Former Española Mayor Joseph Maestas says he's considering a run for mayor of Santa Fe next year. David Coss recently announced he will not seek a 3rd term. The Santa Fe native noted that when both he and Coss were elected to their respective offices in 2006, they collaborated on immigration reform, regional economic development, and drug interdiction issues.
Regents of New Mexico State University have selected former New Mexico Governor GarreyCarruthers as the institution's new president. Carruthers is the current dean of NMSU's College of Business. Pending contract negotiations, he will replace Barbara Couture who announced her departure back in September after less than three years on the job at a salary of $385,000 annually.
Security concerns have forced the organizers of an annual triathlon in Albuquerque to cancel this Sunday's planned event. The Jay Benson Triathlon has been held at Kirtland Air Force Base for 35 years. Sunday would have been number 36. At first, base officials had asked organizers for the names and birth dates of participants. Then, they asked for Social Security numbers and drivers license numbers. Organizers say participants could not comply in time to meet the deadline before Sunday.
The state plans to auction off thousands of items stored in its vault of unclaimed property. KOAT-television reports that the vault has more items in it than at any other time in recent years. Included are rare coins, gold and silver. An auction date has been set for next month.
The U.S. Forest Service says it is buying a number of air tankers to add to its aging fire-fighting fleet of airplanes. The new fleet of seven planes includes a converted DC-10 that will be the largest plane the service has. Among the nearly 50 planes owned by the forest service at the moment are eight large air tankers. Most of them from the Korean-war era.
At tomorrow's City Council meeting, Santa Fe's budget for fiscal year 2014 will receive its due share of attention as the City must submit a finalized form to the state by June 1st. In another piece of business, councilors will vote on an ordinance that would extend domestic partner benefits to all eligible city employees and including their dependent children.
Governor Martinez and the New Mexico Department of Transportation have kicked off an anti-underage drinking campaign called "My Instead." New Mexico currently ranks first in the nation for children who consume their first alcoholic drink prior to the age of 13. Alcohol related costs in our state total more that $243 million per year. The "My Instead" website offers parents advice for discouraging youth alcohol abuse and also encourages young people to get involved with sports and arts activities as alternatives to drinking.
New Mexico's Tourism Department has introduced its summer promotional campaign Over the next 90 days, the department is inviting people to share their stories about travel in our state on the tourism department's website. The posting receiving the greatest number of votes will receive a $5,000 prize.
Weather for Santa Fe – mostly sunny for the next several days with highs in the upper 60s and overnight lows in the low 40s. There’s a slight chance for an afternoon shower each day with a better chance for precipitation by Friday.