KWES RADIO

MONDAY 17TH

THE THIRTEEN ANNUAL ASPENCASH MOTORCYCLE RALLY AND TRADE SHOW GETS UNDERWAY THIS THURSDAY AND WILL RUN THROUGH SUNDAY. AN ESTIMATED 10,000 MOTORCYCLISTS WILL VISIT THE RUIDOSO AREA FOR THE FOUR DAY EVENT. THE ASPENCASH RALLY AND TRADE SHOW WILL HELD AT THE RUIDOSO CONVENTION CENTER, AND BRINGS VENDORS FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES EXHIBITING AND SELLING MOTORCYCLE RELATED PRODUCTS, SERVICE INCLUDING ARTS AND CRAFTS. THE GOLDEN ASPEN RALLY ASSOCIATION ALSO HOSTS THE SEPTEMBER MOTORCYCLE RALLY BRINGING OVER 30,000 PARTICIPANTS TO RUIDOSO. THIS YEARS SEPTEMBER RALLY DATES ARE SEPTEMBER 15^TH THROUGH THE 19^TH, AND WILL BE LOCATED AT THE RUIDOSO DOWNS SPORTS THEATRE COMPLEX.

PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF NEW MEXICO IS EXPECTED TO FILE FOR A GENERAL RATE INCREASE WITH THE PRC ON JUNE FIRST, ASKING THAT THE NEW RATES TAKE EFFECT APRIL FIRST OF NEXT YEAR.    A MEDIATOR IN THE CASE SAID despite good faith negotiations, no consensus or agreement was reached, and thE case should be returned to the PRC.  

THE PRC COULD BEGIN IT’S OWN INVESTIGATION, NEXT MONTH,  INTO WAYS TO MITIGATE  THE RATE INCREASE THAT COULD RANGE FROM FORTY TO NEARLY SIXTY PER CENT. 

PNM PURCHASED THE TEXAS NEW MEXICO POWER COMPANY TERRITORY IN THIS AREA IN 2005,  AND AT THAT TIME SAID RATES WOULD HAVE TO BE INCREASED BY THE YEAR 2011, TO MAKE THE FORMER TEXAS NEW MEXICO POWER COMPANY AREA EQUITABLE WITH PNM’S TERRITORY IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE. 

THE NEW MEXICO LAND OFFICE HAS COLLECTED $114 MILLION DURING THE THIRD QUARTER, WITH MORE THAN 90 PERCENT OF THAT COMING FROM OIL AND NATURAL GAS OPERATIONS ON STATE TRUST LANDS. THE LAND OFFICE SAYS TOTAL EARNINGS FOR THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS OF THE FISCAL YEAR ARE $300 MILLION. LAND COMMISSIONER PATRICK LYONS SAYS THE ENERGY INDUSTRY PLAYS A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN THE OFFICES EFFORTS TO GENERATE REVENUE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES. LEASE SALES FOR JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH BROUGHT IN NEARLY $20 MILLION. OIL AND GAS ROYALTY EARNING WERE MORE THAT $86 MILLION FOR THE QUARTER, BRINGING THE FISCAL YEAR TOTAL TO $223 MILLION.

NEW MEXICO ENERGY, MINERALS AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEPT HAS ANNOUNCED THAT THE NEW MEXICO APPLIANCE REBATE PROGRAM STILL HAS FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR $200 REBATES TO NEW MEXICO CONSUMERS WHO PURCHASE ENERGY STAR QUALIFIED CLOTHES WASHERS, REFRIGERATORS OR GAS FURNACES. OVER 8,000 APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN DOWNLOADED FROM THE REBATE PROGRAM WEBSITE, BUT ONLY 5,000 HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED. IF YOU PURCHASED AN APPLIANCE, THEY ENCOURAGE YOU TO MAIL YOUR REBATE IN AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THE ESTIMATED LIFETIME SAVINGS IN NEW MEXICO FROM THE APPLIANCE REBATE PROGRAM ARE ABOUT 7.1 MILLION KILOWATT HOURS OF ENERGY, OVER 226 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER AND NEARLY 14.2 MILLION POUNDS OF CARBON DIOXIDE. THE NEW MEXICO APPLIANCE REBATE PROGRAM IS PART OF A NATIONWIDE ENERGY SAVING EFFORT LAUNCHED BY THE U.S. DEPT OF ENERGY AND FUNDED THROUGH THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT.

THE GOVERNOR HAS ANNOUNCED THAT HE HAS IDENTIFIED 1,071 VACANT, STATE GOVERNMENT POSITIONS THAT WILL BE ELIMINATED, FOLLOWING THROUGH ON HIS PROMISE TO PERMANENTLY DELETE THE POSITIONS. WHILE THE STATE HAS ALREADY REALIZED TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SAVINGS BY NOT FILLING THE POSITIONS, THE GOVERNORS ACTION PERMANENTLY WIPES THE VACANT POSITIONS FROM THE STATE BUDGET, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FILL THEM IN THE FURTURE WITHOUT LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL. MOST OF THE POSITIONS ARE VACANT AS A RESULT OF AN ONGOING HIRING FREEZE. THE FREEZE PREVENTS AGENCIES FROM HIRING NEW EMPLOYEES WITHOUT GOING THROUGH EXTRA LAYERS OF ACCOUNTABILITY TO ENSURE ONLY CRITICAL POSITIONS ARE BEING FILLED.

CAPITALIZING ON THE ENTHUSIASM GENERATED BY RUIDOSO’S MILITARY APPRECIATION WEEKEND CELEBRATION AND ITS PROXIMITY TO MANY NEW MEXICO’S SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES, THE MERCHANTS AND CITY OFFICIALS HAVE JOINED FORCES TO LAUNCH A WEBSITE DEDICATED TO OFFERING DISCOUNTS TO MILITARY SERVICE PERSONNEL STATIONED IN THE REGION. THE NEW SITE FEATURES OVER TWENTY LODGING OFFERS, SEVERAL RESTAURANTS AND ENTERTAINMENT DISCOUNTS AT RUIDOSO DOWNS RACE TRACK, BILLY THE KID CASINO AND SPENCER THEATER PERFORMANCES.

NEW MEXICO IS RANKED SEVENTH FOR THE NUMBER OF SPEEDING TICKETS HANDED OUT PER CAPITA ON HIGHWAYS AND INTERSTATES. A WEBSITE GEARED TOWARDS CAR OWNERS SAYS STATE POLICE HANDED OUT MORE THAN 117 THOUSAND SPEEDING TICKETS ON THE STATES ROADWAYS LAST YEAR. STATE POLICE LT ERIC GARCIA SAYS THE MOST TICKETS ARE HANDED OUT ON I-25 BETWEEN ALBUQUERQUE AND LAS CRUCES, AND ON I-40 FROM ALBUQUERQUE TO GRAND AND EDGEWOOD TO TUCUMCARI. THE STATE WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF SPEEDING TICKETS PER CAPITA ON HIGHWAYS AND INTERSTATES IS WYOMING, ANOTHER SPRAWLING RURAL STATE.