Radio station to webcast audio from Legislature

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A radio station is planning a new public service to help increase access to the business of the New Mexico Legislature. Jim Williams, news director for KUNM 89.9-FM, says his station plans to begin webcasting audio from the Legislature on Tuesday. While the station will focus primarily on the Senate, it plans to switch to webcasting audio from the House floor “when there are important or contentious debates there,” Williams said. The plan, he said, is to webcast “as much as we can, potentially ‘round the clock.” KUNM didn’t seek or need to seek permission. Media outlets have access to audio feeds from the floors of the House and Senate that they can tap into at any time. Continue Reading

Dragging the Legislature into the 21st Century

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Rep. Arnold-Jones plans to revolt against legislative leaders by broadcasting her committee meetings online. State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones certainly isn’t the first lawmaker in New Mexico to push for webcasting of legislative proceedings, but she’s the one with the most original idea yet to make it happen. Arnold-Jones, an Albuquerque Republican, bought a webcam and set up her own Web site that will allow her to stream live video and audio over the Internet from the two committees on which she sits — Taxation and Revenue and Voters and Elections. You can visit the Web site by clicking here. She plans to begin broadcasting online when both committees meet for the first time — tax and revenue Monday at 1:30 p.m. and voters and elections Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. The only remaining question is whether legislative leaders, including House Speaker Ben Lujan, will try to stop her. Continue Reading

Close relative of two state lawmakers dies

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There’s a rosary this evening for George R. Garcia, who died Sunday following a lengthy illness, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. Garcia, the husband of state Rep. Mary Helen Garcia and uncle of Rep. Joseph Cervantes, was also himself an active politico. When John Edwards visited Mesilla as the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004, the party chose Garcia to meet Edwards and shake his hand in front of the media as Edwards stepped off an airplane at the Las Cruces International Airport. The rosary will be held at 7 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral in Las Cruces. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the cathedral and officiated by Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, head of the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces. Continue Reading

Learning from Bush’s mistakes

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Obama might appear to be wholly different than the outgoing president, but W wasn’t always the divisive figure he became after 9/11. Bush’s transformation should serve as a warning to the new president.Just before George W. Bush boarded a helicopter on Tuesday and left behind the nation’s capital and the presidency, Barack Obama saw him off with a hug, a handshake and a smile. In stark contrast, moments later, countless Obama supporters who had just watched the inauguration mocked Bush by singing, “Nah nah nah nah, hey hey, goodbye,” as his helicopter circled for one last look at the White House. That’s sad. Understandable, but still sad. Continue Reading

Tremendous challenges, unmatched opportunity

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By U.S. Rep. Ben R. Luján In my first two weeks in Washington, there has been much excitement. I was sworn in on Jan. 6, voted on several pieces of legislation including a bill that could provide over 32,000 New Mexican children with health care coverage and settled into a small rental apartment. The importance of the work ahead has been clear, but this weekend — as visitors converged on Washington filled with hope and led by a desire to change the direction of our country — marked the true start of a new era of American government. Millions of Americans have taken a personal stake in the success of our next president, and they took to Washington in celebration of change and hope. Continue Reading

Kilmer sounds confident about 2010 chances

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Val Kilmer is sounding quite confident in his most recent comments about his potential run for governor of New Mexico, like he believes the job is his — if he decides he wants it.“There are a lot of actors who become politicians,” Kilmer said on Tuesday, citing Ronald Reagan, Clint Eastwood and Arnold Schwarzenegger as examples. “And they always win, so I guess we’ll see.” Kilmer was speaking to the Boston Globe at an inauguration party in Washington. The actor, who lives on a ranch near Pecos, has been openly considering running for governor in 2010. He’s been registered but never voted in New Mexico, and only recently became a Democrat, but his entry into the 2010 primary would shift the dynamic that currently favors Lt. Gov. Diane Denish. On the Republican side, former U.S. Reps. Continue Reading

Obama moved quickly to halt guv’s nomination

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Nine hours. That’s how long it took Barack Obama’s transition team to ensure that Bill Richardson was stripped of the title of “commerce secretary-designate” once it became fully aware that a federal grand jury investigation into Richardson’s administration in New Mexico might be a problem, according to an article in the New York Times. “We saw the problem, understood it, Bill understood it wasn’t viable, and we stopped it,” John Podesta, co-chairman of Obama’s transition team, was quoted by the newspaper as saying. Podesta refused to talk about how the decision to pull Richardson’s nomination was made. Obama and Richardson have both insisted that it was Richardson’s decision, but there’s been a dispute between their two camps about whether Richardson disclosed the seriousness of the investigation to Obama and his transition team before Obama decided to nominate the New Mexico governor for the job. Continue Reading

