Latest Stories

Rural south-county communities realizing the importance of government and politics

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Following some important victories in the past year, a group of activists in Southern Doña Ana County, a place traditionally ignored by government, are working to organize area residents. Several met Saturday in Mesquite to brainstorm and begin forming a plan. Their goals are simple. Many spoke Saturday about the need for better infrastructure and less pollution in their communities. Almost all communities south of Las Cruces are federally designated as colonias that lack basic infrastructure such as roads, sewer systems and street lights. Continue Reading

Poll: Too early to predict Richardson’s future

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The jury is still out on Bill Richardson’s political future. In last week’s poll on this site, 56 voters, or 44 percent, said New Mexico’s governor won’t be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008. 22 voters, or 18 percent, said he will be the nominee, and 28 voters, or 22 percent, said he’ll be the vice presidential nominee. 20 voters, or 16 percent, said it’s too soon to tell. There were 126 voters in the poll. Continue Reading

Second elections task force hearing is Saturday

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The second of four public hearings of the elections task force set up by the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners will be held Saturday in Sunland Park. The hearing will be from 10 a.m. to noon at the Gadsden Independent School District Administrative Complex, 4950 McNutt Road. Rains and flooding have not prevented access to the building or damaged the facility, officials say. The task force is examining problems with the operations of elections in Doña Ana County. Members of the public who want to give input or share experiences are asked to attend. Continue Reading

Rain leads to crisis for woman fighting housing authority over ‘misrepresented’ roof

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Thursday’s rains caused the ceiling to nearly collapse in the home of a Las Cruces woman who has been fighting the state’s housing authorities for more than a year over who is responsible for repairing damage caused by the condition of the roof. Sylvia Ramirez bought the home from Housing Enterprises, Inc., a part of the state’s housing authorities, which the attorney general says “misrepresented” the condition of the roof when selling the home. A large bubble began forming in the ceiling of the home Thursday during a rain storm. The ceiling is literally peeling off the roof, said Ramirez, who is raising her granddaughter alone on a $22,000-a-year salary. Carpet in the home is almost all soaked. Continue Reading

Richardson teases reporter about presidential run

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Gov. Bill Richardson all but admitted he’s running for president during a speech in New Hampshire on Thursday, according to an article in the Albuquerque Journal. At least, that’s how I’m interpreting his comments. “You’re probably wondering, ‘Why is the governor of New Mexico here?’” Richardson said during one of six public appearances Thursday. “Now, I’ve got to be careful because a reporter from the Albuquerque Journal is watching me.” Richardson then reminded the group of about 50 people that he’s running for re-election in New Mexico and must win that race before entering another. “If I decide to run (for president) – I’ve made no decision – where’s the Journal guy?” Richardson said to the group. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: ‘Smiley’ Gallegos resigns from housing authority

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Region III Housing Authority Executive Director Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos has resigned, Gov. Bill Richardson announced Thursday. He will be temporarily replaced by Mid-Region Council of Governments Executive Director Lawrence Rael while the authority’s board searches for a new director. Gallegos resigned on Tuesday, Richardson’s office said in a news release, though it was not announced until late Thursday. “We are taking action to stabilize the finances and practices of Region III and ensure that it continues to fulfill its mission of providing affordable housing for low-income New Mexicans,” Richardson said. “The regional authorities must operate transparently, and in the best interests of the people it serves.” For all practical purposes, Gallegos was running the Region III authority in Albuquerque, the Region VII authority in Las Cruces and a couple of other non-profits related to the housing authorities. Continue Reading

NMSU wants to help rebuild agriculture in Iraq

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New Mexico State University President Michael Martin wants to join a coalition of schools that will help rebuild agriculture in Iraq. Martin has just returned from a trip to Baghdad, and said he hopes NMSU can play a lead role in the task. It’s part of Martin’s broader goal of making NMSU known and influential far beyond New Mexico’s borders. The branding campaign, which included the new logo, is geared in that direction. He has completely (and controversially) shaken up the research structure at NMSU, with the goal of improving it. Continue Reading

Politics color House committee hearing on voter ID, but a good discussion also ensues

