Governor seeks resignation of Western New Mexico University regents after spending revelations - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has asked for the immediate resignation of regents at Western New Mexico State University after revelations of wasteful spending and failures in financial oversight, according to documents released Thursday.
In a year-end letter to the five-member board of regents, Lujan Grisham said new leadership is needed in the "spirit of a clean slate" to ensure the Silver City-based university can regain its "equilibrium and once again serve its students first and foremost." The board's chairwoman resigned Tuesday.
The turmoil follows the announced resignation of Joseph Shepard as university president after an investigation by the state auditor's office found top school officials and regents failed to uphold their fiduciary responsibilities.
Lawmakers started raising questions in 2023 about Shepard's spending on international travel and high-end furniture, along with wife Valerie Plame's use of a university credit card. Plame is a former CIA operations officer who ran unsuccessfully for New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District in the 2020 Democratic primary.
Regents backed an arrangement for Shepard's resignation as president that guarantees him a new faculty job, a six-figure annual salary and a one-time payment of $1.9 million.
The package is under scrutiny by the State Ethics Commission, and state Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced an inquiry into whether the regents satisfied their fiduciary duty. Shepard and board members have defended their conduct.
Faculty at the university backed a no-confidence vote against the board of regents Thursday, also urging state officials to intervene and rescind Shepard's arrangement.
"It is merely a potentially powerful way for the faculty to send a strong public expression of their lack of confidence in their leaders and to make this known publicly," professor and faculty senate president Phillip Schoenberg said.
Schoenberg expressed gratitude for the governor's efforts to replace the regents, citing a need for "responsive and decisive leadership." The four remaining regents are expected to resign before Friday, he said.
University administrators did not respond to phone and email inquires about further possible resignations.
Shepard was appointed president in 2011 following a 16-year career at Florida Gulf State University that included several administrative roles.
Western New Mexico State's history dates to the 1890s, before statehood, though its name has changed multiple times over the years.
Have an extra $4 million? You could buy the 'Breaking Bad' house — Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
The house made famous by the "Breaking Bad" TV series is up for sale, and the owners of the otherwise unassuming home in one of Albuquerque's older neighborhoods are hoping the property's role in the long-running series will help them fetch a pretty penny.
Centered on mythical methamphetamine cookers Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, the series wrapped up more than a decade ago, but its legacy continues to draw looky-loos to the home and other associated filming spots around town.
New Mexico's governor also recently tapped the Walter White character, played by Bryan Cranston, to star in a campaign against littering in New Mexico.
While "Breaking Bad" certainly has left its mark on New Mexico and this quiet block in Albuquerque, the listing is sure to reignite interest.
Time to move on
Fans often flock to the home, sometimes with hundreds of cars driving by in a single day, Joanne Quintana told Albuquerque television station KOB-TV.
Quintana said her parents purchased the home in the 1970s and that she and her siblings grew up there. As her parents got older and the show's popularity skyrocketed, it became harder to protect them. The family was forced to put up a metal fence and install security cameras to keep fans at bay.
Now that her parents are gone, it's time to sell.
"This was our family home from 1973, almost 52 years," she told the station. "So we're going to walk away with just our memories. It's time to move on. We're done. There's no reason to fight anymore."
Hollywood magic
It was 2006 when a film scout first approached Quintana's mother about shooting a pilot episode at the home. Within months, the equipment was set up and filming began.
The family got to meet Cranston and the other stars and watched from behind the scenes as crew members worked their magic. Quintana's mother was always sure to have cookies for the cast and crew.
The inside of the home was used to prep, while interior scenes were shot in a studio.
For the famous pizza scene, Quintana remembers boxes of pizza lining the sidewalk. Plenty of unsliced cheese and pepperoni props were at the ready in case Cranston didn't nail it first try. He did — landing the pizza face-up on the roof after his character's wife shut the door in his face.
The homeowners had a hard time keeping fans from attempting their own pizza tosses or trying to sneak dips in the iconic backyard pool.
Priced to sell?
The housing market in New Mexico's largest city certainly isn't what it would have been when Walter White was applying for a mortgage, and the price paid by Quintana's parents five decades ago is unimaginable now. The median price in the Albuquerque area is approaching $400,000, and interest rates are expected to hover around 6% this year.
Some online real estate calculators put the estimated market value of the four-bedroom ranch-style home at just over $340,000. But with the star power of "Breaking Bad" behind it, the global luxury realty service that is listing the home for Quintana and her family has it priced at just under $4 million.
David Christensen with eXp Luxury told The Associated Press on Friday that it's been a busy day with the listing going live and that investors will be looking at the property. Ideas include turning the home into a vacation rental or a museum.
