Posts by Gwyneth Doland

On Wednesday night, NMI hosted our third Independent Forum event with Sen. Dede Feldman, Rep. Dennis Roch and Sarah Welsh of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. We had a lively discussion that ranged from taxes to webcasting. You can watch it below. And don’t forget to join us next Wednesday, Feb. 10 from [...]

FactCheck.org finds that President Obama ’strained the truth at times,’ but the Republican response also contained some incorrect claims.

Chris Lardner, an Albuquerque woman who introduced President Obama at a town hall on credit card reform in Rio Rancho last year, will sit with First Lady Michelle Obama tonight for the State of the Union address.

For your convenience: Here are the Senate floor schedule and the Senate committee schedule; the House floor schedule and the House committee schedule for Wednesday, Jan. 27.

On Wednesday, Jan. 27, The New Mexico Independent will host the second in a series of Legislature-related events at Rio Chama Steakhouse in Santa Fe. We’ll begin shortly after 6 p.m. with refreshments (the food is free, the booze is not) and a panel discussion on legislative issues with Sen. John Sapien, Rep. Dennis Kintigh [...]

On Wednesday night The New Mexico Independent hosted a panel discussion with Sen. Eric Griego, Rep. Nora Espinoza, and Richard Anklam of New Mexico Tax Research Institute. We talked about how gross receipts tax increases affect the poor, why out of state employers don’t care about the personal income tax rate and why a domestic [...]

Join us tonight, Wednesday, January 20, from 5 to 8 at Rio Chama Steakhouse, for The Independent Forum, the first in a series of events held during the legislative session.
We’ll start out with snacks (free!) and drinks (not free), followed by a panel discussion with Sen. Eric Griego, D-Albuquerque; Rep. Nora Espinoza, R-Roswell; and Richard Anklam [...]

Former KOAT Santa Fe bureau reporter Larry Behrens has joined The New Mexico Independent team for coverage of the 2010 legislative session. Larry is a familiar face around the Roundhouse and we are enjoying working with him!

San Miguel County has passed a one year moratorium on permits for oil and gas drilling, reports the Las Vegas Optic.
Gov. Richardson says state government could save $129 million by merging departments and eliminating some boards and commissions, The New Mexico Business Weekly reports.
Santa Fe District Court complex construction could take two to three years [...]

As it did last year when a similar bill was introduced, the New Mexico Restaurant Association has expressed its opposition to allowing concealed guns in restaurants that serve beer and wine. As Executive Director Carol Wight wrote today in The Independent Forum:
“What if a customer comes into a restaurant with a bulge at their waistline… [...]

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced that it has awarded a grant to the Center for Independent Media, in partnership with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, to establish The Florida Independent.

Cannon Air Force Base is gearing up for rescue operations in Haiti, reports the Clovis News Journal.
The Santa Fe New Mexican highlights a study suggesting area well-water is tainted with uranium, arsenic, and water softener salts.
Members of the oil and gas industry, dairy industry and others have filed a joint lawsuit that could block state action on [...]

On the opening day of the state Legislature, Tuesday, Jan. 19, Gov. Bill Richardson is scheduled to deliver his annual state of the state address, in which he’ll likely lay the basics of his legislative agenda.
What would you do if you were in his shoes? KUNM wants to know; the station is soliciting commentaries from [...]

We’ve just posted another response to this week’s Independent Forum question (on whether patrons should be allowed to carry concealed guns in restaurants) and you should check it out if you haven’t already.
Today, Bill Jordan of New Mexico Voices for Children writes about the years he spent interviewing, on behalf of the Child Fatality Review [...]

With the food tax back on the table the Roundhouse, The Santa Fe Reporter asks, “why were working-class shopping carts a target to begin with?”
Santa Fe’s largest city union has endorsed Mayor David Coss in his bid for reelection, while police and firefighter unions are backing challenger Asenath Kepler, writes the Santa Fe New Mexican.
In [...]