Powerful Appeal
Renewable energy advocates are headed to the New Mexico Supreme Court to appeal last month’s Public Regulation Commission vote approving the Public Service Company of New Mexico’s
to replace power at its San Juan Generating Station with more coal- and nuclear-generated energy.
Truthful Ads Get Mixed Reaction
The
advertising campaign, which promotes a constitutional amendment to use money from the state’s permanent fund to pay for early childhood education programs,
. The Albuquerque Journal and KOAT have decided not to run the ads, citing a potential copyright infringement.
reports, “The battle could end up in court as St. Joseph's is not backing down.”
State Races Shaping Up
Heath Haussamen reports that battle for control of the New Mexico state Senate is starting to shape up. Republican Las Cruces City Councilor
will attempt to unseat State Sen. Bill Soules, D-Las Cruces.
Meanwhile, the Taos News reports
, D-Questa, a 30-year veteran of the Legislature, plans to seek re-election. As the election begins to unfold, Milan Simonich reports state
, R-Las Cruces, still hasn’t decided whether he’ll seek re-election, despite reports he would not.
Serna Will Challenge New District Attorney
Phaedra Haywood reports that
, a 32-year-old lawyer who worked as an assistant attorney general for the past year, announced Thursday that he plans to challenge recently appointed First Judicial District Attorney Jennifer Padgett for election to the post.
The state of New Mexico is
to suing the Environmental Protection Agency for its role in the 3-million-gallon toxic sludge dumped into the Animas River last fall.
A proposal that would allow police officers to double dip is also getting
.
The bill – to be introduced and carried by Rep. Larry Larrañaga, R-Albuquerque – would allow police officers who retired before 2016 to return to work for up to five years and collect their pension and a paycheck. The officers would be required to pay into the Public Employees Retirement Association’s retirement fund, but the officers’ pensions would not change as a result of their continued work.
Shaun Willoughby, president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association, questioned whether officer shortages are a statewide issue and said return to work is bad public policy created by city leaders.
“It’s a Band-Aid bill to fix a problem that the city is responsible for,” he said.
The New Mexico Game Commission has denied an appeal by the
for a permit to host Mexican wolves as part of a federal species recovery program, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, “Wildlife advocates chided state government leaders in four Western states on Thursday for trying to keep land out of a potential recovery zone for
, an endangered species.”
Taxpayers are
for two Public Regulation Commission employees who were allowed to cash out sick leave after they quit their jobs. Matt Grubs reports not many PRC staffers are willing to talk about the policy violations. At least the state auditor appears to be taking a closer look.
Despite an uptick in the economy, the
, according to a new Brookings Institute report.
The findings also complicate plans by presidential candidates to combat inequality because it’s unclear how tweaking tax rates on the wealthy — the Democrats largely favor increases, the Republicans cuts — will boost pre-tax incomes for the poorest. Congressional Republicans have discussed increasing tax cuts for low-income workers without children as a way to address the absence of wage growth. It’s a plan, President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, that “we can all support.”
We are learning that immigration agents have been conducting raids this month
over the past two years.
While immigrant advocates host workshops to teach people about their rights, the Burrell Institute for Health Policy Research, based in the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University,
focusing on the people who live along the US-Mexico border.”
That’s it for this week.
.
Santa Fe Reporter