SFHS girls beat Grants 67-45, advance to quarterfinal Sports, B-1
Saturday, March 8, 2014
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LANL deputy director quits
Young tech users at risk? Too much screen time raises fears of “digital dementia.” famILy, B-7
Report: Malaysian jet crashes An aircraft carrying 239 people to Beijing crashed in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam, according to media accounts. naTIOn & wOrLD, a-2
Poll shows Keystone support Eighty-five percent of people say pipeline would create a significant number of jobs. Page a-4
Dems to vet candidates at party convention
Reports cite potential conflict over husband’s lab contract
the relationship had not been properly disclosed. She said she recognized the mistake several months later and asked for a full review from lab officials. Her statement did not provide the identity of the family member, and lab officials did not Elizabeth return phone calls Friday ‘Beth’ Sellers about the contract or the family member’s identity. But the Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor, a publication covering all the activities of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Admin-
By Staci Matlock The New Mexican
The deputy director of Los Alamos National Laboratory resigned Friday, citing a potential conflict of interest involving a family member who won a consulting contract with the lab in 2012. Elizabeth “Beth” Sellers issued a statement Friday acknowledging that the contract had been awarded to a family member and that
istration, reported Friday that a draft report of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General into the contract said it involved Sellers’ husband. The final inspector general’s report has not been publicly released. The Los Alamos Monitor reported Feb. 4 that it had obtained a copy of a draft that stated the contract was awarded to “the spouse of a senior LANL manager.” In her statement Friday, Sellers said: “You may soon read news coverage about an issue involving the laboratory. A family
Please see LanL, Page A-4
Pojoaque lawsuit vs. state dismissed
CLEARING THE CITY OF CAMPAIGN SIGNS
Five gubernatorial hopefuls look to land top spot on primary ballot
Interior Department to decide on casino deal
By Barry Massey
By Uriel J. Garcia
The Associated Press
The New Mexican
A crowded field of Democratic candidates for governor will test their support among party activists at an event to determine who lands the top spot on the ballot in the June 3 primary race. The pre-primary nominating convention Saturday can serve as an early proving ground for candidates. However, critics say it diverts time and money from the goal of winning the primary and defeating Republican Gov. Susana Martinez in the November general election. Five Democrats are seeking the gubernatorial nomination: Attorney General Gary King, state Sens. Linda Lopez and Howie Morales, Santa Fe businessman and political newcomer Alan Webber, and Lawrence Rael, a longtime state, local and federal government manager. There also are contested primary races for other offices, including state treasurer. To earn an automatic spot on the primary election ballot, candidates need the backing of at least 20 percent of the more than 1,500 convention delegates who could attend the event at Laguna Pueblo near Albuquerque. Candidates will appear on the ballot based on the strength of their performance, with the top finisher listed first. However, any candidate who misses the 20 percent threshold can still get on the ballot by submitting extra signatures on nominating petitions to the secretary of state. The convention outcome doesn’t necessarily indicate what will happen in the primary. But nobody has won a party’s nomination after failing to get 20 percent of the convention vote. Former two-term Gov. Gary Johnson had a difficult time at the 1994
