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.
Today’s front pages are dominated by the fallout from the failed bailout and details of the Iglesias/Domenici affair, making the rest of the news seem pale in comparison.
A new state park is proposed in the popular Pecos River Valley, perhaps saving the area from being loved to death, according to The Santa Fe New Mexican.
Down south, The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that that fair city may be in line for its own Pro’s Ranch Market, the wildly successful Hispanic grocery store chain that recently opened a branch in Albuquerque. And Gov. Bill Richardson was in Alamogordo, talking up the proposed New Mexico Spaceport to voters who will be asked to help pay for it, The Alamogordo Daily News says today.
The Pecos River Canyon may become the next state park, bringing a hodgepodge of recreational lands under one management umbrella, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported today.
The narrow canyon that runs north from the town of Pecos to the river’s headwaters in Santa Fe National Forest is popular with picnickers, anglers, hikers and horseback riders. The problem is that the area is too popular, leading to concerns about environmental degradation. The state Game Commission currently controls six sites along 17 miles of the river bank, while the river itself is managed by the federal government.
Gov. Bill Richardson announced Monday he wants the Legislature to let New Mexico State Parks take over the complex of day-use areas. The idea has support from Pecos businesses and sportsmen’s groups. Doug Jeffords, executive director of the Upper Pecos Watershed Association, called it a promising proposal. “People who use the canyon will see vast improvements, cleaner facilities, a safe place to camp,” Jeffords said.
A popular California grocery chain that caters to Hispanic customers and is doing a booming business since opening in Albuquerque earlier this year is considering a move into the state’s second-largest city. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the company has purchased a business plaza and appears to be working toward opening a store there in 2009.
A member of the city’s planning department said Pro’s Ranch officials have met with city staff, but have not submitted plans, the paper reported. The supermercado opened its Albuquerque store this summer, turning a run-down building at Central Avenue and Arenal Boulevard Northwest it into a lively commercial operation much like any found in Mexico. It also has a store in El Paso.
Gov. Bill Richardson urged residents at an Alamogordo senior center to vote yes in November on a plan to raise money for Spaceport America, the state’s fledgling rocket-launch facility near Truth or Consequences.
A key part of the spaceport’s funding is financial aid from the counties expected to benefit from its presence. Each county is being asked to support an eighth-cent gross receipts tax to help fund it. In Otero County, which votes on the issue Nov. 4, the idea is running about 50/50 in polls, The Alamogordo Daily News reported.
Richardson told the crowd that while income taxes have fallen and the state has a surplus from oil and gas revenue, “Now we need to think about our future.” That would be the spaceport, where commercial operators will use the facility to launch rockets into space and where aerospace companies can cluster to work on projects.
Spaceport Director Steve Landeene also called for a yes vote in November, saying, “It is not about our launch pads, it’s about bringing the jobs.”
