Today's News

Ted Romero was a dual winner in this week’s Pace Race, hosted by the Atomic City Roadrunners.
The Pace Race was Tuesday. It was run on the access road to the sewage treatment plant in Lower Bayo Canyon.
Romero had the top prediction of the week, finishing just 16 seconds off his time. Romero was also the fastest finisher on the 3-mile course with his time of 20 minutes, 56 seconds.
David Kratzer and Zach Medin were the next-best predictors this week. They were both 32 seconds off their times.
The top finisher on the 1-mile course was Isabelle Coons (10:30). Paul Elkins finished in 14:03. On the 3-mile course, the fastest female was Tamara Weddle with her time of 35:41.
Next week’s Pace Race, the Power Line Run, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday. The race will start approximately 3 miles from the intersection of Pajarito Road and N.M. 4 heading toward Bandelier National Monument.
More information about the Pace Race or the Atomic City Roadrunners can be found on the club’s website, atomicrunners.com, or by calling 672-9243.

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Whatever was bothering Tiger Woods' wrist seemed to disappear overnight, and Phil Mickelson's round of 67 was holding up as first-round play resumed Friday morning at the U.S. Open.

Mickelson remained the clubhouse leader at 3 under on another rainy day at Merion, although the cool morning drizzle was far gentler than the storms that interrupted play twice on Thursday.

Luke Donald had a chance to match Mickelson's score, but the former world No. 1 missed a 4-foot par putt at No. 18 to finish off a 68.

Woods completed a round of 73, but not before pulling out his driver and putting his first tee shot of the day well right of the fairway into the high grass. On Thursday, he would wince and shake his left arm, particularly his wrist, when playing out of the rough, but there was no obvious sign of discomfort Friday when he played his second shot at the long par-4 No. 12.

There wasn't much else good about the shot, which landed in lesser rough about 100 yards from the hole. Woods then got the ball on the green, but he missed a downhill 5-foot putt and bogeyed the hole to go to 3 over.

Woods birdied the short par-3 13th, but he put his tee shot near the edge of a steep bunker at the par-3 17th and dropped another shot.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Global defense contractor Science Applications International Corp. has agreed to pay $11.75 million to settle a federal civil claim alleging it overbilled the government for homeland security training programs under a more than decade-long scheme that was well-known among high-level executives.

U.S. Attorney Ken Gonzales on Thursday announced settlement of the lawsuit, which alleged systemic fraud in the program SAIC ran for the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. The program trains emergency personnel to respond to terrorist attacks under a Department of Homeland Security grant program that saw major funding increases after Sept. 11.

Gonzales declined comment when asked if the Justice Department was investigating whether the alleged overbilling extended to other government-funded programs run by the defense contractor.

The lawsuit alleged SAIC told federal officials it was using mostly high-paid full-time employees with benefits when it was actually using cheaper part-time workers, enabling SAIC to keep costs low and profits excessive.

Transcript: Heinrich’s First Senate Floor Speech

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Thank you, Mr. President for the opportunity to address this chamber today.

Mr. President, I am a strong believer that innovation is what America does best.

That boundless wonder and curiosity can lead to revolutionary discoveries.

That diligence and optimism can break down barriers.

Mr. President I’m a believer that technology, and more importantly the scientific method, are how we can best meet many of our 21st century challenges.

And this is indeed a time of great challenge for our nation.

There is no question that it is easier to govern in a time of peace and prosperity than in a time of economic recovery and global conflict.

But Americans are no strangers to adversity. Time and again we have shown our ingenuity and our perseverance.

In fact, the very character of our nation has been shaped by hard work and innovation.

That is America’s story.

And I am certain that our capacity to deal with the challenges that we face, rests heavily on our ability to make policy that is driven by facts, by data, and yes, Mr. President, by science.

Historically, America has responded to challenges with transformative innovations like electricity, radio and television, transistors, silicon computer processors, and the rise of the modern distributed Internet.