Piñon Post

Few details released following death of Gov. Lujan Grisham staffer

13 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday, it was revealed that a senior advisor to Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Eric Witt, 60, was found dead in his garage.

Witt, who helped develop the state’s generous tax incentives to the film industry and was previously based in Los Angeles, served in the governor’s staff since January. 

He also worked for Democrat former Gov. Bill Richardson in multiple roles between 2003 and 2010.

Few details are known about the staffer’s death, but the Albuquerque Journal reported, “Santa Fe police said Witt was found dead in his garage Monday morning after his wife, who was out of town and had last spoken to him on Friday, requested a welfare check. Police said there were no apparent signs of trauma.”

Eric Witt in 2019. Screenshot from NM PBS via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsqtc2B6FtE

Former Gov. Richardson wrote in a statement following the news, “I am shocked and saddened beyond belief at the passing of Eric Witt, a dear friend and former staffer. He came from a wonderful family, especially his mother, Lee Witt, who worked for many governors, including myself.” He added, “If there was one person responsible for bringing the movie industry to New Mexico, it was Eric. My wife Barbara and myself express our deepest condolences to the Witt family.”

Lujan Grisham also bemoaned Witt’s death, writing, ­“I am shocked and saddened by the passing of Eric Witt, a longtime colleague and senior advisor in my office. He was a skilled navigator of state government and the Legislature and, most consequentially, offered his specialty in film financing to establish a brand-new economic driver in the state. Without Eric’s leadership, New Mexico’s booming film and media industry would not be the success that it is today.”

According to a press release from her office: 

For more than 30 years, Witt balanced the demands of a career in the film industry and public service. He started his career working for Dino De Laurentiis Communications in Los Angeles. Witt’s political work in New Mexico began in 1998 when he was the Chief of Staff for the state’s House of Representatives and continued as part of leadership in Gov. Bill Richardson’s office.

When Gov. Richardson left office in 2011, he returned to Los Angeles to focus on film and television production. Witt’s passion for service and creativity merged when he was named executive director of the Santa Fe Film Office in 2016. Witt was awarded an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts for his work on “However Wide the Sky: Places of Power” in 2022.

In a statement issued by Witt’s family Tuesday, they said they are “heartbroken over Eric’s death. He was an amazing man of so many talents, interests and loves. But what he loved above all else was his family — his wife, mother, father, brothers, sister, sisters-in-law, son and nephews. The support and messages that we have gotten from people in New Mexico, California and beyond show just how many lives he touched and we are grateful for all of them.”

According to Lujan Grisham’s office, between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, New Mexico’s film industry brought in $794 million in direct spending. That figure is down 7.2 percent from last year’s $855.4 million.

Legislative committee previewing anti-gun bills Tuesday

14 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, the Legislative Courts, Corrections, and Justice Committee, chaired by Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), will preview anti-gun bills that will be reintroduced in the 2024 Legislative Session, along with new proposals that could be brought forth.

Starting at 8:35 a.m., the committee, which is meeting in Mescalero at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, will have a two-hour discussion on the 2022 New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v. Bruen U.S. Supreme Court case, which struck down anti-gun laws in the Empire State.

Then, the Committee will discuss proposed anti-gun laws, including banning what they deem “assault weapons,” mandating new higher age restrictions for firearm purchases, imposing waiting periods, increasing background check requirements, attacking gun manufacturers for gun-related incidents, and more.

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grsham’s staff will attend to discuss her gun-grabbing bills plans.

The meeting will not include a slot for public comment, and the Committee’s chairman explicitly noted that he did not invite pro-gun advocates, such as the National Rife Association or Gun Owners of America. However, the anti-gun group, the Giffords Law Center, will be prominently featured.

Pro-gun legislators, including Reps. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) and John Block (R-Alamogordo) will be in attendance, as well as other pro-gun committee members.

To access the Committee’s agenda, click here. To join the webcast, click here. 

Alamogordo officer succumbs to his injuries after Saturday shooting

21 Comments / New Mexico, News / By

Late Sunday, it was revealed that Alamogordo Police Department Officer Anthony Ferguson, 41, an eleven-year veteran of the force, had succumbed to his injuries after being shot by a wanted criminal who shot him in the face with a sawed-off shotgun.

