Ohio State was able to survive the upset bid by Iowa State and advance to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

The Buckeyes were able to hold off the Cyclones charge thanks in large part to shooting 50 percent from beyond the three-point arc. It was actually a last second three-point shot by Aaron Craft that allowed OSU to move on in the tournament.

Had the Cyclones managed to pull off the upset, they hardly would have been alone. The section of the bracket that the two teams are in has especially seen a ton of lower seeds knocking off the higher seeded teams.

The Western portion of the bracket has seen Gonzaga (1), New Mexico (3), Kansas State (4), Wisconsin (5), Notre Dame (7), and Pittsburgh (8) all lose to lower seeded teams and fail to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

Ohio State and Arizona are the only two higher seeds that have managed to take care of business in both of their games. The three pointer that Craft managed to hit was the only one he hit today, despite the fact that the team as a whole was 9 for 18 from three-point land.

Before that Craft had been struggling, shooting just 4 for 9 from the field including a key missed jumped with about 30 seconds to go in the game.

For Iowa State, Korey Lucious did his best to help the team win. Lucious hit 5 of 7 three point attempts and finished with 19 points. Iowa State looked like it might be yet another Cinderella team after they beat Notre Dame in their first game and fell just short of yet another upset victory today.

With the win, the Buckeyes will take on Arizona next week in the only  matchup that will feature the two single digit seeds in the western side of the bracket.

Can Ohio State make some noise in the rest of the NCAA Tournament?

Ohio State Survives Upset Bid By Iowa State is a post from: The Inquisitr

Harvard University pulled off a historic upset Thursday night beating the No.3 ranked New Mexico 68-62 in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore guard Wesley Saunders led the way for Harvard scoring 18 points, and Laurent Rivard netted 17 — hitting 5-of-9 3-pointers — as the 14th-seeded Crimson held their own down low against the bigger Lobos to secure the school’s first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament.

“This is the type of thing you dream about when you’re in your backyard playing around,” guard Wesley Saunders said in a post game conference. “For it to actually happen now is incredible.”

As for New Mexico, the team struggled shooting the ball and finished just 37.5 percent from the field for the night.

While the Lobos big men held their own in the paint (Alex Kirk and Cameron Bairstow combined for 37 points and 21 rebounds), the perimeter players failed to step up when the team needed them the most.

New Mexico’s three starting guards (Kendall Williams, Hugh Greenwood and Tony Snell) went 5-for-21 from the field on the night, and combined for just 17 points.

“We’ve dodged this bullet a lot this year by having bad shooting nights and (were) still able to get wins,” New Mexico coach Steve Alford said after his team’s loss. “We weren’t able to dodge that bullet tonight.”

After the game, NBA guard Jeremy Lin, a Harvard alumn, took to Twitter to rejoice over his alma mater’s stunning upset.

YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!! HARVARD winssss!!! hahahahhah i told you…. #threepointgoggles #bracketbusters twitter.com/JLin7/status/3…

— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) March 22, 2013

According to ESPN, only 5.6 percent (just over 450,000) of the 8.15 million Tournament Challenge brackets picked 14-seed Harvard to beat 3-seed New Mexico.

The Harvard basketball team (20-9) will attempt to keep the momentum going when they face sixth-seeded Arizona on Saturday.

Check out highlights from Harvard’s stunning upset over New Mexico below:

Harvard Basketball Team Upsets New Mexico, Starts Destruction Of 2013 NCAA Tournament Brackets is a post from: The Inquisitr

Albuquerque, NM — A New Mexico man has posted a YouTube video of himself apparently fatally shooting a horse in the head. Before he pulls the trigger of his pistol at point blank range, he says,  “All you animal activists, f*** you.”

The man in the video is identified in various news accounts as Tim Sappington, a maintenance contractor for a company that is seeking federal approval to open a horse slaughterhouse in New Mexico, which would be the first such facility in the US since 2007.  Sappington is apparently a proponent of eating horse meat.

Authorities are now investigating the incident as a case of  alleged animal cruelty, and even the FBI has reportedly gotten involved. A search warrant was executed at his Sappington’s home yesterday in connection with the probe.

The company, Valley Meat Co. of Roswell, says it has nothing to do with the video and that Sappington allegedly shot the horse on his own time and on his own property rather than on company property. Since it hit YouTube, the firm has received death threats.

“I didn’t have anything to do with that video, that’s the honest truth, but like I said, people will make assumptions,” co-owner Rick De Los Santos said. De Los Santos added that “He shot a horse, that’s what he eats, it’s not against the law to slaughter your own horse. Now, putting it on YouTube, I would not have done that.”

In a separate media account, Sappington recently claimed that he is a fan of horse meat and that he’s been eating it for years.

Animal rights groups as well as Gov. Susana Martinez are trying to stop the plant from obtaining federal government approval to slaughter horses.

Warning: This video of the horse being shot in the head and killed allegedly by Tim Sappington is very disturbing:

New Mexico Man Shoots Horse In Head, Says F*** You To Animal Activists [Shocking Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Albuquerque, NM – A Breaking Bad actor has taken a seat on a New Mexico school board.

Steven Michael Quezada is scheduled to be sworn in on the school board in Albuquerque on Wednesday (March 6). The actor reportedly won a seat on the school board after running unopposed for the position last month.

According to The Associated Press, three of Quezada’s four children attend the Public Academy for the Performing Arts. The actor has been an active member on the governing board for over three years.

Steven Michael Quezada now has a seat on Albuquerque’s District five school board. The Epoch times explains the actor intends to help the students who may not be getting the attention they deserve from schools in New Mexico.

Quezada said:

“A lot of kids fall through the cracks because they’re not good at history … they’re not good at math, or they’re not good at English. So, we lose those kids because there’s no interest to go to school anymore.”

According to NBC News, the actor wants to put a focus on promoting art programs, encouraging more charter schools, and shrinking the average class size.

Quezada added:

“We’re hurting out here and we need people who can go out and engage our community. I think it’s my destiny to do that. I want to protect the performing and visual arts because they’re always the first to get cut. Art curriculum can be used as a way to educate.”

When the actor isn’t preparing for his work on the New Mexico school board, Quezada can be found in the hit AMC series Breaking Bad. The actor tackled the role of federal DEA agent Steven Gomez on the show. The fifth and final season is expected to air this summer.

