New Mexico Election Officials Unveil Lobbyist Training Guide - Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
New Mexico's top election officials are looking to reduce confusion and increase accountability with a new training guide for lobbyists.
The Secretary of State's Office is rolling out the guide and offering two webinars in advance of the Legislature's next session, which begins Jan. 19.
Campaign finance scandals over the last year have highlighted weaknesses in the state's reporting system. Some lawmakers have proposed closing the gaps and creating an ethics commission.
Secretary of State Brad Winter says his office wants to make the reporting process smooth and transparent. He says accountability is big focus now.
Officials say the new guide and the training is intended to clarify the forms, deadlines and other requirements of lobbyist and their employers. The material also outlines rules regarding registration, reporting, contributions and expenditures.
Santa Fe Considering Gas Tax To Fix Roads – Santa Fe New Mexican
The Santa Fe City Council will meet tonight to discuss a proposed gas tax of two cents per gallon to cover street repairs and sidewalk improvements.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the tax is designed to make up a projected $15 million budget shortfall for the next fiscal year. State officials estimate the tax would bring in about $950,000 annually.
If councilors approve the measure it would then go to voters on the municipal ballot scheduled for March 1.
Some voters are already expressing reservations based on previous ballot measures where funds raised for one purpose were used for different projects. But Councilor Joseph Maestas says he asked the City Attorney’s Office to ensure the ordinance has specific language to ensure that does not happen in this case.
New Mexico Sees Continuing Drop In Teen Birth Rates – The Associated Press
New Mexico is maintaining a trend of declining teen birth rates.
The state Department of Health announced Wednesday that vital records show an overall 57 percent drop between 2000 and 2014 for teens 15 to 17 years old giving birth.
Records also show a 48 percent decrease of teen birth rates for 15 to 19 year olds in that same period.
The state's decrease in the rate of 15-19 year olds giving birth in 2014 has brought New Mexico down from leading the national rate.
Officials say the state now is ranked fourth largest for teen birth rates.
Health Secretary Retta Ward says the state must work harder to get better results.
Ward says teen births are a common driving factor of generational poverty.
Libertarian Gary Johnson Launches Presidential Bid – The Associated Press
Libertarian politician Gary Johnson is running for president a second time after winning more than a million votes in 2012.
Johnson announced his candidacy for the Libertarian Party nomination Wednesday at the New Mexico state capitol in Santa Fe.
The two-time New Mexico governor and pioneering proponent of drug decriminalization wants to wipe out the federal deficit and hold the line against spending on Medicare, Medicaid and the military.
Johnson says he could wind up sharing the debate stage with Democratic and Republican nominees in the fall if a lawsuit succeeds against the private Commission on Presidential Debates.
Johnson initially ran as a Republican in 2012 before dropping out ahead of the primaries and securing the Libertarian nomination.
He won nearly 1.3 million votes, or 1 percent votes cast.
UNM Researchers To Include Drug Users In Hepatitis C Study – The Associated Press
Researchers in New Mexico plan to reach out to drug users for inclusion in a nationwide study of hepatitis C treatments.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that the University of New Mexico will receive $2.3 million to compare two models for treating the virus, which is often transmitted when people injecting drugs share needles.
The project is funded by the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The research institute says injection drug users rarely get the most effective hepatitis C treatments.
UNM is one of eight places that will participate in the $14 million five-year study, treating an estimated 1,000 people nationally.
Hepatitis C infects up to 35,000 people in New Mexico and is the leading cause of liver transplants.
$5,000 Reward For Suspected Carjacker Who Took Girl – The Associated Press & KOB
The city of Albuquerque is offering a reward for information leading to a suspect accused of stealing a vehicle with a 3-year-old girl inside.
KOB-TV reports that Mayor Richard Berry announced a $5,000 reward Tuesday for any tips in finding the man responsible for taking Carline Leon-Alcocar.
The girl was reported missing Saturday night after a man jumped into the car while the child's mother was filling water bottles a few feet away.
Police found her more than four hours later.
She was abandoned in a parking lot in frigid weather but unharmed.
The suspect is described as Hispanic, in his late 20s, between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9 and 190-200 pounds.
Police say he will likely face theft, kidnapping and child abuse charges.
New Mexico Election Officials Unveil Lobbyist Training Guide – The Associated Press
New Mexico's top election officials are looking to reduce confusion and increase accountability with a new training guide for lobbyists.
The Secretary of State's Office is rolling out the guide and offering two webinars in advance of the Legislature's next session, which begins Jan. 19.
Campaign finance scandals over the last year have highlighted weaknesses in the state's reporting system. Some lawmakers have proposed closing the gaps and creating an ethics commission.
Secretary of State Brad Winter says his office wants to make the reporting process smooth and transparent. He says accountability is big focus now.
Officials say the new guide and the training is intended to clarify the forms, deadlines and other requirements of lobbyist and their employers. The material also outlines rules regarding registration, reporting, contributions and expenditures.
Judge Wants To Cut Prison Sentence Of New Mexico Cult Leader – The Associated Press & KRQE
A judge has ruled that a cult leader convicted of sex crimes in 2008 should be released early from a New Mexico prison after being diagnosed with skin cancer.
