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Republican Jon Barela will announce Thursday whether he will challenge U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., in 2010. That’s according to a news release sent today. All signs point to Barela entering the race. He held a fundraiser in May as he weighed getting into the race. He filed notice with the Federal Election Commission of his potential candidacy shortly thereafter. Continue Reading
Doña Ana County has made what to some is an eyebrow-raising hire in its Health and Human Services Department. Eyebrow-raising because it’s former Sunland Park Mayor Jesus “Ruben” Segura. The Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting that he’s been making $51,396.80 annually as the head of one of five divisions in the department since he began work on May 26. Segura, who shocked the local political scene in January 2008 when he didn’t file to seek a fourth term in office, left the Sunland Park job in March of that year. According to the Sun-News, he will “oversee a DWI grant program, meant to ensure DWI violators comply with their sentencing terms, and a pool of health-care dollars meant to improve access for uninsured and underinsured in the county.” Silvia Sierra, the director of that county department, told the Sun-News that Segura has a master’s degree in public administration and has done a good job thus far. Continue Reading
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said he was impressed after meeting today with Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. “I found Judge Sotomayor to be extremely qualified and well suited to serve on the United States Supreme Court,” Udall said in a statement released by his office. “In our meeting, Judge Sotomayor showed a true commitment to justice. We discussed her background and cases as a prosecutor, and I was very impressed by her temperament and dedication to the law,” said Udall, a former New Mexico attorney general. “We also talked about her love for New Mexico, where her former law-school roommate lives, and her appreciation for our spicy food.” Earlier today, U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said he was “very impressed” after meeting with Sotomayor. Continue Reading
Public can watch online and participate in celebrations in Las Cruces and T or C The long-awaited groundbreaking for Spaceport America is taking place Friday, well over a year after state officials initially hoped it would happen. The ceremony at Upham, the location where the spaceport is to be built, isn’t open to the public, but you can watch it online at spaceportamerica.com. It’s scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Friday. In addition, there are public celebrations on Thursday in Las Cruces and Friday in Truth or Consequences that are scheduled to coincide with the groundbreaking. On Thursday, Gov. Bill Richardson, Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima and officials from Virgin Galactic will be among those present at the celebration in Las Cruces. Continue Reading
U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said he is “very impressed” after meeting earlier today with Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. The two met for about 15 minutes. “She is clearly well qualified and I think she’d be a great addition to the Supreme Court,” Bingaman said in a statement released by his office. Sotomayor also met this afternoon with U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. Udall’s office said a statement was forthcoming. Hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee on the confirmation of Sotomayor begin in mid-July. Continue Reading
Earlier this month, a send-off party held for Manny Aragon, the prison-bound former president of the New Mexico Senate, created controversy. Now, a golf tournament is being held to raise money for the legal defense of former Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Bock Sr., who is facing felony charges related to the 2008 election. “With this warm weather that is now upon us, it is time to go out and hit some golf balls,” states an e-mail from lobbyist Maurice Bonal about the event, which, according to the e-mail, is being held June 25 in Pojoaque “in honor of Jerome D. Block, Sr.” Registration forms and sponsorships are to be mailed to a post office box in Santa Fe listed under the name “Legal Defense Fund Committee.” Block Sr. and his son Jerome Block Jr., a current public regulation commissioner, were indicted by a grand jury in April. They’re charged with violating the elections code, conspiring to violate the elections code, tampering with evidence and conspiring to tamper with evidence. The charges against the younger Block also include embezzlement of between $500 and $2,500. Continue Reading
Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, is one of approximately 30 state lawmakers from around the nation who will be in Washington on Wednesday to consult with President Barack Obama’s administration about health-care reform. Feldman wrote in an e-mail that the lawmakers will hold a news conference with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in front of the White House around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Feldman said a letter she and others recently sent to Washington leaders about health-care reform may have been the reason for the invitation. “What a thrill– I have been waiting for leadership on this issue from the federal level for over a decade,” Feldman wrote on her blog. “And they want to know what works– and what does not– out here in New Mexico, which has one of the lowest rates of insurance in the country.” “Here’s where it’s great to have a former State Senator in the White House,” Feldman wrote. Continue Reading
