Former Gov. Bill Richardson could be the Obama administration’s commerce secretary. But he’s not, because of his involvement in a alleged pay-for-play scheme with a Beverly Hills, Calif. brokerage firm called CDR Financial Products, Inc. In December, executives of that firm pleaded guilty to conspiring with the nation’s biggest banks to rig bids on financial products of municipal bonds.

When government officials conduct their business through private emails, we can only speculate as to what they’re saying. Here’s a satirical, fictional, imaginative and humorous collection of that communication.

CD Productions has had a banner year. Between May 2011 and May 2012, the company has been paid a total of more than $150,000 to provide a variety of services (“advertising,” “printing & mailing,” “demographic research,” “professional services” and so on) for Susana PAC, Gov. Susana Martinez’ political action committee. Since last October, CD Productions has raked in a bigger share of Susana PAC’s cash than any other business, with one exception—McCleskey Media Strategies, the company run by Martinez adviser Jay McCleskey—and received $28,000 on May 21 alone, just two weeks before the primary election.

For the last 45 years, a portion of New Mexico’s public education funding has gone to private schools. But now, a Santa Fe district court judge aims to halt that practice, potentially freeing up hundreds of thousands of dollars—previously used to purchase textbooks for private-school students—for New Mexico’s strapped public schools.

A year ago, I didn’t own a single suit. My clothing options for job interviews were limited to a single pair of denim jeans, plain-colored running shoes and three wrinkled button-up shirts. Quickly! I thought. I must rectify this! Several hundred dollars later, my wardrobe is presentable and my girlfriend is less embarrassed to be seen with me in public. Then I began to notice something.

Large, empty rooms form the entrance to Lucky Bean Café in Sanbusco Market Center, the commercial mall located just north of the Railyard that houses mostly high-end boutiques. A couple of signs display arrows pointing to the café, which is tucked in the corner of a 25,000-square-foot room. While Lucky Bean’s owners maintain that their business is fine, the empty rooms surrounding the cafe hint at a deeper problem in the city.

On May 2, Santa Fe County officials issued a press release announcing the termination of two corrections officers: Warden David Trujillo and Deputy Warden Ted Pepperas. In the same release, the county announced the discovery of “drugs and contraband” in unsecure locations in administrative offices at the Santa Fe Adult Detention Facility, giving the impression that the firings were linked to the narcotics.

In this year’s primaries, 75 percent of registered voters didn’t show up at the polls. Here’s an unscientific breakdown of their reasons why.

Although Nelson attempted on several occasions to find help from various agencies, not one provided assistance until the Begays told their story to SFR through their niece, Patsy Chacon, who translated from Navajo.

On May 4, New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Hall found himself in Manhattan’s luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel. He had flown there to meet with representatives of Wall Street’s investment firms and ratings agencies for a day-and-a-half-long series of workshops. Pat Vincent-Collawn, the CEO of PNM Resources, Inc. (the parent company of Public Service Company of New Mexico, or PNM), had also joined the affair—one that was billed as an opportunity for commissioners from across the US to learn how utility regulation impacts Wall Street’s outlook on utility stocks and bonds.