Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
On Sunday, approximately 30 members of the Silver City Cycling Community met with the Forest Service for a day of trail work. The Silver City Ranger District is permitting the Tommyknocker Mountain Bike Race in February, and some of the proposed trails on the event’s route were in need of maintenance. The volunteers spent four hours addressing safety concerns and general trail maintenance in the area.
Grant County Commissioners held a special meeting yesterday regarding an ordinance authorizing a tax rebate to benefit low-income property taxpayers for taxable years 2017-18 and an amendment to a direct purchase of services agreement with North Central New Mexico Economic Development District Non-Metro Area Agency on Aging.
The Luna County Sheriff’s Office has charged a 19 year-old Columbus man with armed robbery after he stole a 2014 GMC pickup truck at gunpoint. The truck was stolen from a gas station in Columbus and tracked using an on-board OnStar feature and engaged in a brief pursuit with New Mexico State Police in Dona Ana county before crashing and being arrested.
In legislative action, the N.M. House of Representatives concurred with the N.M. Senate on a sensible solution on HB1, a bill to fund the 2017 legislative session this afternoon after the Governor vetoed SB 176 Friday night. The original HB1 reduced session expenses by $275 thousand. HB 1 as amended reduces session expenses by $315 thousand – $157 thousand in the Senate and $158 thousand in the House. The reduction amounts to a 7 percent cut from the amount allocated to the last 60-day session.
Yesterday, he House Education Committee passed House Joint Resolution 1, a constitutional amendment that seeks to uplift New Mexico by increasing funding for early childhood. Currently, 95% of children ages 3 and under don’t have access to critical services such as home visiting. Children who have access to early childhood education services are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college, and have higher income earning potential.
New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera is asking lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at reducing the percentage student test scores count on teacher evaluations. Skandera said Monday she is recommending that student achievement be dropped from 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation to 40 percent. She also would like principal observations to be counted more.
