Albuquerque Mayor Wants Action To Keep Officers - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry wants the city and the state to take action to prevent the loss of more than a fifth of the city's police force to retirements over the next two years.
Berry told the Albuquerque Journal during an interview that the city stands to lose 200 officers and still see at least 100 of them retire even if the financial incentives for them to stay are provided.
The mayor wants the City Council to authorize pay increases of $6,000 to $12,000 for officers willing to postpone retirement for a year.
Berry wants the state to enact return-to-work legislation allowing retired police officers who now cannot retire and then return to work at the same job.
Commissioner Pays Self, Fiancee For Campaign Work - The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal
A state Public Regulation Commission member is using some of his public campaign funding to pay himself and his fiancee for their work on his re-election campaign.
Campaign finance reports say Commissioner Ben Hall paid himself and Maria Cottom nearly $7,000 for campaign work over a month's time.
Hall says he pays himself only for campaign work done outside commission work time. He says he'd otherwise have to pay somebody else for the work.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that it's not unusual for a public official to pay a relative for campaign work, but it is for a candidate to pay himself.
Hall is a Republican ex-legislator who faces Democratic former Commissioner Sandy Jones in the Nov. 4 general election race for a commission seat for southwestern New Mexico.
Mitt Romney To Campaign For New Mexico Governor - The Associated Press
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney plans a campaign stop in New Mexico to help Gov. Susana Martinez's re-election.
Martinez campaign spokesman Chris Sanchez said the former Massachusetts governor will appear Thursday at a fundraiser at a private residence in Albuquerque and at a public event in mid-afternoon at the governor's campaign headquarters in the city.
Martinez is running against Democratic challenger Gary King in the general election.
The governor has a big fundraising advantage over King. Martinez reported cash-on-hand of $2.7 million earlier this month while King had about $124,000 in his campaign account.
Early voting continues through Nov. 1 at locations across the state, and Oct. 31 is the last day to request an absentee ballot from a county clerk.
Treasurer Race Draws Education Funding Concerns - The Associated Press
The campaign to become the next New Mexico state treasurer has candidates talking about education.
Democrat Tim Eichenberg is going against Republican Rick Lopez in a race to replace James Lewis, who can't run again because of term limits.
The 62-year-old Eichenberg says the state should acquire more federal lands that could then be leased to create a new revenue source for early childhood education. He says the treasurer's office also should invest more in New Mexico's infrastructure to help start construction projects.
The 59-year-old Lopez promises to oppose any proposal to increase the amount of money distributed annually from the Land Grant Permanent Fund to expand early childhood programs. He says the state treasurer needs to be more aggressive in getting various boards and commissions to be more active.
New Mexico Official: Low Risk Of Ebola In State - The Associated Press
A top health official has assured lawmakers that New Mexico is prepared to deal with Ebola although no cases have been reported in the state.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Michael Landen of the Department of Health sought Wednesday to ally public worries about the disease, saying the risk of an Ebola case in New Mexico is very low.
In testimony to the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee, Landen said the department is provided information on people coming to New Mexico from the West African nations of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea where Ebola has killed more than 4,500 people.
Under new federal requirements, air travelers from those countries must enter the United States through one of five airports that will perform special screenings and fever checks for Ebola.
Oklahoma St Sues NMSU Over Pistol-Packing Mascot - The Associated Press
Oklahoma State is suing New Mexico State over the use of a pistol-packing mascot that it says is "confusingly similar" to the Cowboys' own Pistol Pete.
Oklahoma State, which filed suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma, wants NMSU to stop using the mascot, sometimes referred to in Las Cruces as "Classic Aggie."
Oklahoma State said it trademarked the mascot first and has used the image since 1930.
NMSU says officials are confident the two schools can come to an agreement.
Pistol Pete is based on a real cowboy from the 1800s named Frank Eaton. He got his nickname practicing his shooting skills in Oklahoma and is said to have won a legendary Albuquerque gunfight.