Free Republic

My wife and I are traveling to Santa Fe, NM (pleasure trip) from Sep. 6 to Sep. 14. Suggestions?

The Santa Fe Southern Railway says state government's Rail Runner commuter train route is being built across a piece of land the state doesn't own. Santa Fe Southern, which operates a tourist train along the rail route through Santa Fe that is being converted for use by the Rail Runner, has filed suit against the state Department of Transportation saying the department intends to put Rail Runner tracks across a tract still owned by Santa Fe Southern. Santa Fe Southern sold its 18 miles of tracks and railroad right of way between downtown Santa Fe and Lamy to the state...

Washington D.C. - Today, Congressman Pearce responded to Tom Udall's reversal of his position opposing gun rights for individuals in the District of Columbia: "It is breathtaking in its scope and intellectual dishonesty. Tom Udall has consistently opposed the rights of individuals to own guns and it is an outrage and an insult to the people of New Mexico for him to say otherwise. "It is one thing to be wrong. It is another to be untruthful. The election is clearly having an impact and this flip flop is amazing." Udall has voted against overturning DC gun laws and twice...

There are no utilities and no public transportation in this unincorporated town of a couple hundred people along a narrow road that winds through the mountains 314 miles north of Sacramento. Many people here buy gas for their vehicles and gas or diesel for generators that power their homes. "I'm scared to death" of rising fuel prices, Hanley says. At the store, the hub for visiting whitewater rafters and residents of other isolated towns, gas cost $5.30 a gallon on a recent day when the national average was $4.07. This community may be an extreme example of how rising gas...

People in the Silver City/Pinos Altos, New Mexico, vicinity are nervously looking over their shoulders these days, fearing they may be the next meal for a mountain lion prowling the area... On Friday, the body of Robert Nowojski, 55, was found about 75 yards from his Pinos Altos home, severely mauled and partly fed upon. The animal would not leave until Game and Fish officers shot at it. Although not yet confirmed with an autopsy, authorities suspect the lion is responsible for the fatal attack. Hunters with hounds are now tracking the animal. Several people reported sightings of the mountain...

Remember all those dewey-eyed socialists who went to the Soviet Union in the 1930s and came back gushing about how swell Uncle Joe was? No, you probably don’t, because not that many people my age will even know whom I mean by “Uncle Joe” and the ones 10 or God forbid 20 years younger will be scratching their heads saying, “The What Union?” On the other hand, you’re reading my blog, so my cynical thoughts about the death of historical awareness don’t apply to you. My apologies, but the number of news stories I’ve read in the last couple of...

Steve Pearce won the Republican nomination in the race for U.S. Senate over rival Heather Wilson and will now turn to the challenge of keeping Sen. Pete Domenici's seat in Republican hands. The southern New Mexico representative won Tuesday's primary with roughly 51 percent of the vote, compared to Wilson's 49 percent with 99 percent of precincts reporting statewide, according to unofficial results. Pearce, who ran as a right-wing conservative, will face Democrat Tom Udall, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, on Nov. 4. Wilson endorsed Pearce this morning, saying that Republicans have "no time for disappointment or for...

NMCEP will lead an event in early 2008 that will define the expectations of Americans that they be provided with reliable and competitively priced energy. This will be the first attempt to inject rural viewpoint into energy policy. Senator Pete V. Domenici is expected to deliver a major address at the event. Additional event details will be up soon.

The UNM Police Department arrested student Kevin Boyar on Tuesday on charges of unlawfully carrying a gun onto a University establishment. Police said four guns were recovered from Boyar's parents' house, including an AK-47 assault-style rifle, and there is evidence he brought the weapons to his room in the Student Residence Center. Police Chief Kathy Guimond said the department received an anonymous tip at 11 a.m. that Boyar, 19, had guns in his room at the SRC. The informant said Boyar had made threats referring to the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois, she said. Police obtained a search...

The Santa Fe City Council's decision to withhold approval of proposed traffic control measures for construction of the Rail Runner Express commuter train could have serious financial implications to the state, a project official said Wednesday. Councilors voted 6-2 Wednesday evening to postpone taking action on three measures dealing with infrastructure improvements needed to bring the Rail Runner to Santa Fe. Citing concerns over the scope of the state's responsibility for existing infrastructure deficiencies, several councilors said they want more information before taking up the issue again May 14. But state officials expressed frustration, pointing out after Wednesday's vote that...

