News
Highlights
Friday December 28, 2018
Winter Storm Warning issued December 27 at 2:51PM MST expiring
December 29 at 6:00AM MST by NWS Albuquerque NM
Description: Moderate to heavy snow accumulation is expected tonight
through
Saturday morning, which will create treacherous travel and
extremely poor visibilities in falling and blowing snow. Blizzard
conditions are expected across the Albuquerque Metro Area as well
as the Sandia and Manzano Mountains as strong to damaging east
winds develop. A strong gradient of snow accumulation is expected
across the Albuquerque Metro Area, with western areas potentially
receiving significantly more snow than eastern areas due to the
east wind. Elsewhere, very heavy snowfall is expected, with the
highest amounts expected along and east of the central mountain
chain, the Jemez Mountains and Mount Taylor, where one foot of
snow will be common, and higher amounts are likely along the east
slopes. Very cold temperatures will accompany this system. Wind
chills will vary around 15 degrees above zero to 15 degrees below
zero across most of northern and central New Mexico during the
early morning hours both Friday and Saturday.
* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 8
inches are expected across much of western New Mexico, the Santa
Fe Metro Area, Upper Rio Grande Valley and Lower Chama River
Valley. Total snow accumulations of 8 to 16 inches with amounts
up to 20 inches are possible across the Jemez Mountains, Mount
Taylor, and much of eastern New Mexico. Winds gusting as high
as 35 mph Friday.
* WHERE...Portions of northern and central New Mexico.
* WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 6 AM MST Saturday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel will be very difficult to
impossible. Areas of blowing snow may significant reduce
visibility on Friday. Severe driving conditions are expected and
roads may be closed. Stay off roadways if at all possible.
Instructions: A Winter Storm Warning for snow means severe winter
weather
conditions will make travel very hazardous or impossible. If you
must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your
vehicle in case of an emergency.
Wednesday December 19, 2018
The Los Alamos County Traffic & Streets Division will be turning off
the power to various streetlights to enhance the viewing of holiday
farolitos. The streetlights will be turned off Monday, December 24th
and will be restored on Wednesday, December 26th. For safety
purposes, the Traffic & Streets Division requests that all vehicles
and trailers be moved to off street parking during the full period
that lights will be off. If this is not possible, it is recommended
that the vehicles and trailers be silhouetted by farolitos. Due to
the limited sight visibility during the viewing, drivers are
requested to travel the viewing areas at 15 miles per hour. The
streets that will be affected: Barranca Road, Camino Redondo, Canada
Way, Los Pueblos (inc. side streets), Camino Medio, Canada Circle,
San Juan, Cumbres Patio, Balboa Drive, Totavi, Alhambra Drive,
Navajo Road, Barcelona Avenue, Brighton Drive, and Briston Place.
Tuesday December 18, 2018
New Mexico Gov.-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham announced her first
three Cabinet appointments,
Come Jan. 1, Sarah Cottrell Propst will take the top job at the
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department that runs a broad
range of energy and mining programs and oversees state forestry
management, fire prevention efforts and 35 state parks.
Propst leads a regional trade association for renewable energy
developers known as the Interwest Energy Alliance, and previously
served as an energy and environmental policy adviser to former
Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson.
Lujan Grisham picked David Scrase to be the Human Services Secretary
Scrase brings both private and public sector experience to the job
at Human Services, as a professor of internal medicine and
geriatrics at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, a
former chief operating officer for Presbyterian Healthcare Services
and a practicing physician.
The Human Services Department administers about $7 billion in annual
federal and state funds for Medicaid and other services for
low-income individuals and families.
Lujan Grisham also tapped Albuquerque Budget Officer Olivia
Padilla-Jackson to lead the Finance and Administration Department
and develop the governor-elect’s budget proposal by Jan. 10 for the
upcoming fiscal year. State government is expecting budget surpluses
in excess of $1 billion for both the current fiscal year and the
year starting July 1 that are linked closely to a booming oil
sector.
Friday December 14, 2018
Democracy is alive and well in Los Alamos County...! During the
November 6, 2018 General Election, 10,340 ballots were cast,
representing a turnout of 73% among the 14,191 eligible registered
voters, giving Los Alamos the highest voter turnout percentage in
the state this mid-term election.
Thursday December 13, 2018
— After the Department of Public Utilities implemented new utility
billing software last July, the Department waived all late fees
while it worked through billing delays and problems with the bill
presentation. Beginning January 1, 2019, however, unpaid balances
that are delinquent by more than 30 days, will be assessed a late
fee of 1.5 percent.
Department officials encourage customers with unpaid, delinquent
balances to contact its office prior to January 1. Los Alamos and
White Rock customers can reach the Department Monday through Friday
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in person at 1000 Central Ave, by phone 505
662 8333 or by email CustomerCare@lacnm.us.
Wednesday December 12, 2018
Los Alamos Holiday Farmers Markets
Thursday's Dec 13th and 20th
At the Fuller Lodge from 8 to 2pm
Come see what's new and exciting from your favorite farmers and
producers. For those unique gifts for both you and, your family and
friends. Nothing shows how much we care like handmade, locally
raised, baked by , the people that you know and trust to grow your
foods.
Knitted, weaved, raised, baked, grown, saved, cooked, processed,
canned, made, all
by market vendors.
Baskets, aprons and market bags will be available as well.
EBT and Double up will be available.
The Kids Corner: 9am to 12 both days!
Come make a Graham Cracker House with all the trimmings!
Tuesday December 11, 2018
Registration for the spring semester at UNM - Los Alamos (UNM-LA) is
open.
Spring semester classes will begin on January
14. Early registration is recommended. Registering prior to the
beginning of the semester allows students to secure positions in
high demand classes, as well as providing more flexibility in course
selection and scheduling.
UNM-LA offers a variety of class formats. In
addition to traditional face to face classes, UNM-LA offers online
and hybrid classes (a combination of face-to- face and online) to
help meet the various scheduling needs and learning style
preferences of students. The university also offers short-term
classes that finish mid-semester and late-start classes that begin
after spring break.
In addition to courses typically offered during
the spring semester at UNM-LA, several new classes have been added.
To view the complete spring schedule of classes, please go to
losalamos.unm.edu/academics/class-schedule.html.
For information about registering for classes, call 505-662-5919 or
visit Student Services in Building 1 on the UNM-LA campus.
Monday December 10, 2018
Starting Friday, December 7, Los Alamos County residents
will begin to see the familiar signs of a film production entering
the townsite area where the MGM Television series “Our Lady, LTD”
will be filming through Tuesday, December 11.
Gold signs with black letters “LOCS” will be posted along NM502,
Trinity Drive and Central Avenue to direct film crew in vehicles of
all sizes to the Los Alamos County Airport, Los Alamos National Bank
(LANB) and staging locations at Los Alamos Main Gate Park and the
TRK building at 195 East Road.
Filming will occur on Monday, December 10 and Tuesday, December 11.
All locations will be vacated and restored on Tuesday evening,
December 11 through Wednesday morning, December 12.
On Monday morning, December 10, filming will begin at the north
parking lot of LANB. No public parking will be available in the
north lot of LANB during this time. Film trucks will be parked in
the alleyway north of the LANB parking lot. Filming will move to the
Airport property Monday afternoon, and will continue at the airport
on Tuesday morning, December 11. Film trucks, generators, lights and
other production equipment will be located near both film locations.
Access to all business and residential driveways will remain clear.
Traffic control operations are scheduled for Monday morning,
December 10 at Knecht Street, between Central Avenue and Trinity
Drive, between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Traffic control
operations are scheduled to be in effect at Airport Road, from NM502
on Monday afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and continue
Tuesday morning, December 11 from 6:00 a.m. to approximately noon.
Los Alamos Police Department staff have been hired to supervise
these traffic control operations, during which drivers can expect
waits of 3 to 5 minutes.
Friday December 7, 2018
This weeked is Winterfest here in Los Alamos featuring many
fun activities.
The 25th Annual Crèche Show is this coming Friday, Dec. 7th and
Saturday, Dec. 8th. Please bring your friends and family along and
enjoy the great variety of Nativities, hear Christmas music, savor a
cookie, and visit with friends from throughout the community. .
### Saturday morning, Breakfast with Santa sponsored by Kiwanis of
Los Alamos at Betty Ehart Senior Center | 7-11am. Admission by
donation. Serving pancakes eggs sausage and drinks.
###
On the Saturday it’s The 50th Annual Earth Treasure Show is at the
Masonic Temple, at Canyon Road and 15th Street from 9am to 5pm Come
out for exhibits, a silent auction, kids crafts, as well as gems,
minerals, jewelry and books for sale. Free Admission and Parking.
The show continues from 10-4 on Sunday.
###
On Saturday Fuller Lodge Art center will have an open house with
refreshments from 10-4 as part of winterfest. Stop by and visit the
affordable arts show.
###
Los Alamos Winterfest, and the Festival of Lights Parade is a great
opportunity for friend and neighbors in Los Alamos to meet each
other, to share holiday greetings, and to make new friends.
The White Rock Presbyterian Church would like to invite you to
complimentary Hot Cocoa, Coffee and Cider at our hospitality booth
located across Central Avenue from the Metzgers parking lot, between
UPEX and the Bradbury Science Museum, on Saturday beginning at 5:00
PM.
###
The public is invited to join the County Council as they light up
the holiday tree in the Municipal Building lobby at 5:30 p.m. on
Saturday. The event is part of the Main Street Association’s
Winterfest and there will be free refreshments in the lobby along
with a free “selfie” photo booth with a winter scenic backdrop and
fun photo props provided inside Council Chambers. Coro de Camara
will be providing holiday tunes
###
Saturday evening The Holiday Lights Parade with the Theme:
“Candyland” – goes up Central Avenue at 6pm.
####
Saturday night is the Ashley Pond Tree Lighting after the Parade at
about 7pm.
###
Saturday night The 8th Annual Holiday Prism Concert begins at 7pm in
the Crossroads Bible Church. Presented by Los Alamos Community
Winds, with performances by Coro de Camara, Los Alamos Flutes, The
Quemazon Brass, Rene LeClair, and much more. More information at
LACW.org.
####
Come join Belisama Irish Dance Sunday, Dec 9th at Fuller Lodge at
1:30 to kick off the holiday season with a Celtic Christmas show.
The Belisama Irish Dance Company is known for its joyful, energetic
traditional dancing and its whimsical forays into other styles of
music and dance.
Admission is free, clapping and foot-stomping are encouraged, and
donations are gratefully accepted!
####
On Sunday it is The Alternative Giving Fair is at Trinity on the
Hill Episcopal Church from 9am-1pm It is An opportunity for local
non-profits to raise money, raise awareness, or recruit volunteers.
It will also provide members of the community an opportunity to
purchase non-tangible items for loved ones for the holidays.
Thursday December 6, 2018
Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott is proud to announce
that the Bandelier Mastermind Council was the group winner of the
National Park Service Intermountain Region’s 2018 Leadership Award.
The Mastermind Council consists of eight staff members.
The Bandelier Management Team nominated the Mastermind Council for
this inaugural award, and noted that the council was established in
2016 “to provide an additional voice for the park’s line staff, as a
venue to foster ideas and recommendations for enhancing morale and
the workplace environment, and to provide an additional opportunity
to further develop leadership within the park.” In their nomination,
park management realized that Bandelier had something special, a
true voice for the park's staff - one that was constructive,
enhanced the park’s team and work environment, and was highly
successful in implementing positive change for the park.
Wednesday December 5, 2018
Wednesday has been declared a National Day of Mourning,
honoring the 41st president George H.W. Bush. He died at age 94
Friday night.
The U.S. Postal Service will not deliver regular mail. All post
office locations will be closed, too. Limited package delivery will
continue to avoid setbacks during the busy holiday season, however.
The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will be closed.
All federal offices will be closed. Federal employees will be
excused from work, expect for reasons of national security or
essential public businesses.
Some banks and courts will be closed. Federal Reserve Bank payment
systems will work as normal. The Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency advised national banks in a proclamation that under federal
law they may close their offices Wednesday (December 5, 2018), at
their discretion, in any state in which the governor or other
authorized official has declared a legal holiday in recognition of
the National Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush.
The Supreme Court is postponing arguments for a day.
The House has cancelled all votes for the week.
The Senate has postponed votes to after the Wednesday funeral.
The National Forest service offices will be closed.
Monday December 3, 2018
Crews and staff are preparing to re-open the Mesa Public
Library on December 4th – on schedule! The heating, ventilation and
air conditioning (HVAC) system will be in operation allowing for
public occupancy.
Please note that crews will still be performing work to replace
light fixtures, fine tuning the HVAC system, and cleaning. Some
areas of the library will be temporarily restricted to allow for
light replacement but should only affect a few aisles per day. Other
areas will remain closed to the public including the 3rd floor
meeting rooms (throughout December) and the Zone (thru December
7th). While the building will have undergone a preliminary, but
thorough cleaning, patrons may encounter a little dust from
construction. Additionally, elevator upgrades are still in process
causing the elevator to be out of service until the end of the day
Friday, December 7th. We apologize for any inconvenience.
To allow staff to return to their office spaces, re-establish the
book check system and other library IT-based systems, and return
books to their shelves, the Children’s Lending library at Fuller
Lodge will be closed on Friday, November 30th. The library,
including the Zone, will also be closed Sunday, December 2nd and
Monday, December 3rd. Mesa Public Library will re-open at its usual
10am time on Tuesday, December 4th. The White Rock Branch Library
will continue to operate under its regular schedule.
All children’s programs will be held in White Rock through December
22nd. No children’s programs will be held at Mesa Public Library in
December except for Noon Years’ Eve on December 31st.
Friday November 30, 2018
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives elected Rep.
Ben Ray Luján on Wednesday to serve as assistant leader, giving him
the No. 4 position in the caucus, right behind speaker, leader and
whip.
Luján who is 46 will be the youngest member of the Democratic
leadership. Among the four highest-ranking members, he will be the
only one under 70.
Thursday November 29, 2018
Tune in tonight at 7 pm to hear the first boys varsity
basketball game of the season.
Tuesday and Wednesday November 27 and 28 2018
This has been moved to Wednesday November 28th.
Crews with the Los Alamos County Public Works Department
will be repairing the asphalt due to utility work on Iris Street
today, Tuesday, November 27, 2018. Work is scheduled to begin at
8:00 a.m. Parking on Iris Street is prohibited until work is
complete. Full access to Iris Street will be restored by late
afternoon. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the
Public Works Department at 505-662-8150
Monday November 26, 2018
Tis the Season to Recycle!
Los Alamos, New Mexico—
Toys and clothes and boxes oh my! With the holidays upon us and
shopping sprees in full swing, Environmental Services anticipates an
increase in cardboard boxes. To help accommodate the extra
cardboard, we have added more cardboard recycling locations
throughout Los Alamos County. As a friendly reminder, please flatten
the cardboard boxes.
Cardboard Recycling Locations:
Ice Rink 4475 West Rd.
Los Alamos County Municipal Building 1000 Central Ave
North Mesa Ball Fields North Mesa Rd
Sullivan Field Recycling Center Sullivan Parking Lot
Overlook Convenience Center Overlook Park
Eco Station 3701 E Jemez Rd.
Fire Station #2 132 DP Rd.
Fire Station #3 129 NM-4
Fire Station #4 4401 Diamond Dr.
Fire Station #6 457 Los Alamos Ave.
Wednesday November 21, 2018
Small Business Saturday: Shop Small and Win Big this
Saturday, November 24, in Los Alamos and White Rock. For
information, please visit SmallBizSatLA.com. Compete in the online
scavenger hunt for a chance to win gift cards to participating
businesses or shop local to receive LANB Blue Buck raffle tickets
for a chance to win cash! Either way, support local businesses and
Shop Small!
If you haven't already heard, the 2018 New Mexico Legislature passed
a law authorizing a one-day tax holiday that will remove state gross
receipts taxes from a variety of retail products on the Saturday
after Thanksgiving – for 2018 and 2019. The 24-hour consumer tax
relief measure applies to small businesses of 10 or fewer employees
only; franchises, no matter how small, are exempted. It covers a
wide range of products, including clothing, sporting goods,
artworks, musical instruments, and furniture – as long as the cost
of any individual product doesn’t exceed $500
Tuesday November 20, 2018
TechSource Inc., a locally-headquartered, science and
engineering small business and subcontractor of Triad National
Security, LLC, has announced that it will match all online donations
to the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation (LAPS Foundation), up to
$5,000, through December 31, 2018. This includes the LAPS
Foundation’s new text-to-give feature, which makes it easy to
contribute by texting INNOVATE to 779-48.
The LAPS Foundation’s goal is to raise $32,000 between now and the
end of the year. The money raised supports innovation and growth in
all Los Alamos Public Schools. Already in the current school year,
the Foundation has contributed over $15,000 to LAPS for innovative
classroom resources and materials, professional development for
teachers, and morale-boosting activities for LAPS staff. This
includes 11 professional development activities, 9 Great Ideas
grants, and 7 mini grants, all since August.
Monday November 19, 2018
Natural gas crews with the Los Alamos Department of Public
Utilities will repair a gas line on Iris, just west of the 9 St
intersection behind the Municipal Building. Work is scheduled for
Monday, Nov. 19, beginning at 8 a.m. and wrapping up by 4 p.m.
Crews will excavate a section of road to repair the gas line on the
south side of Iris behind the Municipal Building located at 1000
Central Avenue. Iris will be blocked to all traffic between the
tennis courts and Aspen Apartments, just west of 9 St. Motorists
will be routed through the Municipal Building parking lot and are
advised to exercise caution.
Friday November 16, 2018
The Los Alamos School Public Schools recently spent $37,000
on science equipment that will take the guesswork out of the Los
Alamos High School student experiments.
The purchase was made exclusively through the Vernier lab equipment
company. It included over 300 sensors and probes, 20 interfaces to
help students document their experiments through their Chrome Books,
six charging stations and seven lab manuals.
The equipment will help physics, chemistry, biology, anatomy,
physiology and forensics students, including Advanced Placement
students.
The price also included one day of training for teachers.
Thursday November 15, 2018
The local Adopt-a-Family Program is looking for local
sponsors to help provide a Christmas for over 90 families who have
applied for assistance this holiday season.
the Los Alamos Alpha Zeta chapter of Beta Sigma Phi coordinates the
Adopt a Family program.
The applying families come into the program through the Los Alamos
Public Schools, which means one or more children in the family
attend a local school.
“Our goal is to provide at least one ‘need’ (such as clothing) and
at least one ‘want’ (such as a book, toy, etc.) for each child in
the house, and we also have information on the parents’ needs and
wants. Additionally, we request that the sponsor provide a gift
certificate for the family for groceries,” said Maureen Johnson,
co-director of the program.
Alpha Zeta is encouraging all businesses, organizations, churches
and individuals to sponsor families.
Sponsors are asked do the shopping for the families, wrap the gifts
and label them for the recipients. Gifts should be delivered to The
Christian Church, 92 East Road, on the afternoon of Dec. 13.
Anyone interested in adopting a family is encouraged to email Kim
Knapp at kimberleeknapp@yahoo.com.
Wednesday November 14, 2018
2018 property tax bills were mailed earlier in November.
The first half of property taxes will become delinquent after
Monday, Dec. 10th. Payment must either be made in person at the
Customer Care Center by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 10th or postmarked
by midnight that same day to avoid late payment penalty and interest
charges. The Customer Care Center is located in the Municipal
Building lobby at 1000 Central Avenue. They are open Monday through
Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Payments should be mailed to P.O.
Box 99, Los Alamos, NM 87544. Payments are also accepted through a
property tax lockbox at Los Alamos National Bank.
Tuesday November 13, 2018
UNM–Los Alamos (UNM-LA) was recently designated as a test
site for the National Registry Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT)
exam. The University is now authorized to offer Basic, Advanced and
Paramedic Psychomotor National Registry exams. Tests will be
scheduled and coordinated as needed.
The NREMT Psychomotor exam evaluates students on ten different EMS
related skills. The tests include a medical and trauma assessment,
advanced adult airway management, pediatric airway management,
pediatric intraosseous access and medication administration,
intravenous therapy with medication administration, cardiac arrest
management, and two stabilization skills: backboarding and
splinting. Each skill is graded by a proctor, who assesses for the
demonstration of specific “critical criteria.”
Twelve students participated in the exam and all successfully passed
the psychomotor portion. Two of the 12 students are current UNM-LA
Fire Science students, and all 12 participants completed the
Advanced EMT course through UNM-LA to qualify for the exam.
In addition to the psychomotor test, the students must also pass a
written exam, offered off-site through a 3rd party. Once both exams
are completed, the successful candidate will receive a National
Registry Advanced EMT license. This license is accepted by the New
Mexico EMS Bureau. The Bureau, will issue the candidate a New Mexico
Advanced EMT license.
UNM-LA offers one semester courses for EMT-Basic and
EMT-Intermediate, as well as programs leading to an Associate of
Science in Emergency Medical Service and an Associate of Applied
Science in Fire Science.
Monday November 12, 2018
Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you for your service.
Friday November 9, 2018
Permits to cut your own Christmas tree on the Santa Fe
National Forest (SFNF) are available for purchase beginning Monday,
Nov. 19 at SFNF Headquarters, all SFNF Ranger District offices, and
select third-party vendors.
As part of the “Every Kid in a Park” initiative, every fourth grader
is eligible for a free Christmas tree permit.
In order to redeem the free permit, the student must present a valid
fourth-grade pass, downloadable at www.everykidinapark.gov. Once the
pass is printed, the fourth grader must be accompanied by a parent
or guardian over the age of 18 to pick up the permit from the SFNF
office of choice. The free permits can only be acquired at an SFNF
office.
The nonrefundable Christmas tree permits are for personal use only
and may be purchased for 10 dollars by check, credit/debit card, or
cash through Saturday, Dec. 24. Permit purchasers will receive a
tree tag, map, and guidelines for harvesting a tree.
One tag is valid for a tree up to five inches in diameter and 10
feet in height. Trees taller than 10 feet and/or wider than five
inches require an additional tag. For example, a 15-foot tree
requires two tags. The Santa Fe National Forest has a three-tag
limit per person.
Permit holders are asked to practice good stewardship.
Thursday November 8, 2018
Zia Credit Union is gathering supplies for the New Mexico
Chapter #4 Blue Star Mothers of America! They provide care packages
for men and women serving in all branches of the United States armed
forces. Great donations include:
• Word search books
• Tuna or chicken snack packages
• Peanut butter or cheese crackers
• Black socks
Please drop off your donation at either our Los Alamos or Española
branch of Zia Credit Union.
Wednesday November 7, 2018
Here are the unofficial results of the local political races.
In Los Alamos County Martin Heinrich received the most votes for
senator.
Ben Ray Lujan won for united states representative district 3.
Michelle Lujan Grisham won for governor.
Maggie Toulouse Oliver won secretary of state.
Brian colon won for state auditor.
Tim Eichenburg won for state treasurer.
Hector Balderas won for attorney general.
Stephanie Garcia Richard won for commissioner of public lands.
Christine chandler won district 43.
Pat Casados will remain magistrate judge
Elizabeth Allen will be the new Municipal Judge.
Joseph Granville will be the new sheriff .
David Izraelevitz, Sara Scott, James Robinson, and Randall Ryti have
been elected to the county council.
Tuesday November 6, 2018
Today is election day. Vote centers are open 7am to 7pm.
Locations include the Municipal building, the White Rock Town Hall,
the Golf Course Co0mmunity building and the Betty Ehart Senior
Center. Any registered voter of Los Alamos County can vote at any
voting center regardless of assigned precinct.
Join KRSN tonight beginning at 7:30 from election central (the
municipal building lobby) to learn the results of the local
elections as they are posted from the county clerk.
Monday November 5, 2018
Early voting has ended throughout the state. A total of
7114 people have voted in the county of Los Alamos. The official
election day is tomorrow. Vote centers are open 7am to 7pm.
Locations include the Municipal building, the White Rock Town Hall,
the Golf Course Co0mmunity building and the Betty Ehart Senior
Center. Any registered voter of Los Alamos County can vote at any
voting center regardless of assigned precinct.
Friday November 2, 2018
The Winners of 2018 Arts Council Scarecrow Contest in the
Creative District along Central Avenue have been announced.
"Bendy and the Ink Machine” won first place in the category Business
Contemporary.
“Flora Flow” won first place in the category Business Traditional.
“Jack-e-moji” won first place in the category Family Contemporary.
“Happy Halloween, Charlie Brown” won first place in the category
Family Traditional.
“Sombrillo Nurse Autumn” has won first place in the category
Organization Traditional.
“Bear-Crow” has won first place in the category Organization
Contemporary and FAN FAVORITE.
Winners in these categories were determined by the Los Alamos Arts
Council. They each receive $50 in Chamber checks courtesy of Los
Alamos MainStreet and the Los Alamos Creative District. The Fan
Favorite Scarecrow was voted for by the community and received a
special gift basket.
Thursday November 1, 2018
The Los Alamos Jewish Center invites the community to
attend a candle light vigil at Ashley Pond at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to
remember the victims of the massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue
in Pittsburgh.
In memory of the 11 people who were murdered, the Los Alamos Jewish
Center is collecting donations to HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid
Society. There will be a collection at the vigil. The community can
also donate at paypal.me/HIASDonations.
HIAS works for the protection and freedom of vulnerable refugees of
all religions and nationalities. The center has chosen to support
HIAS in direct defiance of the bigoted views espoused by the
murderer, who specifically targeted HIAS with his hateful rhetoric,
according to the Los Alamos Jewish Center.
