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County begins broadcasting meetings on the Internet

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Internet access and a set of speakers will now give Doña Ana County residents a front-row seat to meetings and work sessions held in the county government center’s commission chambers. The Doña Ana County information technology department has begun broadcasting real-time audio of public meetings over the Internet. To access the audio feed, go to donaanacounty.org/listen during the posted meeting times. The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. The next meeting is on Tuesday. Work sessions and special meetings are announced in advance on the county’s home page, donaanacounty.org. Continue Reading

Domenici can’t seem to get a break

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U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici just can’t get a break. Already under fire for his role in the U.S. attorney scandal, he was slammed by a Bloomberg.com columnist yesterday for arriving late to the funeral of a Washington lobbyist. At Jack Valenti’s funeral on Tuesday, former Time magazine White House correspondent Margaret Carlson wrote, Domenici arrived 20 minutes late. It was the exact moment the funeral procession began. “Like most senators, Domenici isn’t used to waiting even for the deceased,” Carlson wrote. Continue Reading

GOP debate: 10 Anglo men talk about morality

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The 10 Republican candidates for president were asked a number of more substantive questions on issues relating to morality during Thursday night’s debate than Democrats had to face a week ago. Their answers were pointed, moderator Chris Matthews was snappy and, overall, I thought the debate was more interesting than the Democrats’ recent contest. However, one stark contrast was the fact that those who took part were all men – 10 Anglo men. Democrats have a woman, a Black man, a Hispanic man and, in the words of Jon Stewart, a leprechaun (Dennis Kucinich). The difference was quite pronounced when we got to see all the Democrats together and then all the Republicans together. Continue Reading

Criticism of Lyons continues over Cruces land deal

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The criticism of state Land Commissioner Pat Lyons’ deal with a Las Cruces developer is continuing. In a column published earlier this week in several newspapers around the state, Ned Cantwell slamed Lyons for taking campaign contributions from a political action committee that is run by two men, one of them a lobbyist for the developer who gave the money to the PAC. The sticky point is that Lyons then gave the developer two leases on thousands of acres of state land around Las Cruces. In case you missed it, you can find the details by clicking here. What’s infuriating, Cantwell wrote, is Lyons’ assertion that he didn’t know the PAC money came from the developer. Continue Reading

Group creates Web site on East Mesa development

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The group that has tried to put speed bumps in front of approval of a 6,000-acre development on Las Cruces’ East Mesa has set up a Web site to promote its cause. The group calls itself the Quality Growth Alliance. Developers of The Vistas at Presidio would say the group opposes the development. The group’s leaders have said they aren’t opponents, but want to ensure the development is done right. They say they want to slow the process and allow for more input. Continue Reading

Former Justice official says Iglesias did a good job

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The former No. 2 in the Justice Department said today he thought David Iglesias, former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, was a competent attorney he would not have fired. In fact, James B. Comey told a House Judiciary subcommittee, Iglesias was a “very straight, very able” attorney, the Albuquerque Tribune is reporting. He said he thought only one of eight U.S. attorneys fired last year was weak and should have been fired. The former deputy attorney general, who left in August 2005 to work for Lockheed Martin, said he worked with Iglesias on an initiative to target crime in violent neighborhoods, the Tribune reported. Continue Reading

Officials haven’t recovered UP Aerospace rocket

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Officials haven’t yet retrieved the UP Aerospace rocket that successfully flew into space on Saturday, the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting. The rocket landed in the mountains on White Sands Missile Range and is difficult to reach. The area has had thunderstorms in the last few days (a tornado hit the ground near WSMR yesterday), which has also hampered efforts, the Sun-News reported. The company located the rocket booster on Monday, but hasn’t been able to reach it yet. The location of the payload portion of the rocket is known because of a tracking device placed on board, but it’s a small object, and spotting it with a helicopter has proven difficult. The area isn’t accessible even with four-wheel-drive vehicles, so a recovery team will try to transport the rocket out of the mountainous area using a helicopter, the newspaper reported. Continue Reading

GOP presidential candidates to square off tonight

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The first debate of the 2008 Republican presidential candidates is tonight at 6 p.m. You can watch it live on MSNBC or on the Internet at The Politico’s Web site. I won’t be covering it as thoroughly as I did the recent Democratic debate since our governor isn’t one of the participants. But I’ll have coverage in the morning, and I wanted to give you the links to be able to check it out tonight. In addition, you can submit questions through The Politico’s Web site that might be asked of the candidates tonight. Click here to do it. Continue Reading

