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The Road to Success for Rural New Mexico? Better Transportation

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - If rural New Mexico is going to thrive, improvements in transportation have to be part of the picture. Those improvements can include better roads, but a bigger issue is how to help people find a ride when their driving abilities are limited by disabilities, age or lack of cash.

Billy Altom, executive director of the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) says a lack of transportation can kick off a series of problems.

"It's almost a snowball effect, sometimes. Whenever you look at, 'Okay, if I lose my ride, then the next day I've lost my job, I've lost my house,' then you wind up in dire straits."

Altom explains that a lack of transportation also makes it hard to tend to health needs and interact with family and friends. Solutions include mass transportation and coordination of services on a smaller scale, such as vans.

Altom says some transportation options are available in rural areas, but they're often limited or only operate to the county line. He points out that collaboration can address such limitations.

"We need to have those folks say, 'Well, I can only go to this county line, will you meet me at this county line?' They're working on getting transportation services that will coordinate with each other."

He adds that transportation providers and residents also need to have a voice in the next federal transportation bill, which he hopes will cover a six-year period.

"If you just do a two-year bill and you're trying to coordinate programs, by the time regulations and stuff come out of the feds, we're two years in and we haven't done anything. If we can spread it out into six years, I think we'll be much better off."

Only 6 percent of federal transit funding goes to support rural areas, Altom points out, yet 25 percent of Americans live in the countryside.

Deb Courson Smith reporting, nmnc@newsservice.org

Nationally Recognized Interactive Exhibit Kicks off Early Childhood Day at the Roundhouse

From New Mexico Voices for Children
ALBUQUERQUE—The Invest in US exhibit, a project of the First Five Years Fund, will arrive in Santa Fe on September 7, 2011, to kick off Early Childhood Day at the State Capitol.  The exhibit features a multi-media interactive display providing a traveling educational experience, introducing visitors to the scientific and economic research that makes the case for early learning.

The exhibit features five interactive stations that allow users to: 
Learn from Dr. Jack Shonkoff's research on early brain development
Hear Dr. James Heckman explain early learning's return on investment
Visit a classroom to see the impact of well-trained teachers and caregivers
Explore the benefits of several models highlighted as evidence-based programs
Take a quiz to understand key federal funding streams 

The Invest in US exhibit is hosted in New Mexico by 22 local organizations that advocate for a high-quality, fully funded early childhood care and education system in the state. 

WHAT: Interactive Invest in US Early Childhood Exhibit
WHEN: Sept. 7 and 8, 2011, from 10 am to 5 pm
RECEPTION with breakfast burritos: Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 10 am
WHERE: New Mexico State Capitol (West Lobby)NOTE:

The exhibit is also on display Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Wool Warehouse in Albuquerque, 3-7pm; reception at 5:30pm.

Sharon Kayne reporting SKayne@nmvoices.org

CLERK’S VOTING CONVENIENCE CENTER PROPOSAL TO DEBUT BEFORE PUBLIC

From the Bernalillo County Clerk's  Office

Albuquerque, NM - Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver is rolling out her proposal that the Bernalillo County Commission implement Voting Convenience Centers (VCC) in lieu of precinct specific locations for the Primary and General Elections in 2012. “Legislation was passed last year to allow all Clerks in New Mexico the option of implementing Voting Convenience Centers,” says Clerk Toulouse Oliver. “My staff and I have prepared a detailed proposal and we are seeking input from the public in an effort to make certain that we have incorporated all essential elements.”  “Our analysis shows that VCCs will be more convenient while cutting costs for county taxpayers and voters. 

"The 65 locations will be strategically located throughout the City and County and will be easily accessible. Having 65 locations instead of the traditional  172 on election day will cut down significantly on manpower and supplies, resulting in a potential savings of upward of $1 million dollars,” says Clerk Toulouse Oliver. “More and more voters are taking advantage of Early Voting and VCCs are a logical extension.” 

Comments, questions or concerns can be sent via e-mail to votingconvenience@bernco.gov or by calling 468-1291.

