OP/ED

Op-Ed: ‘Prairie Wolves 101’

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By Terry DuBois
Los Alamos

We are fast approaching early summer when the coyotes in our area will be having pups. Their mating season runs from January to March and the pups seem to emerge from the den around the beginning of July. 

I have spent several years noting their habits and behaviors and would like to share some of what I’ve learned. I will concentrate on spring and summer as that is the time most people find them problematic. During the mating season, they become more territorial, which some erroneously call “aggressive”. They become more interested in escorting people through their territories Read More

Op/Ed: Paid Family & Medical Leave – Pro-Business, Pro-Worker

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By President Pro Tem Sen. Mimi Stewart and
House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Christine Chandler

Hindsight is undefeated, and the best way to view the Paid Family and Medical Leave proposal in the Legislature is to look at what similar policies in the past caused—or more importantly, did not cause—today.

If you believe the rhetoric from some Senate Republicans during the Floor debate last Saturday, Paid Family and Medical Leave will cause hundreds of small businesses to immediately layoff employees, shut their doors, or leave the state for the greener pastures of Texas or Arizona (but not Read More

Carson: New Mexico’s Bars & Restaurants Need Support, Not Higher Taxes

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By KEN CARSON
Owner
Nexus Brewery + Restaurant

As the owner of Nexus Brewery in Albuquerque, I can tell you that newly proposed alcohol tax increases are not what New Mexico’s bars and restaurants need right now.

I realize that our state lawmakers have good intentions and I commend them for this effort. But there are other ways to achieve the goal; this tax increase will further burden an industry that has already been through so much. Establishments like mine are struggling to cope with the continued economic impacts of inflation, supply chain woes and the remnants of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’ve Read More

Perls: On Open Primaries

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By BOB PERLS
Registered declined-to-state voter
Former State Representative and former U.S. Diplomat
Founder of New Mexico Open Elections

Currently in Los Alamos, 28% of registered voters are independent (declined to state/DTS). While everyone has different reasons to register as such, a majority of this population is employed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory and leans toward neutrality regarding politics in the workplace.

Our current primary elections exclude nearly a third of Los Alamos voters from participating by forcing them to change their voter registration in order to Read More

Op-Ed: High School Requirements Argument

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By MALIA WEISNER
Student
Los Alamos High School

As a student in the New Mexico public school system, I think it is important to speak on behalf of the students whom it will concern and voice my opinion regarding House Bill 126-A.

If passed, the bill would eliminate the requirement of Algebra 2, two electives, a class in career and technical education (CTE), and a language, lowering state-required credits from twenty-four to twenty-two. While some may argue that this would encourage students towards graduation and provide more freedom, there is a lot of evidence that it will have the opposite effect.

Read More

Op-Ed: New Mexico Medical Malpractice

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By KURT C. LANGE, MD.
Taos and Los Alamos

Most of us love New Mexico but we know it has its problems. In 2019, according to US News and World Report, New Mexico ranked 48 out of 50 states as a place to live. In addition, healthcare ranked #33, education #50, crime #47 and opportunity #49. I think it’s obvious that following the COVID epidemic, things haven’t improved for New Mexico. These are the things a state government should provide for its citizens, but it appears they are failing.

Being a long time physician practicing medicine in Texas and later moving to New Mexico to continue to practice, I think Read More

Huang: ‘As Long As It Takes’ – How Long Is Long?

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A young Ukrainian girl’s biggest wish: ‘To end the war now’. Courtesy/Zhen Huang

By Zhen Huang
Los Alamos

During the unannounced visit to Kyvi, President Biden repeated what he said at a joint news conference in the White House with the Ukraine’s President Zelensky Dec. 21, 2022:

“The American people are with you every step of the way, and we will stay with you. We will stay with you for as long as it takes.”

“As long as it takes”?

It’s been one year since the decade-long military conflicts in eastern Ukraine escalated to a full scale war. The Ukraine people have endured a year of escalating violence, Read More

Rojo: How Criminal Fees Damage Our Communities 

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By JAVIER ROJO, MPA
New Mexico Voices for Children

As New Mexicans, we’ve made significant progress in improving the economic well-being of our children and families, including passing new and expanding existing tax credits for working families, requiring that employers provide paid sick leave, and passing a constitutional amendment that increases funding for early childhood education to help families afford childcare.

However, a number of barriers continue to prevent working families and their children from reaching their full potential. One devastating barrier many New Mexicans Read More

Op-Ed: In Support Of Confirmation Of James R. Mountain

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By LEAH MOUNTAIN
Daughter of Indian Affairs nominee James R. Mountain

Dear Chairwoman and Members of the New Mexico State Senate Rules Committee and to whom anyone else it may concern,

I am Leah Mountain and I am submitting this letter in support of the Confirmation of James R. Mountain for Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department. I am proud of Governor Lujan Grisham for having the courage to bring this nomination forward. I am proudly the daughter of James Mountain and the granddaughter of Jay Mountain, who also served as San Ildefonso Governor. I am a strong-willed, educated Read More

Op-Ed: Help Our Teachers!

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By MORRIE PONGRATZ
Secretary
Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation

When my wife Cheryl and I moved here 50 years ago we were attracted by the excellent reputation of the Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS). We were disappointed to find that resources for teachers in Los Alamos were lagging what we had experienced at Benjamin Tasker Junior High in Bowie, Maryland where Cheryl was chair of the science department (I even taught earth science there for a while).

For example, Cheryl took a significant cut in pay to teach at LAPS. Currently the average teacher salary in Prince George’s County is $60,500 Read More