Pedro Garcia, Shawn McHugh and Mary Nix, all teen students of the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, tactually explore an engraving on the wall of the Capitol Rotunda Tuesday. Photo by Gabriela Campos/The New Mexican
Shawn McHugh, 16, with New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, tactually explores an engraving on the wall of the Capitol Rotunda about the Capitol Buildings Improvement Commission Tuesday. Photo by Gabriela Campos/The New MexicanBy The Santa Fe New Mexican:
Days remaining in the session: 10
Tears and tissues: Members of the Legislature Tuesday reminisced, cried and shared tissues during tributes to the late Rep. Larry Larrañaga, R-Albuquerque.
He died at 80 in October after a legislative career of almost 24 years.
The House of Representatives approved a memorial suggesting the state designate a 30-mile stretch of U.S. 285 between Clines Corners and Encino as the “Larry Larrañaga Corridor.”
Larrañaga was born in Encino, and one of his first jobs was washing vehicles that passed through Clines Corners, said Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque, one of the sponsors of the House memorial.
Larrañaga went on to serve as Cabinet secretary of the old state Highway and Transportation Department before being elected to the Legislature.
In their own memorial, senators requested the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico rename the Centennial Engineering Center in honor of Larrañaga.
Sens. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, and John Sapien, D-Corrales, wept as they spoke of the friendship and mentorship that Larrañaga provided.
“He was such an amazing man. He was my hero,” Moores said.
House Speaker Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, said Larrañaga stood out for an unusual reason.
“It’s very rare that someone in life, let alone in politics, touched so many hearts,” Egolf said.
What a voice: Chevel Shepherd, nationally famous at 16, sang for her home-state legislators Tuesday.
In turn, both the Senate and House of Representatives approved memorials honoring Chevel. She won season 15 of NBC’s The Voice in December.
Chevel is a junior at Farmington High School. The Senate memorial in her honor stated in part: “Chevel was raised on country music and the outdoors, often doing crafts, feeding the animals and fixing up cars with her dad.”
She sang Loretta Lynn’s “You’re Lookin’ at Country” first on the show and again for legislators. Lynn, often called “the first lady of country music,” approved. She wrote on Chevel’s Facebook page: “Loved it, Honey!”
Bricklayers: Both chambers of the Legislature will be dark Wednesday night.
Lawmakers will leave early because the Senate plays the House of Representatives at 7 p.m. in the annual Hoops 4 Hope basketball game.
The game will be at Santa Fe Indian School, 1501 Cerrillos Road. It raises money for the University of New Mexico’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The Senate is on a five-year winning streak. In most games, the victorious team scores about 30 points while missing twice that many shots.
Quote of the day: “One of us is confused. Probably me.” — Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdelena, after a lengthy and often convoluted back-and-forth with Rep. Christine Trujillo, D-Albuquerque, and other House of Representatives members about an amendment for House Bill 5, an education funding measure. Trujillo had a difficult time keeping track of the various components of the amendment when answering her colleagues’ questions about it.