Published reports indicate that the federal Interior Department has joined Pojoaque Pueblo in appealing a federal judge’s ruling in a dispute with Governor Susana Martinez’s administration over a new state gambling compact for the pueblo. In October, U.S. District Judge James Parker’s decision stopped the Interior Department from approving a compact without the state’s approval. The pueblo and the state have failed to agree on a compact to replace the existing agreement that expires in mid-2015. The pueblo went to the Interior Department earlier this year. Negotiations with the state had failed and a lawsuit that Pojoaque filed maintaining the Martinez administration hadn’t negotiated in good faith was thrown out, after the state cited its constitutional immunity against being sued. Governor Martinez objects to the compact that Pojoaque proposed, which would stop tribal revenue sharing payments to the state, allow the serving of alcohol in gambling areas and permit lowering the gambling age in the tribe’s casinos from 21 to 18 — all provisions not allowed under New Mexico’s existing gambling compacts with Pueblos. Last week, both Pojoaque Pueblo and federal Interior Secretary Sally Jewell filed notices of appeal of Parker’s October decision, taking the case to the 10th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. A news release Monday from the pueblo said Jewell’s filing “is a strong show of support for the Pueblo in its dispute with the Martinez Administration’s handling of the compact negotiations.”
Internal reports, emails, audits and interviews show relief aid for New Mexico communities affected by fires and flooding was slowed by dysfunction within the state Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department. The New Mexican reports a review of records shows the agency was overwhelmed by even relatively modest requests for relief. Officials in San Miguel County say it took nearly a year after torrential rains forced a disaster declaration that the department came out to assess the damage from 2013. Heavy rain in September then caused more damage. Governor Susana Martinez's office is defending the agency. Spokesman Michael Lonergan says the department has leveraged resources from across the state and worked with federal officials to ensure projects were done quickly and correctly. The governor recently appointed M. Jay Mitchell to take over the agency.
Governor Susana Martinez and others are celebrating the completion of a $93 million project aimed at smoothing travel through a major Albuquerque traffic corridor. Officials attended a ribbon-cutting event Monday evening for the reconstruction of the I-25 and Paseo del Norte interchange. Crews opened the last piece — a flyover that takes drivers headed northbound on the interstate to westbound Paseo del Norte. Initial plans called for a 360 million-dollar interchange. Those were scrapped due to dwindling funding, and work was started in October- 2013. Government officials had to piece together money from city, county and state bonds to pay for the project. The interchange serves an estimated 180-thousand people who live on Albuquerque's west side and in the surrounding communities of Corrales and Rio Rancho.
A hearing on proposed changes to the way New Mexico's dairy industry deals with wastewater will be held in Roswell after all. The state Supreme Court on Monday upheld an earlier decision by the Water Quality Control Commission to hold the hearing in southeastern New Mexico. State officials say about 90 percent of the state’s dairies are located in the region. The court dismissed arguments by environmental groups that sought to have the hearing in Santa Fe. The court also tossed a request by the state Environment Department to keep the attorney general's office from providing testimony during the proceeding. Approved in 2010, the dairy rules regulate discharge permits for manure waste from dozens of dairies in the state. The industry has sought numerous amendments to the rules.
The Diocese of Gallup has released a list of "credibly accused clergy" linked to decades-old sex abuse cases in New Mexico and Arizona. The list released Monday includes 31 priests and one lay teacher assigned to parishes from the 1950s to last year. Gallup Diocese Bishop James Wall says he was making the new list public to protect children and in the spirit of transparency. In a statement, Wall apologized for the actions of those who committed "these terrible acts." Wall says that if victims recognize the names of the priests on the diocese's website, they should contact law enforcement. Previously, the diocese released the name of 10 priests linked to such cases. The new list adds 22 new names.
One of the "E.T." Atari game cartridges unearthed this year from a heap of garbage buried deep in the New Mexico desert has been added to the video game history collection at the Smithsonian. Museum specialist Drew Robarge made the announcement Monday in a blog post.
He included a photograph of the crinkled game sitting next to an official-cataloging number that was assigned to it by the city of Alamogordo. Officials have given every cartridge that was dug- up from the community's landfill its own certificate. Robarge says the cartridge is one of the defining artifacts of the dark days of the early 1980s when the U.S. video game industry crashed. Until now, he says that moment had not been represented in the museum's collection.
Santa Fe Weather: Partly sunny today with the high near 43. It’ll be mostly cloudy tonight with the overnight low down to 28. Tomorrow: Expect a slight chance for snow showers before noon, then a 30-percent chance for rain showers. Little or no snow accumulation is expected.