Abigail Adler brings you local news at noon from KSFR.

Two upcoming elections could greatly influence the school system in Santa Fe. The elections for Santa Fe school board and Santa Fe community college board candidates will be held on Feb 3d with early voting occurring now through Jan 30.

League of Women Voters president Donna Reynolds explains the importance of this election for citizens wanting to influence local politics. Tuesday's forum is for the SFCC board candidates and will be held from 5:30 to 7pm at the board meeting room at the Santa Fe Community College. Wednesday’s forum for Santa Fe school board candidates will be from 6 to 8pm at the Board Meeting Room SFPS Educational Services.

The crash in global oil prices has hurt Russia, Iran and Venezuela, countries that were already in economic trouble, and are heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues to cover their budgets.  Does that also describe New Mexico? UNM oil economist Janie Chermak told Dave Marash on Here and There that it does, and that the fall in energy prices is hitting the Land of Enchantment right in its state budget.

PNM’s energy plan is in the news continually these days – and it’s not very popular. but what are some of the alternatives? City Councilor Patti Bushee on this program introduced a plan that looked at partnering with

PNM as an interim step to creating a Municipal Utility. She based her proposal on a Minneapolis blueprint. On David Bacon’s Living on the Edge, Bacon speaks with Bushee and John Farrell whose Institute for Local Self Reliance was instrumental in formulating the Minneapolis’ decision to partner with their utility companies Excel Energy and with Centerpoint Energy, their gas utility. Learn more about the Minneapolis plan at their website at ILSR.org.

Tuesday morning's top news stories from KSFR.