Morning Word: 'Thwarted Dictators,' Fairy Godmothers, and Bluebirds

A look at news around New Mexico

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awmakers headed home without accomplishing much in Santa Fe. We've found a list of Winners and Losers. That, plus another New Mexico town considers starting its own electric utility. Here's a look at news from around the state.

It's Monday, March 23, 2015

Sixty days after the start of the 52nd New Mexico Legislature, politicians have packed up their bags and headed home after a rough-and-tumble session and without approving a capital outlay bill for the first time since 2011. Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, tried to reform the “pork barrel” process this year, but his efforts were rebuffed. New Mexico In Depth's Sandra Fish has the analysis.  The lack of project funding could hit smaller communities hard.

Read more at the Clovis News Journal.  Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino says the governor was "furious" after the session and likened her to a “dictator who had been thwarted.” Read it at New Mexico Political Report. Despite the legislative stalemate, Sen. Lisa Torraco, R-Albuquerque, managed to get her comprehensive election code reform bill to the governor's desk. Read more here.  It's not clear when Torraco's measure or other legislation that made it to the Fourth Floor will be signed or vetoed. After pointing fingers and blaming Democrats for gridlock at the Roundhouse, Gov. Susana Martinez flew to Florida for another Republican Governors Association meeting. Read more about her trip here.  Blogger Joe Monahan has a look at the session’s Winners and Losers, including these:

Read it at New Mexico Politics  If you missed it Friday, Joey Peters took a look at all of the letters sent to Public Education Department Secretary Hanna Skandera from students expressing their views on that new PARCC test. It turns out school children's grammar wasn't as bad as originally portrayed. Joey Peters posted the entire batch of letters at SFR

More than a thousand people have been removed from the voter rolls in Taos County. The removal of 4 percent of these voters comes as part of a three-year-long effort to clean up voter rolls across New Mexico. Read more at the Taos News.  With the Public Service Company of New Mexico's future power plan still in limbo, Bloomfield city officials are considering setting up their own electric utility.

Read it at the Farmington Daily Times.  Warmer weather over the Pacific Ocean could mean wetter weather this spring in New Mexico.

Read it at the Santa Fe New Mexican.  Socorro County is spending almost half a million dollars a year shipping its jail inmates to other facilities around the state because of overcrowding at its 55-person jail.

Read Eric Heinz story at El Defensor Chieftain. After commemorating White Sands Missile Range, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, joined thousands of New Mexicans in a 26-mile Bataan Memorial Death March.

Read more at the Carlsbad Current-Argus . This headline in the Alamogordo News caught our attention: "Fairy godmothers help southern NM teens."

Reporter Tara Melton has the story. The University of Kentucky’s pursuit of a perfect season remains intact. Only 16 teams are moving on after a couple of big upsets this weekend. Former UNM coach Steve Alford got his at-large UCLA Bruins into the next round. They'll face Gonzaga this week. Read the AP's NCAA Tournament recap here. 

Spring is definitely in the air, and it looks like mountain bluebirds are back foraging on wild berries in Los Alamos. Journalist and photographer Carol Clark has pictures.
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