'A heart for the people': former state senator, labor secretary Clinton Harden Jr. dies - Gregory R.C. Hasman,
Former New Mexico state Sen. Clinton Harden Jr. was known for his political civility, reaching across the political aisle and being an advocate for rural communities and children with autism.
鈥淚 think if there was something to take away from his life, it鈥檚 that we need to turn back to civility and be able to come to the table together as people who want what鈥檚 best for their state and the country, for that matter,鈥� said Kathy Elliott, Harden鈥檚 friend and lobbying colleague.
Harden died on Saturday night of complications from blood cancer. He was 78.
The Clovis Republican served as state senator from 2002-12 and was the former state labor secretary under former Gov. Gary Johnson, 1995-2003.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news release on Sunday that Harden served with 鈥渄istinction鈥� for eastern New Mexico, 鈥渂ut his good work benefitted every corner of our state.鈥�
鈥淲hether championing children with autism and their families, removing barriers for those re-entering the workforce after incarceration, or advancing early childhood education,鈥� Lujan Grisham said, 鈥淐lint understood the importance of standing up for New Mexicans.鈥�
鈥楢 heart for the people鈥�
Harden was born in Belen on April 12, 1947.
He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he played football and was teammates with future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, and the University of Utah.
After working for an insurance company in Utah, he moved to Clovis and purchased the Twin Cronnie Drive-In. He earned a Master of Business Administration at Eastern New Mexico University before working on Johnson鈥檚 gubernatorial campaign.
After Johnson was elected, Harden was named labor secretary, and Elliott said Harden 鈥渞eally worked diligently for job equity and for people to be able to be put to work.鈥�
鈥淗e played a role for people who had been incarcerated advocating for them to be able to apply for a job without having to declare their history,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e thought that gave them the opportunity to start fresh.鈥�
Johnson later picked Harden to replace Pat Lyons in the state Senate.
As a state legislator, Elliott said Harden 鈥渨as an advocate for so many in the state,鈥� including children with autism. For example, in 2009, he successfully sponsored Senate Bill 39, which required insurance companies to cover autism treatment for children and teens.
Regardless of the issues, Harden thought it was important to work with people on both sides of the political spectrum, his wife, Kathrine Harden, said.
鈥淗e felt it was important that both sides did what was best for all New Mexicans and that the only way to do that (was) to get everybody on the same page,鈥� she said.
After Harden left office, he became a lobbyist, advocating for rural New Mexico communities, Elliott said.
When Harden was not dealing with politics, Elliott said he was 鈥渢he life of the party.鈥�
鈥淗e was gregarious,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e wanted to just be friends with everyone. He was also strong-willed, but compassionate. It didn鈥檛 matter who you were. He loved to sit down and have a talk with you and just learn about who you were.鈥�
Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, said Harden 鈥渉ad a heart for the people.鈥�
Woods said he remembered his church needing someone to give a sermon and Harden answered the call. He preached about 鈥渓oving your neighbor as yourself, the First Commandment,鈥� Woods said.
鈥淚n this Legislature, it鈥檚 kind of hard to do (that),鈥� he said.
Harden is survived by wife Kathrine Harden, daughters Danielle Henderson and Dionne Fish, son Dustin Harden, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial services are being planned, Harden said.
鈥淢any different folks, whether they are Democrats or Republicans, will miss the guy because he brought a lot to the table,鈥� Elliott said. 鈥淗e was an example of what politicians are supposed to be.鈥�
NMSU, Japanese tech firm create new 鈥榠nnovation hub鈥� to test AI and other advanced tech - Patrick Lohmann,
The president of New Mexico State University and a prominent Japanese tech company signed an agreement Monday enabling the creation of a testing ground for the company鈥檚 latest technologies at the university.
The signing ceremony in Santa Fe marked the second New Mexico appearance Monday for Shigeo Yamada, the Japanese ambassador to the United States, alongside Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The , a news conference at the Roundhouse, announced a new push for natural gas exports from Rocky Mountain states like New Mexico to Japan and other Asian countries.
Fujitsu describes itself as the biggest digital services company by market share in Japan and a leading innovator on artificial intelligence and supercomputer technologies. It also markets its innovations in 鈥渆dge鈥� computing, which enables faster computing time
The company also works on so-called 鈥渆dge鈥� computing tech, which is commonly used in autonomous vehicles to enable split-second computations within each car.
All of those cutting-edge technologies will be battle-tested at NMSU beginning early next year, thanks to a memorandum of understanding signed by NMSU President Valerio Ferme and Naoki Shinjo, Fujitsu鈥檚 head of advanced technology development.
鈥淏ut technology alone is not the story,鈥� Ferme said Monday at the signing ceremony. 鈥淭he real story is what this partnership makes possible: new opportunities for our students to work on global problems; new pathways for small and rural communities to access advanced computing resources; and new solutions for sectors that are critical like energy, water security and health.鈥�
NMSU could potentially field test Fujitsu鈥檚 tech on agriculture, water monitoring and aerospace, among other areas, according to a news release from the governor鈥檚 office.
鈥淲e look forward to continuing this collaboration, fostering together the technological and economic advancement on a global scale for many years to come,鈥� Shinjo said in a statement.
The agreement will last at least until 2029, according to the memorandum, which the governor鈥檚 office provided to Source New Mexico.
In the document, NMSU agrees to establish an 鈥渋nnovation hub with reliable power and cooling infrastructure,鈥� as well as procure servers with 鈥渄iverse computational needs.鈥� Fujitsu agrees to deploy its tech and hardware and provide ongoing support.
The first tests of the company鈥檚 鈥渓eading-edge鈥� processor technology, known as MONAKA, will begin in 2027, before it fully deploys its products there in 2028, according to the agreement.
Public meeting on proposed hypersonic rocket plant set for Tuesday - Kevin Hendricks,
The Sandoval Economic Alliance will host a community informational meeting Tuesday to discuss Project Ranger, a proposed hypersonic rocket manufacturing and testing facility being considered for development in Sandoval County west of Rio Rancho.
The meeting will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Cielo Azul Elementary School cafeteria. Representatives from the project team will attend to provide information and answer questions from residents.
The facility would be located approximately three miles west of the Northern Meadows community and approximately four miles northwest of the Camino Crossings, North Hills and Sierra Norte communities in Rio Rancho.
The facility would be developed by Castelion Corporation, which is evaluating the site for a hypersonic rocket manufacturing and testing operation. County officials have said the plant could employ hundreds of workers if constructed and it would be located on NM State Land Office property in Sandoval County.
The Sandoval County Commission approved two resolutions Oct. 8 that will allow the county to control all land needed for the proposed military manufacturing plant.
The meeting will provide an opportunity for community members to learn more about the proposal and directly voice their concerns or questions to project representatives.