The Breaking Bad alum is currently the host of the program The After After Party with Steven Michael Quezada. He also serves as the show’s executive producer.

Are you a fan of Steven Michael Quezada? How do you feel about the actor winning a seat on the school board in New Mexico?

[Image by Internet Movie Database]

Actor Takes Seat On School Board In New Mexico is a post from: The Inquisitr

The New Mexico teenager who used an assault rifle to kill five of his family members told police that he planned on going to a Walmart and randomly shoot people.

According to ABC News, after 15-year-old Nehemiah Griego killed his mother, he sent a picture of his dead mother to his 12-year-old girlfriend and then spent most of Saturday with her and her family.

Later that evening, Griego went to the church where his father used to pastor and confessed that he had killed his parents and three younger siblings.

The massacre was a result of a family dispute.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston said:

“The motive, as articulated by the suspect, was purely that he was frustrated with his mother. He did not give any further explanation.”

Houston says that Griego had been planning the shootings for at least a week, but it is still unclear on whether or not he actually intended on going to Walmart or not.

According to CNN, the killings began around 1 a.m. when Griego shot and killed his mother, Sarah Griego, while she slept. The gun fire woke up his 9-year-old brother Zephania who was asleep next to her.

When Griego told Zephania that he had killed their mother, that affidavit stated:

“Nehemiah stated his brother did not believe him. So Nehemiah picked up his mother’s head to show his brother her bloody face. Nehemiah stated his brother became upset, so he shot his brother in the head with the same rifle used to kill his mother.”

After killing his brother, the affidavit says that Griego “lost his sense of conscience” and went on to kill his sisters, 5-year-old Jael and 2-year-old Angelina.

Griego even told detectives that he also thought about killing his girlfriend’s parents as well.

New Mexico Teen Who Killed Five Family Members Also Planned To Shoot Random People At Walmart is a post from: The Inquisitr

A former GOP candidate who was running for a US House of Representatives seat in 2012 is now in jail over accusations that he slashed the tires of at least one of his former opponents.

KOB reports that Gary Smith, who sought the GOP nod for New Mexico’s 1st District in 2012, was allegedly recorded by a surveillance camera slashing the tires of Janice Arnold-Jones’ car on December 20. An Albuquerque police detective who reviewed the footage said that the man in the video “did appear to be him [Smith].”

Smith lost the GOP nomination in 2012 after Arnold-Jones, his Republican opponent, filed a lawsuit claiming that Smith didn’t achieve enough signatures to be put on the ballot. The judge agreed, and Smith’s name was removed, reports The Raw Story.

“This is not politics,” Arnold-Jones said of the incident. “I know what it’s like when there is political retribution. You lose your bills, you lose your office, you lose your parking space, that’s none of this. This is an assault on my private property on our residence and I believe it’s by someone who is not very stable.”

According to law enforcement authorities, Smith may have slashed other opponents’ tires as well. Rhead Story, another Republican opponent who was instrumental in removing Smith from the race, said that he has replaced approximately 40 tires since June, costing him $2,500.

Though there’s nothing funny about the threatening destruction of one’s personal property, an exchange between KOB reporter Chris Ramirez and an arrested Smith, sitting in the back of a patrol car, was admittedly a bit humorous.

“I don’t even know what’s going on,” Smith said, when asked whether or not he slashed Arnold-Jones’s tires. “They haven’t explained anything to me yet. I don’t even know why they came to my house.”

“Well according to the arrest warrant you are being arrested because you were slashing Janice Arnold-Jones’ tires. Did you do it?” asked Ramirez.

“No, not at all,” replied Smith.

“What if we told you there was video of you doing that? Would you still say you’re not the person?” asked Ramirez.

“Sure,” replied Smith.

Here’s the video. Decide for yourself!

Former GOP Candidate Arrested For Being A Sore Loser, Slashing Opponent’s Tires is a post from: The Inquisitr

Justin Bieber was allegedly at the center of a convicted killer’s plot to castrate and murder the teen pop star. The reasons why Dana Martin wanted to have Bieber murdered remain a mystery. Martin is currently behind bars in New Mexico.

Martin was not planning on castrating and killing the teeny-bopper himself, KRQE News reports. The man who supposedly plotted to kill Justin Bieber is serving two life sentences for raping a Vermont teenager in 2000. Martin allegedly recruited another inmate at Las Cruces prison to do the deed, TMZ notes.

New Mexico inmate Mark Staake was allegedly courted to kill and castrate Justin Bieber once he was released from the Las Cruces prison. Staake reportedly recruited his nephew, Tanner Ruane, to help carry out the murder of the pop star. The pair supposedly plan to commit the crime when the teen singer played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Martin is reportedly obsessed with Justin Bieber and even has a tattoo of the singer on his leg. Before Mark Staake and Tanner Ruane could fulfill the task of killing the young singer, he blew the whistle on his alleged accomplices. Staake was reportedly arrested on outstanding warrants in Vermont.

Tanner Ruane reportedly made it to NYC with a bag of tools which could have been used to murder Justin Bieber. The pruning shears found in Ruane’s bag were presumably to be used during the castration process. Ruane was picked by the NYPD before he had a chance to get close to Bieber and placed under arrest.

Police: NM men plotted to kill Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber: Convicted Murderer Allegedly Plotted To Castrate And Kill The Pop Star is a post from: The Inquisitr

Roswell, NM – A supermarket employee recently discovered a handgun inside a package frozen food, according to NBC News.

An Albertsons employee was unwrapping a shipment of meat from a packing plant in Colorado when he discovered the firearm and seven rounds of ammunition. The man later brought the gun to the folks at the Roswell Police Department.

“The big cases of meat come in a box,” explained department spokesperson Sabrina Morales. “When he opened it, he saw the firearm. It wasn’t packaged inside with the meat, but it was in the same box.”

WCSH reports the supermarket employee cleaned the firearm before bringing it to the police department. Unfortunately for authorities, this will make tracing the gun much more difficult.

Morales remarked that, while finding a firearm in some frozen meat is disturbing enough, the date printed on the package was also cause for alarm. Reports indicate the food was originally packaged back in 2011.

