Bill Clinton and other dignitaries remember Bill Richardson during funeral Mass - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
Political allies, Native American leaders and people touched by Bill Richardson's work to free Americans imprisoned abroad gathered Thursday for a funeral Mass to honor a man known for his innate political skills, soaring ambition and ability to both clash and reconcile with rivals.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was among those paying homage to Richardson during a Mass at Santa Fe's downtown Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Richardson served as U.N. ambassador and energy secretary under the Clinton administration.
Clinton and Richardson's widow, Barbara, followed the casket into the cathedral. Relatives of some of the political prisoners whom Richardson sought to free as well as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland were also in attendance.
Richardson's friendship with Clinton endured, despite having a falling out after Richardson dropped out of the 2008 presidential race and endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. The Clintons expressed their sadness after learning of Richardson's death earlier this month, recalling him as a masterful and persistent negotiator and a trailblazer for Latinos.
Clinton during Thursday's service reiterated his appreciation for Richardson's informal methods of diplomacy. He described Richardson as big and hulky with a good sense of humor and someone who didn't mind being politically incorrect from time to time.
"His energy was infectious. His skills were prodigious. His life was a gift, and I'm so glad that each in our different ways we received it," Clinton said. "Now I ask you to go out of here and try to improve on his example. He would like it if you were trying to improve on his example. We may not, but we'll get caught trying."
Richardson throughout his career was tapped for numerous unofficial diplomatic missions, using his knack for negotiation to free many Americans held hostage abroad.
Santa Fe Archbishop John C. Wester said faith was important to Richardson, recalling a story about a crucifix Richardson wore around his neck — a gift from his grandmother who lived in Mexico. Fearing that he would lose it during a baseball game, he had stashed it in his back pocket and it became lodged in his leg after he slid into second base. Richardson joked that it was a sign that his grandmother had embedded the faith deep in him — literally.
It was that faith that helped Richardson through his interactions with world leaders and others, Wester said, suggesting that Richardson's life paralleled that of the Good Samaritan in biblical stories. He said Richardson shook hands not out of duty but rather because he enjoyed meeting and getting along with people.
"Saint John of the Cross had a wonderful insight when he said that in the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone," Wester said. "This is the message of the cross, the message of the Good Samaritan, the message of Gov. Richardson's life — love one another, take risks for one another and have compassion for one another."
Richardson died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts, earlier this month at age 75..
The line to enter the historic cathedral stretched around the block as hundreds filed inside, from members of New Mexico's congressional delegation to tribal governors and dignitaries from around the globe.
Dozens also turned out Wednesday as Richardson's casket laid in state in the Capitol's rotunda. An arrangement of white roses sent by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden was joined by flowers from others who were there to remember the work he had done for the state.
Richardson served two terms as governor starting in 2003. His casket was flanked by police guard and draped in the New Mexico state flag with its ancient Zia Pueblo symbol of the sun.
The memorial services have reunited top advisers and Cabinet secretaries to Richardson in his years as governor, which were marked by splashy employment and public works projects — the creation of a commuter rail line connecting Santa Fe with Albuquerque, an aerospace "spaceport" launch facility and generous incentives to attract film productions to New Mexico in the era before "Breaking Bad."
Richardson enacted initiatives with a Democratic-led Legislature that put an end to the death penalty in the state, eliminated sales taxes on medicine and food in efforts to combat poverty and renewed rights to collective bargaining by government workers that had expired under his Republican predecessor.
___
Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan contributed to this report.
Judge blocks suspension of right to carry firearms in public, siding against New Mexico governor - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
A federal judge has blocked part of a public health order that suspended the right to carry guns in public across New Mexico's largest metro area, with criticism mounting and political divides widening over the Democratic governor's action.
The ruling Wednesday by U.S. District Judge David Urias marks a setback for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The second-term governor imposed an emergency public health order Friday that suspended the right to openly carry or conceal guns in public places based on a statistical threshold for violent crime that applied only to Albuquerque and the surrounding area. She cited recent shootings around the state that left children dead, saying something needed to be done.
Urias, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Joe Biden, agreed Wednesday with plaintiffs who have accused Lujan Grisham of trampling on constitutional rights. Urias granted a temporary restraining order to block the governor's suspension of gun rights until another hearing is held in early October.
Urias said he doesn't blame Lujan Grisham for trying to do something "in the face of these terrible deaths," but his duty is to decide a much more narrow question regarding the rights afforded under the U.S. Constitution.
The governor in a statement issued Wednesday said she would not be resigned to the status quo.
"I see the pain of families who lost their loved ones to gun violence every single day, and I will never stop fighting to prevent other families from enduring these tragedies," she said, although she acknowledged previously that criminals likely would ignore her order.
