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 financial market churn continues to lead the news with looks back at Monday’s record leap on Wall Street and looks forward at today’s hopes the run-up will continue. But for the rest of us watching from the sidelines, life goes on and even offers some good news on occasion. The Taos News reports that 10-year-old effort to grow organic wheat in northern New Mexico is so successful that it can’t keep up with demand, while a charter school for Navajo teenagers has met its federal educational goals seven years in a row, according to The Farmington Daily Times. And of course, the state’s political life roils on, as well. The Albuquerque Journal talks to the two candidates in the high-pitched race for Bernalillo County district attorney, but students attempting to put on a “Rock for Barack” concert in Santa Fe can’t nail down a venue, The Santa Fe New Mexican writes today.
Organic wheat farmers sell out, again
A 10-year-old project to raise organic wheat north of Taos is enjoying another sell-out year, The Taos News reports. Gonzalo “Joe” Gallegos told the paper the Sangre de Cristo Agricultural Producers Co-operative can’t keep up with demand for its flour, which is used in bakeries and kitchens around the state.
“People are begging for more,” Gallegos said. “The market has gotten crazy.”
The co-op was formed in the fertile valley north of Questa in the late 1990s with the help of a New Mexico State University grant. It hasn’t been easy, Gallegos said, but the nine co-op members keep at it, and with rising grain prices they are enjoying a good return this year, he said.
Navajo Prep students meet AYP seven years running
Schools all across the United States struggle to meet the challenges of the federal No Child Left Behind law, but not Navajo Preparatory School. Located in Farmington, it has attracted 200 high school-aged students from the Navajo Nation and has met federal standards for seven years in a row, The Farmington Daily Times reports.
The school operates under the Bureau of Indian Affairs and just released its report on Annual Yearly Progress, the benchmarks that show whether a school’s students have met federal standards in several subject areas. Navajo Prep again sailed through, with students beating the math and reading goals by substantial margins and graduating 97 percent of its senior class.
Statewide, less than 6 percent of high schools met their AYP marks, The Daily Times reported.
Bernalillo County DA battle turning into hot one
Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg is challenged this election by Republican Lori Torraco in what is turning out to be a hot contest, The Albuquerque Journal reports today. Torraco has slammed the incumbent over management style and prosecution success rate and says she would reorganize the office.
Brandenburg says Torraco is unrealistic and misinformed, and according to the blog New Mexico Politics With Joe Monahan, has taken her campaign to win re-election to the airwaves.
‘Rock for Barack’ needs a home, and soon
Students at the College of Santa Fe had hoped to put on a rock concert to benefit Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential bid, but can’t seem to find a venue, The Santa Fe New Mexican reports today.
Event organizers had hoped the event would bring out younger voters to cast their ballots early, but the concert plans are shifting. What was originally envisioned as a multi-day music festival at The Downs at Santa Fe was revised to a single day at the College of Santa Fe. That venue didn’t pan out either, and now a plan to hold it at Santa Fe Brewing Co. is looking iffy because of county permits.
Organizer Lynne Canning told the paper she’s not giving up yet. “I think it’s a great idea, a great event,” she said. “I just keep taking it a day at a time.”
Stay tuned.
