Gov Pooh-Poohs Pay Bump

Says $110K is plenty

Gov opposes pay hike

Lawmakers have floated a bill to raise the pay of statewide elected officials by 10 percent. It would be the first raise in nearly two decades. The governor now makes $110,000 a year and Susana Martinez says that's plenty. She promised a veto for any politician pay hikes that reach her desk. Both lawmakers and the governor are considering more modest raises for rank-and-file state workers and teachers.

Udall, Heinrich insist on DACA fix 

New Mexico Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich say they won't support another temporary spending bill in Washington unless it has a fix for the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program. The current authorization bill lasts until this Friday and the latest version of a Republican-backed bill doesn't contain immigration language. A government shutdown is once again imminent.

Oil’s flowing and so is campaign cash

Oil industry lobbyists have pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into political action committees and the campaigns of lawmakers, according to a new batch of disclosure reports ($) filed with the state by lobbyists. The chief lobbyist for Chevron, Stephen Perry, spent more than $180,000 giving money to primarily conservative lawmakers and PACs. Republican Rep. Nate Gentry took in $27,350 since October, dwarfing Democratic Speaker of the House Brian Egolf's next-highest total of $19,250.

State of education

Over at NM In Depth, Sylvia Ulloa runs down some of the governor's educational priorities for the new legislative session that now has just 28 days left. Both Martinez and lawmakers want to provide raises for teachers. The governor also wants to target bonuses to the most effective teachers and lawmakers are looking to boost the base-pay levels for all three tiers of teachers.

$5 million settlement in APD shooting

The family of Mary Hawkes, a 19-year-old woman who was shot and killed by Albuquerque Police officer Jeremy Dear, has settled their civil rights lawsuit against the city for $5 million. The family presented scientific evidence that essentially said Dear's account of the shooting was impossible based on bullet trajectories and the fact that neither Hawkes' DNA nor her fingerprints were on the gun she allegedly pointed at him. A clip designed to prevent Dear's body camera from unplugging wasn't in place. According to APD, the shooting was not captured on video.

Sick of it

Flu cases in New Mexico have tripled relative to normal numbers for this time of year. It's nasty here and across the country, where every state but Hawaii is reporting widespread flu. The Archdiocese of Santa Fe announced flu-safe liturgical practices this week and told sick parishioners to stay home.

Helicopter down near Raton

Six people were aboard the helicopter that crashed about 15 miles east of Raton near the Colorado state line Wednesday evening. The FAA doesn't have any flight plan info and state police said rescue and recovery efforts were ongoing.

Stay busy

It's a lousy ski and snowboard season. It just is. It might get better—how could it get any worse? While you wait for the next storm or two or three, Elizabeth Miller has some advice to keep your snow-starved mind and body busy in this week's Enthusiast column.

Thanks for reading! The Word is a bit of a milkshake connoisseur, and yesterday investigated the Cinnamon Toast Crunch shake at Burger King. It was legit. Tell The Word your fave milkshake, won't you?

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