While driving to Albuquerque and back to Las Cruces on Interstate 25 today, two signs caught my attention. The first, near mile marker 71 just south of Truth or Consequences, is a 4×8 foot sign from U.S. Rep. Harry Teague’s successful campaign for the 2nd Congressional District seat last year. The Democrat’s sign is prominently displayed just off the highway facing the northbound lanes. It’s in the middle of nowhere, so it’s hard to miss. The second, a large billboard, has been up for years. Continue Reading
Here are five proposals I believe would fundamentally change the way business is done in the Land of Enchantment Manny Aragon. Michael Montoya. Robert Vigil. Roberta Vigil. Eric Serna. Continue Reading
The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, should not run for governor in 2010. Of 246 voters, 143, or 58 percent, said Sanchez should not run while 97, or 39 percent, said he should, and six, or 2 percent, said they don’t know. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading
Deans at New Mexico State University appear to be dropping like flies lately. Pamela Jansma, the arts and sciences dean, is leaving in July, the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting. The departures of two others had already been announced. From the Sun-News: “The university announced June 2 that interim provost Bob Moulton would become director of two colleges of the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates city of Ras Al-Khaimah. Moulton was to return to his position as dean of the College of Education, a position he had held since 2000. Continue Reading
Doyle Pruitt, a former candidate for seats on the Public Regulation Commission and Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners, has announced that he’s running for a seat in the state House of Representatives next year. Pruitt, a Republican, will be seeking the District 37 seat held by Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces. A news release from Pruitt states that he wants to “give better representation and to level the playing field for the constituents.” “Someone is needed to take care of the issues of the people in District 37, which have been overlooked in the past. I have no one to answer to but the people in my district and carry no baggage into the office of representative,” Pruitt said. He cited finding a way to bring more potable water into the Mesilla Valley through desalinization or other means and looking for ways to cut government spending as issues on which he intends to focus. Continue Reading
A retired law-enforcement agent who lives in Las Cruces is the second Republican to confirm that he’s running for land commissioner next year. Errol Chavez, 60, said in a phone interview that he is running because he has been disappointed with “poor strategy” and “infighting” that has hampered the GOP in recent elections. He considered running for Congress, but ultimately decided that his executive experience in law enforcement made land commissioner a better fit. “To run the office you need an executive with the experience to control budgets, deal with regulations,” he said. The other Republican hopeful is former congressional candidate and Bernalillo County GOP executive director Bob Cornelius. Continue Reading
At least one indictment has been returned by a grand jury investigating the housing authority scandal, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting, but that action remains under seal because one of two grand juries convened in the case is still hearing testimony. The first of two grand juries met Friday but didn’t finish its work, the Journal is reporting. That grand jury “apparently will continue to hear testimony in the coming weeks.” The second grand jury, which met Monday, “returned an indictment that was sealed to prevent publicity that could affect the work of the other grand jury,” the Journal article states. The article doesn’t name the person who has been indicted. The newspaper reported that the grand jury that has returned an indictment “has been investigating a $300,000 loan the (Region III Housing Authority) made to its then-executive director, Vincent ‘Smiley’ Gallegos. Continue Reading
Bill Richardson’s office now says the governor did not meet with investment marketer Marc Correra, the son of a friend and fundraiser, “regarding any state business” before the state decided to invest $90 million in a fund Correra was pushing, the New Mexico Independent is reporting. The investing of that money with Vanderbilt Financial is the subject of the pay-to-play lawsuit brought by Frank Foy on behalf of the state. “The governor did not meet with Anthony (Marc’s father) or Marc Correra regarding any state business during the time period you are asking about,” Gilbert Gallegos, Richardson’s deputy chief of staff, said, according to the Independent. “Further, the governor was not familiar with Vanderbilt during that time period.” As I wrote earlier today, the Independent’s Trip Jennings has been on a quest to get an answer to the question about Marc Correra. Until today, Richardson and his staffers have refused to answer the question, and his office has cited executive privilege in denying Jennings’ request for documents that would have indicated who Richardson met with in the months prior to the decisions by two state boards to invest with Vanderbilt. Earlier today, the Independent published an article authored by Jennings about the untested area of state law the governor’s office is wading into by citing executive privilege in denying Jennings’ records request. Continue Reading