Lujan Grisham also pledged to increase state police presence in Bernalillo County and to focus on arresting those with outstanding warrants. She also said she would direct the health care system to expand capacity to deal with drug addiction and homelessness.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs told the judge that the governor had other options to address the problem but chose the inflict what some critics have described as a punishment on law-abiding residents.
"The Second Amendment has no exception," said Jason Bowles, an Albuquerque attorney who is representing the National Association for Gun Rights. "It has no part that says as long as a state governor can issue an emergency, you're allowed to take our citizens' firearms. It doesn't say that, there's no case that ever said that, there's no historical evidence of that, there's no support for it."
Connecticut-based attorney Cameron Atkinson, who represents We The Patriots USA and Bernalillo County resident Dennis Smith, characterized the governor's action as an emotional reaction to heartbreaking tragedies.
"We get that people's hearts are broken," he said outside the courthouse, "but the answer to tragedy is not to take away from the people who need it the most – the means to protect themselves and their families."
State police had authority under the order to assess civil penalties and a fine of up to $5,000. The sheriff and Albuquerque's police chief had refused to enforce the firearms ban.
The rest of the public health order, including directives for monthly inspections of firearms dealers statewide, reports on gunshot victims at New Mexico hospitals and wastewater testing for illicit substances, remains intact.
Holly Agajanian, the governor's chief counsel, said the order will save lives.
"I wish when our police officers walked down the street, they could see people wearing a shirt that said 'good guy' and somebody with the shirt that said 'bad guy,'" she said. "But that doesn't exist."
Republicans in the legislative majority have called for impeachment proceedings against the governor, saying that her actions make for a slippery slope when it comes to the use of public health orders to effect policy changes.
Those concerns have resonated with the residents who have protested in Albuquerque's public plazas. They say the governor is testing the boundaries of her executive authority again after using public health orders for aggressive lockdowns during the outset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Even top Democrats — including New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez — have suggested that the governor's time would have been better spent developing comprehensive legislation to tackle the issue.
New Mexico is an open carry state, so the governor's order suspending the open and concealed carry of firearms affected anyone in Bernalillo County who can legally own a gun, with some exceptions. Just over 14,500 people in Bernalillo County had an active concealed carry license, according to an Associated Press analysis of data provided by the New Mexico Department of Public Safety for the 2023 fiscal year.
Statewide, including Bernalillo County, the 2023 fiscal year data showed just over 45,000 active concealed carry licenses.
The New Mexico Chiefs of Police Association, other top law enforcement officials and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller are among those who are calling for a special legislative session to tackle gun violence.
Keller and Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina on Tuesday outlined what the city has been doing to address crime, saying law enforcement and judicial officials have been meeting since 2021 to develop legislative priorities and other efforts to fix what they referred to as a "broken criminal justice system."
The officials said many of the proposals have been watered down to the point of being ineffective and vital programs have gone without needed funding.
"Albuquerque families can't afford political debates that distract us from fighting violent crime," Keller said. "This is a powerful moment to listen to police and behavioral health professionals to create the change we need in a special session."
___
Associated Press writers Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Walter Berry in Phoenix contributed to this report.
New ‘Medicaid Forward’ study shows huge savings for New Mexicans - Bryce Dix, KUNM News
A new study is dubbing New Mexico’s Medicaid Forward proposal as a significant win for state residents, if approved by the state legislature.
The proposal would cut out-of-pocket costs and premiums, see up to 142,000 fewer uninsured New Mexicans, and increase provider reimbursements.
According to the Urban Institute’s study, Medicaid Forward would extend New Mexico's Medicaid program eligibility to all nonelderly residents under the age of 65.
Newly eligible individuals would pay premiums and out-of-pocket costs on a sliding scale, with each family's combined premiums and out-of-pocket spending not to exceed 5 percent of their income.
As the Albuquerque Journal reports, the program is in its early planning stages and could see a vote by lawmakers in 2025’s legislative session.
Bill Richardson is mourned in New Mexico after globe-trotting career - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
Friends and admirers of former Gov. Bill Richardson mourned the hard-charging politician at a memorial in the New Mexico Statehouse on Wednesday that attracted political allies, proteges and acquaintances, including several people touched by his work to free Americans imprisoned abroad.
Richardson's casket lay in state in the Capitol's rotunda flanked by police guard and draped in the New Mexico state flag with its ancient Zia Pueblo symbol of the sun. Barbara Richardson, his wife for more than 50 years, was the first to approach and place a hand on the closed casket.
Richardson died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts, earlier this month at age 75.
