County Manager Steve Lynne Announces Retirement Plans
Los Alamos County Manager Steve Lynne
Staff Report
Los Alamos County Manager Steve Lynne announced his retirement plans to the County Council during tonight’s meeting.
In an email to staff, Lynne said, “I am going to keep this one brief, for now. As you will see from the details below, I have plenty of time to gather my thoughts and properly express all of my appreciation. For tonight, I just wanted to be sure to share the news with everyone and most importantly to say THANK YOU!!
“I am still enjoying my job as much as ever and that is how I want my exit to occur,” Lynne said. “Working at the County is fantastic
Senators Luján And Welch Introduce Legislation To Support Local Grocers And Protect SNAP Access
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Ensuring Fee-Free Benefits Transactions Act to permanently protect retailers from processing fees and modernization costs beyond the normal costs of business.
From the inception of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), stores have been protected from transaction fees that would make it harder for them to accept SNAP benefits. However, the 2014 Farm Bill text inadvertently left retailers open to new Read More
New Mexico Higher Education Department Launches Statewide College Recruitment Campaign
NMHED News:
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- New Mexicans encouraged to ‘Reach Higher’ with tuition-free college & career training
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SANTA FE – The New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED) is encouraging New Mexico residents to explore their college and career training options this summer with a new campaign leading up to the start of the fall semester.
“New Mexico has the most generous and inclusive tuition-free college program in the nation, but too few residents know about the opportunities available to them in their own backyard,” NMHED Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez said. “There’s still time to enroll in Read More
JEC Chairman Heinrich Writes To Federal Reserve Chairman Powell On Concerns About Future Interest Rate Hikes
JEC Chair Martin Heinrich
From the Office of JEC Chair Martin Heinrich:
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- The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee will meet next week to determine whether to raise interest rates
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Washington, D.C.— U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, (D-NM), Chairman of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), sent a letter Monday to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell ahead of the July meeting of the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee, urging caution around additional monetary tightening in light of current economic developments.
“As Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, I value the importance Read More
Governor Issues Statement On U.S. Forest Service’s Admission Of Responsibility For 2022 Cerro Pelado Fire
From the Office of the Governor:
SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement following the conclusion of the U.S. Forest Service investigation that found the 2022 Cerro Pelado Fire was caused by a mismanaged federal prescribed burn:
“I am – again – outraged over the U.S. Forest Service’s negligence that caused this destruction. While climate change and extreme drought continue to plague the Southwest, the Forest Service must abandon their business-as-usual approach to prescribed burns and forest management in our state. I am relieved to hear that the Forest Service will now Read More
County Environmental Sustainability Board Meets July 27
Governor On Largest New Mexico PreK Program Expansion
STATE News:
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- Funding includes more than 550 new PreK slots for tribes, nations and pueblos
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced at the White House July 19 the largest-ever expansion of PreK programs in New Mexico that will increase the number of students served by more than 3,000, “a huge leap forward in the governor’s mission of creating a comprehensive educational system from cradle to career”.
The governor made the announcement at the White House States Convening on Child Care alongside First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, which brought together nearly 100 state legislators from Read More
Governor Leads Delegation To Kansas Dyslexia Institute
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
From the Office of the Governor:
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will lead a New Mexico delegation to Kansas to observe and evaluate a nationally renowned reading and literacy center this week.
The delegation will meet with educational leaders at Pittsburg State University’s Center of READing to understand the benefits and outcomes of the program, as well as how New Mexico might develop a similar program.
The governor will travel with Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart, Children’s Cabinet Director Mariana Padilla and Higher Education Secretary Read More
MAE To Lift Youth Voices At Roundtable Sunday July 30
MAE News:
ESPAÑOLA — Moving Arts Española (MAE) is bringing youth voices together with local legislators at a roundtable event focused on policy solutions for navigating societal barriers to success.
The event is 1-3 p.m. Sunday, July 30, at Moving Arts Española and will be live streamed via YouTube. Participating youth have completed a seven week Career Technical Education program in partnership with Future Focused Education and the National Latino Behavioral Health Associations’ Connecting our Voices career pathways network.
Moderating the event is Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, Read More
Robinson: Research, Technology Ride To The Rescue Of Water Supplies
By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2023 New Mexico News Services
The conversation about cleaning up municipal wastewater, brackish water and produced water from oil and gas extraction is starting to change. For years, the oil and gas industry and some tech companies have said, we have water we can reuse. Environmentalists argue it can’t be done, and even if it can, who wants to drink that stuff?
And now, apparently, it can be done, and more people are willing to drink this water. It’s a function of evolving technology and sheer need.
Doubters should have heard the upbeat presentation made recently Read More
Sen. Heinrich On Inclusion Of ‘FEND Off Fentanyl Act’ In Senate Defense Bill
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. , U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) on Wednesday welcomed the inclusion of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act in the Senate’s annual defense bill.
