Santa Fe County Ex-Official's Guilty Plea Revealed – The Associated Press and Santa Fe New Mexican
New Mexico prosecutors in a fraud case against a contractor have disclosed that a former Santa Fe County official previously pleaded guilty to taking a bribe.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the 2012 guilty plea by former county road supervisor James Martinez was revealed for the first time yesterday as testimony began in the fraud case.
Martinez's criminal case was sealed after he entered his plea, and five other people were indicted in the fraud case about two weeks later.
Two of those defendants are now on trial. Advantage Asphalt and Seal Coating and co-owner Joe Anthony Montoya are accused of defrauding the county of about $1 million.
Montoya's defense lawyer, Sam Bregman, says his client never bribed anyone and wasn't involved in any fraud.
Teacher Quits After Student Pens Jesus, Pot Story - The Associated Press
A New Mexico high school teacher has left her job after a student rewrote the biblical story about Jesus handing out bread and fish to the poor into a narrative about Jesus handing out marijuana to the sick.
Katrina Guarascio, a creative writing teacher at Cleveland High School in the Albuquerque suburb of Rio Rancho, had assigned students to take a fairy tale or legend and rewrite it in modern times.
KOAT-TV reported Monday that Guarascio says a student got offended by the story and told her parents.
The teacher says she recently quit after the district put her on administrative leave. Guarascio says she felt targeted and harassed.
A Rio Rancho Schools spokeswoman says Guarascio was not forced to resign but chose to do so.
Gov. Martinez Unveils Inaugural Celebration Plans - The Associated Press
Newly re-elected Gov. Susana Martinez will kick off her inaugural celebration with a gala in her hometown of Las Cruces on Dec. 28.
Her campaigned announced Tuesday that after the gala the Republican will attend mass at the Cathedral Basilica in Santa Fe that following Wednesday.
Martinez will hold a public swearing-in ceremony Jan. 1, at 9 a.m. in the House Chamber of the New Mexico State Capitol. A public reception will immediately follow in the Rotunda.
Later that evening, Martinez will host a "New Mexico True Inaugural Ball" at the Albuquerque Convention Center to celebrate the state's culture and heritage.
Maria Berry, wife of Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, has been named chairwoman of the "New Mexico True Inaugural Ball."
New Mexico Lottery: $1M Powerball Prize Unclaimed - The Associated Press
New Mexico Lottery officials say whoever holds a winning $1 million Powerball ticket has only a few weeks to claim the prize.
The ticket sold in Albuquerque on Saturday, Sept. 27 at a Circle K store on Highway 528 Northwest had winning numbers of 2, 11, 35, 52 and 54.
Lottery workers on Monday put up a banner outside the store to try to alert the winner to turn it in and to generally remind players to double-check their tickets.
If the $1 million ticket is not claimed by the close of business on Dec. 24, the money will go back into the prize pool.
Lottery spokesman Linda Hamlin says the lottery's largest unclaimed prize was worth approximately $265,000.
New Mexico Eyes Teacher Merit-Pay Pilot Programs - The Associated Press
New Mexico's Public Education Department is expected to announce plans on merit-pay pilot programs at selected schools districts and charter schools.
The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://goo.gl/GvsiSP) that the $7 million initiative will allow nine school districts and 12 charters to submit their own plans for merit-pay programs.
Education Secretary Hanna Skandera says by allowing districts to design their own programs, state education officials can explore different ways merit pay might work statewide.
But Albuquerque Teachers Federation President Ellen Bernstein says teachers are already working hard and she doubts merit pay will motivate them to work any harder.
Santa Fe, Pojoaque, Floyd, Hobbs, Gallup, Farmington, Raton, Lordsburg and Des Moines districts are taking part.
Albuquerque Public Schools, the state's largest district, did not apply for the program.
Hobbs Residents Set To Decide On Voter ID - The Associated Press
Residents in a southeastern New Mexico city are heading to the polls to vote on a measure that would require a photo ID in municipal elections.
Hobbs will hold its special election today. The proposal, which would amend the city charter, would require residents to present photo identification at polling places.
Hobbs is the latest battleground over requiring strict identification to cast ballots.
Supporters say the measure would help eliminate potential in-person voter impersonation and increase public confidence in elections.
Civil rights groups argue that voter ID measures disproportionately affect blacks, Latinos, senior citizens and the poor by unduly restricting voting and imposing unnecessary costs.
The election arrives on the heels of a Lea County record-low turnout in November's midterm elections.
Agreement To Clear Way For New Mexico Recount - The Associated Press
The recount in the race for New Mexico land commissioner is one step closer to getting underway.
The state canvassing board is scheduled to meet today to sign off on a proposal reached after days of negotiation. At issue was how many ballots would be used to test the tabulating machines that would be used in the recount.
Republican Aubrey Dunn and incumbent Democrat Ray Powell are separated by several hundred votes, a margin so small it triggers an automatic recount under state law.
The recount — scheduled to start yesterday — was put on hold after Powell filed a petition with the state Supreme Court over the procedures.
Under the proposal, each county will use the greater of 100 ballots or 2 percent of the total ballots cast to test the tabulators.
DOE Reaches Out To New Mexico Over Nuke Violations - The Associated Press
The U.S. Department of Energy and one of its contractors have reached out to New Mexico, asking for an opportunity to discuss $54 million in penalties stemming from mishaps that forced the closure of the federal government's troubled nuclear waste repository.
A senior DOE official and the contractor that manages the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southern New Mexico contacted state officials yesterday.
On Saturday, the state hand-delivered two compliance orders to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz that outlined numerous violations at the repository and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The DOE is reviewing the orders. The agency says it is committed to complying with its responsibilities at both facilities.
Mexican Boy Fighting Massive Tumor Is Out Of ICU - The Associated Press
An 11-year-old Mexican boy who had portions of a massive tumor removed in New Mexico is out of intensive care.
A spokesman says Jose Antonio Ramirez Serrano is recovering after his 11-hour surgery last month.
Doctors at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque expunged a third of the watermelon-sized tumor during the surgery. They say he will need months of physical therapy followed by more surgeries.
In July 2012, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations assisted in picking up Jose and his parents from a neighborhood in Juarez.