Interviews wrap for finalists in NMSU president search - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
Candidates for New Mexico State University’s top position wrapped in-person tours and interviews last week, as the prolonged search for the next president comes to a close.
The Board of Regents held a closed meeting Saturday, to discuss the candidates.
The public can expect a final announcement towards the end of next week, said Justin Bannister, the spokesperson for NMSU. The Board of Regents scheduled a special meeting for Thursday Sept. 19, but no agenda is publicly available yet.
Only four candidates remain in the pool after the withdrawal of Neil MacKinnon, who told the Las Cruces Bulletin he accepted a position at another university.
The four remaining candidates include:
- Arsenio Romero, the former secretary of the Public Education Department, a former regent and professor at NMSU
- Valerio Ferme, vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Cincinnati
- Brian Haynes, a vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California, Riverside
- Monica Lounsbery, a dean at the college of health and human services at California State University in Long Beach.
As previously reported, Romero stepped down from his post heading the state’s education department, after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an ultimatum to withdraw his bid for NMSU president or resign.
NMSU, the state’s land-grant university, has been without a permanent leader since April 2023, when Chancellor Dan Arvizu resigned abruptly before his contract’s expiration in June 2023. In December 2022, the board of regents agreed not to renew the five-year contract.
A first iteration of the search ended with the board declining to hire any of the five finalists picked for the replacement. Instead, the board opted to restart the search and appoint interim President Mónica Torres in March 2024.
How Project 2025 could lead to worse climate impacts while reducing support for communities - By Hannah Grover, New Mexico Political Report
Imagine a New Mexico where wildfires, extreme heat, flooding and drought are more common and more devastating, yet the impacted communities have fewer resources and support from the federal government in the aftermath of those disasters.
That is what climate advocates say could happen should Project 2025 be implemented.
Project 2025 is a series of policy proposals released by the Heritage Foundation. These are policies that the Heritage Foundation would like to see implemented should former President Donald Trump return to power. While Trump has tried to distance himself from the proposal, during the first year of his presidency, he implemented about two-thirds of the policies that the Heritage Foundation was pushing at the time.
Project 2025 calls for rolling back initiatives aimed at reducing climate change, increasing extraction of fossil fuels and reforming an agency responsible for aiding in disaster recovery.
These policy proposals could have devastating impacts on New Mexico, where the impacts of climate change are already acutely felt.
Tom Solomon, co-founder of 350 New Mexico, describes Project 2025 as a “pretty horrific document” and said that it could have wide-reaching consequences, including climate consequences.
“I think reading the document, it’s a pretty scary blueprint for the unraveling of, you know, the foundation of our democracy and the foundation of our conservation and climate commitments as a country,” Molly Taylor, the chief operating officer of Conservation Voters New Mexico, said.
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT
Taylor said Project 2025 calls for “a number of pretty significant reforms” including many that would reduce the federal government’s ability to act on climate change and move forward with climate policies.
That includes gutting President Joe Biden’s Investing in America Agenda and rolling back funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s signature policy achievement which provided millions of dollars of federal investment into the state and led to expanded manufacturing particularly in the renewable energy sector.
“On the ground, there are a number of projects that have bubbled up and have been funded, even in rural parts of the state,” Taylor said about the Inflation Reduction Act’s impacts.
Those projects include helping small businesses install solar panels on their roofs and attracting new manufacturing companies to the state.
Since the Inflation Reduction Act passed, companies nationwide have invested more than $124 billion in clean energy projects. The possibility that Trump could rollback the Inflation Reduction Act or make changes to some of the tax credits embedded in the law has already caused concern for major companies like Samsung and Volkswagen. Trump has said that he will pull back any of the unspent Inflation Reduction Act funds should he be elected.
Project 2025 calls the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law, or Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, “massive spending bills” that “established new programs and are providing hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to renewable energy developers, their investors, and special interests.” The authors call for a future conservative president to rescind all unspent money from those two laws.
Solomon said the Inflation Reduction Act paved the way for announcements like Maxeon Solar and Ebon Solar coming to Albuquerque.
“Those are thousands of jobs building solar panels, but they are dependent upon tax credits and other incentives that are embedded in the Inflation Reduction Act,” he said.
But even if Republicans do not pass any legislation rolling back the funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the money is administered by federal agencies.
“They could very easily just say, ‘all of those incentives for clean energy production, they’re just going to be stopped. And anything that you counted on to benefit clean industries growing and expanding in the country, including in New Mexico, it’s just going to come to an end,’” Solomon said.
He said changes to funding from the Inflation Reduction Act or to incentives could essentially pull the rug out from under those companies and a lot of the investment in New Mexico, particularly in the clean energy sector, could come to a halt.
