New Mexico's gambling tribes are taking their first major financial hits since they came on the scene in force in the late 90's. We wouldn't be surprised to see one or two of them shutter their doors in the years ahead.
Don't blame it all on Jay Leno, but the sacking Wednesday of KOB-TV news director Jamie Ioos comes only days after the November ratings hit the streets showing the NBC affiliate's flagship 10 p.m. newscast skidding into third place. November was Leno's first full' [...] 
Republicans finally had something to celebrate last night and they took advantage. A large crowd of celebrants--mainly R's--gathered at the downtown ABQ Convention Center to watch Richard "RJ" Berry, the first ABQ GOP mayor in nearly a quarter of a century, take the oath of' [...] 
Sheriff Gonzales and wife Elaine
GOP governor candidate Doug Turner will know soon enough whether his decision to unveil TV spots on Thanksgiving Day was a turkey. He says he will do follow-up polling to measure the impact of the commercials unveiled on Thursday on statewide cable and which he [...] 
Not that there isn't plenty to be thankful for. New Mexico's eternal gifts--its beauty, culture and climate--continue to delight year after year and generation after generation. But this is a year when more corporeal concerns dominate the thoughts of New Mexicans. Like jobs--and whether theirs will [...] 
Antoon & White
Barack & Bill
News coverage of the state capitol took a major hit this week as industry insiders passed word that longtime Associated Press reporter Deborah Baker was included in the national layoffs the AP announced. Baker had been on the Santa Fe scene some 20 years. [...] 
Schultz, Berry & White
Garcia & Madrid
History will record Bruce King as New Mexico's longest-serving Governor, a successful politician who united the diverse cultures of the state into an effective governing coalition and for the infamous 1980 state penitentiary riot. But he will be most remembered in the hearts of New Mexicans' [...] 
Bruce King (N. Mexican)
BULLETIN: BRUCE KING DEAD. HELD GOVERNOR'S OFFICE FOR THREE TERMS; WAS 85
The slow motion destruction of the credibility of the University of New Mexico continues inexorably. It seems no one can or will stop it. Not the UNM Board of Regents. Not the Governor. Not the Lieutenant Governor who would be Governor. Not the powers [...] 
Judging by the behind-the-scenes action, you would think they are picking a pope. The Bernalillo County Commission now says it wants to have three candidates to consider for sheriff who would pledge not to seek election to the office and three who would run. You might [...] 
John Sanchez
We'll start off with this invitation to the Nov. 16 ABQ fund-raising lunch Vice-President Joe Biden will host on behalf of NM Dem US Reps. Martin Heinrich and Harry Teague. Lunch is going for $1,000 a pop at the Hotel Andaluz downtown. That is' [...] 
Heather, you may have spoken too soon. So opined our Alligators Tuesday night as they eagerly monitored election results showing independent voters breaking for the Republican Guv candidates in New Jersey and Virginia. That is also the only path to power for this state's contracting' [...] 
Rep. Heinrich
Sen. Sanchez
Goodbye, Heather
Former ABQ GOP Congresswoman Heather Wilson says she will not run for Governor in 2010. She made the announcement late Friday morning in an email to supporters that was also posted on her Facebook page. Here is the note she wrote:
Even as his counterparts around the nation bow to the inevitable and trim their budgets, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson remains impervious to arguments that he should do the same. Instead, he has launched a full-scale offensive against trimming state agency budgets under his control [...] 
What do all of the persons chosen by Big Bill to seek a new State Investment Officer have in common? According to records we checked, all donated--most at least $2,300 each--to the Guv's ill-fated presidential campaign. Even after scandalous headlines that forced the resignation' [...] 
De La Cruz & Armijo--A deal?
Peace Made--Lujan & Smith
[...] 
Mayor-elect Berry & Campbell
RJ Berry
Sen. Leader Sanchez & Big Bill
The train hasn't even started down the tracks and already we have what appears to be a train wreck in Santa Fe. Big Bill is locking down on his pledge not to touch in any way the budget for the public schools and conservative state' [...] 
New Mexico's #2 continues to take large strides toward becoming the state's #1. That's the lead story among many stories contained in the first campaign reports filed for the 2010 election cycle.
Conrad Candelaria
Wilson vs. Denish?
12:30 pm Update---"Steady stream" of voters reported by TV news in ABQ city election. No major problems; some optical scanners break, says city clerk Wall-to-wall radio coverage starts today at 6:30 pm on KANW 89.1 FM and streamed at www.kanw.comThe guessing game comes to [...] 
With Republicans hanging onto newfound hope RJ Berry like a coat rack, ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez continues his two front battle to stop Berry from removing him from power by capturing 40 percent of the vote Tuesday night and avoiding a runoff election. Meanwhile, [...] 
As we headed toward the final weekend of Campaign 2009 opinion was all over the place as to where we'll end up Tuesday night when the votes for mayor of ABQ are finally tallied. Democrats grew increasingly worried--or were trying to make fellow Dems worried--that somehow' [...] 
The hits keep coming in the 2009 race for ABQ mayor, but an old enemy of all politicians--the clock--has begun to tick louder, signaling that this battle is peaking and soon we'll be writing election history, not election news. But the trio of hopefuls are in' [...] 
ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez, fighting for his political life in a race that suddenly morphed from lackluster to compelling, is coming with a blend of negative and positive messages in the final hours as he works to slow opponents Richard Romero and RJ Berry and avoid [...] 
Republican RJ Berry came with new TV and radio Monday, again using the controversial "sanctuary city" policy to energize and extend his conservative base as he looks to lock in a spot in a run-off, even while nursing hope for a long shot first-round knockout [...] 
