Columns

Robinson: Self-Serving Senators Keep Medical Compacts Out Of Special Session

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By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2025 New Mexico News Services

          • Look around, senators. You’re hurting people.

What is it about healthcare that inspires so much gibberish? On the same day that the president was dispensing unfounded medical advice on Tylenol to pregnant women, state Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth was spinning a wild yarn about why lawmakers shouldn’t take up medical compacts during the upcoming special session.

The interstate medical licensure compact is an agreement among states to recognize each others’ professional licenses. It allows healthcare workers licensed Read More

Home Country: Dry Fly Fishing

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By SLIM RANDLES
Home Country

Delbert McLain was seen going into Marvin Pincus’s house the other evening. We wondered on it a bit, because those two were less likely to become friends than any other two people in the valley.

But Marvin, an old curmudgeon, is an amazing tier of fishing flies, and Delbert, who thinks blizzards are wonderful because the grass will be greener in the spring, is also an amateur fly tier. But Marvin is the real expert.

“There should be,” said Del, expansively, “a National Fly Tying Month. Just think how many more people we could get to tie flies if it were more … organized, you Read More

McQuiston: Why Cars Get ‘Totaled’ Even When They Look Fine

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By ALLEN MCQUISTON
Jemez Insurance Agency
Serving Los Alamos Since 1963

If you’ve ever seen a car declared a “total loss” after what seemed like a minor fender bender, you probably wondered: How can it be totaled if it still looks fine? The answer isn’t just about the dents you see—it’s about the math, the hidden damage, and the economics behind auto repairs.

It’s Not About How It Looks, It’s About the Numbers

Insurance companies don’t “total” a car based on how banged up it appears. They do it when the cost to repair the damage gets too close to (or even exceeds) the car’s actual cash value—the amount Read More

Fuselier: Who Is It That We Hate? Part 2

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By BOB FUSELIER
Los Alamos 

Last week I ended my column with the suggestion that it would be foolish to ignore when science and faith come to a similar conclusion. Below is one such example.

I begin with what might be called a bit of faith, a couple of teachings attributed to Jesus, a historical figure seen by some as a son of God, others as a prophet, and others as a wise teacher who lived a couple of thousand years ago. The two teachings come from what is commonly known as his Sermon on the Mount.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, Read More

Pages Of Our History: Charles ‘Rip’ Ripley

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Charles ‘Rip’ Ripley Oct. 20, 1919 – Oct. 8, 2014

By SHARON SNYDER
Los Alamos

Charles “Rip” Ripley was born in October 1919 in Chicago, IL. When he was of age, he spent most of four years at the Los Alamos Ranch School as a student and at times on the staff.

He had attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill., before coming to LARS.

From his time in New Mexico, he became a member of the Class of 1942 at Yale University, but soon found himself a captain in the US Army Medical Corps in World War II.

After the war, Rip married, and he and Betsy settled in Downey, Calif., with two daughters. Rip had learned engineering Read More

LALBC Steering Team Shares Open Letter To Community

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From Steering Team
Los Alamos Local Business Coalition

Dear Members of the County Council, Coalition members, members of the public, business owners, and friends:

In November of 2024, the Los Alamos Local Business Coalition (LALBC) was formed by a group of volunteers to address the challenges facing local businesses. Since then, we have held six public forums and spent countless hours meeting with County staff, Councilors, local stakeholders, business owners, and members of the public to advocate for local businesses. We have written reports and solicited public input. We have written

Read More

Op-Ed: New Electricity Rules Are At Odds With Climate Goals

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By NICHOLAS THOMPSON, Ph.D.
R&D Engineer
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos County is implementing two changes to how electricity will be billed. Both of these changes are aimed at reducing the peak grid demand, which is an important goal given how electricity demands are increasing. However, these changes can also result in higher bills for consumers and one of these changes is at odds with the County’s Climate Action Plan.

The first change is known as “Time of Use” rates. The idea here is to reduce demand as much as possible during peak usage times. In general, electricity grids need Read More