Justice official invokes Fifth Amendment, won’t shed light on U.S. attorney firings or Domenici meeting

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A Justice Department senior aide is refusing to testify about a meeting with Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. and other involvement she had in the decision last year to fire eight U.S. attorneys. Monica Goodling’s decision to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination was advised by her attorney, who told the Associated Press the Senate Judiciary Committee’s inquiry into the firings is a perjury trap. Goodling’s decision to refuse a subpoena means she won’t shed light on the conversation with Domenici, who says he complained about former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. Goodling, the Justice Department’s liaison to the White House, was intimately involved in the firings and considered a key witness in the investigation. She’s currently on voluntary leave from her job. Continue Reading

With so many unanswered questions, tax is premature

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This is the eighth in a series of guest columns debating whether Doña Ana County voters should approve a 1/4 percent gross-receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. By Karen Perez I will vote “no” on the spaceport tax. As an engineer with more than 18 years of experience in the development of large capital projects, I have three primary concerns: • Should we invest public money in what is essentially a private venture, and what kind of precedent are we setting by making this investment? • Is this a viable capital project worthy of a $7 million annual investment? • Should this project be a priority for Doña Ana County? Continue Reading

Memorandum details Virgin’s planned spaceport lease

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Officials from the New Mexico Space Authority and Virgin Galactic signed a lengthy, detailed memorandum of agreement today they said will become a lease agreement if voters in Doña Ana County approve next week a gross receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. The 39-page memorandum isn’t legally binding, but is a detailed document that resulted from a lot of work. It proves commitments by the state and company to enter into the lease agreement, said New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans, chair of the space authority. The lease should be ready to sign within 2-3 months, he said. “There should not be any question in anybody’s mind that this is the immediate precursor to a lease agreement,” Homans said. Continue Reading

Polls: Richardson isn’t gaining in Iowa, N.H.

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Gov. Bill Richardson’s poll numbers in two key states aren’t showing a lot of improvement, at least not yet. The polls, conducted last week by American Research Group, show that Richardson isn’t making any headway among Democratic contenders in Iowa and New Hampshire, two of four states that are holding primary contests in January. In Iowa, the poll found Richardson’s support at 1 percent, which is where it has been since the first poll in December. In New Hampshire, Richardson’s support was at 2 percent, which is where it’s been for the last four months. Richardson was tied with Chris Dodd and Dennis Kucinich for sixth place among Democratic contenders in the Iowa poll, with 10 percent of those surveyed saying they were undecided. Continue Reading

Richardson seeks cash as reporting deadline nears

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Saturday marks the end of first-quarter fundraising for 2008 presidential candidates. Gov. Bill Richardson is making a push this week to have an impact when his campaign reports what he raised during the period. The numbers reported next month will be analyzed by pundits to determine the health of campaigns, so the deadline is very important to second-tier candidates like Richardson. There’s a chance some second-tier candidates will drop out of the race. Richardson began today a push to raise $500,000 before the midnight deadline on Saturday. Continue Reading

Las Cruces gets new city clerk

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Las Cruces has a new city clerk, and one of her first tasks will be running the municipal election later this year. Esther Martinez, the deputy city clerk who has been running the show for the past five months, was promoted last week, City Manager Terrence Moore announced in his weekly report to city councilors on Friday. She officially begins as permanent clerk a week from today. Moore wrote that Martinez’s immediate challenge will be filling the deputy clerk job she’s leaving. Following that, she’ll have to prepare for the November election, in which the mayor’s seat, three council positions and one judgeship are up for grabs. Continue Reading

Spaceport America is our community’s opportunity

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This is the seventh in a series of guest columns debating whether Doña Ana County voters should approve a 1/4 percent gross-receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. By John L. Hummer If you are someone who doubts a commercial space industry can be developed in Southern New Mexico or that such an industry can inspire and change the lives of future generations of children, just think about Kitty Hawk, N.C. It’s the birthplace of aviation and the place where Wilbur and Orville Wright made historic and successful manned flights on Dec. 17, 1903. I would bet, following this historic event, there were skeptics throughout the townships surrounding Kitty Hawk who laughed at the thought of commercial aviation, let alone the development of an aircraft industry in North Carolina. So many unanswered questions. Continue Reading