The Inflation Reduction Act doesn’t just benefit companies. It also created some new home energy rebates that will help homeowners purchase energy-efficient appliances, thus lowering both their utility bills and their carbon footprint.
Taylor said without the funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, people will face more expensive utility bills and impacts to their health.
“Something as simple as just being able to have access to resources to buy a new appliance, an electric appliance, won’t be on the table anymore,” she said.
INCREASED EXTRACTION
Project 2025 calls for increased oil and gas production, much of which would take place in New Mexico and Texas’ oil-rich Permian Basin. Project 2025 states that the Permian is “second only to Alaska in petroleum potential.”
Project 2025 would accelerate extraction in the Permian while also removing regulations.
“They would do more drilling on public lands,” Solomon said.
He said the communities across the country that are already feeling the health consequences of living near oil rigs would face even worse impacts.
Solomon highlighted an analysis published by the United Kingdoms’ based group Carbon Brief in March. This analysis found that a Trump presidency could lead to an additional 4 billion tons of emissions from the United States by 2030, which would in turn lead to $900 billion in damages related to climate change worldwide.
The analysis states that the 4 billion tons of emissions would more than negate the emission reductions that have occurred over the last five years thanks to new wind, solar and other clean energy projects.
“Project 2025 also talks quite a bit about an all-of-the-above energy stance and position for the nation,” Taylor said. “However, it also heavily leans toward fossil fuel production, nuclear production, kind of leaning into more of the energy sources that are contributing significantly to the climate crisis.”
Cloe Dickson, communications manager with Conservation Voters New Mexico, said the state’s role in oil and natural gas extraction means that what happens at the federal level could have huge ramifications for New Mexico.
“There are thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells that have yet to be cleaned up and are not only contributing to climate change, but also contributing to significant health risk for the communities that live within the Permian and the San Juan basins,” she said.
The bipartisan infrastructure law that is targeted by Project 2025 provides funding to clean up those orphaned and abandoned wells.
Dickson warned that increasing oil and gas development creates a risk for future abandoned wells and, because of the gap between the bonding requirements and the actual cost of cleaning up those sites, New Mexico taxpayers could be left footing the bill.
LIMITED TIME TO ACT
Delaying the transition to clean energy could have major impacts both for present and future generations worldwide.
Carbon Brief states that the U.S. election this year is crucial if the world hopes to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
One analysis, the MCC Carbon Clock, says there could be fewer than five years until the planet reaches the threshold for an additional 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming and 22 years until the concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere ensures that the world will experience 2 degrees Celsius of warming.
But Project 2025’s policies could accelerate that.
“Instead of 22 years from now, it might be 12 years from now that would have dire consequences for the planet and for New Mexico,” Solomon said.
Already New Mexico is one of the fastest warming states in the country and is seeing devastating impacts from climate change. Solomon highlighted this year’s wildfires in Ruidoso followed by the flooding.
“Everyone in our community across the state has been impacted by the record heat,” Taylor said.
She said that record heat has increased in severity to the point where basic infrastructure including schools and community centers are struggling to keep up with the needs.
“We have students sitting in classrooms that in the summer get up to 90 degrees or more, which makes learning really difficult,” she said.
That also creates challenges for unhoused people who need access to cooling centers and other resources.
She spoke about measures the state and federal government have taken to cut emissions and prepare for a warmer future.
“Project 2025 proposes that we undo all of that progress and shift back to the way things were before we took meaningful climate action, and that will derail any chance or hope of us just being able to prepare and be ready for the shift that we’re already in and address the worst impacts of the climate,” Taylor said.
LESS ASSISTANCE AFTER DISASTER STRIKES
While disasters like Ruidoso experienced this year will become more common thanks to climate change, the assistance the federal government provides would decrease under a Project 2025 agenda.
Project 2025 calls for reforming the Federal Emergency Management Agency and eliminating the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program that helps communities rebuild.
Project 2025 also calls for FEMA to raise the per capita indicator for damages, which would make it harder for states and localities to qualify for aid following a disaster declaration.
Project 2025 also calls for reducing the amount of money the federal government provides so that states would be responsible for up to 75 percent of the costs of responding to catastrophic disasters. Currently, the federal government pays up to 75 percent of the costs and the states pay the remaining 25 percent.
FEMA also oversees the National Flood Insurance Program. Project 2025 describes this as the federal government providing insurance at a subsidized rate.
“The NFIP should be wound down and replaced with private insurance starting with the least risky areas currently identified by the program,” Project 2025 states.
