Political finger-pointing has started over New Mexico losing out to Nevada as a site for a battery factory by electric car maker Tesla Motors. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gary King said Wednesday that New Mexico wasn't selected because of "a failure of leadership" by Republican Governor Susana Martinez, his general election opponent. Martinez spokesman Enrique Knell said the state hasn't heard officially from Tesla. An announcement is scheduled later today in Nevada. The Associated Press reported that Tesla still plans a second site in case Nevada can't deliver promised incentives or possibly to build a second factory. King said "it's not our location or lack of resources," but New Mexico needs to better fund public education to produce highly skilled workers necessary for attracting manufacturers like Tesla.
Meantime, the competition for Tesla drew the critical attention of the Albuquerque-based Southwest Organizing. SWOP Executive Director Javier Benavidez noting the base bid level for consideration by Tesla was 500-million dollars’ worth of subsidies: *****090314-Benavidez-3 :35*****Benavidez says SWOP sent a letter co-signed by community organizations in the states Tesla had under consideration seeking a different economic development approach.
A New Mexico sheriff accused of roughing up a motorist has opted not to appear before state officials to challenge his law enforcement license suspension. Rio Arriba County Sheriff Tommy Rodella did not attend a state Law Enforcement Academy Board hearing Wednesday for an appeal. Officials say the move means his suspension stands. Rodella doesn't need law enforcement certification to serve as sheriff, although he cannot perform police duties such as make arrests himself. Rodella was indicted in federal court last month for conspiracy to violate a motorist's civil rights during the March encounter. He was pleaded not guilty. The Rio Arriba County commission has issued a strongly worded letter calling for Rodella to resign. Rodella says he plans to stay on.
New Mexico's remaining death row inmates are asking the state Supreme Court to spare them from potential execution because lawmakers repealed capital punishment after they were sentenced to die by lethal injection. Timothy Allen and Robert Fry contend their death sentences violate state and federal constitutional protections because New Mexico abolished capital punishment in 2009 for future murders but left it in place for them. Both men were convicted and sentenced to death for murders committed years before the repeal. The court will hear arguments from lawyers on Oct. 1, but a decision by the justices likely wouldn't be issued until later. No execution has been scheduled for either Fry or Allen, and both have pending post-conviction appeals in district court. The Supreme Court has previously upheld their convictions.
State health officials say New Mexico's rate of drug overdose deaths has now dropped a second year in a row. The Department of Health reports that there were 449 overdose deaths in 2013. That compares with 521 deaths in 2011. The department says the 2013 rate is the lowest since 2009 and that the two-year drop was the first since 1990. The department says efforts to reduce the overdose death rate included steps to curb excessive prescribing of opioid pain relievers.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today with a high near 84 and a 30-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms. Tonight and tomorrow: mostly cloudy with a 50-percent chance for showers and thunderstorms—the overnight low, 57, tomorrow’s high, 77.