CLEAR VISION:
This week marks the beginning of Anne Apodaca's stint as director of the Governor's Office of New Mexico Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Nationwide such programs have received criticism from groups asserting that they fulfill the Bush administration's objective of blurring the boundaries between church and state. [Outtakes, March 16: "
"]. But Apodaca, who studied faith-based and community initiatives in graduate school and has led substance abuse sectors at faith-based organizations, feels otherwise. "Faith-based programs do not blur the boundaries between state and church as long as those receiving government funding use the money for the public purpose of assisting the needy, and not for religious activities such as worship, sectarian instruction or [proselytizing]," she says. Apodaca says her job will entail acting as a liaison between government, faith-based and community grassroots groups. As director, she will also help faith-based and community-based groups alike procure federal and State funds. Though she's just begun, Apodaca says, "a lot of my recent efforts have been researching the needs throughout New Mexico and making contacts in those areas." But she's also contacted directors of identical programs in other states, not to mention the White House's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. "The New Mexico office will be tailored to meet our state's needs, but at the same time [it will] be very similar to other state offices that have a successful track record," she says. (NK)
SING IT, MICHAEL MURPHY:
Lions Gate Entertainment expects to provide 120 jobs for New Mexicans from now to August. The company chose New Mexico-specifically the Algodones and Rio Rancho areas-as the state to film its new television series
Wildfire
, a drama about a teen's attachment to a horse fated for death. According to the Governor's Office, Lions Gate executives weren't just lured to New Mexico because of its fetching landscape but because of the State's various film incentives. The incentives include a mix of tax rebates and the film workforce training program, which pays half of the wages for certain positions [Outtakes, April 6: "
"]. Moreover, the State Investment Council initially granted the production company a $4 million interest-free loan (covering a three-year span) to shoot the
Wildfire
, pilot in New Mexico. Charles Wollmann, spokesman for the State Investment Council, believes the Council played a pivotal role in bringing
Wildfire
, here for a scheduled 11 episodes. "Without a doubt
Wildfire
, is here as a result of the incentive package put together for them," he says. "It shows that what we're doing here is working. New Mexico has an attractive incentive plan and hopefully this will be the beginning of many successes for the state." (NK)
INTERESTING TIMING:
We believe it was Yeats who said, "Break me off/ show me what you got/ 'Cause I don't want/ no one-minute man." Okay, so it was Missy Elliott. But the illustrious Ms. Demeanor was merely echoing, in so many words, a sentiment expressed by Santa Fe City Council member David Pfeffer. Or, rather, wasn't expressed by Pfeffer in an April 5 Journal Santa Fe article titled "Pfeffer Wants to Patrol Border." In the story, staff writer John T Huddy quoted Pfeffer as supporting the idea of bringing a Minuteman Project-like the one currently monitoring illegal immigrants in Arizona-to New Mexico. Problem is, Pfeffer says he didn't say what Huddy said he said. In a Letter to the Editor in the April 6 Journal, Pfeffer claimed large sections of the story were "completely false," at least one quote was a "complete fabrication," and that he would decline to support such a project. Mark Oswald, the Journal's North Bureau editor, stood by his reporter in an April 6 follow-up. But since then, Huddy's byline has disappeared from the paper. Oswald confirmed to SFR that Huddy is no longer employed by the Journal as of April 7, though he says, "I can tell you it had nothing to do with that story. As far as we're concerned, the story was accurate." Meanwhile, Huddy's Santa Fe phone number has been disconnected. (ND)
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