Morning Word: Dozens of Problems Could Stall WIPP Reopening

Feds Won't Clear WIPP Reopening Until Improvements Made

Officials at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant want to re-open the facility by the end of the month, but the feds say

before they give the go-ahead. ‘

Santa Fe Schools Need Improvement

Speaking of needed improvements, Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Veronica García says even the district’s “world-class schools”

, especially boosting math proficiencies, which are below 10 percent.

Student Sanctuary Approved

Meanwhile, school board members in Santa Fe

The move comes as cities, colleges and universities around the nation are contemplating similar, largely symbolic, actions showing support for undocumented immigrants following Donald Trump’s victory last month in the presidential election. Trump has proposed several policies to crack down on immigrants living in the country illegally, and many communities have seen an increase in anti-immigrant sentiment since the election. 
Trump’s Time
Speaking of Trump, Time magazine picked him to be their Man of the Year after he disrupted the political establishment to claim the White House.

Udall a No-Go for Governor
With Trump gearing up to run the country for the next four years, US Sen. Tom Udall, D-NM, says he can be more effective in Washington and the senior senator has opted not to run for governor in 2018.
The decision by one of the state’s most powerful politicians creates a wide open field in the 2018 Democratic primary race to replace Gov. Susana Martinez, who is term-limited from running again. U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, NM Attorney General Hector Balderas, and Alan Webber — who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2014 and today runs the think tank One New Mexico — are among the Democrats considering running for governor.
State Economy Tanks
While the stock market is booming and investors seems confident Trump will be good for business and the nation’s economy, New Mexico's own economy is still tanking, dragged down by the depressed oil and gas industry.
The state’s gross domestic product fell by 0.2 percent during the second quarter, making it one of eight states that saw GDP decreases, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. It was the third consecutive quarter in which New Mexico had negative GDP growth.
PNM Wants More Moola
The Public Service Company of New Mexico is headed back to the Public Regulation Commission to request another double-digit rate hike just two months after the investor-owned utility boosted everyone’s electric bills.

Pearce Disappointed by VA Medical Centers' Ratings
The El Paso and Albuquerque Veterans Affairs medical centers only scored one of five stars and are two of the lowest-ranked systems in the country as of June 30.
“Unfortunately this is what we, in New Mexico, have come to expect from the VA. Since entering Congress in 2003, I have fought to bring to light the substandard quality of care and to improve service for all veterans. I look forward to working with the Trump administration so that our nation’s veterans are provided the benefits they were promised and deserve,” Congressman Steve Pearce, R-Hobbs, said in a statement.
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