It was a stormy weekend on the national front. Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast hard, but the death toll of 30 (and counting) is spread across eight states. “Glass-strewn Houston,” in the words of the Associated Press, is under a week-long curfew and the Mayor of Galveston has told residents not to come back anytime soon. Churches and shelters are bursting at the seams across the state. And while Ike taught Texas a lesson, Wall Street banks “faltered.” Merrill Lynch is no longer independent, opting for an early out by selling itself to Bank of America. Lehman Brothers struggled all year, and is now going into bankruptcy.

New Mexico’s congressional delegation view with skepticism John McCain’s pledge to veto earmarks wholesale if elected president. Earmarks are spending projects of congressional members inserted into the budget once they receive it from the president. In his report, Michael Coleman takes a look at earmarks for the Albuquerque Journal and gives us the run-down on the top earmarks requested by each of our Senators and Representatives. New Mexico receives more than two dollars from the federal government for every one dollar in taxes it sends to Washington, and the state receives the 9th largest amount of federal budget earmarks per capita. New Mexico’s congressional delegation all agree that spending needs to be reined in but say that earmarks are important for ensuring worthy projects happen.

There’s been a 30 percent drop in applications for drilling permits, according to the Bureau of Land Management. Cornelia de Bruin of the Farmington Daily Times reports there will be 460 permits issued by the end of September, compared to 630 last year. Drilling companies say new pit rules issued in June have slowed the drilling application process down. The new rules regulate how companies contain and dispose of drilling by-products. A lawsuit filed by Wild Earth Guardians has also limited drilling in the San Juan Basin, putting about 40 percent of it off limits from November to April due to deer and elk winter range issues.

Doña Ana County is in the top tier of small metropolitan areas for job growth and retention according to the Milken Institute. According to Brook Stockberger of the Las Cruces Sun-News, the county jumped from No. 17 to No. 11 out of 124 cities. Contributing factors are the high tech industry, its proximity to the border with Mexico and El Paso, and its popularity as a retirement destination.

 

Last but not least, the Albuquerque police chief has fired Daniel Guzman, the police officer who attacked and arrested a KOB-TV reporter for doing his job back in May. Hailey Heinz of the ABQ Journal has that story here.