A District Court Judge ruled this week that an Albuquerque photo studio violated New Mexico’s Human Rights Act in 2006, when the owner refused to photograph a lesbian couple’s commitment ceremony—simply because they’re lesbians, the Albuquerque Journal reports.
In 2008, the state Human Rights Commission ruled in favor of [...]
The Rio Grande Sun today presents the results of an investigation showing that child molesters in Rio Arriba County rarely go to jail.
From the story:
A SUNinvestigation of the 22 child rape and child molestation cases in Rio Arriba County that resulted in indictments between 2004 and 2008 and were adjudicated, shows [...]
Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry may have to wait to change the “sanctuary city” policy, as the first-term Republican termed it, according to the Albuquerque Journal. The city’s policy governing when law enforcement officers should ask about immigration status came about as the result of a 2007 lawsuit brought [...]
Wednesday was the first day to pre-file legislation for the legislative session that begins January 19, and among the 15 bills posted on the New Mexico Legislature’s Web site late Wednesday is one that proposes a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
During the regular [...]
Setzer
Brian Setzer collapsed two songs into his set last night at Isleta Casino and Resort, KOB.com reports. He was taken to the Heart Hospital of New Mexico and has been released, according to the celebrity gossip site TMZ.com.
The national politics site Politico.com profiles Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish today, but there’s not much to it beyond the “Bill Richardson?” I barely know that guy!” meme. She’s been acting like he’s got cooties for months now. What else is new?
The state’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee has recommended that patients with cluster-type migraine headaches, Bipolar II Disorder, and Ankylosing Spondylitis be eligible for legal medical marijuana treatment, the Daily Lobo reports. Secretary of Health Alfredo Vigil will make the final decision on which conditions will be added to the [...]
Gov. Richardson has declared Otero County a disaster area after 60 mph winds tore through the area earlier this week, reports the Alamogordo Daily News. Also, Mora County has been placed on the disaster-area list due to storm conditions northeast of Santa Fe. Now, federal assistance will come [...]
New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Secretary Rick Homans announced today that the final two Budget Balancing Task Force meetings will be webcast live.
“A number of people kept mentioning to me that it the meetings are being held during the afternoons, primarily during working hours, in all parts of [...]
The AP has a great story today about how a federal program, meant to compensate counties for the loss of timber income in federal forests, has become a sprawling money grab by areas with little or no historical connection to logging. Read it for the information on New Mexico’s [...]
Here’s an interesting tidbit brought to our attention by our Washington bureau. Adam Kokesh, who is running for Congress as a Republican in the deeply Democratic 3rd Congressional district that includes Santa Fe and Taos, has posted on his Facebook page a picture of him in a grinning [...]
State revenue projections continue to drop, The Santa Fe New Mexican reports. The latest numbers say revenues will fall another $53 million. With these new numbers, the budget gap may potentially be closer to $500M to $600M. Gov. Richardson says he is currently considering consolidating operations and looking at [...]
New Mexico is not the only state trying to crack down on double dipping. As USA Today reports, states from Utah to Florida are trying to figure out how to deal with government employees who retire, then return to their old jobs (or other government jobs), collecting both a [...]
The Santa Fe Reporter’s Corey Pein has an amusing story today about the Santa Fe mayor’s race and two candidates, David Coss and Asenath Kepler, who have each attracted impersonators on Twitter. (His is “Devil Coss,” hers is Asinine Kepler.”) Kepler, a former city manager, told SFR that she [...]
Photo by Sara Grajeda
The New Mexico Independent, with experts from the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, on Tuesday night hosted a free seminar on the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and how to obtain government information. Click the box below [...]
The New Mexico Independent, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and KNME’s New Mexico In Focus have teamed up to present a free seminar on the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and how to obtain government information. And we have a few spaces left, so [...]
Albuquerque mayor-elect Richard Berry will be sworn in today at 6 p.m. at the Albuquerque Convention Center. (New City Councilors Mike Cook and Dan Lewis will also be sworn in.) As the Albuquerque Journal notes today, the team of department heads that Berry has chosen show plenty of experience, but diversity? [...]
