New Mexico’s Senate Democrats are urging Governor Susana Martinez to call a special session of the Legislature to pass what all agree is a needed capital outlay funding bill. But Martinez, a Republican, has no plans to do that. This word after two rounds of negotiations Thursday between the Governor and Senate Finance Committee chair, John Arthur Smith, failed to generate a compromise. Democrats say Martinez’s insistence on a Republican-House supported package of tax breaks is a deal-killer. Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez says he reviewed the Governor’s tax proposal and doesn’t understand why it’s part of a conversation on capital construction projects. Sanchez said, quote: “We do not believe it will create jobs nor will it generate economic activity for existing businesses.” Sanchez added: “We do not believe that it will help the small, mom and pop businesses that are the backbone of our economy.” The need for a special session came as lawmakers couldn’t agree as time ran out in March on the 60-day regular session. The spending package would have funded 260-million dollars’ worth of capital projects around the state.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas says there's insufficient evidence to prosecute the district attorney of the most populous county in the state for bribery or intimidation of witnesses. But Balderas is criticizing Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg and the Albuquerque Police Department for their actions in connection with two pending investigations of Brandenburg's son. Balderas says there were "identifiable leadership failures to which both agencies can take immediate corrective action." In a letter sent Thursday to Police Chief Gorden Eden, Balderas called the referral of Brandenburg's matter to his office politically motivated. He also says Brandenburg's conduct clearly created an appearance of impropriety.
Brandenburg grabbed national headlines when she charged two Albuquerque police officers earlier this year with murder in the 2014 shooting death of a homeless man. Beginning Monday morning, the State Department of Transportation will be doing bridge rehabilitation work on Interstate 25 just north of Santa Fe at the Seton Village Bridge. NMDOT says the work will see the bridge lifted some seven inches to meet federal guidelines, and will require the freeway’s northbound lanes to be reduced to a single lane between nine-am and four-pm. They hope to have the project done by mid-July. Drivers should use caution, follow the signs and watch for workers in the area.
The Navajo Nation's top judge, Chief Justice Herb Yazzie, is retiring after a decade in the position. The Daily Times newspaper of Farmington reports that Yazzie's retirement is effective at 5 p.m. Friday. It was announced by the Judicial Branch on Wednesday. Yazzie was confirmed as the chief justice in April 2005. His retirement comes at a time when tribal lawmakers are considering legislation that calls for his removal. The bill, introduced in March, alleges that Yazzie neglected the duty of his office. Yazzie presided over the court when it recently reaffirmed popular elections and the Nation's requirement that its president be bilingual. He wrote in a statement that he has been required to make difficult decisions in court that would be better handled by a more traditional Navajo system.
An actor in the “Longmire” television series being filmed in northern New Mexico is facing a charge of driving while intoxicated. The Albuquerque Journal reports that Adam Bartley was arrested in Santa Fe and released on a 25-hundred dollar bond. Court and jail records show that Bartley was booked into the Santa Fe county jail early the morning of April 26th. He also faces charges of careless driving and not wearing a seat belt. Bartley's Santa Fe attorney John Day says the defense is still investigating the DWI case. In the crime show, Bartley plays Deputy Ferguson or "the Ferg." The show is set in Wyoming but filmed in Santa Fe and nearby locations. "Longmire" was on A&E for three seasons and a fourth season is being filmed for Netflix.
Santa Fe Weather: Partly sunny today with a 30-percent chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms, the high today, 62. Tonight: Mostly cloudy with the overnight low 41 and a 40-percent chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms. Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy and breezy with a high of only 55 and a 40-percent chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms.