The Bernalillo County Commission, pictured above, took a major hit this weekend when the Journal's Mike Gallagher dropped a lengthy investigative piece on the awarding of a no-bid contract to private corrections company Cornell to fill up the old downtown jail which was left vacant upon the opening of the new westside detention facility. The Journal was leaked documents showing that two lobbyists, Edmund "Joe" Lang, a former state senator and longtime friend of Commissioner Rutherford and former Democratic Party Chairman Art Trujillo, stood to make a stunning $2.5 million from client Cornell over five years if the Commission approved the contract. Most of the cash would have gone to Lang. The contract was approved on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Brasher opposing. The Cornell contract is up-in-the-air now with the State Board of Finance meeting this week to decide its fate. Gov. Richardson sits on the Board. Political tongues are wagging about the impact of all this on the Unification Election November 4th. The politicos are of a mind-set that unification, already in trouble, is in even deeper trouble now. Said one:"The last thing needed was a red flag raised about the Commission's ethics. Compared to the city council, they've actually been looking like statesman, but now they've been dragged down. Who would want to unify that bunch?" He pondered. The Journal's Gallagher is a New York native who attended UNM. His brother Tim was editor of the Albuquerque Tribune in the 1990's.

Channel 13 and the other news broadcasts Tuesday night detailed Sheriff White's concerns about unification and the costs of joining his department with APD. Too expensive, said White, whose job would be eliminated if unification is approved. We mention KRQE specifically because a sharp-eyed viewer wonders to us about easy-on-the-eyes anchorwoman Erika Ruiz, who teams with legendary Dick Knipfing in what has become a highly-rated broadcast. Seems El Paso native Erika was absent from the set Tuesday and noone announced on the air why. The viewer reports a call to the station drew the response from a news employee, "I was told she is not here tonight." Asked for specifics, the employee repeated the answer and refused further comment. No big deal? Maybe. But Erika, please phone home and let us know.

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