Documents appear to contradict Gonzales’ claim of limited involvement in U.S. attorney firings

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Support for U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales continued to be stripped away over the weekend as documents released Friday evening show that he was more involved in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys than he previously admitted. It was another in a long series of contradictions, withheld facts and backtracking by the Department of Justice that have caused the situation to explode into full-blown scandal, but is, to date, the first contradictory statement made by the attorney general himself. Gonzales said during a March 13 news conference, in explaining that he had only a limited role in the firings, that he “never saw documents (related to the firing of the attorneys.) We never had a discussion about where things stood.” But documents reveal that he attended an hour-long meeting on Nov. 27, 2006, days before the firings, at which he approved the department’s plan for executing the firings. The department quickly tried to spin the situation by saying there’s no evidence Gonzales discussed who was being fired, but only that he talked about how it would be done. Continue Reading

Majority who vote in poll don’t support spaceport tax

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A majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said they don’t support a 1/4 percent gross receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. Of 170 voters, 93, or 55 percent, said they don’t support the tax, while 77, or 45 percent, said they do support it. The election is April 3. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Check out this site’s ethical guidelines

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The Internet is rife with blogs and other Web sites that spread rumor and lack standards. With that in mind, I’ve been working for awhile on a set of ethical guidelines for this site designed to help you understand how I approach the work I do and let you know that this site has integrity. I posted the ethical guidelines today. They cover a wide range of topics related to editorial content, advertising, unnamed sources and other issues. Check them out by clicking here. Continue Reading

Senate votes to adjourn again, awaits House action

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The New Mexico Senate voted again today to adjourn sine die in defiance of the governor. It’s the second time in a week the Senate has voted to end the session and reject Gov. Bill Richardson’s call for a special session. The move places the ball back in the House’s court, as that chamber’s membership must now decide whether to adjourn sine die and end the session or force the Senate to meet a third time. The Senate didn’t approve the feed bill before adjourning today, so House members would be working without per diem, as they did during the first week of the special session, if they continue. If they keep working, the Senate must return by Wednesday, but could vote to adjourn again. Continue Reading

Virgin Galactic lease deal to be announced Monday

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Officials from the state and Virgin Galactic will announce Monday that they have reached an agreement on the framework of a lease of the Spaceport America facility to be constructed northeast of Las Cruces. The announcement will be made at 3:30 p.m. at the university club in the Stan Fulton Center on the New Mexico State University campus. Officials from the state and Virgin will be present. New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans said Thursday night that negotiations were underway and a deal on a memorandum of understanding that would set the terms of a lease could be reached within days. Apparently, the deal has been reached. Continue Reading

Senate scheduled to convene at 10 a.m. Saturday

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The New Mexico Senate is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Saturday to decide whether to consider the proposals on the agenda for the special session or again adjourn sine die. I’ll have an update on Saturday, so check back then. The Senate is notorious for not starting on time, so the body won’t likely convene until 10:30 a.m. or later. The parties are scheduled to convene in separate caucuses at 9 a.m., and I’m told that’s when Democrats will decide whether to stay and work or again vote to end the session. It should be interesting. Continue Reading

Richardson signs bill raising minimum wage to $7.50

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In January, the state’s minimum wage will rise to $6.50 per hour. A year after that, it will be $7.50. During a brief appearance in Santa Fe between presidential campaign trips, Gov. Bill Richardson signed a bill today that raises the minimum wage. Senate Bill 324, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Ben Altamirano, D-Silver City, does not allow automatic cost-of-living increases and exempts agricultural workers. It prevents cities and counties that haven’t already raised their minimum wages above the state’s from doing so until 2010. Continue Reading

Senate calling the shots after a session of wise moves

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For four years, Republicans and a number of Democrats in the New Mexico Senate fumed as Gov. Bill Richardson used his veto pen as a weapon. They steamed as Richardson took stances and made moves they believed were geared more toward building his résumé than serving the citizens of New Mexico. They fought proposed sharp increases in the state’s budget they believed wouldn’t be sustainable. And they lost. Repeatedly, Richardson outmaneuvered them, aided by a House Democratic caucus that, most of the time, went along with the governor’s demands. Continue Reading