Opinion

Wernicke: Parks & Recreation Board April 2024 Update

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Los Alamos Parks and Recreation Board Chair James Wernicke. Courtesy photo

By JAMES WERNICKE
Chair
Los Alamos Parks and Recreation Board

At the April Parks and Recreation Board (PRB) meeting, we finalized our 2024 Work Plan. This annual task, mandated by the County Council, requires us to provide a detailed outline of tasks, activities, timelines, and resources needed to achieve our shared goals. Section 8 of the County Code outlines each standing board’s purpose, duties, and responsibilities and serves as the primary guiding document for each board’s work plan. PRB is defined in Chapter Read More

Op/Ed: What Is This Town Like?

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By JIM GOURDOUX
White Rock

In response to the recent Op/Ed on “Los Alamos Lab Culture For Outsiders” (link):

Back in the days when the settlers were moving to the West, a wise man stood on a hill outside a new Western town. As the settlers came from the East, the wise man was the first person they met before coming to the settlement. They asked eagerly what the people of the town were like.

He answered them with a question: “What were the people like in the town you just left?”

Some said, “The town we came from was wicked. The people were rude gossips who took advantage of innocent people. It was filled with Read More

Hampton: On Upcoming County Budget Hearings

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By DAVID HAMPTON
Los Alamos

Chair Derkacs and Councilors,

First of all, I want to thank our County staff for an excellent 2025-2026 Biennial Budget Package and Citizens Guide. I found them both informative and easy to use. In regards to capital improvements, I applaud the emphasis on maintenance of existing facilities and infrastructure. Performance measures for each department were very useful.

My main concern is the budget option to add a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) and Training Analyst. I strongly support implementing the Racial Equity and Inclusivity (REI) Task Force’s Read More

Hampton: Proposed UNM-LA Bond

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By DAVID HAMPTON
Los Alamos
Dear UNM-LA Advisory Board and UNM-LA Chancellor,
I strongly support UNM-LA’s mission and view it as essential within our community. I further strongly agree with the proposed capital improvements as necessary to the mission.
That being said, I’m concerned that the proposed bond, approved on Monday night (April 8, 2024), is not the right way to pay for it. At County Council last night (April 9, 2024), Dan Osborne, our Housing and Special Project Manager within Community Development, provided information on our Affordable Housing Plan. We learned that 13% of Los
Read More

Hunt: Senate Bill 17 A Win-Win For All New Mexicans

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By JESSIE HUNT
Rio Strategies

Kudos to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for signing SB-17, a bill sponsored by Sen. Liz Stefanics and me during the 2024 30-day session. Kudos also to my colleagues in the House and Senate for overwhelmingly passing this bill.

All of us realized that New Mexicans across the state – rural and urban –  experience one universal truth when it comes to healthcare access: It is hard to find a provider.

Since the start of COVID-19 epidemic, hospitals have had to transform operations to meet increasing demands of an aging population. Baby boomers are in their critical healthcare Read More

DeVolder: America For Sale – Cheap Part VII Lack Of Precision

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By MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

What I find troubling in America today is that we as a people put too much emphasis on tearing everything to pieces – consumer goods, machines, other people, the environment – you name it. Tearing things to pieces is often meant to save time, save money (make money), or demonstrate some kind of power over something/someone. Tearing things to pieces is a sign of destruction/demolition and is opposite to building, fabrication or constructive behavior. Building or making something often requires planning and implementation in a “precise” manner. Almost Read More

Robinson: Calling The Governor

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

People who live in cities need to get away from each other and enjoy a bit of nature. The public park, a leafy green space in the urban landscape, has provided relief for centuries. We love our parks so much that proposing changes can become heated.

But not so heated that one individual, former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, becomes the subject of a personal attack in a newspaper editorial that was so vicious I thought a response was in order. Diane is a colleague in this syndicate and a friend.

What happened is residents of an Albuquerque neighborhood Read More

Tales Of Our Times: Bird’s-Eye View Reveals Snags On Paths To Power

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Tales Of Our Times
By JOHN BARTLIT
Los Alamos

“Once upon a time” teaches pragmatism. A farmer and his highly able wife were once in the market for an accordion, a bunk bed, a plow, and a pet. The farm couple soon had ample choices to weigh, complete with details telling advantages and drawbacks of every choice. Time was, advantages and drawbacks held sway.

Folktales have a knack for highlighting facts that we overlook every day. Each political party now offers voters only one set of policies in a single package. Each party advertises that its bundle has nothing but benefits vs. an opposing bundle that Read More

Op/Ed: State Parks Fees Study

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Selena Connealy, Chair
NM State Parks Advisory Board
Albuquerque

More than five million people visit New Mexico’s State Parks in an average year, a testament to the integral role that parks play in the state’s outdoor recreation economy and their essential contribution to our quality of life. Our 35 State Parks give New Mexicans—and out-of-state visitors—a matchless opportunity to experience the beauty, adventure, and unique character of New Mexico’s landscapes.

For the State Parks system to continue providing the best experience for New Mexicans and visitors alike, we must invest in Read More

DeVolder: America For Sale – Cheap / Part V

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By MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

Note: I had a very difficult time writing Part V because something was eluding me.

Recently, I began to consider how people use their time. I concluded that most people spend the majority of their time on work, family, sleep and entertainment. I can understand the need for the first three activities; however, the last category puzzled me.

Americans spend quite a bit of time on entertainment. We have machines/utilities that make life easier and permit us to complete chores quickly – automobiles, appliances, calculators, I-phones, electric lighting and computer-based Read More