SFCC Offers Free ‘English As A Second Language’ Classes
Recent SFCC ESL students celebrate their program completion. Courtesy/SFCC
SFCC News:
SANTA FE — Do you or someone you know want to learn English as a Second Language? Whether you speak no English at all, only know a little, or even if you know a lot of English, SFCC has classes for you.
Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) will offer a free 14-week English as a Second Language (ESL) session from Jan. 26 to May 7 to any adult who wants to learn English. New students must attend an orientation session to register for classes. The orientation session will include testing and placement as well as registration Read More
This Week In Sports: Dec. 9-13, 2025
SPORTS News:
This week the Los Alamos High School Hilltoppers have boys and girls wrestling, basketball games at home and away. Topper girls and boys also have a swimming and diving Invite this week in Santa Fe.
The Topper sports games and events are covered by the Los Alamos Daily Post sports team, which includes John McHale, Mike Cote and Nate Limback.
This Week’s Hilltopper Sports Schedule:
Dec. 9 Tuesday
- Girls/Boys Wrestling vs Belen Home – 3 p.m.
- Boys Basketball vs Kirtland Central Away – 4:30 p.m.
- Girls Basketball vs Kirtland Central Away – 6 p.m.
Dec. 11 Thursday
- Girls Basketball vs McCurdy
Daily Postcard: Supermoon In Clouds Over Los Alamos
Daily Postcard: The Supermoon or Cold Moon viewed Saturday night over Los Alamos. Photo by VaLynn Purvis Read More
New Mexico Unemployment Rate 4.1% In September 2025
NMDWS News:
New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) has announced that New Mexico’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in September 2025 was 4.1 percent, unchanged from August and down from 4.3 percent in the previous year.
The national unemployment rate in September was 4.4 percent, up from 4.3 percent in August and up from 4.1 percent in September 2024.
Data for total nonagricultural payroll employment will be released Thursday, Dec. 11.
U.S. Labor Force Estimates:
County Unemployment Rates:
Scenes From 2025 Holiday Lights Parade On Central Avenue
Scene from the the annual Holiday Lights Parade hosted this evening by Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District on Central Avenue. Photo by Fred Jones
Scene from the the annual Holiday Lights Parade hosted this evening by Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District on Central Avenue. Photo by Fred Jones
Scene from the the annual Holiday Lights Parade hosted this evening by Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District on Central Avenue. Photo by Fred Jones
Scene from the the annual Holiday Lights Parade hosted this evening by Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District on Central Avenue. Read More
EMNRD Secretary Melanie A. Kenderdine Resigns
EMNRD Secretary Melanie A. Kenderdine
EMNRD News:
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Dec. 5 that Melanie A. Kenderdine, secretary of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD), will resign for personal reasons effective immediately.
“Melanie brought national energy expertise to New Mexico, and I’m grateful for her contributions at EMNRD. I wish her well,” Lujan Grisham said.
Erin Taylor, deputy cabinet secretary, will serve as Acting Cabinet Secretary of EMNRD.
Kenderdine joined the administration in May 2024. Before her appointment, she Read More
Cross-Country Skier & Faithful Companion At Pajarito
A cross-country skier and his faithful companion enjoy the 22 inches of snow accumulated over the last seven days at Pajarito Mountain Ski Area as viewed this afternoon from the top of Pajarito Lodge. Snowmaking has also begun as conditions permit. Courtesy/webcam Read More
100 Men Who Care Dec. 11 Event Includes Special Door Prize
By BRIAN SCOTT
Member
100 Men Who Care – Los Alamos
100 Men Who Care – Los Alamos, a group of men dedicated to providing immediate and meaningful financial support to local nonprofit organizations, will be holding its next quarterly event 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at the SALA Event Center.
Organized like a “Shark Tank” for nonprofits, the group votes on one of three organizations to support based on short presentations by each. Each group member then writes a check for $100 directly to the winning organization. Through prior events, we have collected over $33,000 for local nonprofits. If Read More
Friday’s Winds Sculpt Clouds Across Sky Over Tsankawi
Strong winds sculpt the clouds across the sky Friday over Tsankawi. Photo by Jim Gourdoux Read More
Fuselier: The Month Before Christmas…
By BOB FUSELIER
Los Alamos
The Month Before Christmas
’Twas a month before Christmas
And all through the nation
The people were anxious
And manning their stations.
When Big Money decided
It’s that time of year
To grant all a reprieve,
From their anger and fear.
Big Money’s no fool;
He’d grown strong and, yes, bold.
But his streets were in need
Of more layers of gold.
He deserved it, you see,
He worked hard this past year.
Installing his minions
With false pride and big fear.
It took hard work to buy
All those hearts and those minds.
They came from everyone,
You and me, all peoples, all kinds.
They came from Read More
Sunrise Emerging Above The Horizon Early This Morning
View of the sunrise emerging above the horizon early this morning in White Rock. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
Blood Donors Vital To Help Patients Through Holiday Season
VITALANT News:
SANTA FE — This December, nonprofit Vitalant asks all those eligible, to schedule a blood donation appointment and help save lives.
Busy schedules and travel during the December holiday weeks typically lead to the lowest donor turnout of the year, but the need for lifesaving blood remains constant and critical for patients.
