Columns

Robinson: Let’s Have An Honest Debate On Public Lands

by

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

During the Great Depression, western ranchers faced crashing commodity prices and the ravages of drought and Dust Bowl. But that wasn’t all. The federal government was creating new national parks and monuments and expanding earlier designated areas. In states like New Mexico many were pleased to have new attractions for their budding tourism trade, but others objected.

Unlike national forests, these new carve-outs didn’t allow grazing, mining, drilling or logging. I came across this information last week while I was researching Read More

Skolnik: Dr. Shin – Please See The Whole Truth, Not Part Of It

by

By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock

Healthcare providers have a special obligation to follow data, science, and evidence. Thus, I remain deeply disappointed at the content of Dr. Lisa Shin’s letters to the editor.

In her latest letter to the editor (link), Dr. Shin ignores the impact on the federal budget of the “Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has just estimated that the Senate Bill would add $3.9 trillion to the federal deficit from 2025 to 2034.

Dr. Shin should also note that the annual growth rate of GDP in the US since the late 1940s has been higher under Read More

Denish: After The Smoke Clears…Wildfires & Economic Fallout

by

By DIANE DENISH
Corner To Corner
diane@dianedenish.com

No one has to tell us wildfire season is in full swing in New Mexico. The smell of smoke — even from hundreds of miles away — reminds us of what’s happening. If the wind doesn’t bring the scent, the haze across the western sky surely will.

New Mexico’s vast landscape — from the San Augustin Plains to the Gila Wilderness and the Bosque through Valencia and Bernalillo counties — has always been vulnerable to wildfires. Fires are a natural part of Western ecology.

But things are changing. Fire season now starts earlier and lasts longer as climate Read More

Fr. Glenn: The Necessity Of Conviction

by

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Lots of criticism over the strike on the nuclear weapon development facilities in Iran last weekend. Peace is always the ideal, but when someone declares daily: “Death to our neighbors!” and you see him stockpiling guns and ammo, should one simply ignore it? Seeking peace does not entail being naïve, and if history teaches us anything, it teaches that one of the tragic constants is the megalomaniacal desire of some for ever greater power over others. How to face that danger is always a matter of debate.

That’s a great thing about democracies and democratic republics like our Read More

Posts From The Road: Pfeiffer Beach Near Big Sur

by

Double Arch: A double arch in the rocks at Pfeiffer Beach near Big Sur, Calif., creates a beautiful scene as waves crash into the rock and splash in every direction. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com 

Big Waves, Big Splashes: Waves smash against rocks along the shore of Pfeiffer Beach. The beach is one of the most picturesque beaches in the Big Sur region of California. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com 

By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos

Pfeiffer Beach is one of the most stunning beaches along the Big Sur coastline in central California. Located near the village of Big Read More

Tales Of Our Times: More Searching News Adds Context To ‘Democracy’

by

Tales Of Our Times
By JOHN BARTLIT
Los Alamos

More Searching News Adds Context To ‘Democracy’

This year’s 4th of July will mark our nation’s 249th birthday. Across the nation, cheering parades will pass by with bands, marchers, and amblers of many stripes and ages. Stalwarts will trod along central streets to endorse a great range of causes from goodwill to politics.

I was born and raised in a small town south of Chicago. Many times, my dad led a four-man rifle team of American Legionnaires in the annual 4th of July parade. As the rifle team reached the town center in front of Oliver’s Drug Store, the Read More

All Shall Be Well: That’s How The Light Gets In

by

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

By Deacon Cynthia Z. Biddlecomb, M.Div.
ELCA retired

A long road trip earlier this month resulted in several rock chips in the windshield. And wouldn’t you know it, the morning after we got back, I watched as a deep one of those chips slowly created a vertical crack.

On the way home from getting the glass replaced, I drove into heavy rain and fearfully used the wipers. Keep the back window open a bit to reduce air pressure, the service tech Read More

McQuiston: Heavy Rain And Flooding … Why Homeowners Insurance Doesn’t Always Cover It

by

By ALLEN MCQUISTON
Jemez Insurance Agency
Serving Los Alamos Since 1963
If you’ve lived here for any length of time, you know how those summer storms can sneak up on us. One moment the sky is clear, the next you’re hearing thunder in the distance — and before long, the rain is coming down in sheets.
For most of us, it’s just part of life in New Mexico. You wait it out, maybe watch from the porch. But every now and then, those storms don’t just pass through — they leave behind standing water, flooded streets, and sometimes, water creeping toward (or into) homes.
That’s when a lot of folks start
Read More

Daily Postcard: Sunrise Silhouettes Blooming Century Plant

by

Daily Postcard: The sunrise Friday silhouettes a Century Plant blooming at a residence in White Rock. The common name ‘century plant’ stems from its monocarpic nature of flowering only once at the end of its long life. After flowering, the plant dies but produces adventitious shoots from the base, allowing its growth to continue. Although it is called the century plant, it typically lives only 10 to 30 years. It spreads 6-10 feet, with gray-green leaves 3-5 feet in length, each with a prickly margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can pierce deeply. At the end of its life, the plant produces a tall, Read More