At this interfaith gathering, we will remember the victims of the
massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We will show
our unity and resolve to stand up against all forms of oppression.
All are welcome join us for a peaceful gathering to take a stand
against hatred and violence.
This event is co-sponsored by the center’s Canyon Road neighbors,
the United Church, the Unitarian Church and the Los Alamos Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Wednesday October 31, 2018
Los Alamos National Laboratory begins operations Thursday,
Nov. 1 under a new management and operating (M&O) contract between
Triad National Security, LLC (Triad) and the U.S. Department of
Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The NNSA
awarded the M&O contract to Triad on June 8, 2018. An organizational
chart and biographies of the Triad leadership team can be found on
its website.
Here are some of the key facts about the transition:
Los Alamos National Laboratory remains a federal facility of the
U.S. Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA).
The day-to-day operations of the Laboratory are managed by a
contractor, as they have been for almost all of its 75-year history.
Nearly all Laboratory employees transfer from one contractor to the
other. (The only exception is small number of senior leaders.)
The Laboratory’s mission and budget continue to grow and all Lab
hiring plans continue. The Laboratory has already hired more than
1,000 people this year.
Triad has hosted or attended more than 30 community meetings in an
effort to understand more about Northern New Mexico and its needs.
Triad is committed to building strong partnerships with the
community in the region.
Triad is developing a Community Commitment Plan in consultation with
local partners. More information about Triad’s community investments
will be made available in the near future.
Tuesday October 30, 2018
On Tuesday U.S. 84/285 northbound and southbound lanes
will be reduced to one lane. The contractor will be paving the
northbound lanes from CR 109 to NM 503 in Nambe and then move to the
southbound lanes from NM 503 to CR 109. Motorists can expect delays
from om 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Monday October 29, 2018
A total of 4051 people have voted in the county of Los
Alamos since early voting began. This includes absentee and in
person voting. Early in person voting continues this week at LAC
Municipal Building, Council Chambers, 1000 Central Avenue and White
Rock Town Hall 139 Longview drive Hours 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Monday thru Friday and until 6 pm at both locations on Saturday.
Friday October 26, 2018
Nominations are being sought for Living Treasures of Los
Alamos for 2019. The deadline is Dec 7
and must include specific information as given below:
• When did the nominee come to Los Alamos?
• In which areas did the nominee make volunteer contributions to
life in Los Alamos?
• How long has the nominee been involved in community activities?
• How did the contributions affect people in the community?
• In what ways is Los Alamos a better place as a result of the
efforts of this person?
• Contact information (name and phone number or email) of the
submitter.
Nominations must be submitted by Dec 7 to Living Treasures of Los
Alamos, PO Box 1065, Los
Alamos, NM 87544 or be emailed the information to Sally Wilkins at
sfwilkins@post.harvard.edu.
Additional information may be found at the website: www.living
treasureslosalamos.org.
Thursday October 25, 2018
Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund (LAESF) is now
accepting applications for 2019 awards in two categories. High
school seniors enrolling in or undergraduates currently attending an
accredited post-secondary educational institution in pursuit of a
four-year degree may apply for awards ranging from $1000 to $20,000.
Application deadline for traditional four-year scholarships is
January 22, 2019, with awards announced in spring.
Scholarships of $1500 are also available for nontraditional students
locally seeking a two-year degree or certification after a break
from education through the Regional College/Returning Student
program. Deadline to apply is November 29, 2018, with awards
announced in January 2019.
The largest scholarship pool in Northern New Mexico, LAESF supports
students from Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Sandoval,
Santa Fe and Taos counties pursuing higher education in any field of
study.
New this year are two awards from privately created scholarship
funds managed by the LANL Foundation. The Marvin Martin Mueller
Endowed Memorial Scholarship is a $1000 award for Los Alamos County
Police Department employees and their family members or other
applicants with financial need and a desire to support their
community. The Abiquiú Land Grant - Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Scholarship of $1,000 is offered to descendants of Abiquiú Land
Grant families.
Detailed criteria and online applications are available at
www.lanlfoundation.org/scholarships.
Wednesday October 24, 2018
The yard trimmings roll cart program began on July 9,
2018. Environmental Services staff delivered over 3,200 roll carts
with another 300 registered to receive on in the next phase, this is
50% of the residential customer base. By implementing the yard
trimming roll cart, Los Alamos residents have an opportunity to
divert 14% of our waste stream from the landfill each year. The
diversion efforts have the potential to divert 1,107 tons of yard
trimmings annually and will reduce hauling and disposal costs,
greenhouse gas emissions, and provide high-quality garden and
landscaping materials for residents. During the first three months
of collection Environmental Services collected almost 200 tons of
yard material.
With the change in the recycling schedule over 300 residents
requested an upgrade to a larger or additional roll-cart.
Environmental Services has filled many of the requests and has
received an additional 324 - 96 gallon recycle roll-carts and began
to distribute them to the remainder of customers who have requested
them.
Tuesday October 23, 2018
A new office space for the County Sheriff’s office is
being designed inside the Justice Center to allow the public better
access. The new entrance will be on the Trinity side of the station.
It will consist of an office for the Sheriff and one office space
for an Administrative position. Currently, visitors to the Sheriff’s
office need to be escorted through the Records area, which is not
ideal, either for the visitors or staff. Design will occur in
October with construction occurring before the end of the year.
Monday October 22, 2018
A total of 1954 people have voted in the county of Los
Alamos since early voting began. This includes absentee and in
person voting. Early in person voting continues this week at LAC
Municipal Building, Council Chambers, 1000 Central Avenue and White
Rock Town Hall 139 Longview drive Hours 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Monday thru Saturday.
Friday October 19, 2018
On October 19th 2018 at approximately 9am Cpl. David Boe
was patrolling White Rock when he identified a stolen vehicle at
Overlook Park. The suspect was in the area and fled on foot.
LAPD officers then began searching the area for the suspect. Los
Alamos Schools were notified of a potential felony suspect on foot
in the area. Both Pinon and Chamisa schools went to “Lockout”
procedures, which is to secure the perimeter out of abundance of
caution..
LAPD officers then observed the suspect attempting to flee at the
bottom of the canyon near the end of Blue Dot Trail. Officers then
set up a perimeter and were able to apprehend and extract the
suspect from the canyon. No injuries were reported from officers or
the suspect.
The suspect was identified as 34 year old Chadrick Calvin Cavanaugh
of Rio Rancho.
Cavanaugh was booked into the Los Alamos Jail and is being held on
charges for; Unlawful Taking of a Motor Vehicle, 4th Degree Felony
and Resisting, Evading, or Obstructing an officer, Misdemeanor.
Members of the Environmental Sustainability Board and
staff from the County Environmental Services Division will be
conducting a survey of residential trash, recycle and yard trimming
roll carts from neighborhoods in White Rock and Los Alamos between
the dates of Friday, October 19, 2018 and October 29, 2018. The
survey will be conducted between the hours of 8:00am to 1:00pm.
The survey is in response to customer feedback regarding the recent
changes to the collection of recycle material from weekly to
bi-weekly. The purpose of the survey is to better understand the
volume of material being generated by residential customers. This
data may be used as a basis to recommend changes to the collection
frequency of materials.
You will notice several teams of two people wearing high visibility
vests and carrying clip boards and measuring sticks. The data
collected will be size of cart, volume of material in each cart and
number of recycle, trash, and yard trimming carts per home. With the
data we hope to better understand the needs of our customers and
whether or not each household has adequate capacity for recycle,
trash and yard trimmings.
Thursday October 18, 2018
Natural gas crews with the Los Alamos Department of Public
Utilities will repair a gas line in Central Ave in front of the
Bradbury Museum near 15 St. Work is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 18,
beginning at 9 a.m. and wrapping up by 4 p.m. Motorists should
expect some traffic delays.
Crews will excavate a small section of road to repair a gas line on
the north side of Central, just east of 15 St. in front of the
Bradbury Museum’s west driveway. The east driveway will remain open
for patrons of the museum and other offices at 1350 Central. Through
westbound traffic will be routed around the construction zone into
the left turn lane. Motorists are advised to exercise caution.
Wednesday October 17, 2018
On Monday, IPR, Limited crews will start the microseal
project on Rover Blvd. / Meadow Lane Loop between the Grand Canyon
Drive. / Rover Blvd. intersection and the Grand Canyon Drive /
Meadow Lane intersection. Crews will be working from 7:30 am to 5:30
pm daily. All work should be completed by October 28th weather
permitting.
During the application one lane will be closed allowing for one way
traffic via a flagging operation. It is expected that the coating
will cure enough to cross within 25-30 minutes and can accept full
traffic 1 - 2 hours after the application is completed.
The contractor will be visiting area residents door to door leaving
information including the proposed schedule, coordination
instructions and contact information.
During the application of the microseal on the roadways, one lane
will be closed allowing for one way traffic via a flagging
operation.
Los Alamos County Public Works Department is committed to the safety
of the traveling public and thanks you for your patience and
cooperation during this work.
Tuesday October 16, 2018
Los Alamos Arts Council is pleased to announce the Annual
Scarecrow Contest, Sponsored by Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative
District. Applications for the contest can be found at
www.losalamosartscouncil.org, at the Los Alamos Arts Council office
at 2132 Central Avenue, Kiva Room, or at the MainStreet and Creative
District Office at 109 Central Park Square (Inside the Visitors
Center). Entries are $10.00. Applicants can bring their application,
check made out to Los Alamos Arts Council, and their Scarecrow to
the MainStreet and Creative District Office between 10 am and 1 pm
on Saturday, October 20th, 2018, and they will be assigned a light
pole to hang their scarecrow on at that time. Applicants should
bring all materials to hang their scarecrow at this time as well.
Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District will award a grand prize
of $50.00 in chamber checks to the winning scarecrow in 6 different
categories.
Scarecrows will remain on display from October 20th through November
1st, 2018 for the community to enjoy.
Monday October 15, 2018
This is information about delayed start, school
cancellation, or early dismissal due to snow or ice for the Los
Alamos Public Schools.
• Announcements, usually by 5:30 AM, will be sent via the media,
district web page, LAPS School Messenger, and information lines
• In general, if the Lab is on a delay, school opening will be
delayed; if the Lab is closed due to weather, our schools will be
closed
• When school is dismissed early or cancelled for the day, all after
school programs including athletics (both home and away contests)
and activities are cancelled.
When you see snow and ice on the roads
• Safety first
• If possible, get up earlier than usual to clear snow and provide
extra travel time
• Please be extra cautious when driving
• Wear footwear that helps prevent slips, trips, and falls
• Exercise extra patience
• Snow and ice can cause stress; thus, try “giving an extra hand to
your neighbor”
Friday October 12, 2018
Here are the September weather highlights from the Los
Alamos National Laboratory meteorologist. Thunderstorm activity
during the first week brought cooler temperatures and much needed
precipitation, but the remainder of the month had mostly above
average temperatures resulting in approximately 3 degrees above
average temperatures in Los Alamos and White Rock. White Rock broke
3 maximum temperature records on September 15, 17, and 18. The month
started with promising rains as Los Alamos measured average
precipitation within the first week, but the rain became relatively
scarce for the remainder of the month. The amount of rain measured
was enough to result in September as the first month this year to
have above average precipitation. However, Los Alamos has recorded
only 55% of normal precipitation for the year.
Thursday October 11, 2018
Starting today Diamond Drive between West Jemez Road and
the first stoplight south of West Jemez Road, will narrow to one
lane each way for the next month. The traffic control is necessary
for installation of a water line below the surface. Replacement of
aging potable water lines is another of the Supplemental
Environmental Projects resulting from a settlement agreement between
NNSA, LANS and the State of New Mexico. The agreement resolves
potential penalties associated with a drum of TRU waste from LANL
that resulted in a February 2014 contamination event at the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant.
The Settlement Agreement includes a commitment for NNSA to execute a
total of five Supplemental Environmental Projects up to a total cost
of $34.5M. The five SEPs include: watershed enhancement, surface
water sampling, potable water line replacements, WIPP route
improvements, and a Triennial Environmental Compliance Review.
Wednesday October 10, 2018
The Los Alamos County Fire Department is hosting a series
of events in support of this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign,
“Look. Listen. Learn.”. We will be holding an Open House at Fire
Station #3 in White Rock on Wednesday October 10th from
5:30pm-7:30pm, we will hold another open house at Fire Station #4
Diamond Drive on Friday October 12th from 5:30-7:30pm. For more
information about Fire Prevention Week and home escape planning,
visit
www.firepreventionweek.org.
Tuesday October 9, 2018
Voter registration is coming to a close throughout New
Mexico as absentee voting begins in the general election.
Today is the last day for eligible residents to register to vote in
the election that culminates on Nov. 6.
The New Mexico Secretary of State's Office says absentee balloting
begins Tuesday. Voters initially can obtain paper mail-in ballots or
vote directly in person at county clerk offices.
New Mexico is picking a successor to Republican Gov. Susana Martinez
and selecting an attorney general, secretary of state, state
auditor, state treasurer and public land commissioner.
Congressional elections include a close race in southern New Mexico
between Republican state Rep. Yvette Herrell and Democratic attorney
Xochitl Torres Small, and a three-way race for U.S. Senate.
Monday October 8 2018 Columbus Day
Friday October 5, 2018
Bandelier will be celebrating your skies here in the park
and New Mexico this Friday and Saturday! Solar viewing, scale model
solar system walks, guests speakers, and giant telescopes will all
be offered.
Days will start with solar scope viewing from 10 am to 1 pm at the
Visitor Center in Frijoles Canyon to safely look at your nearest
star, the sun. Friday and Saturday will include a scale model solar
system walk at 3pm at the Bandelier Visitor Center and guest
speakers at 7 pm at the Juniper Campground Amphitheater followed by
celestial viewing through giant telescopes.
Friday, showcases Harun Mehmedinović and “Dark Skies in the National
Parks”, with Harun’s time lapse film work. Harun is a regular video
and photography contributor to BBC Earth, National Geographic,
Astronomy Magazine, major films, concert tours and more.
Saturday, welcomes "Dark Ranger" Kevin Poe who has been an
inspiration and instructor for many of today’s National Park Service
and other agency dark ranger programs.
His program, “Women's Work: Mathy Maidens Solving Astronomy’s Most
Monstrous Problems” looks at how some of history’s, or Herstory’s
best female minds continue to do the heavy lifting that mapped the
universe and helped get us to the moon.
No reservations needed,all events are free with your $25 vehicle
entry, or any America the Beautiful pass. Shuttles are required from
9 am until 3 pm, and start at the White Rock Visitor Center.
Visitors are invited to spend a beautiful, autumn day in Frijoles
Canyon on Saturday, at the Annual Fall Fiesta, 11am-3pm, held at the
Bandelier Visitor Center.
Each weekend through the summer, Pueblo cultural demonstrators
showcase their work at the park. For the Fall Fiesta, all these
artists are invited to come on the one day, sell their crafts, and
talk with visitors. Handmade items that are expected to be available
include pottery, jewelry, drums, and carvings. A Pueblo dance group
is scheduled to present traditional dances several times during the
day.
Thursday October 4, 2018
The New Mexico Recycling Coalition (NMRC) and the Solid
Waste Association of North America New Mexico Roadrunner Chapter
(NMSWANA) are pleased to announce the 2018 New Mexico Recycling and
Solid Waste Awards winners.
The Los Alamos County Award Winners included the Diversion Project
of the Year –
Los Alamos has recently initiated a yard trimmings recovery and
composting program utilizing curbside roll cart-based collection.
The program provides residents with 96-gallon plastic roll carts,
free of charge, in which they can collect leaves, grass trimmings,
small branches, and other yard debris. These carts are collected
bi-weekly by county Environmental Services (alternating with
recycling pick-up, to reduce cost and increase efficiency), and
brush is ground at the LA County Eco Station. Shredded material is
made available to residents for use as mulch, composted with
biosolids at the County’s wastewater treatment plant and returned
for use as compost.
The program is already extremely popular with Los Alamos residents,
with nearly 50% of households requesting roll carts. 89.84 tons of
yard trimming materials were collected in the month of July, this is
enough to divert five truck loads of material from being sent to the
Rio Rancho landfill.
Solid Waste Innovative Project of the Year – Chamisa Elementary
School-and Zero Waste Lunch Programs
Los Alamos County worked with Los Alamos Public Schools to create
and sustain lunch recycling programs and Zero Waste Lunch Programs.
This includes focusing on zero waste and the first two “Rs:” Reduce
and Reuse, as well as Recycle.
The Green Team at Chamisa Elementary School in White Rock
successfully deployed a Zero Waste Lunch Day and Zero Waste Lunch
Week. Students created a homemade video to educate the student body
and teachers on how to pack a zero waste lunch. Using funds from an
New Mexico Environment Department: Recycling and Illegal Dumping
Grant, Los Alamos County and Chamisa Elementary Green Team developed
an educational "How to Pack A Zero Waste Lunch” video that is being
screened at the local movie theatre for one year.
Wednesday October 3, 2018
The League of Women Voters of Los Alamos will hold a
candidate forum tonight at the Lecture Hall in Bldg 2, UNM-Los
Alamos, 4000 University Dr, Los Alamos from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
(refreshments at 6:30 p.m.). Participants will include Candidates
for NM House District 43: Christine Chandler and Lisa Shin.
Candidate for County Assessor: Ken Milder Unopposed
Candidates for County Sheriff: Joseph Granville, James Whitehead,
Chris Luchini, Greg White
Candidates for Magistrate Judge: Pat Casados and James Rickman
Candidates for Municipal Judge: Elizabeth Allen and Alan Kirk
Tuesday October 2, 2018
Scientists and engineers at Los Alamos National Laboratory
are using a unique centrifuge facility to evaluate a flight-ready
telemetry system for evaluating a nuclear weapons test missile
launch.
Because a test missile flight ultimately ends with the test system
completely destroyed, telemetry data from the flight must be
collected by receiving stations along the flight path.
The centrifuge is used to spin test articles at speeds faster than a
full-throttle NASCAR racing vehicle, as high as 200 times the force
of Earth's gravity. A wide variety of sensors on the test articles
record the effects on various components at high G-load to better
understand the stresses of launch and re-entry.
What's new and unique about this device is that it's the first
centrifuge facility that is capable of testing systems that include
significant quantities of high-explosives.
The goal of this particular test is to put a very large
gravitational force on the telemetry unit, greater than 100G, to
confirm that it continuously and reliably transmits accurate data
during the re-entry phase of the launch to target sequence.
Monday October 1, 2018
— Electric crews with the Los Alamos Department of Public
Utilities, will undertake a project to replace electric lines on
Quartz St. to improve the neighborhood’s electric reliability. Work
is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Oct. 2, and continue through the
beginning of January. Through traffic along Quartz will be
restricted during the day, Monday through Friday, with traffic
detoured to Rim Road. Full access to Quartz will be restored by late
afternoon as crews wrap up for the day.
Crews will work in small sections in the roadway to excavate,
install conduit and then backfill the open trench. Starting at the
intersection at Canyon Rd., crews will work on the north side of
Quartz, with the construction zone moving east and transitioning to
the south side of the road just before 6 St, and finishing up at 4
St.
Construction is scheduled Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m. Parking on Quartz is prohibited during the construction hours.
Department officials indicate that ingress and egress to driveways
will be maintained as much as possible. If access to a driveway is
to be restricted, crews will coordinate with the appropriate
homeowner ahead of time.
Friday September 28, 2018
Starting Friday, September 28th, 2018 construction crews will be
applying a microseal to the all of the roadways in Pajarito Acres
and La Senda.
Weather allowing, crews anticipate this portion of the project to
last 11 days and crews are planning to work 7 days a week 7:30am to
5:30pm.
Expect representatives from the contractor applying the coating to
be visiting residents door to door leaving information including the
proposed schedule, coordination instructions and contact
information.
The contractor is expected to start on cul-de-sacs in La Senda
Friday followed by cul-de-sacs in Pajarito Acres Saturday and
Sunday.
It is expected that the coating will cure enough to cross within
15-20 minutes and can accept full traffic 1 to 1-1/2 hours after the
application is completed.
During the application of the microseal on the roadways other than
cul-de-sacs, one lane will be closed allowing for one way traffic
via a flagging operation.
Cul-de-sac work will require an entire road closure and work will be
coordinated with the affected residents.
Thursday September 27, 2018Here are
the lowlights of the police reports September 19 through the 25.
One was arrested for battery against a
household member.
One was arrested for indecent exposure and a
magistrate court bench warrant
One was arrested on a municipal court warrant.
One was arrested for trespassing
One was arrested for DWI.
There was a suicide.
There was a report of battery.
One was cited for possession of marijuana.
One was cited for an animal at large.
There was a report of criminal damage to
property.
There was a report of a missing adult.
A minor was found in possession of a controlled
substance and referred to the JPO.
A juvenile was arrested for DUI and an open
container.
Wednesday September 26, 2018
Last night the County Council passed the sewer rate
increase of 8% to go into effect immediately. The monthly service
fee for all customer classes will increase from $10.27 to $11.09. In
addition to the monthly service fee, the department charges a flat,
fixed rate per dwelling unit to residential customers each month for
collecting and treating sewage. The collection and treatment charge
for single family residential customers will increase from $37.18 to
$40.15. For residential customers that are not individually metered
such as apartment complexes, the fixed charge per dwelling until
will increase from $30.97 to $33.45.
Unlike residential customers, commercial customers are charged a
variable rate for the collection and treatment of sewage based on
the winter average of potable water delivered with a minimum 2,000
gallons. The proposed ordinance will increase the variable rate from
$17.50 to $18.90 per 1,000 gallons. The adjustment factor applied to
the volume of water consumed by commercial customers will be reduced
by 8 percent; with the adjustment factor projected to be phased out
completely over the next two to three years.
Tuesday September 25, 2018
Due to an all-hands meeting for employees of the
Department of Public Utilities, which includes Customer Care Center
representatives, department officials advise that their offices will
be closed for two hours, from 8 to 10 in the morning on Thursday,
Sep. 27.
The annual all-hands meeting is an opportunity for DPU’s senior
management to provide updates on the department’s progress and
communicate strategic objectives and goals to align with the Board
of Public Utilities’ adopted mission, vision and values. The
Customer Care Center and the DPU will be open and ready to assist
customers by 10 a.m.
Monday September 24, 2018
Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC)
announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the
64th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Los Alamos High
School is proud to have seven members of the Class of 2019 as part
of this group. They are: Alina Bulthuis, Liam Devlin, Antonio Dowdy,
Do Vo, Peter Watson, Sonyia Williams and Steven Zhao.
These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity
to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit
Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered next
spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award,
Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the
Finalist level of the competition. Over 90 percent of the
Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and about
half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning
the Merit Scholar® title.
Friday September 21, 2018
Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) plan
to take advantage of favorable conditions, including fuel moisture
levels, air quality, and winds and weather forecasts to initiate a
prescribed burn in the Santa Fe Watershed starting this Sunday,
September 23.
Two separate units expected to be treated within the Santa Fe
Watershed total 950 acres and are approximately three miles east of
the City of Santa Fe. One unit is 450 acres northeast of Nichols
Reservoir, and the other is 500 acres just south of McClure
Reservoir. If conditions are favorable, personnel may treat the
units at the same time by hand and aerial ignitions.
Smoke impacts should be minimal due to previously conducted
prescribed burns in both areas.
Due to the Watershed’s proximity to the city, and the terrain that
tends to direct smoke toward Santa Fe, populated areas may be
impacted. Smoke will likely be visible from Santa Fe, Tesuque,
Glorieta, Pecos Canyon, El Dorado and I-25. Smoke may settle into
lower elevations and drainages overnight, but
should lift by midmorning. Smoke may linger for up to one week after
ignitions are complete
Thursday September 20, 2018
The Public School Capital Outlay Council (PSCOC) approved
$8.8 million in state matching funds for the Barranca Mesa
Elementary remodel project; the local match via Bond funding totals
$10 million. The total estimated cost for this project is $18.8
million. These funds will go to construction for renovation of the
existing Barranca facilities.
The Public School Capital Outlay Council manages the allocation of
state funding to public school facilities in New Mexico’s 89 school
districts. They are charged with ranking schools based on greatest
need for remodeling, and they consider proposals from school
districts for matching funds.
The PSCOC reports to the Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task
Force, which is made up of legislators, senior leaders from school
districts and charters, and members of the public.
Los Alamos also received $266,145 for Pre-K classroom space at
Barranca.
After five attempts, this is the first time the request for a match
was approved. “Our patience and persistence paid off in securing the
state match,” said Steinhaus. “Securing this funding was a real team
effort. Thank you for the support from the school board and to
everyone at LAPS that worked on this proposal.”
Wednesday September 19, 2018
The Los Alamos County Council invites Boy Scouts and Girl
Scouts, along with other local organizations, to serve as Color
Guard at any Council Regular or Work Session. Presentation of the
flags by a Color Guard can occur at the beginning of any Council
meeting on a Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. in either Council Chambers
or White Rock Fire Station 3. The presentation is followed by
reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. The name of the troop
or organization presenting Color Guard will be included on the
agenda and announced at the meeting. To reserve a date, the troop or
leader of an organization is invited to send an e-mail to
lacmanager@lacnm.us or call the County Manager’s office at 663-1750.
Tuesday September 18, 2018
Celebrate National Public Lands Day at Bandelier on
Saturday September 22 - Entrance Fee Waived
And on Saturday September 29 there is a Work Project Planned.
