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- 2010 Year In Review
- Jan 2:
- Juarez has record drug killings in '10 (9:06 a.m.)
- Despite off-key year, 2010 had musical moments
- Winds of change blowing in arts, entertainment scene
- Betty White voted AP entertainer of the year
- Trojans triumphant title run highlights 2010
- Games to remember: The top performances from 2010
- Las Cruces Style: Sing in the New Year
- Top teams: The clubs that came together to make a difference
- Sports personalities: The names and faces that shaped our year
- Jan 1:
- 2010 brought many changes
- Election, economy marked the year
- Bidding farewell to those who impacted the community
- 2010 Year in Review: Catching up on last year's headline makers
- 2010 Year in Review: Public salaries created most online traffic
- 2010 opening of convention center points the way to 2011
Sun-News Staff/wire report
ALBUQUERQUE - Susana Martinez's election as New Mexico's first woman governor - and the first Hispanic female governor anywhere in the United States - was the state's top story of 2010. But closer to home, a headline grabber was the official runway dedication at Spaceport America on Oct. 22.
Sir Richard Branson, NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and others gathered to dedicate the completed 10,000-foot runway as the "Governor Bill Richardson Spaceway" at Spaceport America.
Hundreds of people looked on as Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo aircraft flew over the event, carrying the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft in a captive-carry position. After making several passes over the crowd, the ship landed on the newly dedicated spaceway.
About 60 future Virgin Galactic astronauts toured Spaceport America 's Terminal Hangar Facility, an iconic building that will meet the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards when completed.
History maker
Martinez, the Republican district attorney in Do a Ana County, defeated Democratic Lt. Gov. Diane Denish in the November general election.
The state's $400 million budget deficit will become a priority for the incoming Martinez administration. Only days after her election victory, Martinez learned the figure had increased from an estimated $200 million during the campaign.
She said the challenge of balancing the budget will require a
"We must do more than just change the party in power if we're going to set a new course in New Mexico," Martinez said on election night. "We must work across party lines - Republicans and Democrats - to move our state forward. We have a lot of work to do."
According to results of voting by Associated Press newspaper and broadcast members around the state, campaign coverage and election night results dominated the news this year.
GOP inroads
The New Mexico congressional races were contested amid a national mood that favored Republicans as they seized control of the U.S. House.
In southern New Mexico's sprawling congressional district, former Rep. Steve Pearce won back his old job by beating incumbent Democratic Rep. Harry Teague.
The state's two other first-term Democrats fared better: Rep. Ben Ray Lujan defended his northern New Mexico seat against GOP challenger Tom Mullins, and Rep. Martin Heinrich retained the Albuquerque-area seat over Republican Jon Barela.
In state-level campaigns, Republicans made big gains in the New Mexico House, winning eight legislative races to trim the Democrats' majority to 37-33 and alter the political landscape in Santa Fe as Martinez takes over for the term-limited Richardson.
Crime news
The headlines in New Mexico in 2010 also featured prominent crime stories and federal investigations.
Two Arizona prison escapees and a woman accused of helping them were indicted on capital murder and carjacking charges in the deaths of an Oklahoma couple near Santa Rosa. The victims were on a camping trip to Colorado and encountered the escapees at a rest stop.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth Gonzales said Gary and Linda Haas simply were "two people on vacation who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
In Farmington, a case that shocked the community became the first in the nation to be prosecuted under a new federal law expanding civil rights protections after three men were accused of branding a swastika on a developmentally disabled Navajo man.
Former Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist Leonardo Mascheroni and his wife were arrested and charged with offering to help develop a nuclear weapon for Venezuela during their dealings with an undercover FBI agent who was posing as a representative of the Venezuelan government.
Balloon deaths
In the fall, New Mexico's close-knit ballooning community confronted a tragedy after acclaimed balloonists Richard Abruzzo of Albuquerque and Carol Rymer Davis of Denver died when their gas balloon crashed into the Adriatic Sea during the Gordon Bennett race.
Driver's license policy
Finally, an Associated Press analysis showed New Mexico, Washington and Utah - states that issue driver's licenses to foreign nationals - reported a surge in immigrants seeking licenses. Experts attributed the trend to immigration crackdowns in Arizona and elsewhere.
