Weekly Fishing Report: Dec. 15, 2025
By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
Small streams at higher elevations are starting to ice up. The Rio Pueblo, Santa Cruz River and Rio Costilla are already reporting icy conditions that prevent the measurement of streamflow. Lakes are starting to develop thin ice, but it will be awhile before the ice is thick enough for safe ice fishing.
This time of year is good time to plan a strip to Southern New Mexico. The weather is warmer and a lot more comfortable than dealing with the hot temperatures of summer
The weather forecast is for a warming trend with little precipitation. Read More
Christmas Eve At Ashley Pond Returns With Music, Candlelight, & Community
From all walks of life, people gathered at Ashley Pond at last year’s Christmas Eve to share in the beauty and joy of the season. Courtesy photo
COMMUNITY News:
Every December, Ashley Pond turns into a gathering place filled with bright lights, familiar faces, typically some farolitos (put out by the local Scouts), and the unmistakable warmth of the season. This year, Freedom Church is inviting the entire Los Alamos community to join them on Tuesday, Dec. 24 at 4:30 p.m. for their annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. It has become one of the town’s most cherished holiday moments.
Families Read More
LA Hockey Association Announces First All-Girls Team
By CASEY BYRD
Coach, Los Alamos Hockey Association
Los Alamos Hockey Association is announcing its first ever all-girls hockey team! The team will be a mix of 10/12U players ranging from brand new to 2nd-4th year players.
The LAHA girls’ team will partner with New Mexico Mustangs, an all-girls hockey organization out of Albuquerque, to practice together and also generate a competitive program in direct response to the popularity surrounding girls’ hockey.
The girls will play their first games at 9:30 & 10:45 a.m., Saturday Dec. 13 at the Los Alamos County Ice Rink.
In January, Read More
County Council To Meet In Closed Session Dec. 16
County Lodgers’ Tax Advisory Board To Meet Dec. 16
COUNTY News:FBI: Las Cruces Man Pleads Guilty To Two Bank Robberies
Photo from PNC Bank Robbery on Feb. 20, 2025. Courtesy/FBI
FBI News:
ALBUQUERQUE — A Las Cruces man pleaded guilty in federal court to robbing two banks in Feb. 2025.
According to court documents, on Feb. 12, 2025, Daniel Guereca, 29, robbed the U.S. Bank in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Wearing a black hoodie and a white mask, Guereca passed a handwritten demand note to two tellers before fleeing the bank with at least $6,000 in cash. Guereca then escaped the scene with the assistance of Breanne Gallegos, 29, who was waiting in the getaway vehicle and who had written the demand note that Guereca Read More
Obituary: Dory Ryan Sept. 12, 1960 – Dec. 5, 2025
DORY RYAN Sept. 12, 1960 – Dec. 5, 2025
Dory Ryan, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully on Dec. 5, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. Born on Sept. 12, 1960, Dory left an indelible mark on all who knew her.
Following her graduation from New Mexico State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, she joined the Environmental, Safety and Health Division at LANL. After 30 years at LANL, Dory embarked on a life filled with gardening, hiking (completing Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim across the Grand Canyon for her 60th birthday), traveling, cooking, Read More
ALTSD Invites Public To Senior Day 2026 At The Roundhouse
ALTSD News:
Join Aging and Long-Term Services Department (ALTSD) on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at the Roundhouse as we come together to celebrate and advocate for older adults across New Mexico.
Here’s what the morning will look like:
- 8–9 a.m. — Visit resource tables and connect with organizations serving older adults, adults with disabilities, and caregivers in New Mexico.
- 9–11 a.m. — Participate in a guided tour and visit with legislators representing your community to discuss the importance of fully funding services for seniors and caregivers.
- 11 a.m.–12 p.m. — Formal presentation featuring
Free Well Testing For Mora, San Miguel And Taos Counties
Environment Secretary James Kenney
NMED News:
MORA COUNTY — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is offering free private well water testing to well owners in parts of Mora, San Miguel and Taos counties located within one mile of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon burn scar area.
This initiative responds to water quality testing conducted as part of a 2025 independent geological study, which showed the presence of heavy metals in some of the wells tested in the area. Well owners in this area can sign up for free well testing by completing NMED’s form at https://www.env.nm.gov/morasanmigueltaos-pws/mora-san-miguel-and-taos-county-private-well-sampling-form/ Read More
Stantec Unveils Development Concepts For State Fairgrounds And International District
STATE News:
SANTA FE — A private firm hired to develop a master plan for the Albuquerque Fairgrounds has unveiled three conceptual plans for the city’s International District that could lead to the construction of hundreds of new homes, as well as new entertainment venues, green spaces and businesses.
The proposals developed by Stantec — a global leader in sustainable design and engineering — are intended to generate community discussion and feedback. Planners encourage community input on the specific components of each proposal, which will sharpen the vision for the Fairgrounds.
The Read More
New Mexico Governor Addresses ACA Tax Credits Block
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
From the Office of Gov. Lujan Grisham:
SANTA FE — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued the following statement:
“On Thursday, Senate Republicans in Congress blocked a Democratic proposal to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits for millions of Americans, which will cause healthcare premiums to skyrocket in January. It’s an appalling failure by a Republican Party that is more concerned with placating President Trump than protecting the constituents they were elected to represent.
