Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
During yesterday’s NM 90/Hudson Street Bridge Project Meeting, Brian Pollock, Interstate Highway Construction manager, said decisions would be made on Friday, depending on weather forecasts, but they are looking for a weather window to place asphalt on the deck. He noted 1,585 yards of concrete have been poured. “We hope to have the southbound lanes open, with single lanes going both ways by Christmas,” Polluck said.
The New Mexico Central Arizona Project Entity held its monthly meeting, Dec. 15, at the Grant County Administration Center. Three people spoke during the regular public input: addressing the need to ensure public involvement in the CAP Entity process, suggested changes to the joint powers agreement, and the lack of agenda items addressing the New Mexico Unit Fund.
The Cobre school board met December 14th with all members present. During the closed session, the board reportedly discussed limited personnel, student identifiable information, and the superintendent’s evaluation, but no discussions had been made. A budget adjustment was needed to address the reduced numbers of students attending the K-3 Plus instructional period last summer. As Superintendent Robert Mendoza explained, the parents had committed 235 children to attend before it started, but 194 actually did show up, reducing the numbers by about 40 students, and this required budgeting changes. The board also heard plans for student fundraisers.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, announced that an extension of wind and solar energy tax credits and the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund are included in the deal reached by Democratic and Republican negotiators to lift the ban on exporting oil. The policies are included in an end of the year spending bill that Congress will soon vote on.
After she pleaded guilty to embezzlement and money laundering charges for misusing campaign donations to pay off casino debts, former New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran says her actions didn`t hurt the taxpayers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso port of entry alertly made a 15-pound cocaine seizure yesterday, valued at approximately $480,000.
