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.
The Rio Grande Sun today presents the results of an investigation showing that child molesters in Rio Arriba County rarely go to jail.
From the story:
A SUNinvestigation of the 22 child rape and child molestation cases in Rio Arriba County that resulted in indictments between 2004 and 2008 and were adjudicated, shows the majority of those cases ended in conviction but with the defendant pleading guilty to lesser crimes and avoiding prison. Eighty percent of those defendants convicted after being charged with criminal sexual penetration (the legal term for rape) or criminal sexual contact of a minor (the legal term for child molestation) during those four years weren’t sentenced to any jail time. Seventy-three percent of those 22 cases ended in plea deals in which the defendant pleaded to reduced charges.
In Las Vegas, Mayor Tony Marquez proposed that the city council start each meeting with a prayer, but the council voted the idea down, reports the Las Vegas Optic. “It’s my opinion that it will help us get along better,” Marquez said. The Council disagreed.
The AP tells that the New Mexico State Library will receive $1.4 million in federal stimulus money to expand broadband technology and access statewide. The money will help fund programs to promote computer literacy and Internet access for rural populations.
Also today, the Farmington Daily Times has a report on the status of H1N1 vaccines in the state. Some of the vaccine was recalled because the manufacturer said it might not be as potent as it was supposed to be. State health officials are still encouraging New Mexicans to get the vaccine, as cases are down now, but expected to increase.
In other news, the American Gypsum wallboard plant in Bernalillo is closing and about 70 workers will be laid off. The owners cite the crummy economy as the reason for the shut down.
And, finally, here’s a feel-good holiday story for you. A Las Cruces woman has found a copy of the 1939 children’s booklet “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which was the basis for a Gene Autry song–and a legend:
Marilyn Basler, who lives in an east Las Cruces neighborhood, said she was about 7 years old and living in a small Texas town in 1939, when her father toted the publication home and presented it to her. She said the gift was a welcome one because reading material was scarce in her Depression-era home.
“It was nice to get a book, because we couldn’t afford very many books,” she said.
So there you go. Tell your kids to quit whining about a Wii because they should be so lucky to get a free booklet given away by a department store. Why, back in my day…