Often just known as NPLD, National Public Lands Day is generally
billed as the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort for
public lands. On this day, thousands of people do volunteer work
such as trail maintenance and litter pickup, while others make a
special point of taking the day to enjoy the public lands that
belong to everyone. To celebrate this special day, many federal
lands, and some state parks as well, offer free admission.
This year Bandelier will be hosting a Volunteer Work Project on
Saturday, September 29, from 10 AM – 2 PM to celebrate National
Public Lands Day. Volunteers will be removing common mullein,
Verbascum thapsus, an invasive plant species, along the trail from
Ponderosa Campground to the Upper Crossing. Volunteers will be asked
to meet at the campground at 10 AM and bring gloves, sunscreen,
sunglasses, a hat, and to wear long sleeves and long pants. A pizza
lunch will be served courtesy of the Friends of Bandelier after the
event. Please RSVP to Ritchie Sahneyah at Ritchie_Sahneyah@nps.gov.
The theme of this year’s 25th annual National Public Lands Day is
restoration and resilience.
Monday September 17, 2018
The LAHS Hilltalkers and the LAMS Hawktalkers competed in
the Fourth Annual Capitol Congress at the New Mexico State Capitol,
a.k.a. the Roundhouse, on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018.
There were 240 students competing in eight chambers: three Varsity
chambers and five Novice chambers. Of those students, 35 were LAMS
Hawktalkers, and nine were LAHS Hilltalkers.
The Hawktalkers had four students who placed in their Novice
Chambers: Nada Draganic, 6th place in her chamber; James Tyldesley,
4th place in his chamber; Dominic Dowdy, 3rd place in his chamber;
and Yun Kim, 1st place in her chamber.
The Hilltalkers had two students who placed in their Varsity
Chambers: Mike Peters, 3rd place in his chamber; and Malea Joyce,
2nd place in her chamber. Both students are Hawktalker alumni.
The New Mexico Speech and Debate Association proudly sponsors this
tournament, which represents a unique opportunity for students to
simulate the legislative process in an authentic legislative
environment. Students from sixteen schools around New Mexico debated
bills they had written in two different two and a half hour
sessions. The first session dealt with Federal legislation; the
second session dealt with State legislation. This was the first
tournament of the season for both teams.
Friday September 14, 2018
- The New Mexico Department of Transportation continues
pavement preservation work on U.S. 84/285 at mile marker 181.00 in
Pojoaque near Cities of Gold Casino.
On Friday, September 14th - U.S. 84/285 Pojoaque Bridge will be
CLOSED & the U.S. 84/285 on-ramp to NM 502 westbound will be CLOSED
from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Traffic will be detoured to Cities of
Gold Road.
Drivers are urged to watch for workers in the area, observe traffic
control signs and reduce speed to the posted speed limit. Updates on
this project will be posted on the New Mexico Department of
Transportation’s road advisory website, nmroads.com/.
Thursday September 13, 2018
— Paul Parker Construction, under the supervision of the
Los Alamos County Public Works Department/Traffic and Streets
Division, will repave a section of road that was recently excavated
to repair utility lines on the north side of Diamond Drive near 35
Street. This work will occur Thursday, September 13th and Friday,
September14th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Traffic will be reduced to
one lane in both directions in the construction work zone. Motorists
may experience some delays.
Drivers are urged to observe the speed limit and traffic control
signs.
Wednesday September 12, 2018
The power to the Mesa Public Library will be suspended from
8:00 am to 12:00 pm on Thursday, September 13th. The contractor will
be working on a new junction box for power change-overs.
The Zone area of the library will have power and will be open to the
public at 10:00 am. The main library IT services will be down, which
will impact the public’s ability to browse online.
As a reminder, the White Rock Branch Library will be open Thursday
morning.
Tuesday September 11, 2018
Governor Susana Martinez issued an executive order for
flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Tuesday,
September 11, 2018 in honor and remembrance of the victims of the
terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001
Monday September 10, 2018
The Los Alamos Opera Guild is joining Bandelier National Monument
to present Opera on the Rocks, Saturday, September 15, 2018.
The performance returns this year with a concert staging of scenes
from several popular operas, Including Gounod’s Faust, Richard
Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, Johann Strauss, Jr. The Gypsy Baron, and
Offenbach’s Barcarolle.
Opera on the Rocks is an informal, family-oriented introduction to
the world of opera, set in the rustic amphitheater at Bandelier’s
Juniper Campground. Shuttle buses provided by Los Alamos County
Atomic City Transit, will bring visitors from Sullivan Field in Los
Alamos and from the White Rock Visitor Center and return them after
the performances.
Los Alamos’ own Sirphey and UnQuarked will be selling food and
beverages. Children can join Park Rangers for various crafts
activities and a Pueblo drummer will remind us of the long history
of music in Bandelier’s canyons and mesas.
This annual event is a fundraiser for The Santa Fe Opera Education
and Community Programs and for the Friends of Bandelier. Ticket
prices are $15 for individuals or $40 for a family of 4. Overnight
campers at Juniper Campground can attend for free. Thursday,
September 13, is the final day to purchase tickets online.
Friday September 7, 2018
On Saturday, September 8th from noon to 4 pm, Valles
Caldera National Preserve will be hosting the first annual Fiesta en
el Valle near the Valle Grande Entrance Station. Get ready to
experience the majesty of the Valles Caldera and learn a new skill
at this free family-friendly event.
If you have ever wondered what to do if you encounter wildlife,
wanted to learn how to fly fish, or needed one more reason to
finally visit the Valles Caldera, this is the event for you!
Visitors will get the inside scoop on Park Ranger favorite hikes,
the best ways to recreate on the preserve, and easy ways to keep
yourself and your loved ones safe in the outdoors.
NPS staff and volunteers will lead guided hikes to see aspen
carvings, learn about movie history in the Cabin District, and
explore Valle Grande pond. Other activities focus on geology, plant
safety, navigation tips, fly tying, fly fishing, Leave No Trace,
Bark Ranger, and Volunteer-In-Parks.
In addition to National Park Service staff, activity booths will
have individuals from Los Amigos de Valles Caldera, U.S. Forest
Service, Sandia Mountain Natural History Center, New Mexico Bee
Keepers Association, Prairie Dog Pals, Jemez Springs Public Library,
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, New Mexico Wildlife Federation, and
Los Alamos Sportsmen's Club.
Los Amigos de Valles Caldera, the preserve’s friends group, is
sponsoring Divino, a northern New Mexico acoustic group, and Mss
Sarah, a face painter.
Thursday September 6, 2018
The Los Alamos County Council will hold a special meeting
tonight at 6pm in council chambers to discuss the county’s response
to a special investigator’s report criticizing the county’s role in
overseeing the expenses of the Regional Coalition of LANL
Communities.
Wednesday September 5, 2018
Road crews expect to complete the paving portion this week
of the NM 502 road re-construction project. crews will mill and fill
the middle lane of westbound NM 502. During off-peak traffic hours,
the two inside lanes will close Wednesday and Thursday to allow for
the work. Striping – the final piece of the summer-long project –
will take place next week.
Striping, which includes a shadow car following the striping truck,
will take place alternating between East Jemez, NM 4, the NM 4-to-NM
502 ramp, and both sides of NM 502. Commuters are asked to continue
following traffic signs and speed limits during the last phase of
this project.
Tuesday September 4, 2018
Do You Know a Los Alamos High School Student with an
Entrepreneurial Spirit who is Interested in Starting Their Own
Business?
LAUNCH Los Alamos is a 7-week incubator for high school students in
Los Alamos County that presents a platform for teens to learn,
innovate, and launch their product or service. Students will gain
the skills necessary to discover the value of their idea in the
market, design a pitch to promote their business to potential
investors and develop a business strategy and growth plan.
Participants receive startup funding by pitching their business at
the completion of the program. Application deadline is September 14.
Learn more and sign up here:
http://losalamosdevelopment.com/business/launchla/
Monday, September 3, 2018
Labor Day--No live shows
Friday August 31, 2018
Paul Parker Construction, under contract with the Los
Alamos Department of Public Utilities, will excavate on the north
side of Diamond Dr. at 35 St. to repair a water line. This utility
work will occur on Sat. Sept. 1 only. Traffic will be reduced to one
lane in both directions at the construction zone beginning at 7:30
a.m. Construction should be completed by evening and all lanes open
to west- and eastbound traffic, barring any unforeseen
circumstances. Motorists can expect some delays.
Drivers are urged to observe the speed limit and traffic control
signs.
Thursday August 30, 2018
Construction of NM 502 eastbound is just about complete, ending lane
closures on the eastbound side for the duration of the road
reconstruction project. Crews will be adding a second layer of
striping along eastbound NM 502 one day this week, and one day next
week, during off-peak traffic hours.
On the westbound side, crews have completed the lower full-depth
reconstruction and are at the mill and fill stage of the project.
There will be alternating lane closures on the west side, but
commuters will have two lanes open for the morning drive to Los
Alamos. Work on the westbound lanes, other than striping, is
schedule to finish by the end of next week, weather permitting.
Additionally, improvements to the hairpin turn from NM 4 to NM 502
west finished over the weekend.
Officials are reminding drivers to remain patient as the project
winds down. Crews will work through the third week of September
painting stripes and other traffic markings on NM 4, NM 502 east and
west, and East Jemez Road. Striping will take place between peak
commuting hours. Drivers should watch for the shadow car following
the striping truck and, for the safety of the work crews and the
public, continue to heed reduced speed limits on roadways through
final completion of the project.
Wednesday August 29, 2018
Searchers located Ty Morris, the missing
11-year-old Piñon Elementary School student, just before 6 p.m.
Tuesday on Aragon Avenue in White Rock, according to Los Alamos
Police Chief Dino Sgamballone, ending a nearly seven-and-a-half-hour
search.
Morris walked away from school grounds in White
Rock about 10:30 a.m., prompting a multi-agency search that included
police, fire, a medical helicopter and Los Alamos National
Laboratory staff.
The boy was located behind a tree on Aragon
Street by three LAPD officers who walked up on him during the
community-wide search.
About 50 to 100 citizen volunteers showed up at
the command center in White Rock to help in the search Tuesday
evening. The groups looked for the boy at the Piñon playground and
other areas they believed he frequented, police said.
Tuesday August 28, 2018
In January 2018, China started enforcing its new National Sword
policy, which bans 24 types of recycle materials, including some
plastics and unsorted mixed paper. Until this year, China was
importing about 50% of the world’s recyclables. In late 2017, China
informed the World Trade Organization of the upcoming ban on
recyclables containing more than 0.5% contamination. This is a
reduction from the previous standard of 3% to 5% contamination
allowed per bale of material.
“Although Los Alamos County residents make a real effort to recycle
right, our recycle material has 17% contamination,” stated
Environmental Services Manager, Angelica Gurule. In Los Alamos,
major contaminants are:
• glass
• trash
• food waste, including grease on cardboard, paper or greasy pizza
boxes
• brush
• plastic bags
• bagged recyclables
• hoses
• diapers
The lower contamination limits and China ban are impacting material
recovery facilities (MRFs) throughout the United States in two ways:
processing costs and market value of the end product. The impact is
being experienced by Friedman Recycling, currently contracted with
Los Alamos County. Friedman has had to slow its sorting lines to
half speed and hire additional employees to reduce contamination
rates. This has substantially increased the recycle processing cost.
Despite rising costs for mixed recycle at this time it remains less
expensive to recycle than to send the material to the landfill.
Moreover, since China has banned materials and is no longer
purchasing recycle materials there is a reduction in markets for
once valuable materials.
Zero Waste Team is urging residents to Recycle Right.
Zero Waste members are asking residents to reconsider the three R’s:
Reduce: Limiting consumption and waste production is the first step.
·
Reuse: Use reusable water bottles, bags, utensils, food containers,
diapers, etc.
Recycle: Recycle Right, ensure your hard work does not go to waste.
Monday August 27, 2018
Scam alert: The County’s Social Services Division is
reporting that they have received information that phone calls are
being made to local residents using a Caller ID that displays as
being the main phone number for the Social Services office
(662-8068). The caller is offering a deal to lower the resident’s
tax rates. Social Services staff are not involved in any
solicitation of this kind.
In phone scams, the Caller is looking to gain personal and financial
information. They may be making calls with a Caller ID that looks as
if it is a local number, or even use local names and titles to try
and appear to be legitimate. Social Services staff would never make
these kinds of calls to you - the Caller ID is not legitimate. Just
hang up. Report suspicious calls such as these to LAPD.
Friday August 24, 2018
Westbound NM 502 leading to Los Alamos will be closed to
all traffic on Saturday, August 25 . The hairpin ramp connecting NM4
to westbound NM 502 will also be closed. These traffic control
measures are to allow completion of mill and inlay work on an
approximately one mile stretch of NM 502. Signage will be posted to
detour traffic around the closures via East Jemez Road (truck
route).
As previously announced, westbound NM 502 traffic will be narrowed
to one lane beginning today, August 23. Lane closures are
anticipated to extend into Monday evening, August 27, unless
favorable conditions allow work to be completed on Sunday. If
construction activities continue into Monday, drivers should
anticipate back-ups during the morning hours due to heavy traffic
volume on the single lane and plan their travel accordingly. Law
enforcement will be present to ensure compliance with traffic
control measures.
Crews will continue mill and inlay operations on various parts of NM
502 during the coming days. Updated information on the planned
sequence of those operations will be posted on Tuesday, August 28.
Crews will also apply a second coat of stripping paint on East Jemez
Road and other affected parts of NM 4. Please be aware of shadow car
following road-striping crews.
Wednesday August 22, 2018
Westbound NM 502 traffic will be narrowed to one lane beginning this
week on Thursday afternoon, August 23. Lane closures are anticipated
to extend into Monday evening, August 27, unless favorable condition
allow work to be completed on Sunday evening. Drivers should
anticipate back-ups during the morning hours due to heavy traffic
volume on the single lane and should plan their travel accordingly.
Law enforcement will present to ensure compliance with traffic
control measures.
Eastbound NM 502 full-depth reconstruction should be completed on
Thursday, August 23, which will open both lanes for the evening
commute. In the meantime traffic eastbound in the evening will
continue as currently configured.
The NM 4 single lane hairpin ramp that takes drivers onto Main
Hill/NM 502 will be closed Tuesday morning, August 21, until
Wednesday evening, August 22.
On NM 502, crews will continue mill and inlay operations and paint
traffic stripes along freshly laid roadways this week. Please be
aware of shadow car following road-striping crews.
Crews have completed a 7,600 foot-long “rumble strip” along the
center of East Jemez Road from LANSCE to the east. The rumble strip
is a safety measure to help drivers avoid drifting into oncoming
traffic.
The road improvements to East Jemez, NM 4, and NM 502 should be
completed by the end of September.
Tuesday August 21, 2018
The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) will begin
pavement preservation work on US 84/285 at milepost 178.00 (Buffalo
Thunder) to 182.00 (CR 109 just north of Nambe). The contractor will
be milling the existing asphalt and then follow with a heater
scarification overlay process.
Starting Tuesday August 21 - US84/285 northbound lanes near Buffalo
Thunder will be reduced to one lane. Motorists can expect delays
Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is an 11’
width restriction. This project is scheduled to be completed end of
September 2018; weather permitting
Monday August 20, 2018The Public
Education Department (PED) released the 2018 grades for schools
across New Mexico. The grading system is primarily based upon
PED-defined growth in math and reading standardized test scores.
Grades are primarily based on growth, and for
LAPS, fluctuation can be seen. Due to LAPS being a high achieving
school district, it is mathematically difficult to continually show
growth year after year. Even though the PED grading system is
controversial, LAPS will use these reports to identify areas that
are working well and areas for growth.
Grades for Los Alamos Public Schools:
Aspen Elementary School – C,
Barranca Mesa Elementary School - B,
Chamisa Elementary School – B,
Mountain Elementary School – A,
Piñon Elementary School – B,
Los Alamos Middle School – B,
Topper Freshman Academy – A,
Los Alamos High School – A,
As a continuous improvement school district,
next steps for Los Alamos will include analyzing the PED growth
calculations, and then:
(1) Conducting root cause analyses about
student achievement in reading and mathematics.
(2) Reviewing and modifying the school goals
for this year.
(3) Providing extra support for teachers and
staff in our schools.
Thursday August 16, 2018
Wednesday August 15, 2018
The Los Alamos Police Department would like to take a
moment and remind motorists that school starts this Thursday August
16, 2018. Officers will be out in school zones for traffic
enforcement to ensure that all students, parents and staff are safe
as the community transitions into another school year. LAPD also
reminds motorists to stop for school busses when their red lights
are flashing and students are loading and unloading. This pertains
to traffic traveling in both directions. Let’s work together to
ensure this school year is not only safe but fun.
Tuesday August 14, 2018
Crews are Making Progress on LANL Road Construction Project
– Eastbound NM 502 traffic this week will encounter alternating lane
changes as road crews continue mill and fill work on the inside and
outside lanes. Two lanes will continue to take drivers eastbound
during the afternoon commute.
Albuquerque Asphalt construction crews also will begin painting
traffic stripes along freshly laid roadways. Painting activities are
scheduled to take place during off-peak traffic hours. Drivers are
asked to watch out for the shadow car following road-striping crews.
Weather permitting, the schedule for striping will be as follows:
• 8/14, Tuesday: NM 4
• 8/15, Wednesday: NM 502 and NM 4 ramps
• 8/16-17, Thursday/Friday: East Jemez Road
The NM 4 single-lane hairpin on-ramp at the Y interchange that takes
drivers onto Main Hill/NM502 will be closed Monday-Friday from 1
p.m. to 9 p.m. through August 22. Drivers must seek alternative
routes during this time.
Crews completed installation of a “rumble strip” along the center of
East Jemez Road from LANSCE to the east. It is a safety measure to
help drivers avoid drifting into oncoming traffic.
On Thursday, full-depth reconstruction will move to the outside lane
of eastbound NM 502 for about a week and a half. Afternoon traffic
pattern changes will remain similar to last week’s lane changes but
with NM 4 drivers using the inside lane of NM 502 heading east. Main
Hill drivers will continue to switch to the inside lane left of the
barrier.
Later next week, the full-depth reconstruction part of NM 502 will
move over to the westbound lanes. Traffic changes will be
communicated to the public.
Monday August 13, 2018
LAFD is reporting that they have received information that
phone calls are being made to local residents to solicit financial
donations for the Carr Fire. The caller states that they are
soliciting on behalf of the Los Alamos Fire Department. This is
untrue. LAFD is not involved in any fund-raising effort.
In phone scams, the Caller is looking to gain personal and financial
information. They may be making calls with a Caller ID that looks as
if it is a local number, or even use local names and titles to try
and appear to be legitimate. Neither LAPD nor LAFD would ever make
these kinds of calls to you - the Caller ID is not legitimate. Just
hang up. Report suspicious calls such as these to LAPD.
Friday August 9, 2018
Beginning today it’s the Los Alamos County Fair. Today’s
activities include freaky Friday at the Aquatic center from 6 to
7pm. Make s’mores at Ashley pond from 5-7 pm.. There is the concert
tonight at Ashley pond featuring the Derailers from country dance
music from Austin Texas. Saturday the parade goes up central at 10
am. There is a craft fair, pie baking contest and the chance to look
at the county fair exhibits. The rodeo starts at 2 and the cowboy
dinner and dance starts at 5pm. There is another rodeo starting at 1
on Sunday.
Wednesday August 8, 2018
Dangerous driving by commuters ignoring road construction safety
notices have forced officials to take another step to address
erratic driving behavior.
State and federal officials have agreed to take whatever measures
are necessary, including narrowing width of the traffic lanes along
NM 502 and further reducing the speed limit, in order to give
commuters safe passage home and to work. Reports of drivers using
closed roads, driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic and
illegal passing are just some of the many violations reported since
road construction began in June.
Again, commuters are urged to drive safely and practice patience.
Traffic patterns for this week will not dramatically change but will
require attention.
Westbound NM 502 morning traffic will have two lanes beginning near
the Totavi gas station. Commuters leaving Los Alamos County will
have one eastbound lane to travel.
Eastbound NM 502 afternoon traffic will continue as follows:
• NM 4 from White Rock/truck route will use the NM 502 eastbound
outside lane.
• Main Hill traffic from Los Alamos will switch to the left side of
the barrier – the inside lane and remain in that configuration
through the detour.
Westbound NM 502 afternoon commuters returning to Los Alamos County
will be detoured to the outside westbound lane.
The NM 4 single-lane hairpin on-ramp at the Y interchange that takes
drivers north onto Main Hill/NM502 will be closed Monday-Friday from
2PM-9PM through August 15. Drivers must seek alternative routes
during this time.
Work on NM 502 will continue for about five more weeks, unless
safety concerns force a pause in operations. Drivers should use
extreme caution and reduce their speeds to posted speed limits to
avoid impacts with the concrete barriers and oncoming traffic.
Tuesday August 7, 2018
Chief of Police Dino Sgambellone released crime statistics through
the second quarter of 2018 which were compiled by the Records
Section of the Los Alamos Police Department.
Offenses reported as crime statistics are determined by the FBI
Uniform Crime Report Program and are classified as crimes against
persons (violent crime) and crimes against property. The offenses of
murder (homicide), rape, robbery and aggravated assault make up the
violent crime category. The offenses of arson, burglary, larceny,
and auto theft make up the property crime category. Both of these
categories combined are referred to as Part I Offenses.
Through the second quarter of 2018, officers responded to a total of
83 overall Part 1 Offense complaints, which represents a 24%
increase as compared to 68 offenses during the same period in 2017.
Violent crime increased 14% from 14 offenses in 2017 to 16 in 2018.
Property crime increased by 24% from 54 in 2017 to 67 in 2018.
While several arrests have been made in many of these crimes, the
goal is to prevent crime from occurring in the first place.
Residents are reminded to be vigilant of their surroundings and to
ensure their homes and vehicles are secured. Citizens can report
suspected criminal behavior by calling Dispatch directly at (505)
662-8222, or by submitting a crime tip on the Department’s website.
Monday August 6, 2018
After a month of delays, the Los Alamos
Department of Public Utilities affirms that July utility bills
are being mailed. Customers in White Rock should expect to see a
utility bill in their mail boxes by Monday or Tuesday. Customers
in the townsite should begin to see their bills shortly
thereafter.
According to Deputy Utilities Manager James Alarid, late fees
have been waived for the time being until the department can get
back on to a regular billing schedule. The department
anticipates that by August 13 all 9,000 customer bills will have
been mailed.
Coinciding with the billing software change, staff has been
working through a conversion for its Los Alamos DPU App so that
it points correctly to the new software while maintaining
history from the previous software. For the moment, customers
cannot make a payment through the app nor can they see any
online activity post-July 1 on their accounts, including recent
payments and account balances. It is anticipated that the Los
Alamos DPU app will be fully functional again by the end of
August.
Friday August 3, 2018
Los Alamos County Fair & Rodeo is August 10-12 with the
parade on Saturday, August 11 at 10:00 a.m. The 2018 parade
theme is “Back to your Roots”. Today is the last day to register
to participate. For more information contact MainStreet Director
Lauren McDaniel at (505) 661-4844.
Thursday August 2, 2018
New Mexico's tax-free holiday weekend begins today,
August 3rd, and ends on Sunday, August 5th! During these 3 days
certain goods can be purchased tax-free.
The 5.125% state sales tax is waived throughout New Mexico, plus
you can save even more as local taxes are waived as well. Below
are some of the items that will be tax-exempt for the shopping
holiday:
Non-taxable items include:
• Clothing and footwear $100 or less
• School supplies such as pens, paper, and other classroom
necessities $30 or less
• Computers $1,000 or less
• Various computer accessories $500 or less
Tax-free weekend offers great savings on hundreds of items, but
not everything is exempt. For example, items such as sports
uniforms, briefcases, headsets and digital cameras will not be
exempt
Wednesday August 1, 2018
Construction activities on roadways leading to and from
Los Alamos County have tested the patience of drivers. Travelers
are urged to obey traffic instructions and account for traffic
delays as they plan trips to and from the County.
•Work on East Jemez Road. Starting on Wednesday August 1st, work
will resume on East Jemez Road. Full traffic control measures
will be in effect on East Jemez Road and will be completed in
approximately one week. The work will require full lane
closures. A pilot car will escort traffic through the
construction zone during the hours of approximately 8:00 a.m.
until 4:00 p.m. Please comply with signage, flagging personnel,
pilot car instructions, and other traffic control measures.
•Work on NM 502. Starting on Thursday, August 2nd, full depth
reconstruction work continues, moving further east (downhill) on
NM502. During the morning hours westbound traffic on NM502
leading to Los Alamos County will be reduced to two lanes while
east bound traffic will be reduced to one lane. During the
afternoon commute west bound on NM502 will be reduced to one
lane. Traffic from Main Hill road continuing on to eastbound NM
502 will be diverted to the opposite west bound travel lane to
maintain traffic flow. This additional lane will provide two
lanes of travel eastbound. This pattern was employed previously
and proved to be a viable way to accommodate peak commute times.
Signs and traffic control barriers will be in place to guide
drivers through the work zone. Both eastbound lanes will merge
together near the Totavi Gas Station.
•Work on NM 4. The NM 4 single-lane hairpin on-ramp at the Y
interchange that takes drivers north onto Main Hill/NM502 will
be closed Monday-Friday from 2PM-9PM through August 15. Drivers
must seek alternative routes during this time.
Law enforcement is supporting the construction activities to
ensure safety. Please be patient, courteous and safe.
Tuesday July 31, 2018
The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) will begin
bridge rehabilitation work on NM 502 at mile marker 11.00 at the
Otowi Bridge between Pojoaque and Los Alamos.