The Senate Ethics Committee says he should never have picked up the phone, but that it found no substantial evidence Sen. Pete Domenici tried to improperly influence an ongoing investigation when he called then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in October 2006. The committee made its finding in what it called a "Public Letter of Qualified Admonition" issed to the longtime Republican senator on Thursday. The ethics committee said Domenici should have known that his call "created an appearance of impropriety that reflected unfavorably on the Senate." Domenici, who plans to retire from the Senate after 36 years early next year, called...

COLUMBUS, N.M. - Illegal immigrants armed with torches, hacksaws, ladders and even bungee cords are making it around a section of the border fence hailed as the most efficient way to stop them. In the 10 months since the section was put up, a tunnel is the only method federal agents haven't seen - "yet," added Victor Guzman, the supervisory Border Patrol agent responsible for the stretch of 15-foot, concrete-filled steel poles, planted close together and three feet into the ground. Agents responsible for guarding that stretch of border almost immediately started seeing cuts in the fence. The towering posts,...

I'm Absolut Swedish but NEVER EVER again will I buy Absolut Vodka and I will, at least, TRY to avoid other products of V&S Group (their repertoire is a pretty broad one though and I kinda party from time to time..), a former Swedish company which recently was sold to French Pernod Ricard (for the sum of €5,626 billion). I've also managed to convince my father and some of my friends to join my initiative and I'll continue to campaign! The background is, of course, the already infamous Absolut Vodka ad with the words "In an Absolut World" slapped over...

Friday, April 11, 2008 Gov. Eyes Session Before Primary By Jeff Jones Journal Politics Writer Gov. Bill Richardson says he's inclined to call a special legislative session on health care reform next month— smack-dab in the middle of primary election season. In a round of phone calls Wednesday to state Senate leaders, Richardson said he's considering calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe before the primary election on June 3, when more than 20 House and Senate members face challenges. "The governor has tried to work with Senate leaders to move this issue forward and forge an agreement on health care...

Alleged gun smuggling leader arrested in TucsonBy: The Associated Press Updated at: 04/04/2008 02:16:41 PM PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona authorities have arrested a Tucson man accused of being the leader of a gun smuggling network that supplied a Mexican drug cartel with weapons. Authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of 23-year-old Victor Manuel Varela Jr., who is accused of supplying the Juarez cartel in Palomas, Mexico with rifles and guns. Tom Mangan, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, says Varela’s network illegally bought the firearms in Arizona, transported them to New Mexico and then took...

The FCC is trying to get KKOB to reduce power permanently from 50,000 Watts. The morning host said the level the FCC wants is a measly 1000 watts. DON'T LET THE FCC DO THIS! KKOB is a monster talk station with Michael Savage, Rush and Hannity featured every weekday.

March 26, 2008 The FBI is now involved in the theft of a car after it was found in Los Lunas with an explosive device and Iraqi currency inside.FBI agents say that they have ruled out terrorism. The car was reported stolen last week. After the theft, the car’s owner was fueling his motorcycle when he spotted his stolen car. “While he was refueling his motorcycle, low and behold, the vehicle that he had reported stolen that belongs to him happened to pull into the gas station area also,” said Los Lunas Police Captain Charles Nuanes. The car’s owner pulled...

You want to roll over laughing? Then you absolutely must watch this hilarious Jackie & Dunlap VIDEO. The boys from Red State Update have found never seen before video of the Richardson and Obama interview that will have you in stitches.

In 2004 we at Catholics Against Kerry, beat John Kerry in New Mexico and Governor Bill Richardson could not lie his way out of his humiliation. It was great fun watching him shuck and jive about “the final results not coming in from the reservation yet.” He was talking about the Navajo reservation. We laughed at his stammering surprise when the numbers did come in. One thing we understood, that the Democrats and the media still do not get, is that America’s Indians are almost totally pro life. They don’t want the White man to trick their women into killing...

AZTEC'S annual UFO Conference is this weekend. Featured speakers are: Stan Friedman Duane Tudahl Timothy Good Ted Phillips Dr. Jesse Marcel Jr. Dennis Balthaser ( emcee ) Scott Ramsey Ken Storch James P. Carrion As you can see--there are some HEAVY DUTY HEAVY HITTERS IN THE GROUP. Their bio's follow Title: "Flying Saucers and Science" Brief Bio Nuclear Physicist-Lecturer Stanton T. Friedman grew up in Linden, NJ, spent 2 years at Rutgers University, and then received his BSc.and MSc. Degrees in physics from the University of Chicago in 1955 and 1956. He was employed for 14 years as a...