Final memorials and funeral services are taking place in Santa Fe, the state capital where Richardson served two terms as governor starting in 2003 and is still remembered for innate political skills, soaring ambition and an ability to both clash and reconcile with rivals.
John Early, who was taken captive in Sudan while flying missions for the International Red Cross in 1996, praised then-Congressman Richardson for saving his life by negotiating his release along with two other captives under dangerous conditions.
Now 77, he said his captivity was grim and he was skeptical of Richardson, who was a stranger to Early when he arrived at an encampment guarded by child soldiers to coax a warlord into compromise.
"He said to me, 'No, you don't understand. I'm not leaving,'" Early said. He recalled that Richardson bargained with the captors firmly and in good humor for hours, warning that he "can eat more food than you've got in this camp."
Other mourners included Lisa Lowrey, a retired chef who brought a bouquet of carnations in gratitude for a supportive conversation she had with Richardson at a therapeutic horseback riding program for children nearly 20 years ago, when she was battling cancer.
"I was so inspired," she said. "People in his position could dismiss someone easily, and he never did. ... He made you feel comfortable."
The memorial also reunited top advisors and Cabinet secretaries to Richardson in his years as governor, which were marked by splashy employment and public works projects — the creation of a commuter rail line connecting Santa Fe with Albuquerque, an aerospace "spaceport" launch facility and generous incentives to attract film productions to New Mexico in the era before "Breaking Bad."
Richardson enacted initiatives with a Democratic-led Legislature that put an end to the death penalty in the state, eliminated sales taxes on medicine and food in efforts to combat poverty and renewed rights to collective bargaining by government workers that had expired under his Republican predecessor.
Attorney Hilary Tomkins, whom Richardson hired as general counsel to the governor's office, called Richardson a "great champion for my people — the Navajo," citing the addition of a Cabinet secretary for Indian affairs while he was governor and, more recently, efforts to provide humanitarian supplies to the Navajo Nation that overlaps New Mexico, Arizona and Utah during the pandemic. She expressed gratitude for the governor's support for her career.
"He showed me the ropes ... how to be proud of where I came from and how to play in the big leagues," said Tomkins, who went on to work at the U.S. Interior Department and for a major law firm in Washington, D.C.
William Blaine Richardson was born in Pasadena, California, but grew up in Mexico City with a Mexican mother and an American father who was a U.S. bank executive. He attended prep school in Massachusetts, earned degrees in international studies from Tufts University and worked as a Capitol Hill staffer before moving to New Mexico in 1978.
The state's Hispanic heritage was a good fit as Richardson campaigned for Congress and won his second bid in 1982 for a newly created district spanning northern New Mexico.
"He started out as a carpetbagger and ended up as our governor," said David Coss, a former two-term mayor of Santa Fe, who worked on Richardson's early campaigns for Congress and attended the memorial. "He worked harder and was just extremely bright."
Richardson resigned from Congress in 1997 to join President Bill Clinton's administration as U.N. ambassador and became secretary of energy in 1998. Richardson later sought the 2008 Democratic nomination for president but dropped out after lackluster finishes in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.
Former state House Speaker Brian Egolf of Santa Fe witnessed Richardson's evolution from congressman to diplomat, Cabinet secretary and governor.
"He was also a hard-charging person," Egolf said. "If he disagreed with somebody who was his friend, he wouldn't back down, he would mix it up. ... But he always came back around and said, "It's over.' ... He'd shake your hand and move forward."
Marta Gallegos, 70, worked as a housekeeper in the governor's mansion during Richardson's tenure and recalled a joyful atmosphere of constant banter, including a playful running joke that Richardson had forgotten her name — an impossibility.
"He was a wonderful man, always joking. He called me Maria, Barbara or Lupe — everything except my name," she said.
Funeral services were scheduled for Thursday at Santa Fe's downtown Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
Wandering bull moose is captured in downtown Santa Fe, moved to habitat in northern New Mexico - Associated Press
A wandering bull moose was captured in downtown Santa Fe and relocated to a suitable habitat in northern New Mexico, authorities said.
State Game and Fish officials and Animal Service Officers for the city said the moose was spotted about 8 a.m. Tuesday near Fort Marcy Park.
Officers set up a perimeter to protect residents and pedestrians in the park, which is a popular walking area.
Authorities said a bull moose can be aggressive toward humans and pets, especially during the breeding season, which begins in late September.
The moose was sedated with a tranquilizer dart and loaded onto a trailer before being evaluated by a Game and Fish Department veterinarian and determined to be in good health.
Department biologists estimate the moose weighed more than 900 pounds (400 kilograms) and was 4 to 5 years old.
Game and Fish officials said moose are a protected game animal in New Mexico and there is not an open hunting season for them.