All Stories

Albuquerque opens new path and bridge, aims to be more bike-friendly

Albuquerque opened a new bicycle bridge this week and it has plans to extend bike trails in coming years. But much more work is needed to make the Duke City the bike-friendly metropolis Mayor Martin Chavez envisions.

Udall says opponents using push polls

Though Democratic Senate candidate Tom Udall faces no primary opposition, he is still facing some opposition of a different sort in the weeks leading up to the June 3 primary.

According to an e-mail to supporters from Udall campaign manager Amanda Cooper, a group from Ohio is using “push-polls” to spread information about Udall...

"Bush Legacy Tour" comes to Albuquerque

A bus traveling the nation on a Bush Legacy Tour for Americans United for Change made a stop in Albuquerque Monday morning.

The bus was parked in the Nob Hill area of Central, in front of a Flying Star, and features a large picture of President George W. Bush and the words "Bush's legacy" on the side.

"It’s called the Bush Legacy," said Julie Blust, the press secretary for the tour. "But it’s really a legacy of failed conservative policies and most people when they think about legacy, they think about a good thing and this has not been a good legacy."

"Daily Show" Puts Gov. on Obama's "Black and Tan" ticket

Anyone catch a Gov. Bill Richardson reference in the "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" last night, May 28? The show's "senior Black correspondent" Larry Wilmore explains Barack Obama's running mate choices, and our beloved Guv comes up as the "Black and Tan" ticket. Watch it, it's funny.

With this "fake news" TV outlet giving Richardson a teensy chance as a running mate, who knows, maybe the biggies with the supposed "real" insight will follow. As Jon Stewart would say, "Go on...." 

$200,000 for Ed Tinsley

The National Restaurant Association Political Action Committee is spending $200,000 in the final week before the June 3 primary on TV and radio ads promoting the candidacy of 2nd Congressional District Republican candidate Ed Tinsley.

The independent expenditure further ups the ante in a GOP primary race that has already seen the National Association of Realtors’ PAC spend almost $1 million to promote the candidacy of Tinsley opponent Monty Newman and every candidate help self-finance his own campaign.

$80K for Denish's PAC

Lt. Gov Diane Denish's political action committee, Progress, Vision and Commitment, raised just over $80,000 since this time last year, according to a report filed with the Secretary of State's office. The PAC spent all but $1,307.92 in the same period.

Much of the money raised came from large donations.

$elf financing doesn't mean victory

Having a lot of your own money to invest in a political campaign doesn't always translate to victory. A recent survey of the 2004 and 2006 election cycles showed that 54 of 62 candidates for federal office who triggered the millionaire's amendment lost their election bids. So what does that mean for two New Mexican candidates who've triggered the millionaire's amendment this year?

'Body of War' hits Albuquerque

A film shown in Albuquerque, a new tell-all book and morning TV show interview all converged this week to cast light on the run up to the Iraq war -- a struggle that still rages five years after the 2003 invasion at a cost of thousands of lives.

'Building Green Economies' a border issue

For the first time in its history, the 26th Border Governor's Conference has been combined with a Green Technology Expo that opens today at the "Building Green Economies" conference being hosted by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ten border governors, including New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, were among those scheduled to attend the invitation-only conference. The Green Tech Expo today and Friday is open to the public at no charge.

An official conference press release said Schwarzenegger's decision to hold the conference at Universal Studios, to incorporate the Green Tech Expo and to give the conference its overall environmental theme "is resonant of his desire to raise awareness among the general public that cross-border issues are about much more than illegal immigration."

'Cracking the code'

Architecture 2030, the Santa Fe non-profit whose 2030 Challenge has been adopted by trade groups and municipalities worldwide as a goals statement for energy efficiency by the year 2030, has followed up with a guidebook for cities, counties and states to achieve those goals. The guide is a white paper entitled "Meeting the 2030 Challenge Through Building Codes."

'Net neutrality' lost?

The world has sped up. Much of this has to do with the Internet, but a looming issue threatens the way it works now. Internet service providers have started floating ideas about charging content providers differing rates in order to connect their products to consumers. So, if you want someone to be able to access your data-heavy content, get ready to pay more.

'Post-racial' triumph hits home

My son Gabriel didn’t care one bit about politics—until the day he first caught sight of a tall brown brother named Barack Obama. “Mom, he looks just like me!” Gabriel said excitedly as he watched him on TV. “And he’s running for president?”

'Should I be on list?' prof wonders

A local research professor is questioning his placement on a list of scientists who do not believe in a man-made effect on global climate change. The Heartland Institute, a prominent conservative think tank, unveiled a list of 500 scientists with “documented doubts of man-made global warming scares” last September.

2000 Gold, Part II

A big, dirty mess

Responding to congressional demands and a series in the Los Angeles Times in 2006, the federal government has laid out a $161 million plan to prevent the spread of radioactive contamination on sites across the Navajo nation. The plan calls for the clean up of the Northeast Church Rock Mine near Gallup as well as a survey of structures and wells for contamination.

A Chihuahua movie: What is Disney thinking?

Disney is set to release a stereotype-ridden animated movie called "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" in September. See what Albuquerque-born author Alisa Valdes Rodriguez thinks about it and give us your opinion.

A design to curb greenhouse gases

The Western Climate Initiative released on Wednesday the draft design of a proposed regional cap-and-trade program to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The initial cap-and-trade goal of the WCI, a partnership of seven western states including New Mexico and four Canadian provinces, is to cut aggregate greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to amounts 15 percent lower than 2005 levels. The program would continue beyond 2020, with new targets set three years in advance.

The idea behind this proposal is to set a cap on the emission of greenhouse gasses, primarily carbon dioxide, but also including methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. The cap would be gradually lowered each year, until desired greenhouse gas emission levels are reached. 

A funny thing happened on the way to the governor's poolside reception

Santa Fe Reporter's Dave Maass filed this video from Denver. Check it out.
 

A goal already missed

We’re using too much water in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County. The ABQ/Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority has a new graphic on their website showing that year to date we’re 627 million gallons over our conservation goal of 11.8 billion gallons.

According to the website, the goal is set at a level that would reduce per-person usage to 165 gallons per day in 2008, versus 167 gallons per day in 2007.

A group pays for pro-Obama ads in N.M. to target Hispanics

PowerPAC ads running in two languages

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