What was to have been a mayoral race that was nearly a foregone conclusion jumped to life this weekend as the ABQ Journal dropped a bombshell poll showing incumbent Mayor Marty Chavez sharing space on the endangered species list with the silvery minnow, [...] 
An old-fashioned surprise has lifted the ABQ mayor's race to must-viewing status for the final week. The ABQ Journal poll hit the streets Sunday, catching just about all the pundits and prognosticators with their pants down, but injecting a level of excitement not previously seen [...] 
It's starting to remind us of the 1970's around here. That's when double-digit unemployment was common in many counties and the unemployment office was usually backed up and/or broken down. The newest jobless stats say job growth in NM is at a 65 year low.' [...] 
A lively one hour prime time TV debate had the three mayoral hopefuls hopscotching through the major issues of the day, testing their knowledge, poise and ability to think quickly in a way rarely seen on the daily campaign trail. All three vindicated themselves, but the [...] 
Steve Pearce
Looking to impede any surge to RJ Berry among ABQ's sizable Republican voting block, Mayor Marty Chavez is on the offensive, attacking Berry on several fronts, the most prominent being a mailer that questions Berry's honesty in how he portrays himself as a businessman.
The somnolent mayor's race is coming to life as the final stretch approaches. We give you a taste of it with the panel posted today from a mailer from Dem Richard Romero that hit the mailboxes this week. He lambastes the travel habits of three' [...] 
Big Bill is back playing hardball with key legislators. He deep-sixed for now their hopes that he would call a special session of the Legislature to deal with the huge budget shortfall for October 9. And he described the two sides as "far apart" in their [...] 
Three weeks to go in the 2009 ABQ mayor contest, but not much has changed from three months ago; Democratic Mayor Marty Chavez remains in command of the race, with the conventional wisdom awarding him more than 40% of the vote--but not necessarily much more--when he [...] 
More national press for Big Bill as he turns the corner on the CDR scandal that ended with no indictments. The New York Times Saturday had the Guv downplaying any return to the national or international stage, but, of course, not ruling it out. [...] 
We start the clippings with news of a major New Mexico poll from the ABQ Journal. The first part will hit the streets Sunday. Over the course of several days, the survey will have state approval ratings for the President and Governor and also opinion on [...] 
Shipmates Bill & Brian
Allen & Rebecca Ann Weh
Lopez & Denish
To see ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez in person and to see him on his colorful billboards that dot the major intersections of the state's largest city raises the question of whether he has had a "Just for Men" moment. The contrast between the gray and [...] 
Whether it's idle chatter or the prelude to something remains to be seen, but there is buzz going on for the appointment of Governor Big Bill as a special envoy to Cuba. Because of the profound implications for state politics, the talk is being intensely monitored [...] 
Rael And Colon
Unlike Big Bill and his top aides, former State Senate powerhouse Manny Aragon did not escape indictment---or prison. He is now serving a 5 1/2 year sentence at a prison in Florence, Colorado for his corruption convictions stemming from the construction of the Bernalillo [...] 
Denish With Obama
Update: AP confirms no indictments of Guv and associates in CDRThe Washington Post has the lowdown on how no indictment day came down
Obama & Brunner
Gary vs. Rebecca
Heinrich Listens
There will be precious few opportunities for the foes of ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez to deliver a defining moment in this campaign, but Democrat Richard Romero and Republican Richard "RJ" Berry will get one on September 23 when KOB-TV hosts a prime-time mayoral debate. It will [...] 
Vigil-Giron
Former NM Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and three others have been indicted in voter education funds case.
Mike Cook
There is reason to have optimism that Big Bill and the Legislature are not that far apart on how to handle the state's budget crisis, but they are a world apart on how long the special session should be that tackles the huge shortfall in [...] 
Sens. Bingaman & Reid in ABQ
Heather Wilson
EXCLUSIVE
The already enormous budget shortfall facing the state could be even more humongous when official revenue projections are released by the state Friday, making an October special legislative session a necessity--not an option--even if state agencies, fearful of deep budget cuts, don't want a special. Lawmakers' [...] 
Javier Gonzales
Heather Wilson
ABQ metro unemployment has rocketed to a rate not seen in decades; city government faces a big budget shortfall it's covering with property tax money not intended for that purpose; home prices have nosedived and commercial real estate in the city is in a slump that' [...] 
Javier Gonzales & Denish
A crowded race for lieutenant governor is about to get more crowded and the Democratic Party of New Mexico will soon get new leadership as party chairman Brian Colon joins the race for the nomination for the state's #2 position. He will resign Wednesday as' [...] 
You know you've started to enter the mainstream when the cartoonists start their lampooning (Click on cartoons to enlarge). So it is for Lt. Governor Denish who finds herself getting gently poked by Santa Fe cartoonist Jon Richards over her recent' [...] 
The recession is cutting deeper into the once booming city of Rio Rancho. Government workers could usually take for granted an annual pay raise of at least a couple of percent. But that was then. This is now. No pay raises for city workers.
The raging recession roared back to ugly life in the state's largest city Tuesday, kicking to the curb 400 well-paid New Mexicans at General Electric Aviation. The announcement of the 2010 closing of the giant conglomerate's ABQ jet engine plant signals that the worst [...] 
If Defense Secretary Gates can smack down pork-hungry Senators on a big time program like the F-22 fighter jet, you've got to think his plans to dismantle the 150th Air National Guard fighter wing known as the Tacos stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base has' [...] 
AG Holder & Fouratt
PRC's Sloan
Rep. Heinrich & Friend
Lawrence Rael
Two Mayors (Rosales ABQ Journal)
ABQ Mayor-elect Richard "RJ" Berry
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