I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Haven't seen a smile like that in a while, have we?
Gov. Bill Richardson’s former chief of staff, David Contarino, is a subject of the federal investigation into whether Richardson pressured the New Mexico Finance Authority to give a lucrative contract to a California firm that contributed significantly to Richardson PACs, according to Bloomberg.
That story broke late last night and we’ve got our take, too. But for now, here’s the ugly part: “[A] person familiar with the investigation said Contarino, 47, is a subject of the inquiry and that prosecutors are looking at whether he solicited contributions from firms that worked on finance authority bond deals.”
Former NMFA director of intergovernmental relations Carlos Romero was interviewed by the FBI and has given testimony to the grand jury in the GRIPgate investigation (Yes, we’re going with GRIPgate!), KRQE reports. Romero is an associate vice president at UNM, as is his former NMFA boss, David Harris, who was also interviewed by the FBI.
Another person who has talked to the FBI in GRIPgate (get used to it, people!) is Colorado state Sen. Chris Romer. Romer told the Denver Post yesterday that he talked to the FBI voluntarily last fall. How is Romer connected? Romer was the lead banker at JPMorgan, the financial services firm that underwrote the majority of the $1.6 billion in bonds for Richardson’s GRIP transportation projects. Read more on the Colorado connection here.
That’s the big stuff for now. Keep reading and we’ll be updating all day!
