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Outgoing NMSU regent unloads on Richardson

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One of the members of the New Mexico State University Board of Regents that the governor announced he was replacing last month is unloading on Bill Richardson in an e-mail.Bob Gallagher claims in a recent e-mail to members of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, of which he is president, that Richardson informed him during a profanity-laced meeting in November that he would not reappoint him to the board. Gallagher, currently the NMSU regents’ chairman, leaves the position at the end of the year. “Two weeks ago I was summoned to the Governor’s office… The 20 minute meeting was sprinkled frequently with his favorite word, half of which is ‘mother!’ I was yelled at, cursed at, and completely taken to the wood shed for my comments concerning the regulatory environment in New Mexico,” Gallagher wrote to association members. “He said he was sick and tired of reading articles from ‘all over the ____country’ about how bad the business climate is in New Mexico for our industry. Continue Reading

$14 billion auto bailout dies in Senate

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The $14 billion bailout for the American automobile industry collapsed tonight after the auto union refused to accept GOP demands that it agree to big wage cuts for its workers and the bill failed a key test vote in the Senate.New Mexico’s U.S. senators, Republican Pete Domenici and Democrat Jeff Bingaman, voted with 50 others to bring the bill to a vote on the floor of the Senate, but they needed 60 votes to make it happen. Some 35 senators, most Republicans, voted against the procedural motion. The offices of Bingaman and Domenici had no immediate comment on whether the senators would have voted to approve the bill if it had made it to a floor vote. Bingaman’s spokeswoman said earlier in the day that he supported the version of the bill that existed at the time, but with negotiations still up in the air, she said that could change. Domenici’s office has released no comment on his stance on the auto bailout. Continue Reading

Chairman cancels this weekend’s GOP meeting

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Allen Weh, chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, has cancelled a special meeting of the state central committee he called for this weekend to ask members to delay the election of a new chairman by a few weeks.In cancelling the meeting, he’s ensuring that the election of a new chairman will proceed as planned on Jan. 10. Possible candidates include U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce and Farmington doctor Allen McCulloch, a former U.S. Senate candidate. Weh said he called the meeting because he wanted to change a rule that required the early January vote in part because holding the election so quickly after the holidays forced candidates to campaign over the holidays. Critics accused Weh of attempting to stall the vote to give another politico time to build a serious challenge to the potential candidacies of Pearce and McCulloch. Continue Reading

NMSU football: A case of intentional stupidity

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© 2008 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D.For the last 40 years, every time New Mexico State University hires a new football coach, that poor soul rides triumphantly into Las Cruces on a splendid prancing stallion amid the fanfare of trumpets and cheering. Shortly, this same poor soul is forced out of town riding a broken-down burro amid the jeers of the Aggie faithful, another victim of NMSU football. The NMSU leadership has spent the last 40 years perfecting an intelligence minimalism when it comes to Division 1 football. This ignorance is not by accident; rather, the manner they have directed Aggie football shows a determined intentional stupidity. If NMSU was just going through a small “dry spell,” the leaders could be forgiven their mistaken judgments. Continue Reading

Bingaman supports auto bailout, at least for now

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U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., currently supports the House-approved $14 billion bailout for the American automobile industry, but with negotiations ongoing, his spokeswoman says nothing is certain.On a vote of 237-170, the House on Wednesday approved the bailout, with U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., voting for it and GOP U.S. Reps. Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce voting against it. But there’s no certainty that the Senate will approve the bailout. With a group of primarily Republicans in opposition and negotiating for concessions from the auto union in exchange for their support, the bill could change. “As we speak, the Senate is expected to have a cloture vote Friday on the House-passed bill. Continue Reading

Offices of Richardson, Denish evacuated

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The offices of the Gov. Bill Richardson and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish in Santa Fe have been evacuated following the discovery today of an unidentified, white substance that was delivered in an envelope. The offices were evacuated at 2:15 p.m., and the state police emergency response team and U.S. Postmaster are on scene, according to a news release from the governor’s office. A portion of the governor’s office was sealed off once the substance was discovered. Several staff members and security officers who were in the vicinity at the time the envelope was opened are currently being quarantined until the substance is identified. Capitol building security initially evacuated the rest of the building as a precautionary measure, although the building is once again open except for the fourth floor, where the offices of the governor and lieutenant governor are located. Continue Reading

Heather Wilson’s ‘exit interview’

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The Albuquerque Journal’s Jim Scarantino has an interesting column today about his “exit interview” with outgoing U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M.The column by Scarantino, a former columnist for this site, contains a few noteworthy tidbits, including Wilson’s tears as she talked about laying a wreath in the Philippines at a cemetery honoring 56,000 missing soldiers and sailors, among them some from the 200th Coast Artillery of the New Mexico National Guard. “‘There’s one plaque. … 12 Garcias in a row. …’ Wilson remembers as she struggles for composure,” Scarantino wrote. Wilson also had some advice for the struggling state GOP. Continue Reading