The Alamogordo Police Department wrote, “Officer Ferguson was serving in the Patrol Division as a Field Training Officer. He is survived by his mother, father, four brothers, his daughter, and son. He was loved and admired by the citizens of Alamogordo and Officers alike. We would ask for the family’s privacy to be respected at this time.”

The perpetrator, Dominic De La O, is being held at the Otero County Detention Center and charged with attempt to commit first-degree murder, aggravated battery on a police officer with a deadly weapon, tampering with evidence, aggravated fleeing, resisting and evading, criminal trespass, lights required on a vehicle, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, and reckless driving.

De La O was previously arrested in January after brandishing a gun on a police officer but was allowed pretrial release under the state’s failed laws that have removed cash bail — allowing violent offenders back on the streets.

He violated his pretrial release Wednesday by attending a party where a warrant was issued for his arrest. The perpetrator was stopped on Saturday during a routine traffic stop where he pulled the gun, which was obtained illegally, on Officer Ferguson, causing the fatal injury to the esteemed law enforcement officer. Officer Ferguson was transported to Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center and later flown to the Univeristy Medical Center of El Paso, where he passed away.

According to New Mexico State Police, “New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the district attorney for their review and consideration.”

Officer Ferguson is the first Alamogordo Police Department officer killed in the line of duty since Clint Corvinus in 2016. Officer Ferguson was nominated for Officer of the Year in 2019 and has honorably served Alamogordo throughout the years. 

Alamogordo officer shot by violent thug: NM’s flawed pretrial release law in action

Alamogordo officer shot by violent thug: NM’s flawed pretrial release law in action

24 Comments / New Mexico, News / By

In 2016, the voters of New Mexico passed a constitutional amendment removing cash bail and instituting pretrial release, which has since let violent thugs back on the streets to wreak havoc on the state’s communities.

Albuquerque’s crime-plagued streets are often mentioned as examples of how this far-left policy has failed the state, but it is now permeating even further into smaller communities — this time in Alamogordo.

“State Police agents learned that on July 15, at around 2:30 a.m., an APD officer initiated a traffic stop on a Honda passenger vehicle driven by Dominic De La O, 26, of Alamogordo for driving with no headlights or taillights. De La O fled from the officer and crashed into a light pole at the intersection of Delaware Avenue and 1st Street. De La O fled the crash scene on foot and a foot pursuit ensued,” according to State Police.

“At some point during the foot pursuit De La O presented a concealed sawed-off shotgun and fired it toward one of the APD officers, striking him in the face. A second APD officer fired his duty weapon at least once towards De La O striking him in the leg. De La O continued to flee on foot, and after a physical confrontation with officers at a residence on the 100 block of Delaware, De La O was taken into custody. De La O was treated and released from the hospital and taken into custody by the New Mexico State Police.”

Mugshot of Dominic De La O via New Mexico State Police.

De La O was previously sprung from jail awaiting trial from January 2023 charges. 

“In late January, De La O was shot twice in the back by Alamogordo police when he pulled a handgun during a scuffle with officers, according to court records. De La O was facing one felony drug charge and several misdemeanors in that case and was awaiting trial,” the Albuquerque Journal reported. “Court records show a warrant was issued for De La O’s arrest on Wednesday after he violated his conditions of pretrial release by being at a party where a shooting occurred.” 

De La O is being charged with the following:

  • Attempt to Commit 1stDegree Murder
  • Aggravated Battery on a Police Officer with a Deadly weapon
  • Tampering with Evidence
  • Aggravated Fleeing of a Police Officer
  • Resisting and Evading a Police Officer
  • Criminal Trespass
  • Lights Required on Vehicle
  • Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle
  • Reckless Driving

The officer was rushed to El Paso and remains in critical condition following surgery. 

Democrats whine about ‘climate change’ because summer is hot

20 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Summer is hot. That’s just a fact, especially in the desert of New Mexico.

However, far-left Democrats in the U.S. Congress are claiming triple-digit July temperatures are the result of “climate change,” some even going so far as to blame it on Republicans for not passing eco-left laws.

Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Maryland resident, claimed on Twitter, “We are all paying the price of Republican inaction on climate change,” sharing an article from the Washington Post talking about the “extreme heat.”