Starting Monday, July 30th – NM 502 eastbound and westbound
lanes will be reduced to one lane. The lane closures will be in
effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There will be a
concrete wall barrier through the work zone. This project is
scheduled to be completed end of September 2018. Motorists can
expect delays during this time.
NMDOT thanks you for your patience during this bridge
improvement project.
Drivers are urged to watch for workers in the area, observe
traffic control signs and reduce speed to the posted speed
limit. Updates on this project will be posted on the New Mexico
Department of Transportation’s road advisory website,
http://nmroads.com/.
Monday July 30, 2018
Officials with the Los Alamos Department of Public
Utilities (DPU) will recommend to the Board of Public Utilities
a sewer rate increase to establish sufficient revenue to sustain
future debt service to replace the White Rock wastewater
treatment plant. The public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday,
Aug. 15 at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at 1000 Central Avenue,
Los Alamos, NM. If approved, proposed Los Alamos Code Ordinance
02-288 will go to the County Council to be considered for
adoption on September 25, 2018.
Under the proposed ordinance, the monthly service fee for all
customers classes will increase from $10.27 to $11.09. In
addition to the monthly service fee, the department charges a
flat, fixed rate per dwelling unit to residential customers each
month for collecting and treating sewage. The collection and
treatment charge for single family residential customers will
increase from $37.18 to $40.15. For residential customers that
are not individually metered such as apartment complexes, the
fixed charge per dwelling until will increase from $30.97 to
$33.45.
Unlike residential customers, commercial customers are charged a
variable rate for the collection and treatment of sewage based
on the winter average of potable water consumed with a minimum
2,000 gallons. The proposed ordinance will increase the variable
rate from $17.50 to $18.90 per 1,000 gallons.
Los Alamos citizens may provide public comment at the board
meeting on Aug. 15, but also on the county’s Open Forum.
Comments will be collected until Sunday, Aug. 12. All comments
will be shared with the Board and County Council.
Friday July 27, 2018
The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities’ has
sent out the first batch of new bills under its new billing
system.
the first bills sent out Tuesday were for residents in what the
department refers to as Cycles 10 and 11, which are both in
White Rock, specifically Pajarito Acres and portions of La Senda
Rd. She said Cycle 12, which is in the central portion of White
Rock that runs along SR 4, could go out by mail today.
“We’re asking the customers living in those areas to give us a
call if they’ve not received their bill within 10 days,” said
Williams-Hill. “That will help us to know if there’s a problem
so we can address it quickly.”
If the changeover continues to run smoothly the department could
be caught up by Aug. 1.
Thursday July 26, 2018
Venado Fire Update -
Acres: 2,872
Cause: Lightning Location: Jemez Ranger District, Santa Fe
National Forest
Total personnel: 318
General Information: The Santa Fe National Forest brought in
Steve Millert’s Type 2 Southwest Area Incident Management Team 4
to assume command of the Venado Fire at 7:00 A.M. yesterday.
Team 4 will carry forward the incident strategies and objectives
developed by the local Type 3 organization.
The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 4 will host a
community meeting for the Venado Fire at 6:00 P.M. on Thursday,
July 26, 2018, at the Jemez Springs Public Library, located at
30 Village Plaza, Jemez Springs, NM 87025. The meeting will be
livestreamed on the Santa Fe National Forest Facebook page for
those unable to attend in-person.
the majority of firefighting resources are focused on the
northern portion of the fire to keep the fire south of Forest
Road (FR) 534 and west of FR 376. Scouting efforts will continue
on the northern and southern sides of the fire to determine safe
access routes and inform future fire suppression strategies.
Very rugged country creates difficulties for firefighters to
directly fight the fire in certain areas. The South end of the
fire is most accessible due to the 2017 Peggy Fire burn scar
area. Fire activity lessened on the eastern side along FR 376 as
crews continue road prep to limit fire spread.
Wednesday July 25, 2018
Today through Thursday, during rush hour, and all day
Friday, the NM 4 single-lane hairpin turn at the Y interchange
that takes drivers onto Main Hill road will close for traffic
safety. Drivers needing to get from White Rock/NM 4 to Los
Alamos will need to go via East Jemez Road/truck route.
Construction will continue on NM 502 and drivers are asked to
slow down to posted speed limits, be careful and pay attention
to traffic signs and traffic patterns designed to accommodate
construction and commuter needs. Rain and thunderstorms could
impact the construction schedule.
Driver patterns for this week on NM 502 are as follows and
continue to provide two lanes for eastbound traffic:
* Drivers from NM 4 (truck route/White Rock) will enter onto one
NM 502 eastbound lane and remain there until traffic returns to
its normal configuration, near the Totavi gas station.
* On Wednesday, weather permitting, work will transfer from the
inner eastbound NM 502 lane to the outer lane. Drivers will
shift to the inner lane.
* Eastbound drivers from Main Hill Road should simply remain in
their lane, which will transfer drivers to the lane left of the
concrete barrier. Workers will set orange barrels in the middle
lane to separate opposing westbound traffic (toward Los Alamos).
* During peak afternoon traffic hours and all day Friday, the NM
4 single-lane hairpin turn at the Y interchange that takes
drivers north onto Main Hill/502 will close.
* On Saturday, July 28, the NM 4 ramp to eastbound 502 will be
closed all day. Drivers needing to go from White Rock to Santa
Fe/Espanola will need to go up the Truck Route and through Los
Alamos.
Morning westbound commuters on NM 502 will continue to have
three open lanes for the next couple weeks. Following completion
of the upper eastbound NM 502 reconstruction, work will move
further east near the water tank.
Tuesday July 24, 2018
Starting Wednesday, July 25, 2018, crews will start
crack sealing work in White Rock on Rover Blvd. and Meadow Lane.
This will be a mobile operation and substantial traffic
disruption is not anticipated.
Working hours are expected to be 7:00am – 7:00pm Monday thru
Friday and the work is expected to last no longer than 14
calendar days.
Once the work is completed on Rover Blvd. and Meadow Lane, crews
will continue crack sealing in Pajarito Acres and La Senda for
an additional 4 weeks.
Drivers are urged to be patient and drive safely through these
work zones.
Monday July 23, 2018
Remember the full reconstruction of a section of NM
502 eastbound has begun resulting in closure of one of the
eastbound lanes beginning at the bottom of Main Hill Road.
Traffic will be diverted from about 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday
through Friday to accommodate peak commute times. Traffic will
be rerouted as follows:
* Drivers leaving Los Alamos on Main Hill/502 will shift to one
of the westbound lanes on NM 502.
* Drivers using NM 4 to leave Los Alamos/White Rock will merge
onto the only open eastbound lane on NM 502.
* The NM 4 single-lane hairpin turn at the Y interchange that
takes drivers north onto Main Hill/502 will close during peak
traffic hours.
Workers will place orange barrels in the middle of the three
westbound NM 502 lanes to divide east and westbound traffic.
There will be one lane open for afternoon commuters returning to
Los Alamos/White Rock and one eastbound lane for morning
commuters heading east.
Plan for your trip to take extra time.
Friday July 20, 2018
Work on the Supplemental Environmental Project road
improvements will ramp up considerably beginning Friday
impacting the NM 4/NM 502 interchange and lane configuration of
NM 502.
The safety of the workers as well as the safety of residents is
of utmost importance. Law enforcement support is being sought to
ensure drivers obey traffic instructions and consider the safety
of the construction workers. Commuters should account for
traffic delays.
Construction activities could change due to weather or other
unforeseen circumstances. For now, traffic plans are as follows.
* At about 6 a.m. Friday and through Saturday, July 20-21, the
ramp that takes eastbound drivers from Main Hill (NM 502) onto
NM 4 toward White Rock will close. The ramp will reopen on
Sunday.
* At about 10 a.m. on Friday, July 20, the ramp that takes
westbound NM 502 drivers onto NM 4 toward White Rock will close
for the day and will also be closed on Saturday, July 21. The
ramp will reopen on Sunday.
Also on Friday, full reconstruction of a section of NM 502
eastbound begins resulting in closure of one of the eastbound
lanes beginning at the bottom of Main Hill Road. Traffic will be
diverted from about 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday to
accommodate peak commute times. Traffic will be rerouted as
follows:
* Drivers leaving Los Alamos on Main Hill/502 will shift to one
of the westbound lanes on NM 502.
* Drivers using NM 4 to leave Los Alamos/White Rock will merge
onto the only open eastbound lane on NM 502.
* The NM 4 single-lane hairpin turn at the Y interchange that
takes drivers north onto Main Hill/502 will close during peak
traffic hours.
Workers will place orange barrels in the middle of the three
westbound NM 502 lanes to divide east and westbound traffic.
There will be one lane open for afternoon commuters returning to
Los Alamos/White Rock and one eastbound lane for morning
commuters heading east.
Thursday July 19, 2018
Officials with the Los Alamos Department of Public
Utilities ask customers for patience as they work through the
initial steps of deploying utility bills in a new software
system. The processing of utility bills has been on hold since
July 1 as a planned, cautious step in moving from one billing
system to another.
Los Alamos County changed its Enterprise Resource Planning
software on July 1 to Munis software by Tyler Technologies,
which includes the utility billing system. While the vast
majority of utility billing data was converted electronically,
staff with the DPU is still working on post-conversion setups,
as well as entering data that could not be reliably converted.
These activities need to be completed before regular monthly
billing resumes.
“We do not want to send bills out until we know that the billing
is correct,” stated Deputy Utilities Manager Robert Westervelt.
When customers do receive their bills, they will have the full
25 days to make payments. “We anticipate that we will be ready
to start billing by the end of this week." As we have indicated
before, neighborhoods that were billed will be posted on
facebook and DPU’s website. If customers don’t receive a bill
within 10 days of that notice DPU is asking that they notify the
Customer Care Center.
Wednesday July 18, 2018
Results from the Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test are now
available. Students in the Los Alamos Public Schools
demonstrated promising results. PARCC is one of the statewide
standardized tests required by the New Mexico Secretary of
Education.
The purpose of PARCC is to evaluate student achievement in
mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). This set of
assessments is administered each spring to all students in
grades 3-11. While this assessment yields valuable data, it is
important to remember that it is one data point among many.
The PARCC results are split into five levels, with levels 4 and
5 being considered proficient and above. In the summary of the
results below, we compare the percent of proficient and above
students to the previous year’s results.
Overall, more grade levels saw increases in proficiency than
decreases. Los Alamos Middle School had the most significant
increase; LAMS not only increased the number of students who
scored in the 4 and 5 levels, they also decreased the number of
students scoring 1 and 2. The Math proficiency rate increased by
9% and ELA increased by 7%.
Tuesday July 17, 2018
Due to several days of higher humidity and rain,
Bandelier National Monument and Valles Caldera National Preserve
will lift fire restrictions, including backcountry closures, at
8:00 am on July 16, 2018. In addition, special use permittees
and commercial use operators may resume their normal activities
within the two National Park Service units.
“Even though the monsoons have begun, we’re still in drought
conditions,” said Valles Caldera National Preserve
Superintendent Jorge Silva-Bañuelos. “We ask that visitors
continue to take appropriate precautions while enjoying our
national parks and national forests,” he added.
While 100% contained, the area surrounding the San Antonio Fire
on the preserve’s north rim remains closed to public access.
Visitors to the preserve’s backcountry are reminded to be
courteous and cautious of fire crews who are still patrolling
the fire.
Monday July 16, 2018
Los Alamos Public Schools ranked among the top four
school districts in the state for both math and English language
arts proficiency based on results released Thursday by the New
Mexico Public Education Department.
The results were part of the state’s Partnership for Assessment
of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) initiative.
Los Alamos was third overall in math proficiency with a 50.1
percent rating behind Roy Municipal Schools (63.3 percent) and
Des Moines Municipal Schools (57.8).
Among the 89 school districts (not including state charters),
these were the only three to have PARCC Math proficiency rates
of at least 50 percent.
The district finished fourth overall in English language arts
proficiency with a 57.4 percent ranking behind Des Moines
Municipal Schools (64.6); Cloudcroft Municipal Schools (62.0);
and Melrose Public Schools (58.4).
Friday July 13, 2018
Here is the June weather summary from Los Alamos
National Lab. With half the year complete, Los Alamos has
continued to be significantly warmer than normal. Los Alamos and
White Rock measured approximately 6 degrees above average. The
mean minimum temperature in Los Alamos was 57.5 degrees, the
third warmest minimum temperature on record.
Los Alamos measured 32% of normal precipitation in June, with
the majority of precipitation coming from the remnants of
Hurricane Bud that moved through the state from June 15 to June
17. The tropical moisture caused a lot of rain across New
Mexico, but it fell over a long period of time, and thus
resulted in no flash flooding across the state. The upcoming
monsoon season is desperately needed due to the significant lack
of rain for the year. For the year, Los Alamos is at 37% and
White Rock is at 31% of normal precipitation. The climate
forecast models indicate a possibly promising monsoon season.
The Climate Prediction Center and the National Weather Service
are predicting near to above-average temperatures and near to
above-average precipitation from July to September.
Thursday July 12, 2018School may be out for the summer yet the
LAHS NJROTC cadets continue to train and learn. Five cadets
attended the Area 9 West Basic Leadership Training course at
Fort Bliss, TX 18-22 June. Isaac Vasquez, Alex Tuning, Colby
Sapp, Jonathan Danforth, and David Kwei participated in
classroom curriculum, drill training, hands-on exercises, team
building, goal setting, and inspections during the five day
course. Fifty-five high school Navy JROTC cadets from New Mexico
and Texas participated in this citizenship and leadership
development course.
Kadynce Krank and Richard Thompson
completed training on Cochiti Lake during the Area 9 West Sail
Academy 10-15 June. Hosted by the West Mesa High School NJROTC
under the leadership of Major Mark Hendricks USMC and BMSC Kirk
Nicholson USN, 116 JROTC students received training and acquired
essential sailing skills in knot tying, rigging sails, weather,
rules of the road, safety, and teamwork while learning to sail
laser and J24 sailboats.
Wednesday July 11, 2018
Traffic engineers are reconfiguring traffic plans on
NM 4 and NM 502 to improve the rush-hour commute from Los Alamos
during road construction activities.
Drivers may consider using Main Hill Road to leave LANL and Los
Alamos for the next couple of weeks as construction work begins
between the intersection of East Jemez Road/NM 4 and NM 502. A
pilot car will escort traffic between the two points during
off-peak hours.
Engineers are planning today through Thursday to reconfigure
lanes on 502 to ensure there are two lanes open for the
afternoon commute from Los Alamos. Beginning Friday and through
the weekend, a section of NM 502 East from Los Alamos will be
reduced to one lane.
For the time being, some drivers are choosing to use NM 4
through Jemez to get to Albuquerque.
Federal officials are asking that drivers continue to use
respect and civility. Updates on construction activities and
traffic impacts will continue as work progresses over the next
three months. The road improvements are part of the Supplemental
Environmental Projects at LANL.
Tuesday July 10, 2018
Effective immediately, Los Alamos County will drop
from Stage III to Stage I Fire Restrictions, opening the Los
Alamos County Trail Network and open spaces. Northern New
Mexico’s extreme drought conditions that led to Stage III
Restrictions should soon see some much-needed relief with the
seasonal monsoons beginning across the state. Several criteria
are used to determine when to implement fire restrictions,
including current and predicted weather, as well as fuel
moistures. Los Alamos County Fire Department asks that everyone
please continue to use extreme caution and practice fire safety.
Under Stage I Fire Restrictions, the following acts are
prohibited until further notice:
• Building, maintaining, attending or using an open fire,
campfire, charcoal or wood stove on all Los Alamos County lands.
With the following exemptions.
• Developed campgrounds with metal grills using charcoal or
propane are acceptable on North Mesa campgrounds, Camp May,
Overlook Park and at any park within the Los Alamos County
proper, to also include all residential property within Los
Alamos County. The Los Alamos County Fire Department urges the
public to take every precaution necessary on all properties to
prevent a fire.
• Persons using a device solely fueled by liquid petroleum or
LPG fuels that can be turned on and off. Such devices can only
be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and
surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet of the device.
• Any Federal, State, or local officer or member of an organized
rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official
duty.
Any exemption does not absolve an individual or organization
from liability or responsibility for any fire started by the
exempted activity.
• Smoking is prohibited except within an enclosed vehicle or
building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an
area at least 3-feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of
all flammable materials.
Monday July 9, 2018
Due to several days of higher humidity and rain, the
Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) will lift the closure order and
stage 2 fire restrictions on Monday, July 9 at 8:00 a.m.
“We noticed conditions starting to improve two weeks ago when
moisture levels increased due to higher humidity,” said James
Melonas, forest supervisor. “The recent rain is the beginning of
what we can expect to be a good monsoon season.
Northern New Mexico’s extreme drought conditions in 2018 helped
create the dry conditions that led to the SFNF closure, but the
monsoons are soon to remedy the drought across the state.
Forest managers use several criteria to determine when to
implement or lift restrictions or closure, including fuel
moistures, current and predicted weather, values at risk from
wildfire, fire activity levels and available firefighting
resources. Another component is public compliance.
Thursday July 5, 2018
– Superintendent Jason Lott announced today that the
entire Tsankawi Unit in Bandelier will be closed to all public
use on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 due to road pavement work on NM
State Road 4. Since the construction work area will block access
to the parking area for Tsankawi, this closure is being put into
place to mitigate safety concerns for commuters, visitors and
the construction workers. Tsankawi is expected to re-open on
Wednesday, July 11, 2018.
As Stage III fire restrictions continue, don't forget that the
Bandelier Visitor Center in Frijoles Canyon, Ponderosa and
Juniper Campgrounds, Frijoles Canyon from Alcove House to the
Upper Falls, Frey Trail, Tyuonyi Overlook Trail, and Burnt Mesa
Trail are open. All wilderness and backcountry areas within
Bandelier remain closed.
Visitors are reminded that the use of a shuttle bus is required
to access Frijoles Canyon from 9AM to 3PM. The shuttles can be
picked up at the White Rock Visitor Center and run every 30
minutes starting at 9AM. Visitors may drive directly down into
Frijoles Canyon before 9AM and after 3PM. The Bandelier Visitor
Center is open from 9AM to 6PM. For more information, contact
the Bandelier Visitor Center at 505-672-3861 x 517, check the
website at www.nps.gov/band, or follow the park Facebook page at
BandelierNPS.
Wednesday July 4, 2018
Happy Fourth of July!!
Tuesday July 3, 2018
The Los Alamos Community Services Department is hosting a FREE
Community Party on July 4th from 2:00 – 5:00PM at Overlook Park.
Come out and enjoy hot dogs, cold beverages and icy treats. Play
a game of ladder golf, corn hole, or giant checkers. Kids can
enjoy the bounce house, and everyone can play in the sprinklers
or enjoy a water balloon fight.
For additional information please contact the Recreation
Division at 505-662-8170 or lacrec@lacnm.us. Find the Community
Services Department on Facebook @LosAlamosCommunityServices.
Monday July 2, 2018July 4th
is traditionally a day when Americans celebrate freedom and
independence. For the eighth year, Bandelier National
Monument is proud to partner with the United States Citizenship
and Immigration Services to host a naturalization ceremony in
the park on that day. Fifteen candidates from 12 countries
will be taking the oath and becoming the newest citizens of the
United States
The ceremony begins at 11:00am,
behind the Bandelier Visitor Center in Frijoles Canyon. The
keynote speaker will be Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott.
Members of the community help make
the ceremony a success including the Rotary Club with
refreshments; Alicia Solomon leading the National Anthem; the
Los Alamos County Clerk, the Daughters of the American
Revolution, Flowers by Gillian and Atomic City Transit. The
Medicine Mountain Dancers from Santa Clara Pueblo will present
pueblo dances and Dolores Toya from Jemez Pueblo, will be
demonstrating pottery making. The New Mexico Wildlife Center
will be bringing a bald eagle.
Members of the public are welcome to
attend and perhaps take this opportunity to reaffirm their own
commitments as American citizens.
Saturday June 30, 2018
Gas, water and sewer crews with the Los Alamos Department
of Public Utilities will be excavating on the north side of
Diamond Dr. between 35 and 36 Streets to identify the location
of and, if possible, complete repairs to a water leak. This
investigatory utility work will occur on Sat. June 30 only.
Westbound traffic will be reduced to one lane at the
construction zone beginning at 7:30 a.m. and restored to two
lanes by evening. Motorists can expect some delays.
If crews are not able to complete
repairs on Saturday, repair work will be scheduled in the
upcoming weeks. Drivers are urged to observe the speed
limit and traffic control signs.
Friday June 29, 2018
U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that they
have secured a provision in the Senate’s 2018 Farm Bill to make
acequias eligible for grants and technical assistance from
conservation and environmental programs through the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation
Service (NRCS) to increase agricultural water efficiency and
further conservation of soil, water, and other natural
resources.
Acequias provide water for many small and traditional farmers in
New Mexico. There are hundreds of acequia associations
throughout the state. The 2018 Farm Bill grants acequias direct
access to NRCS programs by expressly including them as eligible
entities for NRCS programs. This cuts red tape and allows for
parity with other producers.
Acequia associations are political subdivisions of the State of
New Mexico, but unlike other subdivisions, they can’t levy taxes
on users. Therefore, the cost of upkeep and repairs is borne by
individual members of the community. Direct access to NRCS
grants and technical assistance will give acequias access to
needed resources to improve their farm and ranch operations and
protect our natural resources.
Thursday June 28, 2018
Because of the LANL 75th Anniversary Celebration being
held at Ashley Pond Park on Saturday, June 30, motorists may
experience congestion and greatly reduced parking options around
the downtown area of Los Alamos, including Trinity Drive and
Central Avenue. The event is expected to bring several thousand
LANL employees to the townsite. Central Avenue will be closed
from 15th Street to Oppenheimer from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the
event. Canyon Road is an option to detour around the event.
Atomic City Transit will be running trolley service during the
event and trolley service is available to the public at no cost.
The Aquatic Center will be open to the public with paid entrance
fees on Saturday, but LANL employees with a LANL event wristband
will be able to use the facility for free as part of the event,
and therefore capacity crowds may be expected at the pool.
Traffic on the Main Hill Road may be heavier than usual in the
late morning and late afternoon on Saturday as LANL employees
living in White Rock or outside of the County travel to and from
the event. Residents are advised to allow additional travel
times on Saturday to account for any delays for traffic.
Wednesday June 27, 2018
Los Alamos Fire Chief Troy Hughes announced that the
Fire Department has reached a decision regarding the annual
Independence Day celebration sponsored by the Kiwanis Club.
“Unfortunately, the long-range forecast does not indicate that
we are going to receive any significant rainfall anytime soon,”
Hughes said. “Therefore, we have reached the difficult decision
that we will not issue the permit that would allow the fireworks
display to proceed on July 4. We continue to be at extreme fire
danger conditions and the risk is too great. While we know that
many will be disappointed in this announcement, our top priority
has to be the safety of the public.”
Hughes said that he spoke with Kiwanis Board members this
morning about his decision. Plans to have a festival prior to
the display at Overlook Park - as has been the case for many
years with booths, games, music and food – are also being
canceled.
Hughes said that organizers for the event had been meeting with
the County for the last few weeks regarding plans and had been
informed early on about the possibility that the significant
lack of moisture could lead to a cancelation. The 4th of July
event is one of the most significant fund-raising events
sponsored each year by the Kiwanis Club, and fireworks have
already been purchased. They will be stored until next year.
Board members said today that this was a joint decision made in
full cooperation with the fire department.
Hughes said the decision to cancel the public fireworks permit
should be a serious reminder to the community that any use of
fireworks can pose a serious fire risk.
The County Council passed a proclamation earlier in June banning
the sale of fireworks and prohibiting the use of aerial
fireworks, but Hughes said even fireworks that are designed for
ground use can cause a problem if not supervised and used
correctly. Because of State laws, fireworks cannot be banned
completely, but Hughes said it’s up to the community to help
keep Los Alamos safe.
Tuesday June 26, 2018The Carson
National Forest (CNF) will implement Stage 3 Restrictions, over
most of the forest, effective Wednesday June 27, 2018 at 6:00
a.m. Effectively immediately the Camino Real
Ranger District is closed. This immediate
closure of the Camino Real District is strictly precautionary,
the Sardinas Canyon Fire is not threatening structures nor is it
expected to do so. The remainder of the
closure, which includes the Questa, Tres Piedras, El Rito and
Canjilon District goes into effect June 27, 2018 at 6:00 A.M.
This partial closure will remain in effect until the forest
receives significant moisture and conditions have improved.
The Jicarilla Ranger District will remain
in Stage 2 Fire Restrictions and is exempt from the forest
closure.
The closure order prohibits all recreational activities on
the CNF. Campgrounds, trails and trailheads, and National
Forest System roads will be closed to the general public.
County and state roads that cross Forest Service lands are not
under the Forest Service’s jurisdiction and will remain open to
vehicular
traffic.
Monday June 25, 2018
The Department of Energy and LANS will host public
tours to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park's
Pajarito Site (Technical Area 18) during ScienceFest. These
"behind the fence" tours will feature the Pond Cabin and Slotin
Building. Tours are scheduled for the mornings of July 12 and
13. Registration for tours will begin on Friday, June 29, 2018
at 10:00 am on the Bradbury Science Museum website. Please note
that there are a very limited number of slots available! Sign up
early!
