Commentary

This spring, Ronna McDaniel of the RNC needed a job. As national chair since 2017, she needed to replace the $400,000/year income loss resulting from her forced resignation as Donald Trump clinched the GOP presidential nomination. There’s quite a bit to unpack in that lede, but there really isn’t column space for it. Let’s just […]

Possibly my favorite thing about writing this column is interacting with readers. That goes for the critical comments as well as the positive. I try to reply as my day job and bourbon consumption allow. (Here’s a tip: if you want to criticize me, please make it conversational. Screeds that just focus on calling me […]

If ranchers had royalty, Linda Davis would have worn a crown. She grew up on legendary ranches in northeastern New Mexico, began riding a horse as a toddler, and operated the historic CS Ranch with husband Les. He said she was the best cowboy on the place. Linda died at home on her beloved land […]

Nine municipal governments around New Mexico held local elections a couple of weeks ago. If you didn’t know anything about this, you’re in good company.  For these municipalities, according to the Secretary of State, there were a total of 122,035 eligible voters. Of those, 9,785 voted. That is 8.02%. In the off-year consolidated local elections […]

Possibly my favorite thing about writing this column is interacting with readers. That goes for the critical comments as well as the positive. I try to reply as my day job and bourbon consumption allow. (Here’s a tip: if you want to criticize me, please make it conversational. Screeds that just focus on calling me […]

Drought maps colored in cheerful red, orange and gold are anything but cheerful in their meaning. They confirm what ranchers already know, that it’s painfully dry here. Devastating wildfires in West Texas add an exclamation point. If there’s any good news it’s that Congress and the Legislature are more attuned to the reality of fire. […]

For me, one of the most exciting sports events in New Mexico is about to get underway – the high school basketball tournament! Prep basketball has long been a community event across New Mexico, from Dulce to Eunice to Belen to Taos to neighborhoods in Albuquerque.  I grew up in Hobbs, where boy’s basketball was […]

New Mexico’s strained rural hospitals finally got some love this year. Two bills sitting onthe governor’s desk could go far in relieving financial pressure on the state’s smallest hospitals. But medical malpractice insurance, the subject of two compromises in recent years, isstill a threat. In New Mexico, where 26 of 33 counties meet the definitions […]

One of the most important bills this legislative session has tiptoed through the House with scant publicity and no controversy.  House Bill 232, to create the Infrastructure Planning and Development Division within the Department of Finance and Administration, sounds a dry and bureaucratic, but it could transform the state’s dysfunctional capital outlay system.  Communities need […]

There is no question it is difficult to follow bills and bill action in the Legislature. For frequent users, the Secretary of State website (nmlegis.gov) is very friendly and does a timely job of updating bill status throughout the session. For first-time users it is easy to learn. According to the Legislative Council librarian, there […]