Jacked Up

Cash for kids

New Mexico State University has seen a 22 percent decline in enrollment since 2013. Each percentage point means about $1 million less for the Las Cruces university. But the school has a new chancellor and a new president. The pair will get a more than 150 percent raise ($) from the outgoing duo's salaries. The new chancellor, Dan Arvizu, will make $500,000 a year and the incoming president, John Floros, will be paid $450,000 a year on his five-year contract. The school's regents say they expect an increase in enrollment.

SWAIA faces concerns over tenure

The group that puts on Santa Fe's Indian Market every summer is still dealing with backlash from the decision to end the tenure program that guaranteed space at the lucrative art show for many longtime artists. Supporters of the decision say the market needed new blood and a chance for new artists to make a name for themselves. The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts ($) says the new faces help the market survive. Detractors say it pulls the rug out from under established artists who count on the show for a large part of their yearly income.

AG to investigate Youngblood’s DWI arrest

Concerns over state Rep. Monica Youngblood's repeated mentions of her public office during a DWI arrest Sunday have prompted the attorney general to investigate. The state's Governmental Conduct Act would likely be the law to speak on whether it was inappropriate for the Albuquerque Republican to repeatedly mention her legislative support of police during the arrest.

Auditor plans crime probe

The role of New Mexico's state auditor has been shifted over the past few years, as politically astute office-holders have sought to boost the auditor's profile. Wayne Johnson, the Republican appointed to the position after Tim Keller left to become Albuquerque mayor, says he'll start an audit of "internal processes" at a host of criminal justice agencies, including prosecutors, defenders, courts and cops.

Restricted

Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs have dropped below the critical 400,000 acre-foot level, meaning New Mexico and Colorado can no longer store water in upstream reservoirs built after 1929. The restrictions go into effect under the Rio Grande Compact, which governs use, storage and delivery of the river's water. Minimal snowpack from this winter means there's little water to store in upstream reservoirs like El Vado, Abiquiu and Heron, beyond what's allotted for use in cities like Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Los Luna and Socorro.

‘Alarming, to say the least’

Those are the words of climatologists when looking at drought conditions across the Southwest, where two-thirds of the region sit in extreme levels of drought headed into the blistering summer. Even a robust monsoon pattern may not make much of a dent in the water deficit. The Colorado River, which waters much of the American West, is expected to deliver just 43 percent of its average into Lake Powell.

Carlsbad contractor misses cavern elevator deadline

New elevators at Carlsbad Caverns National Park won't be finished in time for Memorial Day. The primary elevator system was shut down in 2015 and park officials had hoped to have work completed on the two, 16-person elevator cabs by the holiday weekend. Rep. Steve Pearce blasted the park service for the delay.

Virgin Mary statue weeps at Hobbs mass 

The diocese of Las Cruces is investigating reports that a statue of the Virgin Mary wept during mass ($) at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Hobbs on Sunday. Parishioners say that twice, what appeared to be tears were wiped from the face of the statue, only to return moments later. The diocese says it's investigating the claims, and a deacon says it will be done with "a healthy skepticism."
 
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