I survived the Purple Tunnel of Doom

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A slightly different inaugural story By Philip Zakahi Heath first asked me to write this column Monday afternoon. I accepted the offer, assuming I would be writing about my impression of the inauguration ceremony itself. Little did I know I would be a participant in the “Purple Ticket Fiasco,” spending just under five hours in the I-395 3rd Street Tunnel — “The Purple Tunnel of Doom” — a four lane, 0.75-mile tunnel traveling under the National Mall. I think I should preface this by noting that, unlike almost all of the people I was in the tunnel with, I got in to the ceremony. Having given up hope of getting in, and with only a few minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin, I found myself among a few hundred purple ticket holders who, for no other reason than being in the right place at the right time, the Secret Service and capitol police saw fit to take pity on. Continue Reading

Inspiring us to make our world a little better

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By U.S. Rep. Martin HeinrichYou could hear them coming. By 5:30 a.m. yesterday morning, the revelers and enthusiasts were on the street outside the window of my Capitol Hill apartment. It was bitter cold outside but you couldn’t tell by the large number of people making their way to the inauguration at this early morning hour. By the time my wife Julie and I walked over to the Capitol building around 9:30 a.m., the crowds were everywhere. As members of Congress gathered on the House floor, Reps. Continue Reading

Thinking about how far we’ve come

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By U.S. Rep. Harry Teague Yesterday, when I blogged about the excitement of the high school kids I met from Deming, I never could have imagined how magnified that feeling would be today. Throughout the morning, the crowds were full of excitement and hope. Although it was bitterly cold and the long lines were unending, people stayed upbeat, patient and enthusiastic. When I took my seat near where Barack Obama would soon be sworn in as our next president, I could see that the crowd filled up the entire National Mall — from the Capitol all the way to the Washington Monument. The determination of the crowds today was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I believe it is representative of the character of our nation. Continue Reading

Politicos comment on Obama’s inauguration

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This article has been updated. Here are some comments about the inauguration of President Barack Obama from New Mexico politicos.From 1st Congressional District Rep. Martin Heinrich: “What an incredible day for all Americans! Having just witnessed the inauguration of President Barack Obama, I am filled with a tremendous sense of hope, patriotism and pride,” he said in a statement released by his office. “I look forward to working with President Obama to renew America’s promise. Our times are certainly challenging, but I am confident that together we can overcome any obstacle to move this great nation forward and achieve the change our constituents asked for and deserve.” From 2nd Congressional District Rep. Harry Teague: “Today I witnessed the historic swearing in of President Barack Obama,” he said. Continue Reading

A quick joke, then guv gets down to business

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In state of state address, Richardson sends a message: He, not scandal, budget constraints or anything else, is still determining the state’s course.Gov. Bill Richardson made only one reference to the federal grand jury investigation plaguing his administration during his state of the state address today, and he did it with a joke: “Now I know there were some legislators here who were looking forward to my departure and not having — you weren’t supposed to laugh — and not having to deal with me this session,” Richardson said. “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you.” Then Richardson got down to business, unloading on lawmakers a lengthy agenda for the session that includes balancing the budget but also dealing with education, alternative energy, crime, ethics reform and other issues. The message from Richardson seemed to be that he isn’t weakened at all by the controversy and that he, not scandal, budget constraints or anything else, is still determining the state’s course. To that end, Richardson acknowledged the necessity of trimming the budget, but said there’s much more to do than cut spending. “Everyone understands why this must be the year of fiscal restraint. Continue Reading

Lujan praises Obama, talks about economy, ethics

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Ben Lujan, speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives, had a lot of praise for new President Barack Obama in a speech this afternoon, and he also spoke about the state’s economic situation and the need for ethics reform.Lujan devoted a great deal of his speech, which he gave shortly after being re-elected speaker on a party-line vote, repeating lines from the inaugural address Obama gave earlier today and praising the president’s policy proposals. Lujan’s re-election to the speaker position was expected. In his speech, Lujan also highlighted the state’s struggling economy, but he said the state is “not affected in the same degree as other parts in the country.” Still, Lujan said, the Legislature “must be prudent and fiscally responsible while being cognizant that we are working in a very fragile circumstance.” Referring only briefly to the cloud of controversy that is currently hanging over the Richardson administration and Santa Fe, Lujan said he looks forward to working with the governor, attorney general and others “to strengthen our resolve” in the area of ethics. “Trust and confidence and integrity are the cornerstones… of our democracy,” Lujan said. Continue Reading

Senate keeps Jennings as pro tem

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This article has been updated. The New Mexico Senate opted today to keep Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, as its president pro tem and continue being a strong check on the governor’s power.On a vote of 23-19, Jennings defeated Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, for the leadership position. Though Jennings is keeping a job he’s already been holding, his victory also represents a revolt against his caucus, which voted late last year to nominate Cisneros to replace Jennings. Jennings won today with a coalition of Republicans and Democrats. Under that collation, the Senate has been the only real check on the governor’s power in Santa Fe, and many had characterized the leadership battle as a choice between continuing along that path or becoming friendlier to Bill Richardson and his agenda.Update, 1 p.m. The Democrats who sided with Republicans to keep Jennings as pro tem were Jennings, Linda Lopez, Linda Lovejoy, Howie Morales, George Muñoz, Mary Kay Papen, John Sapien and John Arthur Smith.Update, 1:25 p.m. “While there might be a little divide, that’s over. Continue Reading