“The other part that’s disturbing is the date on the package was June 8, 2011. I don’t know how long meat stays well-frozen, but that was the date of the package he was opening,” she said.

According KRQE, Sargeant Jim Preston of the Roswell Police Department said that he hasn’t heard of an incident quite like this in 13 years on the force. In fact, Preston revealed that firearms rarely make an appearane in his neck of the woods.

“We could speculate on a lot of things,” he said in regards to the gun’s origins. “It could have been someone just dropped it there, or it could have been something that someone put it there trying to hide it for 100 different reasons.”

Since no one in the area has reported a missing gun, Preston said the next step in the process is to enter the serial number into the National Crime Information Center database. However, it could take weeks before the department will receive the results.

For now, the gun found inside a package of frozen meat will remain a mystery.

Gun Found Inside Frozen Meat By Supermarket Employee is a post from: The Inquisitr

A surveillance video showing two teachers dragging a blind 6-year-old by his legs has now gone viral, inspiring widespread outrage from viewers — and now the New Mexico school district.

In the video, one of the Santa Fe teachers can be clearly seen grabbing the boy by his ankles and dragging him down a hallway on his back.

A second special needs teacher is then seen taking the boy’s other leg while a third teacher watches and does nothing to intervene.

The Huffington Post reports that the teacher primarily responsible for the incident has been placed on administrative leave from the Gonzales Community School.

According to local police, the teacher’s explanation for employing such draconian tactics was that the boy refused to obey her instruction to move to another classroom when asked to.

Sgt. Andrea Dobyns of the Santa Fe Police Department told KOB Eyewitness News:

“We don’t believe the teacher was intentionally trying to hurt the child, but our problem is the blatant neglect for his safety.”

The Sante Fe New Mexican newspaper reports that, after the altercation, the little boy complained of head pain.

The paper also reports that both teachers who actively manhandled the child are now facing child abuse charges. In addition, witnesses who stood by without attempting to intervene may face misdemeanor charges for failing to report the incident.

The video has been met with widespread outrage from the Santa Fe community and elsewhere.

The scale of abuse in schools — and in particular, those involving special needs students — was spelled out in a federal report published in March this year.

It was revealed that schools physically restrained students 39,000 times during the 2009-2010 school year, and 70 percent of those involved special needs students.

Only 17 US states specifically limit the use of physical measures against students.

The fate of the Sante De teachers — and the bystanders — is pending a full investigation by police and Gonzales Community School who are said to be co-operating.

Santa Fe Teacher Who Dragged A Blind Six-Year-Old Boy Down Hallway Now Suspended [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Pink UFOs have been spotted in the skies on Google Street View, according to The Huffington Post. The ghostly images, which strongly resemble the sort of unidentified flying object you might find twirling about in a low-budget science fiction flick, can be spotted hovering menacingly over the skies of Jacksonville, Florida. Are alien beings from another world attempting to call The Friendship State home, or is this just some sort of pesky lens flare?

After giving the pink UFO photos a good once-over, photo-video analyst Marc Dantonio doesn’t believe the picture captures alien technology. What we’re dealing with here is just a simple case of old-fashioned lens flare.

“It is oriented exactly perpendicular to the sun, which is, of course, the source of the lens flare,” Dantonio explained to The Huffington Post. “The red color — although apparently odd — is not really unexpected. Color can be related to chromatic aberration where the light rays do not reach the same focal point, causing the final artifact to appear in a primary color like red, green or blue.”

According to KLTV, the pink UFOs don’t show up on a particular street or at a certain address. All you have to do is point Google Street View to Jacksonville, Texas. Look long enough in the heavens overhead and you’re likely to spy the unidentified flying object hovering mysteriously above the town. A reporter for KLTV couldn’t find a single person who had seen anything pink and UFO-shaped in the area recently.

Although it may seem that these alien spaceships have a thing for the skies above Jacksonville, ABC News reports that another such pink UFO/lens flare anomaly was spotted in New Mexico. Curious parties are encouraged to look up the Sky City Casino in Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico on Google Street View. There, hovering overhead, is the same pink UFO.

Do you believe extraterrestrials piloting what appears to be pink spacecraft are hovering around Texas and New Mexico? Could this be nothing more than a case of lens flare?

Mysterious Pink UFOs Pop Up On Google Street View is a post from: The Inquisitr

Vaughn, NM – The small New Mexico town of Vaughn no longer has a functioning police force, leaving a humble drug-sniffing canine as the sole arbiter of all that is good and just, tasked with defending the town’s innocent civilians.

Alright, we’re being dramatic, but it’s still a funny (and true) story.

After Police Chief Ernest “Chris” Armijo decided to resign his post, a simple drug-sniffing dog was left the only certified member of the police force in the small eastern New Mexico town. Armijo’s decision to step down followed news stories reporting that he wasn’t allowed to carry a gun because of his criminal background—delinquent child support payments and felony weapons charges, reports Newser.

This leaves Nikka the dog as the only qualified member of the Vaughn Police Department. Oh, Vaughn certainly has other officers though, right? Just one, but he’s currently non-certified after pleading guilty to charges of assault and battery last year. Non-certified cops can’t make arrests or carry guns (and neither, to our knowledge, can dogs), so where does that leave Vaughn?

An attorney in the town says that not having a certified officer on staff doesn’t put the town at risk. “England doesn’t allow police officers to carry guns,” he said. “Sometimes the strongest weapon in law enforcement is communication.”

That’s sweet, but it probably has more to do with the fact that Vaughn boasts a population of 438 and an area of 5.6 square miles. “There’s just a whole lot of nothing going on here,” Penny’s Diner cook and resident Joyce Tabor told the AP. “We have very little crime. It’s quiet. So this really doesn’t matter.”

Small New Mexico Town Has No Police, Just A Dog is a post from: The Inquisitr

For better or worse, Todd Akin became a household name by kick-starting the most recent national conversation on women’s rights with his controversial “legitimate rape” comments. Consider the situation in New Mexico the “worse” as Governor Susana Martinez proposes new changes that require women seeking childcare assistance to provide proof that they were forcibly raped.

Martinez referred to “forcible rape” in an announcement marking the month of April as New Mexico’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, stirring some controversy, and now that same language is appearing in state legislation, reports RH Reality Check. The state’s proposed changes to its official applications for childcare assistance will require New Mexico women to prove that their sexual assault qualified as “forcible rape” if they’re seeking childcare assistance for a child born of rape.

