Nation

Video: Heinrich’s Call To End Mass Phone Surveillance

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SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, spoke on the Senate floor today calling on Congress to end the National Security Agency (NSA) bulk collection program.
 
He stated his opposition to reauthorizing Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act without making the necessary reforms to protect Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.
 
Section 215 is the provision used by the NSA to collect the phone records of millions of law-abiding Americans. Sen. Heinrich
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Momentum Grows For Renewable Electricity Standard

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SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― A bill introduced by U.S. Senators Tom Udall, D-N.M. and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. to create a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) received an important hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 
 
The bill, S. 1264, would create jobs, save consumers money, and reduce pollution. In an effort to diversify the United States’ energy sources and lead in clean energy production, the bill would require utilities to generate 30 percent of their electricity from renewable
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LAHS Students Rank Nationally In Le Grand Concours

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Gold Medal winner Zoe Hemez is ranked second in the nation. Courtesy photo.

LAHS News:

Seven Los Alamos High School students have ranked nationally in the 80th annual Le Grand Concours, according to National Director Lisa Narug.

Students include:

  • Zoe Hemez (gold medal);
  • Opale Schappert (gold medal);
  • Theodore Warner (silver medal);
  • Elise Koskelo (silver medal);
  • Rebecca Cai (bronze medal);
  • Irene Kwon (bronze medal); and
  • Esperanza Tapia (bronze medal)

Le Grand Concours is a national competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. Students were evaluated for their Read More

Luján Issues Statement On Short-Term Highway Bill

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U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján
 
CONGRESSIONAL News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District released the following statement on a two-month extension of the Highway Trust Fund, which is set to expire at the end of the month.
 
“Republicans have had ten months to come up with a long-term highway funding solution to keep important road, bridge, and construction projects moving forward, yet all they have mustered is a two-month extension that continues the uncertainty and dysfunction that has become their trademark.
 
“It is long past time
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Luján Offers Amendment To Support STEM Education At Hispanic Serving Institutions

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CONGRESSIONAL News:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District spoke on the House floor today in support of a bipartisan amendment he offered with a number of his colleagues to establish a grant program at the National Science Foundation to support STEM education at Hispanic Serving Institutions. 

Below are Luján’s remarks on the amendment, which passed unanimously. Click here to watch his speech.

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this amendment that I am proud to offer with my colleagues. I want to thank Congressman Crowley for his leadership; I want Read More

Strong Start For America’s Children Act Introduced

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SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich joined a group of senators in introducing the Strong Start for America’s Children Act to expand quality preschool programs in New Mexico and throughout the country.
 
The Strong Start for America’s Children Act is a 10-year innovative federal-state partnership to expand and improve early learning opportunities for children from birth to age 5.
 
“Quality preschool can transform a child, helping them start kindergarten ready to learn and become more successful
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U.S. Leads Fifth International Review Meeting On Safety Of Spent Fuel And Radioactive Waste Management

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NNSA News:
 
VIENNA, Austria ― Representatives of the nations or Contracting Parties who are signatories to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention), began on Monday the Fifth Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties.
 
The Joint Convention is the first international instrument that deals with the safety of management and storage of radioactive waste and spent fuel in countries with and without nuclear programs. It elaborates and expands the existing International Atomic Energy Agency
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Proposed Los Alamos Bag Ban Bad For Environment And Freedom

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By PAUL J. GESSING, President
Rio Grande Foundation

The Los Alamos County Council is considering banning plastic grocery bags. More than 200 municipalities in the United States, including two in New Mexico – Santa Fe and Silver City – have banned the distribution of lightweight plastic shopping bags.

Proponents of bag bans, specifically the Sierra Club, claim they will reduce litter and protect the marine environment, diminish our consumption of resources and emissions of greenhouse gases, reduce waste, and save taxpayers’ money.

Unfortunately, the supposed environmental benefits Read More

Court Reverses Sabotage Verdict For Y-12 Protesters

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Courtesy/Nuke Resister & Transform Now Plowshares
 
By ROGER SNODGRASS
Los Alamos Daily Post

By a 2-1 vote, a U.S. Court of Appeals in Knoxville, Tenn., overturned a sabotage conviction for three religious protesters on May 8.

The decision led to the release Saturday of Megan Rice, an 84-year-old nun, 59-year-old Greg Boertje-Obed and 66-year-old Michael Walli. They were arrested while infiltrating the Y-12 National Security Site near Oak Ridge National Laboratory on July 28, 2012.

Rice has been serving a 35-month sentence and the two men were working on a 65-month sentence each. Read More

Four Sham Cancer Charities Allegedly Bilk Over $187 Million From Consumers

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Attorney General Hector Balderas
 
STATE News:
 
SANTA FE ― New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas joined with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, all 50 States and the District of Columbia Tuesday in a complaint charging four sham cancer charities and their operators with bilking more than $187 million from consumers.
 
The defendants told donors their money would help cancer patients, including children and also women suffering from breast cancer, but the overwhelming majority of donations benefitted only the perpetrators, their families, friends, and fundraisers.
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