Morning Word: Skandera Set for Confirmation Hearing

Santa Fe public schools and state offices are closed for Presidents Day

It

’s Presidents Day and schools are closed in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, but Rio Rancho Public Schools are open to make up for a snow day.

Good morning, it's Monday, February 16, 2015

Whether you’re working or taking the holiday off, here’s some Presidents Day trivia to impress your friends and coworkers.

  • George Washington owned a profitable whiskey distillery.
  • When he was young, Gerald Ford was a fashion model.
  • Warren G. Harding had the biggest shoes to fill. He wore a size 14.
  • Teddy Roosevelt wore a lock of Lincoln's hair during his inauguration.

Smithsonian Magazine has even more fun tidbits. Lawmakers are working today and they've scheduled a confirmation hearing for Public Education Department Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera. KOAT has details. Rod Adair, a former state senator, thinks the timing of the confirmation hearing is suspect. Read more at the New Mexico Political Report. There's a new lawsuit to stop teacher evaluations. Read it at the Albuquerque Journal. A Navajo Nation company got a $5.7 million contract to improve data management and modernize information technology systems for the Air Force. Read it at the Farmington Daily Times. A public works employee in Taos has filed a whistleblower protection lawsuit. Joseph Maestas claims he repeatedly alerted his supervisors about potentially improper acts, and after rejecting a job transfer was fired. He’s the third employee in three months to file a wrongful termination lawsuit in Taos. Read it at the Taos News. A government building in Mesilla, New Mexico is closed for sanitizing after several employees became ill.

Read it at the Las Cruces Sun-News.

US Rep. Ben Ray Luján has introduced legislation to expand compensation for people exposed to radiation. Read it at the Los Alamos Daily Post. Community leaders met Sunday in Albuquerque to discuss what resources might be available for homeless “Tent City” residents who were evicted by city officials last week. See more at KOB. Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins thinks gross receipts taxes should be raised to generate money to fund more programs for people suffering mental illness. Read her view here. Commissioner Wayne Johnson isn’t convinced raising taxes is the best option. He thinks money would be available if the county got a better hold of its spending. Read his view here. Commissioners have scheduled a vote on the tax increase proposal tomorrow.

The population of the Mexican gray wolf is peaking in the American Southwest. Read it at the Las Cruces Sun-News. We missed this last week, but thought it was a good read on the decades long fight for reproductive rights in New Mexico. Read it at the New Mexico Mercury. Former SFR Editor Julia Goldberg wrote a long blog piece on the passing of New York Times media writer David Carr. Read it here. And if you missed it on Friday, medical marijuana patients in New Mexico object to proposed potency caps. Read it at SFR. New Mexico Legislative News:

  • New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn has been reconfirmed by the Senate–
  • Santa Fe New Mexican.
  • State Rep. Antonio Maestas, D-Albuquerque, filed his campaign finance reports late–
  • KOB
  • .
  • Professor calls right-to-work study 'kindergarden math'–
  • Albuquerque Business First.
  • Former US Senator Pete Domenici thinks right-to-work is good for New Mexico–
  • Los Alamos Daily Post.
  • Jeff Proctor and Matt Grubs report that lawmakers are considering different treatment options for severe mental illness–
  • KRQE
  • .
  • Bill calls for putting Spaceport America up for sale–
  • Las Cruces Sun-News.
  • Spaceport Authority officials oppose a bill to limit financing ability–
  • Albuquerque Business First.
  • New Mexico senators vote to ban coyote-killing contests–
  • Santa Fe New Mexican
  • A data breach protection bill advances at the Roundhouse–
  • Albuquerque Journal.
  • Common Cause New Mexico’s Viki Harrison says curbing money is the key to restoring public trust in government–
  • New Mexico Mercury.
  • A new government transparency bill is introduced in Santa Fe–
  • Los Alamos Daily Post.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia says he opposes the repeal of the immigrant license law. Read why at the Santa Fe New Mexican. Better Call Saul

actors say they love working and living part-time in Albuquerque.

See it at KRQE.

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