Friday June 22, 2018
SAN ANTONIO FIRE STATISTICS
Start Date: June 14, 2018, at 11:30 AM
Size: 416 acres
Location: Northwest area of Valles Caldera National Preserve
Cause: Lightning
Containment: 60%
San Antonio Fire Command to be Transferred Back to Valles
Caldera National Preserve
The combination of infrared flights and firefighters
walking around the majority of the fire’s perimeter using
handheld GPS devices determined the San Antonio Fire’s acreage
was much less than originally estimated.
The ABQ Zone Incident Management Team will transition command
back to Valles Caldera National Preserve Type 4 organization
tomorrow morning. As fire activity has drastically decreased,
more crews are expected to demobilize.
The Valle Grande entrance station and bookstore will remain open
to the public, and ranger-led tours and hikes will be offered in
the park’s cabin district. All other access and activities have
been suspended. NM State Route 4 is open to traffic.
A temporary flight restriction has been ordered, is in effect
over the fire area, and remains in place until further notice.
This restriction includes drones or unmanned aerial vehicles.
Please remember that “If you fly, we can’t!” The public is
reminded that Valles Caldera National Preserve and Santa Fe
National Forest is still under Stage 3 Closure due to extreme
fire danger, no public access is allowed.
This will be the last news update for the San Antonio Fire. For
further information please contact Kimberly DeVall at (505)
412-0826 between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday or
by email; Kimberly_devall@nps.gov.
Thursday June 21, 2018
Residents are still welcome to apply for a new
Community Development Advisory Board. The County has extended
the deadline for applications to Monday, July 9 at 5:00 p.m. The
new board was created by the County Council in May and tasked
with making recommendations to the Council regarding the
development, implementation and enforcement of County property
maintenance codes within the corporate boundaries of the County.
Seven members are needed to fill the board. They will serve a
three-year term. (Note: Initial membership of this Board shall
be appointed by the County Council for staggered terms of three
years. Three initial appointments shall expire after one year.)
Wednesday June 20, 2018
After an underground electric line failed on June 14, affecting
properties on the south side of Loma Vista, line crews with the
Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) restored power
through a temporary repair. Permanent repairs will begin Wed.
June 20, under contract with Paul Parker Construction and will
continue through the end of the month.
Crews will trench on the south side of Loma Vista between Los
Arboles and crossing the north and southbound lanes of
Oppenheimer to replace the damaged conduit and cable.
Construction will occur Mon. through Fri. from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The road will remain open; however, traffic will be restricted
to one lane around the construction zone as it moves along Loma
Vista and then across Oppenheimer. Driveway ingress and egress
will be maintained for residents. Street parking will be
prohibited on Loma Vista during construction hours. After
construction is completed, a brief power outage will be
scheduled to tie the new cable into the existing electric
distribution system.
Officials with the DPU appreciate the patience and consideration
of its customers as this emergency work proceeds.
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Allied Tree Services, under contract with the Los
Alamos Department of Public Utilities, will return to the Los
Alamos Denver Steels neighborhood this week to trim trees from
around power lines. Crews will remain in the area for
approximately three to four days.
According to DPU officials, the tree trimming effort is to
reduce power outages by removing branches and trees that are
either too close to power lines or pose a risk of falling on
power lines. Trimming trees coupled with an aggressive operation
and maintenance program supports the Electric Reliability Plan
(developed in 2011 and updated in 2014) to reduce the number and
scope of power outages in the county.
If residents observe tree branches interfering with power lines,
DPU encourages they report is to the Customer Care Center at
505-662-8333 or CustomerCare@lacnm.us. Crews will investigate
and address the situation as necessary.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Yesterday’s rain aided firefighting efforts and kept
the San Antonio Fire at 495 acres. The lightning-caused fire is
located within the northwest area of Valles Caldera National
Preserve approximately 18.6 miles away from Los Alamos. Fire
activity was minimal with spots of creeping flames and
smoldering timber. The historic cabin within the fire perimeter
and the weather station and natural gas pipeline near the fire
remain intact and unaffected by the fire.
Because of the location and elevation, smoke from the burn may
be visible from all directions coming into the Jemez Mountains
area. Smoke is expected to linger in neighboring communities
including Los Alamos, La Cueva, Sierra Los Pinos, Jemez Springs,
Ponderosa, Jemez Pueblo and areas near NM State Route 4.
Communities surrounding the Jemez Mountains may also see smoke.
We greatly appreciate the support and generosity of our
neighboring communities! Our wildland fire crews are well
equipped and cared for. After many donation inquiries, here’s a
list of suggestions.
Here are some ways you can show support for firefighters.
Creating defensible space around your home is absolutely the
BEST thing you can do to help firefighters. Learn how at
http://firewise.org.
Post thank you banners / signs in the community and on social
media. This is a great morale booster for firefighters after a
long shift!
Write thank you notes to firefighters. Drop them off at the
incident command post so they can be posted or shared.
Write thank you letters to firefighters families. Put them in
blank, stamped envelopes. After briefings or after shifts,
firefighters can address letters to parents, kids, spouses, etc.
We Cannot Accept Clothing and Food Items
Please call 575-737-8147 or email sanantoniofire2018@gmail.com
to confirm needs before collecting items or dropping off goods.
Sunday June 17, 2018
Yesterday’s rain aided firefighting efforts and kept
the San Antonio Fire at 495 acres. The lightning-caused fire is
located within the northwest area of Valles Caldera National
Preserve. Fire activity was moderate with spots of creeping
flames and smoldering timber. The historic cabin within the fire
perimeter and the weather station and natural gas pipeline near
the fire remain intact and unaffected by the fire.
The Albuquerque Zone Incident Management Type 3 Team spent the
day planning a course of action to tackle the areas of the fire
that are in steep, rough terrain and accessible only by foot.
While greatly needed, the rains have made the roads to the fire
slick and muddy. A reconnaissance flight is scheduled for this
afternoon and will provide a more accurate fire perimeter
update. The safety of over 200 fire personnel is the top
priority.
Objectives: Firefighter and public safety; containment of the
fire while protecting values at risk.
Restrictions: The Valle Grande entrance station and bookstore
will remain open to the public, and ranger-led tours and hikes
will be offered in the park’s cabin district. All other access
and activities have been suspended. NM State Route 4 is open to
traffic.
Closures: A temporary flight restriction has been ordered, is in
effect over the fire area, and remains in place until further
notice. This restriction includes drones or unmanned aerial
vehicles. Please remember that “If you fly, we can’t!” The
public is reminded that Valles Caldera National Preserve and
Santa Fe National Forest is still under Stage 3 Closure due to
extreme fire danger, no public access is allowed.
Because of the location and elevation, smoke from the burn may
be visible from all directions coming into the Jemez Mountains
area. Smoke is expected to linger in neighboring communities
including Los Alamos, La Cueva, Sierra Los Pinos, Jemez Springs,
Ponderosa, Jemez Pueblo and areas near NM State Route 4.
Communities surrounding the Jemez Mountains may also see smoke.
Thursday June 14, 2018
The San Antonio Fire began earlier this afternoon on
Valles Caldera National Preserve. The lightning-caused fire has
burned over 100 acres in the northwest corner of the preserve.
Fire crews are working on the ground and in the air to suppress
the fire burning in ponderosa pine and Douglas fir stands.
Resources on scene and en route include multiple engines, one
hot shot crew, air tac, helicopter, and two air tankers. A Type
3 fire team has been ordered and will assume command Friday
morning.
National Park Service officials are working with the neighboring
Santa Fe National Forest to ensure all resources are available
to support fire suppression efforts
Wednesday June 13, 2018
Chartwells Food Services served more than 140 lunches
for their inaugural day, on Monday. The FREE youth summer lunch
program provides a nutritious sack lunch, drink and additional
snacks Monday through Friday at Aspen Elementary School from
12pm-1:15pm.
The program serves any youth that lives in or visits Los Alamos
now through August 3rd. There is no need to reserve lunches or
apply to receive the free lunches. Youth serving programs or day
cares may contact Chef Holsapple to make special arrangements
for larger orders. The program is sponsored in part by Los
Alamos Public Schools.
Tuesday June 12, 2018
Morris Pongratz, was sworn in as Councilor last night
at a County Council Special Session. He was one of six
applicants who submitted a letter of interest to Council to
serve out the term of James Chrobocinski, who resigned last
month for health reasons. His term will end Dec. 31, 2018.
Monday
June 11, 2018
The National Nuclear Security Administration Friday awarded a
$2.5 billion annual contract to Triad National Security LLC, a
group that includes the University of California, Texas A&M and
Battelle Memorial Institute to manage Los Alamos National
Laboratory. University of California and Texas A&M officials
said they were committed to building on seven decades of
world-class research and innovation at Los Alamos. The National
Nuclear Security Administration said Triad was "the best value"
when all factors were considered and will provide future
stability for up to 10 years if all contract options are
exercised.
U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Congressman Ben Ray
Lujan say their first concern for the management and operation
of Los Alamos National Laboratory is assuring the stability of
the workforce and the safety of employees and the public while
the lab meets its national security mission.
The three Democrats say they’re hopeful about the prospect of
the lab contracting with more local small businesses.
Lab Director Terry Wallace said that despite the change in
management, the lab’s mission will remain the same and it will
work with the new team to ensure a smooth transition.
Thursday
June 7, 2018
The North and South Pedestrian Overpasses on Diamond
Drive will be closed for a resurfacing project starting June 11,
2018 and will re-open June 25, 2018.
This project will not affect vehicle traffic, however, it will
affect foot traffic.
Pedestrians wishing to cross Diamond drive should utilize the
crosswalks.
For those who use the North overpass, you can cross at the
Sandia Drive crosswalk.
For those who use the South overpass, you can cross at the
Canyon Road crosswalk.
Please drive safely through this section as the pedestrian
traffic will increase through these crosswalks.
Wednesday June 6, 2018
The unofficial primary election results for Los Alamos
County are available at the county clerk’s website. Some of the
notable local races include Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham won
the Democratic ballot for governor. Howie Morales won the ballot
spot for lieutenant governor here in Los Alamos. Stephanie
Garcia Richard won our democratic ballot for Public Lands
commissioner. In the unofficial results Democratic State
Representative district 43 candidate Christine Chandler beat
Pete Sheehey. In the Democratic County councilor race Sarah
Scott came in first , David Izraelevitz second, followed by
Randell Ryti and James Robinson. On the republican side Steve
pierce won for governor, Michelle Garcia Holmes Lieutenant
Governor. In the Republican County Councilor race Brady burke
came in first followed by Joh Bliss and Dawn Trujillo Voss.
James Whitehead won the Republican nomination for sheriff.
Tuesday June 5, 2018
Today is Election day. Voting is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
at the Municipal Bldg (Council Chambers), White Rock Town Hall,
Golf Course Community Bldg, and the Betty Ehart Senior Center.
Early voting ended last Saturday. According to the Secretary of
State, 1406 Democrats, 497 Republicans and 13 Libertarians have
already voted in Los Alamos County.
Under state law, only voters who are registered with one of the
state’s three major political parties – Democratic, Libertarian
or Republican – may vote in the June Primary Election.
Interested parties can come to the Municipal Bldg at about 7:30
to wait and watch for results to be posted by the Clerk when
available. The Clerk's website will be updated with results at
the end of the night.
Monday June 4, 2018
Chartwells Food Services, the service provider for Los
Alamos Public Schools will bring a new Summer Food Service
Program(SFSP) to our community youth.
The service will provide one free lunch and snack for each
student under the age of 18, with no income eligibility or need
to apply. The program, provided by Los Alamos Public Schools
will take place at Aspen Elementary School and is available to
other youth serving programs.
Chartwells staff will be serving in the Aspen Elementary
cafeteria from 12pm and 1:15pm and parents are welcome to sit
with their children, while the children are eating lunch or take
their brown bag to go. Food will be distributed to individual
students and not parents, except through the distribution of
other youth programs or day care centers.
The service will begin June 11th and continue Monday through
Friday through August 3th.
The lunches will be a nutritious variation according to
Holsapple. “Lunches will include milk, a meat/meat alternative,
fruit, vegetable and a grain.
People are encouraged to eat on site. Aspen has lovely outdoor
picnic tables and a great playground to play on before and after
having lunch.
Any questions can be directed to Chef Mia Holsapple, Food
Services Director, via email at Mia.Holsapple@compass-usa.com or
by calling or texting her at 409-877-3911.
Friday June 1, 2018
Los Alamos County Fire Department will issue Stage III
Fire Restrictions at 8:00 am on Friday June 1st, which will
prohibit access to unpaved trail systems within the County. Fire
Danger within the County remains very high to extreme due to
drought conditions. Stage III Restrictions will remain in effect
until significant moisture and conditions have improved. The
decision to move forward with Stage III Fire Restrictions has
been coordinated with local agencies including LANL, SF National
Forest, Bandelier National Park and the Northern Pueblos
Association.
The closure order prohibits access to all unpaved trails within
Los Alamos County. Camp May and all unpaved trails and trail
heads will be closed to the public. The only exception to this
will be the Canyon Rim Trail and La Mesa Trail in Los Alamos,
and paved access to Overlook Point in White Rock. The indices
that LAFD uses to predict fire danger are at historic levels
well before any significant moisture from the seasonal monsoons.
Under current conditions, any fire could cause a catastrophic
event. With such a dangerously high fire risk, the County wishes
to take every precaution to protect our natural and cultural
resources, and asks the public to cooperate with the new
restrictions.
The following acts are prohibited under Stage III Fire
Restrictions until further notice:
• Building or maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire,
charcoal, or stove fire on public or private land. Propane
grills can be used.
• Smoking. Smoking is allowed in vehicles, homes, and on
paved/cleared surfaces only.
• Using fireworks, explosives or other incendiary devices in
unapproved areas. Fireworks can only be used on paved/barren
areas with adequate extinguishment capabilities.
• Operating a chainsaw in a forested area, or other equipment
powered by an internal combustion engine, is prohibited.
• Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine
in forested areas without a spark arresting device properly
installed, maintained, and in effective working order.
• Welding or operating acetylene or other torch with open flame
in forested areas. Permit for specific uses can be obtained.
Thursday May 31, 2018
The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) will implement a
forest-wide closure order at 8:00 a.m. this Friday, June 1,
2018, prohibiting public access to the 1.6 million-acre forest.
Fire danger on the SFNF remains very high to extreme due to
acute drought conditions. The closure order will remain in
effect until the forest receives significant moisture and
conditions have improved.
The closure order prohibits all recreational activities on the
SFNF. Campgrounds, trails and trailheads, and National Forest
System roads will be closed to the general public. The only
exception is the Rio Chama Wild and Scenic River corridor,
jointly managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which will
remain under Stage 2 fire restrictions. County and state roads
that cross Forest Service lands are not under the Forest
Service’s jurisdiction and will remain open to vehicular
traffic.
The SFNF implemented Stage 2 fire restrictions on May 7 which
prohibited campfires and other activities. In spite of the Stage
2 restrictions, forest law enforcement and fire prevention
personnel have counted more than 120 abandoned campfires across
the forest, including at least 84 over the Memorial Day weekend.
Businesses in local communities will remain open for business
during the closure.
The closure order to prohibit all public access is expected to
be signed Thursday prior to implementation on Friday.
Due to the continued high risk of wildfire in the region,
Bandelier National Monument, Pecos National Historical Park, and
Valles Caldera National Preserve will implement public closures
to all backcountry areas of the parks on Friday, June 1, 2018,
at 12:01 AM, pursuant to Stage III fire restrictions. However,
main public areas of each national park unit will remain open.
These restrictions are being put in place to help the National
Park Service provide for public safety and reduce fire risk.
Bandelier National Monument will close all wilderness and
backcountry areas. Areas that will remain open include the
Bandelier Visitor Center in Frijoles Canyon, Ponderosa and
Juniper Campgrounds, Frijoles Canyon from Alcove House to the
Upper Falls, Tsankawi, Frey Trail, Tyuonyi Overlook Trail, and
Burnt Mesa Trail.
The following areas of Pecos National Historical Park are closed
to public use: The Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass Hiking
Trail and parking area; all closed areas, to include the Pecos
River. The following park events have been cancelled; Arrowhead
Pueblo tours, Saturday Civil War Walking Tours, the South
Pasture Loop Hiking Event (June 2, 2018), and the summer fishing
season. The Visitor Center and Ancestral Sites Trail will remain
open, and rangers will continue to offer Civil War and Forked
Lightning Ranch House tours.
Valles Caldera National Preserve will close access to its
backcountry and suspend all fishing, equestrian, hiking, and
biking activities. The Valle Grande entrance station and
bookstore will remain open to the public, and ranger-led tours
and hikes will be offered in the park’s cabin district.
Wednesday May 30, 2018
Today is NATIONAL SENIOR HEALTH & FITNESS DAY
Put on your sneakers. . Approximately 100,000 senior adults will
participate in activities across the United States to
participate in National Senior Health & Fitness Day.
Many organizations offer special events on National Senior
Health & Fitness Day. Here in Los Alamos seniors can enjoy these
offerings courtesy of the Community Services Department: FREE
water fitness classes at the Aquatic Center. Mini-golf at East
Park - rent 1st set (putter and ball), get 2nd set FREE, Get 50%
off 18 holes or 9 holes of golf at the Los Alamos Golf Course or
get 50% off at the Driving Range.
Tuesday May 29, 2018
Early voting is about over. This week Tuesday, May 29 through
Saturday, June 2 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. you can Vote at the
Municipal Bldg (Council Chambers) or in White Rock Town Hall
(139 Longview Dr in the Conference Training Rm)
If you want to vote by mail, you will
need to complete an absentee application. Visit the Clerk's
webpage for the application or apply on line at NMVote.org. The
last day the Clerk can mail an absentee ballot is Friday, June
1.
Monday May 28, 2018
Memorial Day
Please join in the Memorial Day Celebration at 11 am at the
Guaje Pines Cemetery in Los Alamos
The program is titled Service and Sacrifice
All present at the Memorial day Ceremony are cordially invited
to have lunch at The American Legion Post 90 1325 Trinity Drive
after the ceremony.
Friday May 25, 2018
Registered voters who are a resident of Los Alamos
County are reminded that the deadline to apply for an existing
vacancy on the County Council is quickly approaching. The
Council is seeking Letters of Interest from those interested in
filling the unexpired term of Councilor James Chrobocinski, who
resigned earlier in May. His term will expire December 31, 2018.
The deadline for Letters of Interest is Thursday, May 31 at 5:00
p.m.
In addition to being a registered voter and resident of Los
Alamos County, the individual cannot be employed by the County.
They should submit a letter of interest explaining their
background, experience and why they are interested in the
position, The letter should be submitted to Harry Burgess,
County Manager, 1000 Central Ave, Suite 350, Los Alamos, NM
87544. It can also be e-mailed by the deadline to
lacmanager@lacnm.us.
Any individual submitting a Letter of Interest must attend a
special Council meeting on Monday, June 11th at 6:00 p.m. in
Council Chambers, and be prepared to respond to questions from
Councilors. The Council expects to interview applicants and then
make their selection that evening.
Thursday May 24, 2018
New Mexico’s 2018 National Merit Scholarship winners
were recently announced, and three seniors from Los Alamos High
School were among 15 high school students in the state to be
chosen for the prestigious $2,500 scholarship.
The winners and their probable career fields are as follows:
Matilde Jacobson, microbiology/immunology at University of New
Mexico
Phillip I. Martin, earth science at Cornell University
Benjamin W. Rees, medicine at University of North Carolina
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, the
winners in each state are those judged to have the strongest
combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success
in rigorous college studies. The 15 New Mexico winners are among
2,500 national selectees picked from a national pool of more
than 15,000 finalists in the program.
A committee of college admissions officers and high school
counselors evaluated a substantial amount of information
submitted by the students and their schools, including a written
essay, a letter of recommendation, test scores, academic
records, and contributions and leadership in school and
community activities
Wednesday May 23, 2018
Tomorrow is the farmers market in the Mesa Public
library parking lot. Here are some of the products that will be
there. - salad mixes- arugula- spinach- chard- kale- cilantro-
radishes- onions
meats- beef- yak and maybe pork
honey-eggs- beans- sage decorations- weavings- gourds-
Apple Cider- Dried apples- snowcones- tea breads- tortillas
Plants and vegetable starts, hanging plants , flowers, herbs ,
Tomatoe plants- native plants
Baked goods both traditional and gluten free
lavender body products & goat milk soaps
Kettle Corn, Mr. Tortas Burritos & Tacos
Sahrpening Service
There will be 2 county councilors there from 8-11 to listen to
your concerns.
Tuesday May 22, 2018
The Chamber of Commerce is helping to celebrate the
Grand Opening of the new L.A. Liquor. Please join us on Friday,
May 25, from 2:00-6:00 p.m. with the ribbon cutting at 2:30 p.m.
L.A. Liquor is located at 1650 Trinity Drive. Pizza and and
other food will be served and there will be special sales
available.
John Chhina and his son Ricky Chhina, who also own the local
Subway, are co-owners of L.A. Liquor. They sell beer, wine and
liquor as well as Indian groceries and food.
Monday May 21, 2018
Los Alamos High School sophomore Lillian Petersen took
the top award in her category at the International Science and
Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, PA, on Friday, May 18.
Petersen’s project, “Predicting Food Shortages in Africa from
Satellite Imagery,” won her the top placement in the Earth and
Environmental Sciences category.
Including Peterson, seven LAHS students traveled to Pittsburgh
to compete in the International Science Fair on May 13-18; the
final results from the contest are pending.
Friday May 18, 2018
The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government is now
accepting nominations for the 2018 William S. Dixon First
Amendment Freedom Award. The honor recognizes the outstanding
accomplishments of citizens and organizations in New Mexico who
champion transparency and defend the people’s right to know the
affairs of government. Award recipients will be selected by a
panel of FOG directors and will be honored at the annual “Your
Right to Know” Dixon Lunch on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, at the
Embassy Suites in Albuquerque.
The award honors the late William S. Dixon, a First Amendment
advocate and NMFOG co-founder.
Persons wishing to nominate an individual or organization are
urged to visit the NMFOG website and click on Nominations for
all of the requirements. The deadline for nominations is June
15, 2018. Awards categories include: business, law, education,
government, media and citizen advocacy.
Thursday May 17, 2018
It's been a very busy spring at Bandelier National
Monument. Shuttle service starts back up today, May 17. As well,
the Bandelier Visitor Center hours will lengthen, 9AM - 6 PM,
and the Los Alamos County White Rock Visitor Center hours are 8
AM - 6 PM.
The shuttles are free, have really big windows to take in the
scenery along the way, and run seven days a week from tomorrow,
through October 17. Starting at 9 AM, they leave the White Rock
Visitor Center every half hour on weekdays and every twenty
minutes on weekends. Every run stops at Juniper Campground and
then proceeds to the Bandelier Visitor Center, and stops at the
campground again on its way back to White Rock.
Visitors who arrive at the park before 9 AM or after 3 PM may
drive into Frijoles Canyon without taking the shuttles. In
addition there are exceptions for visitors with disability
placards on their vehicle, those starting an overnight hike into
the back country, traveling with pets, coming on park business,
commercial tours and organized groups traveling in their own bus
or vans.
Anyone wishing to camp in Juniper Campground can drive into the
campground at any time, but then must use the shuttle to access
the Visitor Center area as well.
Between 9 AM and 3 PM, the hours when most visitors are required
to use the shuttle, a member of the park staff will be on duty
at the Bandelier entrance station to provide information and
assistance.
For more details about the shuttle service, or other information
about Bandelier National Monument, contact the Bandelier Visitor
Center at 505-672-3861 x 517 or visit www.nps.gov/band, on
Facebook, BandelierNPS.
Tuesday May 15, 2018
University of New Mexico regents have approved a budget
for fiscal year 2019 that climbs to $2.96 billion when including
the main campus, Health Sciences Center and UNM’s four branch
campuses. Spending on bond-funded construction projects and
Legislature-approved pay raises pushed up UNM’s total budget by
1.7 percent. Health Sciences represents the bulk of the budget
at $2.04 billion. The majority is the UNM Health System,
including the $1.1 billion per year UNM Hospitals enterprise.
The main campus accounts for $866 million. The Albuquerque
Journal reports that UNM’s budget reflects a tuition increase
already approved by the regents in March. Students in 2018-19
will pay 2.5 percent more across the board, plus an extra $7 per
credit hour on some upper-division courses.
Monday May 14, 2018
Friday May 11, 2018
Two teams of sharp students from Los Alamos Public Schools
represented New Mexico at the National Science Bowl held in
Washington, D.C., on April 26-30. After winning their respective
regional competitions, both teams were awarded an
all-expense-paid trip to the national competition to go
head-to-head with some of the best teams from around the US.
Science Bowl is a nationwide academic competition sponsored by
the U.S Department of Energy that tests middle and high school
students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics.
There were about 115 middle and high school teams that faced off
in Washington, D.C., this year.
While neither LAPS team advanced beyond the round-robin portion
of the tournament, being invited to the National Science Bowl in
the first place is quite an honor. The Los Alamos High School
students tied for 5th in their division but did not go on to the
double elimination round. According to the LAHS sponsor Kathy
Boerigter, the students learned what it means to be a big fish
in a small pond in Los Alamos, and what the big ponds look like.
“It was a great experience!” said Boerigter. “The students were
good competitors.” They even bumped into an alumnus, Scott
Carlsten, a 2012 graduate, working as a judge.
Although the middle school team, sponsored by Lindsey Fullop,
did not win any of their matches during the round-robin portion,
they played well and did not lose points due to careless
penalties. Toward the end of the weekend, the middle school
students competed in a Cyber Challenge activity and placed 15th
out of 48 middle schools.
