Hundreds to attend launch from Spaceport America

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Officials say that’s a sign that excitement is building as project moves closer to reality More than 350 people have signed up to attend Saturday’s educational launch from Spaceport America. Officials say that’s evidence that, as the project progresses from a proposal to reality, excitement is building. “It’s a feeling that the public is getting behind this. Everybody senses that it’s actually real,” spaceport Executive Director Steve Landeene said in an interview. A lot has happened in the last few months to move the publicly owned and funded spaceport from the drawing board closer to reality. Continue Reading

Educational Retirement Board also firing Aldus Equity

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In addition, governor orders the ERB to ban the use of third-party marketers for six months, consider making ban permanent A day after Gov. Bill Richardson announced that the State Investment Council (SIC) would terminate its contract with a company tied to scandal in New York and New Mexico, the Educational Retirement Board (ERB) is following suit and also firing Aldus Equity. The move, ordered by Richardson, was announced today in a news release from the governor’s office along with the ERB’s six-month ban on the use of third-party marketers by investment agencies seeking to do business with the agency. The ERB will evaluate the long-term implications of making the ban permanent, the news release states. “I feel strongly that a ban on these agents is necessary to restore confidence in our investment practices,” Richardson said in the release. “The practice of fund managers paying huge fees to third-party agents may be legal and legitimate, but the potential for a conflict of interest is troubling. Continue Reading

Swine flu didn’t cause Las Cruces boy’s death

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The Office of the Medical Investigator has ruled out swine flu as the cause of the Tuesday death of a 6-year-old Las Cruces boy, Doña Ana County announced this afternoon in a news release. The news release states that, despite initial media reports, “investigators say the boy never exhibited flu-like symptoms.” “Due to federal privacy laws regarding patient medical information, and out of respect for the grieving family, no further information will be released,” the county’s news release states. The Las Cruces Sun-News reported on Wednesday that tests would determine whether swine flu caused the boy’s death. The newspaper, quoting an official with the sheriff’s department, said the boy was sent home from school with a fever on Tuesday and died at about 5 p.m. After that article was published on the newspaper’s Web site, County Manager Brian Haines released a statement indicating that there was “zero evidence” that swine flu caused the boy’s death. Continue Reading

New blog isn’t affiliated with Val Kilmer

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Contrary to media reports, a new blog called Val Kilmer – The Real Deal isn’t an official Web site of the potential 2010 New Mexico gubernatorial candidate or affiliated with him in any way. The blog is affiliated with the lifestyle magazine Living Life…Boomer Style. That publication’s assistant editor, Shelli Carlisle, confirmed in an e-mail that the blog is not affiliated with Kilmer. As for the content on the site, Carlisle said it’s taken from “compilations from different interviews over the years” and doesn’t contain new writings or quotes from the actor. The blog isn’t political, but includes Kilmer quotes about love and New Mexico’s beauty. Continue Reading

Richardson orders termination of Aldus contract

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Governor also instructs the State Investment Council to suspend alternative investments until new policies are in place Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered the State Investment Council (SIC) to terminate its contract with a company tied to scandal in New York and New Mexico and to suspend all investments in anything other than stocks and bonds, his office announced late Wednesday. The termination of the SIC’s contract with Aldus Equity follows an internal probe by the SIC into Aldus’ dealings in New Mexico and the FBI’s questioning of state officials about Aldus. “At this time, we believe it is the most practical step for the investment office to take, given the realities of the current environment,” State Investment Officer Gary Bland said in a release. “Private equity is a critical asset class, and under existing circumstances, we feel it appropriate to forge ahead.” Earlier this month, the SIC and Educational Retirement Board (ERB) suspended their contracts with Aldus, which has handled billions of dollars in investments for the state. According to the news release, the SIC will begin looking for a new private equity adviser and, in the meantime, will work with other, existing financial consultants on private equity investments. Continue Reading

‘Zero evidence’ that swine flu caused child’s death

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In the face of the swine flu outbreak that is spreading across the world, officials are cautioning against jumping to conclusions about the Tuesday death of a 6-year-old boy in Las Cruces. “We recognize the community is concerned about swine flu, but I wish to be clear that we have zero evidence or test results that would lead us to speculate that this tragedy is part of the media-fed frenzy surrounding this unfolding world health story,” Doña Ana County Manager Brian Haines said in a prepared statement. There have been no confirmed cases of swine flu in New Mexico. Chris Minnick, spokesman for the state Department of Health, said in an interview that the state has identified two “probable” cases — a one-year-old boy in Santa Fe County and an 18-year-old man in Valencia County — and sent samples to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta for testing. He said results should be back in one or two days, and the department will announce any confirmed cases to the media as soon as they are available. Continue Reading

Day 100 summit to be held Friday in Las Cruces

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Organizing for America, President Barack Obama’s political action committee, will hold a summit on the president’s first 100 days in office on Friday in Las Cruces. The event will be held at the Branigan Cultural Center, 500 N. Water Street on the Downtown Mall, from 8-10 a.m. The event will include updates on food drives and community service projects, a status report on the economy and reports about renewable energy, health-care reform and educational issues, according to Organizing for America’s Web site. The event is free but space is limited. RSVP to OCC209@gmail.com or by clicking here. There’s a suggested donation of non-perishable food or money to benefit The Alice King Memorial Food Drive. Continue Reading