Udall votes for auto bailout; Rs vote against it

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U.S. Rep. Tom Udall voted for a $14 billion bailout for American automobile companies this evening, while U.S. Reps. Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce voted against it. The bill was approved on a vote of 237-170 and now heads to the Senate for consideration. Interestingly, Udall, a Democrat, joined the Republican Pearce in voting against the $700 billion financial bailout earlier this year, while the GOP’s Wilson voted for that bailout bill. In explaining today’s vote, Udall said the bill will prevent the collapse of the American automobile industry. Continue Reading

Domenici, Udall meet to discuss transition

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Oh, to be a fly on this wall. Retiring U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici , R-N.M., and Tom Udall, the Democrat who will replace him on Jan. 4, met today in Washington. Among the things they discussed, according to Domenici’s office, were Udall’s transition from the U.S. House to his new job. “In particular, Domenici took the opportunity to share his hopes for the future of the (Department of Energy) national laboratories, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, bosque restoration, Character Counts education and other priority federal projects in the state,” Domenici’s news release states. Continue Reading

Denish names leaders of transition team

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Soon-to-be Gov. Diane Denish today announced the leaders of her transition team, including one prominent Las Cruces educator.Margie Huerta, president of New Mexico State University’s Doña Ana Community College, will lead Denish’s education and workforce advisory team, according to a news release from the lieutenant governor’s office. The transition team will be co-chaired by Dan Lopez, president of New Mexico Tech, and Hobbs native Brenda Brooks. Trevor Loy, founder of Flywheel Ventures, will lead Denish’s government efficiency and finance team. Alex Romero, who has worked in the financial industry for 30 years, will lead her economic stability team. Matt Martinez, vice president of the National Hispanic Cultural Center board, will lead the healthy families and communities team. Continue Reading

Will newspaper failures cripple journalism?

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Newspapers must move to a new business model that shifts the focus to the Internet. They must do it now. The news from the newspaper industry in the last week has been disturbing. The New York Times is borrowing some $225 million against its headquarters building to free up cash. Tribune Co., which publishes the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Continue Reading

State Rep. George Hanosh dies

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State Rep. George Hanosh, D-Grants, died Sunday following an extended illness that led him to not seek re-election in November. He was 70.Hanosh was to leave office on Dec. 31. He will be replaced in the Legislature by Democrat Eliseo Alcon, who won election in November. Hanosh, who was vice chairman of the House Business and Industry Committee and an automobile dealer, was named the 2008 citizen of the year by the Grants/Cibola Chamber of Commerce, according to the Cibola County Beacon. Continue Reading

More from Pete Domenici’s farewell tour

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As the end of the year and his political career approaches, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici is all over the news. The newest attention comes in a profile in The Santa Fe New Mexican and a 30-minute interview with Gallup radio reporter John McBreen.The New Mexican’s article by reporter Kate Nash, which you can read here, recounts many of the larger projects in which Domenici has been instrumental. “So which of the thousands of projects represents the legacy of the state’s senior senator?” the article asks. “It’s too hard to pick just one thing, he said. But if he had to, it might be science — a common theme behind the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a uranium-enrichment project and others he listed when asked in late October.” “Put them together there, maybe my legacy is science, that I love science, I love big science when we can make it work and apply it,” the newspaper quoted Domenici as saying. Continue Reading

McCamley, Evans say farewell to county commission

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Outgoing Doña Ana County Commissioners Kent Evans and Bill McCamley touted improvements in the government during their tenures in speeches given during their last official meeting today, and McCamley had some words of advice for those who will replace them on Jan. 1. The outgoing District 5 commissioner told his replacement, Leticia Benavidez, and Evan’s replacement, Scott Krahling, that they’re going to be invited to important events, called by newspaper reporters and given the opportunity to “get up here and speak for hours on end, like I’m doing right now, about pretty much whatever you want.” “None of this however — the food, the quotes, or the talk — makes you a leader,” McCamley said. “What does? When you are done with your term, ask yourself these simple questions: Did I achieve results? Continue Reading

Services set for Alice King

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The body of former N.M. First Lady Alice King will lie in state in the rotunda at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting.A service will be held Thursday at 9 a.m. in the Moriarty High School gym, which is expected to be filled with about 2,500 people. King died Sunday evening following a stroke she suffered on Thursday. She was 78. She was the wife of former Gov. Bruce King and the mother of current state Attorney General Gary King, and will be remembered as a tireless advocate on behalf of children. Continue Reading