Heinrich Announces Committee Passage Of $6.5 Million To Combat Crime, Save Lives, & Keep New Mexicans Safe
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. With Committee approval of this bill, Heinrich secured support for over $6.5 million for nine local projects in New Mexico.
“While this Appropriations bill isn’t perfect, it includes resources and investments I negotiated for New Mexico that will help our law enforcement officers solve and reduce violent crime, keep our communities safe, Read More
Samizdat To Host Author M.G. Shetfall Aug. 5 Virtually
SAMIZDAT News:
The community is invited to join Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse Aug. 5 for a virtual author talk from M. G. Sheftall for the release of his latest book, Nagasaki: The Last Witnesses.
Sheftall will join remotely from Japan to discuss both this new book and his first book of the series, Hiroshima: The Last Witnesses.
The talk will be held in Fuller Lodge. There will be tea and refreshments starting at 6:30 p.m., with the remote presentation beginning at 7 p.m. Afterward, signed copies of both books will be available for sale.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings Read More
Bureau Of Land Management New Mexico State Office Now Accepting Nominations For Geothermal Development
BLM News:
SANTA FE — The Bureau of Land Management New Mexico State Office is now accepting nominations of lands for competitive geothermal leasing for the next geothermal lease sale that is tentatively scheduled for March 2026.
All nominations must be received by Sept. 25, 2025.
Geothermal energy is a renewable resource that generates baseload electricity with minimal carbon emissions. It is an abundant resource, especially in the West, where the BLM has authority to manage geothermal resource leasing, exploration, and development on approximately 245 million surface acres of public Read More
Myers And Abata: Response To ‘Free Palestine’ Objections
By KELLY MYERS and EMMA ABATA
Los Alamos
Thank you for providing a platform to discuss our upcoming Free Palestine Summer Series. We appreciate the opportunity to address concerns regarding our event’s intentions and impact. As coordinators, we take feedback seriously and value dialogue — but we respectfully disagree with the suggestion that this series promotes divisiveness, hate, or harm.
Our intent is precisely the opposite: to foster understanding, empathy, and action through education. For 77 years, the Palestinian people have endured brutal military occupation and ongoing Read More
Saenz: Why SALA Is Hosting ‘Free Palestine’ Series
By ALLAN SAENZ
Owner
SALA Los Alamos Event Center
Beginning this evening, SALA Los Alamos Event Center will host Free Palestine, a multi-part film and discussion series produced by an independent group that rented our facility. The announcement has sparked strong emotions across our community; several members have resigned their memberships, and our staff has received a number of angry phone calls and emails.
We write to clarify three points:
SALA’s Mission as a Public-Facing Venue
SALA is an event center first and foremost. We provide space for school recitals, church services, science Read More
Leger Fernández, Murkowski, Klobuchar, Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Strengthen Healing Partnerships For Survivors Of Sexual Assault
U.S. CONGRESS News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), alongside Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), introduced the Healing Partnerships for Survivors Act, a bipartisan bill to improve and expand trauma-informed care for survivors of sexual assault through strengthened partnerships between community-based sexual assault programs and health and wellness providers.
The bill authorizes $30 million annually for five years to help community based sexual assault programs provide culturally relevant, trauma-informed Read More
Heinrich Announces Committee Passage Of Over $205 Million For State’s Military Installations, Significant Wins For Veterans
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. With Committee passage of this bill, Heinrich secured support for over$205 million for New Mexico’s military installations and significant wins for New Mexico’s veterans, including over $32 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for five local projects.
“For our nation’s veterans and military families, this bill keeps our Read More
Dannemann: Work Comp Law Changes Increase Attorney Fees
By MERILEE DANNEMANN
www.triplespacedagain.com
It has been quite a while since New Mexico has done anything substantive to make life better for injured workers covered by the workers’ compensation system.
Instead, we’re making it easier for them to hire lawyers.
Three different actions, a law and two court decisions, have made inroads into the only barrier reducing lawyers’ incentive to represent injured workers in court: money.
About 90 percent of workers compensation claims are resolved without litigation. Either the treatment of the worker was reasonable, so litigation was not needed, Read More
Heinrich Leads Legislation To Protect Dreamers’ Data, Prevent DHS From Referring Dreamers To ICE & CBP
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led the introduction of the Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act, legislation to provide a statutory guarantee to current and prospective Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program applicants, also known as Dreamers, that the private information they provide in their applications will not be weaponized against them as the Trump Administration increases information sharing to advance their draconian mass deportation agenda.
Last month, the Trump Administration gave Department of Homeland Security Read More
Robinson: My 50 Years Of New Mexico Journalism
By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2024 New Mexico News Services
In July 1975, I was stringing for the Gallup Independent from the Navajo Reservation, when they asked me to work temporarily in Grants. The Independent had acquired a small newspaper there, but their hire for that job didn’t want to live in a uranium boom town and fled. They were desperate. It was a Friday, and deadline was Monday.
“Go to Grants and get anything you can,” the assistant editor said.
I’d never heard of the place but figured the best way to fill space was to take pictures. I wound up at Acoma Pueblo on a feast day. As I stood on the Read More
New Mexico Tourism Dept. Awards $3.8 Million To 45 Entities Through Cooperative Marketing Grant Program For FY26
NMTD News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) is awarding $3.8 million in grant funding to 45 entities, including $109,000 to Los Alamos County, through the Cooperative Marketing Grant Program for fiscal year 2026.
