Gessing: Shutdown Highlights New Mexico Dependence
By PAUL J. GESSING
President
Rio Grande Foundation
Among other things, the recent federal shutdown highlighted just how dependent New Mexico is on the federal government. According to the website Virtual Capitalist New Mexico is the most dependent state in the nation on federal dollars.
There are some good reasons for this. Our state has three major Air Force bases plus White Sands testing range. We also have two major national nuclear labs, Los Alamos and Sandia.
Forty one percent of our state is managed by the federal government and a significant portion of that includes tribal lands.
But, Read More
Blackwell On Grief: Cultivating Presence And Honoring Loss During The Holidays
Leah Blackwell, Visiting Nurses Chaplain. Courtesy photo
By LEAH BLACKWELL
Member
Los Alamos County Health Council
Grief is one of the most profound and universal human experiences. Though it is something most associated with the death of a loved one, grief can also come from the loss of anything that was deeply cherished, like the end of a relationship, the loss of a job, or changes in health or mobility. Though intensely painful, grief is not an illness or a weakness.
Rather, it is a natural, necessary process of healing and adjustment. At its core, it’s how the heart and mind respond to the absence Read More
Amateur Naturalist: The Ranch School Trail
Picture 1: There are three sections to the Ranch School trail. The bottom section (1) is built into a canyon wall. The middle section (2) crosses relatively level land with dispersed woodlands. The upper section (3) passes through forested land next to the Acid Canyon creek. It merges with Pueblo Canyon. Photo by Robert Dryja
By Robert Dryja
Los Alamos
The PEEC Nature Center has two hiking trails adjacent to it. The Acid Canyon trail forms a loop into the upper stream section of Acid Canyon. The Ranch School trail forms a single path into the downstream section. Both trails have a common starting Read More
Op-Ed: SICK SEVEN
By JOHN PAWLAK
Los Alamos
Fix Leaven! Picks Devon! Mix Lemon! Tricks Neven!
Obviously, I hesitated to write “the numbers”, lest readers suddenly find themselves compelled to bop the hands (palm side up) up and down like mindless piston engines racing to the end of a meme.
Recent news articles have bemoaned Dictionary.com’s choice for its “Word of the Year”, but having ridiculous words put on lexical pedestals is nothing new. Next year, a new meaningless string of letters will sit on the throne of linguistic brain rot.
To highlight this fact, we can note that Oxford Word of the Year for 2024 was Read More
Shin: Los Alamos County MRA Review Committee Subject To New Mexico Open Meetings Act
By LISA SHIN
Los Alamos Family Eyecare
Last July 2024, I submitted an editorial, “Los Alamos Metropolitan Redevelopment Area Commission Necessary for an Open and Transparent Government.” In compliance with the New Mexico Redevelopment Code, this Commission would not include County Councilors or County employees, but rather key members from the community with experience in commercial property development, affordable housing, finances/banking and environmental sustainability. The MRA Commission would make recommendations to our County Council and would reflect a diverse and broad Read More
Travel: Discover ‘Gibraltar Of The Pacific’ When You Visit Morro Bay In California
Morro Rock in Morro Bay State Park in California. Photo by Debbie Stone
By DEBBIE STONE
Santa Fe
For the Los Alamos Daily Post
It’s big, bold and beautiful. And it’s hard to miss. It’s Morro Rock, also known as the “Gibraltar of the Pacific” for its distinctive crown-shape. Standing over 580 feet tall, this formation is ginormous, the size of an island, and it’s a top attraction on the central California coast in Morro Bay.
This State Historic Landmark, which is situated within Morro Bay State Park, has a lengthy geological history, as it was formed about 23 million years ago. It’s a remnant of a once-live Read More
Heinrich: Thank You For Your Courage
By U.S. SEN. MARTIN HEINRICH:
In New Mexico, the tradition of serving our nation runs deep. Time and again, New Mexican service members and military veterans have put our country first. They have served at home and abroad, and they have fought for what it means to be American.
We owe our service members and their families more than lip service. They put their lives on the line to fight for America’s promise of freedom. Just like they fought for us, we must honor and fight for them here at home.
Honoring that service means rehiring fired workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs. It means telling Read More
