Legislature Tells UNM No Soccer, No Money – Associated Press
The University of New Mexico would have to reinstate its intercollegiate sports teams for skiing, men's soccer and women's beach volleyball in the fall or do without $4.6 million in state funding under a proposed state budget.
The $7 billion annual House spending bill was published on Tuesday and makes general fund appropriations to the athletics department contingent on reviving the defunct sports teams. It also says the teams must be reinstated prior to state approval of the university's operating budget.
The University of New Mexico Board of Regents voted last year to cut the programs to get spending under control within its troubled athletics department.
A full House vote is expected this week on the proposal to boost state general fund spending amid a surge in oil-related state income. Approval would send the plan to the Senate for consideration.
Legislators including House appropriations committee chairwoman Patricia Lundstrom of Gallup are seeking greater accountability for university athletics expenditures.
New Mexico To Provide US Capitol Its Next Christmas Tree – Associated Press
This year's U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will be coming from northern New Mexico.
U.S. Forest Service officials announced Tuesday that a tree will be cut from the Carson National Forest just outside of Taos.
The chosen tree will be displayed on the Capitol's west lawn next December.
The state will also send along 70 smaller companion trees to adorn other government buildings in Washington.
Forest rangers say communities across New Mexico will be invited to help hand-make ornaments for the tree throughout the year.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says it is an honor for the state to be represented in this way.
Engineer Tapped To Serve As New Mexico's Top Water Official – Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has made one of her most important appointments since taking office, naming a well-known water expert to head the Office of the State Engineer.
She announced the appointment of John D'Antonio on Tuesday. He's familiar with the office, having previously served as the state engineer from 2003 until 2011 when he left to take a post with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
As the top water official, D'Antonio will oversee the appropriation and distribution of New Mexico's water.
One of his top challenges will be working with the state attorney general and the Interstate Stream Commission as New Mexico navigates mounting pressure on its water resources and a legal dispute pending before the U.S. Supreme Court over management of the Rio Grande.
Neutrons Used To Examine Harvard's Priceless Gold Specimen – Associated Press
Scientists at a federal laboratory have helped to unravel some of the mysteries of a rare specimen of wire gold discovered at a Colorado mine more than 130 years ago.
Officials at Harvard University's mineral museum had asked Los Alamos National Laboratory for help in understanding more about the structure of the gold specimen known as the Ram's Horn. They say it's the finest known example of its kind.
No scientific studies previously had been published on the internal nature of the specimen.
Scientists used neutrons from a half-mile-long particle accelerator at the New Mexico lab to see deeper into the sample. They determined it's a mix of gold and silver and is composed of only a few single crystals.
The specimen will be the centerpiece of an exhibit at Harvard's Museum of Natural History in 2020.
Winter Storm Leads To Closures, Delays Around New Mexico – Associated Press
An overnight storm prompted more than 200 closures and delays across New Mexico.
Albuquerque Public Schools and the University of New Mexico are among the agencies either closing buildings or opening two hours later Tuesday morning because of the weather.
Forecasters say as much as 6 inches of snow is expected in some areas of Albuquerque.
The City of Albuquerque says so far only non-essential services are opening later.
According to the National Weather Service, wind chill temperatures are in the single-digits in some places. The high temperature for the day is predicted to be in the mid-30s.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe could see between 4 and 9 inches of snow. As much as a 1 foot of snow could blanket I-25 between Glorieta and Raton.
New Mexico GOP Clowns Dem Bill Pushing For 'Circus Arts' – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
A Democratic proposal that seeks to allocate $100,000 for "circus arts" education in New Mexico is drawing ridicule from Republicans.
The Albuquerque Journal reports Republicans are attacking a bill sponsored by state Sen. Nancy Rodriguez that would educate children in circus arts such as trapeze, aerial fabrics, unicycling, juggling, clowning and giant puppetry.
House Republicans chided Rodriguez and Democrats for proposing to spend $100,000 on "clowning" while voting for a proposal that would exclude private schools from receiving state funding for textbooks.
Rodriguez says circus arts are effective with children and she didn't think the idea was unusual.
The Santa Fe Democrat says she agreed to sponsor the bill after being approached by Wise Fool New Mexico — a nonprofit group that teaches circus arts.
New Mexico House Speaker Wary Of Delay Tactics – Associated Press
New Mexico's Democratic House speaker says he is contemplating rule changes to limit the length of floor debates as the end of the legislative session approaches on March 16.
House speaker Brian Egolf of Santa Fe told reporters Tuesday that Republicans colleague may be prolonging floor debates as a delay tactic that eventually could threaten major reform proposals on public education and more.
Republican House minority whip Rod Montoya of Farmington attributed lengthy House floor debates this year to hastily written bills that require amendments and said the House is rapidly taking up Democrat-sponsored bills.
Current House rules allow for up to three hours of deliberations on each bill before a motion can be made to close debate and vote. Deliberations lasted three hours Monday on a Democrat-sponsored bill to allow the utility customers without access to rooftop solar electricity to subscribe to community solar energy installations. It passed on a 42-25 vote over unified Republican opposition.
Rule changes to reduce debate time would require majority approval of a rules committee and the full House, and have not yet been formally proposed.
MMA Coach Jackson Seeks 'Nominations' For New Mexico Push – Associated Press
A mixed martial arts coach who has trained fighters like Jon Jones and Holly Holm is inviting New Mexico businesses to join his effort to promote the American Southwestern state.