Heinrich is a co-sponsor of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act and has been fighting for measures to tackle the opioid epidemic through this and other efforts. The Senate voted yesterday to begin debate on the defense bill.
“The heartache of losing a loved one to the opioid epidemic is not new to New Mexican families. But its danger has grown with the lethality and magnitude of fentanyl making its way into our schools and communities,” Read More
Interior Secretary Haaland Called On By Muwekma Ohlone Chair Charlene Nijmeh To Help Tribe Attain Federal Recognition
MUWEKMA OHLONE News:
SAN JOSE, Calif. — This week the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay asked Interior Secretary Deb Haaland of New Mexico – the first Native American to serve in the role – to make the National Eagle Feather Repository accessible to the Tribe.
The repository is maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Current policy guidelines wrongly discriminate against unrecognized tribes, limiting access to the repository to members of federally recognized tribes.
In her request for access to the repository, dated July 10 (included below), Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh Read More
Request For Public Input On Community Relations Plan For LANL Hazardous Waste Facility Permit
LANL News:
The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) generates some hazardous and mixed waste. In November 2010, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (EPA ID Number NM0890010515-1).
The Permit establishes standards for how LANL manages, stores and treats hazardous wastes on-site and for the closure and post-closure care of permitted waste management units.
In compliance with the permit, LANL updates a Community Relations Plan annually, pending input from the public.
The plan provides for six Read More
Op-Ed: Zero Childcare Copays … A Lifeline For NM Parents
By PATRICIA BUSTILLOS
OLÉ
I became a mom when I was 15 years old, which is the same age when I first began to struggle to access childcare. I was born in Chihuahua, México and later immigrated to the United States.
Being a young mother is a huge challenge, and being undocumented and having language barriers made it even more difficult for me, especially when it came to accessing childcare. I didn’t understand what was available to me and my children because I didn’t understand what my rights were. I raised five kids on my single income, and there were times where finding childcare for my children felt Read More
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján Announces $1 Million In Broadband Infrastructure To Tribal Communities In New Mexico
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband, has announced $1 million in grants from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) to the Pueblo of Jemez and Pueblo of Nambé.
Each Pueblo will receive $500,000.
The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is a $3 billion grant program directed to Tribal governments for broadband deployment, broadband affordability, and digital inclusion on Tribal lands. Read More
LAJI Hosts Talk With Simon Wisenthal Center’s Rabbi Abraham Cooper & Writer/Activist Kinue Tokudome July 24
LAJI News:
Los Alamos-Japan Institute (LAJI) invites the public to join Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of President Truman and LAJI Founder Dr. Judith Stauber for a conversation with Simon Wiesenthal Center Co-Founder Rabbi Abraham Cooper and writer/activist Kinue Tokudome. Hear about the current state of antisemitism, holocaust denial and perceptions of Israel in the United States and Japan today.
The talk will begin at 5 p.m. Monday, July 24.
Visit https://laji.us to register and join the conversation. Questions will be welcomed.
Rabbi Cooper is an expert on hate and terrorism, is Read More
Student Sculpture Takes Up Temporary Residence At PED
Fifth-grade students in the Salazar Elementary School Art Squad gather Friday with their art piece, teachers and Education Secretary Arsenio Romero in the lobby of the PED Building in Santa Fe. Courtesy/PED
PED News:
SANTA FE — Art, science, technology, engineering and math intertwine for creative fifth-grade students in the Salazar Elementary Art Squad.
The visionary sculpture, which was carefully designed and methodically assembled, was installed at the New Mexico Public Education Department’s (PED) Jerry Apodaca Education Building Friday and will be on display through August. Read More
Sen. Heinrich Cosponsors ‘Convenient Contraception Act’
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Friday, U.S. Sen. Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and more than a dozen of his Senate colleagues, along with U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), to introduce the Convenient Contraception Act, legislation that would improve access to contraceptive products, including over-the-counter contraceptives.
The bill provides individuals covered by private health insurance with the option to receive up to a full year of contraception at the time their prescription is issued instead of the current three-month supply or less that Read More
Ozment: Thank You To DPU Staff And BPU
By CAT OZMENT
Los Alamos
I wrote to the community and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) last week about the Utilities Assistance Program (UAP), and I want to thank members of the public who reached out to BPU with support for strengthening the program. I want to also thank DPU staff for their swift response.
Even before Wednesday’s BPU meeting, DPU staff who administer the UAP updated the online application to show simpler requirements. They also updated their presentation with extra detail and deserve a huge thanks for their responsiveness.
Karen Kendall gave a fantastic presentation Read More
U.S. Senators Heinrich And Luján Introduce Legislation To Protect Freedom To Vote, Strengthen Democracy
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chairwoman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, to introduce the Freedom to Vote Act, legislation to improve access to the ballot for Americans, advance commonsense federal election standards and campaign finance reforms, and protect our democracy.
The Freedom to Vote Act has received the full support of all Senate Democrats for the second year in a row.
The legislation reflects feedback from state and local election officials Read More
