Capitol idea
About 40 lobbyists began training this week on how to prevent and report sexual harassment during their work at the Roundhouse. The secretary of state offered the voluntary training after women began speaking out about alleged mistreatment by elected officials. Lawmakers are set to get new training next week for the first time since 2004.
Boom goes the dynamite … or something
After a pair of booms were heard and felt around Santa Fe, Eldorado and La Cienega Thursday, Los Alamos National Lab owned up to at least the 3 pm one. It said it was doing a high explosives test. It hadn't informed any of the obvious agencies about the explosions prior the test. The lab's management contract is up this year and apparently the company that runs it, Los Alamos National Security, is going out with a … aw, never mind.
Supreme Court clarifies pre-trial detention
Ahead of next week's legislative session, where the ability of courts to hold suspects in jail before they're convicted is expected to be a big issue, the state Supreme Court announced a pair of decisions that clarify its view on the constitutional debate. The court ruled that it can be appropriate to hold people charged with capital crimes without bond even if they haven't been convicted. Judges can also consider violations of pre-trial orders in other cases when making their decisions. The court also found that prosecutors don't have to present live witnesses when trying to convince the court of the need to hold someone in jail until trial.
In Deep Water
SFR's cover story this week comes to you from the Supreme Court, where the US government wants to intervene in a lawsuit between states over the Rio Grande Compact, which apportions water from the river. Texas has sued New Mexico and Colorado over water deliveries from Elephant Butte Reservoir and use of surface and groundwater below the dam. Laura Paskus makes it interesting and understandable.
This land is our land
Santa Fe County has an agreement in place to settle a dispute over county roads on Pueblo land. The resolution with a handful of Pueblos will cost up to $8 million over the next five years. The county says it will ensure no claims of trespassing on Pueblo property for the next two centuries.
Venture capital lags
Startups in the state saw not a single major investment from venture capital firms in the last quarter of last year. The disappointing result comes at the end of what was otherwise a very successful year for investment in New Mexico businesses, says Albuquerque Business First, led by Descartes Labs' $30 million fundraising.
Truck stop tossup
A county hearing officer heard yesterday from Pilot Flying J and about 200 opponents of a planned truck stop at I-25 and Cerrillos Road. The company says its plans include a truck stop, two fast-food restaurants and a third restaurant, all in the same building. It hopes for two hotels in another decade as well as more retail. Residents around the development say all it will bring is low-paying jobs, crime, traffic and noise from people passing through Santa Fe.
PNM unhappy with rate decision
A proposed rate decision for the state's largest electric utility could end up in court if PNM decides it doesn't like what it's been handed. The Public Regulation Commission decided this week to approve a 1.5 percent rate hike over the next two years. That's in part due to new federal tax structure and partly due to an agreement among most of the parties to the utility's latest rate case. But PNM says ($) the decision could cost it money and is concerned about its ability to charge consumers for shuttering part of a coal-fired plant in then San Juan Basin.
Thanks for reading! The Word thinks Martin Luther King, Jr. day is coming at exactly the right time.
The dollar signs ($) are links that require a subscription, likely beyond a few free articles a month.
Spread the Word at sfreporter.com/signup.