The new legislation would “force women who have left violent domestic partnerships, who were date-raped, who were impregnated as a result of incest, or through other “non-forcible” but nonetheless equally violent and denigrating means of sexual violation to first re-engage with their abusers to seek child support, putting control of their lives back into the hands of someone by whom they were violated in the most profound sense of the term,” reported ThinkProgress.

Martinez’s attempt to narrow the definition of rape is not exclusive to New Mexico. The concept has popped up a lot in Republican circles lately, though it is frequently hushed or removed from the conversation following massive public outcry.

Strong Families, a group that works to advance women and immigrant’s rights, released a statement expressing their disappointment in Martinez’s “attempt to qualify differing levels of rape,” and called the move “especially egregious” following Martinez’s prominent spot at the Republican National Convention last month.

New Mexico May Require Women To Prove They Were Forcibly Raped is a post from: The Inquisitr

America’s first Latina governor, Susana Martinez, rocked the house at the Republican National Convention (RNC) last night when she endorsed Mitt Romney. Martinez is one of the many rising stars in the Republican Party who spoke about their personal experiences and vision for the country during the RNC convention in Tampa, Florida.

Following former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her multiple standing ovations was likely a daunting task for the New Mexico governor. Susana Martinez went from being largely unknown on the national stage to a likely household name when she delivered a riveting and inspiring speech at the GOP convention.

Before issuing her official support for Mitt Romney, Susana Martinez shared her personal journey into not only the political realm but her transition from the Democratic to the Republican Party.

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, like her Latino politician peers Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada and Texas Gov. Ted Cruz, focused on the blue-collar past of her family during her RNC Convention speech.

Gov. Martinez came from humble beginnings in an American border town. Martinez’s family reportedly lived paycheck to paycheck before opening up a small security business. Gov. Martinez detailed the time she spent carrying a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum while she guarded a church parking lot on bingo night for the fledgling family business. Susana Martinez also expanded upon the struggles of the family business, which eventually grew to employ 125 people in three states.

Governor Susana Martinez is quoted as saying during her RNC Convention speech:

“And sure, there was help along the way. But my parents took the risk. They stood up. And you better believe they built it. Too many Americans are out of work, and our debt is out of control. This election needs to be about those issues. Obama promised to bring us all together, to cut unemployment, to pass immigration reform in his first year and even promised to cut the deficit in half in his first term. Do you remember that? But he hasn’t come close.”

New Mexico’s governor also noted she and Mitt Romney do not see “eye to eye” on all issues but added she and Romney both share a deep belief that the “promise of America” must be kept for future generations. During an interview earlier in the campaign, Gov. Susana Martinez stated that now is the time for Republicans to develop comprehensive immigration reform to combat President Barack Obama’s “lack of action” on the matter, according to Fox News.

Governor Susana Martinez has been able to cut the unemployment rate in New Mexico nearly in half to 6.7 percent since taking office in 2010. Gov. Martinez currently has a 50 percent approval rating in New Mexico.

America’s First Latina Governor, Susana Martinez, Endorses Mitt Romney At RNC Convention [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Meth candy is now available for purchase at an Albuquerque candy store, according to The Associated Press. However, the candy wasn’t created to glorify a grotesquely addictive drug that has claimed the lives of countless users across the country. Instead, it’s meant as a tribute to the popular television crime drama Breaking Bad, though you can see where people might be a little confused.

Debbie Hall, owner of The Candy Lady, knows a thing or two about making candy meth. During the first season of Breaking Bad, Hall supplied the show with their meth props.

“It’s just rock candy with blue dye and it looks like the real thing,” she explained.

Selling the props as bags of candy didn’t immediately come to Hall, who admitted getting the idea after seeing star Bryan Cranston on David Letterman. During his appearance on the late-night talk show, Cranston pulled out a bag containing the blue rock candy. An epiphany soon followed.

Not surprisingly, it didn’t take very long for Hall to sell over 300 bags of the candy to her customers.

“The response has been great,” she explained. “They are all fans of ‘Breaking Bad,’ and fans of Albuquerque.”

Although fans of the show as well as novelty candy aficionados are surely jazzed about the availability of meth candy, local authorities are a little concerned about the product and the message it sends to the public.

Matt Kennicott, a spokesman for the New Mexico Human Service Department, claims that, while the state is certainly supportive of small businesses, they want these owners to understand the dilemma authorities face in the war against drugs.

“We need to all be aware of the drug epidemic in this state,” Kennicott explained to The Associated Press. “This is a serious problem we are facing.”

Hall, of course, insists she does not condone the use of drugs.

“It is what it is. Everyone needs to remember this is television,” she said. “We’re just playing on a television show.”

Would you purchase a bag of meth candy?

Meth Candy: Candy Shop Sells Sugary Tribute To ‘Breaking Bad’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you’re a UFO enthusiast and you swear to the almighty-something that that was definitely an alien spacecraft that landed in Roswell, New Mexico 65 years ago, then you’ve finally got some back-up in the form of an ex-CIA agent that claims the UFO discovered in Area 51 was, and is, the real McCoy.

65 years ago yesterday, the Roswell Daily Record reported that military officials captured a flying saucer at a remote New Mexico ranch. The event and its subsequent conspiracy are the crux at which all UFO theories rest, and a former CIA agent has come forward to confess that the local paper had it right – that really was an alien spacecraft, reports the Huffington Post. “It was not a damn weather balloon — it was what it was billed when people first reported it,” said Chase Brandon, a 35-year CIA veteran. “It was a craft that clearly did not come from this planet, it crashed and I don’t doubt for a second that the use of the word ‘remains’ and ‘cadavers’ was exactly what people were talking about.”

The government has stuck with its original story since July 8, 1947,  when the Federal Bureau of Investigation said that the Air Force had recovered “an object purporting to be a flying disc … near Roswell, N.M. The disc is hexagonal in shape and was suspended from a ballon [sic] by a cable,” the FBI noted, and “the object found resembles a high altitude weather balloon with a radar reflector,” reports the LA Times. And of course, the CIA hasn’t answered requests to confirm Brandon’s claims, reports the Examiner.

