Now that Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign has wound down, the New Mexico governor is focusing on state issues again. On Tuesday he delivered the annual “State of the State” address to legislators, in which he gave a brief shout-out to the state’s planned commercial spaceport: “Our investment into Spaceport America will open the heavens to brave adventurers, and will mean thousands of jobs for southern New Mexico. I believe the Spaceport will also inspire many of our kids to study math and science.” Richardson is backing up that statement with a bit of money as well: a capital improvements measure proposed by the governor includes $10 million to construct a road to the spaceport.

The Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press reported this week that organizers of a charity auction have removed a suborbital spaceflight trip out of concerns it was too dangerous. The auction, part of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, would have included a spaceflight on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo. However, in the wake of last July’s industrial accident at Mojave Airport that killed three Scaled Composites employees, the organizers dropped the prize from the list, deeming it too dangerous. “I just didn’t think it was a good idea,” festival chairman Don Gunther told the News-Press. Auction bidders will have to settle for less dangerous prizes like a pair of motorcycles, a Maserati, or trips to China, South America, Dubai, Morocco, and South Africa.