Courts

Los Alamos Widower Agrees With Probation For Steven Fode Saying It’s What His Wife Would Have Wanted

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Steven Fode

 

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post

Widower Ed Lang told the Los Alamos Daily Post today that his wife would not have wanted to see the young man serve jail time who was charged in her death.

“When the district attorney brought us in and read us this plea agreement in September, I agreed because Emily would not want to see this kid go to jail … everyone who knew Emily would know that she would have felt it served no useful purpose,” Lang said.

Steven Fode, 25, of Santa Fe was driving his truck on Main Street in Central Park Square July 16 when he realized he could not Read More

Los Alamos Magistrate Judge Pat Casados Expresses Thanks

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By Hon. PAT CASADOS
Los Alamos Magistrate Court

Thank you, voters of Los Alamos. It is an honor and privilege to serve as the Los Alamos County Magistrate Judge. 

I thank you for your vote of confidence. I promise to uphold the law and pursue fairness, understanding, honesty and integrity as I humbly serve as your Magistrate Judge

I would also like to thank my family, their support and guidance has been unwavering. Thank you to Nan Holmes, your hard work and ready smile has been wonderful. I don’t know what I would have done without them. Friends, thank you for all the encouragement. To all those Read More

Letter to the Editor: Vote To Retain Judge Sheri Rafaelson

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By BETTY ANN GUNTHER
Los Alamos

I sympathize with the Ragsdales anger at robbery of their home by John Craven, the son of a trusted neighbor as expressed in their various letters to editors, but I do not agree with their opinion that Judge Sheri Rafaelson should not be retained because she released him.

Rafaelson sentenced the young man not to incarceration, but to a drug treatment program and electronic monitoring. As the Los Alamos Monitor reports, on Oct. 11, 2014, Rafaelson ruled that “Craven will spend at least a year of his probation on electronic monitoring, or until authorities deem Read More

Why I Want To Be Los Alamos Municipal Court Judge

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By PAUL MARTINEZ
Los Alamos

Hello, my name is Paul A. Martinez and I am the Democratic candidate for Los Alamos County Municipal Court judge.

I am a New Mexico native, bilingual in English and Spanish and a United States Navy veteran. I have a Master’s Degree with majors in political science and sociology and have completed graduate course work in public administration.

I have been a resident of Los Alamos since 1981 and hold Los Alamos dear to my heart. My four kids were raised here and my grandkids are being raised here. I have been active in the community as a volunteer in many nonprofit youth Read More

Letter to the Editor: We Need Judges Willing To Hold Criminals Accountable

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By MICHAEL and CATHERINE RAGSDALE
Los Alamos

Enough is enough! It is time for a change in the first judicial court.

We need a judge who is willing to recognize that a victim of a crime should at least have some rights as well as the respect of the court. We need a judge who is willing to hold a criminal accountable for their crimes and quit “plea dealing” them back on to the streets to continue their criminal careers.

Judge Sheri Raphaelson’s sentencing record is atrocious! Her “catch and release” program belongs in the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, not in the Read More

Court: Water Quality Control Commission Hearing Illegal

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SIERRA CLUB News:

In response to a petition by the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, District Court Judge Sarah Singleton has ordered New Mexico Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn and the Water Quality Control Commission to explain the illegal scheduling of a hearing on groundwater-protection rules for the dairy industry.

Although 57 percent of New Mexico dairies have polluted groundwater in excess of health standards, Flynn’s Environment Department has not been enforcing a groundwater-protection rule the commission passed in 2011 specifically for the dairy industry.

The Environment Read More

Miffed Aide Who Hacked Governor’s Emails Gets 9-Month Sentence

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Jamie Estrada leaves an Albuquerque federal courthouse Wednesday after getting a nine-month sentence for hacking into the email account of Gov. Susana Martinez. Photo by Rob Nikolewski

 

By ROB NIKOLEWSKI
New Mexico Watchdog 
 
ALBUQUERQUE — Email hacking is a crime and a former campaign manager who turned on the Republican governor in New Mexico is going to do time.

Jamie Estrada was sentenced Wednesday to nine months in federal prison for breaking into the email campaign account of Gov. Susana Martinez and disseminating some of the messages to her political opponents

Read More

Lawsuit Against LANL And Former Emergency Operations Manager Tony Stanford Is Settled

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Anthony ‘Tony’ Stanford
 
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post

Attorney John Day told the Los Alamos Daily Post this evening that the suit he filed in First District Court last December on behalf of Erika and William Gorman against Los Alamos National Security, LLC, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Anthony “Tony” R. Stanford has been settled.

“We’ve reached an agreement and dropped the lawsuit,” Day said. “The parties agreed not to discuss the terms of the settlement but I can tell you that the Gormans are extremely happy and very

Read More

LAHS Graduate Jennifer Attrep Takes Oath of Office For 1st Judicial District Court

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The Honorable Sarah M. Singleton performs the Investiture Ceremony for Jennifer Attrep to the 1st Judicial District Court as her husband Todd Coberly looks on. Gov. Susana Martinez has appointed Attrep, a Los Alamos High School graduate, to the 1st Judicial District Court in July. Attrep, now of Santa Fe, will serve until the end of the year as her appointment fills a new position created when the governor recently signed into law House Bill 141, which established additional judgeships throughout the state. Candidates for this judgeship were not able to run in the June Primary Election because Read More