Check SFReeper.com for live coverage of Marino “Reno” Leyba Jr.’s trial, which begins April 21 at the 1st Judicial District Court in Santa Fe.

Beginning April 22 (Earth Day), the state is offering a $200 rebate on the purchase of certain energy-efficient appliances. For retailers like Baillio’s, Gov. Bill Richardson said, the program will “mean an increase in sales.”

Four candidates, all with law enforcement experience, are running to replace outgoing Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano in the June 1 Democratic primary election. All took SFR’s candidate Pop Quiz—no questions in advance and no research allowed.

Transparency is not quite the mantra quoted by the federal government or Thornburg Mortgage when it comes to toxic assets.

The expansive area that is Santa Fe County District 1 covers both the northeastern corner of the city of Santa Fe and a southeastern smidgen of Española, plus all the pueblos and hamlets in between. The Democratic race to replace outgoing County Commissioner Harry Montoya remains packed, though the field has narrowed slightly. A fifth declared candidate, Sef Valdez, tells SFR he dropped out of the race April 6 for personal reasons.

Last October, Jenna Yañez was hired as the part-time director of Santa Fe’s first Court Watch project, an effort to reduce domestic violence rates by ensuring that at least one outside observer watches cases move through the system. Before moving to Santa Fe in 2008, Yañez worked in Ohio as a legal advocate for refugee women who had suffered genital mutilation. SFR caught up with Yañez at The Teahouse on Canyon Road, where she was studying a thick compendium of statewide domestic violence statistics.

As SFR reported last year, the New Mexico Human Services Department has faced criticism from advocates for the poor about its strict food stamp eligibility guidelines—criticism backed by federal officials and House Speaker Ben Luján, D-Santa Fe.

Last month, the largest private television network in South Korea, Seoul Broadcasting System, ran a lengthy investigative report on Dahn Yoga, a controversial fitness chain that claims its “brain wave vibration” techniques can cure crippling genetic conditions.

On April 22, Denver, Colo., will become the second US city to launch a large-scale bike-sharing program. Not only will the program help residents and visitors save money on gas and parking, it’ll cut an estimated 15 pounds of air pollution for every four-mile round-trip. In Santa Fe, progress has been slow on a bike- and car-share center first committed to paper nine years ago in the Railyard Master Plan.

In virtual reality, the economic stimulus looks like the product of some idealized government of the future—transparent, accountable and effective.

In reality reality, the Recovery Office exists in a drab, sparsely furnished wing of a state office building. The only sign announcing the presence of an agency overseeing $3.3 billion in taxpayer funds is a black-and-white computer printout, much like an office reminder to clean the break-room fridge. What's so stimulating about that?