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.
A Republican state senator charged Friday that the Department of Health had hired more than 90 state employees since Gov. Bill Richardson imposed a state hiring freeze – and she wants to know why. Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, R-Sandia Park, charged during a meeting of the Legislative Finance Committee on Friday that some of those hired were unqualified and were related to current agency employees.
“The magnitude of hires after the freeze of unqualified people who are fast-tracked into training for financial positions is problematic and is creating morale issues,” Beffort said.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said Friday afternoon that most of the people Beffort was talking about were doctors, nurses and other medical professionals hired to care for patients. Those positions are exempted from the hiring freeze, said spokeswoman Deborah Busemeyer.
Some of 90 people hired also went toward beefing up the state’s fight with the swine flu. Busemeyer said the H1N1 virus has “required us to hire temporary folks to help us with vaccination efforts.”