Still, Brandon says he stumbled upon a key piece of evidence regarding the incident while he was poking around in a special vault at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., called the Historical Intelligence Collection room.

“It was a vaulted area and not everybody could get in it,” Brandon said. “One day, I was looking around in there and reading some of the titles that were mostly hand-scribbled summations of what was in the boxes. And there was one box that really caught my eye. It had one word on it: Roswell.” Curiosity got the better of him, and Brandon opened the box. “I took the box down, lifted the lid up, rummaged around inside it, put the box back on the shelf and said, ‘My god, it really happened!” continuing, “Some written material and some photographs, and that’s all I will ever say to anybody about the contents of that box,” concluding, “But it absolutely, for me, was the single validating moment that everything I had believed, and knew that so many other people believed had happened, truly was what occurred.”

Too bad we can’t get our hands on that box, eh ufologists?

What do you think? Do Brandon’s claims confirm the existence of extra-terrestrial life? What do you believe? Sound off below!

Ex-CIA Agent On Roswell UFO Incident: Yup, That Was Totally An Alien is a post from: The Inquisitr

Although the plague (commonly known as the Black Death) hasn’t really been on anyone’s worry-list since the middle ages, recent reports are showing a mild comeback in the strangest of areas: affluent New Mexico.

The plague got its famous moniker for terrorizing the poor back in the day. Unsanitary conditions and rat infestation made the malady a staple in poverty-stricken areas. The plague is rare in the U.S., and researchers say it’s spreading through New Mexico. Strangely, instead of the poor, the plague is affecting the rich. Why? Researchers will get back to us on that.

Reports USNews: “Where human plague cases occur is linked to where people live and how people interact with their environment,”said lead researcher Anna Schotthoefer of the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation in Wisconsin. “These factors may change over time, necessitating periodic reassessments of the factors that put people at risk.”

The new report studied reported cases of the plague within the U.S. since 1976. Since that year, roughly 11 cases pop up annually, and most come from New Mexico. “The shift from poorer to more affluent regions of New Mexico was a surprise, and suggests that homeowners in these newly developed areas should be educated about the risks of plague,” Schotthoefer said.

Most New Mexico plague cases in the 1980′s were expectantly discovered among the poor. Recent shifts from poor areas to affluent neighborhoods in Santa Fe and Albuquerque have these researchers at an impasse – they have to completely re-evaluate everything that they think they know about the plague and its habits.

Despite this worrisome news, experts say that an outbreak of the plague comparable to the middle ages is highly unlikely. “This is not a disease of the past, but you are never going to see a massive outbreak of plague in this country,” said infectious disease expert Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. “We don’t have the public health problems we used to have and people would be quickly confined if there were ever a large number of cases,” he explained.

Beyond this, Siegel is actually not that surprised to see the plague pop up in affluent areas. “We know that plague only exists where you have wild animals, and once a reservoir of plague is already present it is likely to persist,” he said. “It isn’t only about squalor; it’s about where the reservoir is.”

Besides, the plague treatable with antibiotics if you can catch it early.

Black Death Plague is Back, But Only Among The Wealthy is a post from: The Inquisitr

The wildfire that is ravaging much of southwestern New Mexico has already set a record as the largest in the states history and now authorities are warning that the wildfire is threatening to spread, potentially destroying thousands of more acres of land.

The fire continues to spread despite the best efforts of 1,236 personnel who are fighting the fire. According to the states forest service only 17% of the wildfire has been contained at this time.

Firefighters are dealing with a fire that was started by two separate lightning strikes, the first which started on May 9 at the Whitewater Baldy Complex and destroyed 227,000 acres of land and the second which started at Gila National Forest on May 23.

The area is currently experiencing a drought which CNN warns could push smoke into the area well into monsoon season which begins in July according to New Mexico department of health secretary Catherine Torres.

For some residents the efforts of firefighters will allow them to return to their homes on Monday, specifically those residents who live in the community of Mogollon. An evacuation order still remains in place for Willow Creek and the blaze is now 15 miles east of Glenwood, New Mexico.

Authorities warn residents in the area that further evacuation orders could be delivered as 40 and 50 mph winds have caused uncertain conditions at times.

The scorching caused by the wildfire has already consumed an area 150% the size of Chicago and authorities are warning children and adults with heart disease to stay indoors to avoid potentially deadly fumes.

Record New Mexico Wildfire Threatens To Spread, Currently 17% Contained is a post from: The Inquisitr

New Mexico’s Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire, burning in the Gila National Forest, has now become the state’s largest in history, and is also the largest one currently burning in the U.S.

Fire officials confirmed on Wednesday that the blaze grew erratically overnight to over 170,000 acres, surpassing last year’s 156,593 acre blaze in Los Conchas, which threatened the nation’s premier nuclear facility, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to The Washington Post.

The blaze was formed last week after two lightning-sparked fires, which had been burning for about two weeks, merged together in an isolated mountainous area. The combined fire has destroyed at least a dozen homes, and also prompted nearby evacuations and health alerts for the state’s biggest cities.

The Wall Street Journal reports that fire information officer Jerry Perry stated around 1,200 firefighters are currently battling the rapidly growing blaze, but that they face a tough opponent with low humidity and shifting winds. Perry stated:

“We still facing adverse weather conditions that are posing a challenge. We’re doing a lot of burnout operations and yesterday we had to deal with a lot of spot fires.”

Democratic New Mexico senator Jeff Bingaman, announced on Tuesday that FEMA approved the state’s request for a fire management assistance declaration, according to The Washington Post. Under the new declaration, the state is now eligible to receive funding from the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, which will provide for the “mitigation, management, and control” of fires burning in the state.

The Washington Post reports that Governor Susana Martinez also urged small business affected by the fire on Tuesday to apply for a low-interest Small Business Administration loan, which could become an option, if enough applicants seek the help. Martinez stated that:

“As a result of this fire, small businesses are unquestionably feeling the impact, and I want to make sure that these businesses and their surrounding communities can take advantage of any assistance possible.”

New Mexico Wildfire Now Largest In State’s History is a post from: The Inquisitr

An abandoned city in the southeastern heart of New Mexico will soon be the most technologically advanced city in the country.

