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Former Gallup mayor appointed to House seat

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Gov. Bill Richardson has appointed former Gallup mayor John Peña to fill the House seat vacated when Irvin Harrison retired last month. Peña, a Democrat, is an accountant. He will serve the remainder of Harrison’s term and has to run for election next year. “John Peña is very familiar with the diverse communities that make up this district,” Richardson said in a news release. “I am confident that he will aggressively represent the people of McKinley and San Juan counties.” Peña, a graduate of Gallup High School and the University of New Mexico, also serves as trustee for Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services and director of the Ceremonial Association. Continue Reading

Guv explains why he hasn’t called for Gonzales ouster

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Gov. Bill Richardson says he hasn’t joined other Democrats and a number of Republicans in calling for the firing of U.S. Attorney Alberto Gonzales because they’re both Hispanic. Richardson’s comments were published today in The Hill. “The only reason I’m not there is because he’s Hispanic, and I know him and like him,” The Hill quoted Richardson as saying. “It’s because he’s Hispanic. I’m honest. Continue Reading

AG looks into timeframe for annexation vote

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Attorney General Gary King’s office is looking into the issue of how long the Las Cruces City Council has to act on a proposal to annex 4,200 acres on the East Mesa into the city. AG spokesman Phil Sisneros said his office received a written request from Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson and an oral request from Rep. Nate Cote today. “Our office is working diligently and expeditiously on the request,” Sisneros said. At issue is whether a state statute would prevent councilors from delaying a vote on the annexation to allow more time for public scrutiny. Some interpret the statute to mean that the council must act by early May, making the postponing of Monday’s vote impractical. Continue Reading

Senate vote confirms investigation of Domenici

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The U.S. Senate has confirmed that Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is the subject of an ethics inquiry over his involvement in former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias’ firing, The Politico is reporting. On Tuesday, the Senate adopted a resolution excusing Ken Salazar, D-Colo., from the investigation. That was apparently done because of Salazar’s friendship with former state Attorney General Patricia Madrid, who narrowly lost in her attempt to unseat U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., last year. The friendship could be a conflict because Iglesias alleges that Wilson and Domenici tried to pressure him to speed indictments in a public corruption probe in time to sway voters and help Wilson in her re-election bid. Senators are investigating whether Domenici’s October 2006 phone call to Iglesias violated Senate ethics. Continue Reading

Board allows contraceptive dispensing in high schools

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Members of the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved Tuesday night the dispensing of contraceptives in high schools. The vote allows school-based health clinics at Las Cruces and Oñate high schools to dispense condoms and oral contraceptives in conjunction with counseling about abstinence and sexually transmitted diseases, the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting. The controversial plan was approved following a long debate and after board members tacked on an amendment that allows parents to exclude their children from the program by signing a form that says their children can’t be served by the clinics. Nurse practitioners who are certified to prescribe medication will be dispending the contraceptives, the newspaper reported. Continue Reading

Let’s discuss the East Mesa development proposal

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I want to try something new on this site. There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the 6,000-acre development the Las Cruces City Council is considering on the East Mesa called The Vistas at Presidio. I want to try having this posting serve as a forum for discussion and debate of the issue. You can submit comments at the end of this posting, either anonymously or using your name, by clicking on the comments link. Check out this site’s comments policy to increase chances your comments will be published. Continue Reading

City debates whether it can delay annexation vote

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Las Cruces city officials are locked in a debate over whether delaying Monday’s vote on annexation of 4,200 acres on the East Mesa is an option, and the state attorney general may end up weighing in on the issue. Deputy Las Cruces City Attorney Pete Connelly has given councilors his legal opinion that the city council must vote to approve or disapprove the annexation request within 30 days of the receipt of input from the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners on April 11, which wouldn’t allow much time for additional public input if the council delayed Monday’s vote. Councilor Ken Miyagishima, on the other hand, says the city has 60 days from that meeting, which would allow time to delay the vote and hold several town-hall meetings. At issue is a state statute that requires the council to seek commission input before approval of annexations. The statute states that the city council must submit the annexation petition to the commission for review, and that the county has 30 days to comment. Continue Reading

GOP takes shot at senators who took Aragon’s money

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The Republican Party of New Mexico decided to go for the low-hanging fruit today and take a shot at those Democrats who took campaign contributions from former Senate President Manny Aragon, who now stands indicted on felony charges in Albuquerque. The party put out a news release today detailing almost $100,000 Aragon handed out to senators and other Democratic organizations during his tenure, which the GOP says shows “a pattern of serial generosity with fellow lawmakers that apparently helped ensure his hold on power in the New Mexico Senate.” Three prominent names from Doña Ana County made the list: Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana, received $4,750; Sen. Cynthia Nava, D-Las Cruces, received $3,750; and former Sen. Fernando Macias, D-Mesilla and now a district judge, received $4,750 when he was a senator. Aragon and three others are charged in a massive public corruption scandal involving the construction of the $83-million Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse. They’re facing felony charges of conspiracy, money laundering and mail fraud, and are accused of misusing the state’s approval process of funds for the project to pocket $4.2 million. Read the indictment by clicking here. Continue Reading