The Albuquerque Journal ran a story the other day that won't help Bill Richardson's presidential aspirations any. The story gives what must be the fullest account on record of the New Mexico governor's proclivities for touching people in ways some might deem inappropriate. "He pokes me," Lt. Gov. Diane Denish told the paper. She was referring specifically to a public event at which Richardson reached his hand behind her chair and poked at the side of her leg repeatedly for a period of several minutes. "He pinches my neck," Denish said. "He touches my hip, my thigh, sort of the...

DEMING, N.M. (AP) - The police chief of a Mexican border town has requested asylum in the United States, where he told authorities his two officers have fled and he does not know their whereabouts. The Luna County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Border Patrol say Emilio Perez of Palomas came to the port of entry at Columbus late Tuesday night, requesting political asylum. The agent-in-charge of the Border Patrol station in Deming, Rick Moody, says Perez is in the protection of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Authorities have reported an increase in drug-related violence in Palomas, where at...

Here is the complete text of the Governor's e-mail endorsing Obama: Dear Friend: During the last year, I have shared with you my vision and hopes for this nation as we look to repair the damage of the last seven years. And you have shared your support, your ideas and your encouragement to my campaign. We have been through a lot together and that is why I wanted to tell you that, after careful and thoughtful deliberation, I have made a decision to endorse Barack Obama for President. We are blessed to have two great American leaders and great Democrats...

03/17/2008: "Eco-Terrorism On Orcas" ”I did it to punish the rich white people of Orcas Island and make them pay for the death of the whales and the depletion of the rain forests” -Mondragon Gabriel Thomas Mondragon, 29 years old, who recently arrived from New Mexico, explained to Sheriff’s Deputies that in an attempt to make the people on Orcas “suffer just like the whales and trees”, he attempted to use a tree limbing saw -on a metal pole- to cut through a 69,000 volt power line.

U.S. Military Being Sent to the Border with Mexico To protect & serve our border by Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter: The Laguna Journal has learned that a special U.S. Military Task Force has been created to protect our southern border with Mexico. Members of this task force is preparing to secure the border by responding with specially trained fast response U.S. Army task force military units. These forces are already in place with the heart of the power being concentrated in El Paso and Southern New Mexico with a far reaching responsibility from East Texas to Southern California. They are...

DULUTH, Ga. -- The story of a Gwinnett County woman who became known as the "Runaway Bride" is the subject of a musical that debuts tonight in the town where the drama unfolded. The show called "Runaway Bride" is at the 267-seat Red Clay Theatre in Duluth. The theater opened less than two years ago in a remodeled building that was once a church and is owned by the city of Duluth. It was almost three years ago when then-32-year-old Jennifer Wilbanks disappeared while jogging a few days before her lavish wedding. The Atlanta suburb was turned upside down as...

ROSWELL, N.M. - Karina Acosta's senior year at Roswell High came to an abrupt end after she was ticketed for blocking a fire lane outside a school and driving without a license. The officer who stopped her — a Roswell policeman assigned to the school — asked her for proof of legal U.S. residency. Acosta, an illegal immigrant, had none. The officer telephoned immigration authorities, and Acosta, 18 and pregnant, was sent back to Mexico. The episode has caused a furor in town, with teachers and others complaining that Acosta's treatment violated the spirit, if not the letter, of a...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton finally won the popular vote in New Mexico's Democratic caucus and picked up one extra delegate Thursday, nine days after Super Tuesday voting ended. State Democratic Chairman Brian Colon made the announcement after a marathon hand count of 17,000 provisional ballots that had to be given to voters on Feb. 5 because of long lines and a shortage of ballots. The final statewide count gave her a 1,709-vote edge over rival Sen. Barack Obama, 73,105 or 48.8 percent of the total vote to 71,396 or 47.6 percent. The former first lady's victory in...

The New Mexico Democratic Party caucus may be tainted by three ballot boxes that spent the night in the home of the Rio Arriba County party chair or the homes of other local election officials instead of being reported to the state party. Those ballots still haven’t been counted, but they have been retrieved by the state party. Several sources told me the ballot boxes spent the night at the home of Rio Arriba County Democratic Party Chair Theresa Martinez, whose state-lawmaker husband, Sen. Richard Martinez, endorsed Hillary Clinton. But Richard Martinez told Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Kate Nash...

New Mexico Democratic officials still don't know who won the Super Tuesday presidential caucuses -- and may not for days. New Mexico is the only state of the 22 in Tuesday's primaries and caucuses without a declared winner. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., led Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois by 1,123 votes statewide Thurday, the Albuquerque Journal said, with results hinging on nearly 17,000 provisional ballots. The Democrats may start counting those Thursday. Provisional ballots are issued to voters who show up at the wrong site or have problems confirming their registration and vote by affidavit. There were problems at the...

