The New Mexico Department of Public Safety has reviewed its case file on WilLee’s Blues Club and determined that investigators were correct to issue citations to the liquor license holder and a bartender for over-serving attorney Carlos Fierro—despite Fierro’s testimony this week that he had not had a drop to drink at WilLee’s.

Previously, Journal North reported that the state police planned to review the case following the testimony. Now, Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson says that the citations will stand.

“We reviewed the file supporting the initial the two citations–one to the bartender, one to the liquor license holder–and determined there was sufficient information and evidence in our case in the file to proceed with the hearings on the two administrative citation,” Olson says.

Fierro is accused of killing William Tenorio with his car while driving drunk. Since the state did not cite Rio Chama, a bar where Fierro was at earlier that night in November, SFR asked whether DPS’ position was that Fierro committed perjury in his testimony.

“All I can say is that based on our investigation at the time, we feel that there was enough evidence then to issue those citations and, after review of the file, to continue,” Olson reiterated.

SFR has left a message with First Judicial District Attorney Angela “Spence” Pacheco’s office to see whether, regardless of the jury’s verdict (expected soon), she will file perjury charges against Fierro.

Updated, Oct 1, 10:20am: Pacheco says she can’t comment on the case. She said to call back once there’s a verdict.

In this week’s Reporter, Zane’s World takes the Santa Fe Opera and the College of Santa Fe to task for selling out the environment in Mora and San Miguel counties in order to plop a few drops into the bucket. And drops they are. Opera General Director Charles MacKay tells SFR that five digits a year  is the optimistic estimate for the 26,000 acres of mineral rights the Opera leased to a oil & gas company. The money is dedicated to the Opera’s apprentice program, which operates on a $1.5 million annual budget.

Perusing probate court records from the Shellaberger Estate case, which bequeathed the mineral estate to CSF and the Opera, SFR has learned that, in 1999, the total mineral rights left to CSF and SFO were worth just short of $30,000.

The CSF’s share was 75 percent: 50 percent for the CSF tennis program (in 1999, $15,000), 25 percent for CSF pianist scholarships (in 1999, $7,500), and 25 percent for the Opera’s apprentice program (another $7,500). The will only mentions specifically these investments; the mineral rights seemed to be tacked on later as an afterthought.

It is unclear what the mineral rights are worth now, though the leased agreement with J Bar Cane calls for an 8 percent 1/8th royalty.

In comparison, the Shellaberger Estate left the tennis program $5.8 million in investments, and $3 million each to the CSF pianist and Opera apprentice programs. As Zane Fischer reports, it is unclear which institution now owns the CSF’s share of the mineral rights–which were leased out as CSF’s impending doom loomed largest.

Meanwhile, Drilling Santa Fe has posted a scanned copy of a poster being circulated that calls for a boycott of the Opera (click the image to enlarge). The anti-drilling activist blog cites Fischer’s column for background.

There are really only two uses for what I’m gonna call “interactive” books. One use is to give to people as gifts.  At Christmas time, shelves at Urban Outfitters and Borders fill with these somewhat useless wastes of paper and people lap them up to give to their slightly awkward best friend’s boyfriend or to the cousin they see once every other year, and call it quits. Maybe they’ll throw a box of creepy Santa chocolates in there. Done and done.

The other use for weird books like these is for people who have too much time on their hands and like to learn useless information. (Notice the word “useless” has come into both of these descriptions.) And by “learn useless information” I don’t necessarily mean that the information is true, accurate or that there even is any information at all. I should perhaps substitute in the phrase “fill their brain with factoids, images and ideas.”

That being said, a number of these interactive books have made their way across my desk in the last week or so. So here I offer you, dear reader, in two parts, a quick glance at six books (three in each part) that want you to do something with them, for better or for worse.

Continue reading »

This just in from Politico’s Twitter: The Rockefeller Amendment to create a public health insurance option has died 8-15.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s spokeswoman Jude McCartin tells SFR that Bingaman was one of the eight to vote for the public option. McCartin says Bingaman hopes to make a statement later today, but there are still a shit ton of amendments to get through.

KSFR has an update: Bingaman also voted for the Schumer Amendment to create a public option. That one died 10-13.

Update, 4pm. Bingaman has released the following statement:

If we’re going to drive down health care costs for the long term, we need to have adequate competition in the marketplace.  I strongly believe we should create a non-profit entity to compete with insurance companies to offer the best care at the lowest cost. While neither public option amendment considered today was approved, we still have an opportunity to write a bill that encourages healthy competition.

The Attorney General’s Office has filed its third witness list in the case against Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr and his father, Jerome Block Sr; the prosecution’s filing lists as its new witness committee treasurer, Jacob Martinez, who was responsible, at least on paper, for handling the public campaign funds Block allegedly embezzled.

The document also lists as a witness a state police officer, Rafael Gomez, who concluded an investigation into a September break-in into Block’s home with the implication that it was an inside job, or at least perpetrated by someone intimately familiar with the house. The “ransacking” of Block’s home involved the alleged stealing of campaign finance documents and the words “Spic Liar” written on the wall of his office in green crayon.

The Blocks are accused of a range of felonies, including embezzlement, election law violations, tampering with evidence and conspiracy.

When last SFR spoke with Martinez, he said he could not comment on Block due to the pending case.