Judge dismisses charges for three Entrada protesters
A Santa Fe municipal judge tossed out misdemeanor charges against three of the protesters arrested by police during the Entrada. The judge said they were too vague to move forward. In all, eight people were arrested, including one of the protest's organizers. Her felony charges have also been dropped, though District Attorney Marco Serna hasn't said whether he plans to try to refile them in a higher court.
Yeah? Well I’m applying for your old job. So there.
Albuquerque City Councilor and recently defeated mayoral candidate Dan Lewis is one of the five people who have applied to Gov. Susana Martinez to fill the remainder of Tim Keller's term as state auditor. Keller, of course, beat Lewis handily in a runoff election for Albuquerque mayor last week. Lewis has been a pastor and is currently an executive for a petroleum wholesaler. Whomever Martinez appoints will serve through 2018.
It came from the earth and boosted our finances
As is the custom in states such as ours that are heavily reliant on oil and gas revenues, an uptick in the price of those commodities has an outsize impact on the state budget. The chief economist for the Legislative Finance Committee told lawmakers that New Mexico has seen a strong influx of tax revenue, pushing state reserves to about 8 percent.
Take it to the bank
If, for some unknown reason, someone made a movie about Santa Fe's effort to create a public bank, this would be the scene where the grizzled veteran turns to our protagonist and says, "Look, no one said this was gonna be easy!" So it is in real life where that scene looked a lot like a huge task force delivering a report on regulatory hurdles and liquidity requirements. It's not impossible, but if Santa Fe is serious about creating a public bank, the process will likely be tedious before it's triumphant.
Pressure mounts on Padilla
State Sen. Michael Padilla, D-Albuquerque, is once again dealing with sexual harassment charges stemming from a contract with the city of Albuquerque about a decade ago. The charges aren't new and have already gone to court in one case, but gubernatorial candidate and Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham recently said Padilla, who is running for lieutenant governor, should drop out.
Navajo Nation links to criminal database
It sounds like primarily a one-way deal, but the Navajo Nation will soon be able to complete background checks through the national criminal information system. The Justice Department's Tribal Access Program began a couple of years ago and will provide two work stations to give the tribe's justice system access to the nationwide database. It's unclear if the move speeds the ability to create the kind of Amber Alert system that might have helped in the case of missing and murdered 11-year-old Ashlynn Mike.
ABQ Council votes to audit APD monitor
Driven by Republicans on the Albuquerque City Council, the city's governing body voted last night to audit the independent monitor it hired to oversee the police department's compliance with a settlement agreement it signed with the US Department of Justice. That's after a federal judge excoriated APD last week when the police asked the court to determine if the monitor was being fair. The judge said he was and told the city it had come dangerously close to overstepping its bounds.
Wait till next month
Ski Santa Fe is among the New Mexico resorts adjusting Thanksgiving plans. The ski area announced yesterday it's delaying its opening until December. A spokeswoman says only a couple inches of natural snow have fallen and it's been too warm to make snow every night. That said, cooler temperatures have started to settle in. Taos, too, will delay full opening, though the resort plans to have a few runs open on Thanksgiving.
Thanks for reading! The Word has to get those skis tuned before the first surprise snowstorm.
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