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-CD-01) wrote, “This summer is a scorcher! Friendly reminder that climate change is real and we are feeling the effects of global warming in REAL TIME. When [Tina Snow] mentioned ‘hot girl summer,’ I don’t think this is what she meant.” 

New Mexicans didn’t buy what Heinrich and Stansbury are selling. 

“This summer is no hotter than many summers past. Educate yourself,” one person wrote to Stansbury. Well-documented scientific figures attest to this argument disproving the Democrat.

One person wrote to Heinrich, “And the mega drought that drove out the cliff dwellers was also caused by the Republicans?” The account added, “It’s all cycles upon cycles. Some last a few years, some last centuries or millennia.” 

“You have been in elected office for 15 years. For 6 of those years you were a member of the party that controlled both houses of congress. Quit pretending that one party is responsible for anything as complex as the earth’s climate.  Have your intern step away from the [T]witter,” another chimed in.

Heinrich and Stansbury fervently back far-left Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocazio-Cortez’s (D-NY) “Green New Deal,” as well as far-left Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s version, the “Energy Transition Act.” 

Lt. Gov. Howie Morales in charge as Lujan Grisham once again leaves state

34 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office announced that she had fled New Mexico for various travels, rounding her trip out by visiting Washington, D.C. 

On Tuesday, she traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey, for Joe Biden’s Council of Governors, a role Biden nominated her for. 

She then will go to Michigan for a meeting of female Democrat governors. The executive’s office did not note the specific event, but it likely is an excursion planned by the abortion up-to-birth group EMILY’s List, which has bankrolled Democrat women running for office, including Lujan Grisham.

“On Sunday, the governor will travel to Washington, D.C., where she will meet with federal officials at the White House. On Wednesday morning, she will deliver a keynote address during a White House event on early childhood education and child care,” the governor’s press release continued. 

It noted, “She is expected to return on Wednesday, July 19.” The events that will take place from Sunday to Wednesday were not disclosed. 

The governor is well-known for her out-of-state and out-of-country excursions. In May 2022, while wildfires plagued New Mexico, she fled to Washington, D.C., to get married, with Kamala Harris officiating her nuptials.

She has repeatedly traveled to Washington to attend events and functions put on by Joe Biden’s regime and far-left organizations’ events.

Other notable trips from the governor include a 2019 excursion to a Spanish island, which was not disclosed to the public until open records requests revealed she had fled the state without notice to the citizenry. 

In 2021, she flew to Scotland for a “climate change” excursion while also stopping in Washington to meet with Joe Biden officials and held an anti-coal event with Washington State’s Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee.

She has also made multiple trips to Washington, D.C., to get tests and surgery on her knee, to the ire of New Mexicans, many of whom cannot afford to take trips out-of-state for medical care, much less trips paid for by taxpayers.

For her current trip, as with others before, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales will assume the role of governor in Lujan Grisham’s absence.

Amid radical woke agenda, NM House GOP offering parents legal option

26 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday, the New Mexico House of Representatives Republicans announced at a press conference featuring Rep. Luis Terrazas (R-Bayard) that they are offering parents in the state a parental/guardian consent form that attorneys have extensively reviewed to allow the option to forego the woke agenda being pushed in schools due to recent legislation, including H.B. 7 and S.B. 397.

The House Republicans wrote, “The following form is designed to help parents/guardians explicitly exercise their right to be fully informed prior to their child accessing medical and behavioral health services, or some instructional materials.”

“Parents/guardians are responsible for making educational and health care decisions for their children until they reach the age of majority. A minor child cannot consent to his/her own educational decisions or medical treatment. It is important for parents/guardians to remain engaged and informed with school district staff to ensure their children are receiving the appropriate education and health care. Parent/guardian engagement ensures the highest standard of care.”

The form gives multiple fields for notification, including “any health care services, referral for services, class, lesson, instruction, curriculum, assembly, guest speaker, activity, assignment, library material, online material, club, group, or association concerning transgender ideology, gender affirming care or gender identity,” “abortion,” “contraception and other family planning,” “primary health care,” and “mental or psychiatric care.”

