Morning Word: Governor Implicated in APS Whisteblower Lawsuit

Chaos reigns at state's largest school district

Civil Conspiracy 

Gov. Susana Martinez and Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera are defending allegations they had a hand in hiring a now disgraced deputy superintendent, who faces child sex charges in Denver. Dan Moya, the district’s chief financial officer, who is on paid leave of absence, filed a

in Santa Fe on Monday. Skandera and the governor’s spokespeople called the suit “outrageous” and contend that Moya has “an axe to grind.”

Safety Breech

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says he's concerned about how former Deputy Superintendent Jason Martinez was hired by APS

. Balderas says he'll initiate a formal review with the district to determine what happened and why they hired Martinez, who faces

hearing for leaving the state of Colorado, in the first place.

Huge Fine

Lockheed Martin, the country’s largest defense contractor, has been ordered to pay a $4.7 million fine for using federal money to l

to run Sandia National Labs. Former US Rep. Heather Wilson, who is now a college president in South Dakota, was paid $226,000 to help develop a tactical lobbying strategy for Lockheed.

Still Waiting

After all the anxiety of mandatory student testing last spring, we’re hearing that i

. The PED says it expects a timeline for the release of the scores next month and expects to receive the final results from Pearson "in the next couple of months." Like Father, Like Son 
Jeff Varela wants to replace his father, Rep. Luciano “Lucky” Varela, in the Legislature, and he’s

, picking up the elder Varela’s endorsement.

Keep the Lights On 

Ahead of filing a rate increase application that could boost residential electric rates 16 percent, the Public Service Company of New Mexico is

. Steve Terrell reports it’s the utility’s effort to line up support for their application after its last request was rejected by an independent hearing examiner.

'Don't Tase Me, Bro'

Five years after banning Las Vegas, New Mexico, police officers from using tasers, the police

. Now, a lieutenant and a three supervising sargeants are once again equipped with the bright yellow electric shock weapons.

Stoned 

Driving 

Prosecutors in states that allow recreational and medical marijuana are still grappling with what constitutes drugged driving, not to mention

. We recommend looking for people waiting for stop signs to turn green and using their mobile phones to place an order for a large pepperoni pizza.

No Unnecessary Delays

A federal judge has ordered immigration officials to release immigrant children being held in detention centers as soon as possible. Judge Dolly M Gee determined the Obama administration is violating a 1997 court-ordered settlement governing the treatment of children and unaccompanied minors. That agreement has been interpreted to mean

. Gee also wants the kids' mothers released unless they present a significant flight risk. A year after a huge influx of migrant children, more than half still have not received asylum, despite real safety concerns if they're returned to their home countries.

Racing for Glory

Picking a winning duck isn't easy. Visitors at this past weekend's 36th Annual Deming Duck Race say it's really just luck. The Las Cruces Sun-News posted a video; some of those

once they hit the water.

Duck Pond 101

To celebrate Go Topless Day on Sunday, about 50 women played

at the University of New Mexico's own duck pond to protest the City of Albuquerque's nudity ordinance, which allows men to go shirtless but bars women from doing the same thing.

Trippin'

We already know that the Land of Enchantment's green chile cheeseburgers are the best in the nation. The trail to find them is long and winding and delicious, and now it's ranked the

, according to USA Today . You can check out all the diners featured on the New Mexico Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail on the state's

.

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