Today's News

When I was taking journalism classes at the University of New Mexico, one of the most embarrassing lessons I learned was from a crusty old professor who used to be an editor at a daily paper.

He had been retired from that job for years, but he still embodied what I thought was the typical image of an old school editor. He was slightly rotund, he always wore a starched white shirt with a few ink stains on it, and occasionally a bow tie. His voice was deep and gravelly, like he had spent a couple decades chomping on a cigar.

Leather jackets aren’t just for bikers.

In Mora County, school board members and state lawmakers are wearing them, too. It’s courtesy of funds managed by the Mora school district.

Last month, the Optic issued a public records request for all documents related to spending for the leather jackets and all other expenses involving state lawmakers during the legislative session from January to March.

Over the last few months, San Miguel County has undertaken a diligent effort to revise its ordinance regulating wind farms. To its credit, the county drafted the ordinance six years ago, long before anyone seriously considered wind farms around here.

Last year, when Chicago-based Invenergy presented its idea to have wind turbines in the Bernal area, some residents there expressed concern about noise pollution and the effects on scenery and wildlife. So the county formed a task force.

A few weeks ago, driving in Albuquerque, we noticed a couple — one steering, both pushing — who’d run out of gas close to a service station.

With my wife driving, I did the Good Samaritan regimen, hopped out of the passenger’s side to help them get their Chevette up the ramp to the gas pumps on Montgomery.