The Clerk will host a public forum to present the proposal on Thursday, September 22, 2011 beginning at 6:00 pm in the Chambers at One Civic Plaza, NW. 
The proposal will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners for final approval in October.
The proposal can be found here: http://www.bernco.gov/Clerks-Voting-Convenience-Centers/

Liz Hamm reporting

New Report: Federal Revenue Will More Than Cover NM’s Medicaid Expansion Costs

from New Mexico Voices for Children
Revenue from health care reform will bring in millions more in tax revenue than state will spend

ALBUQUERQUE—New Mexico will come out millions of dollars ahead when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is fully implemented in 2014. The Act expands Medicaid to cover more New Mexicans and that has had some state officials worried about the extra cost. But a new report, set for release tomorrow by New Mexico Voices for Children, shows that the state will take in far more money in new tax revenue than it will be required to spend.                                   

The new tax revenue will be the result of the economic activity that will be created by the influx of federal dollars. The extent of the new economic activity—including the number of jobs it is estimated to create—is laid out in a companion report, “The Economic Benefits of Health Care Reform in New Mexico,” which NM Voices released earlier this summer. This report is available online at http://www.nmvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/econ-benefits-of-aca-8-11-update.pdf

The new report, “The Tax Revenue Benefits of Health Care Reform in New Mexico,” will be released Friday when the report’s author testifies for the Legislature’s Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy (RSTP) Committee meeting.

WHAT: RSTP Committee testimony and report release
WHEN: 9:30 am, Friday, August 26, 2011
WHERE: Mid Region Council of Governments Building, Board Room, 809 Copper Ave. NW, Albuquerque
WHO: Kelly O’Donnell, Ph.D. (report author) and Bill Jordan

FCC Report: Broadband Economy Leaves Many New Mexicans Stranded

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM – In its annual checkup of the deployment of broadband across the nation, the Federal Communications Commission says despite progress, more needs to be done to get 26 million Americans, mostly in rural communities, access to high-speed Internet. More than 440 thousand in New Mexico don't have that access. Sharon Gillett, Chief of the Wireline Competition Bureau of the FCC, says those numbers illustrate the lag in expanding broadband.

A new report by the Federal Communications Commission says job opportunities will elude millions of mostly rural Americans because they lack access to high-speed Internet. And New Mexicans lack that access at a rate almost three times national average – affecting more than 440-thousand. Sharon Gillett in the Wireline Competition Bureau at the FCC says progress in broadband deployment has been made across the nation, but a hefty workload remains – especially in rural areas,  "We need to continue with our reforms to ensure that everybody gets broadband. We still have 26 million people without the standard level of broadband service in the country and that’s too many. We need to close that gap."

The FCC is looking to more public and private partnerships to ramp up access…like what was done with telephone service. The agency believes reforming the Universal Service Fund will also help to extend high-speed Internet to underserved areas.

According to the FCC report, 22-percent of New Mexicans live in areas without broadband availability. Where broadband is available, the FCC discovered another hurdle – not everyone wants to subscribe, so Gillett says digital literacy projects are important,  "Often it’s cost, but not always. Sometimes they just don’t believe it’s relevant in their lives. But, there are many who aren’t subscribing that we also view broadband adoption as an issue that we definitely need to be working on."

Deborah Smith reporting, nmnc@newsservice.org

Federal Budget Cuts Next up for New Mexico?

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Farmington, NM - Several New Mexicans are in Washington, D.C., this week to raise the red flag about the impacts of federal budget cuts. Sara Kaynor, executive director of ECHO, Inc., has insights on how the cuts could hit home.

A handful of New Mexicans who work with programs that assist seniors and low-income households in the Land of Enchantment are in Washington, DC to sound alarm bells about the impact of budget cuts now being debated in Congress. The House budget makes significant cuts to job training, energy assistance, Head Start, senior housing and nutrition programs. ECHO is a anti-hunger organization in the northern part of the state that would be hit. Executive Director Sara Kaynor says they provide a supplemental food box each month to meet the nutritional needs of young children, pregnant and post-partum women, and seniors, "It really is a double bang for the buck, in that people get nutritious food and still have available dollars for other necessities, whether it's rent, or utilities ,or doctor bills."

