Columns

Catch Of The Week: American Water Cyber Attack

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By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos
For The Los Alamos Daily Post

Utilities such as gas, water and electric are necessities it is easy to take for granted. Loss of service due to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, happen; but what would happen if a utility company suffered a cyber-attack?

Unfortunately, that is just what happened earlier this month to American Water, the largest publicly traded utilities company in America. American Water is a major supplier of water in the US, serving more than 14 million customers across 14 states and 18 military installations. The company employs about Read More

Fr. Glenn: Evaluating Worthiness

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By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Ah, marriage. Ah, romance. As I forementioned last week, we had a lovely wedding Saturday. It’s quite the treat when we priests and ministers can witness at the tying of the knot with young people we’ve known since they were young lads or lasses. Of course, as you ladies know, dads almost never think anyone good enough for their daughters—that innate protective instinct. “Who dare think himself worthy of MY little girl?!”

Courtship, of course, exists to find someone with whom one who seems at least compatible and hopefully moves the heart toward love. In earlier days of arranged Read More

Robinson: We Must Take Care Of Our Rural Hospitals

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

Last year three small New Mexico hospitals had only enough cash on hand to last a few days. That situation has improved a bit, said Troy Clark, president and CEO of the New Mexico Hospital Association, but four hospitals still have just 20 days of cash on hand. Others are losing money.

“We must take care of our rural facilities,” he said.

Patients in rural areas are older, poorer and sicker; their hospitals rely more on Medicaid than on private insurance or other sources, and Medicaid reimburses them below cost.

Legislators threw rural Read More

Gessing: The Rich Pay More Than Their Fair Share

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By PAUL J. GESSING
Rio Grande Foundation

“It’s not what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just isn’t so.” –attributed to Mark Twain

The rich don’t pay their fair share of taxes. This has been said or written by politicians from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris, Sen. Martin Heinrich, to Rep. Melanie Stansbury and many others.

“Soak the rich” forms the basis of “progressive” economic thinking in the United States.

What constitutes “fair” in the world of taxation is an open question, but many of these politicians make the unfounded claim that the rich pay taxes at a lower Read More

All Shall Be Well: Matter Matters

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Clergy from left, Pastor Deb Church, Deacon Amy Schmuck, The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, The Rev. Lynn Finnegan, Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired, and Pastor Nicolé Raddu Ferry. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com

By The Rev. Mary Ann Hill
Rector
Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church

October is the time of year when many Christians remember with fondness St. Francis of Assisi (see Mother Lynn Finnegan’s column from two weeks ago). St. Francis’ feast day is celebrated in early October. For many of us, that celebration includes a special blessing of the animals. As a priest, I have met many household Read More

Weekly Fishing Report: Oct. 12 2024

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By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post

Streamflows in Northern New Mexico have fallen to the lowest level they have had in months. The Rio Grande at Cerro near the state border near Colorado was flowing at just 66.5 cubic-feet-per-second. The Chama River above the town of Chama was at 21.4 cubic-feet-per-second. The Pecos River was flowing at 42.3 cubic-feet-per-second.

These flows are well-below normal for this time of year. They make for good fishing, but the low water requires a stealthy approach and accurate casts.

The wild brown trout and brook trout are spawning this Read More

Skolnik: What ‘Else’ We Need In Our Elected Officials

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By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock

I thank Kevin Holsapple for his recent letter: “What I Wish For in Our County Councilors” (link).

All of the points Mr. Holsapple raised are fundamental.

However, they are not sufficient to ensure effective public service. For this, we need people who possess one additional trait:

The ability to focus unrelentingly on solving problems, in sustainable, cost-effective, and fair ways, despite the constraints to doing so.

This is in stark contrast, of course, to people who focus on telling us, often over and over again, “why problems can’t be solved”.

As someone who Read More

McQuiston: Car Safety Technologies That May Save Your Life

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By Allen McQuiston
Jemez Insurance Agency
Serving Los Alamos Since 1963

We take it for granted, the automatic way we take the wheel and set out to drive from Point A to Point B expecting to have a smooth, uneventful ride. Since the introduction of the automobile, driving has been a convenience that has transformed our lives. But driving comes with no guarantees of avoiding mishaps, and unseen, unpredictable safety challenges can occur.

Fortunately, in the many decades in which driving has become a given, a number of innovative technologies have been introduced to help make driving a safer experience Read More

Skolnik: New Mexico’s Healthcare Workforce – Clever Ads Are Not Healthcare Policy

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By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock

In September 2023, the Albuquerque Journal published an article I wrote called Dear Red State Physicians, Please Move to New Mexico (link).

Thus, I was pleased to see the Governor launch in August 2024 an advertising campaign along the lines of my article.

My article was written in a somewhat humorous style, since I understand there are a number of critical policy constraints that discourage physicians from wanting to practice in New Mexico. Unhappiness over a physician’s ability to practice in Texas or elsewhere according to the standards of care of her field will Read More

Catch Of The Week: Hurricane Misinformation

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By REBECCA RUTHERDORD
Los Alamos
For the Los Alamos Daily Post

In our digital age, we have access to pretty much anything online, which is great, but also…not so great when so much of what is available online are inflammatory posts on social media, meant to get clicks and views. Misinformation is running rampant.

Viral news is, well, viral. It’s like a bad stomach bug. Your kid gets it and throws up all over you. Before you know it, you’re throwing up all over the place, it gets all over your house, your other kids get it, your husband gets it, vomit everywhere. Yeah this literally happened when my oldest Read More