Columns

Holsapple: Council Agenda Item Regarding Broadband

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By KEVIN HOLSAPPLE
Los Alamos

I wrote the Council today (Saturday) to express my objection to the recommended approval of the project (Broadband) without adequate public input and engagement.

The proposed project involves undertaking $35 million in public debt and entering into a business arrangement that will affect the daily lives of businesses and households for decades to come. A Friday afternoon partial document dump with a recommendation for a rubber stamp decision four days later may meet “the letter of the law” but is inappropriate if the County seeks to be perceived as transparent Read More

All Shall Be Well: Beloved Children Of God

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By The Rev. Lynn M. Finnegan
Associate Rector
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith

Virtually all teens (95%) in the United States ages 13 to 17 use social media, with more than 1 in 3 reporting that they use it ​“almost constantly”. Nearly 40% of kids ages 8 to 12 use social media, with extreme, inappropriate, and harmful content continuing to be easily and widely accessible. The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 Social Media and Youth Mental Health Advisory (https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf), states “the current body of evidence Read More

Pawlak: A VERY BOND-ILY THANK YOU!

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By JOHN PAWLAK
UNM-LA Advisory Board Member

At the last UNM-LA Advisory Board meeting, I was congratulated for the good work done on getting the Bonds passed. Well, I don’t deserve that credit.

The credit goes to our community as a whole, a community that values education and always supports initiatives to improve the high quality of education our students enjoy. And for that, I thank you!

Now, if you voted Yes for the Bonds, I thank you for helping to show the State our county’s commitment to our students.  And if you voted No against the Bonds, I thank you for voting. That might sound strange to some, Read More

McQuiston: The Science Behind Winter Driving

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By ALLEN MCQUISTON
Jemez Insurance Agency
Serving Los Alamos Since 1963

Have you ever wondered why black ice forms, how traction control works or what causes hydroplaning? Let’s take a look at the science behind some common winter driving conditions in order to better understand what leads to dangerous driving situations and help us all prepare to drive more safely this winter.

What is black ice?

Black ice is not actually black in color – it’s clear enough that you can see the road beneath it, making it appear “black.” Black ice can also be difficult to distinguish from a wet roadway and may appear Read More

Cinema Cindy Reviews Two Films For Grown Ups

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By CYNTHIA BIDDLECOMB
Los Alamos

“Small Things Like These” brings Cillian Murphy (2023’s Oppenheimer) into deeply emotional territory, his face exposing the internal thoughts of Bill Furlong. Bill is a father of five daughters, all living in 1985’s Wexford County, Ireland. Bill’s wife Eileen (played by Irish film and television actress Eileen Walsh) notices that her man-of-few-words is going through something deeply troubling; thanks to her we learn more about his worries.

Bill runs his own coal and propane delivery service. He has a few guys working for him; occasionally one of them will Read More

Catch Of The Week: Facebook Scams

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By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos
For the Los Alamos Daily Post

Who doesn’t love art, and particularly, hilarious art? One of my favorite artists is Tommy Siegel, of “extremely accurate birds” fame. Tommy Siegel is a cartoonist for the New Yorker.

I love art, especially weird art, and I find his work hilarious. You can purchase his calendars here at his official website.

Unfortunately he, and other artists, are now being ripped off by fake ads on Facebook.

Below is an ad for an Extremely Accurate Birds calendar knockoff that has nothing to do with Tommy Siegel, and will not benefit him at all:

  Read More

RPLA: Thank You For Supporting David Reagor! 

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By LISA SHIN
Chair
Republican Party of Los Alamos

Dear Friends:

What a relief that the 2024 Election cycle is over! A big congratulations to our newly elected County Councilors: Ryn Herrmann, Beverly Neal-Clinton and David Reagor. 

I want to personally thank the RPLA Executive and Central Committee members, our Los Alamos Federated Republican Women (LAFRW), each volunteer and donor to his campaign, as well as every Republican, Democrat and Independent who voted for David Reagor!

I can assure you that your concerns and voices matter to him. He will continue to take public input seriously and Read More

Amateur Naturalist: Forest Ecology & Creation Of Dendroglyphs

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Picture 1: The areas inside the red outlines were burnt by a forest fire. The points show where dendroglyphs have been found in the unburnt forested areas. Courtesy photo

Picture 2: The darker shaded, south facing slope to the Jaramillo creek is shown in the lower side of the picture. The locations of the great majority of dendroglyphs are shown on the lighter shaded, north facing slopes. Courtesy photo

 

By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos

The ecology of forests is the result of interacting factors. The aspen groves in the Jemez Mountains provide an example of these interactions. One factor involves Read More

Robinson: Election Aftermath Demands Journalistic Reset

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By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2024 New Mexico News Services 

Two words, “according to” may be the most important words in any news story you read.

Journalists are trained to seek out the best, most knowledgeable sources. As a business writer I had certain go-to people I could call who knew their stuff, had their fingers on good data, and could give me an accurate, understandable response. They had earned my trust because of their background, experience and personal honesty. I earned their trust by reporting accurately what they said.

Accuracy is big. I remember a workshop for reporters in which Read More

Posts From The Road: Million Dollar Highway

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Carved Roadway: The path of the Million Dollar Highway was carved out of the side of mountains in several locations. The original ‘road’ was little more than a wagon trail but it was built by blasting the side of the mountains to form the road bed. The roadway features high towering peaks on one side of the road and deep gorges on the other side of the road. The highway is much wider today but it still lacks shoulders and guard rails, which frightens  some travelers. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Red Mountain: Red Mountain actually consists of three peaks, which are all topped with swirls of Read More