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.
USA TODAY has examined the amount of money flowing to states early on by looking at the first contracts that release federal money to pay for state projects.
While New Mexico doesn’t get a specific mention in the text of the story, a map accompanying the article seems to indicate that New Mexico is doing a pretty good job of capturing the first wave of stimulus money.
Of course the map is based on per-capita funding, meaning it looks at how much each state has received per resident. And because New Mexico is a small state population-wise, that could increase the state’s per-capita measure.
But it’s interesting to note nonetheless.
New Mexico is getting $3 billion in federal stimulus aid, and could get much more depending on how successful New Mexicans are in qualifying for competitive federal grants.
Meanwhile, here’s an excerpt of the USA TODAY story:
Nationwide, federal agencies have awarded nearly $4 billion in contracts to help jump-start the economy since President Obama signed the massive stimulus package in February. But, with few exceptions, that money has not reached states where the unemployment rate is highest, according to a USA TODAY review of contracts disclosed through the Federal Procurement Data System.
In Michigan, for example — where years of economic tumult and a collapsing domestic auto industry have produced the nation’s worst unemployment rate — federal agencies have spent about $2 million on stimulus contracts, or 21 cents per person. In Oregon, where unemployment is almost as high, they have spent $2.12 per capita, far less than the nationwide average of nearly $13.