The listing company has set up a website to showcase the property, billing it as a chance to own a piece of pop culture history.
Lawmakers file the first bills of New Mexico’s 2025 legislative session, which starts in 3 weeks — Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
The start to the 2025 New Mexico legislative session is still several weeks away, but some lawmakers have already introduced proposed changes in state laws.
Legislators started putting forward proposals known as prefiles Thursday, the first day they file bills before the opening gavel on Jan. 21. Three state senators filed five bills on the opening day.
Proposed bills would develop a state and tribal schools partnership, amend the constitution on retired public worker’s health care funds, and expand eligibility for a state program for youth aging out of foster care.
Sen. Benny Shendo (D-Jemez Pueblo) introduced legislation to expand tribal and pueblo governments’ ability to enter into agreements with the state’s education authority for cultural and language schools, and allow schools to access public funding. The schools would develop the curriculum and agree not to charge tuition. Schools would report enrollment, and receive funds like any other public school, and could apply for state grants.
There would need to be a public rule-making process for how the process would work, if the law is passed.
Sen. Roberto “Bobby” Gonzalez (D-Ranchos de Taos) introduced a state constitutional amendment, which would have to be approved by voters. The bill would require the state to create a trust fund for health care programs for retired public employees, and prohibit spending and investment of that money outside of the needs of the retirees.
Sen. Micheal Padilla (D-Albuquerque) introduced three bills on opening day. Two related to public works construction, by requiring projects to offer minimum wage to specific workers and increase financial support for apprenticeships. Padilla’s third bill expands eligibility to youth held in state custody into a state program supporting foster youth who have aged out of state support.
The House released 14 prefiled bills on Friday. Some bills would make small changes such as motorcycle licence designs, or removing deductions for tips paid with a credit card.
Rep. Kathleen Cates (D-Rio Rancho) introduced a bill to protect libraries from losing funding for refusing to ban books based on the subject or an author’s sexuality, race or gender, countering a rise in book bans across the nation. This law wouldn’t impact the right of individuals to challenge specific materials in a library’s collection.
Rep. Joy Garratt (D-Albuquerque) introduced a bill to make a shooting or bomb threat a fourth degree felony, raising it from the current penalty of a misdemeanor. The law also adds a provision putting the person who made the threat on the hook for costs incurred because of a threat – loss of business or lost wages, among others.
Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo) put forward two state constitutional amendments, requiring voter approval. One to make all legislative sessions 45 days in length, rather than alternating between shorter and longer sessions. The second would remove the governor’s pocket veto power, which means any bill that goes unsigned by a certain deadline after a session dies. The bill would also require the governor to send an explanation for any veto, which has not applied because of the pocket veto.The last day lawmakers can put forward bills before the start of the session is Jan. 17.
Prefiles only contain the language of the proposed legislation, and don’t have official numbers yet. No analysis or actions such as committee assignments are made until the lawmakers convene officially.
Attention ABQ beer lovers: Marble has a new owner – Damon Scott, City Desk ABQ
One of Albuquerque’s original and most well-known breweries will soon have new owners.
Members of a new ownership group — led by Bert Boyce and Jarrett Babincsak, formerly of Santa Fe Brewing Co. — said in a statement Friday that a management agreement had been finalized and the finishing touches were being put on the purchase.
The release said the sale would be finalized when liquor licenses were issued for the new owners — expected in the next 90 days. A sale price wasn’t disclosed.
Babincsak is the former vice president of sales and marketing at Santa Fe Brewing, which first opened in 1988 and now has six locations. Boyce is its former brewmaster.
“Marble’s roots run deep in this community,” Boyce said in the statement. “With a long history of high quality and creative brewing, Marble was not only on the cutting edge of our beer scene but has really provided a home for culture, music and the arts.”
The announcement comes after months of rumors about the potential fate of Marble, particularly on social media, about its possible closure, bankruptcy and the future of dozens of Marble employees. City Desk ABQ was the first to report on what might lie ahead for the 16-year-old business.
Albuquerque’s beer lovers have since been worried that a favorite community gathering spot would significantly change, including the availability of its award-winning beers. It wasn’t immediately clear from Friday’s statement, however, if Marble’s name would change or its beers replaced.
The statement did say that the new owners and Marble officials would “work closely together … to bring stability and support to the organization now, and ensure Marble remains a pillar of the Albuquerque community for its staff and drinkers.”
“The recent outpouring of support has shown us how much love our town has for Marble, and we are honored to guide this organization into a bright future,” Boyce said in the statement. “We are committed to bringing to the team the resources, energy, and
leadership that they need to be successful, and we’re excited to pull our boots on and get to work.”
