Steve

Kagi AI Summary:
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has unveiled her proposed executive budget for the upcoming legislative session, emphasizing investments in early childhood education, clean energy, infrastructure, affordable housing, and expanded healthcare access. The budget reflects a commitment to building a stronger foundation for New Mexicans and aims to foster collaboration with state lawmakers. The Legislative Finance Committee recently indicated that the legislature will have $892 million in new funds available for appropriations, contributing to a total General Fund of $10.944 billion for fiscal year 26, starting July 1, 2025.

Lujan Grisham's proposal includes reserves of $3.33 billion, representing 30.4% of the budget, and outlines significant allocations across various departments: $4.56 billion for Public Education, $2.2 billion for Health Care, and $1.4 billion for Higher Education, among others. Additionally, the budget proposes $172 million for state employee pay raises, inclusive of educators. The early release of the budget is intended to promote transparency and trust, allowing ample time for public review before the legislative session begins on January 21.

Kagi AI Summary:
Strong Towns ABQ, an anti-sprawl advocacy group, reflects on its inaugural year marked by both achievements and disappointments, primarily citing the Albuquerque City Council's failure to effectively tackle the affordable housing crisis. Brandi Thompson, the group's committee coordination chair, expresses frustration with councilors' resistance to zoning changes, which the group believes are essential for addressing housing shortages. The organization has gained traction since its launch in November 2023, increasing its presence at City Council meetings and hosting public events focused on community-building initiatives.

Thompson highlights the disappointment over the defeat of a duplex bill and the council's lack of action regarding homelessness, criticizing councilors for prioritizing political gain over addressing community needs. Despite these setbacks, the group celebrates its success in engaging a diverse audience in civic discussions, encouraging participation from younger generations and various backgrounds.

For 2025, Strong Towns ABQ plans to continue advocating for five key campaigns, including incremental housing solutions, halting highway expansion, and promoting transparent local governance. Additionally, the group aims to pursue nonprofit status to enhance its outreach and funding opportunities.

To my mind, Ban has always meant permanent.
"You're banned from this place! You'll never be allowed in again!"

While I've always thought of Suspend as being temporary.
"You're being suspended from school for 1 week, over fighting."

Ban:

1. to prohibit especially by legal means
2. bar entry

Suspend:

1. to debar temporarily especially from a privilege, office, or function
2. a: to cause to stop temporarily
   b: to set aside or make temporarily inoperative
3. to defer to a later time on specified conditions
4. to hold in an undetermined or undecided state awaiting further information

When I hear someone mention they were banned my reaction is: "Holy shit! WTF did you do to earn that!" Then I find out it was only for a day or three: "Oh... That's not a Ban! That's minor. Go touch grass. You'll be fine."

I've been banned from subreddits and communities a few times. At least once I never even noticed because it was so short.

How is it a Ban if I didn't even notice?

Why did Ban in online forums and games, come to mean temporary?

Is it simply an example of the intensification of language? To make something mundane, seem more severe than it is?

Does it bother anyone else? Or am I alone here?

I'm genuinely curious about peoples thoughts on this.

It made sense for a while. But the branding change was 16 months ago. The URI change was 3 months ago. Everybody knows now what X is. Yet for some reason, I still see in news stories today:
"... on X — formerly known as Twitter — and said ..."
I really don't think that's needed anymore. But I'm always one to want changes as fast and painless as possible.

So what do you think would be an appropriate amount of time to keep reminding everyone that Twitter is now X?
Months?
Years?
How many?

New Mexico’s Open Meetings Act requires public bodies to conduct their business out in the open. But after watching this week’s City Council meeting, reporter Elizabeth McCall discovered councilors may have violated that law when discussing a potential lawsuit. Find out more about what a local transparency expert has to say about all of it and what the council was actually discussing behind closed doors in today’s featured story.

With election season underway, Bernalillo County voters are being asked to consider six bond questions that could lead to $40.5 million in capital projects.

It then goes on about what many of them are.

Alex Bukoski, a spokesperson for the department, told City Desk ABQ there are nearly 2,000 outstanding requests for either residential trash can repairs or replacements.

“The problem is certainly there and we acknowledge it, but there are a lot of plans in place for not only building back our supply, but also building up the team of how we’re going to be more efficient and work on that,” Bukoski said.

Complicating things is the 4,500 trash cans and 1,300 trash can lids Bukoski said are on backorder from a manufacturer. He said the order should be in by early November.

Kagi AI summery:
Cards Against Humanity (CAH) is suing SpaceX for allegedly taking over a plot of land on the US/Mexico border that CAH purchased in 2017 to prevent the construction of Trump's border wall. CAH claims it maintained the land but SpaceX later moved construction equipment and materials onto the property without permission. The lawsuit seeks up to $15 million in damages to restore the land and cover losses, and also requests punitive damages. CAH says SpaceX never asked for permission to use the property and never apologized for the damage. The lawsuit includes before and after photos purporting to show SpaceX's use of the land.

And CAH's website all about it

Kagi AI Summary:
The document discusses the recent court ruling that Google's search business is a monopoly. It explains Google's search architecture, including the search index, search engine, and advertising business, and how this has created a powerful self-reinforcing cycle. While Google has innovated and provided valuable services, the document argues the ad-based model has led to misaligned incentives and harm to users through biased and low-quality search results. To address this, the document proposes treating Google's search index as an essential facility, allowing fair access and enabling more diverse search experiences and business models. This could foster innovation, competition, and better outcomes for consumers without attacking Google's core business.

Kagi AI Summary:
The South San Pedro Neighborhood Association in Albuquerque is focusing on housing solutions and services for those experiencing homelessness, which is less common for neighborhood associations. The association formed a housing solutions committee to address homelessness and advocate for more affordable housing options. While safe outdoor campsites had some initial support, the idea has lost traction in recent years. The association's chair Tawnya Mullen believes the neighborhood should get involved to help their vulnerable neighbors, and that positive change can come when neighbors work together. Other neighborhood associations like Fair West have been inspired by South San Pedro's efforts to find community-driven solutions.

The whole thing is worth a read. It's so nice to see some YIMBYs

Kagi AI Summery: The document announces that improvements to I-25 between Comanche and Montgomery in the United States will begin next month. The improvements will involve work on the interstate highway. The project aims to enhance the road infrastructure in that area. No additional details about the specific nature of the improvements are provided. The document serves as a brief announcement of the upcoming construction project on I-25.

I didn't expect an AI to point out how little info there is. That's impressively bad for The ABQ Journal. But at least it's a warning of construction that might slow things down.