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.
By now you know — or you should — that New Mexico has a big, fat budget hole.
Economists and other state officials estimate that weak tax revenue has left the state $440 million or so short of what it needs to cover expenses for the year that ends June 30. Gov. Bill Richardson and state lawmakers are negotiating over what to do about the shortfall, what to take off the table as an option and what to leave on. More …
New Mexico Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish may have been publicly mum on attempts by the Republican Party and some of its declared gubernatorial nominees to brand her as ethically challenged through association with the Richardson administration, but her recent fundraising appeal sent to reporters let loose on them.
In it, she said the Republican party has stooped to an “all-time low in New Mexico politics” by going negative well over a year away from the election.
More attorney’s are blasting a letter issued by U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt’s after his year-long investigation of Governor Bill Richardson’s administration ended with no indictments.
In an article about Richardson’s political future now that the investigation is over, Politico quotes a “top Washington defense attorney” and a former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington State during the George H.W. Bush administration who say the letter written by Fouratt showed “extremely poor judgment.”
OK, Gallup boosters, prepare the billboards. I feel an all-out tourism campaign coming on.
Paul Theroux, the novelist and travel writer, thinks you ROCK!!!! I mean, he REALLY likes you. Or at least he’d like to visit again, which is…
Two term State Rep. Richard Berry believes that incumbent Mayor Martin Chávez was playing pure politics yesterday when he held a news conference to announce the city will give the District Attorney’s office $275,000 to target repeat offenders.
Berry, who is challenging Chávez in the upcoming mayoral election, said in a statement yesterday that the news conference was an “election season stunt” in order to appear tough on crime.
Two bidders competed for a 2004 contract that is central to the criminal case against former New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil Giron and three others. But the RFPs are no where to be found.
“Very possibly” answers The Albuquerque Journal in a story today.
Reporter Andrea Schoellkopf writes that “Albuquerque Public Schools could face immediate cuts of $25 million to $30 million in its $668.5 million budget if the state orders budget cuts…
The Rio Grande Sun, Española’s hard-hitting newspaper, called out the Jemez Mountain School District board in an editorial over the weekend, demanding that board members resign en masse.
The paper’s editorial comes after revelations in mid…
State prosecutors allege that the payments to Joe Kupfer were part of an elaborate embezzlement and fraud scheme in which Gutierrez, the Kupfers and former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron stole millions of dollars in federal taxpayer money awarded to Vigil-Giron’s office for voter education.
The state of New Mexico is being sued by a group of non-profit organizations and one injured agricultural worker for not providing workers compensation to farm and ranch laborers in the state.
The group maintains that the exclusion of these…
At a town hall meeting about health care reform yesterday, U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman said he thought Congress should consider specifying that contraception be included in future benefit packages.
At the meeting sponsored by New Mexico First, participant Ozawa…
Two weeks ago New Mexico Human Services Secretary Pam Hyde delivered a sobering 27-page Power Point presentation to state lawmakers about a huge shortfall facing the state’s Medicaid program.
New Mexico Attorney General Gary King is saying his office is free of conflict of interests that would weaken its prosecution of former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and three other defendants.
The issue of potential conflicts came out…
Congressman Martin Heinrich’s staff expects the health care town hall being held tomorrow in Albuquerque to be filled to capacity. The venue at the University of New Mexico Continuing Education Building holds 600 people, and they’ll have another room with…
The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government — ally to advocates of transparent government, bane of secretive politicans — has a new leader.
Sarah Welch, a 31-year-old ex-newspaper editor in northern New Mexico, was named as FOG’s new executive…
Two of the individuals indicted along with former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron yesterday by the state were widely reported to be lobbyists for the City of Albuquerque.
While Joe and Elizabeth Kupfer are listed on the Secretary…
According to an indictment handed down Wednesday, former New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron fabricated a letter — postdating it Aug 26, 2004 — to help cover up a vast money laundering and embezzlement scheme. The alleged scheme involved Vigil-Giron, a nationally respected Hispanic media consultant and a husband-and-wife team who now lobby for the city of Albuquerque.
A grand jury on Wednesday handed up a 50-count indictment against former New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and three others for allegedly mismanaging millions of dollars in public funds.
OK, all you weary Albuquerque-to-Santa Fe commuters, I have some good good news and bad news.
First the good news: Interstate 25 from Tramway Boulevard in Albuquerque to the first Bernalillo exit is growing to a six-lane superhighway.
One thing that leaps out when looking over the campaign reports of Albuquerque’s mayoral candidates is the minimal amount of money incumbent Mayor Martin Chavez is using for campaign staff compared to the other two candidates in the race, ex-state Senate president pro tem Richard Romero and state Rep. Richard “R.J.” Berry.
