County funding makes film-industry lobbyist a reality

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On a 3-2 vote, the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners decided today to provide $25,000 to NMSU to help pay an employee whose job will be attracting films to the area. The vote formally approved an agreement with the Creative Media Institute at New Mexico State University designed to help draw films to the area. The City of Las Cruces and NMSU have already agreed to each provide $25,000 for the position, so the county’s vote ensures it will become a reality. The position is essentially that of an economic development employee who will lobby Hollywood to shoot films in Doña Ana County and help coordinate such projects. Having such an employee recently helped draw the filming of part of the fourth Indiana Jones film to the Deming area. Continue Reading

County likely to increase public input in development

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The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners appears prepared to place new requirements on developers that are designed to ensure the public has input in the approval process. Commissioners, at today’s meeting, unanimously approved a resolution that will direct staff to begin drafting amendments to the Land Use Regulations and Zoning Ordinance to require developers of projects of 100 lots or larger to hold two “town-hall” style meetings prior to the county review process. The amendments, which are likely to be approved by commissioners at a future date, would apply to development proposals only in unincorporated areas of the county that are not in the extraterritorial zone around Las Cruces that is governed by a joint city/county board. The proposal by Commissioner Bill McCamley would require developers of such projects to hold such meetings at reasonable times and in publicly accessible locations as close to their proposed developments as possible. It would require the developers to give the county notice of such meetings 10 days before they’re held to allow the county time to publicize them. Continue Reading

Bingaman to introduce bill to fight global warming

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U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman will unveil a long-awaited proposal on Wednesday aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the United States through the establishment of a cap-and-trade system. Bingaman’s office said today that the state’s Democratic senator won’t release details until the news conference, which will be held in Washington at 10 a.m. MST. He told me in January, during an interview at his Washington office, that the legislation would cap emissions and allow the trading of usage permits, which the senator called “the most significant action we could take to begin dealing with this issue.” Even before it’s formally announced, Bingaman’s plan has drawn the ire of many on the right and left. The Competitive Enterprise Institute criticized a draft circulated in January as legislation that would “increase consumer energy costs, chill investment in new coal-fired plants and usher in a new era of anti-energy litigation.” And the site Blue Climate criticized Bingaman’s proposal in January as one that “falls short” because it doesn’t do enough to combat global warming. Bingaman told me in January that he has supported more drastic measures in the past, but they were easily defeated, and he is trying to put together legislation that will reduce emissions and that actually has a chance of being approved by Congress and signed by President Bush. Continue Reading

Chávez promotes pet programs in Las Cruces

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Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez got a chance to promote changes his city has made in its attitude toward pets today in a presentation to the Las Cruces City Council, which is considering a number of issues to deal with problems here. Albuquerque has made a number of changes in recent years, including a mandatory spay and neuter program and the construction of several dog parks, that have lowered the city’s euthianization numbers by 9 percent and earned it a ranking of the third most pet-friendly city in the nation. In the wake of a number of high-profile animal hoarding cases, Las Cruces officials are considering how to deal with an out-of-control pet population and attitudes that lead to such problems. Also presenting to the council was Heather Greenhood, Animal Protection Voters of New Mexico legislative director, who said the Las Cruces humane society takes in 40 animals each day and spends $715,000 each year euthanizing animals. Reducing its number of euthanized animals by 9 percent would save the city about $65,000 each year, she said. How to do it? Continue Reading

Heinrich raises $181,000 for congressional run

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Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich raised more than $181,000 in the last three months for his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. Heinrich, a Democrat, announced in a news release today that he raised more than $181,000 from nearly 700 donors for the reporting period that ended June 30 – his first in the race. “I am truly humbled by the strong support my candidacy has received,” Heinrich said in the release. “The outpouring of grassroots energy I have witnessed since entering this race demonstrates to me that voters are ready for new leadership. As I have spoken with voters across this district, they have told me that they’re sick and tired of the failed policies of George Bush and Heather Wilson, and they’re ready to put our country back on the right track.” Heinrich’s campaign manager, Philip Muller, said he didn’t have exact numbers for Heinrich’s expenses or how much cash he has on hand, but said the on-hand amount would be more than $150,000. “We’ve been running a very lean, mean operation,” he said. Continue Reading

ABC News scrutinizes guv’s role in corporate scandal

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As was certain to happen when he became a more prominent presidential candidate, Gov. Bill Richardson is drawing new scrutiny for his role in a corporation that collapsed in 2002 amid scandal. An article detailing Richardson’s involvement in the collapse of the San Diego-based Peregrine Systems is prominently featured today on ABC News’ Web site. Richardson sat on the board of the company for more than a year prior to its collapse. Its top executives are accused of conspiring to falsely inflate its revenue by more than $500 million. Eleven have pleaded guilty, and four others are awaiting trial after pleading not guilty. Continue Reading

McCamley raises $140,000 during second quarter

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Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley, who is attempting to unseat U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce next year, raised just under $140,000 in his first three months in the race. That’s an impressive total, and it’s more than any previous Democratic challenger to the GOP representative was able to raise in the first fundraising quarter he was in the race. McCamley announced Sunday evening in a news release that he raised $139,600 during the fundraising quarter that ended June 30. He entered the race on April 4, three days after the quarter began. McCamley’s campaign spent $6,300 during the period, leaving him with $133,300 on hand. Continue Reading

