Opinion

Ryti: Diversity, Equity, And Inclusivity

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By RANDALL RYTI
Los Alamos County Councilor

Council continues to include “welcoming” in the second sentence of our vision statement “Extraordinary educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities abound in a vibrant and welcoming small-town atmosphere situated in a magnificent mountain setting.” We also have identified Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) as one of our 21 priorities. What does it mean to be welcoming and how do we make progress on DEI?

First, some background on how this issue got raised to Council and what actions we have taken so far. In December 2020, Councilor Read More

Williams: Transparency In Government

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By GREGORY WILLIAMS
FOG Board Member & Past President

Public officials and employees love transparency in the abstract. In reality: not so much.

Transparency in government is a crowd-pleasing election promise that gets set aside in practice. It happens in part because openness takes effort. It takes a daily commitment by public entities to provide access to records, to inform the public as to what is going on, and to allow participation. Transparency also invites scrutiny, and not all public officials and employees want that.

Open government also suffers because public officials often Read More

Op-Ed: HB 126 Graduation Requirements Unfair

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By KOURTNEY GRAZIER 
Senior
Los Alamos High School

As a senior in high school, it is unfair that the high school graduation  requirements may change.

I go to school in Los Alamos, the standards the students have to face here are outrageous. The graduation requirements should not be changed. I understand that it is important for education in New Mexico to change for the better but this bill is not the way to create positive change. 

Watering down the graduation requirements is going to hurt students in the long run. After looking at what is possibly changing, there appears to be more harm than good. 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: Nuclear Garbage To Be Stored In New Mexico

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By Dr. T. DOUGLAS REILLY
Los Alamos

Much has been written about constructing a nuclear waste storage facility in southeastern New Mexico. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has already granted Holtec an initial license for construction and for a similar facility in west Texas.

The mayor of Carlsbad, speaking also for Hobbs, has written a letter supporting this (My View: Dale Janway, Southeastern New Mexico wants nuclear storage, Jan 29, 2022). This facility would be halfway between Carlsbad and Hobbs.

Nuclear Watch NM and the Los Alamos Study Group oppose the facility. Senate Bill 53 would Read More

Op-Ed: Rink Utility And Popularity Trumps Golf Course, But Not Investment

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By MONICA VAN DE WATER
Los Alamos Derby Dame
IRRAS Member
Public Ice Skater
Parent of a former LA Hockey player

Over recent years it has become clear that our season is shorter, weather less predictable. The LA Ice Rink has seen an increase in public skating as other winter sports have become less available due to variable seasons. The ice rink is the only venue that we have any control over its availability to provide reliable ice for hockey and other family winter activities.

As for summer sports the rink is a great venue that is not being utilized as it should be. Open air shade would protect roller Read More

Thanks For Superb Work At Eco Station Check-In Booth!

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By REID PRIEDHORSKY
Los Alamos

I wanted to highlight the good work happening at the Eco Station check-in booth. I’ve been there twice in the past year. Both times the woman staffing the booth was super professional, had a sense of humor, and patiently helped me figure out what to do with the various junk I had for disposal.

Most importantly, in both cases the staffer understood that while she was there all the time and knew the place inside and out, I had no clue. This mindset can be rare and makes a huge difference.

This kind of chore is hard for me and these folks made is a lot easier. I really appreciate Read More

New Mexico Ethics Watch Report On Oil & Gas Industry Reveals Political Influence

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From New Mexico Ethics Watch:

At first glance, it might appear that it was a bad year for the oil and gas industry as far as elections are concerned.

After all, the industry’s top choice for governor, Republican Mark Ronchetti, lost to incumbent Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham. Rochetti received nearly $900,00 from the industry, which was about 20 percent of the total oil and gas contributions in this state last year, according to campaign finance data compiled in a new study by New Mexico Ethics Watch. 

And despite oil and gas interests pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the campaigns Read More

Simonich: Lundstrom’s Loss No Cause For Tears Or Fears

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Rep. Patty Lundstrom

By MILAN SIMONICH
Santa Fe New Mexican

After being ousted as chairwoman of the committee that helps shape the state budget, Rep. Patty Lundstrom offered an immodest assessment of herself.

Lundstrom, D-Gallup, authorized a statement saying she’s spent her 22 years in the Legislature “protecting our female and minority populations”.

Many women and men would disagree with her. In the last four years, Lundstrom twice voted to keep on the books a 1969 law criminalizing abortion.

The Legislature in 2021 finally repealed the dormant anti-abortion statute after voters unseated Read More

Op-Ed: Why Your Daughter Should Wrestle

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By EMILY TEW
Girls Wrestling Coach
Los Alamos High School

Hello, my name is Emily Tew. I am the girls wrestling coach at Los Alamos High School. I am also deeply involved in wrestling at the state level as the NM USA Wrestling Director of Women’s Wrestling. Wrestling has been a large part of my life ever since I picked it up in 7th grade. Back then, there were far less opportunities for women. I competed against boys in middle school and high school. I had the opportunity to wrestle females at only a select few tournaments a year. All that has since changed. Now girls wrestling is a sanctioned high school Read More