The New Mexico Independent, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and KNME’s New Mexico In Focus have teamed up to present a free seminar on the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and how to obtain government information. RSVP now to attend in person.
The seminar will [...]
“Two armed security guards greeted UNM students as they walked into their Peace Studies class on Tuesday,” reports The Daily Lobo in a story about the Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s founder, Mikey Weinstein, who spoke in a UNM Peace Studies class last week. As The Independent reported, Weinstein said he received [...]
Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and self-described “leader of the national movement to restore the obliterated wall separating church and state” in the military, said he had received three phone calls about the appearance.
UNM Peace Studies instructor Desi Brown said in [...]
Lt. Gov. Denish’s spokeswoman Sam Thompson is the seventh in seven years to resign from the position, reports the Santa Fe New Mexican. Thompson cited stress as the reason for her resignation and had “nothing but good words for Denish.”The Santa Fe Reporter writes that “Cash [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Yesterday, a report published on the New Mexico Watchdog site said that Lt. Gov. Diane Denish used federal funds for things like PR, a driver to take her to events, and Christmas cards. Denish’s office says the money was used for legitimate purposes. Both the Santa Fe New Mexican [...]
Lt. Gov. candidate Lawrence Rael, who is also executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), told the Albuquerque Journal that he plans to retire from MRCOG before the end of the year. Rael had planned to take a leave of absence to campaign, but decided to retire [...]
Today, Jay Miller of Inside the Capitol reviews how the state legislature should address the budget problem. He covers several past moves to attempt to grow the local economy, such as the film industry rebates and the Rail Runner commuter trainthat he says aren’t yielding the success originally believed.John [...]
The option to buy solar power from independent energy developers is coming to Santa Fe, and PNM isn’t happy about it. PNM has criticized the system overseeing the new industry, in that it “should be regulated by the state as public utilities.” Currently, third-party contracts are legal, while energy [...]
Three city council seats are up for grabs in Las Cruces on Tuesday, and the New Mexico Independent plans to blog live as the results come in. Join us starting at 6:30 p.m.
This is an important election in the state’s second-largest city. The question is whether progressives who took control [...]
In Taos, “hysteria” is causing problems for local hospitals as the Swine Flu scare has people swarming hospital waiting rooms, The Taos News reports. One area healthcare official explains the H1N1 vaccine and his worries regarding the virus, as he tries to calm the public’s fears.
From the Santa Fe [...]
In the one week since Lt. Gov. Diane Denish established a government efficiency hotline, over 100 calls have been received, her office announced today. The majority of those calls were about “double dippers,” retired employees who have returned to work and now collect a pension and a paycheck from the [...]
The state’s largest alternative weekly paper, the Alibi, will have a new editor Monday, as former Managing Editor Laura Marrich takes over for the departing Christie Chisholm. (Full disclosure: I brought Laura to the Alibi as my intern six years ago, when I was an editor there, and I’m [...]
State Rep. Debbie Rodella
Remember that story about how members of a prominent Española family were accused of beating up the owners of a local tattoo parlor/hookah lounge? (Not kidding.) Well it just keeps getting worse. “The Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Department recently recommended [...]
The government workers’ union is asking Governor Bill Richardson to veto the part of the recently passed budget bill that requires him to cut state agency budgets by 7.6 percent. ”Additional cuts of nearly 8 percent, which is closer to 10-12 percent because we are five months into the fiscal [...]
Santa Fe is using stimulus funds to retrofit city buildings with energy-efficient lighting, heating and cooling systems, water heating in City Hall, the Genoveva Chavez Community Center and nine other buildings, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.In Albuquerque, Dan McKay reports that things are looking up for David [...]
In e-mails to readers of a popular Atheist blog, City Councilor Don Harris recently apologized for attempting to use his opponent’s religion against him, saying he had “learned a great deal,” from the experience.
Campaign mailer of City Councilor Don Harris
In [...]
Just after he lost his job to R.J. Berry, Mayor Martin Chavez handed out raises to a select group of city employees, including one who got a 67 percent increase, and another who now earns 48 percent more, the Albuquerque Journal reports this morning.
The city’s chief administrative officer said [...]