All of the students had a blast sightseeing around Washington,
D.C., and enjoyed a bus tour of the monuments at night.
Throughout the weekend, they also got to see the National Mall,
the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum.
Thursday May 10, 2018
UNM-LA will host the 2018 commencement ceremony at 6
p.m. Thursday, May 10 at Crossroads Bible Church.
This year, more than 100 students completed a recognized level
of study at UNM-LA. This includes Associate of Arts degrees,
Associate of Science degrees, Associate of Applied Science
degrees, and academic Certificate programs.
Rose Sartor, who is completing her Associate of Applied Science
in Robotics, has been selected as the student speaker.
Dr. Michelle Hall will deliver the Convocation Address. Dr. Hall
is a geophysicist and successful businesswoman. She is the
co-founder of the Café Scientifique New Mexico program and the
national Teen Science Café Network and has helped to bring teen
science café programs to over 120 sites across the country in 42
states.
The public is invited to attend the commencement ceremony, as
well as the reception following the ceremony. For further
information about UNM-Los Alamos, visit losalamos.unm.edu or
call 505-662-5919.
Wednesday May 9, 2018
The Los Alamos County Council is seeking Letters of
Interest from those interested in filling the unexpired term of
Councilor James Chrobocinski, who resigned last week. His term
will expire December 31, 2018.
Applicants must be a registered voter and resident of Los Alamos
County, and cannot be employed by the County. They should submit
a letter of interest explaining their background, experience and
why they are interested in the position. Letters of interest
must be received no later than Thursday, May 31st at 5:00 p.m.
The letter should be submitted to Harry Burgess, County Manager,
1000 Central Ave, Suite 350, Los Alamos, NM 87544. It can also
be e-mailed by the deadline to lacmanager@lacnm.us.
Any individual submitting a Letter of Interest must attend a
special Council meeting on Monday, June 11th at 6:00 p.m. in
Council Chambers, and be prepared to respond to questions from
Councilors. The Council expects to interview applicants and then
make their selection that evening.
Tuesday May 8, 2018
With an increased focus on student and staff safety,
the Los Alamos Public Schools and the Los Alamos Police
Department are asking for your help in ensuring that every
visitor reports to the Principal’s office upon arriving at
school.
With the weather warming up, we have noticed more outdoor
activities like going for a stroll or walking pets through
school property; even these types of activities require
permission to be on school grounds during class time hours,
which are 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. All visitors are required to check
in and receive a badge at the school’s front office.
While Los Alamos is a wonderful place for outdoor activities, it
is important to remain conscious of the rules regarding public
access to schools. In today’s changing climate of school safety,
LAPS is dedicated to taking the necessary precautions to help
keep our students, staff and visitors safe.
Monday May 7, 2018
Voter Registration Closes Tuesday
The County Clerk's office would like to remind residents that
voter registration will end on May 8th. You must distinguish
yourself as a member of one of the three major parties
(Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian) to participate in the
2018 Primary Election. Questions? Call the Clerk's office at
662-8010 or stop by and see their friendly staff on the second
floor of the Municipal Building.
Friday May 4, 2018
The Los Alamos High School Chess Club swept the
competition by taking 1st place at the State Chess Championship
on April 19-20. This is the third consecutive year the high
school team has won first place in the 5A/6A category.
Chess Club members who competed at state include Donald Poston
(team captain), Henry Poston, Andrei Popa-Simil, Victor
Popa-Simil, Do Vo and Tim Martin. The NMAA limits the
competitive team to only six players, but LAHS has close to two
dozen active players in the Chess Club.
Over 150 players from all over New Mexico participated in the
State Championship and the competition was tough.
Thursday May 3, 2018
The National Park Service (NPS) has temporarily closed
the Old Santa Fe Trail Building, an adobe walled structure and
National Historic Landmark, for stucco repairs.
The stucco repair and rehabilitation work is scheduled to begin
in June 2018 and should require 12-18 months to complete. NPS
staff currently working in the Old Santa Fe Trail Building will
temporarily relocate to another office space in Santa Fe while
the repairs take place. Historic artifacts and museum archives
from the building have also been temporarily relocated and
stored in appropriate facilities. The Volunteers-In-Parks
program for the building has been temporarily suspended during
the repairs.
Because of the upcoming relocation for building staff the
facility has been closed to the public. The site will remain
closed to the public and to non-official visitors during
construction due to the potentially hazardous nature of the
building materials and other safety concerns.
The iconic building, the largest in-use adobe office building in
the United States, was constructed in the 1930’s by the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC), a government work program that
provided jobs for young, unemployed men during the Great
Depression.
Wednesday May 2, 2018
Over the past few weeks, the choir and band programs at
the Los Alamos Middle and High School have been busy competing
in their respective state contests.
The State Choir Contest was on April 13 and 14 at V Sue
Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho where both the middle and
high school choirs performed. “The overall event was full of
very tough competition,” said Choir Director Jason Rutledge. The
students spent a full semester preparing as well as hours
outside of school. The hard work paid off, however, as LAMS Hawk
Choir came in 3rd Place for the middle school category. Rutledge
also directs the high school choir, who performed tremendously:
LAHS Schola Cantorum came in 2nd Place for 5A and LAHS Bel Canto
came in 2nd Place in the A-6A Treble Choir category.
Los Alamos Middle School Band competed in the middle school
division of the State Concert Band Contest on April 19 at
Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque. The students spent a
great deal of time preparing for the event, including an all day
"Prep Clinic" on April 14 where they had the opportunity to work
with 10 expert clinicians from all over New Mexico.
The LAHS Band also participated in the state competition and
received excellent marks. This year, there were no state
orchestra contests; however, students and staff are looking
forward to the upcoming orchestra concert at 6 p.m. on Thursday,
May 3, at the Duane Smith Auditorium.
Tuesday May 1, 2018
This is the 7pm press release for the Chicoma Fire:
which started yesterday April 30.
The fire was reported the afternoon of Monday, April 30.
Resources on scene include 3 engines and a 20-person hand crew.
4 air tankers are also on scene, dropping retardant on the fire.
In addition, a 20-person hotshot crew is in route along with 2
more engines.
Smoke/Air Quality: Communities to the east, or northeast may be
impacted by smoke because of prevailing winds. Smoke-sensitive
individuals and people with respiratory or heart disease are
encouraged to take precautionary measures.
Size: 20 acres
Location: Espanola Ranger District of the Santa Fe National
Forest. 5 miles east of Chicoma peak and 9 miles west of
Espanola.
Monday April 30, 2018
Jen Marie Phifer and Forest Good of Los Lunas High
School won top honors on Tuesday at the 28th Annual New Mexico
Supercomputing Challenge held at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Their project, “What’s Missing?” looks at a way to create a
systematized method for finding missing pieces of data. The
project has implications for the fields of accounting,
logistics, and cybersecurity.
Second place went to Lillian Petersen of Los Alamos High School
for her project, “Predicting Food Shortages in Africa from
Satellite Imagery.” She created a tool to predict crop yields so
that international aid organizations can be better prepared for
humanitarian relief operations.
Elijah Pelofske of Los Alamos High School took third place with
his project, “RSA-Based Primality Test.”
This year, 60 teams representing 26 schools from around the
state submitted final reports. New Mexico Education Secretary
Christopher Ruszkowski attended the awards ceremony and
presented one of the awards to the finalists.
In addition to presenting their projects at the Laboratory,
students took part in tours, talks and demonstrations with
Laboratory scientists. A complete list of all winning student
teams is available at the New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge
website, and all final student reports are also available
online.
The Supercomputing Challenge is open to any New Mexico student
in grades 6 through 12. More than 200 students and teachers from
schools around the state spent the school year researching
scientific problems, developing sophisticated computer programs
and learning about computer science with mentors from the
state’s national laboratories and other organizations.
Scholarships worth more than $36,000 were awarded to students
participating in the Challenge. Many other awards were also
distributed ranging from random $100 gifts for finishing the
academic marathon to team prizes for teamwork, research,
programming prowess, and environmental impact.
Friday April 27, 2018
According to the Los Alamos Monitor, Santa Fe District
Judge Gregory Shaffer said Wednesday he would issue a decision
soon as to whether emails authored by Los Alamos County Council
member Susan O’Leary can remain private.
Susan O’Leary appeared in court last Wednesday with her
attorneys.
“The court is going to take the matter under advisement,”
Schaffer said. “I’ll issue my own written opinion on the emails
at issue on or before May 7.”
Albuquerque attorney A. Blair Dunn filed a lawsuit against Los
Alamos County Council and Los Alamos County Records Custodian
Barb Ricci June 2, 2017 on behalf of his client, Patrick
Brenner. The lawsuit alleges Ricci did not fully honor a request
for all emails Los Alamos County Councilors wrote to each other
on May 15, 2016 Brenner was looking for emails the councilors
wrote to each other on that day about an earlier email Brenner
wrote to Los Alamos County Council criticizing the council’s
vote to take away most of the duties of the Los Alamos County
Sheriff. He also took issue with O’Leary and another councilor,
James Chrobocinski being part of a political action committee
trying to persuade residents to vote for the county to raise $20
million through a recreation bond sale, money that would’ve went
to fund various county recreation projects if it had passed.
Brenner’s suit alleges that O’Leary did not fully comply when
she refused to hand over emails she has in her private email
account that also may have been about Brenner’s initial
complaint to the council about the sheriff vote. When pressed
for them, O’Leary hired an attorney to intervene in Brenner’s
suit, asking that a judge decide on whether or not those emails
should be a part of the original New Mexico Inspection of Public
Records Act, thus making them public record.
Thursday April 26, 2018
Due to overall dry conditions across the forest fire
managers announce they will not conduct prescribed burns on the
Santa Fe National Forest while in fire restrictions.
Monsoon rains forecasted in July could, however, allow fire
restrictions to be lifted sometime in the summer. If that
happens, and if conditions allow, prescribed burns could resume
as well.
SFNF officials remind the public that the entire SFNF is
currently under Stage I fire restrictions, however the public
can still access and enjoy the forest. To ensure a safe and
enjoyable experience, SFNF officials urge everyone to practice
good fire prevention.
Several criteria are used to determine when to implement fire
restrictions, including fire activity levels, current and
predicted weather, fuel moisture, and the availability of
firefighting resources. Fire restriction criteria is routinely
evaluated and restrictions could be upgraded or downgraded at
any time. Therefore, forest visitors should check with the local
district office in the area they plan to visit to know what
level of fire restrictions are in effect.
Know before you go. Fire restrictions in New Mexico can be found
at https://firerestrictions.us/nm/ and fire updates are posted
on the New Mexico Fire Information website at
www.nmfireinfo.com.
Wednesday April 25, 2018
Los Alamos Public Schools was recently ranked #1 in New
Mexico’s Top School Districts of 2018.
According to backgroundcheck.com, the best district in the state
is Los Alamos Public Schools due to being rated an “A” school
district and its high graduation rate of 87%.
Ranked #2-5 in this list is Logan Municipal Schools, Rio Rancho
Public Schools, Dora Consolidated Schools and Moriarty-Edgewood
School District.
Backgroundchecks.org is a public safety focused organization
committed to increasing public safety, community involvement,
and education.
Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is seeking
residential volunteers to assist in this year’s drinking water
lead and copper testing. In accordance the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule, DPU will sample water
from taps within 30 homes that meet certain requirements. The
test is free to the residential volunteers.
Lead and copper can enter the water supply through plumbing
materials, specifically older homes that were built with copper
pipes with lead solder. DPU will test lead and copper
concentrations the week of June 4, 2018 for volunteers whose
homes meet the following criteria:
• Home is a single-family residence
• Home was built prior to 1983
• Home contains copper piping with lead solder
Sampling requires selected volunteers to fill a provided bottle
with water from an internal faucet. DPU will pick up the water
sample and have it tested at no cost to the customer volunteer.
Lead and copper concentrations will be provided in July 2018 to
the volunteer participants.
Interested residential customers can notify the DPU webpage of
their interest and completing the on-line form. DPU will notify
the selected 30 customers during the week of May 7, 2018.
Questions or concerns may be directed to the DPU through the
Customer Care Center at 505-662-8333 .
Tuesday April 24, 2018
On April 13-15, members of the Los Alamos High School
Key Club swept the awards at the 63rd Annual Southwest District
Convention in Chandler, Arizona.
The District Convention is a way to train new members and vote
on the 2018-2019 board. Training sessions included topics like
fundraising, service projects and ways to get other members
involved. One of the biggest components of the convention,
however, is recognizing members, clubs and advisors for their
tremendous work throughout the year.
Over 400 key club members from West Texas, New Mexico, and
Arizona attended the convention, and according to Key Club
sponsor Kathy Boerigter, it is the only time the entire
Southwest District comes together.
Listed below are the awards won by the LAHS Key Club:
• 1st place Single Service Project for the African Library
Project
• 1st place prepared speech won by Leah Wolfsberg
• 1st place video
• 2nd place Achievement report
• 2nd place Talent show featuring Isaac Ronning and Sonya
Svyatskaya
• Governor's Award for raising $1500 for Lupus with Mackenzie
Rogers the Fundraising chair
Monday April 23, 2018
The community is invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony
to officially re-open the Duane W. Smith Auditorium on Thursday,
April 26, at 6:00 pm. Please join us for a short ceremony
followed by light refreshments.
The Duane Smith Auditorium, originally called the Civic
Auditorium, was built in 1950. It stood as the main facility in
which local organizations could host plays and performances due
to its spacious stage and seating area. Even today, it services
not only Los Alamos schools, but the entire community, from Los
Alamos National Laboratory to Los Alamos Concert Association.
Approximately eight years ago, LAPS replaced the main curtain
and the rigging in Duane Smith and repainted the main hall; 4
years ago, LAPS also replaced all the seating. In 2016, the
district completely remodeled the music wing, adding several
practice rooms, reorganizing the storage areas and updating the
restrooms. At that time, LAPS also replaced the roof over the
stage and re-stuccoed the flyloft on the auditorium.
During this latest set of improvements, LAPS has completely
rebuilt the lobby and added a pre-concert area between the
auditorium and music building. The restroom renovations include
11 fixtures in the new women’s restroom and 8 in the men’s. The
entire building’s fire system was also updated, including fire
sprinklers above and below the ceiling in the main hall. The
lobby is now almost twice its original size, with dedicated
areas for concessions and ticketing.
Friday April 20, 2018
The Los Alamos Police Department Criminal Investigations Section
is investigating several residential burglaries that occurred in
Los Alamos.
In the last two weeks there have been 3 residential burglaries
reported that have resulted in the theft of jewelry and credit
cards. These burglaries have occurred during daytime hours
between 10 am and 2 pm.
Police are asking for assistance in identifying these two
individuals who used stolen credit cards at an Albuquerque
Target store, which were related to these burglaries. The
pictures are on our facebook page KRSN AM 1490
A $150 reward per identification of each subject is being
offered. Callers can remain anonymous and all calls are
confidential.
Police are cautioning residents to take appropriate precautions:
lock doors, leave lights on when appropriate, and be vigilant
and report suspicious persons, vehicles or activities in the
neighborhood.
Calls can be made to Los Alamos Crime Stoppers at 505.662.8282
or LAPD Dispatch at 505.662.8222
Thursday April 19, 2018
Bandelier announces that entrance fees will not be collected
this Saturday to kick off National Park Week. The bookstore in
the Visitor Center will be offering all items at a 15% discount.
an art exhibit called The Edge
Effect: re-Imagining the East Jemez Landscape will open inside
the Historic Fire Lookout Tower at Bandelier National Monument.
The art exhibition will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
through May 6. This exhibit is a partnership between Bandelier
National Monument and the Pajarito Environmental Education
Center.
Artists Kathleen Brennan and Shawn
Skabelund designed this site-specific, place-based installation
inside the historic fire lookout at Bandelier National Monument
as part of the East Jemez Landscape Futures project, which is a
collaborative, landscape-scale approach to help guide future
planning and research efforts in the severely altered landscapes
of the eastern Jemez Mountains. The Edge Effect art installation
will explore historical boundaries that divide the East Jemez
landscape and often divide the human communities as well.
For more information on the art
installation, visit www.peecnature.org. For information about
the East Jemez Landscape Futures project, visit
www.eastjemez.org
Wednesday April 18, 2018
O
n Tuesday evening,
April 17th, the Los Alamos School Board adopted a $37,953,364
million operational budget for the 2018-19 school year.
The budget reflects parent, student, staff, and community
priorities and is designed to meet the mission and eight focus
areas in the LAPS Strategic Plan. The first three focus areas
are (1) Student Well-Being, (2) Student Learning, and (3)
Teacher and Staff Well-Being and Excellence.
The Board plans to provide a much needed 4.5% raise for all
staff starting July 1, 2018. The total raise for LAPS staff over
the last four budgets is 10%.
School Board President Jenny McCumber said: I extend sincere
thanks and appreciation to our competent staff for building a
balanced budget designed to meet the Strategic Plan. She also
thanked the New Mexico Legislature for their hard work in
passing a public education budget that increased the School
Funding Formula allocation.
Tuesday April 17, 2018
The Council will be discussing the
proposed FY19 tonight starting at 6pm in Council Chambers.
Continued budget hearings are set for 23 and 24. Public comment
is welcome at the start of each meeting (for the first 30
minutes.) The Finance Office has prepared a Citizen Guide with
key details and overview, or, you can review the entire budget
document, on the county’s administrative services page. You can
Stream the budget meetings live on the county webpage or watch
it on PAC-8.
Monday April 16, 2018
Thursday afternoon's small wildland canyon fire was a great
reminder that everyone living or working in Los Alamos needs to
be vigilant and on the look out for fires - we have already
entered Stage 1 Fire Restrictions county-wide because of the dry
weather and now high winds that we are experiencing. Please take
time to survey your property, too, and implement defensible
space measures. A few ideas: rake up pine needles, trim back
tree "ladder fuels" or clean up debris that might easily catch
fire around your home. Plus: have a family evacuation plan -
know where you will meet up if you get separated. Prepare a "go
bag" of essential items. Taking just a few preventative steps
and precautions can save precious time in an urgent situation.
And keeping your property clean and clear is a great help - it
can give firefighters the best possible chance of saving lives
and property if a wildfire does occur in Los Alamos! Finally,
don't take any chance that someone else has already called in a
fire - report any fire activity that you see in your travels -
especially when out on the trails or in the canyons! A quick
call to 911 plus rapid LAFD response time on Thursday likely
averted a very serious fire situation in LA Canyon near the Ice
Rink that could have grown out of control with the high winds we
were experiencing. Everyone needs to help to make it
successfully through another active wildfire season here in New
Mexico!
Friday April 13, 2018
On
Saturday, April 7th, 26 Los Alamos students participated in the
State Science Fair at New Mexico Tech in Socorro. Los Alamos
Public School students received 16 awards in the Junior
Division, and in the Senior Division, Los Alamos High School
received 32 awards.
Of the 11 LAHS students who competed
in the Senior Division, seven will be moving on to the
International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh,
PA, where they will compete with 1,800 ISEF finalists from
around the world May 13-18.
Congratulations to Lillian Petersen,
Charles Straus, Karin Ebey, Xavier McTeigue, Uriah Sanchez,
Gabriel Holesinger and Anna Abeyta (student observer)…..
ISEF Finalist Projects From Los
Alamos:
• Karin
Ebey, “Modeling American Alligator Population Dynamics”
•
Lillian Petersen, “Predicting Food Shortages in Africa from
Satellite Imagery”
•
Charles Straus, “Teaching an Artificial Intelligence with an
Artificial Intelligence”
• The
team of Gabriel Holesinger, Uriah Sanchez, and Xavier McTeigue,
“Hydroponic Agriculture: Individual vs Commercial”
•
Student Observer, Anna Abeyta, "Drugs, Genetics, and Cancer"
Thursday April 12, 2018
After consulting with Los Alamos National Laboratory,
and in cooperation with the Santa Fe National Forest, the Los
Alamos Fire Department announced this afternoon that Los Alamos
County will enter into Stage I Fire Restrictions, effective
immediately.
Under Stage I Fire Restrictions, the following acts are
prohibited until further notice:
• Building, maintaining, attending or using an open fire,
campfire, charcoal or wood stove on all Los Alamos County lands.
• Smoking is prohibited except within an enclosed vehicle or
building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an
area at least 3-feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of
all flammable materials.
Stage I Exemptions:
• Developed campgrounds with metal grills using charcoal or
propane are acceptable on North Mesa campgrounds, Camp May,
Overlook Park and at any park within the Los Alamos County
proper, to also include all residential property within Los
Alamos County. The Los Alamos County Fire Department urges the
public to take every precaution necessary on all properties to
prevent a fire.
• Persons with a written permit from the State Forestry Office
(505-476-3353) or LAFD Fire Marshal’s Office (505-662-8305) that
specifically authorizes the otherwise prohibited act.
• Persons using a device solely fueled by liquid petroleum or
LPG fuels that can be turned on and off. Such devices can only
be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and
surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet of the device.
• Any Federal, State, or local officer or member of an organized
rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official
duty.
Any exemption does not absolve an individual or organization
from liability or responsibility for any fire started by the
exempted activity
Wednesday April 11, 2018
The New Mexico Department of Transportation is
reminding motorists to drive safely in work zones in
coordination with National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 9-13.
This also serves as a reminder that road projects across the
state will start ramping up as the weather warms up.
When driving through a work zone remember:
• Reduce speed.
• Put down the cell phone.
• Seek an alternate route or leave early if there will be
construction.
• Look for workers, construction equipment, bicyclists,
pedestrians, and other motorists.
• Be patient.
Tuesday April 10, 2018
Con Alma Health Foundation invites nonprofits that
improve health in New Mexico to apply for grants to support
their work. Con Alma, the state’s largest private foundation
dedicated solely to health, opened its grant cycle, which
includes small grants of up to $15,000 and technical assistance
grants up to $10,000.
Con Alma awards grants annually to nonprofits throughout New
Mexico that work toward sustainable solutions to their
communities’ health challenges. Nonprofits can apply for grants
starting April 9 through May 30. Last year Con Alma awarded
$625,000 to nonprofits working toward a healthier New Mexico.
In a separate grant cycle, Con Alma and the Hospital Auxiliary
for Los Alamos Medical Center, working together as the Northern
New Mexico Health Grant Group, are accepting grant applications
for nonprofits that serve Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and northern
Santa Fe counties. Grants up to $15,000 are intended to address
unmet health needs in the tri-county area.
For more information and applications, look up www.conalma.org.
Monday April 9, 2018
On February 27,2018, the Council formally accepted the
Tourism Strategic Plan after an eight month planning process.
The plan can be found at: www.losalamostourismplan.com . As part
of Council’s action on February 27, 2018, the Tourism
Implementation Task Force was formed and staff was directed to
bring back a charter for the task force. This task force was
modeled after the White Rock Master Plan Implementation
committee and will provide guidance and expertise to the Council
and County staff on implementation issues.
The highlights of this new Task Force are:
• Task Force is initially chartered for two years.
• Task Force will be comprised of various tourism stakeholders
including the community-at-large, Business community and
assets/attractions
• Total number of members not to exceed eleven (11) members
• Task Force will also include representatives from Historic
Preservation, Lodgers’ Tax Advisory, and Parks/Recreation Boards
• Members will be initially appointed for a two term
• County project manager will be staff liaison to task force
The Task Force will be appointed by Council and this item is
tentatively set for consideration at their May 1, 2018 Council
meeting at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers.
Applicants should submit a one or two-page letter of interest
E-mail your application to lacmanager@lacnm.us or drop it off at
the County Council’s office. The deadline for letters of
interest is 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, 2018.
For questions, contact Linda Matteson, Assistant to the County
Manager, at (505) 662-8086.
Friday April 6, 2018
UNM-Los Alamos (UNM-LA), the Juvenile Justice
Advisory Board (JJAB), and the Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS)
invite the community to a free parenting seminar called CHAT:
Creating Healthy Attitudes around Technology. This informational
event will highlight researched-based approaches and tools to
help parents manage their children’s use of technology devices
in the home.
Sign-in begins at 8:00 a.m., with a light breakfast from Secret
City Kitchen. Between 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., there will be
two concurrent tracks, one addressing primary grades and one
addressing secondary grades. Healthy Schools Program Director
Kristine Coblentz and District Site Tech Administrator Sal
Zapien from LAPS will present on school technology and wellness
for each age group. In the other secondary grade session, Brandi
Seekins of the Los Alamos High School Risk and Resiliency
Assessment group (RAPS) will lead a roundtable, exploring root
causes for risk-taking behaviors and acknowledging the strengths
and protective factors that are present in our community. In the
other primary grade session, Denise Matthews, a play-based
education specialist at PEEC, will address “Experiencing Nature
through Play,” also involving participants in activities.
“It is important for parents to network,” said Zapien. “They
need to reach beyond their own families and talk with other
parents about technology and how they allow their children to
use it.”
Free childcare for children ages six months through pre-school
is available at the ARK Child Development Center, courtesy of
Zia Credit Union. Parents are encouraged to call the Ark at
662-4822 no later than Wednesday, April 11, to sign up for
childcare.
Enrichment activities for children K–6 will be offered at
UNM-LA. Parents should call UNM-LA Community Education at
662-0346 to register their children for those activities.
Advance registration is encouraged for this free workshop. Visit
https://losalamos.unm.edu/community-education/parenting-CHAT-Spring-2018.html
to sign up online. For more information, contact UNM-LA
Community Education at 662-0346 or commed@unm.edu.
