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.
State Insurance Superintendent John Franchini has said he plans to meet individually with members of the Public Regulation Commission to discuss how the division plans to fix serious problems pointed out in a recent national audit. “They may think they’ve figured out a ‘loophole’ [in the Open Meetings Act], but they’ll lose the public’s trust and confidence in the process. So what have you really gained?” says Sarah Welsh of the Foundation for Open Government.
Bernalillo County finally released an investigative report completed two months ago that examined nepotism and other problems at its drug and alcohol detox center, the Albuquerque Journal reported today.
The report examined a situation involving a former deputy county…
The Office of Attorney General Gary King told the governor’s office that it believes the names of 59 exempt employees who were laid off are subject to New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA). The attempts to…
Rep. Janice Arnold Jones and APS Superintendent Winston Brooks are among the recipients of the 2010 William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Awards given by New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NM-FOG).
Jemez Mountain School District must disclose embezzlement-related financial records to the Rio Grande SUN by Saturday, District Court Judge Sheri Raphaelson has ruled, rejecting the District’s contention that disclosure would interfere with law enforcement.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico is accusing Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez, Doña Ana County’s district attorney, of “hiding” public records. The party has been allowed to inspect the records, but it was not allowed to scan any records and has not yet received requested copies. The director of the Foundation for Open Government says it sounds like the Democrats have “run into problems with attitude more than legal compliance” from the DA’s office.
Under the proposal creating a State Ethics Commission a person filing a complaint and then going public could face a $26,000 fine and a year in jail. A public official, on the other hand, found to have violated the public trust would face a censure or public reprimand. The House voted 49 to 15 to pass an ethics commission bill after a relatively short debate in which Democrats swatted away several amendments from Republicans to strengthen the bill.
A person filing an ethics complaint and then going public would face much harsher penalties than a public official found to have violated the public trust under a State Ethics Commission proposal the Senate Finance Committee passed Tuesday.
With the proposal to create a state ethics commission under consideration in the Senate Rules Committee, activists lobbying for the bill say they’d like to see a better balance between confidentiality and the public’s right to know than would be created by some of the bills under consideration.
The New Mexico House of Representatives on Friday voted unanimously to allow video webcasting from the floor and streaming audio from committee meetings as early as next week. And the Legislative Council Service will begin posting lawmakers’ votes on the Web within 24 hours of each vote.
“How slow can you go?” asks the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government today in regard to the fulfillment of two information requests for public records. There’s a climate of obstruction and secrecy in state government, the group says, which…
Gov. Bill Richardson’s office formally responded to my request for information about the 59 political appointees who are losing their jobs today and – surprise, surprise – the response included no information about those people who are losing their…
The State Investment Council (SIC) says it can’t locate a subpoena and questionnaire that were missing from a group of public records released last month related to ongoing federal probes into the nationwide investment scandal.
The New Mexico Independent, with experts from the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, hosted a free web seminar on the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and how to obtain government information. Click the headline to read a transcript and watch a video of the seminar.
The New Mexico Independent, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and KNME’s New Mexico In Focus have teamed up to present a free seminar on the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and how to obtain…
The New Mexico Independent, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and KNME’s New Mexico In Focus have teamed up to present a free seminar on the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and how to obtain…
So you’re looking for some information that can only be found the public records of a government agency or office–but when you request those records, you hit a brick wall. What do you do? The New Mexico Independent is teaming…
A local organization that works for more openness in government is claiming victory after a state agency decided Tuesday to publicly release documents that had been sought for months by the media.
The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG) hot line is now open to help citizens, journalists and public officials who have been denied access to public records or public meetings, the Associated Press reports. If you encounter…
