Thursday, March 30, 2023Political Leadership Delivers On State Film Academy As Controversy Continues Over Generous Industry Rebates; Goal Of 1,000 Students A Year, Plus: Reader React To Sec. Haaland Tepid House Testimony Meantime, MLG, Mayor Keller, Econ Sec. Keyes and CNM have put some points on the board this week for the film industry--with the help of $40 million in capital outlay approved at the recent legislative session: The downtown Albuquerque Rail Yards will be the new headquarters for the New Mexico Media Academy. . . that will equip New Mexico residents with the advanced skills they need to work in the film and television industry. A satellite campus will be located in Las Cruces. ABQ area voters approved $7 million for the college (CNM) to improve and expand its film training program, and funding will go toward designing and constructing the program at the Albuquerque Rail Yards. The best part, if it comes to fruition, would be this: The academy is centered on collaborative partnerships with the ultimate goal of admitting 1,000 students annually. That is an ambitious goal in terms of students, but a worthy one. The announcement that the Rail Yards--after lengthy talks--will indeed be the home for the state Academy the Governor initially proposed is a dose of vindication for Keller's expensive plan to renovate the large and abandoned Rail Yards in the Barelas Neighborhood in ABQ: We’ve always had a vision that the Rail Yards would be the active heart of Albuquerque once again, and now that vision is becoming a reality. This is the result of years of intentional re-investment. With the usual cautionary note of "we shall see" this does appear to be a good "get" for the city, state and the next generation. It makes those huge tax subsides for film a bit easier to swallow--for now. HAALAND REACT  Joe, you wrote: "The national GOP went on the attack Tuesday when Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland stumbled during an appearance before the House Interior, Environment, Appropriations Subcommittee." The GOP went on the attack...What?? She didn't stumble as you aptly put it, Joe, she couldn't answer a lot of questions and when she did answer a question she responded with incoherent nonsense.
Now member(s) of Congress who do their job by asking questions of appointed members of Biden's administration are guilty of attacking them? Reader Mitch Jones writes: Joe, Fact checking the GOP congressman who supposedly caught Deb Haaland flat footed on the Green New Deal and fracking: he’s wrong. The GND didn’t mention fracking. In fact the words “fossil fuels” don’t even appear in the text. You can check for yourself here. Good catch, Mitch. Haaland did tell the committee that she supported the GND when she was a congresswoman but she did not commit to it at the hearing. This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023 |
  |
