New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez will be adding some ethics bills to the agenda for the upcoming legislative session. One measure highlighted by the governor's office would require legislators to disclose outside sources of income to protect against conflicts of interest. There have been numerous calls for ethics and campaign finance reforms in the wake of a scandal involving former Secretary of State Dianna Duran, who was prosecuted for misusing political donations. House Minority Leader Brian Egolf sent a letter to Martinez on Tuesday, requesting she add a series of reform bills to the agenda. One would toughen a pension forfeiture law aimed at corrupt elected officials. Martinez's office fired back, accusing Egolf of playing political games since some of the measures had been opposed by Democrats in the past.
On another topic, Governor Martinez says a new program approved by the State Investment Council will give startup companies the capital they need to bring new innovations and ideas to the market. Martinez and the rest of the council voted Tuesday to approve the program. She says it will be another tool New Mexico can use as it works to diversify its economy. Under the program, a fund will be established using a combination of state, federal and private money. It will be used for small investments in for-profit micro funds around the state that provide seed- money for startups. The fund will be made up of 10 million dollars from the state's Severance Tax Permanent Fund. Another five million each would come from the U.S. Treasury Department and private investors.
A teacher with the Santa Fe Public Schools is on paid administrative leave today as the school district investigates a report that the instructor taped students mouths shut. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the teacher is accused of using duct tape to tape shut the mouths of students at Cesar Chavez Elementary School. Few details are available about the incident, other than the alleged incident happened in December with a group of fifth grade students.
Nobody won Saturday night’s U.S. record Powerball jackpot of more-than 947-million dollars…and that’s what pushed tonight’s grand prize to never-before-seen totals. The jackpot for tonight’s Powerball drawing is now one-point-five-billion dollars. The New Mexico Lottery reports selling about eight-and-a-half million dollars’ worth of Powerball tickets in the last week, approaching an average of three tickets sold for every adult in New Mexico.
011316-AM-Feature-Powerball 2:46…. Q: to win the jackpot.”
Wendy Ahlm, the director of Advertising and Marketing for the New Mexico Lottery.
The Diocese of El Paso says a Papal Mass from the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez to be aired live at a nearly U.S. stadium will be a celebration of the pope's visit. El Paso Diocese spokeswoman Elizabeth O'Hara says officials are working on holding a special event at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, that will be streaming Pope Francis' Mass from a large field in Ciudad Juarez. O'Hara says diocese officials aren't calling the U.S. event a "Mass." She says prices for the tickets will be low so many people can attend.
A 38-year-old white rhino was died at Albuquerque’s zoo. Officials at the city’s BioPark Zoo say the rhino called Caroline died in her indoor enclosure Sunday evening from complications of a gastrointestinal condition as well as an adrenal tumor. White Rhinos are native to Eastern and Southern Africa. In the wild, they generally live into their late 20s, while in captivity their average lifespan is 34 years.
Santa Fe Weather: Sunny today with the high near 40. Tonight: Mostly clear with the overnight low down to 21. Tomorrow: Mostly sunny with the high 36.