Being deemed the “Scientific Ghost Town”, a small section of about 15 square miles just outside of Hobbs, New Mexico will serve as the development site for the testing of everything from advanced wireless systems and traffic grids to automated washing machines and self flushing toilets.

Previously an area that was hit hard by the oil bust of the 1980′s, Hobb’s, NM hopes to benefit exponentially by the diversified business that will find it’s way to their doorsteps.

“It brings so many great opportunities and puts us on a world stage,” Cobb told AP.

Also in the running for the “Scientific Ghost Town” was Las Cruces, however  Pegasus Holdings and it’s subsidiary CITE Development chose Lea County and Hobbs as the Center for Innovation, Technology, and Testing.

Modeled after the town of Rock Hill, South Carolina, the point of the project is to be able to test and develop technologies in an actively existing infrastructure without the worry of it adversely affecting it’s residents.

According to Bob Brumley, senior managing director of Pegasus Holdings, there isn’t much that the ghost town won’t be testing during their trial analysis of technologies.

“The only thing we won’t be doing is destructive testing, blowing things up — I hope,” said Brumley.

With an initial price tag of $400 Million, the project hopes to break ground on June 30th. However, with no estimated date of completion, Brumley expects the overall costs to top $1 Billion.

New Mexico Governor  Susana Martinez has assured that no tax breaks were given in the approval of this project, noting that ”the only thing they have asked for is guidance,” she said.

Providing over 350 permanent jobs as well as over 3,500 indirect jobs, this “Scientific Ghost Town” seems to be a rather interesting endeavor that could benefit many people for years to come.

How do you feel about the “Scientific Ghost Town”?

$1 Billion Scientific Ghost Town To Break Ground June 30th is a post from: The Inquisitr

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, five firefighters donated an unspecified amount of their share of last week’s Mega Millions $640 million jackpot to 24-year-old Vince Cordova, a fellow fireman who is currently battling an aggressive brain tumor.

The Albuquerque Station Eight firemen who have decided to donate a part of their $10,000 Mega Millions share, had trouble trying to convince their fellow co-workers that their Mega Millions winnings were not an April Fools’ joke.

Captain Jed Hyland, Paul McClure, Steve Keffer, Clinton Anderson, and Si Do all agreed to donate their winnings in order to help raise awareness of Vince Cordova’s life-threatening ailment which requires an expensive life-saving surgery which will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The firefighters are hoping that their generous donation to local firefighter Cordova will ultimately lead others to do the same and donate towards the firefighter’s survival fund.

A message sent by Capt. Jed Hyland to members of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) read:

Dear IAFF Members,

IAFF local 244 members at AFD station 8 won a sliver of the widely publicized “Mega Millions” lottery on Friday. We hit five out of six numbers and are to be awarded a cash prize. In an effort to continue in the charitable work begun by our generous and selfless brothers and sisters, the prize winning crew have pledged an equal share of their winnings to the IAFF Local 244 Firefighter Survivor’s Fund. Our contribution was inspired by the bold advocacy and selfless generosity exhibited by so many in our membership, and by our sincere desire to help our Brother Vince Cordova and his family, OUR family, in this time of crisis.

Respectfully and Fraternally,

Jed Hyland, Captain
Albuquerque Fire Department
AFD Fire Station 8

The five winning firefighters decided to buy their tickets “ten minutes before the sales closed,” according to Hyland.  While the firefighters might not have been one of the three contestants splitting the $640 million jackpot, they were closer than ever before with five out of the six winning numbers.   Jed was quoted as having said:

“We have a firefighter in need right now, Vince Cordova who we’re donating part of our winnings towards.”

Cordova will undergo the third and final operation to remove his tumor come Wednesday.  Before his first operation, he was quoted by KRQE News 13 as having said:

“I’m nervous. I’m scared. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach that just won’t leave, but I’m hanging in there. I can’t believe that the fireman bond is so strong. I just want to tell everyone thank you for standing by me and staying strong. Thank you for believing in me and I promise to see you guys soon!”

Given the opportunity, what words of encouragement would you offer tumor-stricken firefighter Vince Cordova?

Firefighters Donate Mega Millions Winnings To Tumor-Stricken Fellow Fireman Vince Cordova is a post from: The Inquisitr

Johnny Depp has stepped into the role of spirit warrior Tonto as the Lone Ranger movie began shooting in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado this week.

The movie stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the Lone Ranger and it reunites Depp, Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the same team that created the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Depp also lent his voice to the Oscar winning animated flick Rango which was directed by Verbinski.

Also taking on roles in the movie adaptation of the classic TV series are Tom Wilkinson, John Adams, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Rush Wilson and Helena Bonham Carter.

While the movie has just gotten under way the film is expected to reach theaters on May 31, 2013. The film is slated to open on May 31, 2013.

Here’s a synopsis of the Lone Ranger franchise told by Movie Web:

The Lone Ranger is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice-taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.

Here’s to hoping it’s better then other blockbuster westerns we’ve seen in recent years because we don’t need another Cowboys & Aliens or Wild Wild West on our hands.

Are you excited to see what Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer and the rest of the Lone Ranger cast can do with the classic TV series?

Lone Ranger Starts Production In New Mexico With Johnny Depp As Tonto is a post from: The Inquisitr

Popular and successful Santa Fe hair stylist Antonio Darden has cut New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez’s hair three times. Apparently pleased with the job that Darden had done, Martinez had her aides call him to make a fourth appointment, an appointment that he declined.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” you’re thinking, “Why?”

Well it’s simple, really. It’s a matter of sociopolitical disharmony. Darden, who runs Antonio’s Hair Studio, is a gay man. Martinez simply does not support gay marriage. “Because of her stances and her views on this I told her aides no,” he says. “They called the next day, asking if I’d changed my mind about taking the governor in and I said no again.”

“I think it’s just equality, dignity for everyone,” Darden continues. “I think everybody should be allowed the right to be together. My partner and I have been together for 15 years.”

Despite Martinez’s views on gay marriage (more or less that she believes marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman), she recently appointed an openly gay man to the state’s Public Regulation Commission; a decision that has earned her criticism from the religious right.

Say what you will, but this guy runs the joint and has the right to turn away any clientele for any reason. He doesn’t even need to have a reason.

So, did Darden make a good call in standing up for himself and his community or do you not think this should be such a big deal to him?

