Commentary

It’s election year. This year all 112 seats in the New Mexico Legislature are up for grabs.  That isn’t totally accurate because 37 of those candidates have no opposition in either the primary or the general. No one else is “grabbing” for those seats.  On the Republican side, nine House seats and nine Senate seats […]

On Indigenous Peoples Day 2020 in broad daylight, a mob of vandals tore down the 154-year-old Soldier’s Monument in the center of Santa Fe Plaza because it was offensive to some Native Americans. Now veterans groups are demanding it be restored. The destruction followed months of controversy that was notable for its absence of historical […]

This spring, Ronna McDaniel of the RNC needed a job. As national chair since 2017, she needed to replace the $400,000/year income loss resulting from her forced resignation as Donald Trump clinched the GOP presidential nomination. There’s quite a bit to unpack in that lede, but there really isn’t column space for it. Let’s just […]

Possibly my favorite thing about writing this column is interacting with readers. That goes for the critical comments as well as the positive. I try to reply as my day job and bourbon consumption allow. (Here’s a tip: if you want to criticize me, please make it conversational. Screeds that just focus on calling me […]

If ranchers had royalty, Linda Davis would have worn a crown. She grew up on legendary ranches in northeastern New Mexico, began riding a horse as a toddler, and operated the historic CS Ranch with husband Les. He said she was the best cowboy on the place. Linda died at home on her beloved land […]

Nine municipal governments around New Mexico held local elections a couple of weeks ago. If you didn’t know anything about this, you’re in good company.  For these municipalities, according to the Secretary of State, there were a total of 122,035 eligible voters. Of those, 9,785 voted. That is 8.02%. In the off-year consolidated local elections […]

Possibly my favorite thing about writing this column is interacting with readers. That goes for the critical comments as well as the positive. I try to reply as my day job and bourbon consumption allow. (Here’s a tip: if you want to criticize me, please make it conversational. Screeds that just focus on calling me […]

Drought maps colored in cheerful red, orange and gold are anything but cheerful in their meaning. They confirm what ranchers already know, that it’s painfully dry here. Devastating wildfires in West Texas add an exclamation point. If there’s any good news it’s that Congress and the Legislature are more attuned to the reality of fire. […]

For me, one of the most exciting sports events in New Mexico is about to get underway – the high school basketball tournament! Prep basketball has long been a community event across New Mexico, from Dulce to Eunice to Belen to Taos to neighborhoods in Albuquerque.  I grew up in Hobbs, where boy’s basketball was […]