Employment

Los Alamos County’s Julie Williams-Hill To Retire Following 24 Years Of Service

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Los Alamos County Public Information Officer Julie Williams-Hill in her office on Tuesday, is set to retire this Friday following 24 years of service to the County and community. Photo by Carol A. Clarkladailypost.com/

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com 

Following 24 years of service, Los Alamos County Public Information Officer (PIO) Julie Williams-Hill will retire on Friday, Jan. 13.

“I am deeply thankful to Los Alamos County and the community for a rewarding 24-year career,” Williams-Hill told the Los Alamos Daily Post. “It has been a privilege to work in Read More

New Mexico Public Safety Workers Call On Senate To Go With Governor’s Higher Pay Plan

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Bryanna Vargas, sergeant at the Springer Correctional Center, speaks in support of 6% raises for state public safety employees to be included in the state budget during a news conference in the rotunda of the state Capitol Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. Photo by Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican

By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

Public safety workers are urging lawmakers to take up Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s proposal for bigger raises for corrections workers, police and firefighters, arguing the current pay rates put safety at risk by contributing to high vacancies.

“We show up every single Read More

NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna To Resign

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Secretary Ricky Serna

From the Office of the Governor:

SANTA FE – New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) Secretary Ricky Serna will resign his position effective Feb. 20 after three-and-a-half years in the role.

Before leading NMDOT, Serna served as acting secretary of the Department of Workforce Solutions and the acting director of the State Personnel Office.

“I thank the Governor for the confidence she put in me to serve my fellow New Mexicans,” Cabinet Secretary Serna said. “You have my commitment to a strong transition and my assurance that a capable and engaged team Read More

Denish: Why Local Journalism Is Worth A Tax Credit

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By DIANE D. DENISH
Corner To Corner
diane@dianedenish.com

As is usually the case in 30-day legislative sessions, far more bills are introduced than can realistically be read, debated in committee, and passed by two chambers. One estimate puts the combined total at roughly 600 bills between the House and Senate—excluding “dummy bills,” which are empty shells that can become substantive after the introduction deadline.

Relatively few of those bills will reach the governor’s desk, and some won’t even receive a committee hearing. That doesn’t mean they’re bad ideas; it simply means they aren’t Read More

Only In New Mexico: Subordinate Hires The Boss

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By MILAN SIMONICH 
The Santa Fe New Mexican

Never should rich and powerful public employees get to select their own bosses. It happens all the time at New Mexico’s universities.

Presidents of universities handpick the people who serve as student regents. The governor technically makes the appointment, but presidents supply the names of the students they want as regents.

With all that leverage, presidents can lock up the loyalty of regents who are supposed to be looking out for fellow students. The results can be awful for the student body, faculty members and the public.

At Western New Mexico Read More

Early Childhood Workers In New Mexico Laud Proposed $60 Million Wage And Career Ladder

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Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky
Early Childhood Education and Care Department

By ESTEBAN CANDELARIA
The Santa Fe New Mexican

MJ Lord, a teaching assistant at an Albuquerque preschool, works three jobs just to make ends meet.

The 25-year-old wants to be an early childhood educator — she’s completing a bachelor’s degree in human development and family sciences and has plans to pursue a master’s degree in early childhood as well — but said her pay at the preschool alone is not enough to sustain her goals.

“I would love to stay in this career field, because it is my passion,” she said. “I think Read More

Post’s Kirsten Laskey & Nate Limback Win State Awards

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Nate Limback and Kirsten Laskey hold their state photography and review writing awards, recently in the newsroom at the Los Alamos Daily Post. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com

Los Alamos Daily Post’s Kirsten Laskey and Nate Limback were honored with state writing and photography awards by the New Mexico Press Association. The announcement was made during the New Mexico Press Association’s annual convention in November in Albuquerque.

Laskey was honored for her review of the Los Alamos Little Theatre’s production Read More

On The Job In Los Alamos: UNM-LA Chancellor Mike Holtzclaw

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On the job in Los Alamos is Chancellor Mike Holtzclaw, discussing the wide world of education during a visit to his office on the UNM-LA campus, at 4000 University Drive on Monday. Dr. Holtzclaw took over leadership of the college on July 18, 2022, following the retirement of former Chancellor Dr. Cindy Rooney. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More

County Employee Charged In Death Of Taos Man

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Staff Report

Los Alamos County Facilities Manager Vicente Martinez, date of birth (DOB) 1980, has been charged with five criminal counts in an incident in Ranchos De Taos that resulted in great bodily injury to Adelio Issac Fernandez, DOB 1970, and the death of his brother Abraham Fernandez, DOB 1972.

Martinez is facing the following:

  • Count #1 – Murder in the 1st degree (willful and deliberate);
  • Count #2 – Aggravated battery (use of a deadly weapon);
  • Count #3 – Aggravated battery (use of a deadly weapon);
  • Count #4 – Aggravated assault (use of a deadly weapon); and
  • Count #5 – Aggravated assault (use
Read More