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There were a lot of politics at play in Thursday’s House Administration Committee meeting in Las Cruces on voter identification. At the same time, some interesting points were made by proponents and opponents that revealed the complexities of the issue. The topic is tangentially related to the issue current Congressional hearings around the nation are purported to address: immigration. At the hearing, which was attended by about 100 people, Republicans made claims of widespread voter fraud and lawbreaking, while Democrats scoffed at the idea that any such problem exists. Present were the committee’s chair, Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Michigan; committee member Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.; and Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., who is not a member of the committee but participated anyway. Continue Reading

Lawsuit against housing authority board member dismissed, but scandal continues

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A lawsuit Region III Housing Authority Director Vincent “Smiley” Gallegos filed against one of the Region VII board members has been dismissed, according to The Citizen. Gallegos filed the slander lawsuit against Frances Williams earlier this year after Williams alleged wrongdoing on the part of the housing authorities. The lawsuit was dismissed last week in district court in Las Cruces. But that’s not all that’s going on with the housing authority scandal. Here’s the short background: Gallegos has been embroiled in controversy related to his management of the Las Cruces-based Region VII Housing Authority and the Region III authority in Albuquerque. Continue Reading

Richardson declares disaster in eight counties

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Gov. Bill Richardson has declared a state of disaster in eight counties, including Doña Ana, which will free up funds to aid repair efforts. The order also applies to Grant, Hidalgo, Sandoval, San Miguel, Sierra, Socorro and Valencia counties. “This disaster declaration frees up necessary money to help rebuild as quickly as possible,” Richardson said. “The recent flooding has been widespread and devastating. It is imperative that we respond quickly and help these counties, cities and towns get back on their feet.” New Mexico has been deluged with heavy rain and thunderstorms during the past week, causing communities and cities to incur damage to roads, canals, and other public infrastructure. Continue Reading

City judges won’t be forced off criminal cases because of lawsuit, Robles rules

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A district judge has denied a request by the City of Las Cruces to force the two municipal judges to recuse themselves from cases the city is prosecuting. The request from the city attorney’s office came in response to a lawsuit the judges have filed against the city, and is part of a larger dispute that has put on hold dozens of drunken driving and domestic violence cases. In denying the request Tuesday, Robles said there was no evidence that the lawsuit would affect the judges’ ability to preside over cases involving the city attorney’s office. City Manager Terrence Moore said the cases will proceed before the two judges, now that the recusal issue has been resolved. The dispute began when the judges, Melissa Miller-Byrnes and James T. Locatelli, complained to city management about the handling of cases by prosecutors and police in 2004. Continue Reading

Following floods, Gov. may declare disaster

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As officials with Doña Ana County and the City of Sunland Park assess the damage from Tuesday’s flooding, Gov. Bill Richardson is considering declaring a state of disaster. That would open the way for money to help repair damage. Richardson was already set to visit Las Cruces later today, and is expected to make announcement related to the disaster then. In the meantime, the county is deploying heavy equipment and personnel to the communities hardest hit, and road crews worked throughout the night. The county remains under severe weather alert, with more storms possible this afternoon. Continue Reading

Diaz responds well on first bad-news day, and Gadsden schools to be congratulated for progress

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Sonia Diaz, the new superintendent of the Las Cruces Public Schools, handled her first bad-news day well. The school district joined most districts around the state in learning Tuesday that more schools failed to meet federally required levels of progress last school year than the prior year. 13 of the district’s 34 schools met the Adequate Yearly Progress benchmark, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. 22 failed to meet the requirement. Last year, 21 failed. Continue Reading

Commuter rail seeing success, but jury still out

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Since the state began commuter rail service more than two weeks ago between Albuquerque and Bernalillo, there have been more than 50,000 passenger boardings, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting today. That’s a surprisingly impressive number. The state has spent an ungodly massive $400 million on the rail project and, intentionally or not, the Richardson administration misrepresented the cost to legislators during the early approval stages. That made the rail a politically hot potato, and was a large reason there were so many critics of funding for the spaceport in this year’s legislative session. Gov. Bill Richardson took some hits, but he insisted the rail would benefit the state, and pleaded for people to give it a chance. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Extreme weather prompts emergency response

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Update, 6:45 p.m. River appears safe at this time A surge of water in the Rio Grande is pushing south from northern Doña Ana County near the Village of Hatch. Doña Ana County Flood Director Paul Dugie said water flows of 900 cubic feet per second are being measured south of Hatch. All the water in the river is storm-related. Water flow from the Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs was shut off late yesterday. Total flow in the river at this time is about 1,850 cubic feet per second, according to Dugie’s calculations. Continue Reading