Kaynor says the program could be facing as much as an 11-percent cut at the federal level, which would have a particularly large impact in New Mexico due to the large distances that must be traveled to reach numerous rural locations. New Mexico service providers are attending a meeting in Washington sponsored by the family advocacy group Wider Opportunities for Women.

Echo also runs a housing program in San Juan County that helps working families afford a home. She says that program could also lose funding, which would have a ripple effect in the community, "We know that we're pretty much the main work for about 65 subcontractors, so the economic benefit for the entire community is really great."

A leading economist, Mark Zandi of Moody's, projects a loss of 700-thousand jobs nationwide if the most recent House spending bill for fiscal year 2011 (HR1) is enacted.
Eric Mack reporting, nmnc@newsservice.org

All Things Considered: No Love for "Car Talk," Educational Programs

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico

Public Media in New Mexico Threatened with Congressional Budget Axe

Washington, D.C. - Despite public media having the most politically and geographically diverse audience in the country, some members of Congress are looking to pull the plug...again. There are six new bills on Capitol Hill that would cut funding for NPR, PBS and other public media.

Although it's the only source of local information for residents in many parts of rural New Mexico, some members of the new Congress have 'no love' for public media. If they have their way, the "on-air" lights could dim at thousands of public television and radio stations around the country, including those that serve places like Portales and the Navajo Nation. There are currently six bills that propose cutting all funding for NPR, PBS and other public media...and Congress could vote on some of them as early as this week. These kinds of cuts have been threatened before, but media watchers say the news industry is especially vulnerable today. Josh Stearns advocates for media freedom and reform with Free Press Action Fund, "We need journalists that are going to be dedicated to that public service mission of journalism. Our public media is our media. It's a national resource, just like our national parks."

Stearns sees the cuts as a threat to First Amendment free speech rights. And, according to his organization's research, 30-thousand journalists have lost their jobs in the last three years and cuts have seriously reduced the amount of local news coverage on many radio and television outlets across New Mexico.

Critics of public media say the system is no longer needed, because technology has made more programs available to more people. But Stearns believes it's critical to keep the system intact, when newsroom consolidation is reducing the depth and variety of coverage,  "This attack on public media right now is really an attack on our First Amendment, and it will hurt those communities for whom public broadcasting is the main source of local and national news."

Public broadcasting funding amounts to a yearly cost of about a dollar-thirty per person in the United States. By comparison, the US spends almost 20 dollars a year per person to subsidize ethanol production. More than 70-percent of public media funding goes to local stations. Stearns says budget cuts could have the greatest impact on stations in rural areas, and urges communities to take action, "Stand up for public media – to ensure that these cuts don't eliminate public media, just for the sake of playing political games."

The Free Press Action Fund has launched an online letter-writing campaign to members of Congress, and says it is also beginning a call-in campaign to support public media. For more information ab out the Free Press Action Fund visit http://www.freepress.net/
Eric Mack reporting, nmnc@newsservice.org

Editor's Note: To view the petition which is being sent to members of Congress go to http://act2.freepress.net/sign/npr_congress?rd=1&t=1&referring_akid=2286.9551139.EWQlUx 

Kids Count: NM Kids Need Help, Starting With the Youngest

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Santa Fe - The new "Kids Count" report is out and it finds New Mexico kids face real challenges to growing up healthy and ready to achieve success. Christine Hollis, Kids Count Director at New Mexico Voices for Children, says there are ways to improve the grim statistics.

The report shows the Land of Enchantment is still a tough place to grow up. Over a quarter of children live in poverty, and one-in-five have no health insurance. Hollis says lawmakers, and the state, can take steps to improve the situation, and the best place to start is with programs for our youngest children, "We can build and support high-quality early education for children, and that includes programs such as prenatal care, home-visiting programs, child care assistance and pre-K programs."

