First Democrat elected to state’s Senate since 1988

Nearly a week after election day, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won the Arizona Senate seat Nov. 12, defeating Republican candidate Martha McSally.

The race was officially called after a tight run between Sinema and McSally. Sinema won by about 1.7 percentage points.

This is the first Democratic win for an open Senate seat in Arizona since 1976. Sinema, a former social worker, is Arizona’s first female senator and the first Democrat elected by the state’s Senate in 30 years.

All eyes are on Governor-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham.

With about two months until the legislative session starts and just weeks until she takes office, speculation and rumors about how she’ll run the state are growing. Lujan Grisham will appoint new department heads for the state agencies, but she has another list of important appointments to make shortly after taking office.

Lujan Grisham will also have to fill state judicial vacancies and a New Mexico Senate seat in southern New Mexico as she takes office in January. During her campaign, Lujan Grisham also said she would like to see all new members of the University of New Mexico Board of Regents.

Judicial seats

Earlier this...

President and Speaker advocate continuing operation of Navajo Generating Station

WASHINGTON D.C. — Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and Speaker LoRenzo Bates of the 23rd Navajo Nation Council met with top White House officials Nov. 14 to advocate and reaffirm their support for the continued operations of the Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine.

Recently, Begaye and Bates directed Navajo Transitional Energy Company to explore options for the potential purchase of NGS and the continued operation of Kayenta Mine beyond 2019.

NTEC is a for-profit entity wholly owned by the Navajo Nation. It owns the Navajo Mine and holds a seven-percent ownership interest in the Four...

The Gallup City Council discussed Resolution No. R2018-27, which opposes the rail transportation of nuclear waste through Gallup, at its Sept. 25 regular meeting.

City Attorney Curtis Hayes said energy industry supplier Holtec International has applied with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to store radioactive waste in a temporary underground storage facility in Lea County.

This facility would hold waste for up to 40 years, and would do so until a permanent storage location is identified and built.

Public hearings were held by the NRC on the matter, including one in Gallup on May 21. The public comment period closed July 31.

Hayes said five New Mexico cities and...