Latest Stories

Understanding war veterans who became silent dads

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© 2007 by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. This Sunday is both Father’s Day and my dad’s 86th birthday, though he died in 1993. He was one of those silent dads, not given to unnecessary conversation, similar to Chili Palmer in Get Shorty, who said, “I’m going to say as little as possible, if that.” Thankfully, my dad was a dignified, thoughtful man. Not the Hollywood fare like Chevy Chase portrays in the movie Vacation or the cartoonish joke of a man played by the character of Homer Simpson. I learned very little from his words and much from his deliberate actions. I am methodical and meticulous like him, though he never told me to be. Continue Reading

Lobbyist, law enforcement officer dies after surgery

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A longtime law enforcement officer and lobbyist who fought a statewide ban on cockfighting died today following complications from knee surgery. Chris Jaramillo was 55. He was at MountainView Regional Medical Center in Las Cruces recovering from the surgery when complications resulted in a massive heart attack, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported on its Web site. Jaramillo was a registered lobbyist in New Mexico. His most visible client was the New Mexico Game Fowl Association, which successfully fought a proposal to ban cockfighting in the state until the Legislature approved the ban this year. Continue Reading

Richardson secures congressional endorsements

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Gov. Bill Richardson announced today the endorsements of four members of the U.S. House of Representatives – two of them Hispanics. That’s important because a number of visible Hispanics have endorsed other Democratic presidential candidates in recent weeks. Richardson’s campaign announced the endorsements of Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania and Solomon Ortiz, Gene Green and Silvestre Reyes of Texas. The endorsements from three Texas representatives are sure to give a boost to Richardson’s campaign in New Mexico’s neighbor to the east. “I am privileged to have the support of such honorable men,” Richardson said in a news release. Continue Reading

National Democratic group thinks Pearce is beatable

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The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the fundraising arm of the party in the U.S. House of Representatives, thinks Southern New Mexico’s GOP Rep. Steve Pearce is vulnerable and is keeping an eye on the Democrats vying for the right to take him on next year. A key marker will be the July 15 deadline for candidates to submit finance reports for the second quarter of 2007. Those reports will reveal the health and activity of the campaigns of the two Democrats who have entered the race. Pearce knows it, and is trying to raise enough money this quarter to discourage DCCC involvement. He sent out a fundraising letter in May asking for help to keep the DCCC out of his race, saying the group has “the funds and the power to make a real impact.” He also went negative in the letter, attacking the two Democrats as liberals who will “be a voice for” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Continue Reading

Check out map of city annexations

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The City of Las Cruces has created an updated map that shows its boundaries and indicates what land was annexed each decade going back to 1948. For those concerned about the city’s current, rapid growth, the map provides some interesting historical context. You can view or download the map by clicking here. In addition, the city has created a new page on its Web site that details pending development applications. Check it out by clicking here. Continue Reading

King leads task force to stop animal fighting

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A statewide ban on cockfighting and dog fighting is one of a number of laws that take effect on Friday. Attorney General Gary King wants the public to know violators will be prosecuted. “We are putting people on notice. If you violate animal protection laws, you will be prosecuted,” King said Wednesday in announcing the formation of a new, statewide animal cruelty task force. King is chairman of the task force, which is made up of representatives from government, law enforcement, animal care groups and others. Continue Reading

Preservation groups may seek new spaceport site

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The National Trust for Historic Preservation is expected to name El Camino Real National Historic Trail to the list of America’s 11 most endangered places at a news conference on Thursday. A well-preserved portion of the trail runs very close to the spot that is to become Spaceport America. The announcement will likely be accompanied by a request that the Federal Aviation Administration, in considering a license for the spaceport, analyze whether it should be located further from the trail or at another site altogether. Securing the FAA license is the last major hurdle the spaceport faces. State officials say moving the spaceport further from the trail or locating at another site isn’t logistically possible. Continue Reading

ABQ updates lobbyist site for first time in three years

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Before today, the City of Albuquerque had not been updating its lobbyist database on its Web site for three years, in violation of a city ordinance that required such action. As of today, the list is updated and will be kept current, Mayor Martin Chávez said. After receiving a tip, I spoke with Chávez on Tuesday to inquire about whether the Web site had to be updated and to tell him it hadn’t been updated since 2004. He said he didn’t know what was required, and put me on the phone with the assistant city clerk, who told me there was no requirement to keep the information current on the Web site. She also told me the clerk’s office was in the process of updating the Web site, and hoped to have current lobbyist registration information on it by the end of the week. Continue Reading

Could the stars align against Pearce next year?

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Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff says the stars would have to align for a Democrat to defeat U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce next year. The GOP congressman’s recent fundraising letter makes it appear that he thinks there’s a chance that will happen. The ideal candidate to take on Pearce, Sanderoff told me in April, would be a strong, moderate Democrat from Las Cruces who can regionalize the race and win GOP votes on the district’s west side. In addition, Pearce would have to face a scandal that challenges his credibility, and the national wave that favored Democrats in 2006 would have to continue. Sanderoff predicted the second will happen. Continue Reading

Elizabeth Edwards to attend fundraiser in ABQ

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Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, will be in Albuquerque next week to raise money for her husband’s campaign. She’ll be at a home in the Duke City on June 22 at 6 p.m. Tickets range from $250 to $2,300. Those who are interested in attending can contact Amanda Scott, Edwards’ southwest regional finance director, at (505) 224-8089 or ascott@johnedwards.com. Elizabeth Edwards’ battle with cancer has been highly publicized. She’s currently battling a relapse doctors say has spread to her bone and isn’t curable. Continue Reading

Will guv’s personality win over or turn off voters?

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Following a new poll that shows him only two points behind John Edwards in New Hampshire, Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign is declaring him a top-tier candidate. The poll, which I wrote about on Monday, has Richardson at 10 percent and Edwards at 12 percent, with Hillary Clinton leading the pack at 36 percent and Barack Obama at 22 percent. I wrote at the time that Edwards and Richardson now make up their own second-tier in New Hampshire. But Richardson Campaign Manager Dave Contarino told The Hill it means the governor is in the top tier, saying recent polls placing Richardson at about 10 percent in Iowa and New Hampshire represent a “clear trend.” “A few months ago, people didn’t even know who Bill Richardson was,” Contarino told the publication. The article was one of several in national publications to come out this week. Continue Reading

Honoring a soldier who could have become president

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By Carter Bundy Political signs aren’t common at funerals. I remember when Paul Wellstone’s supporters exhibited a bit of, to my taste, over-the-top theatrics at his memorial ceremony. But on Tuesday, I saw political signs for the first time in person at the funeral of Army Sergeant James C. Akin. And it felt just right. Akin and three other soldiers were killed June 3 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Continue Reading

Robert Vigil again makes the case for ethics reform

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Former state Treasurer Robert Vigil continued to spend leftover campaign money even while he was in the process of being convicted of attempted extortion last year – a conviction that, unless overturned, prevents him from running for office again. As if this state needed another reason to approve campaign finance reform, the Associated Press is reporting today that Vigil spent more than $37,000 from his campaign account on cellular telephone, car and other expenses in the last year. The situation shows that vague state laws governing how campaign funds can be spent need to be reworked. Reporting requirements need to be tightened. Vigil resigned in October 2005 to avoid being impeached by lawmakers. Continue Reading