Thursday April 5, 2018
On Monday, April 2 the UNM-LA Advisory Board
unanimously approved the FY19 budget, with a focus on
maintaining and further developing services to the students and
community without increasing tuition. Bob Harmon, UNM-LA’s
Director of Business Operations, presented the budget which he
described as a relatively flat budget. UNM-LA projected revenues
for next year have shifted, with a slight increase in state
revenue, offsetting a slight decline in overall tuition revenue.
Although enrollment at UNM continues to grow, much of the recent
growth has been due to an increase of high school dual credit
students, for which tuition is waived.
The FY19 budget provides increased support to the areas of
instruction and student support. UNM-LA will be offering
additional classes and expanding career guidance services. Funds
have also been allocated to hire more student workers, based on
research that shows that students who work on campus have higher
success rates related to degree completion.
During the legislative session, the state budget that was passed
included recommendations for a 2% raise to state employees but
ultimately did not fully fund the increase for all state
agencies. For UNM, UNM-LA, and most higher education
institutions, the additional funding from the state would
support an increase of slightly less than 1%. UNM-LA, following
guidance from UNM, decided to include in the budget for next
year a compensation increase of 1% to qualified employees, with
a potential additional 1-2% merit raise within the guidelines
established by UNM. UNM-LA will cover the unfunded portion by
restructuring spending. UNM-LA employees have not had an
across-the-board salary increase since 2014.
Wednesday April 4, 2018
The Valle Grande Chapter, National Society Daughters of
the American Revolution, has elected delegates to the 98th New
Mexico State Conference of the New Mexico State Organization,
Daughters of the American Revolution.
Delegates from Los Alamos are Roberta Day Idzorek, Regent of the
Valle Grande Chapter, Marge Lewis, and Linda Kolar. Alternates
are Linda Carol Alt, Karen Gray, Megan Farrell, and Chastity
Kolar.
The State Conference will be held at the Sheraton Albuquerque
Uptown, Albuquerque, NM on April 13 - 15, 2018. The theme of
this year's conference is "Remembering World War I".
November 11, 2018 will be the 100th anniversary of the armistice
or end of World War I. During the first World War, there were
four chapters of NSDAR in New Mexico, organized even before
statehood. The women of these chapters supported the troops by
knitting sweaters, socks, and other items, many of these items
being donated to the battleship New Mexico. Members conserved
food and fuel, rolled bandages, and made comfort kits. New
Mexicans bought $18 million in Liberty Bonds.
Tuesday April 3, 2018
Fishing season started Sunday in New Mexico and state
wildlife managers are reminding anglers they'll need to purchase
a new license.
The season runs from April 1 to March 31, 2019.
Fishing licenses cost $25 for state residents, and most anglers
are required to purchase a $4 state habitat management and
access validation stamp as well.
Those who plan to fish on Bureau of Land Management or national
forest lands will need a $5 federal habitat stamp.
Children under the age of 12 don't need a license, and anglers
age 70 and older qualify for a free license. Resident active and
military veterans qualify for free or discounted licenses.
Licenses can be purchased online or at Game and Fish Department
offices and license vendors statewide.
Monday April 2, 2018
Los Alamos County has published its proposed biennial
budget. Information has been included based on current spending,
revenue forecasts, and Council direction. Citizens are
encouraged to access the document on the Finance Office/Budget
page of the County’s website.
Reference copies are also available at both public libraries and
the Customer Care Center (Municipal Building lobby).
A Citizen’s Guide to the Budget summarizes the budget in an
easy-to-read format and is available at
www.losalamosnm.us/government/departments/administrative_services
Copies of the Citizen’s Guide are also available at the
libraries and in the public literature rack located in the west
vestibule of the Municipal Building.
Budget hearings are set for April 16, 17, 23 and 24. All
hearings begin at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. Until the
Council adopts the budget, it is still open for discussion and
change. Scheduled budget hearings may be cancelled if the budget
is adopted at an earlier hearing.
Council will reserve the first thirty minutes of each hearing
for public comment on any portion of the proposed budget. Once
all comments have been provided, or, after this time has
expired, budget presentations and discussions will continue.
Friday March 30, 2018
Crews with the New Mexico Department of Transportation
have been working around the clock this week to prepare safe
walking areas along the route to El Santuario de Chimayó in
preparation for the Good Friday pilgrimage, which draws tens of
thousands of faithful each year.
One lane of U.S 84/285 will be closed to traffic between N.M.
599 and the south Tesuque exit. Walkers will be guided to exit
ramps between Santa Fe and Cuyamungue, where they can access a
frontage road.
Temporary stop signs will be placed at interchanges to allow
walkers to pass more safely.
Additional signs, electronic message boards and portable light
fixtures will be placed along parts of N.M. 76 in Chimayó, N.M.
503 through Nambé and other roads to warn motorists about
pedestrians.
Trash bins will be stationed along the route, reminding walkers
not to litter.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office also began launching
increased patrols Thursday afternoon and distributing glow
sticks in the evening for those making the trek at night. The
agency planned to conduct DWI checkpoints along the route and
some deputies will patrol the santuario area on foot.
New Mexico State Police, the Santa Fe Police Department,
Pojoaque Tribal Police Department and the Bureau of Indian
Affairs were assisting in the effort.
The Transportation Department and law enforcement agencies
encouraged pilgrims to stay safe by walking on roadway shoulders
and wearing bright, reflective clothing that’s appropriate for
the weather. Those walking at night should bring flashlights.
Walkers should bring plenty of water, food, sunscreen, hats and
a small first-aid kit. They also should alert family and friends
about their planned routes and set up times to check in by phone
The North Central Regional Transit District will be adding an
additional Blue Bus along its Española-to-Chimayó route on Good
Friday. And two buses for riders with disabilities will run on a
continuous loop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., departing from the
Española Transit Center on Paseo de Oñate to the Benny J. Chavez
Community Center on Juan Medina Road.
For more information about the Good Friday buses, call
866-206-0754 or visit RidetheBlueBus.com.
Thursday March 29, 2018
National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day is observed
annually today. This day honors all small business owners.
Small businesses are a vital part of the United States economy.
These businesses are not always appreciated for the critical
role that they play. We can show them their much-deserved
appreciation on National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are
more than 27 million small businesses in the United States.
Owning your own business is a goal that many people strive to
attain. It takes long hours, hard work and much dedication.
Countless hours of nurturing the business are needed in the
process of growing the business. “Mom and Pop” businesses offer
superior customer service as the owners take personal pride in
their operations as well as pride in their communities.
Wedneasday March 28, 2018
State Auditor Wayne Johnson released the final audit of
a $10.5 million federally-funded project meant to bring
broadband connectivity to communities across northern New
Mexico. The audit found nearly $1,000,000 in expenses that can’t
be accounted for, 12.12 miles of missing fiber optic cable worth
nearly $200,000, and a lack of financial controls to ensure
compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and grant
agreements.
In July 2010, the Northern Central New Mexico Economic
Development District (NCNMEDD) received a $10.5 million federal
grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The grant was for construction of a high-speed, open access,
community broadband network in Northern New Mexico, known as
“REDI Net.” The areas to be served include: Los Alamos County,
Santa Fe County, the City of Espanola, Rio Arriba County, Ohkay
Owingeh Pueblo, the Pueblo of Santa Clara, the Pueblo of
Pojoaque, and the Pueblo of Tesuque.
Johnson’s office continues to look for missing documentation and
has served several subpoenas on contractors and vendors who
received significant payments from the broadband project.
“The OSA is unwilling to close this matter at this time,” said
Johnson in a letter to NCNMEDD and REDI Net. “REDI Net still
cannot account for almost $1 million in expenditures and
approximately 12 miles of fiber optic cable. REDI Net still does
not have a complete listing of its capital assets that were
constructed with money from the federal grant.”
Tuesday March 27, 2018
Los Alamos County has been recognized as the No.
4 ranking “Healthiest Community” in the country by U.S. News and
World Report.
The County also ranked No. 4 in a separate peer-group ranking
under the category of “Urban-High Performing” according to
information from the report.
Healthiest Communities is an interactive platform developed by
U.S. News and World Report, in collaboration with the Aetna
Foundation. Accompanied by news, analysis and in-depth
reporting, the platform features rankings drawn from an
examination of nearly 3,000 counties and county equivalents on
80 metrics across 10 categories. Population health and equity
are the most highly weighted factors in the methodology,
followed closely by education and economy. Data were gathered
and analyzed by the University of Missouri Center for Applied
Research and Engagement Systems (CARES).
Monday March 26, 2018
The Los Alamos High School Hilltalkers Speech and
Debate team is proud to announce their 2018 qualifiers for the
National Tournament to be held in June in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
The Hilltalkers sent 20 outstanding speakers and debaters to
compete at the New Mexico National Speech and Debate Association
qualifying tournament at Albuquerque Academy on March 15-17. Of
those 20, 12 Hilltalkers have advanced to the National
Tournament. The team and their coach, Margo Batha, appreciate
the ongoing support.
Qualifying to compete at the National Tournament is a grueling
process that includes double elimination rounds in speech and
debate events. Only those placing first or second place can
advance to compete at the National Tournament in June. Of the 12
Hilltalkers who qualified, 11 of them are products of the Los
Alamos Middle School Speech and Debate program.
Malea Joyce - 2nd place, Original Oratory
Nilesh Mukundan - 2nd place, United States Extemporaneous
Speaking
Gopal Nadiga - 1st place, Big Questions Debate
Leah Wolfsberg and Xavier McTeigue - 1st place, Duo
Interpretation
Emily Holmes and Neha Sadasivan - 2nd place, Duo Interpretation
Brandi Weiss - 2nd place, Informative Speaking
Donald Poston, Antonio Dowdy, Sonyia Williams, and Sam Menefee -
New Mexico World Schools Debate team
Friday March 23, 2018
On March 9, eight Los Alamos High School students from
the National History Day Club entered their projects into the
National History Day (NHD) Regional competition, and all placed
either first or second, which means all eight will advance to
the state competition in April.
National History Day is an annual competition that over half a
million students participate in nationwide.
There are three rounds of competition -- regionals, state, and
nationals -- in which students display their projects to a panel
of judges and defend their research in a fifteen minute
interview. Placing at regionals or state advances the project to
the next round of competition, and the top two entries in every
category at the state level are then invited to the national
contest. The 2018 NHD national finals will be held June 10-14 at
the University of Maryland in College Park.
The winning projects and their creators are as follows: Logan
Black and Ashley Miller created a performance on the
Peloponnesian War, Kyler Parkinson and Abby Beus competed with
their website on the Korean War, Thomas Chadwick created a
website on Reconstruction, Christine Mathew and Brooklyn Scott
made a documentary film on the annexation of Hawaii, and Miriam
Wallstrom wrote a paper on the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Thursday March 22, 2018
According to the Los Alamos Monitor, Los Alamos County
Sheriff’s candidate, Greg White, is looking to force a recall of
David Izraelevitz, a Los Alamos County Councilor who is seeking
a second term.
White submitted a petition to the First Judicial Clerk’s office
for docket approval Tuesday afternoon.
According to White, Izraelevitz is violating state election laws
by seeking another term. Izraelevitz was appointed to the Los
Alamos County Council in 2011. Izraelevitz was officially
elected to office in 2014.
According to White’s interpretation of the New Mexico
Constitution, Article 10, Section 2, Izraelevitz can only serve
two consecutive terms in office before having to wait two years
to run again.
Though certain sections of Article 10 may appear to allow
Izraelevitz to run for a second term, White said, all of the
article’s sections should be read as a whole for the full
meaning. White interprets the section to mean Izraelevitz’ 2011
appointment to council counts as Izraelevitz first term.
White’s hope is that a judge will decide in his favor, so a
special election can be held when and if White can trigger a
recall election by getting 33.3 percent of the signatures of
voters who voted in the last election.
White has also included 31 other counts in his petition, many of
them focusing on Izraelevitz’ role as county councilor during a
time when the council decided to scale back the duties of the
Los Alamos County Sheriff’s Office and reduce the office budget.
The Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office and Izraelevitz would not
comment on the issue.
Wednesday March 21, 2018
Los Alamos Middle School seeks to empower its students to become
caring citizens who contribute to communities inside and out of
Los Alamos, and one teacher in particular is leading the charge.
Julia Agnew, a social studies teacher at Los Alamos Middle
School, has been actively showing her students the importance of
giving back and connecting with others. Here in town, her 7th
grade GATE Social Studies students are making a difference by
conducting service projects of their own choice. They are
working with the question: "how does a person affect change in
his/her community?"
One group of students is working on creating toys and activities
to help promote adoptions at the Los Alamos County Animal
Shelter. Another is raising funds for an international clean
water initiative. A third group has investigated cafeteria food
pricing, what students want, and food waste coordinating with
the cafeteria manager, Mia Holsapple.
Agnew has also been collaborating with a middle school in Garnet
Valley, Pennsylvania, as a way to sharpen their geography skills
and learn about a different community.
In the fall, the two schools held a mystery Skype session where
they answered yes/no questions back and forth to determine each
school’s location in the United States.
The second project was creating a short 90-second video
portraying each class’s surrounding area using the Flipgrid
Video Platform. Students chose a site in the landscape in
Northern New Mexico, explained the history of that site, and
discussed the unique blend of cultures in New Mexico. The class
was able to share many locations within New Mexico, including
Los Alamos, White Rock, Espanola, Abiquiu, Chimayo and the
Santuario in Chimayo.
The Pennsylvania students were so excited by the LAMS students’
videos that they specifically requested instructional videos on
how to make New Mexican foods. Agnew’s class plans to share
these in the next month.
Tuesday March 20, 2018
Fire
managers on the Carson National Forest plan to burn up to 6,000
acres on the east side of the Valle Vidal Unit on the Questa
Ranger District sometime between March 26 and April 30, 2018. If
conditions are favorable, including fuel moisture levels, air
quality and forecasted weather, the burn may likely begin the
week of March 26th.
The Loop Road prescribed burn unit is
located in Colfax County approximately 14 miles northeast of
Questa, New Mexico. Crews will be burning off of Forest Roads
1950, 1910, and 1914. While the burn is being conducted,
these roads will be closed for public safety.
If conditions are favorable, the burn
should take 2-3 days to complete.
Smoke may be visible from the
following areas: State Highway 522, Costilla, Amalia, Cimarron,
Raton and most communities in the Northeast portion of the
state.
Monday March 19, 2018
Los Alamos Public School students excelled at the
Northeastern New Mexico Regional Science and Engineering Fair
with 52 students representing the district and nearly half
receiving top marks. Los Alamos High School Student Lillian
Peterson won Best in Show for the Senior Division with her
project, “Predicting Food Shortages in Africa from Satellite
Imagery.”
Students that placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in their category are
eligible to move on to state, and over 20 projects from Los
Alamos schools will be doing just that. The complete list of
LAPS winners, including honorable mentions, is attached.
The competition consisted of schools from northeastern New
Mexico such as Taos, Penasco, Santa Fe (Academy of Technology
and the Classics, Carlos Gilbert, El Dorado, Desert Academy, and
Santo Nino Regional Catholic School), Las Vegas, Roy, and Santa
Rosa.
The New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair recognizes and
rewards excellence in science, mathematics, and engineering
projects created by junior high and high school students from
throughout the state. These competitions a
re
meant to encourage inquisitive students to explore their
environment in a systematic, logical manner.
The next competition, the New Mexico State Science and
Engineering Fair, takes place April 6-7, at New Mexico Tech in
Socorro. The best of show winners at the state level will go on
to compete at the Intel International Science and Engineering
Fair in May, which will be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Tuesday March 13, 2018
Friday March 16, 2018
Drink. Drive. Jail. This is the message police will be
giving drivers this weekend as multiple agencies will be
conducting saturation patrols on our streets and highways.
Operation Northern Safety is a concerted effort of law
enforcement agencies from Edgewood to Espanola collaborating to
enforce traffic laws. Extra officers will be on the highways
watching for drunk, aggressive, reckless and other unsafe
drivers.
St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on Saturday this year, is
notoriously dangerous for drinking and driving crashes.
The special saturation patrol is intended to remind drivers to
slow down, to keep your hands off your phone while driving, to
buckle up and to drive sober. Operation Northern Safety has
resulted in hundreds of driving citations and arrests during
past efforts. The goal is a safe driving environment for
everybody.
Operation Northern Safety is a joint effort between Santa Fe and
Rio Arriba County DWI Programs, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe County
sheriff, Española and Santa Fe police, State Police, Pojoaque,
Santa Clara and Ohkay Owingeh tribal police.
Thursday March 15, 2018
Here is the Los Alamos National Laboratory Weather
Summary for February.
February had a distinct swing in temperatures. The first week
had significantly warm temperatures, while the last week had
much
cooler temperatures, as storms moved into the state and provided
snow for Los Alamos. The maximum, minimum, and mean
temperatures were approximately 3–4 degrees above average, which
was similar for western and central New Mexico. The
previous five February’s, including 2018, have had warmer than
normal temperatures. For the fifth month in a row, Los Alamos
measured below average
precipitation for rain and snow. On February 22, Los Alamos
finally had a considerable snowstorm, as Los Alamos measured 4
inches of snow, the most
snow in one day this winter. The 5.7 inches of snow this winter
is the lowest through February since 2006. The U.S. Drought
Monitor has most of
northern New Mexico in an extreme drought, including western Los
Alamos County.
Wednesday March 14, 2018
You are invited to a
student-led community forum on Tuesday, March 20, from 6:00-7:30
PM at the Los Alamos High School Speech Theater.
The purpose of this meeting is to
give students the chance to be heard and for the community to be
involved in the discussion about school safety.
All
interested students, parents, and community members are invited
to join the round table discussions to engage in dialogue about
what the district is currently doing and what can be done moving
forward to make a difference in the safety of our schools.
The Los Alamos Hilltalkers and Hawktalkers Speech and
Debate Teams earned top marks at the State Speech and Debate
Tournament that was held at V Sue Cleveland High School in Rio
Rancho. There were 27 schools competing from New Mexico, and
although the competition was tough this year, both the high
school and middle school Speech and Debate teams came out on
top.
The Hilltalkers also enjoyed competing against the Los Alamos
Middle School Hawktalkers team, seven of whom traveled to
Albuquerque to compete at the state competition. The Hawktalkers
are the middle school branch of the high school team.
The Hawktalkers are the only middle school speech and debate
team currently competing as a standalone team in the state of
New Mexico, which means they compete at a high school level.
While their success may not be as trophy-studded as their high
school peers, the public speaking abilities and confidence they
gain and exhibit is above par.
But this year is far from over for the Hilltalkers, as they are
already hard at work perfecting their cases and speeches for the
New Mexico District National Qualifying Tournament, which will
be held on March 15-17.
Monday March 12, 2018
Los Alamos County will hire outside counsel to investigate
alleged ethics abuses of the Regional Coalition of LANL
Communities.County Councilors unanimously voted in favor of an
independent investigation. Council James Chrobocinski was
absent.
A county audit found that the coalition’s executive director,
Andrea Romero was reimbursed for $1,850 on a dinner and $307 for
alcohol and baseball tickets during a lobbying trip to
Washington, D.C.
Councilors James Chrobocinski and Susan O’Leary requested
councilors seek an outside investigation into the matter.
The scope of the investigation is expected to include the
Washington, D.C. trip taken in 2017, and could also include
interactions with Los Alamos County that reach back into 2011,
when RCLC was founded.
The council requested Monday that the outside counsel return
with an investigative plan and scope by April 3 for further
discussion and action.
Friday March 10, 2018
— Late on the evening of Monday, March 5, 2018, or early in the
morning hours of Tuesday, March 6, 2018, a cow elk was poached
in Valles Caldera National Preserve. The incident occurred along
NM State Route 4 near mile post 41.
Park Rangers are requesting the public’s help in solving this
crime. A total reward of up to $1500 will be paid for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of those
responsible.
If you witnessed suspicious activity in the area or have
knowledge of this incident, please call or text the Park Crime
Tip Line at 505-709-0077. Callers can remain anonymous.
Thursday March 9, 2018
The Los Alamos Fire Department
(LAFD) is seeking vendors interested in hosting food or other
informational booths at Wildfire Day 2018 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
on Saturday, March 31 at Ashley Pond Park.
Wildfire Day is a fun event for the
entire family with Easter Egg hunt, bicycle safety course, LAPD
bomb truck, public safety vehicles, Smokey Bear, Sparky the Fire
Dog and much more. Wildfire Day is a community event geared
towards educating the community on becoming a Fire Adapted
Community.
Vendors with questions can contact LAFD by sending an e-mail to
event coordinator Marisol Padilla at marisol.padilla@lacnm.us or
calling 505-662-8317. All vendor permits, and payments must be
received by the PROS Division Office by 5 p.m. on Wednesday
March 21.
Wednesday March 8, 2018
Tuesday March 7, 2018
Get Out. Get Active is the continuing theme for this
collaborative program from Los Alamos County Community Services,
with lots of fun things to see and do in our community during
spring! Check out the full booklet of information. You can pick
up booklets at County facilities, including Mesa Public Library,
White Rock Library, Ice Rink, Aquatic Center, Golf Course, and
the Customer Care Center in the Municipal Building lobby, as
well as any of the local visitor centers and many of our local
businesses.
Monday March 6, 2018
Starting July 2018, a Yard Trimming roll cart will be
available to residents who participate in weekly curbside roll
cart collection, to compensate for Quarterly Brush Collection.
The Yard Trimming roll cart is voluntary and there will be no
additional cost to the resident. The Yard Trimming roll cart is
for organic yard trimmings only, which includes short branches,
flowers, grass clippings, leaves, pine needles and pine cones.
Yard trimmings will be collected at curbside, March through
November of every year, and Christmas trees will be collected in
January as usual.
This initiative will save approximately 14% of our waste from
being sent to the landfill, extending landfill life, and
reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The yard trimmings will be
composted into high quality garden and landscaping materials and
will be made available for free to residents to use. In order to
conserve resources and maintain operational costs, Environmental
Services is exploring opportunities to collect recycle and yard
trimmings more efficiently and sustainably. This is where the
residents need to give them information. There is a survey on
the county website open forum page as to how you will
participate in the program. It is open through March 8.
Friday March 2, 2018
Delivery of the Los Alamos Switchgear
Substation (LASS) is delayed, according to officials with the
Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities. The large
oversized load, arriving on two commercial semi-trucks will
arrive in the early afternoon on Fri. March 2, rather than in
the morning as stated previously. Traffic on E. Jemez Rd,
also known as the Truck Route, will be impacted for
approximately 20 minutes to allow the west traveling semi-trucks
to cross traffic to enter the area behind the Eco Station.
Flaggers on the Truck Route will be
stationed, and traffic control devices will be placed east of
the Eco Station through the turn off to the Los Alamos National
Laboratory guard station entrance. DPU estimates that it will
take approximately 20 minutes for the semi-trucks to leave the
LANL inspection station, travel west on E. Jemez Rd., and cross
east-bound traffic lanes to deliver the LASS on a prepared pad,
behind the Eco Station. Once delivered, all traffic control
devices will be removed, and traffic returned to normal.
Thursday March 1, 2018
Investigators with the Los Alamos Police Department have
arrested and charged Antonio Trujillo, 31, and arrest warrants
are active for Gregorio Trujillo, 29, both from Santa Fe with
the crimes committed at the Los Alamos County Pajarito Cliff
Site. Below is the breakdown of charges for each offender:
Antonio Trujillo
• 1 Count of Unlawful Taking of Vehicle
• 3 Count of Receiving/Transferring Stolen Vehicle
• 5 Counts of Burglary
• 4 Counts of Larceny
• 2 Counts of Breaking and Entering
• 2 Counts of Criminal Damage to Property
• 1 Count of Attempted Burglary
• 1 Count of Aggravated Fleeing
• 1 Count of Conspiracy to Commit Burglary
Gregorio Trujillo
• 1 Count of Receiving/Transferring Stolen Vehicle
• 1 Count of Burglary
• 1 Count of Breaking and Entering
• 1 Count of Criminal Damage to Property
• 1 Count of Larceny
LAPD Investigators are still working with the Santa Fe Sheriff’s
Office and the New Mexico State Police to determine if others
were also involved in these crimes. Leads are being followed up
on and future arrests are imminent in regards to these crimes
and those committed at the storage rooms located at 1265 Trinity
Dr. The community is urged to contact the Los Alamos Police
Department or Crimestoppers with any information that may help
in these investigations and locate the whereabouts of Gregorio
Trujillo. Callers may remain anonymous.
Los Alamos Police Department- 662-8222
Los Alamos Crime Stoppers- 662-8282
Wednesday February 28, 2018
The Public Works Department invites you to attend a public
meeting to discuss the next phase of an upcoming road
improvement project within the Cumbres Del Sol Subdivision.
The meeting will be held in conjunction with the Transportation
Board’s regular monthly meeting on Thursday, March 1, 2018 at
5:30 p.m., located in Boards & Commissions Room 110 of the
Municipal Building at 1000 Central Avenue.
Proposed improvements include roadway
reconstruction of the following streets:
•
Camino Manzana
•
Camino Mora
•
Camino Cereza
The proposed work involves removal
and replacement of asphalt surfacing and limited concrete
replacement.
Tuesday February 27, 2018
On February 26, Antonio Tony Redondo will be taking
over as head of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s tech transfer
division, the Richard P. Feynman Center for Innovation. Named
after the famous Manhattan Project physicist, the Feynman Center
helps to transition science and technology created at the
Laboratory to the private sector.
