Transportation
TODAY’S TOP STORIES: GRIPgate! Feds Interviewed Contarino, Romero
Gov. Bill Richardson’s former chief of staff, David Contarino, is a subject of the federal investigation into whether Richardson pressured the New Mexico Finance Authority to give a lucrative contract to a California firm that contributed significantly to Richardson PACs, according to Bloomberg.
That story broke late last night and we’ve got our take, too. But [...]
Richardson adviser/fundraiser Michael Stratton lobbied for bond deals under investigation
Michael Stratton, an advisor to Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign and a fundraiser for Richardson, lobbied New Mexico for JPMorgan Chase, a financial services company involved in the municipal bond deals currently under investigation, Bloomberg reports.
Why do we care? Because JPMorgan was the firm that underwrote most of the bonds sold to finance Richardson’s GRIP [...]
GRIPgate in chart form!
We haven’t figured out yet what to call this scandal. GRIP Slip? CDR-Gate? Rubin-water?
(Actually, we’re open to suggestions, hopefully some that don’t involve -gate or -water. Post them in the comments.)
In the meantime, Muckety.com has posted a fascinating interactive map of the investigation that caused Richardson to withdraw as nominee for the Secretary of Commerce.
My one nitpick with the new train to Santa Fe
I took a ride on the Rail Runner Express the other day and came away impressed. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and friends told me there was a whiteout in Santa Fe. Normally, I would count myself lucky to live in nice, dry Albuquerque with no compelling reason to go to anywhere on a day like that.
New Mexico’s Spaceport clears a big hurdle
OK, sign me up for space travel.
This just in from Gov. Bill Richardson’s press office: Virgin Galactic has signed a 20-year lease agreement with New Mexico.
That’s a big step toward Richardson’s repeatedly stated hopes for a spaceport in southern New Mexico.
Virgin Galactic’s world headquarters will be established in New Mexico, and its operations will be [...]
TODAY’S TOP STORIES: Tragedy on the slopes, LANL intrigue — and Gov. Heather Wilson?
A 10-year-old Texas girl died Tuesday at Ski Santa Fe when she hit a tree, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
John Fleck of the Albuquerque Journal has a very interesting story about authors of a forthcoming book positing the theory that a Los Alamos scientist helped the Soviets build a hydrogen bomb.
It seems the Rail [...]
Rail Runner passengers want more parking
With the Rail Runner Express making its way up to Santa Fe for nearly two weeks now, it looks increasingly clear that the service is a hit — and that more parking is needed. The stories range from a pleasant experience from a first time rider to a horror story from a outright critic.
But one [...]
Rail Runner snags another high profile rider
According to a press release from Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, the Rail Runner Express will have at least one more commuter to Santa Fe starting today — Denish herself.
The probable-future governor, assuming Gov. Bill Richardson is confirmed by the U.S. Senate for the secretary of commerce position, will ride to Santa Fe on the new [...]
TODAY’S TOP STORIES: State police sergeant resigns as a result of last month’s fatal hit-and-run in Santa Fe
The state police sergeant who was a passenger in the car that struck and killed a pedestrian before Thanksgiving has resigned, the Albuquerque Journal reports. Meanwhile, the Journal also has this ironic piece of news: Police were the victims in a brazen theft as someone stole weapons out of Sandoval and Bernalillo counties’ sheriff vehicles [...]
Rail Runner sidetracked a bit with day one glitches
OK, the first day of the Rail Runner’s public schedule didn’t exactly go off without a hitch.
Signal glitches caused delays on two southbound trains, meaning that commuters didn’t get to their destinations on time; in one train’s case, it took 2 1/2 hours to get from Santa Fe to Albuquerque. That left a few [...]