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“Social promotion” bill sponsor thwarted on House floor VIDEO: “Obviously,...
House of Representatives, 2/14/12 Speaker of the House Ben Luján played some hardball politics on Tuesday night (Feb. 14) and Mary Helen Garcia got brushed back. At the end of the House floor session...
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The mad dash to pass a “social promotion” bill UPDATE: Two bills on the...
Update: In a late night, last night meeting of the House Judiciary Committee, a Senate-sponsored social promotion bill passed through to the House of Representatives floor on a 12-3 vote. But earlier...
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Memorable quotes from the 30-day legislative session
Rep. Dennis Roch (R-Texico) filibustering on the House floor, 2/16/12 It may have lasted just 30 days but we compiled some of the more memorable quotations from the 2012 Roundhouse legislative session....
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Sunland Park: The wackiest place in NM for politics — and that’s saying...
Sunland Park City Hall When we last left the city council of Sunland Park, its mayor was making national news (and getting made fun of by comedian George Lopez) for admitting he was dead drunk when he...
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Sunland Park’s “Lapdance-gate” turns serious
Danny Salinas, Sunland Park mayor pro tem It started with a lapdance and who knows where it’s going to end. The news out of Sunland Park gets crazier by the day as now the mayor pro tem and the city...
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Candidate charged with extortion wins mayor’s race in Sunland Park
Daniel Salinas, elected mayor of Sunland Park ... for now One of the weirdest elections in the country was held in the little border town of Sunland Park on Tuesday (March 6) as a mayoral candidate who...
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NM House Democrat determined to get third-grade reading bill passed
READING TO LEARN: A recent study showed that just 52.9 percent of New Mexico third graders read at a proficient level. It may get her crossways with a lot of members of her own party, but Mary Helen...
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Third-grade remediation bill gets tabled, Senate version to be heard UPDATE:...
“REMEDIATION, NOT RETENTION”: Rep. Mary Helen Garcia (D-Las Cruces) saw her bill to hold back students who cannot read at a minimal level by the end of the third grade tabled in committee. Last week we...
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Tying NM’s minimum wage to inflation loses in committee UPDATE: Senate bill...
One of two pieces of legislation in the New Mexico statehouse aimed at raising the state’s minimum wage was defeated in a committee hearing Tuesday (Feb. 19), with the deciding vote came from a...
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Bill ending “social promotion” in third grade thwarted again
Two years ago, Gov. Susana Martinez and her allies nearly passed a bill that would have ended the practice of “social promotion” of kids in New Mexico who cannot read at a minimal level by the end of...
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Not ready for college: Report says 51 percent in NM take remediation classes
NOT SO FAST: A study shows that 51 percent of high school students in New Mexico need to take remediation classes at the state’s colleges and universities, By Rob Nikolewski │ New Mexico Watchdog SANTA...
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More controversy for a New Mexico town that thrives on it UPDATE: Judge sets...
IT LOOKS QUIET ENOUGH: The town of Sunland Park, N.M., is once again at the center of a political controversy. By Rob Nikolewski │ New Mexico Watchdog When you think about political mischief in New...
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Court to hear disputed election and voter fraud allegations
QUESTIONS ABOUND: A judge will determine the validity of absentee ballots cast from Sunland Park, N.M., the site of numerous political controversies over the years. By Rob Nikolewski │ New Mexico...
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Gomez wins, Garcia loses in hearing over disputed election
JUST 16 VOTES: A district judge refused to overturn a close election that saw incumbent state Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, left, lose by 16 votes to challenger Bill Gomez. By Rob Nikolewski │ New Mexico...
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