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- Political consultant Armando C. Gutierrez
- got ten years in federal prison
- for his role in stolen federal money that was supposed to be used for voter-education TV ads.---
Former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron hired Gutierrez -- a former Albuquerque resident who worked on several campaigns of prominent Democrats -- to produce voter-education TV ads. He received more than $6 million in federal election money between 2004 and 2006.
But audits showed he could not account for more than $2.5 million of work under his contracts.
Vigil-Giron initially was indicted in the case in state court, but the charges against her eventually were dismissed.- There will be a memorial service for the late Rep. Stephen Easley
- today at 2:00 at the state Capitol
- .
- Sen. Martin Heinrich
- went to bat for the SunZia energy transmission line
- that may be shot down because the Department of Defense objects to the proposed route. A new route would require a new environmental impact study, which the company says would push the project out of the window of time when they'd like to build it.
- The municipal elections in Albuquerque are nearing.
- The New Mexico chapter of NAIOP will host
- forums for the mayoral candidates and city council candidates
- .
- Don't look for
- the 20-week abortion ban on the ballot
- , however. The city clerk has not been able to approve enough of the signatures on the petitions, so it will be pushed to at least November.
- Winthrop Quigley writes about
- the move towards governing by ballot initiative in Albuquerque
- .
Once these initiatives make it to the city ballot, the depressingly small number of voters who show up at the polls (26 percent of registered voters in the last mayoral election) means a motivated splinter group can impose its agenda on the majority of the citizenry by rallying a relatively small number of troops.
That can be a much easier task than navigating a proposed ordinance through an informed, skeptical and transparent city council, then securing the signature of a mayor whose job it is to represent the entire city.- The Albuquerque Journal
- reports on the latest state unemployment numbers
- .
The state unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in July, up from 6.8 percent in June but down from 7 percent a year ago.
- It looks like government employment continues to go down, which helps drive the increase in unemployment in the state. The Journal reports, "government employment dropped by 3,700 jobs, most of them in local government."
- Trip Jennings
- joined the Weekly Word podcast
- to talk about the behavioral health audit and subsequent funding freeze -- as well as the efforts to get information about the audit.
- The lottery fund
- is still in fiscal trouble
- despite increased lottery ticket sales.
The trouble is lottery ticket sales can’t keep up with the number of qualified students and the ever-increasing cost of tuition. The fund is on track to run out of money by next summer.
- Capitol Report New Mexico reports that
- Rep. Steve Pearce wants to end military aid to Egypt
- in light of the recent unrest -- but the other members of the House form New Mexico were "more circumspect."
- Gov. Susana Martinez's tour
- of schools reached Chaparral
- .
- Media News:
- Longtime Las Cruces Sun-News editor Jim Lawitz
- announced his resignation, effective August 30
- . He'll be moving on to North Carolina.
"This is a bittersweet departure for me," Lawitz said. "I've grown to love Las Cruces and the people around me, and this is an emotional separation. At the same time, I look forward to new challenges and a new life."
- V.B. Price
- writes about the media landscape in New Mexico
- post-Albuquerque Tribune.
- There is
- an endowed scholarship for journalism students
- at New Mexico State University.
The Daniel R. Perry Endowment Scholarship was created by Perry's wife, Irene, with a $15,000 gift after Dan's death in March. The endowment will be available each year, beginning in 2014, to a deserving journalism student pursuing the news editorial emphasis at NMSU.
Dan Perry was born in Fort Sumner, N.M., in July 1939. He attended NMSU and was one of the two journalism graduates in May 1962. Perry was a lifelong Aggie fan, and during his university career, he was a staff member for the student newspaper The Round Up, a stringer for The El Paso Times under the tutelage of El Paso Times writer Buckner Lanier, and a staff member of the university's yearbook.- The Taos Town Council
- denies violating the Open Meetings Act
- .
- The state investment council
- exceeded the goals it set for state investments
- .
The New Mexico State Investment Council said it achieved investment returns of 13.28 percent for the year ending June 30, nearly double its 7.5 percent investment target.
- There were public hearings on a proposed Shiprock charter school
- "that would infuse its curriculum with the Diné heritage."
- I hate this stuff.
- a bicyclist died after a hit and run
- . Crime Stoppers is increasing the reward, but that is cold comfort for the family. My dad rides his bike very frequently (so much that he puts me to shame in the "being in shape" category). So every time I hear a bicyclist was hit by a car, my heart stops a little.
- Share the road, people.
