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MASON CITY, Iowa— A white Cessna Citation touched down and quickly rolled to a stop at the tiny airport here, and Gov. Bill Richardson, bundled in a big blue parka, hurried out.

Received this letter via e-mailNote this is not classified information and is available on the net. AFA members perhaps like me, many of you are a bit confused about the most recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. Seems like the press is not doing a very good job at telling us what it says. So, I thought we all could benefit from a direct read of it: http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20071203_release.pdf Note that it is 9 pages long ... but the first 5 pages are boilerplate. Recommend you start on page 6. A few comments are probably in order. First, I found it...

SANTA FE — Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson has a Christmas wish for some of the state government employees in his administration: pack your bags and head to Iowa. The two-term governor is asking governmental appointees and other state employees to volunteer to help his campaign by traveling to Iowa before the Jan. 3 leadoff presidential contest Several of the governor's top administrators already have hit the campaign trail in Iowa and New Hampshire. Others plan to be in Iowa for the critical final days before the caucus.

We need a little fun

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson said today that the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq has contributed to the sectarian violence rather than bringing stability to the war-torn nation. "There's no question there's tribal and ethnic hatreds," Richardson told The Associated Press. "But when those tribal and ethnic hatreds are fueled by American policy of hostility, then you make the situation worse." In an interview with AP editors and reporters, the New Mexico governor argued that all combat and non-combat troops should be removed from Iraq because their presence is only contributing to violence. "It's not a guarantee...

SANTA FE— Increasing New Mexico's 17-cent gasoline tax by 6 percent a year— or about 1.3 cents a year for the first decade— could go a long way toward building and repairing the state's roadways, leaders of a highway construction task force said Thursday. Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup, and state Transportation Commission Chairman Johnny Cope head up a group looking for ways to pump extra money into the state's financially troubled highway construction programs. They both said they like the idea of automatically raising the gasoline tax each year.

Associated Press LAS CRUCES — The New Mexico Spaceport Authority today unveiled the design of Spaceport America, the state's commercial spaceport venture north of Las Cruces. Spaceport officials say the low-lying 100,000-square-foot hangar and terminal facility will have a minimal impact on the environment, resembling a rise in the landscape. Construction is to begin next year and is expected to be finished in late 2009 or early 2010 The cost of the entire spaceport project is estimated at $198 million.

<p>Police chief, activists to announce new procedures at morning news conference.</p> <p>Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz will hold a news conference just a few minutes from now with members of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos to explain new police procedures regarding illegal immigrants.</p>

Santa Fe's long-awaited World Peace Conference did what its organizers said it was supposed to do: attract some 480 people from around the world. New Mexico taxpayers footed the bill, paying about $420,000 in appropriations over the past several years, averaging out to some $875 a participant. Attendees paid $45 each to attend the two-day conference that started Wednesday at the Santa Fe Hilton. With registration from all over the world and ages ranging from 10 to over 80, the participants at the first day's events were supportive of the state's support and involvement. Artist Elias Rivera, of Santa Fe,...

On my way home from work, I stopped at Taco Bell for a quick bite to eat. In my billfold are a $50 bill and a $2 bill. I figure that with a $2 bill, I can get something to eat and not have to worry about anyone getting irritated at me for trying to break a $50 bill. Me: "Hi, I'd like one seven-layer burrito please, to go " Server: "That'll be $1.04. Eat in?" Me: "No, it's to go." At this point, I open my billfold and hand him the $2 bill. He looks at it kind of...

When her husband comes home to Tucson on leave from Iraq, Keila Rios could face a dilemma she finds infuriating. She plans to take their children out of school for a week to spend time with their Army dad. But when she asked for makeup work they could do at home, she initially was told they'd receive zeroes if they didn't go to class. The head of the charter school they attend declared the absences inexcusable and told the Arizona Daily Star that Rios' children would not be allowed to make up missed assignments. It now seems the principal is...

Ruidoso residents are asking why they were not notified when two boys walked away from a nearby juvenile jail last month. The two teens, ages 15 and 16, then stole a shotgun from a Ruidoso residence, carjacked a local man by putting the shotgun to his head and led police on a high-speed chase through Ruidoso before they were caught, according to local news accounts. The Sept. 17 escape was the third from Camp Sierra Blanca. A total of 13 boys have escaped since last December, all of whom were caught.

When a maximum-security jail for dangerous juveniles closed just over two years ago, some legislators, law enforcement personnel and juvenile corrections employees sounded alarms. Putting violent, predatory teens into general jail populations was dangerous for everyone, they argued, especially teens who were incarcerated for lesser offenses. Now, after two alleged sexual assaults within days of each other at the Youth Diagnostic and Development Center in Albuquerque, the alarms are growing louder. Ed Abreu, superintendent of the New Mexico Boys' School, is speaking out for the first time about the violence that erupted at his facility when high-risk juveniles were moved...

The conflicting conclusions arose Tuesday after Armijo - flanked by his parents, friends and other supporters at Bataan Park in northeast Albuquerque - said he would still run for the office despite earlier announcements of his withdrawal. "After 17 years in the military, the most important lesson I learned was to never quit," he said. "If a select few politicians are nervous, so be it." Armijo's intention runs contrary to Aug. 29 announcements from the New Mexico Democratic Party and a public relations firm in which he is quoted as saying he was leaving the race. They were released shortly...

By Associated Press Posted 12:49 p.m. A federal judge ruled today that a California investment adviser will not have to testify in the retrial of former state Treasurer Robert Vigil on public corruption charges. U.S. District Judge James Browning said he would not compel Kent Nelson to testify after Nelson invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. However, Browning said he would admit into evidence transcripts of Nelson's testimony from Vigil's first trial, which ended in a mistrial this spring. Vigil faces 24 federal extortion and racketeering counts in an alleged kickback scheme. Nelson pleaded to a single count of...

The railroad company that sold the state a $75 million rail line for Gov. Bill Richardson's Rail Runner Express commuter train gave $50,000 this year to a national political group Richardson leads. The BNSF Railway Co. also has contributed $7,500 to Richardson's re-election campaign since late last year, records show. Richardson campaign manager Amanda Cooper said political donations play no role in Richardson's state-policy decisions.This is the same defense that former State True sure Robert Vigil (D) is using in his pay to play scandal. For those who are not aware Robert Vigil is facing numerous charges including Racketeering where...

For all of those military brats out there and who do not know about this. “Brats: Our Journey Home” is a documentary of how we grew up. It is well done and a good film even if it is fixated on the negative of growing up in the military.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Orange County Sheriff's Office just announced that it has arrested the woman who claimed she was raped by several men who work at Walt Disney World. They say the woman made up the story, and that the sex was consensual. The woman, Elizabeth Sunde, 26, is being charged with making a false police report, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported. On Feb. 26, police responded to a report of an alleged sexual battery involving multiple suspects. Sunde told investigators that she was approached by five or six "French men" in her apartment complex at approximately 4 a.m., and...

(Albuquerque, NM) -- “People are so anxious to hear the truth. A little bit of truth can go a long way in the American political process today,” said former Virginia Governor Mark Warner about the “new progressive” Bill Richardson, both of whom were speaking this week at North Carolina State. (“Gov. Tests ’08 Themes For Solid GOP States,” ABQjournal, 2/8/06) A little bit of truth indeed. Want the whole truth? In response to Bill Richardson’s untruthful claims this week that he is a tax-cutter and pro-business, the New Mexico Republican Party has released a limited edition baseball card that highlights...