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 Land Commissioner Ray Powell reversed the controversial White Peak land swap that happened under the watch of former commissioner Pat Lyons. Powell’s decision Tuesday returned the northeastern New Mexico area to the State Land Office.
State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons, a Republican, is stepping into the fray of the Democratic primary for State Land Commissioner. In a guest column on NMPolitics.net, Lyons wrote that Democrat Ray Powell is “wrong for New Mexico” and Powell…
Though the Republican primary is just over a month away, former Republican Party chairman Allen Weh aired a TV ad attacking Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, a Democrat, for her use of the state’s jet.
A current member of the State Investment Council joined two outgoing members Tuesday to accuse Attorney General Gary King of not doing enough recover public money lost to failed or possibly fraudulent investments. King responded by accusing the SIC of trying to shift the “spotlight” from itself and its past investment mistakes.
“The Richardson administration pulled out all the stops to keep Gary Bland on the SIC,” Foy’s attorney, Victor Marshall, said at a small news conference Tuesday. But four SIC members said they never felt pressure from the Richardson in the days before the former state investment officer resigned.
The New Mexico Supreme Court acted Tuesday to halt the White Peak land swap, at least temporarily, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. The court wants a response from State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons by February 15.
Attorney General Gary King announced today that his office is aking action to stop a proposed deal that would swap the public lands at White’s Peak for private land. King said the deal as proposed now would violate the…
A proposal by the State Land Office to swap over 14,000 acres of public trust land in northern New Mexico’s White Peak area for 9,650 acres of land owned by several big ranchers in other parts of the state has…
On Tuesday Rep. Brian Egolf , D-Santa Fe, spoke to about 75 protestors gathered at the capitol to express their opposition to a controversial land swap deal. While there is still a fight over whether the deal will go through,…
Gov. Bill Richardson
As 2009 staggers into the history books, exhausted and a bit lighter in the pockets than when it first appeared on the scene, let’s acknowledge this: the year gave us plenty to write about.
Accusations of pay-to-play, former elected officials getting indicted, electoral surprises and an occasional David toppling a Goliath — 2009 produced it all, giving the year a healthy luster of newsworthiness despite its threadbare look.
The year showed incredible stamina, in fact, with a steady drumbeat of scoops, gotchas and revelations, exhausting many a political junkie and news professional. And 2009 didn’t take long to demonstrate its capacity to shock.
On the fourth day of 2009, an announcement in Washington landed in New Mexico with all the percussive power of a bombshell: Gov. Bill Richardson was withdrawing as President Obama’s commerce secretary, citing a federal corruption investigation into how his administration conducted business.
And the news kept coming.
Some 360 later, the year is ending the way it began — scrutiny, including from federal prosecutors, on how the state invested its money over the past half decade.
In between those two bookends, the state of New Mexico also came to the disturbing realization that it was broke, Albuquerque’s longtime mayor fell short of winning a third four-year term — knocked off by a long-shot two-term GOP state lawmaker — and two former elected officials found themselves on the business end of a criminal indictment.
It’s unclear whether what transpired this year will change the political dynamic here in New Mexico, or lead to more government transparency. But before The New Mexico Independent gets back into the daily grind, let’s take a deep breath and reflect on the busy year that was.
Governor Bill Richardson echoed concerns made by sportsmen today about a land swap in the Whites Peak area. The Stanley Ranch is expected to get the land by exchanging 3,300 acres of its land for the 7,000 acres the…
Former State Investment Officer Gary Bland’s Wednesday resignation came after a private law firm hired by the State Investment Council (SIC) found that he had “pressured investment firms doing business with the state to hire certain third-party marketing or…
Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya formally announced his entrance into the Democratic primary for state land commissioner late Wednesday. “I believe it is time for a change in the New Mexico Land Office. I want to provide quality representation…
Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya, a Democrat, says he is thinking about running for land commissioner. Montoya, who ran unsuccessfully for the 3rd Congressional District seat last year, confirmed in an e-mail his interest in the race, and said…
More than a year and a half after the attorney general took issue with certain types of State Land Office development leases, the land commissioner is attempting to erase questions about the legality of such agreements with an administrative rule change.
At least one state lawmaker who has been involved in attempts to reform the State Land Office is questioning whether an assistant commissioner’s disclosure of a conflict of interest on a 2003 form was sufficient. Several others say the state’s disclosure laws are in need of reform.
Former state Attorney General Patricia Madrid confirmed today that she’s considering running for land commissioner next year.
“Always thinking of options and this is one of them, but way too soon to contemplate details,” Madrid wrote in response to…
A retired law-enforcement agent who lives in Las Cruces is the second Republican to confirm that he’s running for land commissioner next year.
Errol Chavez, 60, said in a phone interview that he is running because he has…
Former congressional candidate Bob Cornelius says he’ll be on the ballot next year, running either for land commissioner or a seat on the Public Regulation Commission.
Cornelius is a Republican, so running for the District 2 PRC…
New Mexico Land Commissioner Pat Lyons announced today that he’ll run for a seat on the Public Regulation Commission next year, when term limits oust him from his current job.
As one of the most powerful…