The state Department of Corrections says 74-year-old Wayne Bent must appear before a parole board before any decision is made.
KRQE-TV reported Tuesday a Jan. 26 hearing has been set to clarify the judge's amended motion to release Bent from prison so he can get medical treatment.
A jury sentenced Bent to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of lying naked in bed with two teenage girls at his northern New Mexico compound.
Bent also was convicted of criminal sexual contact and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
He's been in prison for nearly seven years.
New Mexico Governor Emphasizes Policing, Teachers In Budget – Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is unveiling a $6.46 billion budget proposal that emphasizes increased spending on public education, law enforcement initiatives and economic development programs.
Martinez announced her budget recommendations Tuesday at Corrections Department offices in downtown Albuquerque. Legislators convene later this month to craft a state budget.
The Republican governor wants to increase spending by $282 million over last year. That represents a 3.7 percent expansion.
About $101 million in new spending would go toward efforts to improve public education. Base pay for public school teachers would rise by $2,000.
Pay raises also are planned for prison guards, probation and parole officers, state police and child abuse case workers.
New state expenses associated with the federal expansion of Medicaid would consume $69 million.
Many APD Applicants Cannot Pass Background Checks – KOB-TV
Albuquerque is struggling with a shortage of police officers and many have applied for positions in the police department. However, many cannot pass required background checks.
APD Chief Gorden Eden told KOB-TV one applicant even disclosed involvement in stealing copper. He warns the department likely will not reach full staffing for at least a year.
The city’s goal is to get back to 1,000 officers. APD officials told the Albuquerque Journal in October that numbers will continue to hover around 850 until 2017.
Mayor Richard Berry told KOB he will ask state lawmakers to reinstate legislation that allows retired officers to re-join the force while still collecting a pension. Those efforts have failed previously in the legislature.
The Latest: Judge To Consider Arguments In Venue Question – Associated Press
A state district judge says she'll consider arguments before issuing a written decision on whether to move the case of two former Albuquerque police officers charged in the on-duty shooting death of a homeless man in 2014.
Judge Alisa Hadfield gave no indication Tuesday how soon a decision will come.
Defense attorneys and the special prosecutor assigned to the case spent about an hour arguing whether the trial of now-retired detective Keith Sandy and ex-officer Dominique Perez should be moved from Albuquerque to Las Cruces.
Defense attorneys say a fair trial in Albuquerque would be impossible given all the publicity surrounding the case.
Prosecutor Randi McGinn says the jury selection process will ensure an impartial panel is seated for the August trial.
Judge Moves Trial For Suspect In Rio Rancho Officer's Death – Associated Press
The trial for a man charged with shooting and killing a Rio Rancho police officer will be moved south to Valencia County.
A Sandoval County judge granted the defense's motion Tuesday to have Andrew Romero's trial moved because of the extensive media coverage of the case.
Police say Romero fatally shot Officer Gregg "Nigel" Benner during a routine traffic stop in May.
Romero is facing first-degree murder and other charges in Sandoval County.
Prosecutors argued that media coverage was neutral and should not be a factor.
The courthouse in Valencia County is in Los Lunas, which is about 40 miles south of Rio Rancho.
All court filings and pre-trial hearings in the case will remain in Sandoval County.
First Storm Of Series Winding Down While Second Is Incoming – Associated Press
The first of a series of Pacific storms expected to sweep across New Mexico this week is moving on but the second is inbound.
The National Weather Service says the second storm's most intense snowfall rates will occur during daylight hours of Wednesday and focus most heavily on northwestern New Mexico.
According to forecasters, moderate to possibly heavy snow accumulations are expected.
A third storm is expected late Thursday through Saturday morning, followed by a fourth on Sunday.
Traffic At Albuquerque Airport Spikes In Late 2015 – KRQE-TV, Associated Press
The city of Albuquerque is hopeful that an upward trend in airline passengers will continue in 2016.
KRQE-TV reports that travel at the Albuquerque International Sunport saw a dramatic decline after fiscal year 2008, when federal agencies made travel cuts and a regulation that had forced many flights from Dallas to stop in Albuquerque expired.
But the Sunport recently ran promotions touting New Mexico's 310 days of sunshine to lure travelers from places like Chicago, Seattle, Kansas City, Portland and New York.
The number of Sunport passengers went up 2.4 percent in October 2015 and ridership increased again in November.
Mayor Richard J. Berry says it's an indicator that the city is coming out of the recession.
State Agriculture Official To Meet With Farmers, Ranchers – Associated Press
The state's top agriculture official will be talking to dairy farmers and beef cattle ranchers in southeastern New Mexico impacted by last month's record snowstorm.
New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte will join officials from the state's Farm Service Agency at two informational meetings organized by the Dairy Producers of New Mexico.
The purpose of the meetings is to discuss disaster programs with dairy farmers, ranchers and other affected agricultural producers.
One meeting is scheduled Wednesday in Roswell at the Chaves County Extension Office with the other Thursday in Clovis at the city's Civic Center.
Witte and other leaders within New Mexico's agricultural community are urging those who had livestock or other agricultural losses in the storm to contact their county FSA office.