The new report was released at an event at the State Capitol rotunda and in conjunction with another report that details community conversations held across the state which found New Mexicans share significant common ground when it comes to valuing early education, and finding ways to pay for it. Hollis says early education programs prepare students for kindergarten and elementary grades.  Early intervention also can make a dent in other areas and "Helps lead to an increase in reading proficiency by third grade, an increase in high school graduation rates, and increasing the number of children who go on to college."

The Kids Count report found that currently less than half of New Mexico children attend a preschool program, only one out of every five can read proficiently by 4th grade, and a third don't graduate from high school.  Hollis says it's important that early education programs be universally available and affordable, because the statistics for minority children in New Mexico are often even more grim,  "In our state, we just really have to take steps to address sort of racial and ethnic disparities." Already, according to Hollis, Maryland has succeeded in reducing racial and ethnic disparities by improving early education programs and connecting them to kindergarten and the early grades.

For more on the reports visit http://nmvoices.org .
Eric Mack reporting, nmnc@newsservice.org

NM Baby Boomers Reaching Retirement Age

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Santa Fe – The first baby boomers hit 65 on January first, and experts say Social Security should be able to handle the wave. Baby boomers in the Land of Enchantment begin becoming eligible to retire this year, but many say they'll keep right on working.

The first wave of the baby boom generation, born in 1946, officially hits retirement age as of January first. While retiring at a rate of about seven-thousand per day nationwide, the impact on Social Security won't be felt all at once - according to Sam Wilson with AARP. He says their surveys show not all boomers will head to the sidelines,   "You know, about half of them do plan to retire, but then there's another third of them that are going to continue to work just as though nothing happens when they turn 65." He added, "You have about 40 percent of folks, that even if they are not working full time, say that they plan to work until they quote unquote 'drop.' "

A Widener University study of baby boomers found 66-percent of working individuals were either "very worried" or "somewhat worried" about spending all their money on health care. More than seven out of ten indicated they may work longer, if for no other reason than to continue to receive medical benefits.

Wilson says even though retirement numbers will rise with the baby boomers, the trustees' report from Social Security indicates the program is fiscally solvent until the 2030s.  He says baby boomers are different than those who retired before them, "This is a generation which is healthier and wealthier than previous generations. And although the last few years have certainly had a hit on people's nest eggs, we have folks who are planning to live until they're 85, 88, those are sort of the mean ages that they expect to live to."
Eric Mack reporting, nmnc@newsservice.org

New FCC Rules on an Open Internet Called "Fake"

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Albuquerque – The Federal Communications Commission approved new rules Tuesday meant to protect an 'open Internet,' but many of those who were pushing for rules that prevent telecom and network companies from being able to block, slow or prioritize different kinds of traffic online, say they're disappointed. In fact, some groups have even declared the 'Open Internet' rules to be a "fake." That's because they protect the wired Internet, but not fast-growing wireless or mobile networks. Even FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, who voted for the new rules, has voiced concerns that the regulations do not provide a level playing field for all users, "An open Internet should be available to all end-users: residential, enterprise, for profit or not."

Clyburn specifically outlined the potential impact the rules could have on communities of color, which are more likely to use the mobile internet for everything from work, to keeping in touch with family. Telecom companies say the rules shouldn't apply to mobile networks because bandwidth is more limited, and they need to be able to manage traffic to provide the best service.

Andrea Quijada, executive director of Albuquerque-based Media Literacy Project, says the rules are devastating to New Mexico's rural and low-income communities, "We know that these are communities that are more likely to access the Internet on a cell phone than anywhere else. When we have less protection for wireless users than for wired Internet users, there's discrimination taking place, and we don't think that's right."

Many groups that support an open Internet were disappointed in the significant role that corporations like Verizon played in crafting the new rules meant to regulate them. It's widely expected that the battle will now move to the courts, with challenges planned by both corporations and consumer groups.

For more on the new rules, including statements from each commissioner go to www.fcc.gov

Eric Mack reporting, nmnc@newsservice.org