Article tells all about influential businessman

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You might recall me writing during this year’s legislative session about a proposal to provide a $30 million loan guarantee for a tilapia farm in Hidalgo County. The proposal was killed by lawmakers because it came up at the last minute, and many thought something smelled fishy. The project was pushed by Johnny Cope, the chairman of the state Transportation Commission and a close friend of Gov. Bill Richardson. At the time, he was a director of the New Mexico Tilapia Corporation. Turns out he’s one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the state. Continue Reading

Officials confident cockfighting ban will hold up

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State officials are confident that the cockfighting ban that took effect June 15 will withstand a challenge from the New Mexico Gamefowl Breeders Association and six businessmen who filed a lawsuit Thursday in an attempt to overturn the new law. The lawsuit, filed in Lea County, alleges that the ban violates 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and that legislators violated procedures mandated by the state constitution when approving the ban earlier this year, the Associated Press is reporting. The move by the cockfighting industry was expected. State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, who sponsored the legislation, said she’s confident it will remain in place. “I knew they were going to, but that’s fine,” Garcia said of the lawsuit. Continue Reading

Most who vote in poll say Richardson is in top tier

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site say Gov. Bill Richardson has reached the top tier of Democratic presidential candidates. Of 314 voters, 194, or 62 percent, said Richardson has reached the top tier, while 120, or 38 percent, said he has not. The results were affected by an apparent push for Richardson supporters to vote in the poll this weekend. The push included a blog posting on Richardson’s campaign Web site on Sunday that urged people to vote and directed quite a bit of traffic to this site. As of Friday, before the shift began, some 70 percent said the governor had not reached the top tier. Continue Reading

Barney Rawson’s funeral set for Saturday

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Funeral services for Barney Rawson, a longtime Las Cruces businessman and community leader, will be held Saturday. The funeral will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Las Cruces – which the Rawsons have attended since they arrived in the city in 1959 – starting at 10 a.m., the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting. Rawson was the father of state Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson and a longtime community leader. He was killed June 24 in a car accident in Illinois that also left his wife Joan severely injured. The funeral was delayed until she was released from the hospital in Illinois and could travel back to New Mexico to attend. Continue Reading

Hannan has raised $3,000 for Senate campaign

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Jim Hannan has raised about $3,000 for his campaign to unseat GOP Sen. Pete Domenici – not enough to require the filing of a second-quarter fundraising report with the Federal Election Commission. Hannan, one of three lesser-known Democrats vying for the right to take on Domenici next year, said he has spent about $2,500 and has about $500 on hand. Campaigns have to file quarterly reports once they raise $5,000. Hannan’s total isn’t much, but he appears to be using it wisely. It’s paying for weekly advertisements in the Santa Fe Reporter, Alibi in Albuquerque and, as of Thursday, Pulse, the weekly entertainment insert in the Las Cruces Sun-News and Silver City Sun-News. Continue Reading

Edwards shakes up staff; Richardson presses forward

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Following a fundraising quarter in which he let Bill Richardson gain some significant ground on him in the presidential race, John Edwards is making some major changes to his campaign. Meanwhile, Richardson spent the last three days campaigning in New Hampshire, including a stop in a town no presidential candidate has ever visited – a rarity in the Granite State that earned him some national press. Edwards, who is in third place in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, raised about $9 million in the second quarter of 2007, while the fourth-place Richardson raised about $7 million. Though Edwards is ahead in polls in most other states, the two are essentially tied in New Hampshire. Now, according to the Associated Press, Edwards plans to add two prominent Democrats as senior advisers and take some responsibilities away from Campaign Manager David Bonior. Continue Reading

Pearce disagrees with Domenici on Iraq

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In response to news that U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., supports changing America’s mission in Iraq, GOP Rep. Steve Pearce said he believes “battlefield assessments are best made by the generals and commanders in the field.” In the past, Pearce has been one of the strongest backers of President Bush’s Iraq strategy, supporting his controversial troop surge and opposing any timetable for withdrawal. In the statement released today, Pearce gave no indication that he has changed his mind. “I appreciate and respect Senator Domenici’s leadership for New Mexico and know that he must have weighed the issues and come to this decision carefully,” Pearce said. “… Though we may differ on some issues, Senator Domenici’s leadership and devotion for New Mexico has been steadfast.” Domenici announced Thursday that he is cosponsoring legislation that would call for the implementation of many of the Iraq Study Group recommendations, including a plan to move all American troops out of combat missions – and move many troops out of Iraq altogether – by March 2008. He said he made the decision because the Iraqi government is failing to meet benchmarks that were to accompany the troop surge, but said he does not support an immediate withdrawal or cuts in funding for troops. Continue Reading

King investigates PNM lobbyist loan to Richardson

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Attorney General Gary King is investigating whether it was legal for a state utility company to lend a lobbyist to Gov. Bill Richardson’s office for several months around this year’s legislative session, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting. Regardless, the move creates an appearance that Richardson is too close to the utility company and gave the corporation too much access to government. The lobbyist, Art Hull, who works for Public Service Company of New Mexico, was loaned to the governor from mid-November to April, the Journal reported. During that time, PNM continued to pay his salary. The group Break The Grip, which aims to end corporate influence in state government, alleged in a letter to King that the governor’s office had “made an illegal donation of state facilities to PNM” by letting Hull work there, the newspaper reported. Continue Reading