Albuquerque Newsdesk

Police investigating slur written on gay-friendly club

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Graffiti of a slur against the LGBT community on a private gay-friendly club in Albuquerque’s Nob Hill prompted police response and outrage from advocates. The graffiti, which said “F— You Fa–,” was scrawled on the walls of the Albuquerque Social Club Monday. Police were called to look into the incident. Albuquerque Police Department officer Fred Duran told NM Political Report the incident sparked additional officer patrols in the area Monday night. He added that police have not found the culprit who wrote the graffiti, which has since been washed off.

Elections

Candidate finance reports still offer plenty of discrepencies

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There’s plenty of imperfection and discrepancy when it comes to trying to figure out campaign finance data in New Mexico. A year ago, New Mexico In Depth reported how lobbyist contributions helped Republicans win the state House for the first time in 60 years. But NMID also pointed out that candidates don’t always report those contributions consistently. KOB-TV did a series outlining such discrepancies in campaign contribution reports by legislative leaders last November. The Secretary of State’s office clarified reporting requirements for lobbyists, and the Legislature passed a law aimed at improving reporting.

ABQ Free Press

After report of layoffs, Intel future in NM still unclear

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Intel Corp. on Tuesday would not confirm or deny a news report that it will cut 215 jobs at its Rio Rancho plant in the coming months. Citing unidentified sources, KOB TV reported that the Rio Rancho plant would lose 215 jobs. But Intel spokeswoman Natasha Martell Jackson said she wouldn’t comment on the report. Related Story: Latest tax break for Intel didn’t stop job cuts

Speculation has been swirling about the fate of the Rio Rancho plant since Intel announced last week that it would cut 12,000 jobs worldwide, or 11 percent of its workforce, in a massive restructuring effort.

Elections

Sanchez’s campaign paid Sanchez nearly $43,000

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Lt. Gov. John Sanchez finds himself in hot water because of payments by his campaign that went right back to his own pockets. KOB-TV reported this week that Sanchez’s campaign paid nearly $43,000 in rent for space owned by Sanchez. Sanchez paid $1,500 per month, initially. The landlord (Sanchez) then raised the rent on the campaign (Sanchez’s campaign) and charged $2,000. Getting rent from your own campaign is not illegal in New Mexico.

KOB

Stuart Dyson retires from KOB

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It’s the mix of bluster, doubt, worry and desperate hopefulness in Stuart Dyson’s voice that causes one to wonder whether the now former Albuquerque TV reporter believes it himself when he blurts into the telephone, “I can say that, after 30 years in the TV news business, I have not become a total functional illiterate.”

Dyson even insists that after 30 years in TV he can still punctuate sentences properly, a claim he makes strenuously and repeatedly, obviously sensing that the person he’s talking to considers the statement to be wild and bizarre fiction from a delusional mind. And then Dyson laughs, and he laughs loud and long and easy and free, because now he is free, free from the daily grind that can tinge every laugh with anger, bitterness and cynicism. On Monday, April 18, Stuart Dyson, who spent 40 years in the news business, and who is a New Mexico news legend, retired. The retirement came both sooner and later than the 64-year-old Dyson had planned. His original retirement date had been set for Feb.

media ethics

When pulling a story from your website doesn’t mean you retract it

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KOB-TV is backing off of a controversial story that appeared on the same day news broke that a suspect charged with murder is the son of a New Mexico state representative. Well, kind of. The story, titled “Credibility of State Rep. Stephanie Maez in question,” quoted extensively from an unnamed woman who told the TV station Donovan Maez had been homeless since age 11. Stephanie Maez is the mother of Donovan. Donovan, 18, was arrested on multiple charges Friday evening for the late June killing of Jaydon Chavez-Silver.

Jaquise Lewis Shooting

Two witnesses speak about ABQ mass shooting

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The events of March 22, 2015 that culminated in the death of an Albuquerque teenager didn’t begin at Los Altos Skate Park. They began when a group of friends threw a barbecue for Jaquise Lewis three miles south of the skate park at Manzano Mesa Park, according to two witnesses who recently spoke to New Mexico Political Report about the shooting. While Albuquerque police say an investigation into Lewis’ death is ongoing and maintain that no one from his group is cooperating, both witnesses said police haven’t contacted them since the night of the shooting. © New Mexico Political Report, 2015. Contact editor@nmpoliticalreport.com for info on republishing.

Albuquerque Newsdesk

Family of slain teen questions TV report of shooter

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A man who claims he killed Jaquise Lewis in the March 22 Los Altos Skate Park shooting spoke anonymously to KOB-TV last week. The TV news segment featured the man’s silhouette and didn’t release his identity “because he has not been charged with a crime, and police have not finished their investigation.” The report described him as a 22-year-old father. In the report, the man said he carries a gun with him everywhere he goes. He used it that night, according to what he told KOB, when he saw an argument over a skateboard escalate into gunfire. The man said he saw 17-year-old Lewis shoot two people.

News

Muñoz wanted UNM Pres fired in exchange for confirmation vote

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According to KOB-TV, a state Senator texted a University of New Mexico Board of Regents appointee that he would vote for his confirmation if the appointee pledged to fire the university’s president and Vice President of Finance. KOB-TV obtained the text messages and spoke to the appointee, Rob Doughty, and the senator, George Muñoz, D-Gallup. The full video report is available at the bottom of the post. Doughty told KOB he thought to himself that he was “being bullied by a particular Senator.” Muñoz, according to KOB, initially denied that he sent the text messages until he was shown them.”No,” Munoz replied.