Otero County officials are threatening to sue the governor for not responding to their request to declare a state of emergency.Earlier this month, Otero County Commissioners unanimously voted to declare a state of emergency following the Border Patrol’s decision to temporarily shut down New Mexico’s interior border checkpoints. Commissioners were pressing Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to deploy National Guard troops to the checkpoints, claiming that criminal activity in the area has increased since their closures. The governor’s office responded that National Guard troops, which are under state command, do not operate federal checkpoints.Otero County Commission Chair Couy Griffin initially referred to the request as “just a shoutout,” but county commissioners appear to be taking it more seriously now. According to the Washington Examiner, they have given the governor until the end of the week to respond with emergency action and will consider suing the state if nothing has happened by then.Griffin told Fox News in an interview on Sunday that the County Commission is planning to vote on a resolution that will block immigrants from being bussed to Otero County from El Paso. During the interview, he claimed the governor had not responded to the county’s state of emergency request, failing to cite the response given by the governor’s office.
Newscity: Facebook Power Line Case Reconsidered
A utility company is asking state regulators to reconsider their decision to charge Facebook the full price of installing a proposed transmission line.The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that earlier this month, the state Public Regulation Commission voted unanimously against the Public Service Company of New Mexico’s request to charge retail customers for about half the cost of a 45-mile transmission line—around $39 million—that would supply electricity to the future Facebook data facility near Los Lunas.Bobby Hollis, an executive from Facebook subsidiary Greater Kudu LLC, wrote to the PRC, saying the decision raised “significant and serious concerns” about the future of the project. Gov. Lujan Grisham has reportedly been in contact with Facebook and is attempting to find a solution.PNM refiled a request for approval of the project earlier this week. It’s up to the commission to decide whether to rehear the case.
Newscity: Aps Opens Teacher Training Center
Last week Albuquerque Public Schools officially opened the doors of a new facility that will serve to train teachers and host student and community events.According to KOB, construction on the Berna Facio Professional Development Complex, located at the former Montgomery Elementary School campus on Louisiana, near Comanche, hit a bump last summer when a small fire broke out at the site. However, officials say the damage was not significant. Construction was initially slated to be completed by fall 2018.The training center has a central meeting hall that seats up to 500 people and nine breakout rooms where smaller training courses will take place. The new building uses solar panels for energy, and officials say that will mitigate costs for taxpayers.
