Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown pits local chefs against one another Taste, C-1
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
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King to return Epstein contributions AG says staff missed connection to sex offender; gov. blasts challenger for not knowing source By Steve Terrell The New Mexican
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gary King said Tuesday he will return the $35,600 he received from companies associated with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “My campaign has had an ongo-
County leaders OK pot ballot measure
ing rule that I would not accept any contributions directly from Mr. Epstein and upon further review, we have learned that he has an interest in the companies in question. Unfortunately my fundraising staff missed this in the vetting process,” King said in a statement emailed to reporters. “I
Please see KING, Page A-8
Niece sentenced to 12 years after uncle robbed, killed Rhiannon Montoya gets maximum time for burglary, tampering with evidence. Page B-1
3rd driver accuses Rodella Prosecutors want to present evidence that sheriff has history of unlawful stops. Page B-1
CALIF.
Chicago
The train could turn south from Las Animas, Colo., to Amarillo, Texas, bypassing parts of Northern New Mexico.
Los Angeles
IOWA
COLO. Raton
Albuquerque
Las Vegas Lamy Amarillo
ARIZ.
The New Mexican
ILL.
Las Animas KAN.
Gallup Belen
By Daniel J. Chacón
Please see POT, Page A-8
know where your money comes from. … and it just so happens to be a sex offender.” The Epstein connection to the contributions came to light Monday after The New Mexican checked the address found on several contributions to King from companies in the U.S. Virgin Islands — 6100 Red Hook Quarter B3, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
A strengthening American economy, combined with a gloomy outlook elsewhere, is pushing the U.S. currency higher. Page A-3
Southwest Chief route
Duran studying legality before adding questions Santa Fe County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to place a question on the November general election ballot that would take the electorate’s pulse on decriminalizing possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, an issue that some say will draw more Democrats to the polls. But a spokesman for New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran said the commission’s action doesn’t guarantee that the question or a similar measure approved along a party-line vote Monday by Bernalillo County commissioners will appear on ballots this fall. Duran, a Republican incumbent seeking re-election in November in a contest with Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Louise Oliver, hasn’t signed off on adding the questions to ballots in the two counties, spokesman Kenneth Ortiz said. He said late Tuesday afternoon that Duran had been “working the entire day with her attorney on researching this issue to see if it’s allowable under state law and the New Mexico Constitution.” Duran planned to work on the issue through the evening, he said. “No later than tomorrow morning, she’s going to contact the counties on whether this is going to be acceptable, allowable or not, and the reasons for that,” Ortiz said. “Right now, I can’t tell you what her decision is.” During Tuesday’s Santa Fe County Commission meeting, Commissioner Robert Anaya asked whether there was precedent for putting an advisory question on a general election ballot. “Have we used it before?” he asked.
believe the right thing to do is to return the contributions from all companies in which Mr. Epstein has an interest. This will be done immediately.” King’s Republican opponent, incumbent Gov. Susana Martinez, took a swipe at King on Tuesday when asked about the Epstein contributions. Referring to Epstein as King’s “largest donor,” Martinez said, “I certainly think you would
U.S. dollar on the rise
Kansas City MO.
By Patrick Malone The New Mexican
TEXAS
SOURCE: BNSF
THE NEW MEXICAN
Chief gains funding ground, but route in N.M. uncertain Colorado, Kansas secure federal grants to save endangered line, but train could bypass several stops in Northern New Mexico By Patrick Malone The New Mexican
A
The Southwest Chief leaves the Lamy station en route to Albuquerque in March, 2012. Both stops, as well as those in Raton and Las Vegas, face possible elimination. Clyde Mueller/New Mexican file photo
Report: Labs should collaborate more with tech firms
mtrak pledged to continue services along the endangered Southwest Chief passenger rail route through parts of Colorado and Kansas for two more decades Tuesday, when those states received federal transportation grants for the project. But the line’s future in New Mexico remains uncertain. Eleven communities in southern Colorado and the state of Kansas committed $9.3 million in matching funds to secure the $12.5 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. “This TIGER grant saves the Southwest Chief route in western Kansas and eastern Colorado,” said Sal Pace, chairman of the Southwest Chief Commission established by the Colorado Legislature. “New Mexico still remains a question mark.” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari called the grant award a “huge development.” But questions about track and signal conditions from Trinidad, Colo., just north of Raton Pass, and through New Mexico remain unresolved, he said.
After they crafted the atom bomb, they helped develop cutting-edge technology, such as GPS, advanced car batteries and revolutionary cancer treatments. But the U.S. Department of Energy’s 17 national laboratories, including Los Alamos and Sandia in New Mexico, fail to collaborate with businesses that could benefit from partnering with them, according to a report released Wednesday by the Brookings Institution. The labs could serve as better springboards for the high-tech industry to get products to market, particularly in the cases of small and midsized businesses located near them, the report found. “While most labs provide technical assistance or analytic work to support regional economic development initiatives, the majority of lab activities remain ‘behind the fence,’ ” the report said. “Meanwhile, when private-sector collaboration does occur it tends to be oriented towards large, remote firms with the financial capability to pay the costs of collaborating with the labs.” The report sees fostering commercial technology as a low priority at the labs, but a logical step into a less weapons-focused future. “As they did in the years following World War II, the labs must pivot once more to embrace a new mission that
Please see LABS, Page A-8
Please see CHIEF, Page A-8
Inside u Study links teens, marijuana and high school graduation. Page A-2
Pasapick www.pasatiempomagazine.com
Santa Fe Institute community lecture The free series continues with “Seeing the Future In Our Past: Why Archaeology Matters,” by Santa Fe Institute President Jeremy Sabloff, 7:30 p.m., James A. Little Theater, New Mexico School for the Deaf, 1060 Cerrillos Road, santafe.edu. More events in Calendar, A-2 and Fridays in Pasatiempo
Index
Obama to reveal U.S. strategy for ‘degrading, destroying’ Islamic State Long-term campaign, military operations in Syria pose myriad challenges for White House By Mark Landler and Jonathan Weisman The New York Times
WASHINGTON — The White House is wrestling with a series of hurdles in preparation for military operations in Syria, including how to train and equip a viable ground force and intervene without aiding President Bashar Assad, people briefed on the plans said Tuesday. As President Barack Obama cobbles together a coalition of countries to fight the Sunni militant group, the
Islamic State, he is also encountering tensions from would-be partners like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which are reluctant to battle the Islamic State too publicly. In a prime-time address on Wednesday evening, Obama is to explain to Americans his strategy for “degrading and ultimately destroying the terrorist group,” according to a statement from the White House. The people briefed on the president’s plans described a long-term campaign far more complex than
the targeted strikes the United States has used against al-Qaida in Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere. On Tuesday, the president briefed Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and the Senate about his plans. Obama told them he believed he had the authority needed to order an expanded operation, though he would “welcome action by the Congress that would aid the overall effort,” the White House statement said. But Congress is divided on the need for a vote on military action before the midterm elections, and both sides appeared to be searching
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Time Out B-10
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Apple unveils watch The gadget marks the technology trend-setter’s attempt to usher in an era of wearable computing and lift its sales. Page A-2
Today Scattered afternoon storms. High 79, low 51. Page B-9
Obituaries Isaac Garcia, 84, Aug. 21 Patricia “Pat” M. Johnston, 82, Sept. 3
Ben Roybal, 82, Sept. 4 Jake Saiz, 92, Española, Sept. 5 Page B-2
Three sections, 28 pages 165th year, No. 253 Publication No. 596-440