Marble’s original location opened in 2008 at 111 Marble Ave. NW, just north of Downtown in the Wells Park neighborhood. Craft beer aficionados quickly welcomed the business and its beer. The spot soon became a go-to community hangout for craft beer lovers who had access to a large outdoor patio and frequent live music.
Marble would later expand to two other locations — one in the Northeast Heights and one on the Westside. It has dozens of employees and its beer is also distributed in Arizona, Colorado and Texas.
“Bert and I have long-admired Marble,” Babincsak said in the statement. “We are humbled to lead this organization and excited to be investing in Albuquerque. … And ultimately, create something unique and enduring for Albuquerque and our team.”
New Mexico State parts with AD Moccia in wake of report on sex abuse in hoops program - By Eddie Pells, AP National Writer
New Mexico State is moving on from athletic director Mario Moccia in the wake of an investigation that criticized the school's handling of the sexual abuse scandal that temporarily shut down the Aggies men's basketball program.
Valerio Ferme, who took over as university president to start the year, announced Moccia's dismissal Thursday and that Amber Burdge, NMSU's deputy athletic director for strategic initiatives and leadership, would be acting athletic director.
"After carefully reviewing the recent report issued by the New Mexico Department of Justice, I felt we needed a fresh start in our athletics program," Ferme said. "I have utter confidence in Dr. Burdge's ability to lead our Athletic Department, and look forward to working with her in the coming months."
Ferme said Burdge played a key role in NMSU's strategic response to hazing prevention as the school's senior female administrator and deputy Title IX coordinator.
Two former basketball players have agreed to plea deals in the assault cases brought against them while a third is due for trial next month.
The assault allegations forced New Mexico State to shut down its 2022-23 season. In 2023, the school paid out $8 million to settle a lawsuit brought by two of the victims, former players Deuce Benjamin and Shak Odunewu, who went public with the stories of their abuse.
But also in 2023, New Mexico State gave Moccia a five-year contract extension and a $72,000 raise to $351,000 a year in the first year of the new deal, which was scheduled to end in 2028.
That deal was signed by chancellor Dan Arvizu on the same day he stepped down from his post — timing the school said was a coincidence.
The state Department of Justice review of the sexual assaults found that they "did not occur in a vacuum but were reflective of a more pervasive toxic culture throughout the program."
"There were ample opportunities for those around the team to observe this toxic culture as it was developing, but they failed to effectively intervene and prevent it," the report said. "This inaction was compounded by inadequate institutional preventative safeguards."
Among the report's criticisms of Moccia were that he did not do enough upon learning about the assaults, leaning on his belief that once staff reported the case to the school's Office of Institutional Equity, it had satisfied its responsibility.
"As an initial matter, it is worth noting that this belief conflicts with actual practice; Director Moccia met with and observed pertinent videos by (two of the accused players) after the OIE had received Deuce Benjamin's report in February 2022," the report said.
The report also noted the school's lack of transparency in using booster funds instead of state funds to pay Moccia under his new contract.
"While the use of AAC funds for Moccia's compensation was publicly reported in mid-2023, reliance on media outlets to inform donors of potential uses of their donations is inadequate," the report said.
Gun violence group will seek changes to red-flag law – Santa Fe New Mexican, KUNM News
Advocates of the so-called red-flag gun law plan to push for changes to the legislation in the upcoming legislative session.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports there were 94 petitions filed under the law in 2024, up from four petitions in 2020 when it was passed. Despite the increase, advocates say there are flaws that make the legislation less effective.
The law allows police to petition for an extreme risk firearm protection order from a court authorizing them to take someone’s weapons for up to a year if the person poses a risk of harming themselves or others. Among the factors courts can consider are: recent or previous acts or threats of violence; a person’s mental health history; a criminal record; substance abuse; and violations of court orders.
Right now, law enforcement must get an affidavit from a reporting party to support seizing someone’s guns. That can be a partner, certain close family members, an employer or a school administrator.
Executive Director of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence Miranda Viscoli told the New Mexican the group wants to tweak language to expand the definition to include mental health workers and law enforcement.
Viscoli said her group also wants to remove a provision that gives people 48 hours to turn over their guns.
County treasurer says “cooling off” policy for former elected officials does not apply to his office - Rodd Cayton, City Desk ABQ
Bernalillo County’s new treasurer says state law supports him in his choice for a recently termed-out county clerk as his deputy, despite a County Commission policy that requires elected officials to wait a year before taking a county staff position.
Two commissioners disagree with Tim Eichenberg’s interpretation of applicable state law and have called for a special meeting to resolve the issue.
Eichenberg took the oath of office Wednesday, alongside other new county officials. Former County Clerk Linda Stover was sworn in as Eichenberg’s deputy.