New Mexico Governor Loses Her Stylist Over Gay-Marriage Views is a post from: The Inquisitr

New Mexico Police received an unusual call on Sunday night when a man hogtied a drunk driver after the drunk was nearly involved in several head-on collisions while traveling the wrong way down a stretch of New Mexico highway known for gruesome and often DUI deaths.

Justin Canuto, 22 was drunkenly driving when he finally pulled off the highway at the Red Mesa Express station on U.S. 550 at which point he was taken from his car and hogtied by a good samaritan who will not face charges.

Canuto pulled into a lot at approximately 9:30pm and after a 911 call was made pedestrians confronted the drunk who then tried to flee on foot. It was at that point that a 26-year-old man tackled Canuto to the ground and hogtied him until police arrived.

When asked if the man would be charged for his hogtie heroics Sheriff Ken Christesen said:

“I think they were trying to save lives and if you look at that intent, I’ll stand behind them everyday.”

At the time of arrest police found an open container in the drunk drivers vehicle.

In the meantime city officials ask that drunks not be confronted and instead citizens call 911 or DrunkBusters in the event of witnessing a drunk driving incident.

Since Jan. 1 six people have already died on the four-lane stretch of rural road. That would be equal to one person each week.

Do you think the unnamed citizen made the right decision in restraining the drunk driver until police arrived on the scene of the crime?

Man Hogties Drunk Driver And Calls Police is a post from: The Inquisitr

Officials in New Mexico are worried about their failing tourist industry which has plummeted by 10% over the last three years and now the states new tourism boss is hoping to change its luck with the help of a $2.5 million PR campaign and a brand new slogan.

While the new slogan has not yet been agreed upon yet a Santa Fe boutique owner tells the Wall Street Journal:

“People think New Mexico is all hoity-toity, high-end—or, for the real out-there people, there’s Roswell,” while the new tourism boss says the state would rather be thought of as a place of  ”adventure steeped in culture.”

In the meantime the 100-year-old state is looking to ditch its “Land of Enchantment” slogan after focus groups found that many people thought New Mexico was in another country or on the coast.  Some people in those same groups also called the state “dull” and “barren.”

Known best for Roswell and therefore aliens by association the new tourism chief is hoping to create a “strong” and “iconic” slogan for the state that drawn in a younger more vibrant crowd that may be interested in other offerings New Mexico can provide.

Attracting those younger crowds is extremely important for New Mexico officials, according to official state records 24% of tourists who stay overnight in the state are 60 or older, far higher than the 17% average experienced in Arizona, Colorado and Utah.

Have you vacationed in New Mexico? What did you think of your experience was it enchanted or perhaps steeped in adventure?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

New Mexico Is Looking For A New Slogan After 100 Years Of “Enchantment” is a post from: The Inquisitr

Virgin Galactic was founded by Billionaire Sir Richard Branson to bring paying customers into sub orbital flight for tourist purposes.  It is also a goal of the company to use its plane, the Spaceship 2 for scientific missions and to launch small satellites.

Spaceport America, which is located in New Mexico opened up in October 2010 with huge ceremony to mark the inaugural landing on the facility’s first runway.

Passengers who want to get in on the action and fly to space will have to part with $200,000 for the trip and put down a $20,000.  There are already more than 450 ticket holders who have booked and left their deposits.

Spacecraft 2 is carried by a twin bodied carrier plane called White Knight II.  White Knight takes Spaceship 2 to a height of around 52,000 feet.  At that point, Spaceship 2 separates and  continues on until it reaches a sub orbital space.  From the time the planes separate until it lands is about 3.5 hours.  They are only in space for a very short period fraction of that time.  Spaceship 2 reaches it maximum height for approximately 6 minutes.  During this time the passengers can take off their harnesses and float through out the cabin.

It is unknown when Virgin Galactic will make its first flight, but as of know they are headed in the right direction.

Would you pay $200,000 to Virgin Galactic for 6 minutes of weightlessness?

Virgin Galactic Gearing Up For Space Industry is a post from: The Inquisitr

About 45.8 million or 15% of the entire US population relied on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) last August, the Wall Street Journal reports.

This figure represents an 8.1% increased compared to last year, the Department of Agriculture reported. It should be noted though that the increase has slowed down compared to previous years.

Also known as food stamps, the number of those the program is availing  is expected to rise in the coming months as the economy continue to suffer from high unemployment. September data will also factor in the disaster assistance for the destruction and flooding brought by Hurricane Irene.

Among the states, Mississippi reported the largest number of population at 21% recieving food stamps. About one in five residents in New Mexico, Tennessee, Oregon and Louisiana were food stamp recipients also.

No relief is seen as families continue to depend on food stamps due to unemployment and lower wages for those who even have employment.

15% of U.S. Population on Food Stamps is a post from: The Inquisitr

Virgin Galactic has book their first suborbital flight from their southern New Mexico Spaceport and their passengers are none other than NASA officials.

Virgin announced on Thursday that NASA agreed to charter a full flight and they also asked for the option to schedule two additional flights. If all three options are exercised the three trips will be worth $4.5 billion.

According to Virgin Galactic each one of NASA’s available charters allow up to 1,300 pounds of scientific experiments to be brought about the ship.

Along with the NASA booking Virgin Galactic announced earlier in the week that former NASA executive Michael Moses has been brought on board as vice president of operations.

If you’re unfamiliar with Virgin Galactic the company is owned by Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Group and co-owned by Aabar Investments PJS. Upon successful launch of their first charters the company will be the first commercial spaceline.

Virgin Galactic hopes to launch their first flight within the next year from Spaceport America which is located approximately 50 miles outside of Las Cruces.

If given the chance would you be willing to hop aboard Virgin Galactic for a quick trip into space? I wouldn’t have to think twice about it!

NASA Books First Virgin Galactic Flight is a post from: The Inquisitr

A police officer in Santa Fe, New Mexico has been caught on security camera having sex in public with an unknown female.

The officer was in his uniform and was having sex with the female on the hood of a car in the middle of the day.

At this time no comments are being provided by State Police in the area.

The video in question was obtained two weeks ago by TV station KOB after they filed a public request with the Santa Fe Sheriff’s office and it shows the officer still wearing his utility belt while engaging in sexual intercourse at the Santa Fe Canyon Ranch.

