New Mexico

For the last seven years, Horace, a four-time convicted drunk driver, has lived with an electronic probation officer in the front seat of his red sedan. The device, an "ignition interlock," acts as a breath-alcohol analyzer and requires him to prove he's sober before the engine will start. New Mexico, which led the nation in alcohol-related crash rates for years, in 2005 became the first state to require the interlock for every convicted drunk driver.

To New Mexico Atty. Gen. Gary King, a prison guard's slaying cried out for the death penalty: Inmates had stabbed him two dozen times. But when the defense ran out of money, the state Supreme Court ruled that King could not seek a death sentence until the lawyers were paid -- approximately $200,000 for each of the three defendants, King said. When state legislators refused to allocate more money, prosecutors dropped their pursuit of the death penalty.

This city in the foothills of the Rockies has scenery more diverse than most Hollywood back lots: A 19th century castle, a Spanish colonial plaza and miles of prairie and mountains. That landscape -- along with New Mexico's generous film incentives -- has lured more than a dozen movie productions here in the last decade. The filming has brought in a surge of money, but it has also brought tension.

The sphinx has spoken: Karl Rove finally has been interviewed by a congressional committee investigating the Bush administration's dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys. Although it added few new details about this shameful episode, Rove's interview -- and that of former White House Counsel Harriet E. Miers -- confirmed that the White House meddled in the operation of the Justice Department and that in at least one case the interference bordered on obstruction of justice. George W. Bush's most influential aide insists that his account and documents released by the House Judiciary Committee prove that "politics played no role in the Bush administration's removal of U.S. attorneys, that I never sought to influence the conduct of any prosecution, and that I played no role in deciding which U.S. attorneys were retained and which replaced."

When filmmaker Guillermo Arriaga was 10 and living in Mexico City, a friend burst through his front door to tell him there was a house on fire in their neighborhood. They ran to the site and stood, enraptured, watching the flames. Arriaga's feelings of exhilaration quickly turned to horror when someone told him there were people trapped inside. "Just imagining that was beyond shocking," the soft-spoken Arriaga remembers. "Later, a fireman said, 'There was no one inside, really.' I'm not sure if they told us that to calm us. It didn't matter.

Five things to watch for this week: 1The Southeastern Conference title game in Atlanta on Dec. 5 is already set, with Florida and Alabama meeting for the championship. The only question is whether both teams will be undefeated, with the winner playing for a guaranteed spot in the BCS title game. 2Iowa at Ohio State was supposed to be a coronation for the Hawkeyes' dream season. With Iowa losing at home against Northwestern, though, Ohio State has seized command of the Big Ten race and, with victory, can clinch a Rose Bowl berth.

Over the last three years, police in Dallas have ticketed 39 drivers for not speaking English, even though there is no law requiring drivers be able to do so. Amid growing public anger, Police Chief David Kunkle announced last week that the citations would be thrown out and that the officers who issued them would be investigated. The cases came to light when a Mexican immigrant, Ernestina Mondragon, went to the media saying that she had been cited for being a "non-English-speaking driver" during a routine traffic stop.

Georgia O'Keeffe knew a good thing when she painted it, and paint she did -- a magical landscape called northern New Mexico. Today, strokes of a different form are in order, and for sun-bleached desert golfers accustomed to Vegas or Phoenix or La Quinta, a New Mexico getaway is the equivalent of having three guys surnamed Woods, Woods and, um, Woods filling out your best-ball foursome. The prices are astonishing, the golf is righteous and the weather is superb. And that altitude? Hitting a 9-iron 156 yards uphill to a back-left hole tucked behind enough bad stuff to make Odysseus flinch is never a bad thing.

I just got back from a week in New Mexico, and that usually means, by rough calculation, having consumed approximately 21 meals based on chile, most of it green. That's not including snacks. This time the number was far lower. And for the first time I can remember, I didn't have to smuggle hardly any home in my luggage, either. That's certainly not because I've lost my affection for the fiery stuff, but rather because it's becoming so readily available in Southern California. Green chile roasts are now regular fall events here, held at farmers markets and supermarkets alike.

at Kansas State 24, Iowa State 23: Emmanuel Lamur blocked the extra point after Iowa State's Austen Arnaud had thrown a 23-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds remaining, allowing the Wildcats (3-2, 1-0) to escape with a wild victory over the Cyclones (3-2, 0-1). at Texas Tech 48, New Mexico 28: Backup quarterback Steven Sheffield threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the Red Raiders (3-2) to a win over the Lobos (0-5) on Saturday. Taylor Potts, the nation's leading passer, left the game before halftime after two hard sacks appeared to affect his balance.