the scandal in the state’s housing authority system that culminated in 2006 with the default of $5 million [...]
When Javier Gonzales was named chairman of the state Democratic Party in September, I reported that he worked for Santa Fe Studios. Several of you e-mailed me at the time to ask what that was.
The Albuquerque Journal answered that question this weekend. It’s a taxpayer-funded project to build a [...]
Insight New Mexico discusses how American Education Week plays out in New Mexico, which includes addressing the state’s high dropout rate. One local education aficionado believes the change needs to come from long-term community involvement on many levels.
On to other education blogging, Ched Macquigg asks, “Is AVID just [...]
The protests continue outside the Whitten Inn in Taos and the Taos News has some video from Saturday; the hotel’s owner is fighting charges that he has discriminated against Hispanic employees. Also in Taos, school board member Arsenio Corodova is the target of a recall effort, the Taos News [...]
Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White has endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez.
White, a Republican who will resign his job at the end of the month to become Albuquerque’s public safety director, made the endorsement in a letter that was sent out this weekend.
“This is a woman who has made [...]
Help to states might be on the way. Tucked within the U.S. House’s version of health reform legislation last week is a $23.5 billion pot of money meant for states to pay for six more months of extra Medicaid funding, The Washington Post reports. State officials across the land [...]
Secretary of Health Alfredo Vigil
Although it has been praised for its innovative structure, New Mexico’s medical marijuana program, which debuted this year, has also been criticized for not providing enough of the drug to meet demand and for allowing high costs that could [...]
I’m sitting in the ICU, at the bedside of an old friend, as caring doctors and nurses help him fight for his life – his life! – against a virulent infection, a gift from the hospital. He’s sedated, so I sit, read about and [...]
Photo by Phoney Nickle.
This week Gov. Bill Richardson announced plans to end a policy that allows state workers to retire and then return to work, collecting both a salary and a pension. By the governor’s own count, more than 500 state workers are so-called [...]
A $5,000-per-ticket “national innovation conference,” hosted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and attended by senators including New Mexico’s Jeff Bingaman, is being criticized by a consumer watchdog group that says it gives the appearance of “pay to play.”
“Senators should discuss public policy issues in open forums accessible to anyone who [...]
You know us so well! But we barely know anything about you. Won’t you share just a little?
Honestly, we’re just curious. This is totally voluntary and completely non-scientific.
Note: You’ll have to vote, then click the “back” button on your browser to vote in the next category. Yes, it’s a [...]
Governor Bill Richardson announced a budget balancing task force as promised at yesterday’s press conference announcing his budget decisions. The task force will be chaired by Rick Homans, Secretary of the Taxation and Revenue Department.
The task force will hold a public meeting on Monday, November 16th from [...]
Approximately $1 million in federal grants is coming to the state to improve distance learning and telemedicine, the AP reports. The grants are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and will benefit seven counties around the state.
The Farmington school board has awarded $1.4 million to double the [...]
Bruce and Alice King
Former Gov. Bruce King – often called the “cowboy governor” – died this morning. He was 85.
“Bruce King would be the first one to tell us all that death is just another phase in the cycle of life and [...]
Democratic Party of New Mexico Chairman Javier Gonzales named Scott Forrester as the party’s next executive director on Thursday. Forrester will replace current director Josh Geise on Dec. 1, Gonzales announced in a news release.
“I look forward to working with Scott and continuing the fight for change New Mexicans voted [...]
File photo
Gov. Bill Richardson on Thursday pledged to axe 1,000 vacant state jobs, ordered nearly 20,000 state workers to take five furlough days and cut state agencies.
Those actions, along with the promise to eliminate at least 84 state jobs held by political appointees, represented [...]
After Gov. Bill Richardson’s press conference today, his office sent out details of his actions on the budget. We’ve got them here for you to see.We’re still going over all of this information, so if you find something interesting in here, please let us know by sending an e-mail to [...]
The State Legislature’s Economic and Rural Development Committee met at the Roundhouse Thursday to hear a presentation on what’s known as “combined reporting.” Currently, New Mexico does not require large, multi-state companies to pay taxes on income they make here. Pro-business groups say to force companies to pay taxes here [...]
Gov. Bill Richardson today smacked down an attempt by lawmakers to force 7.6-percent cuts on state agencies under his control and cut the salaries and benefits of some of his political appointees.
In doing so, he announced his own plans to cut at least 84 of his political appointees, recommend [...]
Gov. Bill Richardson announced his decisions on the state legislature’s special session budget fix today in a press conference at the state capitol. The Independent webcasted and live blogged the event. Click the box below to read a transcript of our conversation.
Governor Bill Richardson special session press conference
[...]State Sens. Phil Griego and David Ulibarri each missed nearly half of the October special legislative session to go elk hunting, KRQE reports. While Sen. Ulibarri left the session after three days, missing all of the votes on budget bills, Sen. Griego missed the first three [...]
The Albuquerque Climate Coalition is asking Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, now in his final days in office, to send the Climate Action Plan to the city council.
“An enormous effort and much time and dedication went into this plan by 60 citizens and city staff. It was thoroughly reviewed, first by subject [...]
The Obama administration released its final rules Wednesday for Race to the Top, a huge educational initiative meant to reward states undertaking bold school improvement initiatives. New Mexico is eligible for $25-$75 million in funding.
The paper reports:
States have until mid-January to prepare applications for a first round of the [...]
