Wesley Billingsley will soon be able to say, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” He will tackle one of the most stubborn problems in state government. Billingsley is the first director of the new Infrastructure Planning and Development Division (IPDD). While that sounds boring and bureaucratic, the IPDD’s proud parent, the state […]
Commentary
Posted inColumnists, Commentary
A Better Way to Run a Railroad
There’s nothing like a road trip to make you appreciate another mode of transportation – trains. They keep motorists company along many a New Mexico highway. Before we left the federal Department of Transportation unveiled a new railroad rule, so I was paying more attention to trains. On April 2 DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration began […]
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A Medical Cost You Didn’t Know About
Most of us have never heard of independent medical examinations. We might need to know a little more about them. An independent medical examination (IME) is an exam performed when there is litigation related to a sick or injured person’s medical condition that requires more than the opinion of the treating physician. A doctor is […]
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American Global Resolve is Shaky
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, trying to simultaneously do the right thing, not trigger former President/current GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, and keep Congressional howler monkey Marjorie Taylor Greene from formally moving to remove him as Speaker (a “motion to vacate”), announced on April 15 his intent to split the Senate foreign aid package […]
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Opinion: Parents, students have opportunity to help choose high school graduation requirements
Submitted by Mandi Torrez, educator With the governor’s signing of a new law updating the state’s high school curriculum, New Mexico families now have a prime opportunity to shape your local high school course requirements in a way that will reflect your community’s values while ensuring that your graduates are college and career ready. While […]
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Politics Two Ways
Two New Mexico political groups are using opposite tactics to reach a common goal—elect Democrats. While the West Side Democrats in Albuquerque focuses on personal activism, Blue CD2 New Mexico uses data and remote messaging techniques to reach new voters. Both groups say their specific methods are helping win elections. The West Side group is […]
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Is It Good PR, or Russian Propaganda?
You might have missed it. On April 7, the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Mike Turner (R-Ohio) announced on two different Sunday news programs that members of his caucus were repeating Russian propaganda in their arguments against foreign aid for Ukraine. Just let that sink in for a minute. Turner said […]
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Regulating Yourself Doesn’t Work
On October 29, 2018, a passenger airliner crashed into the sea less than 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia. A few months later, a second plane crashed over Ethiopia. In total, 346 people were killed. Both planes were the brand new Boeing 737 Max. Investigation placed the responsibility squarely with Boeing, the manufacturer. As […]
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Calling the Governor
People who live in cities need to get away from each other and enjoy a bit of nature. The public park, a leafy green space in the urban landscape, has provided relief for centuries. We love our parks so much that proposing changes can become heated. But not so heated that one individual, former Lt. […]
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The 21st Century Elmer Gantry
Holy Week and the Easter season in New Mexico is a special time. While the rest of the country dyes eggs and buys chocolate, New Mexicans go on pilgrimages. Every Good Friday, thousands of New Mexicans either walk to El Santuario de Chimayó in the village of Chimayó or climb Tomé Hill between Los Lunas […]