Science standards
After penning an opinion piece that urged dialogue about proposed new science standards, Education Secretary Christopher Ruszkowski will open up the Public Education Department's one and only hearing on them this morning in Santa Fe. That as districts across the state, as well as scientists from Los Alamos and elsewhere, continue to express concern over changes made to proposed national standards that eliminate references to the age of the Earth, the theory of evolution and human-caused climate change.
We could always pass a resolution
Santa Fe's City Council has earned a reputation for sounding off on issues that have little to do—at least directly—with life in the City Different. They've opined on foreign wars and domestic battles to build pipelines. The legislation takes time to draft and be heard in committee and often generates discussion among councilors during hearings. But do the resolutions matter? Tripp Stelnicki at SFR's neighbor across the street takes a look.
We’re on it
The interim president of the University of New Mexico told the school's accrediting agency that UNM's Athletic Department isn't likely to drag the rest of the school down. Three state agencies are looking at the department, including the state auditor, which may have a special review of athletic finances out this month. In a letter to the Higher Learning Commission, Chaouki Abdallah implied Paul Krebs' resignation was something akin to a corrective action, though he said at the time he reluctantly accepted it after several attempts by Krebs to resign in the year prior.
Pecos pair at large
State Police say a 33-year-old man and a teenager are suspects in both a robbery at a Pecos cash machine and a carjacking at a nearby campground in Dalton Canyon. The two have ties to the Ranchos de Taos area. Police say they and a third man took a car from the campground at gunpoint on Friday, firing a shot from the car as they fled.
Punishment before the crime
With not enough manpower or money to monitor defendants before trial and with an edict from the Supreme Court to follow the state Constitution's directions on pretrial release, the state is increasingly turning to electronic ankle monitoring and making accused-but-not-convicted defendants pay for it. Santa Fe state District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer recently pulled together local legal minds to debate whether the practice is fair or legal.
When the well goes dry
New Mexico in Focus continues its look at the state's environmental issues with a harrowing portrait of the unexpected cost to families when domestic wells stop producing water. It's happening just on the other side of the Sandias from Albuquerque as wells dry up in the 400-square-mile Sandia Basin. The unexpected costs can cripple families and drive land values down—and it's happening all across the state and the West.
LANB layoffs
Los Alamos National Bank laid off 26 of its employees on Friday as it restructures some of its operations and puts to use newer data-processing systems. The bank's president says the decision came after a months-long review by its board of directors. The job cuts represent about 10 percent of the company's workforce.
The week ahead
It's going to be a great fall week around much of the state. Locally, temperatures are expected to crest right around 70 degrees and dip into the 40s at night for most of the week. The leaves may be down from most of the trees in the high country, but it's still yellow on lower trails and around town.
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