Solomon said NFIP is needed because private insurance determined it was economically unfeasible to insure homes in flood-prone areas.
Solomon said ending NFIP would mean that the people in the Ruidoso area who lost their homes to fires and floods may not be able to rebuild. He pointed out how even getting home insurance is becoming harder in disaster-prone areas.
“With climate change, insurers are among the first to be impacted,” Solomon said. “They are the ones that have to cover the impacts of climate disasters and to pay for rebuilding it.”
Poll shows Heinrich with a big lead over Domenici in US Senate race – Albuquerque Journal, KUNM News
New Mexico Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has a double-digit lead over his Republican challenger, Nella Domenici, according to a recent Albuquerque Journal poll.
Half of those surveyed said they planned to vote for Heinrich over Domenici’s 38% support. Nearly 10% of those surveyed said they weren’t sure who’d they’d vote for, and an even smaller minority — 4% — said they didn’t support either candidate.
The Journal reports those who identified as “moderate” were more likely to back Heinrich. The sitting Senator also received higher support than Domenici among women and Hispanic voters. Higher educational attainment also correlated with being more likely to vote for Heinrich.
Domenici had the strongest showing in eastern New Mexico, where she drew the support of 60% of likely voters in the deeply red oil and gas region. She also beat out Heinrich in the northwest, with just under half of those surveyed saying they planned to vote for her.
The Journal surveyed over 530 likely voters by phone earlier this month. These were New Mexicans who either voted in one of the last two general elections or registered since the 2022 election and said they were likely to vote this year.
Softening the workforce shortage squeeze in Albuquerque - By Damon Scott, City Desk ABQ
Construction projects across the state are booming, but contractors say finding enough skilled laborers to fill positions is a chronic challenge. The workforce shortages often cause project delays and increased costs — issues that have motivated officials to propose a fix in Albuquerque.
The Apprenticeship Empowerment ordinance would require contractors to dedicate 15% of a job’s labor hours to apprenticeships on city construction projects that cost more than $1 million. Contractors that voluntarily commit to 25%, would receive a preference in the bidding process for city construction projects.
“We’ve been looking for ways to increase job training and job pathways,” City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn said. “We know that one of the major problems that we have in our city is a lack of pathways out of poverty.”
She’s the co-sponsor of the bill with City Councilor Dan Champine. Fiebelkorn said the idea of increasing apprenticeships is one that kept rising to the top of a list of viable options.
“The number one thing I hear is that young people in particular don’t see a way to get those jobs,” Fiebelkorn said. “It’s a way to get more job training.”
Apprenticeships are the first step to higher wage journeyman positions in the construction trades, such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters and equipment operators.
Brian Condit, the executive director of the New Mexico Building Trades Council, said the proposed measure is welcome news.
“The demand for construction craft professionals is just going crazy,” he said. “I’ve never seen it this busy.”
The Trades Council represents a consortium of 15 construction craft unions. Condit said it’s clear that young people aren’t entering the trades at a sufficient clip to replace those who will be retiring soon. He said there are about 3,000 registered apprentices in the state out of 59,000 construction craft workers — less than 5%.
“The scary part is we know how many members we have that are approaching retirement age next year and the year after — 25% to 30%,” he said. “We’re playing catch up, but we can train our way out of this hole.”
Fiebelkorn said using apprentices can also benefit companies through reduced payroll costs and increased profits. She and Champine recently met with leaders of construction companies who said they were in support of the proposed bill.
“They were all pretty excited about this, because they see that we’re at a point where there’s a shortage of laborers,” Fiebelkorn said.
The proposed ordinance passed unanimously out of the Finance & Government Operations Committee last week with a “do pass” recommendation. It is scheduled to be voted on by the City Council at its Oct. 7 meeting.
Bernalillo County hosts online job fair Wednesday - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
Bernalillo County says it's looking to hire new people immediately, including nurses.
The state’s largest county is hosting a virtual job fair Wednesday, where it is looking to fill positions in behavioral health, corrections, IT, and natural resources. The county is also seeking RNs for its Youth Services Center, according to the announcement.
Attendees must register ahead of time to claim a spot at the online event, which they can attend using a computer, tablet or phone. The county says it will prioritize those who submit applications for specific positions beforehand.
During the virtual fair, participants will be able to interact directly with recruiters and hiring managers through text and video, according to the announcement.
In its announcement, the county touted its remote work options and benefits packages, including leave, health care and retirement plans.
Walgreens to pay $106M to settle allegations it submitted false payment claims for prescriptions - Associated Press
Walgreens has agreed to pay $106 million to settle lawsuits that alleged the pharmacy chain submitted false payment claims with government health care programs for prescriptions that were never dispensed.
