State, Nation & World

IRS Issues 2016 Standard Mileage Rates

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 30, 2015

IRS News:

PHOENIX – The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2016 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

  • 54 cents per mile for business miles driven, down from 57.5 cents for 2015;
  • 19 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, down from 23 cents for 2015; and
  • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations.

The business mileage rate decreased Read More

Udall’s Chemical Safety Bill Passes Senate

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 30, 2015
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall
 
U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Tom Udall hailed the Senate’s passage of his bipartisan Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, a landmark chemical safety reform bill to overhaul the nation’s broken Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) and finally protect families from dangerous chemicals.
 
Udall and Sen. David Vitter, R-La., wrote the bill, which passed the Senate by a unanimous voice vote. 
 
The 39-year-old TSCA is the last of the major environmental laws passed in the 1960s and 70s
Read More

NMDOT Continues Clearing State Roads

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 30, 2015

NMDOT News:

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) continues the vital work of clearing roads throughout the state.

Crews have been out working 24-hours a day since the beginning of the storm, working to keep roads safe for the traveling public and to reopen roads in the areas most heavily impacted by the storm.

Available equipment is maximized so it is kept on the road and staffed, even if labor must be brought in from other areas. Below is an estimate of what has been accomplished by crews up to this point.

To date, NMDOT has deployed approximately 78 crews since Read More

Udall Provision Requiring Report On Burn Pits Will Help Advance Care For Veterans Of Iraq And Afghanistan

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 29, 2015
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall
 
SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Tom Udall announced that he secured a provision in the “omnibus” appropriations bill signed by the president last week requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report on the status and findings of its burn pit registry.
 
The registry — which was created by Udall’s Burn Pits Registry Act — is the first step toward providing medical care and research for service members and veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes from open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
 
Read More

New Mexico Magazine: State’s ‘Movers & Makers’

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 29, 2015
NMM News:
 
SANTA FE ― The January 2016 special issue of New Mexico Magazine takes a departure from its typical travel focus and celebrates the success stories of the “Movers and Makers” who are driving the startup movement and impacting economic development within the state.
 
“New Mexico Magazine has been telling people for 94 years why New Mexico is a great place to vacation, and this issue highlights why it is also a great place to start a business or career” Rebecca Latham said, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Tourism Department. “The foundation of that message
Read More

New Mexico History Museum January Events

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 29, 2015
A child tries her hand at a type of traditional hide painting at the New Mexico History Museum. Courtesy photo
 
NMHM News:
 
SANTA FE — Starting Jan. 17, the New Mexico History Museum inaugurates a monthly program for children, families and the young at heart. 
 
Family Fun Day occurs 1:30-3:30 p.m., the third Sunday of each month. Participants will learn about an aspect of New Mexico history as museum educators and special guests guide them through various take-home craft projects.
 
Family Fun Days are designed to accommodate drop-ins
Read More

New Mexico Prison Inmates Giving Back

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 29, 2015
Courtesy photo
 
STATE News:
 
During Guadalupe County Correctional Facility’s pod decorating contest, a few inmates approached Warden Horton and donated more than $300 to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
 
Additionally, one inmate artist drew a picture of Lilly Martinez, the victim of Albuquerque’s Road Rage incident, in support of the “Just Breathe” campaign.
 
Reacting to these most recent examples of inmates opening their hearts and giving back during this holiday season, Secretary Gregg Marcantel commented “perhaps in life, we get
Read More

I-40 Reopens In Stages Following Storm

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 29, 2015
NMDOT News:
 
SANTA FE ― The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) announced that Interstate 40 is reopening in the eastbound direction to the Texas state line.
 
The opening is occuring in phases so that traffic can be controlled and cleared in an orderly manner. Crews from NMDOT worked throughout the night in order to have I40 reopened.
 
Santa Rosa and Tucumcari have already been reopened to travelers. Moriarty will open at 9 a.m., and Albuquerque will open at 9:30 a.m.
 
NMDOT urges drivers to use caution when traveling on the roadways.
Read More

Governor Appoints Jennifer Padgett District Attorney In First Judicial District

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on December 29, 2015

Jennifer Padgett

STATE News:

SANTA FE — Today, Gov. Susana Martinez announced the appointment of Jennifer Padgett of Santa Fe as the district attorney for the First Judicial District to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Angela “Spence” Pacheco.

“Jennifer Padgett has devoted her career to fighting for children and she has what it takes to build on Spence’s success as district attorney,” Martinez said. “She has demonstrated tremendous management abilities and will aggressively strive to protect citizens and fight for victims in Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe Counties.”  Read More

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