Morning Word: Same-sex marriage in front of NM Supreme Court today

He cited a last-minute bill to cut corporate taxes as one example. Martinez pushed hard for the bill, and another part of it "forces" local governments to raise taxes to make up for lost state revenue, Morales said.

He called it a back-door tax increase that amounted to a broken promise by Martinez.

“She said she would not raise taxes but did exactly that,” he said.

He’s also part of a group of libertarians and Ron Paul supporters who, after months of on-the-ground planning, swarmed the DARP convention this past spring. Their efforts paid off as they took most of DARP’s officer positions and 21 of 29 available state GOP central committee seats.

Now, Clements is attempting to bring the same brand of conservative politics statewide in a long-shot bid for the Senate seat currently held by Democrat Tom Udall, who before earning the Senate spot served for a decade as a US Representative, and before that was a two-term New Mexico attorney general.

New Mexico Municipal League Executive Director Bill Fulginiti said Tuesday that the food tax idea has nearly unanimous support from municipal leaders. If approved by state lawmakers during the 2014 legislative session, he said, it would give cities a way to absorb the loss of a big-dollar tax subsidy from the state without having to raise their local base tax rates.

“It seems to solve a whole bunch of problems without winners and losers,” Fulginiti said after testifying before an interim legislative committee in the state Capitol.

Protest organizers say the PED teacher evaluations are simply unfair and they're going into place without legislative input.

Secondly, they say those evaluations mean more standardized testing for already burdened students, which also determine 50 percent of a teacher's performance. It's gotten to the point where some teachers, including those in Albuquerque Public Schools, are considering a strike.

“What I hear in schools is people who are ready to retire saying, 'This isn't what I signed up for. I'm retiring now. The whole system has become so blaming and punitive,’” said Bernstein.

Bernstein said it’s not a problem with APS, but one that’s been felt across New Mexico.

In fact, this summer, the wells in three New Mexico towns dried up and water had to be trucked in.

"When we started seeing these communities run out of water it was like 'why is this occurring?'" said Ryan Flynn, secretary of the State Environment Department.

In their suit, Swenson and Fleming charged the county failed to disclose any of the numerous public documents requested in a letter sent through their attorney, Pete Domenici of Albuquerque, on March 8.

The suit also alleges county government officials failed either to notify Domenici, Fleming or Swenson that they had received the request within three days — as the law requires — or to provide any other communications about the request.

In addition to the two TV shows, there are currently five large productions in Albuquerque and numerous smaller ones.

The other productions include: Manis Film’s thriller “Big Sky” starring Kyra Sedgwick and “La Vida Robot,” a film starring comedian George Lopez and actress Jamie Lee Curtis. “The Night Shift” is an ensemble cast and stars Freddy Rodriguez, while “Killer Women” stars Marc Blucas.

In both cases, Ortiz sent the commission a letter instead.

That’s not enough, commissioners said Tuesday. They questioned whether Ortiz is really committed to cooperating with them on a policy they say is needed to ensure the county’s cash isn’t tied up in long-term investments and unavailable to pay the daily bills. They have expressed concern that the treasurer might have to sell some of the investments at a loss to generate the cash needed to pay for routine operating expenses.

"We have new energy platforms to consider as we look to the future of Navajo energy," Shelly said in a Tuesday statement applauding the new policy. "We have the opportunity to purchase a coal mine and attain partial ownership of a power plant, but yet, we must keep a strong grasp on renewable energy sources as well."

The council considered an ordinance Tuesday (Oct. 22) that would have suspended part of the town code relating to energy-efficient construction. The code, first adopted in 2009, requires those wishing to build a home to have a certified inspector review plans to ensure they meet specific energy efficiency goals before a building permit is issued. The code also requires an inspector to verify that the constructed building meets those standards before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

A Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a reorganization plan that allows a company to continue functioning with creditors agreeing to accept less, often significantly less than they are owed.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy closes the doors and a trustee is appointed to sell off assets and distribute the money among creditors.

A revision of the Alamogordo ordinance to allow beekeeping within the city limits is currently under consideration by the city commission. Advocates note that more kinder, gentler European bees will dilute the already identified Africanized bee population, making the city safer for those allergic to bee stings.

European bees and Africanized bees look the same; the only way to differentiate them is genetic testing, which is no longer available at New Mexico State University by state entomologist Dr. Carol Sutherland due to the recent federal sequestration, which eliminated funding.