Test will determine if swine flu caused Cruces death

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An autopsy will determine whether the death of a six-year-old boy in Las Cruces was caused by the swine flu, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. Cody Scarbrough, a first-grader at Colombia Elementary School, was pronounced dead about 5 p.m. on Tuesday. While officials say they have no indication that the child’s death was swine-flu related, preliminary autopsy results that should be available by Friday should determine whether the child had the virus. New Mexico currently has no confirmed cases of swine flu, which is rapidly spreading across the globe. The first death outside of Mexico was confirmed today in Houston, where a two-year-old boy from Mexico died. Continue Reading

Debate ducker: Chávez to skip tonight’s forum

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This article has been updated.I’m big on calling out debate duckers. I’ve done it before with Bill Richardson, Steve Pearce and others. Now, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez is using a lame excuse to ditch the first forum of the mayoral race tonight. The New Mexico Independent is reporting that Chávez won’t attend the forum, which is hosted by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. His reason? Continue Reading

Rugby is out: Sen. Keller is doing things differently

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Sen. Tim Keller wants you to know he’s no Shannon Robinson. Keller, an Albuquerque Democrat who recently completed his first session, put out a news release today highlighting a big difference between him and the incumbent he unseated in last year’s primary: Keller has redirected $1 million in capital outlay money Robinson had allocated for projects “that were either of tangential importance to our community, earmarked for special projects outside our district, no longer feasible or irresponsible,” the release states. “Traditionally, capital outlay funds are used for community projects, schools, roads in legislator’s respective districts and other projects the legislator deems important,” Keller’s news release states. “However, upon investigation of historical District 17 capital outlay, approximately $1,057,000 was deemed not in line with community priorities.” That included $656,000 Robinson had allocated for a “rugby field concession stand in Santa Fe,” Keller’s release states. So, in the session that ended last month, Keller redirected that $1 million to projects in his district including school buildings and equipment, street and lighting improvements and a veteran’s integration center. Continue Reading

Article examines the ‘King of Pocket Vetoes’

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Gov. Bill Richardson has been labeled by the Santa Fe Reporter’s Dave Maass as “hands down the contemporary King of Pocket Vetoes.” While there were no pocket vetoes of bills in New Mexico between 1976 and 1995 — and Richardson’s predecessor, Gary Johnson, pocket vetoed only a handful of bills during his tenure — Richardson has used the tool to kill dozens of bills each year since he took office in 2003, Maass writes in an article published today. The pocket veto is the killing of a bill simply by failing to sign it before the deadline to act on legislation. The governor can also kill bills by actively vetoing them and including a message about why he’s doing it. The first, conservative blogger Mario Burgos told Maass, is the “passive-aggressive approach to government.” “Historically, one of the reasons the governor uses pocket vetoes is to avoid putting himself in the crosshairs for making unpopular decisions,” Burgos was quoted by Maass as saying. “It’s a way for him to appease legislators or special interests instead of making the hard decision by vetoing it.”This year, Richardson’s pocket vetoes included three bills that would have stripped the governor’s control of the State Investment Council, required legislative review of the administration’s spending of federal stimulus money and authorized the Legislative Finance Committee to review confidential information, such as patient health documents, from state agencies without making it public. Continue Reading

Sen. Lopez enters lieutenant governor race

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State Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, announced this weekend that she’s running for lieutenant governor next year. Lopez is the second candidate to enter the race. Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano, a Democrat, is also running. Lopez formally jumped into the 2010 Democratic primary this weekend at the state Democratic Party’s central committee meeting by telling those in attendance that she’s running. The senator, who is in her 13th year in that position, later confirmed her candidacy to 770 KKOB-AM reporter Peter St. Continue Reading

Gap between contracts with law firm raises questions

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Five months lapsed between two contracts that the state attorney general’s office signed with a Houston law firm that’s suing a pharmaceutical company on behalf of New Mexico. During that time, no contract was in effect, but the law firm continued to work. That raises questions about whether the legal work Bailey Perrin Bailey did during that time could be challenged and whether the firm can be paid for that work. There’s also a question about why the gap exists. While the AG’s office says it was merely an oversight, the Wall Street Journal, which has already hit Attorney General Gary King and others it claims have engaged in a “pay-to-sue” scheme against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, suggests there might be an ulterior motive. Continue Reading

Mexican border crossings open, but travel discouraged

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The State Department on Monday evening issued a warning to U.S. citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico because of the spreading swine flu. Soon thereafter, U.S. Rep. Harry Teague, a Democrat who represents the southern portion of the state, issued this statement: “While non-essential travel is discouraged, I want to remind all residents of southern New Mexico that the U.S.-Mexico ports of entry are open,” Teague said. “Our federal agents at the border are taking every precaution to prevent transmission of swine flu, and I urge all residents of southern New Mexico to become familiar with the steps necessary to avoid becoming infected with swine flu.” There’s worry about what the flu could do to the already struggling U.S. economy. The European Union has discouraged travel by its citizens to Mexico and the United States, where cases of the swine flu have been confirmed in New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California. And there’s this statement in an Associated Press article about the situation: “The virus poses a potentially grave new threat to the U.S. economy, which was showing tentative early signs of a recovery,” the article states. Continue Reading

Oops: Caldera takes blame for panic-causing flyover

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The most appropriate word for this incident seems to be “oops.” Louis Caldera, the director of the White House’s military office and a former University of New Mexico president, approved a flyover that — understandably — caused quite a stir on Monday in New York City.From The Associated Press: “One of the president’s official planes and a supersonic fighter jet zoomed past the lower Manhattan skyline in a flash just as the work day was beginning Monday. Within minutes, startled financial workers streamed out of their offices, fearing a nightmarish replay of Sept. 11. “For a half-hour, the Boeing 747 and F-16 jet circled the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan skyline near the World Trade Center site. Offices evacuated. Continue Reading