Greg Jackson, who co-owns Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced Monday he is asking for people to nominate businesses and organizations to join his "New Mexico Experience" push.
Jackson introduced his "New Mexico Experience" campaign earlier this month in Melbourne, Australia, while coaching at UFC 234. The campaign seeks to promote New Mexico businesses and tourism.
The trainer is scheduled to coach Jon Jones and Diego Sanchez at UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas. He says during the event he will promote University of New Mexico Athletics and three other New Mexico companies or organizations.
New Mexico To Sue Trump Over Emergency Wall Declaration - Associated Press
New Mexico's attorney general and governor say the state will sue President Donald Trump over his emergency declaration to fund a wall at the U.S. border with Mexico.
Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Monday in a statement that New Mexico will join with other states in suing to block Trump's effort.
Trump says immigrants are invading the country and has declared a national emergency to bypass Congress to use money from the Pentagon and counterdrug efforts to fulfill his promise of completing the border wall.
Balderas and Lujan Grisham said the president's declaration would improperly divert funds away from crucial efforts to protect New Mexican residents.
Lujan Grisham says the wall doesn't address real humanitarian and safety problems at the border.
New Mexico Spending Plan, Teacher Raises Advance - Associated Press
A spending bill that would increase New Mexico state spending on public school education by about 16 percent or $450 million is headed to the floor of the House of Representatives for consideration over the objections of Republicans.
Democrats on the lead House budget-writing committee advanced the bill on a 12-6 party-line vote Monday over the objections of Legislators in the Republican minority. The bill would increase overall state general fund spending by nearly $700 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1 to just over $7 billion.
Republican Rep. Paul Bandy of Aztec says he supports the bill's 6 percent pay increases for teachers but worries that the overall spending plan can't be sustained in future years and may lead to painful budget cuts. Public schools in New Mexico rely on state government for a majority of their funding.
The bill would set aside financial reserves of nearly $1.6 billion in case of an economic downturn.
Bill Advances For No-Cost Contraceptives In New Mexico – Associated Press
The New Mexico House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at ensuring ready access to contraceptives.
The bill that requires insurance plans cover a full range of contraceptives without co-payments from customers now heads to the Senate after Monday's approval on a 40-24 vote.
Bill sponsor Deborah Armstrong of Albuquerque casts access to contraception as a "family issue" and provides parity between men and women. Her initiative would provide access to birth control pills and vasectomies at no cost to consumers.
Under the bill, religious groups that purchase insurance coverage may exclude prescription contraceptives from covered purchases.
Republicans opposed the bill in unison, along with Democratic Reps. Harry Garcia of Grants and Anthony Allison of Fruitland.
New Mexico Weighs Requirement For No-Cost Contraceptives - Associated Press
The New Mexico House of Representatives is debating a proposal to ensure access to contraceptives at no personal cost under most types of medical insurance.
Deliberations began Monday on a bill from Democratic Rep. Deborah Armstrong that would enshrine provisions of the Affordable Care Act into state law to require birth control coverage without co-payments. It would add additional provisions to ensure access to a six-month supply of contraceptives and extend prohibitions on cost sharing to vasectomies and condoms for men.
The bill applies to a broad variety of individual and group health insurance along with Medicaid.
A similar bill passed the House in 2017 and stalled in the Senate without a floor vote.
Armstrong says she is trying to protect access to contraception from potential federal health reforms.
Arraignment Postponed For New Mexico Ex-Athletic Director - Associated Press
An arraignment for former University of New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs who is facing fraud and money laundering charges has been postponed.
State District Judge Stan Whitaker pushed back the arraignment on Monday to Friday after raising concerns over the method the New Mexico Attorney General's Office used to file charges against Krebs.
The AG's office filed a criminal complaint in state district court this month accusing Krebs of five felony counts stemming from a 2015 overseas golf trip.
Attorney general's office spokesman David Carl says a court rule allows for the filing of a complaint in the Krebs case.
The complaint accused Krebs of fraud, money laundering, evidence tampering, criminal solicitation and making or permitting false public voucher.
The charges come after authorities seized records in October.
Teen In New Mexico School Shooting Ordered Held - By Russell Contreras, Associated Press
A New Mexico teen who authorities say fired a gun at a New Mexico high school and intended to kill his ex-girlfriend has been ordered to undergo mental health evaluations.
State District Judge George Eichwald directed state officials on Monday to hold the 16-year-old boy in detention at least until his psychiatric assessments.
Police say the teen opened fire inside a high school in suburban Albuquerque last week before leaving the gun behind and running from the scene. No one was hurt.
He's facing three counts of attempted murder and other charges.
Defense attorney Steven Archibeque say the teen is taking medication for a number of mental health issues.
The Associated Press is not naming the V. Sue Cleveland High School student from Rio Rancho because of his age.
New Mexico State Eyes $14M For Athletic Facilities Upgrades - KVIA-TV, Associated Press
New Mexico State is seeking around $14 million for upgrades including improvements to its athletic facilities.
KVIA-TV in El Paso, Texas, reports the school hopes to get funding from lawmakers for $8 million renovations at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The planned improvements would include a brand new press box and also a new scoreboard.
New Mexico State also wants $3 million for fixes to the Pan American Center.
There is a plan to add lights at the university soccer field and baseball could one day have an indoor hitting facility.
Athletics Director Mario Moccia says recent successes of New Mexico State sports teams have shown that it is worth to invest in the university.