On Thursday, technology permitting, the New Mexico Independent hopes to webcast and live blog two events at the State Capitol: Gov.Bill Richardson’s press conference on budget fixes at noon and, an hour later, a presentation on combined reporting during the Economic and Rural Development Committee (ERDC) committee meeting.
For [...]
Richard Herman, a finalist for the job of president of New Mexico State University, has withdrawn his name from consideration. Herman recently resigned from his job as chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign after it was revealed that politically connected applicants for admission were given preference over better-qualified applicants. [...]
While budget problems continue to confound New Mexico, other states do seem to have it worse. California is one of the hardest-hit, according to a Pew Center on the States report called “Beyond California: States in Fiscal Peril.”
The report compares “six measurable factors” that contributed to California’s budget crisis (a [...]
According to the Pew Research Group, the number of people who would like to see their own U.S Representative re-elected has reached a low point — the same type of low point seen in the 1994 and 2006 midterms when the parties in power suffered large losses.
“About half (52 [...]
The Santa Fe Reporter’s Zane Fischer reports on an asphalt plant’s plans to operate at the Caja del Rio landfill. The plant’s location seems to “make no sense,” says one landfill engineer.
The Las Vegas Optic has a story about a prank, pulled by some Department of Transportation workers, [...]
Gov. Bill Richardson is ready to tackle an issue that earned his veto earlier this year: double dippers. Richardson said in a press release Wednesday said he’ll propose the plan, which could save $7 million, for the January regular legislative session.
Double dipping is the practice where public employees retire, [...]
States, including New Mexico, are competing for $4 billion in federal funding for innovative education programs, reports the New York Times. As the story says: “The $4 billion is the most money Washington has ever given to overhaul schools. It is to be awarded in two rounds, in April [...]
In September, Katrina Lujan thought her days were numbered at Santa Fe’s Equest Counseling Center.
Her firm had gone two months without payment for services provided with the mentally ill, a lag that put a severe crunch on her bottom line. But more than that, it contradicted what [...]
The American Medical Association has changed its position on whether marijuana should be classified by the federal government as a dangerous narcotic with no medicinal value. Short-term trials indicate marijuana does have medicinal value, the AMA says in the executive summary of a new report. The powerful doctors’ group [...]
Gov. Bill Richardson, left, and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (Photos by Heath Haussamen)
Three 2004 news releases put out by Lt. Gov. Diane Denish’s government office had everything to do with politics and nothing to [...]
Congress is recessed for Veteran’s Day, so members of Congress are in their districts. The news out of Washington D.C. is still mostly focused on health care reform, but the attention has turned from the House to the Senate.
Talking Points Memo reports on dueling timelines on health [...]
Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez today announced she has the endorsements of three elected officials from Otero County.
Martinez said in a news release that the endorsements from three Republicans — state Sen. Dianna Duran, County Treasurer Grace Gonzalez and County Commissioner Ronny Rardin — show that her campaign [...]
Congressman Martin Heinrich is among the “endangered Democratic Members” of Congress who are receiving thanks from Health Care for America Now and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), according to Roll Call. Heinrich is among 20 members of Congress who voted for the bill and will [...]
Two Santa Fe county commissioners–Mike Anaya and Harry Montoya–have announced that they’re running for state land commissioner, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. In the race already are two Democrats, Public Regulation Commissioner Sandy Jones and former land commissioner Ray Powell Jr., and one Republican, Bob Cornelius. Current Land [...]
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) (WDCpix)
To hear the Democrats tell the tale, the extension of jobless benefits enacted over the weekend will provide those living in high-unemployment states with an additional 20 weeks of insurance.
Well, not quite.
Because the bill was held up for [...]
Although the Drug Policy Alliance of New Mexico applauded the state’s decision Monday to approve four new nonprofit medical marijuana providers, Executive Director Reena Szczepanski said more will be needed soon. “You can do a back-of the envelope calculation and say this will meet a significant portion of [...]
The New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice today expressed outrage that an amendment included in health care legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday could mean the loss of abortion coverage for millions of women whose health insurance now covers it.
“Major Christian and Jewish [...]
Gov. Bill Richardson signed today legislation that cuts $110 million from various state funds to help plug this year’s budget shortfall, but he vetoed a provision that would have taken more money from the state auditor.
“Without the money, the auditor would not have been able to conduct effective [...]
Photo by Philippa Willitts
After months during which New Mexico’s single non-profit producer of medical marijuana was unable to keep a consistent supply of medical cannabis, Department of Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil announced Monday that the state is licensing an additional four producers, enough, [...]
Former Governor Gary Johnson will be speaking at UNM this week according to Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Steve Terrell. Terrell, writing on his blog, notes it will be at an event put on by Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).
The event, scheduled at 7 p.m. tomorrow at [...]
The Albuquerque Journal had a stellar, two-part report this weekend about a top manager at the state Department of Transportation. (Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.)
To get you interested, here are the first few paragraphs of Part 1 of the report:
“Lawrence Barreras is supervising 150 employees, [...]
Martha C. White, Matthew Reichbach, Danielle Bauer, Trip Jennings, Heath Haussamen, Marjorie Childress, Trip Jennings and Heath Haussamen, Marjorie Childress and Trip Jennings, NMI staff, Heath Haussamen and Gwyneth Doland, Peter St. Cyr, Gwyneth Doland, Mike Lillis, Jennifer LaFleur and Michael Grabell, Arthur Alpert, Patricia Sauthoff, David Weigel, Tracy Dingmann, Gwyneth Doland and Matthew Reichbach, V.B. Price
