Public Meeting On Update To Proposed Mescalero Apache Tribe Land Exchange To Be Held Feb. 25
NMSLO News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico State Land Office (NMSLO) and the Mescalero Apache Tribe will host a public meeting in the large banquet room at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces on Feb. 25, to share updated information and gather feedback from the local community regarding changes to the potential land exchange, Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard announced today.
Public Meeting Details:
- 6–7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb.25, 2026
- New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
4100 Dripping Springs Road
Las Cruces, NM 88011 - ZOOM Option
Meeting ID: 895 2836 0038
Pets Of The Week: Margot And Maris
Margot is 25 pounds of beagle brilliance. She’s a true “nose-forward” dog who lives for a good sniff and would likely excel in scent work or nose games. When she’s not busy exploring the world one smell at a time, she’s happiest being close to her people-occupying laps, handing out kisses, and soaking up all the love. She may take a minute to clock the room, then promptly prances like she owns it. Dog-friendly, cat-tolerant (will attempt unsolicited face-washing), part-time meerkat, full-time cuddle conspirator.
Meet the newest class in our Paws in the Pen program Read More
House Unanimously Passes Legislation To Make Healthcare More Affordable For Educators
NMDP News:
SANTA FE — Today, the New Mexico House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to lower out-of-pocket health insurance costs for public school teachers and staff. House Bill 47 now heads to the Senate.
HB 47 increases public and charter schools’ required minimum contributions to their employees’ health insurance premiums. The bill would require districts to pay 80% of the total premium cost for all employees. Currently, districts pay 60-80% of the cost, depending on the individual’s income level, and most staff receive the lower end of the benefit.
The bill would bring Read More
OBAE Approves $6.7M In Grants For Public Wi-Fi
OBAE News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) today announced six grants to implement or expand public Wi-Fi service across New Mexico.
Two cities, two counties, a university, and an internet service provider received awards through OBAE’s Community Connect Grant Program, designed to expand free Wi-Fi in public places, such as plazas, parks, and municipal buildings.
“Public Wi-Fi is essential for providing accessibility and convenience in communities across New Mexico,” said Neala Krueger, OBAE state grants senior program manager. “It provides Read More
NMED Acts To Hold DOE Accountable For Legacy Waste
NMED News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department issued several actions today to hold the U.S. Department of Energy accountable for failing to prioritize the cleanup of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s “legacy waste” for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
The continued presence of a large volume of unremedied hazardous and radioactive waste demonstrates a longstanding lack of urgency by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and elevates the risk of waste storage failures at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
The term “legacy waste” describes mixed waste that dates Read More
Santa Fe National Forest Plans Blanco Prescribed Fire
Courtesy/SFNF
SFNF News:
ESPAÑOLA — The Santa Fe National Forest is planning prescribed fire operations in the Española Ranger District as early as Feb. 18, 2026, pending all required approvals. The Blanco prescribed fire is a 718-acre broadcast burn located off Forest Road 144 west of Clara Peak and north of Santa Clara Pueblo. Fire managers will look for opportunities to implement this burn from February 18 to March 15, as weather conditions allow. A broadcast burn is when fire is applied across a defined area or boundary to reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure Read More
Senate Panel Approves Bills To Bar Feds From Sending Troops And ICE To Polls In New Mexico
By LILY ALEXANDER
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Two bills aimed at shielding New Mexico’s elections from federal action — particularly the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to the polls — are making their way through the New Mexico Senate.
The measures, which cleared the Senate Rules Committee on party-line votes Wednesday morning, would make it a felony in New Mexico for federal troops to be deployed to polling places and ban the carrying of firearms at polling places in most cases, building on a ban on guns at polling places passed in 2024.
“The Constitution reserves to Read More
There’s Still Time To Sign Up For Spring Break Trip To D.C.
EDUCATION News:
Attention Los Alamos Middle School and homeschool 8th grade parents. It’s not too late to sign up for this year’s spring break trip to Washington, DC. There are still airline seats available. This opportunity
is a once-in-a-lifetime annual trip for your student to travel with their peers to our nation’s capital! Sign up quickly to lock in your reservation and trip price. Price for the trip could possibly increase soon. Flexible payment plans are available with Worldstrides for this trip. The trip is a private trip and not a school-sponsored trip and has been offered to Los Alamos Read More
County Offices To Close On Presidents’ Day
COUNTY News:
In observance of Presidents’ Day, Los Alamos County offices and services will join other federal, state, and local governments and close Monday, Feb. 16.
The County’s administrative offices, Atomic City Transit service, and the Environmental Services division will close on Monday.
Additional facilities that will close or have modified hours:
- White Rock and Mesa libraries – Open 1-5 p.m.
- Aquatic Center – Main Pool and Leisure Lagoon Open 1-5 p.m.
- Los Alamos County Ice Rink – Open 12-5 p.m.
- Golf Course and Golf Shop – Closed
- Utilities will be closed for regular business, however
Increase In Daytime Bobcat Sightings In Los Alamos: What You Need To Know…
A bobcat roots through a resident’s shed in February in Eastern Area. Photo by Jim Goforth
A bobcat hunts around the grounds at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in February. Photo by Amanda Bucklin
A bobcat spruces up in February in downtown Los Alamos. Photo by Kurt Steinhaus
COUNTY News:
Bobcats are found throughout Los Alamos County and have been spotted regularly in the downtown area in the past few weeks. Although elusive and difficult to observe, it is not unusual for the bobcat’s habitat to include a densely populated urban area.