“My administration saw this coming, which is why we worked with Read More
New Mexico Delegation Urges USPS To Take Urgent Action To Restore Full-Service Postal Operations In Chimayó
N.M. DELEGATION News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) sent a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner urging the United States Postal Service (USPS) to take all necessary actions to prioritize and ensure that the rebuilding project for USPS operations in Chimayó is completed in 2026.
This letter follows the USPS’s repeated failure to provide a clear timeline or adequate information about the construction of a new Chimayó Post Office, which burned down nearly Read More
Epilepsy Foundation To Host Education Day January 2026
UNM News:
Epilepsy Foundation New Mexico is pleased to host Epilepsy Education Day on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Center for Development and Disability.
Epilepsy Education Day is an educational conference for pediatric, teen, and adult patients and their families. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn from renowned epileptologists and epilepsy professionals.
Light lunch will be provided. Childcare will not be provided; this event is geared toward the patients and parents or caregivers.
Epilepsy Education Day New Mexico 2026 Agenda
- 9 a.m.
Toppers Swim & Dive Team Honors Seniors At Hudson Invite
Seniors from left, Sam Nowell, Austin Theye, Catherine Price, Deborah Brug, Emma Riede and Malin Eidenbenz. Seniors not pictured include Madalyn Baily and Hannah Lee. Courtesy photo
By SANDY HURLOCKER
The Los Alamos High School Hilltopper Swim and Dive Team honored seniors while hosting the Hudson Memorial Invitational swim/dive meet Dec. 5-6 at the Aquatics Center. Fourteen teams with more than 250 swimmers competed. The girls took first place ahead of Farmington and St. Pius X. The boys squad came in fifth.
The girls powered their first-place finish by sweeping all three of the relay events. Read More
FBI: Peñasco Man Gets Over 21 Years For Fatal Stabbing
FBI News:
ALBUQUERQUE — A Peñasco man was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison for the stabbing death of another man.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, Dec. 25, 2022, Byron Sanchez, 49, an enrolled member of the Picuris Pueblo, was involved in an altercation with John Doe at his residence in Peñasco, New Mexico, within the exterior boundaries of the Picuris Pueblo.
During the altercation, which occurred while both individuals were under the influence of alcohol, Sanchez fatally stabbed John Doe and placed his body in a bedroom. Law enforcement officials Read More
El Palacio Launches Winter Edition & Public Reading Event
NMDCA News:
SANTA FE — El Palacio, the official magazine of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs (NMDCA), announces the release of its Winter 2025-26 issue and a public reading and conversation with four featured contributors at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at FUSION, 708 in Albuquerque.
The event will feature live readings by Laura Paskus, Myrriah Gómez, Rica Maestas and Santana Shorty, followed by a Q&A moderated by editor Emily Withnall. Copies of the winter issue and books by the contributors will be available for purchase.
In her editor’s note for the winter edition, Withnall Read More
Obituary: Reid Zirkle Oct. 5, 1945 – Dec. 8, 2025
REID ZIRKLE Oct. 5, 1945 – Dec. 8, 2025
Reid was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon to Ira and Ruth Zirkle.
He graduated from Oregon Institute of Technology before moving to New Mexico in 1967, when Los Alamos National Laboratory recruited him as a draftsman to work on classified drawings. Reid spent most of his LANL career as an Area Coordinator at various lab facilities, retiring with 38 years of service.
Reid grew up hunting and fishing: passions he carried with him throughout his life. He especially enjoyed duck and quail hunting throughout New Mexico. After retiring, he and his wife purchased an Read More
Daily Postcard: Pika Stays Active In Tunnels At VCNP
Daily Postcard: Pikas stay active in winter traveling in tunnels under rocks and snow. In fact, a deep blanket of snow is important for the pika’s survival. If the snow is deep enough it provides insulation for the pikas living below. Too little snow and the pikas risk freezing to death. The pikas stay alive during the long, cold winter by eating dried plants cached earlier in the year and may travel out to nearby vegetated areas to collect more plant materials. Photo by Sally King/NPS Read More
Half Price Sale Wednesday At United Church Thrift Shop
COMMUNITY News:
Everything, except jewelry, will be half-price, 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the United Church Thrift Shop this Wednesday, Dec. 17.
This will be the last sale day of 2025, being closed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Close to downtown, the Thrift Shop is in the 2500 block of Canyon Road, across from the Los Alamos Nature Center.
The Women’s Christian Service Society (WCSS) deeply appreciates the community’s support with donated items and shopping locally. Thanks to you, this year $87,000 will be plowed into Northern New Mexico charities, as well as redirecting clothing Read More
Posts From The Road: Ed Galloway Totem Pole Park
Giant Totem Pole: The giant totem pole is the centerpiece of the Ed Galloway Totem Pole Park. The 90-foot-tall structure is a piece of art from the ground to the top. Two hundred works of art adorn the exterior walls and many are bas-relief or raised from the surface of the structure creating a three dimensional effect. The turtle at the base is a natural outcropping of sandstone rock, which Galloway carved into the shape of a turtle. The bold paint colors accentuate the artwork and make each image stand out. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly Of Los Alamos Read More
