All Stories
McCain, Palin wow supporters with a big entrance in Albuquerque
Republican presidential nominee John McCain was introduced Saturday night by Hollywood actor and Oscar winner Robert Duval at the Albuquerque Convention Center. But Duval wasn’t the biggest surprise of the night. That came in the way McCain entered the convention center: in an entrance worthy of any rock star, the Straight Talk Express drove straight into the convention center, emerging from a smokescreen to ignite thousands of supporters.
Dems protest McCain's appearance
Before John McCain and Sarah Palin's rally on Saturday night, the Democratic Party of New Mexico and others protested at Civic Plaza, on the corner of 3rd and Tijeras, well out of sight of the long line for those waiting to enter the McCain rally.
Three elected officials spoke at the event. Albuquerque city councilwoman Debbie O'Malley was up first and gave an at times sarcastic speech about Palin's experience -- or lack thereof according to O'Malley. The city councilor recounted her own elected experience, then said, "How can that experience possibly compete with the former mayor of Wasilla?"
Her most cutting line was a parody of a Palin line at the Republican vice presidential candidate's speech. "There is a difference between Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin," O'Malley said. "Lipstick."
Former Bush speechwriter slams McCain's speech
Michael Gerson, former Bush speechwriter and current Washington Post columnist, called McCain's policy specifics in his RNC speech "very disappointing."
Was RNC video tribute to 9/11 appropriate?
There's a lot of strong reactions coming from the 9/11 video tribute that was played last night at the Republican National Convention. Even the folks on Sean Hannity's forum are saying they are disturbed by the partisan nature of the video. Keith Olbermann apologizes on air for the video in his RNC coverage. You decide...
How ad people can save newspapers
Declining readership is not the only reason the stench of death is wafting through some metropolitan newspapers. Seems that journalists are not the only people in newspapers who have to adjust to the world of new media.
According to Online Journalism Blog, newspaper advertising sales people should start taking a good look at how they are relating to the surge in online media.
The report says that ad people are not adjusting to online advertising and that's hurting papers' bottom lines. It offers ad reps 10 ways to keep their jobs -- and probably their managers' jobs and those of the editorial staff at their papers.
ABQ charter review task force hears reasons for being
Member’s of the Albuquerque city charter review task force heard from several city councilors last night about why the task force was formed. The Mayor also gave his thoughts to the group about Albuquerque’s form of government. It was the second meeting of the task force, which is just getting under way for what looks to be a lengthy process of twice-monthly meetings.
Formed by the City Council, the task force will analyze the charter and make recommendations for revisions by April of next year. Albuquerque adopted its current Mayor-Council form of government in 1974, and this task force will be the third convened since then, the other two being in 1988 and 1998.
Mr. 'Short, Bald and Honest' runs for county commission
Remember Greg Sowards, the Republican who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money to spread his catchy slogan -- short, bald and honest -- when he was running for Congress earlier this year? Though he lost that race, many Las Crucens will get another chance to vote for him in November.
Medical marijuana hearing Monday
State public health officials will hold a hearing Monday in Santa Fe to gather public comment on proposed rules that will further streamline two aspects of the use of medical marijuana in the state: the licensure, distribution and manufacture of medical marijuana and patient identification cards.
More information about the hearing, which begins at 9 a.m. at the Harold Runnels Auditorium, 1190 St. Francis Drive, is available at this Department of Health site.
Heart's Wilson sisters say Palin in "NO WAY" represents them as women
As John McCain wrapped up his speech at the Republican National Convention last night and was joined on stage by Sarah Palin and their respective spouses, I noticed that they were playing the song “Barracuda,” a classic 70’s rock anthem by Heart.
Not being up on every aspect of Sarah Palin’s life history, I couldn’t help but speculate on the meaning of that. This morning I found out: apparently Palin’s nickname as a star high-school basketball player was “Sarah Barracuda.”
I think that’s kind of catchy and can see the desire to use the song. But Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson aren’t having it, in fact they’re outraged.
Retired New Mexico general attacks McCain's judgment
While Michelle Obama steered clear of attacks on Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain during her visits to the state Thursday, that wasn't the case with retired Air Force Gen. Melvyn Montaño, who suggested that McCain's policy stemmed from a "lack of adequate psychological care" after his service in Vietnam.
In an Associated Press piece by Barry Massey that was picked up by the Air Force Times and numerous other outlets, Montaño, the former head of the New Mexico National Guard, recalled McCain's statement that U.S. soldiers could remain in Iraq for 100 years and said:
“I don’t understand his position. I can attribute it probably to some of the things we’ve talked about here — lack of adequate psychological care.”