The commission in December voted to keep in place a one-year “cooling-off period” in the county’s code of conduct for former elected officials before they can accept employment or consulting work with the county.
Eichenberg told CityDesk ABQ Thursday evening that his interpretation of the county policy is that it’s aimed at preventing commissioners from seeking employment with the county after leaving office and it doesn’t apply to other elected officials.
Furthermore, he said, state law gives him extensive control over the selection of his deputy.
An August opinion from New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez says elected county officials can appoint their own deputies, but doesn’t address a cooling off period. Torrez wrote in his opinion, regarding a case in McKinley County, that county treasurers and other elected county officers have exclusive statutory authority to hire and supervise deputies and other employees of their offices.
“I get to pick,” Eichenberg said. “The code of conduct does not supersede state statute.”
Commission Chair Barbara Baca said she sees the code of conduct covering all county elected officials, and that Eichenberg’s interpretation of the law makes a special commission meeting necessary. She and Commission Vice Chair Eric Olivas have asked county staff to set up the meeting, which he said would be a closed session, as it relates to personnel issues or potential litigation.
Olivas said Stover was elected clerk with the code of conduct in place and considers her to have implicitly agreed to the cooling-off period. He noted that Torrez’s opinion permits a county commission to adopt a merit-based hiring system or similar personnel policy governing certain terms of employment for county employees “as long as it does not improperly infringe upon the treasurer’s ability to perform the duties of the office.”
New Mexico’s Natural Resources Trustee and former County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins served on the commission from 2009 to 2019 and was involved in three rewrites of the code of conduct. She said commissioners consistently intended the rules to apply to all elected officials.
“It was a recognition that electeds have control over resources and staff,” Hart Stebbins said. “We thought it was important to prevent the appearance of any conflicts.”
Eichenberg said his choice of Stover as his deputy was based on her experience with the county and her expertise in managing a department that swelled to 1,000 employees during elections.
“I think I made a good choice,” he said. “I’m glad she accepted when I said, ‘You want to come and work for me?’”
Stover officially started her duties as deputy treasurer Thursday with an orientation. Her annual salary is $128,265, or about 30% more than the $99,627 she was paid as county clerk.
Second inmate dies at MDC in less than a week - KUNM News, Albuquerque Journal
A second person has died in the custody of the Metropolitan Detention Center in less than a week.
According to a press release, Raymond Mills died Thursday morning after being booked into the facility the day before.
The MDC press release goes on to say that after Mills was processed, he was placed in “medical housing” and experienced a “medical emergency” which MDC staff and medical personnel with the University of New Mexico Health Systems responded to.
Mills then died 20 minutes later. He was 41 years old.
This is the second MDC death in less than a week.
As the Albuquerque Journal reports, on Sunday, Violet Denetso died at the University of New Mexico Hospital 12 hours after falling ill while behind bars.
Attorneys representing Denetso said that other inmates alleged she was complaining of sharp stomach pain and received no help.
Relatives said doctors told them she died from a ruptured intestine.
Both deaths are currently under investigation by the MDC Office of Professional Standards and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office.
Thursday is deadline for Roswell flood victims to seek FEMA assistance — Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
Victims of the Roswell flood that occurred in October have until 11:59 p.m. Thursday to seek disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The floods Oct. 19 and 20 in Roswell and elsewhere in Chaves County caused widespread devastation. Floodwaters stranded hundreds of people, sent cars floating down city streets and caused the deaths of at least two people.
President Joe Biden on Nov. 1 issued a presidential disaster declaration, which authorized FEMA to arrive and provide disaster aid. The application period for FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program ends Thursday.
So far, the agency has approved more than $16 million in disaster assistance payments to 1,885 households, including about $8.3 million for housing-related assistance. The average payment is about $8,900 per household.
The Individual Assistance program is geared primarily to provide needed help to those who don’t have insurance or who are under-insured. The typical maximum allowed is about $40,000.
The program helps “with basic, critical needs such as a safe, sanitary, and functional place to live while Chaves’ residents look for a long-term or permanent housing solution,” FEMA spokesperson Maria Padron said in a news release about the deadline. “It is not designed to make residents whole and is not a substitute for insurance coverage. FEMA assistance cannot duplicate other sources of assistance.”
People can apply in person at the Disaster Recovery Center located in the Roswell Mall, or they can apply on the phone or online.
According to FEMA, applicants need the following information to successfully received disaster assistance:
· A current phone number
· Your address at the time of the disaster and where you’re staying now.
· Your Social Security Number.
· A general list of damage and losses.
· Banking information for direct deposit checks.
· For those with insurance, the policy number, the agent or the company name.
FEMA notes that it can help victims find other ways to verify this information if they’re unable to find the necessary documentation.