Governor Richardson on Trade Mission to Cuba

Governor Bill Richardson is traveling to Havana, Cuba, today as part of a trade mission designed to capitalize on potential agricultural and cultural partnerships between Cuba and New Mexico. The delegation will market New Mexico agricultural products and plant the seeds for possible cultural exchanges in the future.

The mission’s primary objective will be to promote the sale of New Mexico agricultural products. Under a provision of the US Treasury Department Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), states are authorized to sell agricultural, medical and IT products in Cuba on a cash basis. Since 2000, a total of 42 other states have participated in similar trade missions to Cuba with total sales of more than $3 billion. The mission will include meetings with officials from Alimport, which is the Cuban Government agency responsible for agricultural commerce.

Accompanying Gov. Richardson to Cuba will be state Agriculture Department Secretary Miley Gonzalez, Cultural Affairs Secretary Stuart Ashman, Katherine Miller, Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration, and Gilbert Gallegos, the Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff.

Governor Richardson is paying for all of his own expenses during the trip. The delegation will return to New Mexico on Friday.

This will be New Mexico’s third mission to Cuba to promote its agricultural goods. The first took place in 2007 and was led by then-Congressman Tom Udall; the second in 2008 led by Cultural Affairs Secretary Ashman.

The Art Museum at the National Hispanic Cultural Center is bringing a major exhibition on contemporary Cuban art to New Mexico. Confluencias Inside: Arte Cubano Contemporáneo provides an exciting overview of what is happening now with significant Cuban artists and various media. The exhibition, which opens at the NHCC on September 13 and runs through May 16, 2010, includes approximately 100 works by 40 artists working inside Cuba.

This Week: Lt. Governor Diane Denish Hits the Road; APD Chief Ray Schultz Says West Side Gravesite Dig Nearly Complete & We Have More Surgery.

It's been a little while since we posted bonus audio on the blog.

We've always wanted this to be a forum to run extended audio clips from our one-on-one talks with local and regional news makers.

During the week, the radio reports we file, at 770KKOB, are limited to less than a minute and usually only have time for one or two :08 to :12 second soundbites. We know you want to hear it all in context.

Today, we're posting two extended audio clips for you to hear. The first is with Lt. Governor Diane Denish. She outlines her rural economic recovery initiative rolling out this week.

The second audio clip, you must listen to if you've been following the tragedy of all the missing women found on the West Side.

Albuquerque Police Ray Schultz told us he expects investigators will complete their digging on the Westside graveyard sometime this week.

We're putting up two because we'll be back in the hospital on Monday for another ERCP, and then off the beat for a day or two. Hopefully, we'll be back to 100% after Monday's expensive trip to Lovelace.

Help Coming To Rural Areas to Access Federal Grant Monies.

Photo: MG Bralley
Lieutenant Governor Denish is launching a rural economic recovery initiative today. Denish, a product of a small southeastern town, Hobbs, New Mexico, wants to make sure rural New Mexico Communities get their fair share of a $74 Billion Economic Recovery Initiative.

“We are all facing difficult economic times. Families in every corner of New Mexico are hurting. Often it is the smaller communities that are hit the hardest,” said Denish. “Creating Jobs and brining economic development to every corner of the state is my top priority."

Listen Here

Note: Denish says $74-million dollars on the tape, but corrected herself after the news conference. It is Billions.

The Federal money contains three sources of aid to communities. Once source will be available through community grants. Denish says the money can be used to improve the plight of small towns during this economic turndown and wants to make sure government leaders, tribal governments, universities, and non-profit organization know how to apply for community grants.

On Monday, Denish will visit Cuba and Aztec. Tuesday, she’ll visit Farmington and Gallup. On Wednesday she’ll visit tribal leaders in Grants.


Last week, on Friday, Denish hosted a community meeting with advocacy groups, the media and law enforcement to determine how the groups can work together to help identify and find missing adults. Denish is proposing an adult style Amber-Alert System.

Photo: MG Bralley
After the meeting, we stuck behind, and talked with Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz. He told us, he expects investigators to complete their field work at the West Side grave site, where 14 bodies, including a fetus, have been unearthed since February. Schultz says he agrees in issuing AMP Alerts in some cases, if it's determined a missing adult is truly endangered. He even referenced how a similar system was successful in helping to locate the Runaway Bride, Jennifer Carol Wilbanks, in Albuquerque almost four years ago, in April 2005.

Listen Here

Schultz told us he expects that the case will be solved, but that it could take time. Schultz says when he started the task force for the mesa murder mystery case he deliberately picked some of his youngest and brightest detectives to work on the case alongside experienced investigators.

Surprisingly, the top law enforcement officer in Bernalillo County, Republican Sheriff Darren White was not invited to the meeting hosted by Democrat Diane Denish.

KOB TV's Investigative Reporter Jeremey Jojola has been chronicling the mesa murder mystery here. Also check out his personal website here.

Photos: MG Bralley