The settlement announced on Friday resolves lawsuits filed in New Mexico, Texas and Florida on behalf of three people who had worked in Walgreens' pharmacy operation. The lawsuits were filed under a whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act that lets private parties file case on behalf of the United States government and share in the recovery of money, the U.S. Justice Department said. The pharmacy chain was accused of submitting false payment claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs between 2009 and 2020 for prescriptions that were processed but never picked up.
Settlement documents say Walgreens cooperated in the investigation and has improved its electronic management system to prevent such problems from occurring again.
In a statement, Walgreens said that because of a software error, the chain inadvertently billed some government programs for a relatively small number of prescriptions that patients submitted but never picked up.
"We corrected the error, reported the issue to the government and voluntarily refunded all overpayments," the statement by Walgreens said.
In reaching the settlement, the chain didn't acknowledge legal liability in the cases.
This story has been corrected to say the lawsuits were filed by private parties, not by the U.S. Justice Department.
Head of state Aging Department steps down - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
The head of the state department charged with supporting seniors and adults with disabilities has stepped down, according to the Governor’s Office.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced late Friday afternoon that Secretary of Aging and Long-Term Services Jen Paul Schroer would clock out for good at the end of the day.
Schroer had led the department for just over a year. The governor appointed her to the position in August 2023 after previously serving as the state’s tourism secretary. The New Mexico Senate confirmed her to the position just this last February.
In a statement, Schroer thanked the governor for the opportunity to lead the department. She expressed confidence that the agency “will thrive” under the leadership of Deputy Secretary Antoinette Vigil.
In her announcement, Lujan Grisham called Schroer a “a strong, dedicated leader,” highlighting her work as “crucial” during the pandemic, when she helmed the Tourism Department.
Commission recommends retaining all NM judges it evaluated - By Nash Jones, KUNM News
A commission charged with evaluating judges who are up for election recommends New Mexicans vote to keep everyone it reviewed on the bench.
The Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission (JPEC) released its 2024 evaluation Friday. It looked at 34 of the 39 judges standing for retention in the upcoming election. The other four have not served long enough to be considered, according to the commission.
Former Vice Chair of JPEC, retired District Court Judge Jim Hall, told KUNM ahead of the last general election about the criteria the group uses to make its calls.
“One is legal ability; the second is fairness; the third is communication skills; and the fourth category includes preparation, attentiveness, temperament and control over the proceedings,” he said.
The commission collects anonymous surveys from people who interact with the judges, like court staff, attorneys and jurors. It also uses data on caseloads and how quickly they are resolved, as well as meeting with each judge who conducts a self-evaluation.
In past years, JPEC has recommended not retaining certain judges. Hall said that largely comes from not improving after a bad interim evaluation.
“And then, when we see judges that do not score well for displaying fairness and impartiality, that is often a very important factor,” he said.
Here is a full list of the supreme court justices and appeals court, district court and metropolitan court judges JPEC recommends retaining this year. Find out which judges you’re voting for on the Secretary of State's voter portal. Election Day is Nov. 5, 2024. Early voting begins Oct. 8.
Judge hears closing arguments in Obelisk trial — Austin Fischer, Source New Mexico
A ruling is expected later this fall in the trial over a controversial monument in New Mexico’s capital city that ended this week.
Closing arguments came on Friday morning from the lawyers who represent Union Protectiva de Santa Fe, a historical Spanish colonial group that sued the city after the monuments and others were removed from public spaces.
Union Protectiva and lawyers from the city of Santa Fe must turn in written factual findings and legal arguments by Sept. 27, First Judicial District Court Judge Matthew Wilson said.
Wilson said he will then issue a written ruling “in due time.”
If Wilson rules in favor of the city of Santa Fe, then the Union Protectiva is likely to ask an appeals court to review the ruling.
What follows is a summary of both sides’ closing arguments this week.
STATE LAW REQUIRES PROTECTION OF HISTORIC SITES
Kenneth Stalter said the New Mexico Prehistoric and Historic Sites Preservation Act prohibits the city of Santa Fe from spending public money on altering the Plaza, unless there’s no alternative. He argued on behalf of his clients with Union Protectiva that the project must include all possible planning to preserve, protect and minimize harm to the site.
He said Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber’s June 2020 emergency order counts as an action, and therefore a project, supported by public money under state regulation.
He pointed to Webber’s testimony that he didn’t do any planning before issuing the emergency proclamation, and didn’t consult with the State Historic Preservation Office.
Stalter said the box placed over the base of the obelisk, the sign attached to the box and the removal of a plaque first installed in 1973 all count as “projects” because they were paid for with public money.
