Opinion

Letter To The Editor: Helping My Child Cope With PARCC Test

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By KAYLINDA CRAWFORD
Parent of LAPS Elementary Student

Yes, this test is probably finally putting parents, students and educators on unnecessary overload, stress and tilt for apparently no good reason.

An editorial in Los Alamos Daily Post Tuesday explained that we, as parents, can actually opt their child out of taking the test. And, just today, there is an editorial written by a Los Alamos High School Junior about the poor decision by law-makers to implement this test. 

My approach with my child who is bothered about this up-coming test stress, has been to compare it to times in her life

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Letter to the Editor: What The Heck Is The North Community Regional Park And Community Links Project?

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By BRUCE NORMAN
Los Alamos

I can’t help but compare the discussion involving the merits of the CIP project for the proposed North Community Regional Park and Community Links with what I do for a living; provide apartment housing for people living in Los Alamos.

I own and manage a number of buildings in town that are almost the same age as is the golf course and believe it or not, there are more similarities than you might think. By the time our current projects are completed this summer, we will have invested well over $1.5 million in upgrades and innovations in recent years. We do this because we have Read More

Letter to the Editor: Let’s Use What’s Here First

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By ELLEN WALTON
Los Alamos

A recent letter by Shelby Redondo voiced concern regarding the availability of swim lessons in Los Alamos.

I would like to let Ms. Redondo and all the community know of the opportunities for swim lessons that already exist in the community. The local private outdoor swimming pools often offer swim lessons to non-members during the summer months, and the County Aquatic Center offers swim lessons in sessions offered year-round. 

As a child, I learned to swim at Pinion Park Pool, taking the Red Cross swimming lessons offered there for a nominal fee. As a college student, Read More

Letter To the Editor: A Call To Arms

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By ZACHARY GOLDSTEIN
Los Alamos High School Junior

Parents, teachers, community members and fellow students, it is time to unite and take a stance on New Mexico’s careless state of testing.

Recently, there has been much controversy in regards to the newly implemented Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test or (PARCC), which students all over the state, myself included, will be taking this March. The PARCC is officially replacing the New Mexico Standard Based Assessments (NMSBA) this year.

You may or may not be surprised to know that New Mexico’s recently confirmed Read More

Letter to the Editor: Let’s Ban Single Use Plastic Bags

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By JODY BENSON
Los Alamos

The story goes like this: Two women were hiking a rocky trail along a rushing river below a waterfall. Suddenly, over the roar of the falls, they heard a scream for help, and looking to the river, saw a man flailing in the rapids. 

The first woman, a strong swimmer, grabbed a rope from her pack, and throwing one end to her companion, she leapt into the river, carrying the rope to rescue the drowning man. Together, one on the shore and one in the water, the women pulled him to safety, but just as rescued and rescuer clambered onto the sand, they heard another shout, and saw another Read More

Letter To The Editor: Parents Have Right To Opt Their Children Out Of Standardized Testing

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By SEN. HOWIE MORALES
D-Catron, Grant and Socorro

There is a lot of misinformation circulating regarding the upcoming Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test (PARCC) that will be administered to students from grades 3-11 this spring.

I want to clarify the options parents have in deciding to opt their children out of taking this test.

Many of you have expressed concern and, indeed, dissatisfaction with the intensity of the current amount of standardized testing taking place in our schools. One of the top concerns I share is the elimination of a parent’s right in deciding Read More

Letter to the editor: Make New Mexico Trap Free

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By MONIQUE BEYERLE
Los Alamos
Please support making New Mexico a trap-free state. It surprises me that this is even an issue considering how cruel these traps are but apparently it is, so please consider my opinions below.
Animals are not robots. They feel pain, fear, hunger, heat, cold. It is cruel to trap an animal and leave it vulnerable to: other wildlife predators, freezing temperatures, hyperthermia, starvation, bleeding to death. Trapping an animal also prevents it from feeding and protecting its young.
I am sure the reason for these traps to exist are due to some wild animals being a nuisance.
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Letter to the Editor: Grateful For Support

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By VICKY HYPES, Christian Church
ALLIE THOMPSON, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church

The House of Hope and Trinity Builders wish to thank the community for supporting our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper held Feb. 17.

We are grateful for the publicity provided by KRSN, The Los Alamos Daily Post and The Los Alamos Monitor. Jan McDonald and his band provided wonderful Dixieland Music, and more than 40 members of Trinity on the Hill and other Los Alamos Church congregations helped make this a success. We thank you all!

The proceeds from this event help purchase the supplies for our groups to continue

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Letter To The Editor: Death By Democracy At The Roundhouse

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By LOIS RUDNICK
Santa Fe

This is a tale of two hearings at the Roundhouse: House Bill 44, which required background checks for all purchasers of firearms at gun shows; and HB 189, which loosens requirements for gun safety for concealed weapons permits.

The hearings I attended were a microcosm of the dangers our democracy faces. They demonstrated what paralyzes politics in New Mexico and the nation because of Republican partisan gridlock and the ownership of representatives by Big Money. The NRA is at the top of the list in terms of the reach of their power and dollars. That power extends to the New Read More

Letter to the Editor: Make Leisure Pool Next Capital Improvement Project

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By SHELBY REDONDO
Los Alamos

 As the County once again examines opportunities for funding various capital improvement projects, I implore the County Council to consider resurrecting the Leisure Pool Project.
 

In a survey conducted in May of last year by the American Red Cross, 54 percent of Americans could not swim or were unable to perform basic water competency skills, skills that include the ability to step or jump into water over your head, bob to the surface and float or tread water for one minute, turn a full circle while treading water and locate an exit, swim 25 yards,
and finally
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