Opinion

I’ve been reading the Albuquerque Journal for more than two decades; as the state’s largest newspaper, it’s been my bible for New Mexico news.

But the Journal, like the rest of us, is having to make serious cutbacks in this recession.

In last Friday’s Journal, tucked away on the bottom of the business page deep inside the Journal, the paper ran a story with the headline, “Journal announces newsroom changes.”

I spent the first years of my life in northern England living below the flight path of Luftwaffe planes as they flew back and forth from Germany in an effort to “take out” the docks, canals, mills and mines of industrial Lancashire and to use fear to demoralize the population.  Air-raids, sirens, nights spent in shelters and in darkness, explosions and making my way to school passing bombed and burned-out buildings were the norm.

It’s been a pet peeve of mine for several years. On and off the air. Every time I drive into town to check the mail, go to the bank or run other errands, I hop on Interstate 25, exit 347 and off the middle exit. And every time I admire the choice decorations of wrecked cars, old trucks, gutted school buses, single wides with their roofs flapping in the breeze, 18-wheelers and mountains of wooden pallets along that stretch of I-25.

The New Year has ushered in some nice or not-so-nice weather — wind, snow, even sunshine. It reminds one of the old exaggeration, “When I was your age, we had to walk X miles to school in all kinds of weather, uphill both ways.”

Incidentally, in my hometown, Gallup, walking uphill both ways was a truism; no matter where you started out, there was a hill to climb — no kidding! We call our residential Green Street “Elephant Hill.”

DOWN thumb ... BUILDING UP STEAM. By mid-week, the photos told the story. A scowling Gov. Bill Richardson, at a press conference intended to show off landscaping at an Albuquerque interstate intersection, sat in his vehicle as reporters bombarded him with questions about his withdrawal as nominee for U.S. commerce secretary. But that’s old news; now it’s all about his relationship with CDR Financial Products, the California firm that appears to be central to a grand jury investigation.

Thank you, councilmen Morris Madrid and Cruz Roybal, for making a very important point in noting that there are three elementary schools on New Mexico Avenue. This street is an old residential neighborhood and a portion of it is on the National Historic Register.

There are also several boarding homes in this area, and because of this and other economic factors there are many pedestrians. Increased traffic on this street may endanger the lives of the people who frequently have to cross this street as well as the elementary students who walk to and from school.

For three hours last week, the Highlands University Board of Regents met behind closed doors to discuss the possible acquisition of the College of Santa Fe, a private school that is suffering financial difficulties.

The state Open Meetings Act creates an exception for governing bodies to meet in closed session to discuss acquisitions of real property. The College of Santa Fe issue certainly would fall under this exception.

Qwest has a monopoly over phone service in much of New Mexico; it is granted that right through the state Public Regulation Commission.

We hope that Qwest, a private company, would look out for its customers’ interests, but last week, the telecommunications giant failed in that regard.

A few hours ago, hundreds of millions watched the ball drop on Times Square, signaling the start of a new year, one of hope and promise, if not of prosperity.

As they sang an ancient lay — something about an elderly man named Lang who owns an old sign — many people celebrated by uncorking bottles of champagne and later waking up to a man-sized headache today.         

As for me, the real ache is a couple of feet lower.

Let me explain: