No Confirmation Hearing Set Yet For Indian Affairs Department Cabinet Secretary Nominee James Mountain
Indian Affairs Secretary Nominee James Mountain
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
While a number of governor-appointed Cabinet secretaries have been confirmed by the Senate this year, to date there has been no hearing scheduled for one of the most controversial of the appointees.
That’s James Mountain, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s choice to head the state Indian Affairs Department and who has come under fire from critics who say he shouldn’t get the job due to sexual assault allegations from a decade-and-a-half ago.
Mountain, a former governor of San Ildefonso Pueblo and the governor’s Read More
Ringside Seat: Peacenik Vs. Secretive Senator For Capitol Dishonor
By MILAN SIMONICH
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Some years are more cutthroat than others for statehouse politicians.
This is one of them, as two Democratic legislators vie for the dishonor of introducing the worst bill of 2023.
The contenders are Sen. Bill Tallman of Albuquerque and Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe.
Romero’s retread proposal would further lard the state bureaucracy by creating an expensive and unnecessary agency. Her House Bill 171 would annually snatch $500,000 from the state general fund for the Office of Peacebuilding.
No doubt you’re wondering what this agency would do. Nothing Read More
Op-Ed: Nuclear Garbage To Be Stored In New Mexico
By Dr. T. DOUGLAS REILLY
Los Alamos
Much has been written about constructing a nuclear waste storage facility in southeastern New Mexico. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has already granted Holtec an initial license for construction and for a similar facility in west Texas.
The mayor of Carlsbad, speaking also for Hobbs, has written a letter supporting this (My View: Dale Janway, Southeastern New Mexico wants nuclear storage, Jan 29, 2022). This facility would be halfway between Carlsbad and Hobbs.
Nuclear Watch NM and the Los Alamos Study Group oppose the facility. Senate Bill 53 would Read More
New Mexico Lawmakers Have Many Ideas To Address Behavioral Health Crisis But Lack Coordination
Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Piño
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
The initiatives look promising on paper.
One bill would create a $10 million fund to fill vacant behavioral health provider positions. Another calls for $20 million to provide substance abuse treatment for homeless people. A third would give law enforcement the right to take people displaying signs of a mental health crisis to a triage center rather than jail.
Lawmakers have introduced more than two dozen bills aimed at addressing behavioral health, mental health and substance abuse problems — initiatives advocates say would aid Read More
Capital Shoe Shiner Back After COVID Hiatus
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
Santa Fe New Mexican
In an often partisan world of subterfuge, shenanigans and secrecy, it’s hard to find one person everybody trusts.
At the Roundhouse, a place known for political conflicts and bickering, Adam Campos is among the few exceptions.
To call Campos well-liked may be an understatement, since he fits the description like a glove.
Or, in his case, like a custom-made shoe.
The affable Albuquerque Read More
Op-Ed: Help Our Teachers!
By MORRIE PONGRATZ
Secretary
Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation
When my wife Cheryl and I moved here 50 years ago we were attracted by the excellent reputation of the Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS). We were disappointed to find that resources for teachers in Los Alamos were lagging what we had experienced at Benjamin Tasker Junior High in Bowie, Maryland where Cheryl was chair of the science department (I even taught earth science there for a while).
For example, Cheryl took a significant cut in pay to teach at LAPS. Currently the average teacher salary in Prince George’s County is $60,500 Read More
Catch Of The Week: Ransomware? That’s Bananas!
By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos
In a less than appealing turn of events last week Dole corporation reported a massive ransomware attack.
What is ransomware? In a ransomware attack malware, a type of malicious software, is installed on your system, this then quietly runs and encrypts your operating system, or possibly just individual files. You will lose access to your system/files unless you can pay a ransom to retrieve the encryption key.
On the individual level this can be bad, at the corporate level it can be a disaster, as Dole seems to be finding out. Consumers had been reporting packaged Read More
