New Mexico Unemployment Insurance Operations Center To Close For Holiday Observance
NMDWS News:
ALBUQUERQUE — All New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions’ offices, including the Unemployment Insurance Operations Center, will be closed at noon, Wednesday, Dec. 24 and all day Thursday, Dec. 25 in observance of Christmas.
Offices will also be closed on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in observance of the New Year holiday.
The Unemployment Insurance Tax & Claims System (www.jobs.state.nm.us) is available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Customer Service Agents in the Unemployment Insurance Operations Center will be available when business hours resume on Friday, Dec. Read More
Community Invited To Get Involved On Boards/Commissions
COUNTY News:
Volunteer citizen boards provide a way to participate in local government
The community is invited to get involved today with Los Alamos County Boards and Commissions.
Vacancies include:
- County Health Council;
- Environmental Sustainability Board;
- Parks and Recreation Board; and
- Transportation Board.
Anyone interested in getting involved is encouraged to call 505.663.3436 or apply online here. Read More
Myers: Local Connection To Gaza’s Suffering And Pain
Yousef Aljamal
Writer and human rights worker
By KELLY MYERS
Los Alamos
This past summer, our community’s Free Palestine Summer Series brought diverse speakers to Los Alamos. One of the presenters was Dr. Yousef Aljamal, a writer, human rights worker, and refugee from Gaza, who joined us remotely.
Today, we share an update about our friend, Yousef, not as an expert speaker, but as a heartbroken brother and uncle. On Sept. 27, while living in exile in Turkey, he woke to the news that an Israeli missile had struck his family home in Gaza. The strike killed nine of his immediate family members Read More
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich Leads Legislation To Transfer Federal Land To Pueblos For Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025, legislation to place three tracts of land from the former Albuquerque Indian School campus and surrounding land into trust for the benefit of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.
Heinrich’s Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025 is cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and led in the House by U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.).
“My legislation expands on Read More
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján Convenes More Than 55 Experts To Create Roadmap For Native Maternal Health Solutions
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, convened more than 55 American Indian, Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Native Hawaiian (NH) maternal health experts and organizations to create a landmark set of five reports outlining the current state of Native maternal health.
The five reports synthesize national findings on maternal mortality, workforce equity, access to health care services, data sovereignty, and funding inequities.
AI/AN people face pregnancy-related Read More
New Mexico Wild Issues Statement On Proposal To Allow Selling Off National Parks
New Mexico Wild News:
ALBUQUERQUE — Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has introduced an amendment to the Interior appropriations bill that would pave the way for the Trump administration to sell off national parks to the highest bidder.
The Interior appropriations bill, as currently written, would prevent the Interior department from disposing of national park units—a provision introduced in response to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s suggestion that the Park Service does not need many smaller sites currently owned by all Americans. Read More
Luján Applauds Committee Passage Of Legislation To Provide Greater Cooperation Between Federal Government And Land Grant Communities
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) applauded the passage of the New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Historical or Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
This legislation will provide greater cooperation between the federal government and land grant communities.
There are 27 community land grant-mercedes recognized as political subdivisions under New Mexico law.
“I’m proud that my legislation to strengthen cooperation between the federal government and land grant Read More
State Republican Lawmakers Request Governor Authorize Consideration Of Meaningful Juvenile Justice Reform Bill During 2026 Legislative Session, Issue Task Force Report
NM Senate Republicans News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico Co-Chairs Sen. Crystal Brantley and Rep. Nicole Chavez of the Juvenile Justice Legislative Task Force sent a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday requesting the consideration of meaningful juvenile justice reform legislation, based on the findings and recommendations of the task force, heading into the 2026 Regular Session.
The upcoming 30-day budget session requires a specific message from the Governor should potential legislation not specifically address state finances.
The contents found in the report are a result of Read More
New Mexico Department Of Workforce Solutions Reopens Renovated ‘America’s Job Center Española’
Cabinet Secretary Sarita Nair cuts the ribbon on the newly renovated ‘America’s Job Center Española’. Courtesy/NMDWS
From left, NMDWS Deputy Secretary Marcos Martinez, Cabinet Secretary Sarita Nair and Area Manager Carmen Lujan in a Net-Zero resource room, during a tour on Friday of the newly renovated ‘America’s Job Center Española’. Net-Zero resource rooms incorporate green technology and efficiency, and feature a place where the public can utilize free access to computers and the internet to apply for jobs, complete online trainings, apply for Unemployment Insurance benefits and Read More
Dannemann: Lawyer-Legislator Interferes With Health Care Access
By MERILEE DANNEMANN
Triple Spaced Again
© 2025 by Merilee Dannemann
Katy Duhigg blew up the interstate compacts discussion. Again.
This was a few weeks ago, and the latest news reports indicate that the discussion is back on track. But one critical question is, who put Duhigg on the committee?
