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N.M. stays last in job growth
Ethics review board fines council hopeful Board says candidate Joseph Maestas failed to report all expenditures. page a-6
Martinez, lawmakers vow to make economic development a priority By Bruce Krasnow
Panel unveils ways to improve voter access
The New Mexican
A year ago, when the New Mexico Legislature convened for a 60-day session, the state was dead last in job growth. A year later, New Mexico is still dead last in job growth.
Panel says jurisdictions should expand online voter registration and early balloting, among other recommendations. page a-2
Authorities call death of man, 51, ‘suspicious’
The state labor force grew less than 1 percent during the most recent three-year period, from Jan. 1, 2011, the day Gov. Susana Martinez assumed office, through Nov, 30, 2013, according to data provided to The New Mexican by Christopher Erickson, an economist at New Mexico State University. Joining New Mexico in the bottom five for the three-year duration are Alaska, Maine, Alabama and the District of Columbia.
Please see LaSt, Page A-5
At the bottom in job growth New Mexico ranks last in the nation from January 2011 to November 2013.
Top 5 in job growth North Dakota — 18 percent
Alabama — 1.4 percent
Texas — 7.8 percent
Maine — 1.3 percent
Colorado — 6.2 percent
Alaska — 1.1 percent
Idaho — 5.9 percent
The New Mexican
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama shone a light Wednesday on a college sexual assault epidemic that is often shrouded in
The New Mexican
assaults are fueled by drinking and drug use that can incapacitate victims, often at student parties at the hands of someone they know. Perpetrators often are serial offenders. One study cited by the report found that 7 percent of college men admitted to attempting rape, and 63 percent of those men admitted to multiple offenses, averaging six rapes each.
A New Mexico judge’s recent ruling that the state constitution protects the right of a terminally ill patient to seek a physician’s aid in dying is likely to be appealed. New Mexico Attorney General Gary King told The New Mexican that he was inclined to appeal the District Court ruling mere minutes after Santa Fe Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan urged an appeal during a breakfast with lawmakers Wednesday morning. “The thoughts of the Catholic Church are very influential in New Mexico policy,” King said. The case centers on a Santa Fe woman, Aja Riggs, 50, who was diagnosed with an aggressive uterine cancer and underwent major surgery, radiation therapy and six rounds of chemotherapy to battle it. Her cancer is in remission, but doctors expect it to return. Riggs joined two doctors in filing a landmark lawsuit in the state’s 2nd Judicial District Court in Albuquerque, where Judge Nan G. Nash ruled last week that terminally ill patients do have the right to aid in dying, and that “such deaths are not considered ‘suicide’ under New Mexico’s Assisted Suicide Statute.” “This court cannot envision a right more fundamental, more private or more integral to the liberty, safety and happiness of a New Mexican than the right of a competent, terminally ill patient to choose aid in dying,” Nash wrote in the ruling. The ruling is ambiguous as to
Please see CoMBat, Page A-5
Please see SUICIde, Page A-5
ABOVE: Concerned citizens hold up signs Wednesday during a rally in support of House Bill 44 — the Firearms Transfer Act —outside of the Capitol. LEFT: State Rep. Miguel Garcia, D-Albuquerque, who prefiled HB 44, speaks at a rally Wednesday at the Roundhouse in support of his legislation, which would require background checks on private sales at gun shows. To read more about the rally, see Page A-4.
INSIde u Navajo gambling compact draws concerns from pueblos, lawmakers. u Bishops weigh in on education, minimum wage and pot. page a-4
secrecy, with victims fearing stigma, police poorly trained to investigate and universities reluctant to disclose the violence. A White House report highlights a stunning prevalence of rape on college campuses, with 1 in 5 female students assaulted while only 1 in 8 student victims report it. “No one is more at risk of being raped or sexually assaulted than women at our nation’s colleges and
universities,” said the report by the White House Council on Women and Girls. Nearly 22 million American women and 1.6 million men have been raped in their lifetimes, according to the report. It chronicled the devastating effects, including depression, substance abuse and a wide range of physical ailments such as chronic pain and diabetes. The report said campus sexual
Santa Fe High falls to Sundevils in opener
Minimum wage to increase Santa Fe’s minimum wage will increase 15 cents to $10.66 an hour starting March 1, making it the third highest in the nation. LoCaL NewS, a-6
Index
Calendar a-6
AG may appeal assisted suicide ruling By Patrick Malone
Obama launches task force to combat college sexual assaults
The Associated Press
Brian Barker/The New Mexican
King says new hearing would clarify if decision applies statewide
Please see deatH, Page A-5
By Nedra Pickler
New Mexico — 0.9 percent
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
By Chris Quintana
Study finds 1 in 5 female students assaulted; only 1 in 8 report attack
District of Columbia — 1.6 percent
Utah — 8.4 percent
LEGISLATURE GUN BILL TRIGGERS RALLY OF SUPPORT
The Santa Fe Police Department is investigating what it calls the “suspicious death” of a 51-year-old man found in a neighborhood just north of St. Michael’s Drive. Police spokeswoman Celina Westervelt said a family member reported the death at about 4 a.m. Wednesday in the 1700 block of Espinacitas Street. Westervelt said officers found what she called “suspicious evidence” at the site. Police wouldn’t release the identity of the man until they had notified more relatives, Westervelt said. However, The New Mexican reached the deceased man’s sister, who identified him as Narcisco Gonzales. The sister, who declined to share her name, said she would not comment further until police had concluded their investigation. The woman did say her brother was “a very friendly man.” Espinacitas Street residents Dave and Dolores Vigil said Gonzales, a lifelong resident of the neighborhood, lived in the casita where police were conducting their investigation. The Vigils also said Gonzales had been dealing with medical issues recently. Another neighbor, Judi Albertson, said Gonzales walked everywhere. She also said she remembered a time when she struggled to change a tire, and Gonzales helped her with the task.
Bottom 5 in job growth
Classifieds B-6
Comics a-10
After dropping seven straight games, the Sundevils left Toby Roybal Memorial Gymnasium on Wednesday night with a 64-57 win over Santa Fe High in both teams’ District 2AAAA opener. SportS, B-1
Lotteries a-2
Opinions a-9
Police notes a-8
Editor: Ray Rivera, 986-3033, rrivera@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Carlos A. López, clopez@sfnewmexican.com
today
Pasapick
Snow in the a.m., windy, colder High 35, low 15.
www.pasatiempomagazine.com
page B-5
‘anna in the tropics’ opening night New Mexico School for the Arts Theater presents Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, 7 p.m., James A. Little Theater, New Mexico School for the Deaf, 1060 Cerrillos Road, $10, discounts available, nmschoolforthearts.org, continues Friday and Saturday, Jan. 24-25.
obituaries Mayakala Ashley Matha Garcia, Jan. 20 Steven D. Trujillo, Jan. 17 page a-8
Sports B-1
Time Out B-10
Scoop a-7
Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010
Two sections, 20 pages 165th year, No. 23 Publication No. 596-440