Dems lean on N.M. party to deliver

The New Mexico delegation got its marching orders in no uncertain terms early Monday at the Democratic National Convention: Failure is not an option in 2008.

National party leaders Donna Brazile and Federico Peña reminded the delegation that New Mexico is a key state for presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama to win in November, The Albuquerque Journal reports. The unspoken message was that state Democrats failed to deliver in 2004 by fewer than 6,000 votes, giving President Bush the state and its critical five Electoral College votes.

Gov. Bill Richardson said the memory is still clear. "John Kerry several times let me know that he was unhappy that we didn’t win New Mexico," Richardson told Journal reporter Jeff Jones on Monday. "We tried everything," he said, but the Republicans "snuck by us."

Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, mentioned New Mexico and its strategic importance several times during a meeting Monday with reporters. He said the campaign’s polls show Obama maintaining a lead in New Mexico, including among Hispanic voters, even as at least one other poll this week found Republican Sen. John McCain forging slightly ahead.

Santa Fe hiking rates for water wasters, garbage tossers

Santa Fe residents could see their already-high water bills rise even higher and their garbage bills follow under a pair of proposals aimed at encouraging water conservation and waste recycling.

Water rates, which are among the highest in the state, would rise about 7 percent per year over the next seven years, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported today. Under another proposal, the city would reduce commercial recycling fees and start charging residential customers by the volume of trash they generate.

The water rate hike is needed to pay for the city’s Buckman Diversion Project, which eventually will take water out of the Rio Grande for city use. The trash-collection increase is known as a "pay as you throw" program, which city officials said is becoming popular around the nation.

Members of the council’s Public Works Committee approved both proposals Monday night, but other council members have voiced concern that the rate hikes might be too steep. At least two council members who signed on as co-sponsors of the legislation earlier said they want more information before they approve any rate hikes.

More talks are set for September, including additional public hearings.

Gallup bars open again on Sundays

Despite having some of the worst alcohol problems in the state, Gallup bars can once again open on Sundays, and The Gallup Independent reported that many taverns in town took advantage of the opportunity for extra business last weekend.

City voters approved the measure Aug. 5. It does not permit package sales, but bars were allowed to operate Sundays for the first time in 20 years. The newspaper found some supporters of the ballot measure out and about. “Oh, you betcha," said proposition supporter Cassie Henderson, who was at Sammy C’s with a friend.

Sammy Chioda, owner of Sammy C’s Rock N’ Sports Pub & Grille, told the newspaper the economic benefits of opening Sunday were already evident. A couple passing through town stopped for drinks, he said, and because the bar was open, they stayed overnight, he said. Had Gallup been closed, they told him they would have pushed on to Arizona.

UNM freshman enrollment hits record high

The University of New Mexico has welcomed its biggest freshman class ever, the Journal reports, boosting the school’s enrollment to 24,900.

Classes began Monday with about 3,190 freshmen, up almost 10 percent over the fall semester last year, according to UNM. The increase includes higher numbers of National Merit and National Hispanic students, officials said.

Increasing the enrollment, particularly of top-notch freshmen, has been a target of President David Schmidly, who is starting his second year at UNM. The university has made more scholarship money available to National Merit and National Hispanic students, and the gambit appears to have worked. The number of merit semi-finalists attending the school rose from four last year to 15 in 2008, while the National Hispanic scholarships rose from 10 to 24.

Full scholarships worth $13,000 are offered to all graduating National Merit semi-finalists, National Hispanic and National Achievement scholars in the state, the newspaper said.