I just got off the phone with Attorney General Gary King, who said that that even though he's cautioned county clerks not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples until a court rules on the issue, he will not intervene to try to stop the Dona Ana County clerk, who on Wednesday began issuing licenses to gay couples.
Democratic Party of New Mexico chairman Sam Bregman
"Today is a great day for equality in New Mexico. Dona Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins, a great Democrat, made history and helped ensure that marriage equality will move forward throughout New Mexico,” Bregman said.
One of the couple's friends, on the spur of the moment, left a swimming workout to attend and so was in a bathing suit. Oesterreich's mother surprised the pair by giving them her wedding ring and the ring of her late husband as gifts.
Former Democratic Party chairman and possible Santa Fe mayoral candidate Javier Gonzales
"You see," the former Democratic Party of New Mexico chairman wrote on Familia es Familia, "when you come from a traditional family with deep roots in this community, the process of accepting that you are gay is complicated with fears about disappointing those you love, or becoming disconnected with a sense of place that is as much a part of me as my sexuality."
1. Why did the state suspend Medicaid payments to audited providers?
Federal regulations make it clear states have discretion in deciding whether or not to suspend Medicaid payments while allegations of fraud are investigated. Those regulations allow states to forego suspending payments entirely, or to suspend only some payments, when there is “good cause” to do so — such as when investigators want to avoid tipping off the targets of a criminal investigation, or when suspending payments would disrupt patient care.
The scenario could have been written by Franz Kafka: You’re accused of vague wrongdoing based on evidence you can’t see. Because the charges aren’t specific and because you’re not allowed to see the evidence, you can’t defend yourself. And you couldn’t defend yourself anyway because there’s no process under which to do so. You lose your job at a private agency because the government says so.
in the behavioral health funding freeze and investigation.
New Mexico Watchdog asked HSD spokesman Matt Kennicott why the department or the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office don’t just release the audit findings so that the public can see the allegations for itself.
“Releasing any part of the audit could potentially harm the investigation,” Kennicott said.
The candidates spoke to a group of women business owners.
All three mentioned APD or crime rates in their opening statements.So that's what we have to look forward to until the August elections.
An immigrant rights advocate suggests the weak economy may be a cause. The state economy has been lagging behind the broader national recovery, posting much smaller job growth figures than national numbers in recent months.
“Immigrant workers generally go where they have family and where they have job opportunities. Clearly there aren’t many job opportunities in New Mexico,” said Marcela Diaz, executive director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a Santa Fe-based group that opposes efforts to stop licenses for immigrants.
DPU Senior Engineer Jack Richardson briefed council on why the San Juan/Chama water rights should be secured and why — despite protests by nearby residents — Alternative 5 (digging one to three wells in White Rock) is still considered the best alternative.
Attorneys then weighed in on the legal issues.
“Even though the county’s contract with the federal government is not listed as a perpetual contract, it probably is a perpetual right once the county finishes its payoff in a couple of years,” said County Attorney Rebecca Ehler.
Any lawmaker, think tank or individual citizen concerned with the public interest should be taking crash courses in everything ALEC. It should be a requirement for freshman lawmakers to go to an ALEC event. This deflowering would, at the very least, force a legislator to choose sides and would forever mute any claim of ignorance of this monstrosity and its well-laid plans.