‘BACK TO SQUARE ONE’
Stanley Harris, the attorney for the Santa Fe City Council, said there is no program or project about the Soldier’s Monument requiring “use” of the historic Plaza or the historic district that surrounds it, because the city government has not made a final decision on the matter.
Stalter said the city’s changes to the obelisk after protesters damaged it counts as a “physical and visual element” under the State Historic Preservation Office regulation. He’s asking the court to force the city government to “repair and restore” it back to the way it was before in the Plaza.
Harris said the plaintiffs haven’t proposed an alternative with any basis in sound engineering, telling the judge that Union Protectiva “has no idea and has not shown that such repair and restoration is in any way feasible, prudent or even physically possible.”
BOX AND SIGN HAD NO ADVERSE EFFECT ON PLAZA, CITY SAYS
Stalter said state law includes a definition of an “adverse effect” as the “introduction of physical, audible, visual or atmospheric elements that substantially impair the historic character or significance of the site, or substantially diminish the aesthetic value of the site.”
He said the testimony and evidence show the Soldier’s Monument has been the Plaza’s central feature since the late 19th century.
“I don’t think anyone would dispute that physical and visual elements have been introduced,” Stalter said while displaying to the courtroom two photos of the obelisk before and after its destruction by protesters and alteration by city officials.
Harris said what’s important is the “use” itself is the “adverse effect” on the site, which is not the case here.
“There’s no testimony or evidence that (the box) was anything except protective, that’s what it was doing,” he said. “It was not a program or project that has an adverse effect on the Plaza.”
HOW COURTS HAVE INTERRUPTED THE LAW
Harris said the only time New Mexico courts have interpreted the law at issue is called National Trust for Historic Preservation v. City of Albuquerque.
Stalter said the ruling in that case allows someone to sue when their use or enjoyment of a historic site is threatened. He pointed to Vigil’s testimony about how the destruction of the obelisk affected his and his organization’s use and enjoyment of the Plaza.
Harris said it’s the plaintiff’s burden — not the defendant’s — to prove there was an alternative design for the project which wouldn’t cause substantially equal damage to the site. He said even if the plaintiffs had proven that, the project can still be legal if the less-damaging alternative is infeasible or imprudent.
Stalter said National Trust came up through the courts in a very different procedural history than this case. He said in that case, the city of Albuquerque had participated in the regulatory process with the State Historic Preservation office, where alternatives to the government’s proposal were identified and debated.
“None of that has been done here,” Stalter said.
WHAT SHOULD THE JUDGE LOOK AT FOR HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Harris said the changes made to the obelisk after its destruction did not affect the Plaza’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places because the obelisk isn’t mentioned in the listing.
He pointed to Kimberly Parker’s expert testimony that the reason any property is listed on the National Register is for its significance, and the Soldier’s Monument is not part of the significance of the Plaza being listed.
Harris said the description part of the form also includes other things like benches, concrete sidewalks and large Cottonwood trees. That doesn’t make them part of the Plaza’s historic significance, he said.
Stalter said state law doesn’t mention the nomination form, and the National Park Service was using those forms before the New Mexico Legislature passed the law in 1989.
“If the Legislature had wanted to hang everything on the nomination forms, they very clearly could have used that and state it in this Act,” he said. “They’re putting words into this that are not in this section.”
He pointed to Parker’s testimony that even if the nomination is important, the form as a whole, including the description section, identifies the Soldier’s Monument.
He said the judge isn’t constrained to just looking at the form’s contents, because there’s nothing in state law or regulation saying so. He suggested the judge look at other evidence like expert testimony or the 2005 Cultural Landscape Report.
“We’re not saying just because benches or concrete sidewalks or Cottonwood trees are mentioned, that anything to do with them affects the historic character,” Stalter said. “What we’re saying is that defines what the property is — evaluate the historic character of these features.”
WAS UNION PROTECTIVA HARMED?
Stalter said under National Trust, an organization has grounds to sue under the state Prehistoric and Historic Sites Preservation Act when it has members who use, enjoy or benefit from the site.
“That time can never be brought back,” he said in defense of his clients who have lived for more than three years without the monument in place at the Plaza.
Harris said plaintiffs don’t have standing, but for a different reason: National Trust says standing is denied if the case will undermine the effective functioning of the Act or interfere with its administration.
“Because there’s no violation of the [Prehistoric and Historic Sites Preservation Act], plaintiff can’t show an injury or hardship from any action taken by defendants,” Harris said.
Stalter said asking for enforcement of the law “ultimately in no way undermines or interferes with the statute and regulations.”