Jenn Dobson started 2025 with a cancer scare that turned out instead to be severe endometriosis, a painful condition. She endured surgeries and a stint in the ICU, where her heart stopped and it took 25 minutes to revive her. She also needed several units of Read More
Los Alamos Police Department Gains Three New Officers
Cpl. Adam Archuleta is sworn in by Magistrate Judge Catherine Taylor to the Los Alamos Police Department (LAPD) Friday morning at the Justice Center. Cpl. Archuleta was among the three new officers participating in the ceremony. Police Chief Dino Sgambellone commented that these new hires continue the police department’s successful hiring streak.‘We’re really happy to have these three officers (join us) today …,’ he said. Speaking to the Los Alamos Daily Post, Archuleta said he is ‘looking forward to working here’. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
LAPD’s newly sworn Cpl. Read More
Albuquerque FBI: Man Gets 96 Months For Assaulting Baby
FBI News:
ALBUQUERQUE — An Arizona man was sentenced to 96 months in prison for the assault of a one-month-old baby.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, in Oct. 2022, Logan Nelson, 22, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted a one-month-old baby multiple times. As a result of the final incident on Oct. 15, 2022, the baby suffered an ulna fracture on their left arm and multiple other fractures in the legs and ribs.
Nelson subsequently pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Upon his release from prison, Nelson will be subject to three Read More
County Planning & Zoning Commission To Meet Dec. 10
COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to meet 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10 in Council Chambers at the Municipal Building at 1000 Central Ave.
The meeting is open to the public.
The agenda is available online and hard copies are available in the Community Development Department lobby (window 3) inside the Municipal Building during regular business hours. Read More
BLM In New Mexico Launches ‘One Dollar, One Tree’ Holiday Savings Across Local Public Lands
Courtesy/BLM
BLM News:
SANTA FE — The Bureau of Land Management has announced a series of holiday affordability measures that will help families save money, enjoy public lands, and support wildfire prevention efforts across New Mexico during the 2025-26 winter season.
Effective immediately through Jan. 31, the BLM is reducing many personal-use permit fees to just $1, including Christmas tree permits and firewood permits.
“Here in New Mexico, families rely on public lands for tradition, recreation, and essential resources,” BLM New Mexico State Director Melanie Barnes said. “These fee Read More
Review: DALA’s ‘Sugar Plum On The Hill’ A Holiday Delight!
A scene from DALA’s ‘Sugar Plum on the Hill Part III The Mysterious March’ Friday at Duane Smith Auditorium. Performances continue at 2 p.m. today, Dec. 6 and 2 p.m. Sunday. Dec. 7. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
A scene from DALA’s ‘Sugar Plum on the Hill Part III The Mysterious March’. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
Review by ALISON WATKINS
Los Alamos
It wouldn’t be Christmas in Los Alamos without The Nutcracker, and for the last decade that tradition has taken the form of Dance Arts Los Alamos (DALA) Artistic Director Jonathan Guise’s award-winning trilogy, Nutcracker on Read More
Obituary: Virginia Lee Kachelmeier June 7, 1948 – Oct. 23, 2025
VIRGINIA LEE KACHELMEIER June 7, 1948 – Oct. 23, 2025
Virginia Lee Kachelmeier, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully Oct. 23, 2025, at Arden Courts in San Antonio, Texas. She was 77.
Born on June 7, 1948, in Raton, New Mexico, Virginia was the cherished daughter of Roy and Marie Butt, both of whom preceded her in death. She graduated from Raton High School and was one of six siblings-David (deceased), Bobby (deceased), Larry, Jimmy, and Lori-each of whom held a special place in her heart.
Virginia’s life changed forever one snowy night when a fierce storm Read More
SFCC Visual Arts Gallery To Open ‘Our Home Gardens: 12 New Mexico Fine Art Photographers’ Thursday Jan. 22, 2026
‘Entrance to the Garden’ photo by Laurie Tümer for SFCC exhibition ‘Our Home Gardens: 12 New Mexico Fine Art Photographers’. Courtesy/SFCC
SFCC News:
SANTA FE — Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) Visual Arts Gallery opens “Our Home Gardens: 12 New Mexico Fine Art Photographers” with a reception 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22. The exhibition will continue through Feb. 18. The Visual Arts Gallery is in the Fine Arts Center on campus at 6401 Richards Ave.
“SFCC is very fortunate to present this exhibition, which is co-curated by Sage Paisner and Laurie Tümer,” explained Director of Art on Campus Linda Read More
Obituary: Walter Wright Oct. 26, 1941 – Dec. 2, 2025
WALTER WRIGHT Oct. 26, 1941 – Dec. 2, 2025
Walter Wright, age 84, passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Dec. 2, 2025. Walter was born in Bellows Falls, Vermont Oct. 26, 1941 to Leland Fuller Wright and Thelma (Staniszewski) Wright.
Growing up on the Connecticut River, he attended Bellows Falls High School and graduated in 1959. Overcome with a sense of service and willingness to give back to his country during the Cold War Era, Walter joined the US Air Force in 1960. He specialized in Weapons Control and System Maintenance at Lowry AFB in Colorado from February to Read More
