Morning Word: Jeepers, Beepers and Creepers

If

you've got cabin fever after a big winter storm this weekend, we're going on a road trip with news from around the state that includes a big legislative news recap.

It's Monday, March 2, 2015

Students around New Mexico are planning more protests of the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers test today. Hundreds of students, with permission from parents and administrators, have already been speaking out against PARCC. Read it at the Carlsbad Current-Argus.  Even an eighth grader in Grant County is asking commissioners to support students opposition to the test.

Read more at the Silver City Sun-News.

Public Education Department Secretary Hanna Skandera is defending the test and says students shouldn’t be too anxious about it.

Read more at the Santa Fe New Mexican.  Gov. Susana Martinez has declined a challenge to take the test herself. She might be too busy traveling out of state. Records show she spent 272 days on the road during her first four years in office. The records were submitted by attorneys defending her in a lawsuit filed by the Santa Fe Reporter. Thom Cole has a map of Martinez' trips. Martinez might want to plan a staycation and visit Taos Ski Valley to see all the improvements being made there.

Read more at the Taos News.  It doesn't look like Santa Fe School Superintendent Joel Boyd is going to be packing for a trip to Fort Worth, Texas. He’s decided to complete his contract in New Mexico. Robert Nott has more.  Two Alamogordo educators are planning a trip aboard NASA's flying telescope to learn more about infrared astronomy. Read more online. Back on the ground, a city councilor wants to survey recently retired Albuquerque Police Department officers to find out why so many of them are hitting the road. Read it at the ABQ Journal.  Albuquerque city attorneys might have to walk to court to defend their position to block the media from videotaping personnel hearings for fired police officers because it violates the state Open Meetings Act. Read more here.  If you’re looking for a day trip this spring, the Trinity Site at White Sands Missile Range, where the world’s first atomic bomb was tested, will be open to the public twice this year, April 3 and Oct. 4. Fiscal constraints at the Department of Defense over the past few years had limited access to one day. Read it at the Las Cruces Sun-News.  Before pushing off on a spring canoe journey on any San Juan County rivers you might want to wait to see why there is so much human waste bacteria in the water. Scientists there are asking for more money to study the problem. Read more at the Farmington Daily Time.  New Mexico Legislative News:

• Students learning how to lobby had an interesting elevator trip with Rod Adair, a former state senator –
• New Mexico Political Journal
• . 
• Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, thinks right-to-work legislation will pass the Senate –
• ABQ Business First
• . 
• Sen. Sander Rue, R-Albuquerque, wants scanned copies of state contracts put online –
• New Mexico In Depth. 
• The American Civil Liberties Union in New Mexico is opposing two abortion restriction bill that are headed to the House floor –
• Joey Peters has more at SFR.
• A new Indian gaming compact is headed to the Senate –
• Santa Fe New Mexican
• . 
• House Republicans have blocked a bill to requiring more diaper changing stations in public places –
• Santa Fe New Mexican
• . 
• A bill that would have prohibited coyote-killing contests may have passed the Senate, but it died pretty quickly in a House committee –
• ABQ Journal
• .

It might be an awful year for the Lobo basketball team, but the school’s men and women’s track and field teams dominated the indoor conference this year.

Read more at the Daily Lobo. 

Santa Fe Reporter