Winter wondering
Businesses across New Mexico are just now getting into the heart of the winter tourist season and, as you may have noticed, we haven't had much of a winter. That's good for strolling around town for galleries or good food, but it's rotten for ski areas. The restaurants, hotels and other businesses that get a boost from ski resort travel are wondering if spring break will be the boon that it's been in years past or if they, too, will have to endure a dry spell into summer.
Tax scramble
The current group that runs Los Alamos National Lab has not impressed the feds. After a series of safety errors and other issues, the feds put the contract to run LANL up for bid. In the post-University of California era at the lab, higher education institutions have teamed with companies to bid for the multi-billion-dollar contract. If they form nonprofit groups, current state law might not let New Mexico tax the contractors who operate LANL. That's $25-$30 million in state taxes alone that wouldn't be collected. A new bill is trying to close that exemption in state law before the contract is awarded in the fall.
Lawmakers and kids
Searchlight New Mexico, the nonprofit journalism group focusing on child well-being, measured the bills, resolutions and memorials introduced by legislators over the past 15 years that address programs, laws, initiatives and special projects for kids. There are more than 2,500 such efforts, and the bipartisan ones that focused on research-based solutions that serve the neediest kids often have the best chance ($) of becoming an official state initiative. Bold new solutions that require thinking outside the box? Legislators often aren't interested when it comes time to match their vote to generic campaign rhetoric.
‘A safe place’
Party meetings at the Roundhouse (political parties, not the other kind) have a huge influence on the ebb and flow of legislation. The Albuquerque Journal's Dan McKay has an interesting look at caucus meetings, the closed-door, secret-content get-togethers that let party leaders plead their case for passing or killing various bills and allow rank and file members to voice concerns about strategies or, frankly, say things they'd never say in public. Lawmakers specifically exempted caucus meetings from the state's Open Meetings Act.
Santa Fe poser
Santa Fe Power, the local political group that had a robust online presence and one that was, at least, quite loud at City Council meetings, appeared to be back as a Twitter account popped up recently spewing the kind of racist garbage that seemed more alt-right than Santa Fe-centric. The account co-opted the group's new name, Santa Fe Voice, and claimed Ron Trujillo, Greg Scargall and Marie Campos were part of their chosen few. Trujillo and Scargall immediately disavowed it. Still cloaked in more than a little secrecy, the group's unidentified Facebook administrator said the Twitter account was a fake.
Sobering find
New Mexico is a state where you'll often hear proud reference to generation upon generation of ancestors. It's the very fabric of the Native tradition as well as a point of pride for many families of Spanish descent. But some who've taken a look back to figure out who is whom in their past have been surprised to learn about New Mexico's Native slave trade … one which continued far longer than many realize. The New York Times ($) told the tale this weekend.
Snap that
There are only a couple more days to enter SFR's annual photo contest. It's only $5 a photo to enter and the winners get published in SFR as well as featured in an art show that you get to attend and slyly sidle up to someone and start offering details that only the person who shot it could know because—BAM!—you shot that picture. It's pretty cool.
Frosty February
Oh, how we wish that were so. Some of New Mexico's best storms come in February and March, but the first couple of days look less than promising. The next three days should be warmer than normal statewide and the beginning of February looks to follow suit. Le sigh.
Thanks for reading! The Word wonders if all prom themes are instantly cheesy. Did anyone have a cool prom theme, or were they all forced?
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