Scary sendoff
Gov's private attorney appeals veto ruling
Paul Kennedy, the Albuquerque attorney who's hauled in untold thousands of taxpayer dollars working for the governor, has filed a notice of appeal in the case of 10 bills vetoed by the governor last March. Those bills have become law after a state District Court judge ruled they violated the state Constitution. Martinez did not attach a veto message to the bills, as required, and missed the three-day deadline for vetoing others. The appeals process could take months, and potentially run up against a new legislative session in which lawmakers could consider replacement bills if necessary.
We are the SCOTUS, we speak for the trees
The US Supreme Court passed on hearing an appeal of a case in which the federal government sued Otero County for cutting down trees in the Lincoln National Forest. The county was acting on a 2001 state law that said the federal government had failed to properly maintain public forest land to prevent wildfires. The federal government won the 2011 lawsuit against the county, a ruling which now stands.
Guns at City Hall
In Roswell, the City Council could decide next week whether to allow city employees to carry concealed weapons at their public jobs. Eddy and Otero counties already afford public workers the opportunity to strap a hidden gun to themselves before punching the clock.
Right to work in the county
Sandoval County commissioners are set to hear arguments for a county-wide right-to-work ordinance that would prevent unions from forcing workers to pay a fee to work in jobs where they're protected by a labor union. The feds have said that's allowed, but unions can't force workers to join. Right-to-work laws are usually considered at the state level. The New Mexico chapter of the Koch Brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity group says it will provide legal support to the effort.
Punishing hit
A White Rock woman is accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from a youth football and cheerleading league. Tabatha Jones was a board member of the Los Alamos Youth Football and Cheerleading League, which began questioning financial transactions in August. Police in Los Alamos say Jones faced a similar allegation in 2005, but the case was never prosecuted.
Gone in a jif
Campus police at New Mexico State University say they'll let parking scofflaws pay their fines in peanut butter this month. Police say an 80-ounce donation to the campus food pantry will take care of tickets handed out to those feeling skippy when it comes to getting a parking permit. If the fine feels a bit chunky, drivers can appeal, though doing so forfeits their right to pay in peanut butter.
Get it write
OK, you aspiring writers, SFR's annual contest for your ilk is back! You have until Nov. 5 to send us your favorite original work—fiction or nonfiction—on the theme "Take it Back." Entries are $10, they have to stay below 1,800 words and must include these three words: racket, sweetened and dotard.
Thanks for reading! The Word thinks its a good day for a fire. In a fireplace.
Spread the Word at sfreporter.com/signup.