A federal judge has dismissed Pojoaque Pueblo’s lawsuit against the state of New Mexico over failed attempts to reach agreement on a new gambling compact amid disputes over alcohol sales and the percentage of casino revenues the tribe must pay the state. The ruling clears the way for the tribe to go directly to the U.S. Department of the Interior to seek a decision on the terms of a new gambling deal. The pueblo needs a new compact to continue operating its two casinos north of Santa Fe after the current agreement expires in June 2015. The pueblo sued the state in December, contending Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration had proposed collecting an illegal tax — a percentage of gambling revenues — without providing the pueblo any benefits. The state, however, contends it isn’t imposing a tax and that the pueblo benefits through exclusivity — meaning the state will only allow tribes to operate Las Vegas-style casinos. The lawsuit claimed the Martinez administration wanted an agreement that would further restrict tribal gambling operations and increase the amount of money the tribe shares with the state. Pojoaque Pueblo Gov. George Rivera said the casino industry isn’t doing well enough for the state to be asking for a higher percentage of gambling revenues. “It’s unfortunate the negotiator was not able to get a compact that satisfied tribal needs,” Rivera said in a phone interview Friday. “I think a negotiator that’s strictly negotiating on what the state wants is never going to resolve a compact issue.” U.S. District Judge James Parker dismissed the lawsuit Monday, finding the state government has sovereign immunity from the lawsuit,
Please see Dems, Page A-4
Brian Brandle, left, and Michael Castellano pick up campaign signs for Signe Lindell and Joseph Maestas on Wednesday. All political campaign signs for this week’s municipal election need to be removed by Monday. JANE PHILLIPS/THE NEW MEXICAN
U.S. adds 175K jobs in February most did not immediately find jobs. Friday’s report from the Labor Department suggested that a longWASHINGTON — Brutal winter hoped-for acceleration in growth weather snarled traffic, canceled and hiring still has not occurred. flights and cut power to homes and But that might not be all bad: factories in February. Yet it didn’t Households have pared debt and faze U.S. employers, who added avoided the excessive spending 175,000 jobs, far more than the two and borrowing that have undercut previous months. explosive economies in the past. Modest but steady job growth Total U.S. credit card debt is still has become a hallmark of a nearly 14 percent lower than before the 5-year-old economic rebound that Great Recession began in Decemremains sluggish yet strikingly ber 2007, according to the Federal resilient. The economy has been Reserve. slowed by political gridlock, harsh And moderate but consistent hirweather and global crises. But ing still means more people have those disruptions have not derailed money to spend. growth. “A modest expansion may very Though the unemployment rate well last longer than one that rose to 6.7 percent from a five-year bursts out with big increases in low of 6.6 percent, it did so for an spending and debt,” said David encouraging reason: More people Berson, an economist at Nationbegan seeking work. The unemPlease see JOBs, Page A-4 ployment rate ticked up because By Christopher S. Rugaber The Associated Press
Obituaries
Pasapick www.pasatiempomagazine.com
‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of the novel about seduction and revenge, 7 p.m., Greer Garson Theatre, 1600 St. Michael’s Drive, $12-$15, discounts available, ticketssantafe.org, 988-1234, runs Fridays-Sundays through March 16. More events in Calendar, A-2, and Fridays in Pasatiempo
Today Rain and snow showers. High 50, low 29. Page a-9
Reyes Ramon Padilla, 89, March 4 Glenys F. Jurgensen, 92, Feb. 21 Harold D. Ferguson, 82, Los Alamos, Feb. 18 Arnold A. Rivin, 90, Feb. 25 Rita Sturm, 84, Santa Fe, March 2
Classifieds B-9
Comics a-12
Lotteries a-2
Opinion a-11
15,000
Number of construction jobs added.
13,000
Number of government jobs added, the most in six months.
6,000
Number of manufacturing jobs added.
Please see LawsuIT, Page A-4
Daylight saving time ’t forget to set
Police notes a-10
Editor: Ray Rivera, 986-3033, rrivera@sfnewmexican.com Design and headlines: Stephanie Proffer, sproffer@sfnewmexican.com
Number of professional and business service jobs added, which includes engineers, architects, accountants and temporary workers.
Rural California communities could run out of drinking water within three months due to drought. Page a-5
10
11 12 1
9
Don’t clocks forget toahead
2 3
8 Calendar a-2
79,000
Towns scrap for water
Page a-10
Index
By The numBers
Sports B-1
4
set clocks ahead one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday. AP
Time Out B-8
Debate skills on display About 300 New Mexico students participate in annual speech and debate tournament. Page a-6
Family B-6
Main office: 983-3303 Late paper: 986-3010
Two sections, 24 pages TV Book, 32 pages 165th year, No. 67 Publication No. 596-440