Morning Word: State's Cash Reserves Drained

Gloomy Budget News

State state’s day-to-day operations reserve

and lawmakers are scrambling to figure out how to plug a $654 million budget hole before a special session.

Martinez' Poll Numbers Hit New Low

Gov. Susana Martinez’

. New Mexico Political Report’s new poll shows Republicans still approve of her job performance, but overall the gov's ranking is down to to 43 percent.

PRC Orders Gives PNM Another Chance

If the Public Service Company wants to bring its share of the Palo Verde nuclear plant into electric rates here,

that they failed to include during the original case hearing and give regulators access to a data modeling program, according to an order issued by commissioners Wednesday.

School Grades

Santa Fe Schools are still struggling to make the grade with

. But the latest round of scores show 10 local schools got a better grade this year. The state bases grades on scores on a number of standardized tests, improvement from prior years as a school and among individual students, classroom practices that use proven teaching methods and student attendance. A number of bonus points that can be secured through parent involvement, extracurricular offerings and reducing truancy.

About Face

A day after rejecting an expensive tax incentive package, Utah officials are reversing direction and

with Facebook to build its new data processing center outside Salt Lake City. The social media giant is also considering building it in Los Lunas, where officials there have already approved incentives worth more than a billion over time.

Grants Police Officer Busted

New Mexico State Police arrested Grants Police Sgt. Roshern C. McKinney, 33, and his girlfriend Wednesday in Albuquerque on marijuana distribution, conspiracy and felony embezzlement charges. McKinney is accused of

to the department’s evidence locker room and embezzling $750.

Sci-Fi Escape

While most people consider moving to Canada or New Zealand if the Cheeto-colored candidate wins the White House, you might dream about zipping a few trillion miles through space. Scientists have

with mild temperatures orbiting the next closest sun to ours.

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