Can you buy the governor’s love? Will Albuquerque lose its afternoon paper? Who’s taking over the animal shelters? Will our gas bills go up? 1) Developer Gerald Peters hosted a fundraiser for Gov. Bill Richardson’s political campaign. He also received a $400,000 contract for the Department of Transportation. Is there a link? When a reporter asked the governor about it, he said, "of course not." Then he: a. Returned Peters’ campaign contributions. b. Left the state for another round of debates and appearances. c. Laughed in the reporter’s face and called him a "moron."d. Sent the project out for re-bidding. 2) E.W. Scripps put the Albuquerque Tribune up for sale. If no one buys it in two months, the paper will close. The Trib has been around for: a. 23 yearsb. 42 yearsc. 85 yearsd. 10 years 3) Albuquerque’s animal shelters have seen a lot of controversy. Mayor Martin Chavez fired Denise Wilcox, the shelters’ director. Who will take her place? a. A longtime animal rights advocate.b. A veterinarian (finally).c. A director from a nationally accredited shelter in Arizona.d. One of the shelters’ ferrets. 4) PNM experienced a sudden drop in earnings. Potential remedies include: a. Laying off some of the publicly owned utility’s 3,300 employees.b. Making its office space smaller. c. Raising your rates.d. All of the above.
Answer Me This
ANSWERS 1. D. Richardson tossed out the bidding process and ordered a re-bid after two investigations are completed. "There’s no connection between donations and what happens in state government," he said. 2. C. The Tribune just celebrated its 85t h birthday. Winner of many national awards, including a Pulitzer, the afternoon paper’s circulation declined since 1988 from around 42,000 to about 10,000. 3. B. John Romero, a veterinarian, will take Wilcox’ place. City Councilor Sally Mayer spoke against the decision, saying she was devastated the former director wouldn’t be able to finish what she started. One of the shelters’ employees resigned.4. D. Prices for copper, steel and cement have gone up, and PNM took in $10.2 million in its second quarter, a steep decline from $17.4 million in 2006. The company is considering laying off some of its workforce, sizing down its real estate and raising rates.
