Las Cruces’ voter turnout really is spotty

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Doña Ana County Elections Supervisor Lynn Ellins’ description of today’s voter turnout as “spotty” appears to be appropriate. Turnout is consistently low in the north and south, but in and around Las Cruces, some precincts have ten times the votes of others. At 2:30 p.m., one precinct at Picacho Middle School had more than 100 votes cast, while the other precinct there had about 20. Though at 3:15 p.m. one precinct at Camino Real Middle School had 304 voters, one at the Branigan Library had only 28 voters by 4:30 p.m. “There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason or pattern,” Ellins said. He estimated that 10,000 to 12,000 people will vote today. Continue Reading

Voter turnout also strong on Las Cruces’ East Mesa

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It isn’t just the west side of Las Cruces that has strong voter turnout in today’s spaceport tax election. By 3:15 p.m., 304 people had voted at one precinct at Camino Real Middle School off Roadrunner Parkway, and 129 had cast ballots at the other precinct there. And by 3 p.m., 149 had voted at one precinct at Highland Elementary School off U.S. Highway 70. Two other precincts there had 84 and 68 voters. Though the numbers aren’t fabulous, in Las Cruces, at least, they appear to be better than expected for a special election. Continue Reading

Voter turnout high in parts of Oscar Butler’s district

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Voter turnout is heavy – at least for an off-year, special election – in several rural communities to the north and west of Las Cruces. Those communities all fall in the county commission district of Oscar Vasquez Butler, the most outspoken opponent of the spaceport tax. Whether that means those voters oppose the tax isn’t yet known. But county Elections Supervisor Lynn Ellins said there have already been 250 voters in Picacho Hills, more than 100 at a precinct at Picacho Middle School, more than 90 at Fairacres Elementary and very heavy turnout in Radium Springs. None of those communities are the rural colonias that make up the majority of Butler’s district. Continue Reading

Richardson leaves Sunday on North Korea trip

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Gov. Bill Richardson will leave Sunday on a trip to North Korea aimed at securing the release of remains of missing servicemen. The White House announced today that Richardson will lead a bipartisan U.S. delegation on the trip, according to Reuters. The group will leave Sunday and return Wednesday. Richardson and Anthony Principi, former veterans affairs secretary, will head the group. “Governor Richardson is pleased to jointly head, along with former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi, a bipartisan delegation of Americans to facilitate the release of remains of U.S. serviceman,” Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said. Continue Reading

Turnout low in north and south, decent in Las Cruces

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Voter turnout has been pretty weak today in the northern and southern areas of the county but, in at least a few precincts in Las Cruces, it has been pretty strong. Doña Ana County Elections Supervisor Lynn Ellins said voter turnout has been “spotty,” and said he was surprised to learn it’s been quiet in the north and south. Low voter turnout in the south likely helps those pushing for approval of the tax. Low voter turnout in the north, and particularly in Hatch, likely benefits those who oppose the tax. Ellins said there has been unusually high turnout in the Radium Springs area. Continue Reading

March surprise: Richardson wins online contest

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Supporters of the presidential campaign of Gov. Bill Richardson are promoting their candidate’s netroots strength after a recent and surprising victory in an online contest. Richardson was recently picked to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for president in the Presidential March Madness contest sponsored by the left-leaning ProgressNow Action. The online contest, modeled after the bracket for the NCAA basketball tournament, allowed people to vote only if they entered their e-mail addresses. More than 30,000 voted. Washington for Richardson blogger Ken Camp said the victory shows that “Richardson’s online supporters… are stronger than the formidable netroots machines that we’re hearing that other candidates have put together.” Rudy Giuliani won the contest for the Republican Party nomination. Continue Reading

Denish to visit Las Cruces, Hatch on Thursday

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will be in Las Cruces and Hatch on Thursday for a number of events. Denish, who is planning to run for governor in 2010, will begin her day teaching a women’s history class at 11 a.m. at Mayfield High School, and will then present a certificate of achievement to the AAAAA state champion Mayfield girl’s basketball team, according to a news release. At 1 p.m., she will attend a town hall meeting in Hatch with other elected officials to discuss flooding. The event will be held at the Hatch Community Center, 837 West Hall Street, and is open to the public. At 4 p.m., Denish will meet with Sens. Continue Reading