SANTA FE — The House has approved a $6 billion budget to finance public education and general government operations next year. About $2.6 billion will go for public schools. That's an increase for schools of slightly more than 5 percent.

SANTA FE — With the 30-day legislative session at its midpoint, the governor's health coverage bill started moving — but only after a House committee gutted it. The House Health and Government Affairs Committee on Wednesday removed key provisions of Gov. Bill Richardson's universal coverage plan: requiring New Mexicans to have health insurance, and requiring employers to contribute to a fund to help pay for it. Instead, under the committee changes, a newly created Health Care Authority would determine by October 2009 what the impact of such a mandate would be. The requirements in Richardson's bill were "very onerous for...

"Veto Johnson" endorses "Dr. No", story at link

SANTA FE— Gov. Bill Richardson launched his personal campaign for universal health care Tuesday. Some of his key arguments, advanced in an in-depth interview with the Journal: * Health care is a basic human right. * Universal health care is doable this year and it won't break the bank. * Physicians are too greedy and need to give a little. * A so-called single-payer system is out of the question. * New Mexico has been historically cautious; now is the time to move boldly to make sure every resident of this state has health insurance. Richardson, fresh off his abandoned...

You've heard of the Milky Way. Now there's the milky rain. Scientists and others are trying to get to the bottom of a meteorological mystery in southwestern New Mexico: What caused the milky-white rain that fell last week over a large swath of Grant County, from Silver City to the Gila Cliff Dwellings? "I don't know what it was, but it left a milky, white residue on all the vehicles in town," said Lt. Eddie Ortiz, 48, of the Grant County Sheriff's Department, talking about the unusual Jan. 7 rainstorm. "It was like someone spilled milk on your windshield and...

SANTA FE, N.M. -- A woman drowned when she apparently tried to retrieve a kitten from a 55-gallon rain barrel at her home southeast of Santa Fe. Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano said 48-year-old Deborah Hill was found by her husband Sunday afternoon after he returned home from running errands. Solano said the couple had dragged the plastic barrel inside their home because they wanted to thaw ice that had formed in the barrel. The barrel, which Solano said was tied to a door so it wouldn't tip, was about one-third full of water when the kitten fell in....

SANTA FE, N.M. -- A woman drowned when she apparently tried to retrieve a kitten from a 55-gallon rain barrel at her home southeast of Santa Fe. Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano said 48-year-old Deborah Hill was found by her husband Sunday afternoon after he returned home from running errands. Solano said the couple had dragged the plastic barrel inside their home because they wanted to thaw ice that had formed in the barrel. The barrel, which Solano said was tied to a door so it wouldn't tip, was about one-third full of water when the kitten fell in....

Two Farmington families have been missing since Friday, after a snowmobiling trip near Chama, N.M. The Groen and Martin families travelled to the town near the New Mexico-Colorado border on Friday morning to enjoy the winter weather. All six headed out on snow mobiles, north of town, that morning. A massive snow storm swamped the Chama area that day, and no one has heard from either family since. sponsor "It's kind of frustrating waiting around here just waiting and knowing that they're up there needing help", said Larry Groen, the father of Jason Groen. Jason, his wife Shannon Groen and...

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - New Mexico's Tournament of Roses float -- which came under some criticism for its UFO theme -- has won the parade's Grand Marshal's Trophy for excellence in creative concept and design. The state's 55-foot long float is called "Passport to Our World and Beyond." It featured three bigheaded green space aliens riding in open-air UFO, along with rockets, planets and a 24-foot conical tower. The theme stems from the story of a supposed UFO crash in the desert near Roswell more than 60 years ago, in July 1947. The military later said what crashed was a...

Versus Hillary: 48% McCain 45% Clinton 46% Giuliani 49% Clinton 45% Huckabee 49% Clinton 44% Romney 50% Clinton Versus Obama: 51% McCain 40% Obama 49% Giuliani 44% Obama 46% Romney 44% Obama 46% Huckabee 45% Obama Geography Surveyed: New Mexico Data Collected: 12/13/2007 - 12/15/2007 Release Date: 12/19/2007 11:30 AM ET Sponsor: KOB-TV Albuquerque Sample: 523 RVs MoE: ± 4.4%

SANTA FE — Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson has a Christmas wish for some of the state government employees in his administration: pack your bags and head to Iowa. The two-term governor is asking governmental appointees and other state employees to volunteer to help his campaign by traveling to Iowa before the Jan. 3 leadoff presidential contest Several of the governor's top administrators already have hit the campaign trail in Iowa and New Hampshire. Others plan to be in Iowa for the critical final days before the caucus.

