Opinion

Holsapple: Comments And Questions On ‘Retail LEDA’ Agenda Item For Tuesday’s County Council Meeting

by

By KEVIN HOLSAPPLE
Los Alamos Local Business Coalition

  1. It is great to see attention given to this longstanding gap in the County economic development program. Thank you for undertaking this. Although the first cut is quite generic and simplistic, it is a welcome starting point for discussion.
  1. The gap analysis appears to be a canned or purchased analysis. What is the source? It is not attributed in the document unless I missed seeing it. Is there the ability for further drill-downs on the available data to supplement understanding?
  1. Were any local business groups consulted or engaged to help
Read More

Trask: Denish’s Diatribe On Musk A Misguided Hit Piece

by

By CHARLIE TRASK
Los Alamos

At the end of her Op-Ed, Diane Denish recommends that we speak up and push back against Elon Musk. Well, SURPRISE, I’m going to push back on Denish and the failure of our Democrat leadership. I’m urging our normal citizens to stand up for America.

Denish has thrown her/their cards on the table. She tells us that the world’s smartest person is a racist, bullied kid, non-engineer, Trump donor, user of drugs, father, emotionless, adolescent user of “X”, empathy-less, lover of chaos, and a multitude of other unfounded liberal innuendos and lies.

This is such a standard play Read More

Op-Ed: Nation’s Report Card Should Be A Warning

by

By CARTER SWANSON
Policy Analyst
Opportunity for All Kids

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report Card”, was released in January. Released every two years, this report provides the most comprehensive data on educational performance nationwide. It is a stark reminder of what SHOULD be the most important issue facing New Mexico’s Legislature and Governor. Unfortunately, the results barely garnered media attention in New Mexico. 

For the last two reports, 2022 and 2024, New Mexico has been 52nd (behind all 50 states, plus the District of Read More

Stradling: The Nature Of The Conservative Movement

by

By GARY STRADLING
Los Alamos

We live in interesting times.

As President Donald J. Trump swept the elections in November, many strong opinions about the nature of the Conservative movement have been expressed, from both sides.

I would like to share my own views with our community. Note that this statement does not necessarily represent the Republican Party.

The core value of Conservatism is the respect for the freedoms of individual Americans.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that Read More

Dannemann: New Mexico Leaders Respond To Trump Radical Changes

by

By MERILEE DANNEMANN
© 2025 Triple Spaced

When Donald Trump was elected to his second term, it was a foregone conclusion that he would attempt to make radical changes to our federal government. But we didn’t know what he would do first or how it would affect us, nationally and personally.

It also was predictable that his proposed changes would encounter massive opposition from many sides, ranging from Democrats in Congress to state governments and numerous advocacy organizations. Many of these efforts, we could anticipate, would go through the courts, some with frustrating slowness. Meanwhile, Read More

Robinson: DOGE’s Undisciplined Flunkies Know Nothing Of Government

by

By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2025 New Mexico News Services

In the who-what-when that’s the architecture of news stories, it’s usually the who that’s most important and the how that’s least important. But in recent federal firings, I find the how equally compelling.

Consider the slash and burn of Elon Musk and his DOGE groupies at the National Nuclear Security Administration, an agency of the Department of Energy.

NPR pieced together an account from interviews with fired employees. They were shut out of their email accounts before learning they were fired. Some were not notified they were Read More

Gessing: State Gets Richer, You Get Poorer

by

By PAUL GESSING
President
Rio Grande Foundation

New Mexico’s Legislature continues to meet in Santa Fe. Sadly, it continues along the same trajectory it has been on in recent years where the government spending grows while also keeping more of our money and (often) adding an ever-increasing number of taxes for us to pay.

For starters, the House recently passed a budget that increases spending across all areas of New Mexico government. An amendment was offered by Republicans to rebate a portion of the money ($600 each) to average New Mexicans. The plan was rejected by Democrats.

That’s by no means Read More

Baby Bonds A Crucial Investment In New Mexico’s Health

by

By Dr. Samuel Swift, MPH, PhD

As an assistant professor teaching public health, I begin every class by asking my students what they believe is the biggest public health problem in New Mexico. Semester after semester, the most common answer I get is “poverty”.

Our students know intuitively what over a century of epidemiological research has shown, which is that wealth creates health.

New Mexicans who have more educational and economic opportunities live longer lives, are more able to avoid preventable diseases, and contribute more to our community. Unfortunately, many of our young adults Read More

DPS Cabinet Secretary Jason R. Bowie Issues Public Statement On New Mexico Law Enforcement Certification Board Special Meeting Of Feb. 21, 2025

by


By JASON R. BOWIE
Cabinet Secretary
New Mexico Department of Public Safety

Before I begin, I want to acknowledge the members of this board, (New Mexico Law Enforcement Certification Board) (LECB), who work tirelessly to ensure accountability in law enforcement. Your service, largely voluntary, is essential to the State of New Mexico and does not go unnoticed. Also, there are chiefs and sheriffs, current and retired, on this board which I’ve witnessed firsthand have demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout their career and while serving their communities. My remarks today are Read More

Op-Ed: About Those Smith’s Marketplace Complaints…

by

By TOBIAS HAAG
Los Alamos

I found this letter interesting for a variety of reasons. I have a few perspectives on why LA County decided to allow the only Smith’s Marketplace in New Mexico to operate in Los Alamos. It should be noted that I am not a Smith’s employee, and my comments do not represent the beliefs of the organization.

I have worked in retail and retail management for 17 years, split evenly between Los Alamos and surrounding areas. I am going to say some things that will undoubtedly irritate some of you readers, so please understand I am in no way a representative of Smith’s or Kroger.

My first Read More