Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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What happened to Aileen Smith as she drove through New Mexico on one of the happiest journeys in a woman's life is a mind-numbing tragedy. But adding to the state's DWI laws in the name of getting tough on repeat offenders won't prevent the same tragedy from happening to someone else — unless and until New Mexico enforces laws already on its books. Smith was seven months pregnant on that day in June, and driving from her home in Colorado Springs with her husband, Zach Smith, to a baby shower in San Diego. She and her u... Full story
Here's one case where bipartisanship ruled in Washington, but with a very negative outcome. For three decades Social Security's payroll tax collections had been producing large surpluses — had is the operative word — taking in more money than needed for administrative costs and benefit payments, mainly to retirees and disabled adults. But rather than holding on to that money for the expected day that expenses would exceed income, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been tapping the surplus — in exchange for IOUs — to...
The Albuquerque Police Department did the right thing in firing two officers after surveillance video became public that showed one officer kicking a suspect at least 10 times as the other held him down. But testimony in a hearing for one of the officers trying to get his job back reveals structural flaws in the department that need to be addressed. At least this time the flaws weren't fatal — neither suspect nor police officers died. Testimony about the February 2011 kicking incident shows APD may need to hold refresher c...
The Albuquerque Police Department did the right thing in firing two officers after surveillance video became public that showed one officer kicking a suspect at least 10 times as the other held him down. But testimony in a hearing for one of the officers trying to get his job back reveals structural flaws in the department that need to be addressed. At least this time the flaws weren't fatal — neither suspect nor police officers died. Testimony about the February 2011 kicking incident shows APD may need to hold refresher c...
If you needed further proof that New Mexico is a hotbed for scientific research, here it is. This week six researchers with New Mexico ties will be among 96 U.S. researchers to receive the 2011 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor awarded by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers in the early stages of their research careers. Among the six is 29-year-old Francis McCubbin, a geochemist and a senior research scientist whose work at the University of New Mexico's Institute of... Full story
If you needed further proof that New Mexico is a hotbed for scientific research, here it is. This week six researchers with New Mexico ties will be among 96 U.S. researchers to receive the 2011 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor awarded by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers in the early stages of their research careers. Among the six is 29-year-old Francis McCubbin, a geochemist and a senior research scientist whose work at the University of New Mexico's Institute of...
T his train left the station long ago, possibly hauling a boxcar full of questionable financing deals. It's hard to believe that after all this time New Mexico is still having to deal with aspects of the pay-to-play scandal that tarnished the administration of then-Gov. Bill Richardson. Now the state Department of Transportation is looking into whether alleged interest rate rigging was part of the process when the state borrowed more than $200 million for road projects and the Rail Runner. The alleged manipulation of the...
At first blush, it might sound like a good idea to unload the state's supercomputer, Encanto, as a symbol of Gov. Bill Richardson-era excess, a la the state jet. After all, it supposedly can't pay its bills, and its once lofty ranking of third-fastest in the world has slipped out of the top 100. But just as Gov. Susana Martinez found an experienced broker with the right connections to get the best possible deal for the jet — $2.5 million six years after it had been purchased for $5.5 million, and saving the state almost $...
What would you say if your employer was handing over your personal information — name, home address, home phone number, Social Security number and work experience — to a special interest group you didn't belong to so it could send you political mail? Welcome to the ranks of nonunion teachers employed by Albuquerque Public Schools. The district's collective bargaining agreement with the Albuquerque Teachers Federation requires — not allows, but requires — APS to provide that information to the union, whether teachers belong...
What would you say if your employer was handing over your personal information — name, home address, home phone number, Social Security number and work experience — to a special interest group you didn't belong to so it could send you political mail? Welcome to the ranks of nonunion teachers employed by Albuquerque Public Schools. The district's collective bargaining agreement with the Albuquerque Teachers Federation requires — not allows, but requires — APS to provide that information to the union, whether teachers belong... Full story
R epublican and Democratic leaders of the New Mexico Legislature maintain they don't have to comply with the state's Inspection of Public Records Act — at least when it comes to conducting state business on their personal email addresses. Why? Because legislators are different. Way to work across the aisle for a change. This rare bipartisan agreement came in response to an IPRA request from the state Republican Party for emails "concerning public business" of Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, who lists his p...
R epublican and Democratic leaders of the New Mexico Legislature maintain they don't have to comply with the state's Inspection of Public Records Act — at least when it comes to conducting state business on their personal email addresses. Why? Because legislators are different. Way to work across the aisle for a change. This rare bipartisan agreement came in response to an IPRA request from the state Republican Party for emails "concerning public business" of Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, who lists his p...
