Columns

Three months ago, I bought a newspaper, The Guadalupe County Communicator. I knew, or should have known, what I was getting into.

It’s a different experience, owning the whole outfit. For about 10 years, I ran newspapers for a big corporate owner, so I already had a pretty good idea what it takes to run a paper. But being the bona-fide, local owner is a whole other experience, as the almighty buck is now permanently affixed to my desk, which I bought along with the paper.

By Rock G. Ulibarri

New rollbacks of state and federal environmental regulations pose significant threats to New Mexicans’ public health and economy, including our clean water.

These new risks come at a time when dollars and staff for the federal Environmental Protection Agency are falling and when the dollars for New Mexico’s Environment Department have been slashed.

A lot can change in 43 years. Doors I walked out of when I was sixteen looking forward to a full life ahead I walked back into for the first time again at 59 looking backwards at a long life behind me.

Do you remember your first real job? I say “real” job because I am not talking about when you were 13, mowing yards or babysitting for a family friend. I am talking about working for an hourly rate where you have to keep records on your time maybe even by “punching a time clock.”

SANTA ROSA — Maybe it's cabin fever, the kind that hits in the dead of winter. Or perhaps it was the brisk morning walk I took alongside some summertime soon-to-be tourist attractions here in the City of Natural Lakes. Or, maybe I'm just not in the mood to tackle anything too serious today.

Whatever the reason, my attention now turns to the upcoming spring and summer, when most of this state really shows itself off.