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Richardson seeks cash as reporting deadline nears

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Saturday marks the end of first-quarter fundraising for 2008 presidential candidates. Gov. Bill Richardson is making a push this week to have an impact when his campaign reports what he raised during the period. The numbers reported next month will be analyzed by pundits to determine the health of campaigns, so the deadline is very important to second-tier candidates like Richardson. There’s a chance some second-tier candidates will drop out of the race. Richardson began today a push to raise $500,000 before the midnight deadline on Saturday. Continue Reading

Las Cruces gets new city clerk

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Las Cruces has a new city clerk, and one of her first tasks will be running the municipal election later this year. Esther Martinez, the deputy city clerk who has been running the show for the past five months, was promoted last week, City Manager Terrence Moore announced in his weekly report to city councilors on Friday. She officially begins as permanent clerk a week from today. Moore wrote that Martinez’s immediate challenge will be filling the deputy clerk job she’s leaving. Following that, she’ll have to prepare for the November election, in which the mayor’s seat, three council positions and one judgeship are up for grabs. Continue Reading

Spaceport America is our community’s opportunity

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This is the seventh in a series of guest columns debating whether Doña Ana County voters should approve a 1/4 percent gross-receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. By John L. Hummer If you are someone who doubts a commercial space industry can be developed in Southern New Mexico or that such an industry can inspire and change the lives of future generations of children, just think about Kitty Hawk, N.C. It’s the birthplace of aviation and the place where Wilbur and Orville Wright made historic and successful manned flights on Dec. 17, 1903. I would bet, following this historic event, there were skeptics throughout the townships surrounding Kitty Hawk who laughed at the thought of commercial aviation, let alone the development of an aircraft industry in North Carolina. So many unanswered questions. Continue Reading

Documents appear to contradict Gonzales’ claim of limited involvement in U.S. attorney firings

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Support for U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales continued to be stripped away over the weekend as documents released Friday evening show that he was more involved in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys than he previously admitted. It was another in a long series of contradictions, withheld facts and backtracking by the Department of Justice that have caused the situation to explode into full-blown scandal, but is, to date, the first contradictory statement made by the attorney general himself. Gonzales said during a March 13 news conference, in explaining that he had only a limited role in the firings, that he “never saw documents (related to the firing of the attorneys.) We never had a discussion about where things stood.” But documents reveal that he attended an hour-long meeting on Nov. 27, 2006, days before the firings, at which he approved the department’s plan for executing the firings. The department quickly tried to spin the situation by saying there’s no evidence Gonzales discussed who was being fired, but only that he talked about how it would be done. Continue Reading

Majority who vote in poll don’t support spaceport tax

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A majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said they don’t support a 1/4 percent gross receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. Of 170 voters, 93, or 55 percent, said they don’t support the tax, while 77, or 45 percent, said they do support it. The election is April 3. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Check out this site’s ethical guidelines

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The Internet is rife with blogs and other Web sites that spread rumor and lack standards. With that in mind, I’ve been working for awhile on a set of ethical guidelines for this site designed to help you understand how I approach the work I do and let you know that this site has integrity. I posted the ethical guidelines today. They cover a wide range of topics related to editorial content, advertising, unnamed sources and other issues. Check them out by clicking here. Continue Reading

Senate votes to adjourn again, awaits House action

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The New Mexico Senate voted again today to adjourn sine die in defiance of the governor. It’s the second time in a week the Senate has voted to end the session and reject Gov. Bill Richardson’s call for a special session. The move places the ball back in the House’s court, as that chamber’s membership must now decide whether to adjourn sine die and end the session or force the Senate to meet a third time. The Senate didn’t approve the feed bill before adjourning today, so House members would be working without per diem, as they did during the first week of the special session, if they continue. If they keep working, the Senate must return by Wednesday, but could vote to adjourn again. Continue Reading

Virgin Galactic lease deal to be announced Monday

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Officials from the state and Virgin Galactic will announce Monday that they have reached an agreement on the framework of a lease of the Spaceport America facility to be constructed northeast of Las Cruces. The announcement will be made at 3:30 p.m. at the university club in the Stan Fulton Center on the New Mexico State University campus. Officials from the state and Virgin will be present. New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans said Thursday night that negotiations were underway and a deal on a memorandum of understanding that would set the terms of a lease could be reached within days. Apparently, the deal has been reached. Continue Reading

Senate scheduled to convene at 10 a.m. Saturday

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The New Mexico Senate is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Saturday to decide whether to consider the proposals on the agenda for the special session or again adjourn sine die. I’ll have an update on Saturday, so check back then. The Senate is notorious for not starting on time, so the body won’t likely convene until 10:30 a.m. or later. The parties are scheduled to convene in separate caucuses at 9 a.m., and I’m told that’s when Democrats will decide whether to stay and work or again vote to end the session. It should be interesting. Continue Reading

Richardson signs bill raising minimum wage to $7.50

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In January, the state’s minimum wage will rise to $6.50 per hour. A year after that, it will be $7.50. During a brief appearance in Santa Fe between presidential campaign trips, Gov. Bill Richardson signed a bill today that raises the minimum wage. Senate Bill 324, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Ben Altamirano, D-Silver City, does not allow automatic cost-of-living increases and exempts agricultural workers. It prevents cities and counties that haven’t already raised their minimum wages above the state’s from doing so until 2010. Continue Reading

Senate calling the shots after a session of wise moves

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For four years, Republicans and a number of Democrats in the New Mexico Senate fumed as Gov. Bill Richardson used his veto pen as a weapon. They steamed as Richardson took stances and made moves they believed were geared more toward building his résumé than serving the citizens of New Mexico. They fought proposed sharp increases in the state’s budget they believed wouldn’t be sustainable. And they lost. Repeatedly, Richardson outmaneuvered them, aided by a House Democratic caucus that, most of the time, went along with the governor’s demands. Continue Reading

Pay the utility bills before you buy a Maserati

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This is the sixth in a series of guest columns debating whether Doña Ana County voters should approve a 1/4 percent gross-receipts tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. Public officials and other readers are invited to participate in this debate. To submit a guest column for publication, e-mail me at heath@haussamen.com. Baseless personal attacks will not be published. By Tamie Smith The idea of travel beyond the boundaries of the Earth – into outer space – has always been an exciting concept to many persons. Continue Reading

State says it’s close to inking deal with Virgin Galactic

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The state is close to inking a deal that would officially make Virgin Galactic the anchor tenant at Spaceport America, a top official says. “Could be days. Could be a couple of weeks,” said New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans. “I am hoping days. I will know more by this weekend.” Homans said what should be finalized in the coming days is a memorandum of understanding that would set the terms for a lease. Continue Reading

County tax is key element of spaceport funding plan

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This is the first in a series of articles examining the issues surrounding the April 3 election on whether to raise the gross receipts tax 1/4 percent in Doña Ana County to help fund Spaceport America. When staffers for Gov. Bill Richardson first pitched the proposal to create a commuter rail to the Legislature, they underestimated the cost by almost $300 million. So when the governor asked for $114.5 million during the 2006 legislative session to help fund Spaceport America, many lawmakers balked. Some publicly questioned how they could trust the administration’s assertion that the spaceport would cost $225 million or less. Ultimately, three conditions were placed on $100 million granted by the Legislature. Continue Reading

Domenici’s approval rating takes a hit in new poll

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A new poll shows that the U.S. attorney scandal has dented the popularity of U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. The SurveyUSA poll, released Wednesday, finds approval of the job Domenici is doing at 57 percent and disapproval at 35 percent – the lowest totals since at least May 2005. The survey, which has a margin of error of four percent, was conducted March 12. The previous poll, conducted Feb. 12, found Domenici’s approval rating at 64 percent, with disapproval at 27 percent. In between the polls, former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias accused Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., of trying to pressure him to speed indictments in a public corruption probe in time to sway voters in the November 2006 election. Continue Reading