Daily Lobo new mexico
monday September 22, 2014 | Volume 119 | Issue 26
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
High times in Bernalillo, Sandoval Counties
UNM Vs. nmsu — See page 12
N.M. Supreme Court rules marijuana, taxes stay on ballot By Jonathan Baca
Aaron Sweet/ Daily Lobo / @AaronCSweet
UNM running back Jhurell Pressley (6) celebrates with teammates after the Rio Grande Rivalry game Saturday night at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces. The Lobos gained their first win of the season against the Aggies 38-35.
Professor: Killer brains wired differently By Lauren Topper
For most, the thought of committing murder is repulsive; yet some people might be hardwired for it. A professor at UNM’s Mind Research Network is using MRI to view the brains of violent criminals,
particularly subjects devoid of empathy or remorse, more commonly known as psychopaths. “(Psychopathy is) clinically one of the most interesting disorders that one could study,” Dr. Kent Kiehl said. “They’re just so completely and utterly different, and they have this complete inability to understand things
that we do, like feelings toward your kids or family.” According to one of Kiehl’s latest studies, published in The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, psychopaths have subtle but profound differences in the structures of many brain regions, including those responsible for traits like aggression, impulsivity
and irresponsibility. These differences influence a person to become violent or criminal, and may explain much of their behavior, he said. “You end up having an appreciation that (psychopathy) is real,” Kiehl said. “You can say that there is collateral data that is highly
see Psychopathy page 3
Daily Lobo to host election debates Student newspaper will hold inaugural general election debates in October By Priscilla Bañuelos/ NM News Port Members of the UNM community will hear from candidates running for statewide offices Oct. 13-17 at the New Mexico Daily Lobo’s inaugural General Election Debates series. Confirmed candidates include Democratic Land Commissioner Ray Powell; Democratic State Sen. Tim Keller, who is running for state auditor; and Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who is running for Secretary of State. Democratic candidate for state treasurer Tim Eichenberg and Republican candidate for state auditor Robert Aragon have tentatively agreed. Jyllian Roach, Daily Lobo editor-in-chief, said she saw a need to help connect students with the political process. “I’m hoping that by bringing it to campus more students will
be interested and will want to have a voice and hear what these candidates have to say, and become more actively involved in politics,” Roach said. “That’s a big part of what journalism is supposed to do — we’re supposed to encourage civil dialogue and civic engagement.” A Daily Lobo staff member will moderate the debates. Each candidate will be given three minutes for both an opening and closing statement. Questions will focus on issues related to UNM. Each question will allow a two-minute response and a one-minute rebuttal. “It will be wonderful for UNM students; everyone kind of always forgets about the students,” said Matthew Liguori, a University of New Mexico alum. “Whether the candidates have accepted or declined shows how much they actually value the student vote and the student voice.” The debates will be held in front of a live audience and be recorded. Tickets are available online. For questions, email Roach at editorinchief@ dailylobo.com.
see
Debate page 3
Who’s coming so far? Secretary of state candidates | Oct. 13 Maggie Toulouse Oliver Dianna Duran
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State auditor candidates | Oct. 14 Tim Keller Robert Aragon
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State land commissioner candidates | Oct. 15 Ray Powell Aubrey Dunn
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State treasurer candidates | Oct. 16 Tim Eichenberg Rick Lopez
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Attorney general cadidates | Oct. 17 Hector Balderas Susan Riedel
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The battle of the ballots has been settled by the New Mexico Supreme Court, and voters’ voices will be heard. Citizens of Bernalillo and Sandoval counties will get the chance to vote on whether they believe marijuana should be decriminalized, and Bernalillo County voters will also weigh in on a proposed tax to fund mental health services. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled after only a 30 minute deliberation on Friday that nonbinding advisory questions can be placed on statewide ballots, and ordered Secretary of State Dianna Duran to place the poll questions on the November election ballot. However, whatever voters decide, the results will not change the law. Individual counties have the latitude to accept public opinion or go against it. Last week Duran refused to place the questions on the ballot because, as her lawyer Rob Doughty argued, the state constitution does not expressly authorize nonbinding poll questions to be placed on a statewide ballot. The Bernalillo County Board of Commission sued Duran, arguing that the Secretary of State does not have the authority to decide whether an item is placed on a ballot after a county decides to put it there. Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who is running against Duran for Secretary of State, said she was pleased by the Supreme Court’s decision. “Our statues are clear, and Dianna Duran violated those statutes,” Toulouse Oliver said in a statement. “Election officials cannot say what goes on the ballot and what doesn’t, and the Secretary of State may not interfere in the legal process for creating and printing ballots as she did in this case.” Pat Davis of ProgressNow New Mexico, the organization that spearheaded the petition to put the marijuana question on the ballot, accused Duran of playing politics, and said ProgressNow will continue to campaign for the issue. Duran said that allowing the poll questions to be placed on the ballot would set a precedent and could result in future ballots being cluttered with them. This would cause the ballots to be unnecessarily long and complicated, with small type that is difficult to read, she said.
see
Ballot page 3