The form concludes, “If I am not given prior notification and the ability to make an informed decision concerning the wellbeing of my child, I withhold consent for the items checked above.” 

In an op-ed by New Mexico House Republican Leader Greg Nibert wrote, “Parents have put up with a lot over the last few years, but take away their right to protect the health and safety of their kids, and it is clear that New Mexicans of all ethnic, social and political persuasions have had enough. The nonstop and aggressive march of progressive social policies in New Mexico has finally struck a nerve.”

“I and other Republicans are moving forward with an effort to advise parents on how to inform schools officials of their demands when it comes to their children’s welfare. Republicans are advocating that every parent of a minor child in New Mexico’s public schools sign and send a letter to their school’s administration requiring that they be notified before any gender ideology information, gender altering services, hormone blockers, psycho-tropic medications or abortion services are provided to their child. The recommended form letter has already been reviewed by lawyers who are ready and willing to engage on this important issue.”

The parental notification form to send to their school administrator can be found by following this link. Instructions on using the form are also available on the website (NMHRCC.org/parentpower).

Two years after indictment, Stapleton’s corruption trial finally set for 2024

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Two years after the indictment of disgraced former New Mexico House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D-Albuquerque), a trial date was finally set for the 28 federal counts against the former top Democrat.

According to the Associated Press, the court date for the former high-ranking official is January 2, 2024, on charges of racketeering, money laundering, fraud, bribery, and tax evasion, among other allegations.

Stapleton’s house was raided in July 2021 after it was revealed she had been allegedly embezzling around $1 million from New Mexico’s taxpayers — specifically New Mexico’s Children through the Albuquerque Public Schools, where she used to work. She was fired from the cushy $ 79,000-per-year gig.

She later resigned from the New Mexico House of Representatives in disgrace.

The Piñon Post’s exclusive report uncovering her ties to other high-profile New Mexico Democrats has revealed Stapleton’s alleged graft has been going on for around 30 years, in tandem with Joseph Johnson, a shady former New Mexico secretary of health who also has previously been hit with bribery and fraud charges.

In 2011, Larry Barker of KRQE 13 News found that Stapleton “pocketed more than $100,000 — money she didn’t earn — from APS over the years while serving in the legislature. But instead of being punished or forced to pay it back, Superintendent Winston Brooks changed the rules for Stapleton.” Brooks dismissed Stapleton’s $167,000 worth of unauthorized leave from APS, saying, “What I did was I changed the employee handbook so that anyone can be a legislator in Santa Fe and be paid for it.” 

In 2018, former Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission executive director Kimberly Greene and former employees Cheryl Yazzie and Charles Countee pleaded guilty to fraud and embezzlement charges by creating phony state vouchers to heist over $67,700 from the Commission. According to Greene, she claims she “was coerced by [then]-House Minority Whip Sheryl Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque, to enter into a no-bid contract with eRead, an outside contractor for ACT/SAT program,” according to the New Mexico Political Report. However, Stapleton claimed, “I was never involved, never spoke to anybody about a no-bid contract.”

In November 2022, it was reported that Stapleton was not in custody as her corruption trial looms. 

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-NM cabinet secretary’s ties to Williams Stapleton expose other top Dems

MLG’s 82% EV mandate comes as less than 1% of New Mexicans own EVs

28 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is continuing her crusade against gas-powered cars in the name of “climate change,” with a recent announcement she wants to mandate 82 percent of all cars being sold in the state be electric vehicles by 2032, with a 43 percent threshold by 2027.

However, in New Mexico, a rural state that requires traveling long distances many times for citizens to go to work and purchase necessary goods, only 0.8 percent of residents own an EV as of May 31, 2023, according to the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department.

Larry Behrens of the pro-energy group Power The Future said, “This is a move that isn’t going to help rural New Mexicans and going to raise prices on all New Mexicans.”

“The average price for a brand-new EV is about [$61,488]. That’s considerably higher than the average four-door sedan, which runs about [$48,681], according to Kelley Blue Book. Tax credits and gas savings can save you money. However, it’s going to take a few years to make up a potential $20,000 difference,” Bloomberg reported.

EVs are also more expensive to maintain, repair, and insure. Lauren Fix of Car Coach Reports said to GOBankingRates, “Gas-powered vehicles cost less to repair if in a collision.” 

