Opinion

Robinson: Farm Bill Advocates To Congress – Get A Move On

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By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2024 New Mexico News Services

The House Agriculture Committee recently delivered a draft farm bill. It was eight months after the old farm bill, about to expire, had to be extended. This $1.5 trillion, 942-page tome has a lot to like, but it’s missing some key provisions important to New Mexico. And it’s hung up in partisan scrapping.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and House Dems chided the committee for cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, by $30 billion over 10 years. The program (formerly food stamps) helps more than 40 million Read More

Bernstein: Value

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By CHRISTINE BERNSTEIN
Los Alamos

I went to the board recently for reasons I am not discussing here…maybe another time.

The high school has a program called School of Choice, or SOC. It has existed for at least 20 years, maybe more. It was in progress when I began teaching at the High School in 2004.

Four students presented the program while their teachers sat in the audience. This was telling. The teachers were 100% confident in their student’s ability to present the program to the board and the public.

Briefly, it is a school program that students apply to. It consists of four core content areas. Read More

Op-Ed: New Mexico’s Memorial Day Weekend Made More Expensive By Credit Card Swipe Fees

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By BENNY HODGES
Belen

With Memorial Day weekend right around the corner, many Americans will be packing up their cars for trips to their favorite destinations. However, as folks fill up with fuel or stock the cooler with hot dogs and beverages, Visa and Mastercard will be right alongside every swipe of a credit card taking their cut. That’s because, unbeknownst to many, every time a credit card transaction is processed, merchants are charged on average between 1.5-3.5 percent of the total purchase amount, known as a swipe fee.

While initially charged to merchants, swipe fees are passed on to consumers Read More

Huang: Gaza Needs To Run Massive Reverse-Running Only Shredder – Who Could Press Its Power Button?

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Scene of destruction in in Gaza. Courtesy/Zhen Huang 

By ZHEN HUANG
Los Alamos

The other day, when my mother and I were watching the “United Nations Document Shredder Demonstration”, I couldn’t help laughing out, but my mother didn’t find it funny at all, because as an architect, the demonstration reminded her of the numerous houses in Gaza that have been “shredded” to pieces.

According to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, more than 75% of all housing stock in Gaza has been damaged or destroyed since Israel declared war on Hamas following the October 7th terrorist attack, Read More

Op-Ed: The Ongoing Advantages To Rooftop Solar In Los Alamos County

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By CONNOR DERMODY
connor@cleanearthconsultants.com

For a bit over a month, there’s been a lull, a lapse to the enthusiasm and interest folks in Los Alamos County have with the service that I provide. I work as a residential photovoltaic (PV) consultant, and the majority of my client base is within the County. The reason for the inactivity or radio silence stems from last week’s motion by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) at their May 15 meeting surrounding the changes to Interconnection Rule E-5, specifically the rate at which homes with rooftop solar (RTS) will be credited for energy sent out Read More

Op-Ed: Allen Saenz Clarifies SALA’s Decision To Withdraw LEDA Application

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By Allen Saenz
Owner
SALA Event Center

Initial Thoughts on the County Manager’s Response

After reading the County Manager’s response to SALA’s announcement, I would like to offer further perspective. I am not surprised that the County Manager saw security preferences as the only issue. However, my perception is that the County was unable to respond to the SALA application in a timely manner due to the lack of a solid process and guidelines for handling LEDA applications. The County seemed to make up many rules and “explicit requirements” as we went along. I repeatedly requested objective standards Read More

Review: DALA’S Don Quixote Ballet A Delight!

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Don Quixote (Andy Primm) on his chivalrous quest passing through the band of gypsies. Photo by Jesse Martinez

Kitri (Sasha Simakov) and Basilio (Brandon Penn) enjoy each other’s company in the town square. Photo by Jesse Martinez

Review By KAELAN PRIME
Los Alamos

For those who are unfamiliar, the classic ballet “Don Quixote” was premiered by Bulshoi Ballet in 1869. The ballet, based on Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote de la Manche, is scored by Ludwig Minkus and originally choreographed by Marius Petipa. The ballet features an abridged version of the novel’s original plotline following Read More

Rabbi Shlachter: A Thank You Letter To The Person Who Painted The Swastika On The Rock In White Rock

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By Rabbi Jack Shlachter
Los Alamos

Dear swastika painter:

I am the rabbi of the Los Alamos Jewish Center and am writing to thank you for painting the swastika on the rock in White Rock (link). I apologize for writing belatedly to you and also for using the Los Alamos Daily Post and the Los Alamos Reporter as the vehicles for this communication.

I was delayed in responding to the news as we were just finishing up the celebration of a major Jewish festival called Passover when you were painting the swastika. That holiday commemorates freedom from slavery, and Jews are indeed blessed to live in the United Read More

OpEd: Apartment Scams Alive In Los Alamos & It’s Ugly

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By JOHN COURTRIGHT
Manager 
Courtright Apts. & J&L Self Storage

Apartments or first housing in LA has always cycled with what Administration is in office. As a retired long time landlord, Courtright Apartments or for some old former tenants, Co-Zi Manor apartments, I can state equitably I’ve seen the evolution of the available rentals in LA.

In 1965, the Atomic Energy Commission officially got out of the housing business in LA.

When the town became private, my parents weren’t the only people in town to dive into the real estate game.

Courtright Apts. was one of only a handful of Landlords Read More

Op-Ed: Here We Go Again

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By ALBERT M. SPUNGEN
Los Alamos

I just finished teaching my high school students about the 1960s and the youth movements of the time.  Although the events going on today on college campuses and on some high school campuses resemble those days, they are not at all similar other than youth involvement. The 1960s rebellions, whether you agreed with them or not, were directed against all the ills of the time. They involved opposing a war America was fighting with boys caught in a clearly unfair draft system. They involved forcing the government and society into granting long overdue civil rights to Read More