The interstate compacts I’m referring to are related to access to healthcare for New Mexicans. Medical professionals, including physicians, can legally practice their profession only in a state where they are licensed. For a doctor licensed in another state to do anything professional in New Mexico, Read More
Video: Councilor Melanee Hand Discusses Latest Meeting
Los Alamos County Councilor Melanee Hand visits the Los Alamos Daily Post to discuss Tuesday’s council meeting. Video by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com Read More
Yvette Herrell Takes Senior Role In Trump Administration
Former U.S. House Rep. Yvette Herrell
RPNM News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former U.S. House Rep. Yvette Herrell was confirmed Thursday night as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Congressional Affairs, giving her a senior role in the Trump Administration. The U.S. Senate approved her nomination in a 53–43 vote as part of a late push that cleared about 100 nominees.
“We are thrilled for Yvette and cannot wait to see her serve in the Trump Administration,” Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela said. “President Trump’s second term has been filled with unprecedented accomplishments Read More
Luján, Fischer Lead Senators To Preserve States’ Ability To Use Broadband Infrastructure Funds As Congress Intended
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, sent a letter to Arielle Roth, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), urging the administration to preserve states’ ability to use their non-deployment Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds consistent Read More
DOE Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office Awards N3B 95 Percent Of Contract Available Fee
N3B loads transuranic waste into a container to ship to WIPP in Carlsbad. Courtesy/EM-LA
N3B loads the transuranic waste containers onto a truck for shipment to WIPP in Carlsbad. Courtesy/EM-LA
EM-LA News:
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) legacy cleanup contractor, Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos, LLC (N3B), earned more than $15.8 million, or 95 percent, of the fee available during the performance evaluation period of fiscal year 2025, according to a recently released scorecard.
As part of EM-LA’s commitment to transparency Read More
Luján, Heinrich, Rosen Press Meta On Dramatic Rise In Antisemitism On Social Media Platforms & AI Models
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) pressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Meta’s failure to address antisemitic content on its platforms and potentially promote antisemitism through its artificial intelligence models. Specifically, the senators highlight how a rise in antisemitic content can be linked to the recent changes in community standards and content moderation practices, which were announced by Meta in January. Additionally, in the letter, the senators press Meta to disclose its policies and Read More
EM-LA Updates Los Alamos County Council On Efforts To Resolve Chromium Plume
Images of EM-LA’s various meetings with stakeholders regarding the hexavalent chromium plume. Courtesy/LAC
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
For more than 20 years, the Department of Energy (DOE) has been attempting to successfully eradicate the hexavalent chromium plume in the aquifer 1,000 feet below Mortandad and Sandia canyons.
Los Alamos County Council learned about DOE’s Environmental Management-Los Alamos Field Office’s (EM-LA) progress on resolving this long-term issue during its Tuesday night meeting.
EM-LA Manager Jessica Kunkle emphasized Read More
AI Boom Drives Demand For Power … New Mexico Asks: Who Pays?
A rendering of the planned Hermes 2 facility near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where Kairos Power will build a molten‑salt‑cooled small modular reactor to help fuel Google’s expanding data centers. Source: Kairos Power
By MARLENE WILDEN
Los Alamos Daily Post
marlene@ladailypost.com
New Mexico is racing to keep up with a surge in electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and data center expansion. State officials are increasingly focused on making sure residential and small-business customers aren’t left footing the bill.
The tension surfaced Read More
Heinrich & Sheehy Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill To Reduce Deadly Roadway Collisions
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the Wildlife Road Crossings Program Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation to make permanent the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Wildlife Crossings Program and authorize funding for the program through 2031.
U.S. Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-Mont) and Don Beyer (D-Va.) introduced companion legislation in the House.
The Wildlife Crossings Program is a competitive grant program established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation Heinrich championed Read More
White House: Illicit Fentanyl Is Closer To Chemical Weapon Than Narcotic
RPNM News:
ALBUQUERQUE — The White House officially designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. This historic announcement will change how the drug is viewed by the Department of Justice, the State Department, the Department of War, and law enforcement. The Trump Administration is ensuring illicit fentanyl isn’t just approached as a deadly narcotic, but as a chemical weapon responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of Americans.
“Fentanyl is one of, if not the single biggest threat facing Western civilization today, and I could not be more proud of the Trump Administration Read More
Luján, Heinrich Applaud Senate Passage Of Legislation To Amend Water Rights Settlements, Return Earned Interest To New Mexico Tribes
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) applauded Senate passage of the Technical Corrections to the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act, Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act, legislation led by Senator Luján that authorizes the release of $18.312 million in water settlement interest funds to New Mexico Tribes to support water development projects.
Specifically, the bill authorizes the appropriation of $6.3 Read More