“The average cost of an electric car is 23% or more expensive because the car itself and its parts cost more to repair and replace,” she continued. “Totaling all factors in, an EV will set you back $71,770. A gas-powered car? $58,664. You will never make up the initial expense difference over the lifetime of your more expensive electric vehicle. Put another way, a gas-powered car will cost you $600 more a year to drive. But over an average of six years of owning an EV versus a gas car, the EV will set you back $13,000 more.”

The average range for an EV is also 250-500 miles — a deal-breaker for many New Mexicans who travel long distances. The longest-range EV is the 2023 Lucid Air, which has the capability of up to 516 miles, but it comes with a price tag of $139,650 for the base model, according to Car and Driver.

“Studies have shown that most of the people who buy electric vehicles have an annual income of over $150,000 a year,” Behrens said to KOAT 7.

The outlet’s report noted, “While electric vehicles make up less than 1% of cars, the data did show that about 4% of cars in New Mexico are hybrids.”

NM Supreme Court lets GOP’s gerrymandering case proceed

14 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, the New Mexico Supreme Court allowed the Republican Party of New Mexico’s (RPNM) challenge to gerrymandered maps drawn in 2021 to proceed, according to multiple reports.

RPNM is suing after Democrats rammed through extreme partisan gerrymandered maps last December that shifted the congressional map extremely in their favor. In the Second Congressional District, represented by GOP Rep. Yvette Herrell, the gerrymandering swung the seat from favoring Republicans by 14 points to now favoring Democrats by four points, according to FiveThirtyEight. That made Democrat Gabe Vasquez narrowly win the seat in the November 8 election.

The lawsuit claims Democrats illegally designed the new map to damage the reelection chances of the only Republican in the state’s congressional delegation, which now has proven to be an accurate assertion following the November 8 General Election.

The “drafters intentionally ‘cracked’ Republicans in southeastern New Mexico, thereby substantially diluting their votes,” the lawsuit alleges, adding that Democrats intentionally split communities of interest for political gain.

The Democrat-drawn map, which was originally made by the dark money George Soros-funded group the “Center for Civic Policy” (CCP), achieved the partisan gerrymander by plunging the Democrat-dominated South Valley of Albuquerque into the Second District while putting more conservative areas such as Hobbs and Roswell in the First and Third Congressional Districts.

In April, District Judge Fred Van Soelen of Clovis ruled it was too late to hear the case due to the approaching June 7, 2022, primary election. That has sent it to the state Supreme Court, which has taken the case. All five members of New Mexico’s fully Democrat Supreme Court either have been supported by Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who signed the maps into law, or were appointed by the governor. 

Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Roswell’s Democrat Mayor Tim Jennings, State Sen. David Gallegos (R-Eunice), and a group of Republican voters. 

The Democrats’ attorney, Holly Agajanian, representing Lujan Grisham, argued strangely against democracy while arguing in front of the Court. She said, “Just because something is considered anti-democratic doesn’t mean the court has to step in. And I know that doesn’t feel right based on what everything we think justice is. It feels funny for me to say that. But at the end of the day, the fact of the matter is that’s the case. Because in our system of government… These anti-democratic effects we see can only be remedied through the legislature.” 

Attorney for the plaintiffs, Daniel J. Gallegos, argued the maps drawn by the Democrat legislature are a “violation of the state’s equal protection clause,” citing the Legislature throwing out all the maps proposed by the Citizens Redistricting Committee and instead drawing their own hyper-partisan map.

The state Supreme Court ruling read that “that the verified petition for writ of superintending control is GRANTED with respect to Petitioners’ request that this Court provide the district court guidance for resolving a partisan gerrymandering claim” and that “the district court shall take all actions necessary to resolve this matter no later than October 1, 2023.”

In a writ of superintending control, the Court wrote, “a petition for writ of superintending control having been granted by this Court on July 5, 2023, and the Court being sufficiently informed and good cause appearing for the issuance of a writ of superintending control; NOW THEREFORE, you, Hon. Fred Van Soelen, are ordered to proceed in D-506-CV-2022-00041 in accordance with the order issued contemporaneously with this writ.”

1 … 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 … 65

Stay Updated

Scroll to Top