Morning Word: Balloonists Sailing Across Pacific

At the same time that travel around the country is backing up, people in Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Albuquerque are enjoying spring-like weather conditions. The forecast is mostly sunny and warm today with highs in the in the low to mid 60's.

It's Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015

Two helium balloonists hoping to set distance and endurance records in their Two Eagles craft continue to make their way across the Pacific Ocean this morning. Track the historic flight online.  If you also had plans to touch the clouds today, you better check your flight. More than 7,500 flights have been canceled to the now-downgraded winter storm hitting the Eastern seaboard. Check departure statuses at FlightAware.com  If you missed it yesterday, The New Yorker

magazine has a long story that puts a national spotlight on the Albuquerque Police Department’s deadly use of force. Read more online.  Jacob Grant, the undercover APD officer shot by a fellow officer on Jan. 9 during a narcotics sting, is making progress. Grant is still listed in critical condition, but doctors have removed him from a ventilator and he’s talking. Investigators will wait to interview Grant about the incident until he is healthier. Read more at the ABQ Journal.  City of Santa Fe officials are being urged to investigation allegations that the police union’s president mishandled evidence money and that Police Chief Eric Griego obstructed an investigation into the case to protect his friend. Read it at the Santa Fe New Mexican.  Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Martin might have been carrying a small packet of drugs on him when he was shot and killed in a Las Cruces hotel last fall. Lawyers for former Deputy Tai Chan, who is accused of murdering Martin, say the evidence was disclosed in court records they received from prosecutors. See more at KOAT.  Open government supporters are pushing for more transparency in New Mexico. Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, wants more campaign finance reporting to “shine a light” on dark money after New Mexico got an F from the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Read more at New Mexico In Depth.  KOB TV and the Albuquerque Journal have joined forces to find out more about what an Albuquerque Public School Board investigation revealed about former Superintendent Winston Brooks before he resigned last August. See more at KOB 4.  The New Mexico Society of Professional Journalists’ board of directors has published an open letter to New Mexico State University President Garrey Carruthers opposing the school’s proposal to restrict access to public documents. Read SPJ's letter online.  Justices at the New Mexico Court of Appeals listened to arguments for and against assisted suicide on Monday and expressed concerns about legislating from the bench. Read more at KOB 4.  A decision from the same appellate court last week deemed medical marijuana as “reasonable and necessary” to treat pain and injuries could have a big impact on worker compensation laws around the country. Read more online.  A woman in Alamogordo has been driving a van packed with 13 pounds of marijuana for more than a decade. A friend discovered the old pot in a door panel that he was repairing. Detectives think the van may have been seized years ago, searched for drugs and then sold to a dealer at auction. Read more at the Alamogordo Daily News.  State Rep. Bill McCamley, D-Mesilla Park, wants marijuana to be legalized in New Mexico, but Speaker of the House Don Tripp, R-Socorro, has assigned it to five committees, which means it is essentially dead on arrival. Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, has also reintroduced a measure to allow voters to amend the state’s constitution and legalize marijuana. A similar joint resolution died in the Senate Rules Committee on a 5-5 vote last year. Details at NM Political Report.   New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Tom Clifford said balancing the state’s books could take a few years and cost millions of dollars. Auditors have suggested that more than $100 million is unaccounted for. Read more at the Santa Fe New Mexican.  Despite falling oil and gas revenue, Speaker Don Tripp, R-Socorro, says he thinks lawmakers will be able to fund the state’s top priorities without tapping reserves. Read Dan Mayfield's exclusive interview.  Former US Rep. Heather Wilson and state Sen. Peter Wirth's sons have a Quorum. That’s the name of Alex Wirth and Joshua Hone’s new business to track Congressional members.

Read more at the ABQ Journal.  Tribal gaming compacts in New Mexico could violate federal law. State government journalist Steve Terrell says it’s because they block the Fort Sill Apache Tribe in Southern New Mexico from opening their own casino. Read more at the Santa Fe New Mexican.  LoRenzo Bates will be the 23rd Navajo Nation Council Speaker. The speaker, which is basically the CEO of the legislative branch, represents the council as an ambassador for the Navajo Nation and its people. Read more at the Navajo Times.  Speaker Bates already faces an ethics violation complaint.

Read more at the Farmington Daily Times.  With early voting already underway, reporter Joey Peter’s has the latest on Santa Fe Public School Board elections. Read more at SFR.  We must be getting closer to the premiere of “Better Call Saul.” Show runners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, along with actor Bob Odenkirk, are starting to talk publicly about their “Breaking Bad” prequel on AMC Television. Watch it on YouTube.  Sony Pictures utilizes state tax film incentives to offset its production costs. Now, state Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, wants to increase the incentives in order to lure more film and television productions to New Mexico. But Senate Finance Chair John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, is leery about increasing the annual $50 million cap. KRQE has details.  If you’re already thinking about where to eat lunch in Santa Fe this afternoon, you might want to try The Pantry. The restaurant was just listed by the Thrillists.com as one of the nation’s best diners.

Read about more on KRQE.

Santa Fe Reporter