NMTD will again be instituting a 2-to-1 funding match for FY26, meaning the financial commitment from NMTD is double what grant partners are contributing for the fiscal year. As a result of the department’s 2-to-1 commitment, the total advertising investment for this program in FY26 will be $5.7 million.
“Continuing to administer this program with 2-to-1 matching Read More
State Aging Department Launches New Website
ALTSD News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department (ALTSD) has launched a newly redesigned website.
The updated site offers a cleaner layout, easier navigation, and improved accessibility to help older adults, caregivers, and New Mexicans with disabilities connect with the services they need.
“Our website is often the first connection people have to our department and the vital services that so many rely on,” Emily Kaltenbach said, ALTSD Cabinet Secretary. “We designed this new site to reflect our commitment to accessibility, clarity and compassion, so that Read More
Reminder: DPLAC To Meet At projectY Monday July 21
DPLAC News:
Reminder: The Democratic Party of Los Alamos County (DPLAC) is scheduled to meet 630-730 p.m. Monday, July 21 at projectY cowork Los Alamos, 150 Central Park Square.
Attendees are encouraged to bring donations of non-perishable food items such as canned goods, personal care products, paper goods and cleaning supplies for LA Cares.
Agenda:
- Introduce new DPLAC Secretary Conner Tharp;
- Results of CCC voting on rules changes and 2025 budget;
- Candidate introductions, 3 minutes each;
- County Council update;
- Candidate recruiting for school board elections;
- Summer events;
- Collecting
New Mexico Unemployment Rate Steady At 4.2% In June
NMDWS News:
New Mexico’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in June, unchanged from the rate in May and unchanged from the rate in the previous year.
The national unemployment rate in June was 4.1 percent, down from 4.2 percent in May and unchanged from the rate in June 2024.
Total nonagricultural payroll employment grew by 23,500 jobs, or 2.7 percent, between June 2024 and June 2025. The majority of gains came from the private sector. The private sector was up 21,000 jobs, or 3.0 percent, while the public sector was up 2,500 jobs, or 1.3 percent. Within the private sector, the Read More
Free Film: ‘Where Olive Trees Weep’ At SALA July 22
Courtesy image
By JODY BENSON
Los Alamos
How was the European Holocaust possible? How could a Christian Europe that originated the ideal of the rights of man and the value of individual citizens—how could Europe decide that certain populations weren’t human enough to be afforded these rights? And more, for humans alive in the world today who are surely cognizant of the Nazi Holocaust after which the world declared, “Never Again!”—why are we doing it again now in Gaza?
Offering trauma-healing work to a group of Palestinian women tortured in Israeli prisons, Jewish trauma therapist Read More
EDD Awards $800K LEDA Grant To Navitas Global In Portales
Navitas Global in Portales has been awarded LEDA funds of $800,000 to create 31 jobs with an estimated annual payroll of $1.9 million and a capital investment of up to $42 million. Courtesy/Navitas Global
EDD News:
SANTA FE — Navitas Global, an advanced ethanol production facility in Portales, has been awarded LEDA assistance to add jobs and expand operations through a program administered by the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD).
Navitas specializes in converting whey derivatives, a sugar-rich byproduct of dairy processing, into advanced biofuels and high-protein animal Read More
New Mexico Department Of Transportation Launches ‘Are You Serious?’ Campaign To Combat Impaired Driving
NMDOT News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) is taking a bold new approach to fight impaired driving with its summer campaign: “Are You Serious?”
The campaign, part of the NMDOT’s ongoing ENDWI initiative, aims to raise awareness of dangerous driving behaviors, particularly those involving alcohol and drugs, through humor and relatable storytelling.
In 2023, New Mexico experienced an alcohol-involved crash every four hours on average. That same year, 164 lives were lost in alcohol-related crashes, accounting for 38 percent of all crash fatalities. Read More
Legislative Education Study Committee To Meet In Las Vegas
LESC News:
LAS VEGAS — The Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) will meet in Las Vegas at New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) July 23-25.
Wednesday, July 23, the committee is scheduled to hear an update on the public education reform fund (PERF), policy recommendations made by an artificial intelligence (AI) working group convened by LESC staff in response to a legislatively requested memorial, and an update on teacher preparation from NMHU.
Thursday, July 24, LESC staff, in partnership with the Public Education Department (PED) and the state’s Math and Science Advisory Council, Read More
Class 1 Permit Modification Request To Update Off-site Facilities Added To LANL Public Reading Room
LANL News:
Per regulatory requirements, this announcement is to notify readers that the following documents have been added to the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Electronic Reading Room.
The document(s) have been submitted to fulfill one or more requirements of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
- Class 1 Permit Modification Request to Update Permit Attachment L, Listing of Off-site Facilities
- Response to June 9, 2025 Letter, Temporary Authorization Los Alamos National Laboratory Hazardous Waste Facility Permit
Democratic Women’s Caucus Unveils Better Future Policy Agenda For Women & Families
DWC News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thursday, July 17, the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC), led by Chair Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03) and Policy Task Force Co-Chairs Deborah Ross (NC-02) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), released its Better Future policy agenda, focused on economic security, affordable and equitable health care, and the safety of all women and girls.
This agenda comes at a time when women and families are under constant attack from the Trump administration and Republicans. From gutting reproductive health care access and cutting Medicaid to slashing food assistance and taking Read More