These cats are much smaller than a mountain lion, weighing Read More
Catch Of The Week: No, Bernalillo County Is Not Texting You From Ohio About Traffic Fines
By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos
If you received a dramatic text message this week claiming you owe unpaid traffic fines and must “pay immediately or appear in court”, congratulations.
You are the latest target in a statewide text scam. Not as exciting as winning the lottery, but what are you going to do?
The message looks official at first glance. It says “Notice of Default – Unpaid Traffic Fines.” It lists Bernalillo (Bennalillo ha!) County Metropolitan Court. It includes a real Albuquerque address on Lomas. It even throws in legal language about Title 66 of the New Mexico Code to make it sound Read More
State Senate Shoots Down Bill Codifying Emissions Goals In New Mexico
Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, sponsor of the Clear Horizons Act, which would codify emission reduction targets, defends the bill during a debate on the state Senate floor Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. Nathan Burton/The New MexicanBy DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A contentious proposal to put New Mexico’s pollution reduction goals into state statute went up in smoke Wednesday.
The New Mexico Senate on Wednesday rejected Senate Bill 18, known as the Clear Horizons Act, on a 19-23 vote. Seven Democrats joined all their Republican colleagues in voting against Read More
Luján, Scott Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Develop, Demonstrate, And Deploy Technologies To Accelerate Nuclear Waste Cleanup
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) introduced the Combining Laboratory Expertise to Accelerate Novel Solutions for Minimizing Accumulated Radioactive Toxins (CLEAN SMART) Act.
This legislation would build on the success of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Network of National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship (NNLEMS) to accelerate nuclear waste cleanup.
The CLEAN SMART Act would codify and properly fund NNLEMS to leverage the best available science and technology of the nation’s national Read More
Daily Postcard: Western Bluebirds Gather On Branch
Daily Postcard: Western Bluebirds gather on a juniper branch recently at Overlook Park in White Rock. Photo by Richard Skolnik Read More
Shelly Wiemann Named To Forbes’ List Of Best-In-State Women Wealth Advisors
Shelly A. Wiemann, CFP®
BUSINESS News:
Shelly A. Wiemann, CFP®, located at Wiemann Wealth, 2101 Trinity Drive Suite T., was among the Raymond James-affiliated advisors named to the Forbes list of Best-in-State Women Wealth Advisors.
The list, which recognizes women advisors from national, regional and independent firms, was released online Feb. 4, 2026.
The 2026 Forbes ranking of Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum of seven years of experience Read More
Hilltopper Swim And Dive Girls Defend District 2a Title, Boys Take Second
Girls District 2a Swim Champions. Front Row Left to Right: Cindy Fu, Ashley McLaughlin, Lyla Lo, Grace Nowell, Deborah Brug, Emilie Daligault, Aleena Rim, Samantha Clayton. Back Row Left to Right: Madalyn Baily, Teagan Brown, Zooey Browne, Grace Evans, Catherine. Courtesy photo
SPORTS News:
The Hilltopper Swim/Dive team completed the regular season at the District Championships in Farmington, Feb. 6-7.
The girls successfully defended their District 2a title, scoring 404 points, outpacing Farmington at second (249 points) and Piedra Vista (148 points). With only eight boys, the Toppers Read More
LAPS Seeks Nominations For 2026 NMSBA Excellence In Student Achievement Award
LAPS News:
The Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) is accepting nominations from the community for the 2026 New Mexico School Board Association’s (NMSBA) Excellence in Student Achievement Award.
The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, Feb. 20, 2026.
The NMSBA Excellence in Student Achievement Awards are presented to individuals selected by local boards of education throughout New Mexico who have played an important role in improving student achievement in their local school district.
Nominees may include administrators, teachers, staff members, parents, community members or Read More
Los Alamos County Publishes FY2025 Popular Annual Financial Report, Winning 12th Consecutive National Award For Outstanding Achievement
County News:
Los Alamos County’s FY2025 Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) has been published. The County’s PAFR has won the national Award for Outstanding Achievement for the last 12 consecutive years from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
The GFOA’s mission is to advance excellence in public finance, and it established the PAFR Program in 1991 to encourage and assist state and local governments to extract information from their annual comprehensive financial report to produce high quality popular annual financial reports, specifically designed to be readily Read More
Think New Mexico: New Scandal From The Dark Money Group Opposing Medical Malpractice Reform
From Think New Mexico:
Since the session began, New Mexicans like you have sent 10,879 emails to your legislators and the governor through Think New Mexico’s Action Center, with more than half of those urging lawmakers to reform the state’s malpractice laws.
Last night, New Mexico InDepth reported that the dark money group fighting malpractice reforms has been delivering emails to legislators that appear to be from their constituents expressing opposition to House Bill 99 – but when legislators reached out to respond, their constituents said they had never sent those Read More
Reminder: LAMC Community Seminar Tomorrow
LAMC News:
Community members are invited to attend the first entry in a new free health seminar series hosted by Los Alamos Medical Center (LAMC) at SALA Event Center.
The first talk, presented by Tania Pence, DO, Orthopedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist, is titled “Active Lifestyles And ACLs” at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12.
Attendees will be able to enjoy refreshments, prizes, socialize, meet a subject matter expert and learn about their health. They can do so all while enjoying SALA, a vibrant community event center at 2551 Central Ave.
Individuals interested in attending are asked Read More