Richardson sees significant gain in new Iowa poll

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For the first time, Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign is experiencing a significant jump in a poll. American Research Group’s newest poll of Iowa, which was released yesterday, had Richardson at 5 percent among likely participants in the Democratic caucus in that important primary state. That’s up from 1 percent a month ago. Richardson has said repeatedly that he’s gaining in the polls, but this is his first significant climb in a scientific, independent poll. The newest survey was conducted April 27-30. Continue Reading

Bingaman, Domenici set example of bipartisanship

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A column in today’s Washington Post cites New Mexico’s two U.S. senators as an example of bipartisan cooperation that often goes unnoticed. David S. Broder has an excellent point: I joined most journalists in ignoring the Senate’s approval last week of the America Competes Act. U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., and Pete Domenici, R-N.M., were among a number of sponsors of the bill, but were two of the three who began the push for the legislation in 2005, Broder wrote. The bill authorizes $16 billion over four years as part of a $60-billion plan to double funding for the National Science Foundation over five years and funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science over 10 years. Continue Reading

White Sands to get new engineering battalion

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New Mexico’s senators announced today that the U.S. Army plans to station a new engineering battalion at White Sands Missile Range, increasing the base’s population by about 245. The move is part of a plan to increase the size of the Army by 65,000 soldiers in the next six years. The Army will move its 70th Engineering Battalion and reflag it as the WSMR 2nd Engineer Battalion in June of next year. “This move will be very good for the Army and WSMR,” said U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, who serves on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “White Sands offers an ideal research and test facility for the Army and I have no doubt the military personnel who will be stationed there will be warmly welcomed by the entire region.” “This is terrific news for White Sands Missile Range. Continue Reading

Richardson picks economic development secretary

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Gov. Bill Richardson today announced the appointment of former state Rep. Fred Mondragon as the new secretary of the Economic Development Department. “Fred has the qualifications, ability and drive to continue attracting high-tech industries that will keep bringing good jobs to New Mexico,” Richardson said in a news release. Mondragon, who is currently director of Albuquerque’s Office of Economic Development, replaces Rick Homans, who became director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority on Tuesday. “I look forward to applying the successful principles and strategies on a statewide level that have resulted in so many companies choosing Albuquerque during the last couple years,” Mondragon said in the release. As director of Albuquerque’s economic development department, Mondragon participated in the recruitment or expansion of Tesla Motors, Verizon Wireless, Eclipse Aviation, Advent Solar and Albuquerque Studios. Continue Reading

Richardson gets back at FOX News

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In December, FOX News had some fun at Gov. Bill Richardson’s expense by turning his hypothetical answer to a question into a bogus announcement that he was running for president. Now, Richardson is returning the favor with a cheap shot of his own. The network reported six weeks before Richardson’s formal announcement that he told one of its reporters he was running for president. But the network never showed a clip of Richardson saying anything like, “Today, I’m announcing that,” or other such standard statements announcing a presidential run. What it showed was a clip of Richardson saying this: “But I’m not running as a Hispanic. Continue Reading

Newspaper unveils site covering Richardson’s run

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The Santa Fe New Mexican has been working on building a site devoted to comprehensive coverage of Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential run. The newspaper hired me several weeks ago to write 22 background articles, including a six-article biography and stories on Richardson’s stances on various issues and other interesting topics. The site made its debut today, and, though it looks like they’re still working out a few bugs, I think it looks great. One of the coolest features is a Google map that tracks Richardson as he jaunts around the nation. Check out the site when you get a chance by clicking here. Continue Reading

Madrid takes consulting job, also working for Edwards

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Former state Attorney General Patricia Madrid has taken a position as a consultant for a firm that represents some of the companies she took to court on behalf of New Mexico’s citizens during her time in office. Dickstein Shapiro LLP announced today that Madrid would become an exclusive consultant for its division that works on cases involving state attorneys general. The powerhouse Washington, D.C. firm represents more than 100 of the Fortune 500 companies and has, at times, also represented states in litigation. “Our alliance with Patricia will drive our state AG practice to new heights,” said Bernard Nash, head of Dickstein Shapiro’s state attorneys general practice. “Patricia was one of the most well-respected attorneys general in the country during her two terms. Her experience, judgment and credibility will enable us to better serve our clients.” Madrid, a Democrat, said the job helps her stay visible and active, but it’s also something she can leave immediately if she decides to run against U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., next year, which she’s considering. Continue Reading