Redondo is the former Theoretical Division leader and currently
a senior scientist in the Theory, Simulation and Computation
Directorate. In his 35 years at Los Alamos, he has served as
principal investigator for several projects, including Soft
Matter Mechanical, Rheological and Stability Properties, funded
by Procter and Gamble; Metal Corrosion, funded by Chevron;
Sustainable Materials, funded by Procter & Gamble; and
Crystallization of Sugar, funded by Mars, Inc.
Redondo will replace David Pesiri, who has been director of the
Feynman Center since 2011. Pesiri will move into the Director’s
Office to help manage the upcoming management and operation
(M&O) contract change. In addition to leading the Feynman
Center, he was a team leader for business development for five
years. Prior to joining Los Alamos, he was a successful
entrepreneur, helping to create and lead several technology
companies. Pesiri has more than a decade of management
experience at the Laboratory.
Monday February 26, 2018
A new federal report says Los Alamos National
Laboratory violated regulations to protect workers from exposure
to a metal that can cause lung disease and cancer. The Energy
Department inspector general's report says the nuclear weapons
lab didn't properly track beryllium and didn't assure that
contaminated areas were safe before work continued. Lab
spokesman Matt Nerzig says Los Alamos hasn't scaled back
measures to protect workers but is addressing the
recommendations in the inspector general's report. The National
Nuclear Security Administration says its oversight was
insufficient due to staffing issues but that it doesn't know
that shortcoming caused exposures at Los Alamos.
Friday February 23, 2018
N
ew Mexico’s safest
town is Los Alamos, world famous for being the location of the
Manhattan Project and the birthplace of the atomic bomb. Los
Alamos’ violent crime rate of just over 1 reported incident per
1,000 and rate of 7.87 property crimes per 1,000 are excellent,
well below both the state and national averages. Sunland Park
(#2), located in Doña Ana County, is of similar size and boasts
nearly as impressive low crime rates. Rio Rancho (#3), a city of
95,454, is the third largest in the state and logged a violent
crime rate of just 2.25 reported incidents per 1,000
inhabitants.
Thursday February 22, 2018
School is on a two hour delay
The senior centers are opening at 10 am
UNM-LA opens at 10 am
Bandelier opens at 11 am
Wednesday February 21, 2018
Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest, plan to
take advantage of favorable conditions, including fuel moisture
levels, air quality, winds, and weather forecasts to conduct a
two-day prescribed burn in the Santa Fe Watershed, possibly
starting Monday.
The 755-acre treatment area is approximately three miles east of
the City of Santa Fe on the south end between Nichols and
McClure Reservoirs. Impacts from the hand and aerial ig-nitions
are expected to be minimal due to this being a second entry
prescribed burn into this particular area.
The Santa Fe Watershed prescribed burn is specifically designed
to improve and protect the 17 thousand 384-acre watershed, which
provides 40 percent of the water to the City of Santa Fe, by
removing dead forest fuels and reducing the risk of
high-intensity wildfire. Prescribed fires are managed with
firefighter and public safety as the first priority.
Smoke will likely be visible from Santa Fe, Tesuque, Glorieta,
Pecos Canyon, El Dorado and I-25. Smoke may settle into lower
elevations and drainages overnight but should lift by
midmorning. Lingering smoke may be present for up to one week
after ignitions are complete.
Tuesday February 20, 2018
Officers with the Los Alamos Police Department were
involved in an overnight officer involved shooting that occurred
around 3:45 a.m. on February 17, 2018. Officers were
investigating suspicious circumstances at a County facility
located in Los Alamos. During this investigation shots were
fired by police and a pursuit ensued out of Los Alamos County
and into the Espanola/Rio Arriba area. Neighboring law
enforcement assisted in the pursuit that ended on Corlett St in
Espanola.
The suspects fled on foot and remain at large. No officers were
injured in this incident and the scene is still being examined
to determine if any of the suspects were injured. This is an
isolated incident and do not believe the public is in jeopardy.
This incident is being investigated by the New Mexico State
Police Investigations Bureau. Further details will be released
upon completion of this investigation as it currently remains
active.
Saturday-Monday February 17-19, 2018
The Ecostation and Overlook Convience Center will be
closed on Monday, President's Day.
There will be no trash or recycling pick up on Monday. If your
trash day is Monday set it our on Wednesday.
Thursday February 15, 2018
Wednesday February 14, 2018
On Thursday, Feb. 15, the Los Alamos School Board and
Community Budget Committee will be hosting the first community
budget meeting from 5:30 – 7:30 PM at the High School Speech
Theater to discuss the 2018-19 LAPS budget proposal. All parents
and interested community members are invited to attend and
participate in the conversation.
The first meeting, scheduled for Thursday, will begin with an
introduction to school budgeting followed by a review of the
school funding formula, a quick Legislative update and
considerations for the 2018-19 budget.
The school board and budget committee are asking for ideas and
suggestions from students, staff, parents and community members.
Tuesday February 13, 2018
Monday February 12, 2018According to the Los Alamos Monitor Los Alamos County
Parks and Recreation Department will be working on several
neighborhood playgrounds for renovation. Those include the tot
lots in Walnut Park, the 37th Street Tot Lot and the Ridgeway
Drive Tot Lot.
At the Walnut Street Playground, the concrete borders around the
tot lots will be removed to make them accessible to those in
wheelchairs. The slide and the two climbing apparatuses will be
moved away from other the transmission lines and placed in the
upper tot lot. The barbed-wire perimeter fence will be removed,
and chain-link fences will be installed around the tot lots, the
picnic areas and the basketball court. Hopscotch and other games
will be painted onto half of the basketball court, leaving the
south end of the court open for basketball.
At the playground on 37th Street, barbed wire fencing will be
removed from there as well, borders will be repaired and made
accessible to the disable, and trail access will be created.
Also, a shade structure may be installed along with additional,
age-appropriate park playground toys and equipment.
At the Ridgeway Drive Playground, the concrete tables and
curbing will be removed, and so will the swings and uneven bars.
Wooden borders will be installed around the tot lots, and old
and damaged fencing, asphalt and concrete will be removed. A
parking lot will be created also.
Also on the list are Overlook Park in White Rock and Urban Park
in Los Alamos. Twelve-thousand dollars has been allocated for
improvements at Urban Park, and Parks and Recreation plans to
spend $14,000 on improvements to the concession stand at
Overlook Park. The department also plans to spend $18,000 on
Overlook Park’s playground.
Friday February 9, 2018
Mesa Public Library will open at 1:00 pm as opposed to
the normal 10:00 am opening on Wednesday February 14th, due to
Fire System testing. During this time the public will not be
allowed into the building due to frequent fire alarms going off.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Great Western Specialties has been replacing the fire panel and
all smoke, heat sensors and other devices at the Mesa Public
Library beginning Monday, February 5.
The crew is working the overnight hours from 9:00 pm Monday,
February 5 through 9:00 am Friday, February 9th. During this
time, the library interior lights will all be on and passersby
may see workers at all hours of the night. The goal is to work
at night so there’s minimal disruption to daytime activities.
The Fire Marshal and Contractor will be conducting preliminary
testing of the system on Friday, February 9th prior to 10am with
full functional testing occurring February 14 prior to 1pm.
Thursday February 8, 2018
The Los Alamos Middle School Geography Bee was held
last Thursday, Feb. 1st, in the LAMS Library.
There were twelve participants in the school-level Bee and two
students represented each of the six Hawk Teams. The overall
winner of the bee was 8th grade student Danny Nichols. Finishing
runner-up was 7th grader Alex Livescu.
Students had to first advance through their classroom
competitions to earn a position in the school-wide Bee. The
classroom Bee consisted of seven rounds and the questions ranged
from U.S. Geography to World Geography.
The school-wide Bee asked both U.S. and World Geography
questions based on rounds. Each student was asked one question
per round, and once the competition was narrowed down to two
students, they were each asked three questions.
Wednesday February 7, 2018
Join Bandelier in February as the park continues to
celebrate the Year of the Bird! This year is the centennial of
the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the most powerful and important
bird-protection law ever passed. Throughout 2018, they will be
joining National Geographic, the Audubon Society and numerous
other organizations around the country in recognizing this
milestone by celebrating the Year of the Bird.
For this month’s bird, park staff chose the Rocky Mountain
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis). Though this bird rarely
lands in Bandelier, it can frequently be seen and heard
migrating over the park on its way south in late October or back
to the northern Rockies in late February.
Bandelier will also be participating in the Great Backyard Bird
Count, which runs from February 16-19. Everyone is encouraged to
count the birds in their backyard (or other birding hotspots)
for at least 15 minutes each day and record them at
gbbc.birdcount.org.
Bandelier will hold an official event on Friday, February 16
from 8:30am-11am. There will be three stations around the park
including one at the Bandelier Visitor Center, one at the Burnt
Mesa Trailhead, and one at Ponderosa Campground. Everyone is
invited to come and see what birds can be found.
For more information, contact the Bandelier Visitor Center at
505-672-3861 x 517,
Tuesday February 6, 2018
The GATE Advisory Committee for Los Alamos Public
Schools has scheduled two upcoming meetings for this year. The
purpose of the GATE Advisory Committee is to annually review the
goals and priorities of the District gifted education program,
including the process for identification, evaluation, placement
and service delivery and to demonstrate support for the gifted
program.
Interested members of the public are welcome to attend the
meetings. For attendees who are not committee members, a public
comment option will be provided. Listed below are the meeting
dates, locations and topics to be covered.
Monday, Feb. 12, 4:00-6:00 p.m. - Aspen Elementary Library
(Review Identification Process, Presentation by diagnostician on
the evaluation instruments used, Review of elementary programs)
Monday February 5, 2018
The State Senate unanimously passed a Joint Memorial
sponsored by Senate Minority Whip Bill Payne to endorse the
naming of a future U.S. Naval Submarine as the USS Los Alamos.
According to the Joint Memorial, a citizen-based initiative has
requested that the United States secretary of the navy designate
a future nuclear- powered submarine as the USS Los Alamos,
stating that it is right and fitting that the secretary of the
navy should consider this request, given the unique
contributions of the residents of Los Alamos and northern New
Mexico to this nation and the United States navy since 1943.
Friday February 2, 2018
Today, Friday, February 2, 2018, Los Alamos County
Traffic and Streets Division crew will be striping both lanes on
State Road 4 approaching the Truck Route Intersection where
utility work was done in 2017.
There will be a flagging operation starting at 1:00 p.m. and
ending at approximately 3:30 p.m.
Please use caution while traveling through this area and be
mindful of the crew on site.
For questions, please contact Daniel Erickson at 505-663-1777.
Thursday February 1, 2018
Ever since 1987, the Friends of Bandelier have
supported the park, providing funding for projects that couldn't
have been done within Bandelier's regular budget
Projects that have been approved for funding in 2018 include a
Bee Survey. Support for Trail Work,
A Wilderness Ranger position, a Fire Ecology Student
Conservation intern, Fish Trackers, Pika Data Loggers, Replicas
of Historic CCC Tinware , Annual Passes for new citizens at
Naturalization Ceremony, Flags and flag cases for new citizens
at Naturalization Ceremony, Bird Banding Training and a System
for displaying art by Artists-in-Residence
With the energy and enthusiasm of new President Craig Martin,
the Friends group has recently become more visible, with a new
website at bandelierfriends.org, as well as more activity on
their Facebook page. According to Bandelier Superintendent Jason
Lott, Ever since Dorothy Hoard got the Friends started over 30
years ago, they have provided tremendous support to the park. We
are grateful to Craig for continuing the leadership of the
group, and hope that everyone who cares about Bandelier will
consider becoming a member.
To learn more email friendsofbandelier@gmail.com.
Wednesday January 31, 2018
Twenty cadets from Los Alamos High School NJROTC
traveled to Widefield, Colo. to compete Jan. 27 in the Widefield
High School Drill Meet where they achieved high awards for their
best efforts in drill, academics and physical fitness.
The weekend began with a special tour of the United States Air
Force Academy where Vice-Wing Commander Cadet Colonel Hoyer led
the LAHS cadets on a guided a tour. Cadets got a glimpse inside
of the lifestyle of Academy cadets as they toured dorms, saw the
USAFA Silent Drill Team practice, and heard the large organ in
the cadet chapel.
The first event of the Drill Meet was the academic exam in which
cadets were tested on a wide variety of topics from historic
space operations to nautical terms. LAHS placed third in this
event. Cadets then performed their Armed and Unarmed Exhibition
routines, incorporating creative routines involving rifle and
other drill movements, which earned them second place in Armed
Exhibition and first place in Unarmed Exhibition.
The female Color Guard team of Echo Rogers, Andrea Soto, Hailey
Jackson and Aria Schmierer placed third overall. The male Color
Guard team of Austin Estrada, Richard Thompson, Caden Lim and
Tanner Peterson placed second. All LAHS cadets participated in
the personnel inspection where cadets’ uniforms were inspected
for cleanliness, correct placement of ribbons and devices, and
the cadets were asked questions about the Navy or current
events. LAHS placed second in this category.
The Armed and Unarmed regulation teams competed with the Armed
Regulation team placing third overall. Finally, LAHS competed in
the physical fitness competition and placed in the pushups and
sit-ups sections of the event.
Tuesday January 30, 2018
Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Department of
Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate and the
Medical Associates of Northern New Mexico are looking for
volunteers in Los Alamos County to participate in a respiratory
pathogen study.
The study takes place at the Medical Associates of Northern New
Mexico clinic, from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The study
will continue for nine months.
The team encourages participation in the study to improve the
ability to predict and alleviate emerging infectious diseases
and plans to analyze the efficacy of laboratory diagnostics that
identify respiratory infections.
Infectious diseases in the United States and the world at large
are on the rise., A rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria is
making it difficult to treat the diseases.
Nasal and throat swabs will be collected non-invasively from
participants with minimal discomfort. Participants will be asked
for information regarding history of respiratory infections.
Monday January 29, 2018
The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities announced
that weather permitting, crews with its natural gas division
will close Esperanza Rd to all traffic between Quemazon and
Brisa del Bosque on Monday, Jan. 29 at 9 a.m. The closure will
remain through Tuesday, Jan.30. The Quemazon Montessori School
is open for business and accessible from Brisa del Bosque.
The two-day road closure is part of a larger project to improve
reliability of the natural gas system to the Quemazon community.
Crews are installing two pressure regulating valves in
underground vaults to preserve the viewshed. Residents within
the road closure are asked to temporarily park vehicles in their
garages.
Friday January 26, 2018
Topper Freshman Academy and Los Alamos High School are
hosting Future Topper Night for all current 8th graders and
their parents from 6:00-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1. Future
Topper Night is a special event designed to introduce students
and parents to the staff, campus and programs unique to Topper
Freshman Academy.
The evening will begin in Griffith Gym with a welcome and
introductions by Topper Freshman Academy, Los Alamos High School
and Los Alamos Public Schools Administration. Following the
presentations will be a fun scavenger hunt where students meet
teachers and become familiar with the campus. Upon completion of
the scavenger hunt, students will receive their Class of 2022
T-shirt and Course Catalogue.
Thursday January 25, 2018
The New Mexico Association of Counties (NMAC) and State
Auditor Wayne Johnson have selected Los Alamos County as the
recipient of one of its annual Audit Accountability Awards.
Helen Perraglio, the County’s Chief Financial Officer, was there
to accept the award at NMAC’s Legislative Conference last week.
The awards are given in recognition to large, mid-size, and
small counties that have done outstanding work on their audits,
submitted their audits in a timely manner, and have sustained
excellence with the highest audit opinions. In addition, an
award is given to the most improved county.
Los Alamos County received unmodified opinions with zero
findings in 2016. An unmodified opinion is the best opinion that
can be given, and means that the financial statements are
presented fairly in accordance with Generally Accepted
Accounting Principles (GAAP). This is the third time Los Alamos
County has won the Audit Accountability Award since the
inception of the awards in 2011.
Wednesday January 24, 2018
Los Alamos Public Schools is launching the LAPS
Volunteer Program with the help of Volunteer Coordinator
Samantha Lippard. The goal is to connect members of the
community with opportunities in the schools where they can share
their expertise, lend a helping hand in the classroom or mentor
students. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Ms.
Lippard to find the perfect volunteer opportunity and she will
coordinate with teachers and staff to find the best placement
for the benefit of students. Samantha can be reached at:
663-2222 or s.lippard@laschools.net
The three main categories of volunteering are tutoring and
mentoring, short-term assistance and long-term help. Tutoring
and mentoring will focus on semi-frequent visits to school sites
where the volunteer is paired with a student who has been
identified by a teacher and guidance counselor as needing some
extra help socially or academically.
Short-term assistance is for volunteers who want to aid the
schools in special events like spelling bees, science fairs,
school carnivals, etc. This category would also include
opportunities for classroom “guest lectures” from volunteers who
want to share their expertise in their field.
Finally, long-term volunteers would aid teachers at regularly
scheduled times. These tasks could range from reading to
students at a scheduled time, helping supervise science
experiments or assisting during particularly intensive projects.
Have an idea for a volunteer opportunity? Feel free to suggest
creative ideas; no job is too big or too small.
It is not required to have a student enrolled in the school
system in order to volunteer. For first time volunteers, please
anticipate a two-week processing period in order to complete the
appropriate security checks.
Tuesday January 23, 2018
Los Alamos Public Schools is launching the LAPS
Volunteer Program with the help of Volunteer Coordinator
Samantha Lippard. The goal is to connect members of the
community with opportunities in the schools where they can share
their expertise, lend a helping hand in the classroom or mentor
students. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Ms.
Lippard to find the perfect volunteer opportunity and she will
coordinate with teachers and staff to find the best placement
for the benefit of students. Samantha can be reached at:
663-2222 or s.lippard@laschools.net
The three main categories of volunteering are tutoring and
mentoring, short-term assistance and long-term help. Tutoring
and mentoring will focus on semi-frequent visits to school sites
where the volunteer is paired with a student who has been
identified by a teacher and guidance counselor as needing some
extra help socially or academically.
Short-term assistance is for volunteers who want to aid the
schools in special events like spelling bees, science fairs,
school carnivals, etc. This category would also include
opportunities for classroom “guest lectures” from volunteers who
want to share their expertise in their field.
Finally, long-term volunteers would aid teachers at regularly
scheduled times. These tasks could range from reading to
students at a scheduled time, helping supervise science
experiments or assisting during particularly intensive projects.
Monday January 22, 2018
The County Clerk's office would like to remind anyone
interested in running for office that, pursuant to State
election code, every person appearing as a candidate on the
primary or general election ballot shall be a candidate only
under the name and party affiliation designation appearing on
the existing voter registration on file in the county clerk's
office on the date of the governor's proclamation of a primary
election. This year, the date of issuance of that proclamation
will be Monday, January 29. These offices are open for election
in 2018 and filing day is March 13:
Magistrate Judge, Municipal Judge, Four positions on the County
Council, County Assessor, County Sheriff and Probate Judge
For more information call the county clerk’s office at 662-8010
or visit their webpage.
Friday January 19, 2018
The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities announced
that crews with its electric distribution division will begin
construction activities on the north shoulder of NM 502, just
west of Camino Entrada. Weather permitting, work could begin as
soon as Tuesday, January 23, 2018 and continue through the month
of February.
Working Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. crews will
be upgrading equipment in the area to improve electric
reliability for the adjacent neighborhoods. The project
footprint is limited to the shoulder and should have minimal
impacts on traffic.
Motorists are urged to exercise caution when driving near the
construction zone.
Thursday January 18, 2018
Wednesday January 17, 2018
Los Alamos National Laboratory’s efforts to stimulate
new business growth, strengthen existing companies, create jobs
and contribute to a diverse economy in northern New Mexico’s
communities saw notable progress across the board in 2017.
Here are the Economic impact statistics:
In 2017, the Laboratory’s economic development initiatives
helped to create or retain 1,700 jobs at New Mexico companies
with salaries totaling more than $64.3 million.
Los Alamos worked on 281 economic development projects with New
Mexico small businesses in 2017.
Out of more than $685 million in goods and services procured by
the Laboratory in 2017, 46 percent (more than $317 million) went
to New Mexico businesses.
The number of contracts awarded to New Mexico small businesses
in 2017 totaled $262 million—about the same as the previous
year, but with increases in contracts to women-owned businesses
and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.
The Laboratory employed 11,083 people—41 percent of whom are
native New Mexicans—compared to 10,904 people in 2016.
Forty-three percent of the workforce lives in Los Alamos County;
while the majority live in surrounding communities.
Tuesday January 16, 2018
John McHale was selected as the Spirit of the West
Award for 2017 at Saturday's Community Asset Awards. Champions
of Youth Ambitions (C'YA), a local non-profit, sponsored the
10th annual event. The event recognized 39 nominees.
Members of the Los Alamos Fire Department were selected for the
Director's Choice Award for their wildland fire fighting work
here and in California.
Four fire fighters were acknowledged including; Brian Palmer,
Tim Johnson, Van Leimer and Kelly Sterna.
The youngest nominee was 12 year old Timothy Rousculp, nominated
by Mountain Principal Jennifer Guy. Timothy puts the flag up and
takes it down each day.
Monday January 15, 2018
Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Friday January 12, 2018
Every year the National Park Service (NPS) offers
several days when the public is invited to visit fee free - that
is, no entrance fees are charged. Bandelier National Monument
and the other approximately 120 NPS areas that charge entrance
fees invite everyone to enjoy this year's first fee-free day on
Monday, January 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It will also be
fee free at lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management,
the US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
Bureau of Reclamation.
The next special event at Bandelier will be the Winter Sky Party
on the night of Saturday, February 17. From 6-10 PM there will
be giant telescopes set up in the Amphitheater parking lot and a
campfire with hot chocolate and cider to ward away the chill.
Thursday January 11, 2018
Spring classes at the University of New Mexico-Los
Alamos (UNM-LA) will begin on January 16, 2018. Registration is
open through January 26, but earlier registration is advised as
classes have seating limits.
UNM-LA provides an exceptional quality of instruction. Small
class size allows for personal attention that is critical for
student learning and success. The student support in advising
and career exploration is vibrant and personal.
In addition to traditional face to face classes, UNM-LA offers
online and hybrid classes (a combination of face-to- face and
online) to help meet the various scheduling preferences and
learning styles of students. There are also a variety of short
courses, including classes that will start later in the
semester.
UNM-LA is now offering an Associate of Applied Science Degree in
Public Safety, with two online classes available this spring.
Intro to Homeland Security (PBST101) introduces students to
historical and contemporary aspects of governmental action
related to terrorism and disaster, and discusses the challenges
in balancing security and freedom. Public Safety Interview and
Report Writing (PBST109) introduces students to effective
interview techniques for gathering pertinent information, and
narrative report writing for working within the justice system.
UNM-LA offers academic classes and programs in a variety of
subjects to help students who are interested in increasing their
knowledge, improving their skills, entering the workforce or
transferring to four-year degree programs.
Those wishing to enroll can do so either online or on the UNM-LA
campus. For questions or more information about enrollment,
contact UNM-LA Student Services at 505.662.5919, or visit
losalamos.unm.edu.
Wednesday January 10, 2018
The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT)
continues roadway reconstruction on NM 30 from milepost 7.150 to
milepost 7.610 in the Pueblo of Santa Clara but The project has
been placed on winter suspension due to cold temperatures.
During this time the contractor will have personnel on the
project maintaining traffic control devices and the water
diversion system. The contractor will resume construction in
spring of 2018 as temperatures permit.
NM 30 will have one lane of travel in each direction at all
times.
Tuesday January 9, 2018
The Traffic & Streets Division crews will be repairing
roadway shoulders in the neighborhoods of La Senda and Pajarito
Acres where asphalt on the side of the road has started to
degrade and crumble. Crews will be adding fill to these damaged
areas to support the roadway. Work should last approximately two
weeks. Motorists are urged to exercise caution when driving near
the construction zone.
Monday January 8, 2018
The Environmental Services crews will collect holiday
trees for chipping and mulching beginning today through Friday,
Jan. 19. Place your tree curbside between these two dates and it
will be collected on your regular trash and recycling day. After
the 19th, you can take it to the Eco Station.
Friday January 5, 2018 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Abiquiu Lake will host its annual
Midwinter Eagle Watch event Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, from 10:00 a.m.
to 12:00 p.m. The event is open to the public and volunteers will be
meeting at the Abiquiu Lake Project Office. Doors open at 9:00 a.m.
The beginning of the event will start off with the Wildlife Center
presenting a short educational program on bald eagles, featuring
their non-releasable bald eagle, Maxwell. Volunteers are asked to
dress warmly and bring binoculars, notepads, and drinking water.
The purpose of the eagle watch event is to gather individuals to
help count eagles along standard, non-overlapping survey routes as
part of a nationwide Midwinter Bald Eagle survey. It’s also a great
opportunity to encourage shared environmental stewardship efforts
with the public to promote wildlife conservation.
National Wildlife Federation officials have asked participants in
each state to count eagles along standard routes to provide data on
count trends. The basic objectives of the survey are to index the
total wintering bald eagle populations in the lower 48 states,
determine eagle distribution during a standardized survey period,
and to identify previously unrecognized areas of important winter
habitat.
The annual midwinter survey represents a unique source of long-term,
baseline data. Unlike nesting surveys, it provides information on
both breeding and non-breeding segments of the population at a
potentially limiting time of the year. The count has become a
national tradition since 1984, and is an annual event at Abiquiu
Lake.
The Abiquiu Lake Project Office is located on Hwy 96 just 2 miles
west of the Hwy 84 junction. For additional information, call the
project office at 505-685-4371.