Rocket moved after being too close to polling place

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A 37-foot tall rocket had to be moved across the street from Picacho Middle School this morning because it was too close to that polling place. Not that moving the massive object 300 feet changes the fact that it’s what everyone is looking at as they approach the school. It’s probably the first time in the state’s history that a rocket had to be moved because it was too close to a polling place. Starchaser Industries brought its Nova-Starchaser 4 from Britain last week. The rocket is making appearances at schools in Doña Ana County today and was at the middle school in the Las Cruces district this morning. Continue Reading

Polls open on time; pro-tax campaigners out in force

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Voting in the spaceport tax election appears to be slow but steady this morning. A steady stream of voters trickled in to three polling sites I visited between 7 and 8 a.m. Doña Ana County spokesman Jess Williams said all polling places opened on time. There were a few minor problems – a few workers didn’t show up and a few machines had glitches – but none of it affected the opening of polling sites or their operation. I found several spots around Las Cruces where tax supporters were campaigning. I drove all around Las Cruces and didn’t find any opponents campaigning. Continue Reading

Vote today in county spaceport tax election

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Today is the day voters in Doña Ana County decide whether to raise the gross receipts tax 1/4 percent to help fund Spaceport America. There’s a lot at stake. To read my take on the situation, click here. To read previous articles on this site, including guest columns debating the tax, click here. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Absentee ballots are due by the time the polls close. Continue Reading

Richardson signs bill legalizing medical marijuana

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Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law today a controversial bill that would legalize marijuana for medical use. Richardson pushed hard for the bill’s passage during the regular session earlier this year and succeeding in resurrecting it after the House originally killed it. “This law will provide much-needed relief for New Mexicans suffering from debilitating diseases,” Richardson said. “It is the right thing to do.” Senate Bill 523, sponsored by Shannon Robinson, D-Albuquerque, defines the medical conditions for which legal marijuana will be allowed to include HIV, AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. The bill also creates a panel of eight physicians and health care professionals who will supervise the program. Continue Reading

Council to set course for aquatic, recreation center

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When Doña Ana County’s lawmakers secured more than $18 million in 2006 to create an aquatic and recreation facility in Las Cruces, most intended that it be a multipurpose facility similar to the Genoveva Chavez Center in Santa Fe. It quickly became clear that the money wouldn’t fully fund the desires of everyone in the community. A well-organized group that has pushed for more city pools in recent years immediately tried to stake its claim to the funding and is pushing hard for an Olympic-sized, 50-meter pool. Many lawmakers have pushed back, saying a smaller, 25-meter pool would leave money for other purposes including basketball courts and weight-lifting areas. The Las Cruces City Council is set to decide on April 9 the direction the facility will take. Continue Reading

More than 4,200 vote early in spaceport tax election

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Some 4.4 percent of Doña Ana County’s registered voters have already voted in Tuesday’s election on whether to raise the gross receipts tax 1/4 percent to help fund Spaceport America. With another 171 absentee ballots yet to be returned, the number of absentee voters will grow. Currently, 4,229 people have voted early and absentee, according to the clerks’ office. That’s 4.4 percent of the 96,435 people registered to vote for the spaceport tax election. There were 3,829 early voters and 400 returned absentee ballots as of Saturday evening. Continue Reading

New Mexico’s film industry makes Hollywood nervous

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New Mexico’s aggressive courtship of the film industry has many in Hollywood nervous, the Los Angeles Times is reporting. New Mexico has aggressively pursued the industry at a time when many in California are frustrated that its state government isn’t working hard enough to stay competitive. “Unlike scores of states seeking film shoots that pack up and leave when they are finished, New Mexico is zeroing in on the nuts and bolts of Hollywood,” the Times reports. “By luring the support companies that form the bedrock of the Los Angeles entertainment economy, New Mexico aims to lay the foundation for a top-tier movie and TV production business.” The state has seen some success: Sony Pictures Imageworks is planning to move more than 100 jobs from the Los Angeles area to Albuquerque. Star Waggons, which leases trailers at film shoots in California, is opening an office in Albuquerque. Continue Reading

Help determine your community’s future by voting

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I’ve been asked several times whether I will endorse the spaceport tax. I won’t – I generally don’t do endorsements. With that said, here are my thoughts on the vote: Tuesday’s election on whether to raise the gross receipts tax 1/4 percent in Doña Ana County to help fund Spaceport America is about much more than money. It’s about whether this community wants to embark on a road that will be full of potholes and uncertainty, but a road that has the potential to change the world and, in the process, lead to better lives for the area’s residents. On Tuesday, this community will make a decision that could determine its course for decades. Continue Reading