On Tuesday an Arizona court found that Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio can no longer force women prisoners to pay in advance for transportation and security costs in order to obtain an abortion, according to a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union, which had sued on behalf of [...]
Peter St. Cyr has a post today about the battle over education cuts, and it is worth reading. As he writes, Sens. Cisco McSorley, Tim Keller and Rep.Mimi Stewart, all Albuquerque Democrats, have said it’s time to raise taxes rather than cut education—but on Monday it appeared increasingly [...]
All five of the budget bills considered by the Senate Committee’s Committee moved forward Monday morning and may be considered on the House floor as early as this afternoon.
For more information on the bills, including sponsors and complete text, click the links below.
President Barack Obama has directed the Department of Justice not to prosecute medical marijuana patients and producers in states where it is legal, so long as they comply with all state laws governing medical marijuana. Fear of prosecution by the feds has been a problem for producers and [...]
There were 13 bills introduced in the Senate on Saturday; you can see them here. Some will be shot down in the Committee on Committees, which was meeting Sunday morning. Expect a flurry of introductions in the House on Sunday afternoon.
Gov. Richardson appears to have changed his mind about [...]
“It’s a hopeful sign that everybody sitting and talking,” Lt. Gov. Diane Denish told Peter St. Cyr of KKOB AM 770 at the Roundhouse on Saturday morning.
“I think the governor’s talks with the Legislature have been productive. I think there is a strong sense of urgency and so delaying [...]
Governor Bill Richardson announced Friday afternoon that he will present a counter-proposal to Democratic and Republican caucuses in the House and Senate before the start of the special session Saturday. He also pushed back the start time of the session from noon until 2 p.m.
Earlier in the afternoon Richardson met [...]
Oh, there’s a lot to talk about in advance of Saturday’s special legislative session. First, legislators, reporters, lobbyists and others will converge on Santa Fe Saturday for a special legislative session to address a shortfall of nearly $700 million in the state budget.
The Independent will be there with wall-to-wall [...]
I was going to write about something else this week, but when I heard about this, I was compelled to pivot: Rush Limbaugh was dropped from a group of investors hoping to put together a bid to buy the St. Louis Rams.
The [...]
Tom Sharpe of the Santa Fe New Mexican gives details of the new rules on public financing and contribution limits laid out by the Santa Fe City Council. Now candidates for City Council can either seek private donations of up to $1,000 per donor, or choose public financing totaling $15,000.
The [...]
The Las Vegas Optic reports on Las Vegas Mayor Tony Maquez’s push for prayer during City Council meetings. Some who have voted down this move before, in an attempt to uphold the barrier between church and state, are now being called “a bunch of atheists” by current supporters of the [...]
Government figures released today show that although women make up only 15 percent of the military, they account for more than one-third of the service members kicked out because they’re gay, the L.A. Times reports today. Women make up just over 20 percent of the Air Force, but 61 [...]
Frank DuBois of The Westerner discusses the closing of HWY 70 as a movie films in that area. Quoting Las Cruces Mayor Miyagishima who says, “We shouldn’t have done it,” this blogger goes on to write why the whole situation is “two-faced.”
Diogenes’ Six writes about the APS [...]
The Albuquerque Journal’s Dan McKay has an amusing take on the beginning of the transition from Mayor Martin Chavez to Mayor-elect Richard “R.J.” Berry. Who’s going to get which jobs in the new administration? Dan’s got his ears open. “I’ve heard Mr. White, the sheriff, mentioned as a possible chief [...]
After Deming experienced tremors earlier this week, it was determined that the shaking was due to “sound waves from explosions at the Playas Training and Research Center,” the Las Cruces Sun-News reports. However, officials at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology say that the speed with which [...]
The Wall Street Journal picked up on New Mexico’s money woes today with a story that hit on the state’s budget crisis and the investment scandals that have plagued Gov. Bill Richardson’s term. The gist of it: State legislators are turning the state’s wallet upside down and shaking it, [...]
Federal stimulus funds will provide $24 million for energy efficiency projects for New Mexico schools, colleges, tribes, and other agencies. This money will translate into solar power, energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling systems, according to the AP.