ABQ mayor makes gubernatorial campaign stop in LC

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Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez wants people to know Lt. Gov. Diane Denish’s bid to be the next governor isn’t a done deal. The mayor was in Las Cruces today to campaign for the 2010 gubernatorial race. He’s not saying he’s officially running, but Denish declared her intent to run shortly after the November 2006 election, which forced Chávez to form a committee and begin raising funds to keep up. With Denish as his running mate, Chávez ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1998. “I think I have so much to offer now, and I’m a very different candidate than I was a decade ago,” the 55-year-old Chávez said in an interview that went back and forth between serious conversation and jokes. Continue Reading

City, county leaders discuss future planning, growth

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Las Cruces city councilors and Doña Ana County commissioners held a joint work session today and, inevitably, a massive development on the East Mesa was one of the main topics. Expecting the annexation of 4,200 acres and master plan approval of 6,000 acres next week, commissioners have formally asked the city to require more public meetings as specific elements of the development are approved at later dates. Much of today’s discussion centered around the new project as an indicator of a need for more cooperation, better planning and a more intentional effort to keep the public informed. Councilor Gil Jones and Commissioner Bill McCamley expressed a desire to hold a future joint meeting on water. McCamley asked a number of questions about an ongoing attempt to create a joint master plan. Continue Reading

Guv to sign road bill, close book on special session

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Gov. Bill Richardson will sign a road-funding bill approved during last month’s special session of the Legislature at a ceremony today in Albuquerque. House Bill 2, sponsored by Rep. Dan Silva, D-Albuquerque, provides about $108 million for roads around the state, including $10 million for a road to Spaceport America. Richardson plans to sign the bill during a ceremony marking the opening of a train station in Albuquerque at 1:30 p.m. today. Richardson has already signed House Bill 6, sponsored by Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, D-Nambé, which extends the state’s public financing system to races for appeals judges and Supreme Court justices. The system is voluntary. Continue Reading

It’s been a good month for New Mexico’s ecosystem

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By Gary King April has been a good month for New Mexico’s ecosystem, especially for the humans and certain fish that share it. As attorney general, it is part of my job to protect both, so I am happy to report on two events that positively impacted the air we breathe and the recovery of the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. First was the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that the Environmental Protection Agency must regulate greenhouse gases from automobiles, despite its prior refusal to do so. That decision was prompted by a lawsuit brought against the EPA by my office, 11 other states, several environmental groups and several municipalities, including Albuquerque. Our argument was, and still is, that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases fit within the definition of “air pollutants” and therefore the EPA is obliged by the Clean Air Act to regulate emissions of such gases by automobiles. Continue Reading

Developers of massive East Mesa project pledge to donate land for as many schools as necessary

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Developers of a proposed 6,000-acre project on Las Cruces’ East Mesa pledged during a public hearing today to donate land, where the purchase of cheap public land isn’t an option, for as many schools as are needed. The current plan calls for the donation of land for four schools. Following a long dialogue, Kirk Clifton, representing the developers, said the group will donate land for as many schools as are needed in the area, if public land isn’t available. The school district can buy public land for only a few dollars per acre, but within the development, the land will be owned by the company constructing the project. Assuming public land isn’t available, “we will donate land for every school that is needed within this area,” Clifton said. Continue Reading

New Mexico leaders comment on Virginia massacre

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New Mexico’s top politicians expressed shock and sadness today over a massacre in Virginia that left 33 people dead. In case you haven’t heard, the shooting at Virginia Tech University is what the Associated Press is calling “the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history.” A gunman killed two people in a dormitory this morning before, two hours later, killing 30 more in a classroom and then committing suicide. “On behalf of all New Mexicans, Barbara and I extend our condolences to the families of the victims whose lives were cut short by this horrific tragedy,” Gov. Bill Richardson said in a prepared statement. “This is a sad day and our hearts go out to the Virginia Tech community as it grieves this loss.” Richardson ordered a review of safety measures at the state’s universities and colleges and the creation of a safety task force to make recommendations for improvements. U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici also expressed sadness. Continue Reading

Kissling still paying off 2006 campaign debt

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While U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., has almost $200,000 in the bank for his 2008 re-election campaign, Democratic challenger Al Kissling still hasn’t paid of debt from his 2006 campaign. Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley, the other Democrat who has entered the race, didn’t begin raising money until the first week of April and didn’t have to file a report for the first quarter of the year. In a document filed Sunday, Kissling reported raising $1,262.43 during the first three months of 2007. Pearce raised almost ten times that amount during the first quarter. During that same period, Kissling reported expenses of $3,344.97. Continue Reading