TODAY'S TOP STORIES: State Fair opens today
"A Fair to Remember" is the theme of this year's New Mexico State Fair, celebrating its 70th anniversary as it opens today.
In addition to the state's finest and biggest produce, exhibits, Midway rides and rodeo entertainment, this year's daily "spectaculars" include Olympic diving and aerial feats at the Mermaids & Mariners show (Friday through Sunday).
The state Department of Health says New Mexico ranked 31 in the nation in child immunization rates, up from last year's ranking at 40, and says it has a plan to improve those rates, according to the Associated Press.
The switch from area code 505 to 575 will officially be complete a month from now, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports. On Oct. 5, 505 will no longer be in service for
three-quarters of the state.
The New Mexico Gaming Control Board is investigating whether a Las Cruces Internet cafe was being used as a gambling operation, the Sun-News also reports.
Michelle Obama: Don't take John McCain too lightly
Michelle Obama, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, spoke of the importance of women and of registering people to vote in a speech before nearly 1,000 people at the Student Union Building at the University of New Mexico on Thursday.
No more tickets available for McCain, Palin event
If you don’t already have tickets to see John McCain and Sarah Palin in Albuquerque on Saturday, you’re probably not going to get into the event.
The Republican Party of New Mexico announced late Thursday that there are no more tickets available for the 6 p.m. rally at the Albuquerque Convention Center, 401 2nd Street NW. More than 6,000 tickets were handed out, which the state GOP said in a news release makes this “one of the most exciting campaign stops of this election.”
The Associated Press' sad, new beat
Last week I told you how surprised I was when an Associated Press "analysis" piece published locally in the Albuquerque Journal on Aug. 24 resembled a John McCain press release. It was like finding out that your churchy maiden aunt pushes cocaine -- the AP, sometimes dull, was above suspicion, its stock in trade the straight scoop. This week, after hours of googling, I can report the joke’s on me -- I was ignorant. I had no idea there’s a new AP.
John McCain's night
Political "maverick" John McCain clicked the final piece of the 2008 presidential race into place Thursday with a speech that solidified his acceptance into the mainstream Republican fold. On Thursday night before a jam-packed convention hall, he formally accepted the Republican Party's nomination to run for president of the United States.
Agreement? What agreement? Oh, that agreement
A nonprofit at the center of an election-year controversy didn't miss a state-ordered Sept. 2 deadline after all.
That's because the nonprofit had an agreement with the Attorney General's office to stay the deadline. But that answer wasn't easy to come by. It took several phone calls placed by this reporter, a bit of confusion at the Attorney General's office followed by a moment of clarity.
The quest started with a story on the front page of the Thursday's Albuquerque Journal announcing that New Mexico Youth Organized has missed a deadline to register as a political committee.
McCain's speech: 'Change is coming'
John McCain, a sometime maverick who has bucked one faction or another of the Republican party over the last quarter century, accepted his party's presidential nomination Thursday night and promised to lead the GOP to victory in November. McCain's speech to accept the GOP presidential nomination capped an improbable, come-from-behind victory for the Arizona senator who as recently as last summer was dismissed by many as a serious contender.
How did white women win the vote, Mrs. Palin?
Sarah Palin may have shown last night that she was chosen as Vice Presidential running mate to McCain primarily for her penchant for mockery. I could write off most of it as just a bunch of politicking without much substance, and get a kick out of her obvious ability to deliver a line. But then she got to her mockery of community organizing, and I all of a sudden realized I actually was finding out something about Sarah Palin.
Officials scramble to put in place contract on voting machine repairs
New Mexico may not have an preventative maintenance agreement for hundreds of voting tabulators bought to scan and read paper ballots. It does, however, have an agreement in place to fix broken machines. But not for long. That contract is set to expire later this month and elections officials are scrambling to put in place an agreement for the general election two months from now.
Cheney's former Halliburton colleague admits guilt in bribery investigation
Albert Stanley, a former colleague of Vice President Dick Cheney, faces up to 10 years in jail and has agreed to pay $10.8 million in restitution as the result of a four-year bribery investigation by U.S. attorneys, according to a report from the Independent.co.uk.
The report goes on:
Mr. Cheney appointed Stanley to run KBR in 1999, when the subsidiary was created after Halliburton's acquisition of UK-controlled MW Kellogg, where Stanley had been an executive. There is no suggestion that Mr. Cheney knew at the time of the acquisition, or subsequently, that bribery was involved in the Nigerian contracts.