A Socorro Electric Cooperative election was bombarded with support from member-owners, who secured [...]
Tuesday marked the first time Albuquerque voters were required to show a photo ID at the polls, but despite fears, it did not appear to significantly impact voting.
“We were worried about photo ID being an issue because last year people didn’t need to use it, but …we saw very few [...]
Common Cause, a government watchdog group, is hosting a bipartisan panel of state legislators for a discussion of ethics reform this weekend. Panel members include state Sens. Sander Rue and Peter Wirth, and state Reps. Kathy McCoy and Eleanor Chavez.
The discussion will take place during Common Cause’s annual luncheon, [...]
68,000 New Mexico seniors may be facing a cut in benefits if Medicare Advantage insurance plans are cut back, the Albuquerque Journal reports. Several health care officials and lawmakers from around the state give their opinions regarding this complex debate.
The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG) hot line is now open to help citizens, journalists and public officials who have been denied access to public records or public meetings, the Associated Press reports. If you encounter problems with access, call (888) 843-9121 between 8 a.m. and [...]
Earlier today, we reported that Albuquerque City Councilor Don Harris had sent out a piece of campaign mail attacking his challenger in the District 9 race, David Barbour, for being an atheist, saying “[Barbour] is a donor to Atheist organizations and speaker at Atheist events…”
Harris responded to our [...]
In a mailer sent out last week, City Councilor Don Harris attacks challenger David Barbour for being an atheist and political radical, recently moved here from San Francisco, who attends protests “even in foreign countries.”
According to his Web site, Barbour is a [...]
Portales officials are trying desperately to rebuild the city’s crashed Web site, which has been down since August. Officials have been writing down information on sticky notes so it can be transferred to the new site later.
The Silver City Sun-News reports on the new director of the Southwestern [...]
Riblet, 8, recipient of campaign mailer
On Saturday, my Boston Terrier got his first-ever piece of political mail.
It was a flyer from Martin Chavez written in first-dog narrative, as in: “Our friend Mayor Marty has done MORE for pets than any other Mayor in the country!!!’”
The flyer also [...]
State lawmakers and education officials met this week to discuss the state budget deficit, the AP reports. School administrators are asking for changes in state educational mandates in order to prepare for possible funding cuts within schools.
The October 7 meeting of the Border Security Task Force has [...]
Meeting today to discuss health care reform, the Senate Finance Committee defeated an amendment that would have required beneficiaries of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to show a photo ID in order to enroll, The Washington Independent reports. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., spoke out against the amendment, [...]
Zane Fischer of Santa Fe Reporter has a must-read story today on split estate law in New Mexico. Basically, when you buy land to build on or live on, you don’t automatically own the area beneath the surface. Those who own mineral rights under the property have the ability to [...]
Yes, that’s the claim made today by Media Matters, which says: “A recent New York Times/CBS News poll found that 65 percent favored a public option, with only 26 percent opposed to it; To put that number in perspective: a 2007 Associated Press/Ipsos poll found that 34 percent of Americans believe in [...]
NMI’s own Heath Haussamen was the only New Mexico reporter named one of “The Best State-Based Political Reporters” by Chris Cilizza of the Washington Post. The list includes hundreds of reporters in all 50 states, but the vast majority of those on the list [...]
Today the Deming Headlight has a great story on border town reactions to the census. Census officials explain the difficulty of acquiring information, as many residents refuse to open their doors because they worry for illegal immigrants that may or may not be living on the property.
On Tuesday the Senate Finance Committee, on which Senator Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. sits, will resume debate on the healthcare reform bill written by committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. As CNN notes, two Senators plan to force a vote on the public option today by introducing two amendments to [...]
Farmington City Councilman Jason Sandel is giving up his salary in hopes to “help save the city some money in tough economic times,” reports the Farmington Daily Times. Because city councilors make around $10,000 to $15,000, Sandel suggests the forgone money will help others more than hurt his family.
[...]
Six-in-ten Hispanic adults in the U.S. who are neither citizens nor legal permanent residents are without health insurance, the Pew Hispanic Center reports. But an estimated 28 percent of Hispanic adults who are citizens or legal permanent residents don’t have health insurance either. That’s compared with 17 percent of [...]