What's fair for the goose is fair for the gander — unless of course it's New Mexico politics. New Mexico State Fair Commissioner Charlotte Rode, who voted against awarding a racino lease to the Downs of Albuquerque and who doesn't believe a racino is the best use for Expo New Mexico, has fired off a request to State Auditor Hector Balderas for an investigation into the 25-year lease deal. Rode, a Republican and a Gov. Susana Martinez appointee to the commission, accuses the Governor's Office of manipulating the deal through p... Full story
"Transparency is an essential feature of the relationship between the people and their government." — N.M. Supreme Court Justice Patricio Serna, in an opinion written for the court Last week the state's highest court made an important — and unanimous — decision limiting who can claim, and what can be kept from the public under the guise of "executive privilege." It is welcome guidance, especially considering the previous gubernatorial administration's expansive view of that secrecy tool. Under then-Gov. Bill Richa... Full story
New initiatives are opening up job opportunities for U.S. veterans. The state Department of Veterans Services is working with the New Mexico Aviation/Aerospace Association to help veterans retiring or returning from Afghanistan find jobs in New Mexico's aviation and aerospace industries. The association will help the state build a database of local companies that want to hire veterans. The state would then work to connect former military personnel with prospective employers, help those who need more skills to pursue training... Full story
The White House is a busy place, what with compiling that "kill list" for terrorists and developing a cyberweapons strategy against Iran. So is the Justice Department, what with flirting with being held in contempt of Congress over withheld information on the bungled Fast and Furious weapons operation. So President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder should clear a little time on their BlackBerry schedules and consider having an independent special counsel investigate recent national security leaks. It is... Full story
The Santa Fe City Council is considering a temporary hold on the stealth "community workforce agreement" ordinance it passed in February. Rather than delaying this act of political pandering to labor unions by the mayor and council, the council should repeal it outright. A city memo describes the agreement as a "pre-hire collective bargaining agreement that sets out in detail the terms of employment and hiring for all workers on large-scale public works construction projects." All workers on a project governed by a community...
New Mexico's wildfire season already is living up to its billing as another one to dread. Picture an inferno larger than the largest city in New Mexico. At more than 266 square miles — 80 square miles larger than Albuquerque — you have the Whitewater-Baldy Fire in the Gila National Forest. It is the largest fire in recorded New Mexico history and, at least last week, was the largest fire burning in the U.S. About 1,200 firefighters from around the state are battling the behemoth that formed when two lightning-started fir... Full story
New Mexico's wildfire season already is living up to its billing as another one to dread. Picture an inferno larger than the largest city in New Mexico. At more than 266 square miles — 80 square miles larger than Albuquerque — you have the Whitewater-Baldy Fire in the Gila National Forest. It is the largest fire in recorded New Mexico history and, at least last week, was the largest fire burning in the U.S. About 1,200 firefighters from around the state are battling the behemoth that formed when two lightning-started fir... Full story
Champion. Celebrity. Big-hearted. Troubled. Addict. Every life is filled with victories, complications and contradictions, and so was the life of Albuquerque native Johnny Tapia. But Tapia's life was bigger than most, as reflected in the coverage of his death by the major news and sporting media and celebrity gossip sources from around the world. The five-time world champion boxer died at his Albuquerque home on Sunday. He was 45. In his 2006 autobiography, "Mi Vida Loca," Tapia detailed his decades-long struggle with drug... Full story
Champion. Celebrity. Big-hearted. Troubled. Addict. Every life is filled with victories, complications and contradictions, and so was the life of Albuquerque native Johnny Tapia. But Tapia's life was bigger than most, as reflected in the coverage of his death by the major news and sporting media and celebrity gossip sources from around the world. The five-time world champion boxer died at his Albuquerque home on Sunday. He was 45. In his 2006 autobiography, "Mi Vida Loca," Tapia detailed his decades-long struggle with drug... Full story
This editorial on water conservation first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal: People can't live without water. It's that basic. So there is no more basic an infrastructure need in any city than its water system. Albuquerqueans are adapting to this desert climate by learning to conserve water, with metro area consumers admirably cutting per capita water use 40 percent since 1994 — reaching a key goal of 150 gallons per day 13 years earlier than expected. While that good effort helps stretch our supply, equipment still wears...
Some Albuquerque Public Schools board members seem to have taken leave of their civic sense with their support of a proposal to ban elected officials or candidates from speaking at high school graduations. Board member David Peercy said if the full board approves the proposal this week, it would even deny graduates the unlikely opportunity of hearing President Obama. Peercy graciously offered to explain the policy to the president. That would be some conversation. Maybe it could be taped and played to the graduates, instead... Full story
What does it take to get fired by the FAA, the agency in charge of making sure the skies are safe for the flying public? Apparently putting airplanes on near collision courses isn't enough. On Feb. 29, shortly after starting his 7 p.m. shift at the FAA radar facility at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Mississippi, controller Robert Beck put an Air Force C-130 transport jet on a converging course with a twin-engine turboprop. Beck had only those two planes to handle. Luckily, the controller Beck had relieved noticed...
Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera is once again the target of criticism, this time by Hispanics who are rightly concerned about the large achievement gap in New Mexico between Anglo and minority students, which has remained static for years. Gov. Susana Martinez appointed Skandera shortly after the 2010 election to reform the state's education system with a goal of lifting New Mexico out of its also long-standing position at or near the bottom of national rankings for student achievement. Skandera has proposed an...