The station also spoke with various citizens in the area who all seemed to agree that the act was an egregious violation of the officers role.

Some responses to the incident included:

“It’s an inappropriate use of time,” along with ”Inappropriate use of our tax money, I mean we pay these guys,” and ”With that kind of judgment you don’t want him carrying a weapon,” also, “I think it’s an embarrassment to the state patrol, they should be ashamed.”

Since the police officer has not been named at this time KOB who knows the officers name has chosen to keep it private at this time, although they may release the officers identity during a future broadcast.

Here’s a video news report from the incident:

What do you think the officers bosses should do, should he be suspended, fined or fired for his actions?

New Mexico State Trooper Caught Having Sex On Security Camera is a post from: The Inquisitr

A New Mexico man has been positively confirmed as the United States’ first bubonic plague sufferer in 2011.

The 58-year-old man, who lives in Santa Fe County, experienced severe groin and abdominal pain, high fever and swollen lymph nodes. He spent a week in the hospital, but has since been released, and public health officials have not released his name.

It’s believed the patient contracted the rare illness (only 10 to 15 people in the US become ill from bubonic plague each year) from a flea bite on his left leg. Public health officials in New Mexico warned residents that although the disease is rare, its ominous reputation and ‘Black Death’ moniker is there for a reason- and to know it’s possible to contract plague from animals:

It’s spread to people by direct contact with infected animals such as prairie dogs, squirrels, cats, rats and mice. The odds of this happening are low, but take care anyway. Plague fully deserves its dread-disease status and can be fatal if not treated promptly.

Although we now have antibiotics to treat bubonic plague, one in seven cases of the illness is deadly.

[Image]

Man in NM diagnosed with Bubonic Plague, recovers is a post from: The Inquisitr

A 37-year-old man is believed to have shot five former co-workers to death before turning the gun on himself in a workplace shooting in Albuquerque.

The man, who has not yet been identified, was a former employee of Emcore Corporation and had a history of domestic violence complaints. Police responded almost immediately to the scene, according to local news reports:

According to police, the shooter entered the Emcore Corporation building shortly before 9:30 a.m. Monday and started to shoot. After police entered the building at 9:29 a.m., they found multiple people injured from gunshot wounds.

Some of those initially injured succumbed to their wounds in transit or upon arrival at the hospital:

Six people were transported to University of New Mexico Hospital where one was reported to be dead on arrival and another died in the operating room, hospital spokesman Billy Sparks said.  A third was still in surgery but expected to be moved into the intensive-care unit shortly, he said.

85 people were in the building at the time of the incident. Police are now treating the situation as a “domestic violence workplace shooting.”

6 dead, 4 injured in NM workplace shooting is a post from: The Inquisitr

Larry Whitten was brought in to reverse the fortunes of a hotel in Taos, New Mexico.

So he did what any smart businessman would do- he started by pissing off and alienating the heavily-Hispanic staff. Whitten has been successful at turning around other run-down, money bleeding hotels before, but it’s unclear whether obliterating cultural identity among staff has been a winning strategy in the past.

First order of business- staff were forbidden to speak Spanish in his presence. As Whitten doesn’t speak Spanish, he insisted that he was unable to tell if staff were speaking ill of him in their native tongue. Okay, minorly offensive. While not having sufficient English is certainly a difficulty for some people, and Whitten could be painted merely by that as insensitive, it wasn’t the most offensive thing he did.

Next up- your Spanish name is unacceptable. Whitten actually insisted that hotel staff, many of whom had long careers successfully serving guests- “change” their names to suit his idea of a better, whiter staff. Marcos, not a difficult name to pronounce for anyone, would have to be called “Mark” at work. And Martin (pronounced mar-TEEN), would have to defer to plain old Martin during work hours.

Surprisingly, the strict zero-tolerance Latino policy didn’t go over very well. The uber-sensitive staff didn’t like having to hide their country of birth like a prosthetic limb in an Abercrombie & Fitch store. Some employees were fired for- well, it looks like perhaps they were fired for being Hispanic, and Whitten doesn’t get the controversy. He feels he just was plopped down into a “landmine of Anglos versus Spanish versus Mexicans versus Indians versus everybody” and is “doing what he’s always done.”

But fired employee Martin Gutierrez told press that he doesn’t need to “change (his) name and language or heritage,” adding that he’s “professional the way I am.” But as Whitten seems to wonder, is it possible to be both of Hispanic heritage and professional? The mind boggles.

[Source: Star Tribune]

Taos hotel manager invites scorn with “Anglicization” policy is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yes folks space travel is coming to New Mexico U.S.A. at $200,000 a pop for at best five minutes of free fall in the middle of a two hour flight. As hard as it is to believe there are already 250 people signed up for a trip that is hoped to take place as soon as next year.

That is if construction goes ahead as planned after Gov. Bill Richardson breaks ground on what will become Spaceport America. The construction will include the terminal, hangar facility and a 10,000 foot runway from which the spacecraft will take flight attached to an airplane. Then once airborne it will break away from the aircraft and rocket 62 miles into space before returning to the shiny new terminal.

"It’s real," said Steve Landeene, the spaceport’s executive director. "You’re not talking about things drawn on paper anymore. The boondoggle factor has started to disappear."

The spaceport will operate like an airport, offering a location where aerospace companies can lease building and hangar space. Virgin Galactic, a company owned by British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, will be the spaceport’s anchor tenant.

Competitors such as XCOR Aerospace and Armadillo Aerospace are developing spacecraft for $95,000 flights. And as flights become more routine, costs should drop.

Similar spaceport ventures are proposed in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and elsewhere. Besides New Mexico, Virgin Galactic also hopes to ferry tourists to space from northern Sweden.

Source: MNN

$200,000 for five minutes of freefall – wow – who said we were in the middle of a recession.

Spaceport America breaking ground is a post from: The Inquisitr

A New Mexico man pulled over by police for erratic driving apologized by telling officers that he had spilled his beer, and that’s why he was driving the way he was.

The man, who has four previous drink driving convictions was arrested on aggravated drunken driving charges after failing a sobriety test. Officers found four opened bottles of beer in the car.

At least he was honest.

(via)

Man blames bad driving on spilled beer is a post from: The Inquisitr