The Albuquerque economy has hit $34.9 billion, making it the 60th of 100 U.S. cities rated on gross metropolitan product, reports the NM Business Weekly.
As a “last resort” to pay for its operations, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency has decided to raise fees on applications [...]
New Mexico-based businesses are the backbone of the state’s economy, but you might not get that impression by looking at our tax code. Using “economic development” as the justification, we have made the decision to give multi-state businesses, many of whom are already doing business in [...]
New Mexico public schools are invited to compete for their share of $10 million in federal stimulus funds to develop photovoltaic or solar electric systems, the Las Cruces Sun News reports.
The Taos News writes about the Taos Municipal School Board’s big plans for improving local schools.
The Daily Lobo reports on [...]
A story today in the Los Angeles Times reports on how some states are reconsidering their tax breaks and other incentives for the film industry, but New Mexico isn’t among them. A study earlier this year showed the state’s aggressive incentives are paying off.
From the story:
The Senate Finance Committee is discussing the health care reform bill of Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., right now and you can watch it live on C-SPAN. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., also sits on the committee.
[...]Lazar Backovic at The Washington Independent has a good rundown of today’s progress. Here’s a snippet:
“One day before the Senate Finance Committee is set to present the nearly 600 proposed amendments to Chairman Max Baucus’s (D-Mont.) health care plan, the amendments presented by fellow “Gang of Six” member, [...]
One report shows that San Juan County was among one of the five worst counties in the state for recycling, with less than 1 percent of garbage being recycled. The county’s largest city, Farmington, is trying to increase this number, while officials are also wondering how to bring recycling to [...]
Rey Garduno just sent out a news release announcing that he will ask the Albuquerque City Council to pull his his bill out of the Finance and Government Operations Committee and put it on the agenda for tonight’s meeting. The bill would require the city to post on [...]
The Las Vegas Optic reports that Highlands University may soon face budget cuts. Despite large increases in enrollment, state level revenue shortfalls may leave school officials with some difficult decisions.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that 48 percent of registered voters in New Mexico approve of President Obama’s approach to the [...]
Moral thinking never changes anything, true, but it’s hard to escape moral words. Like “corruption.” Corruption is, in fact, the focus of an upcoming local production of Sophocles’ “Oedipus” (in which I have a small role). And just the other day I heard Greg [...]
On Wednesday night, the New Mexico Independent and KUNM-FM,KNME-TV and Weekly Alibi, cohosted a lively debate between RJ Berry, Martin Chavez and Richard Romero, the three candidates who will be on the ballot in Albuquerque’s Oct. 6 mayoral election.
The event was held in front of a [...]
Join us tonight as The New Mexico Independent joins forces with KUNM-FM, KNME-TV and Weekly Alibi to host a lively debate between RJ Berry, Martin Chavez and Richard Romero, the three candidates who will be on the ballot in Albuquerque’s Oct. 6 mayoral [...]
Anti-immigration activists are fired up about the possible inclusion of some benefits for illegal immigrants in health care reform legislation. ”For 14 years, the Federation for American Immigration Reform has sponsored a mass lobbying campaign they call Hold Their Feet to the Fire. According to FAIR spokesman Ira Mehlman, this [...]
House Democrats want clarification on illegal immigrants and the healthcare debate. They ask: “How can the plan stop illegal immigrants from buying insurance with their own money from a government-created marketplace.”
The Valencia County News Bulletin brings news of more than 4,200 local signatures asking the county’s bureau of elections to bring [...]
Some New Mexicans may qualify for 13 additional weeks of unemployment benefits; Gov. Richardson announced the extension as “the state’s unemployment rate has hovered about 6 percent for the past three months.”
The Las Cruces Sun-News announces a public meeting to be held on Sept. 23 in Dona Ana County to [...]
“Mr. Richardson has emerged battered but unbeaten after a yearlong federal investigation,” the Times reports today, and “…He has returned to form, political scientists here say. His poll numbers are creeping up, and a national appointment is again a possibility. Everyone in Santa Fe, the capital, is speculating about [...]
