Nation

US Air Force Launches Satellite Carrying NNSA-provided Nuclear Detonation Detection Sensors

May 25, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

NNSA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Friday, May 16, with the support of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a U.S. Air Force Delta IV rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral.

Hosted onboard was a GPS IIF navigation satellite and a Global Burst Detector (GBD) payload designed to detect, identify and precisely locate nuclear explosions.

The 300-pound GBD payload, supported by NNSA’s Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development Program and built by Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, is the latest space-based sensor addition to the United States Nuclear Read More

Heinrich Issues Statement In Honor Of Memorial Day

May 24, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Sen. Martin Heinrich

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. released the following statement in honor of Memorial Day:

“Memorial Day is more than just a holiday weekend. It’s a time where communities throughout New Mexico and across the country come together and pay tribute to the men and women who selflessly gave their lives to preserve the freedom and liberty we enjoy today.

“Our country’s history is made up of stories of our brave service members volunteering to defend our country at home and abroad. They’ve served with Read More

New Mexico’s Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Officially A National Monument

May 22, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Retired U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, and community leaders from New Mexico joined the president and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell for Wednesday’s signing ceremony at the Department of Interior. Courtesy/Sen. Udall’s Office

The Organ-Mountains. Photo by Mike Groves

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—New Mexicans celebrated Wednesday the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Proclamation that was signed by President Barack Obama.

Retired U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Read More

Los Alamos High School’s Alexandr Wang Named to 2014 United States Physics Team!

May 22, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Alexandr Wang

COLLEGE PARK, MD.—Los Alamos High School’s Alexandr Wang has been named as a member of the 2014 United States Physics Team.

Wang joins America’s brightest emerging physicists at Physics Boot Camp this week in College Park, Md., to prepare for the next stage of the competition to identify the world’s best high school physics students.

The team is comprised of 19 students from across the U.S. who have emerged through a rigorous exam process that began in January with approximately 4,277 students who participated in the Fnet=ma exam to become the 2014 U.S. Physics Team. These Read More

Cracked Lid of Nuclear Waste Container May Be Source of WIPP Radiation Leak

May 22, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Waste container photographed earlier this month at WIPP with its lid unsealed and apparent heat discoloration. Courtesy/WIPP

HSNW News:

The radiation leak at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad has been linked to a waste container shipped from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), raising questions about the safety of other containers stored at the lab’s northern New Mexico facility and at the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) site in Andrews, Texas.

As a precautionary measure, LANL has been ordered to remove thousands of similar containers filled with toxic waste from Read More

Cottage Cheese Recall Underway

May 21, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

NMED News:

The New Mexico Environment Department has announced that a recall is underway of select Knudsen Cottage Cheese, Breakstone’s Cottage Cheese, Simply Kraft Cottage Cheese, and Daily Chef Cottage Cheese products with code dates of 09 MAY 2014 to 23 JUL 2014, manufactured by Kraft Foods of Northfield, IL.

The product was distributed nationally and in New Mexico at Walmart stores. The products are being recalled due to “out-of-standard” storage temperatures.

Luján Statement on Reports of Mismanagement at VA Medical Centers

May 21, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

U.S. CONGRESSIONAL News:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District released the following statement today on reports of mismanagement at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.

Luján recently sent a letter to Secretary Shinseki expressing concerns with these reports and excessive wait times for veterans in New Mexico seeking health care services from the VA. Click here to read the letter.

“When we as a nation ask brave Americans to serve and protect our country, we make a promise that when they answer the call of duty we will Read More

Secretary Moniz Announces Members to New Commission on National Labs

May 20, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz

DOE News:

Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the Energy Department’s National Laboratories

WASHINGTON – Today, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories, a congressionally-mandated committee that will evaluate the effectiveness of the Energy Department’s 17 national laboratories. The Commission is being established pursuant to the 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

“The Energy Department’s national laboratories are a leading force in driving U.S. scientific Read More

Early Summer Activities at Bandelier National Monument

May 19, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Pocket gophers dig burrows underground searching for food and can be very damaging to archeological sites. Photo by Sally King/NPS

BANDELIER News:

In addition to listed activities, the park movie is shown on request every day and there are ranger-guided tours on the first section of the Main Loop Trail throughout the week as staffing permits. All activities are weather permitting.

For information, call the Bandelier Visitor Center at 505.672-3861 x 517.

MAY 23 – Summer Free Shuttle Service from White Rock Begins

First day for the summer shuttle service from White Rock to the Bandelier

Absorbent Used in Kitty Litter May Be Cause of Radiation Leaks at WIPP

May 18, 2014 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Courtesy WIPP

HSNW News:

A wheat-based absorbent often used in kitty litter may be the likely cause of the radiation leak that led to the closure of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the U.S. only underground nuclear waste repository, according to Jim Conca, a former geochemist at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Conca noted that EnergySolutions, a Salt Lake City-based company hired to package radioactive waste at LANL into containers for shipment to the WIPP, switched from using a clay-based absorbent in the storage drums to a wheat-based mixture. Read More