New Mexico is cruising into the legal fight over California's "clean car" program. The state and local air-quality boards voted about midnight Tuesday to enact strict low-emission standards for new cars and trucks. But the sweeping regulations already face a legal challenge from the auto industry and four state lawmakers. Their lawsuit— filed earlier Tuesday, before the regulations had been adopted— says the state Environmental Improvement Board lacks authority to adopt the regulations. If successful, the suit could result in the pollution regulations going before the Legislature next year. "The point is not whether those emission regulations are a good...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Instead of highlighting New Mexico's picturesque desert landscapes, art galleries or centuries-old culture, a new tourism campaign features drooling, grotesque office workers from outer space chatting about their personal lives. The 30-second TV spots — which lead in roundabout fashion to the tag line that New Mexico may be "the best place in the Universe" — are provocative, funny and bold. But to increasingly vocal critics, the state-financed ad campaign is a possible threat to the well-being of the state's $5.1 billion tourism industry. In other words, while the ads may yield a chuckle or two, the...

Hello New Mexico FReepers! We're putting together confirmed locations for Move America Forward's "Honoring Our Heroes at the Holidays Tour" and I'm looking for some guidance/input on where we should hold our 2 New Mexico events. We'll be in New Mexico on Saturday, December 1st:12:30 PM Alamogordo, Pro-Troop NM Rally - I was wondering if there might be a good area for people to gather outside the front gates of Holloman Air Force Base? Or are there other locations in the city (such as a park) that you all would recommend? 5:00 PM Roswell, NM Pro-Troop Rally - Need input...

Asked of 495 registered voters Margin of Sampling Error for this question = ± 4.5% A few questions now about the next election. If there were an election for President of the United States today, and the only two names on the ballot were Republican Rudy Giuliani and ... Democrat Hillary Clinton, who would you vote for?

The largest Gunnison's prairie dogs measure little more than 14 inches long and weigh about as much as a pineapple. Despite their lack of stature, the diminutive critters are posing an obstacle to the $400 million Rail Runner commuter train project as it moves toward Santa Fe. Representatives of several conservation groups testified at a Tuesday public meeting on the Rail Runner that prairie dog colonies along the Interstate 25 median have already been obliterated by state contractors working on the train route. "I'm very concerned about the impact prairie dogs have already suffered," said Nicole Rosemarino, conservation director for...

 XXV BORDER GOVERNORS CONFERENCESEPTEMBER 27 & 28, 2007PUERTO PEÑASCO, SONORA JOINT DECLARATIONPREAMBLEThe Governors of the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, of the United States of America, and the states of Baja California, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, Sonora and Tamaulipas, of the United Mexican States, meeting in the City of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora on the 27th and 28th of September, 2007, having analyzed, within the framework of the XXV U.S.–Mexico Border Governors Conference, issues relating to Water, Agriculture and Livestock, Science and Technology, Logistics and International Crossings, Economic Development, Education, Energy, the Environment, Health, Border Safety, Tourism and...

Two women, including one who is 6 months pregnant, hurt near Kim and Saratoga. Two women have been taken to the hospital with injuries following a new hot-air balloon crash around 9 this morning in Rio Rancho, KOB-TV is reporting. One of the women, who is 37, is six months pregnant, and the other is 27, Eyewitness News 4 reported. Two others also were hurt when the large balloon they were riding in struck the roof of a home near Kim and Saratoga then traveled on to a second house where they knocked over that home's air-conditioning unit, KOB-TV reported.

Four hot air balloon crashes have occurred in separate incidents Tuesday morning, the fourth day of Albuquerque's International Balloon Fiesta. One crash happened in Rio Rancho at about 8:30 a.m. Two retaining walls were hit in the Loma Vista area just north of High Resort Ball Field. Three people were in the gondola. No one was ejected, but one female passenger was transported to University of New Mexico Hospital with a fractured leg. The second crash occurred at around 8:45 a.m. near Kim and Saratoga avenues. The balloon hit a two-story house, then crashed in an arroyo. Two women were...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The basket of a hot air balloon tipped after the craft got stuck, sending a female passenger on a 60- to 70-foot fall to her death Monday, state police said. The balloon snagged a fiberoptic line running above a power line about 8 a.m. during an annual balloon festival. The pilot threw down a tether to a pickup truck on the ground to reel the balloon down and free it, state police spokesman Andrew Tingwall said. But the tether broke, and the balloon flew back up, causing its gondola to tip and the woman to fall to...