Opinion

Letter To The Editor: Melanie Colgan Will Be A Valuable Addition To Los Alamos School Board

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By JoAnn Johnson
Los Alamos
 
I recently attended the School Board Candidate Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters. I was impressed with the answers and presence of Melanie Colgan who is running to represent District 4 Barranca and North Mesa communities).
 
She sounds fair and practical; a voice of reason and experience. I hear the same assessment from my friends who know her or have met her. They have nothing but praise for her abilities and character. 
 
I think she will be a valuable member of our school board. Please join me in voting for Melanie Colgan, Los Alamos School
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Letter To The Editor: Concern For Our Young Athletes

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By BARBARA SMITH
Los Alamos

I am concerned about the safety and welfare of our young athletes.

Particularly our Football players. I have attended the last two home games and was shocked by what I witnessed. The players were not given any chance of recovery as they were played over and over.

Several players experienced severe cramps that took them off the field only to be put right back in.

I saw several more players injured during the game, and a couple of those injuries I can say were the results of fatigue and the mistakes made due to fatigue.

Even past injuries, you could see that as the Read More

Letter To The Editor: Parent And Teacher Melanie Colgan Will Be A Great Addition To Our School Board

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By MARGI HARRACH
Los Alamos

How nice it is to see that Melanie Colgan is running for School Board District 4 (Barranca and North Mesa communities). From my experience, I always appreciate any time I get to see or work with Melanie.

Our families moved to Los Alamos within a year of each other and her children were a few years behind mine at Barranca Mesa Elementary, so our time on Barranca PTO overlapped. I saw Melanie inspire a sense of balance, calm, enthusiasm and focus to each group she was part of.

She was an exceptional PTO vice president, president and coordinator of the Bobcat Bonanza fundraiser. Read More

Letter To The Editor: Julia Baker Is The Way To Go!

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By AMELIA EPPERSON
Los Alamos

As I contemplate which candidate would be best suited to serve on the school board for District 3, I can’t help but feel jealous of my friends in District 4 who have, by far, the best candidate for school board. Julia Baker, I wish I could vote for you!

I have had the privilege of knowing Julia Baker for over ten years. In those years, I have seen her in myriad roles: as my child’s preschool teacher, as a dedicated mother to her five children, as a volunteer serving on PTO and PTA at different schools, and as a mentor to youth in the community. Even with all this, she still finds Read More

Letter To The Editor: Please Join Me In Voting Yes For Our Students, Educators And Community

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By ROB WILKINSON
The Family YMCA CEO
 
Successful schools are critical to the success of the community.
 
I’m a firm believer that a great education will help prepare tomorrow’s leaders. Part of this equation is ensuring that our students and educators have the best facilities and modern technology to create the best educational environment possible.
 
My family are relatively new members to the community. When I was hired as The Family YMCA CEO, a big part of the decision for my family to relocate to Los Alamos, was the superior school ratings. Passing the school bond will
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Letter To The Editor: Lest We Forget…

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By RICHARD (DICK) MALENFANT
Highlands Ranch, Colo.
(Los Alamos Resident 1961-2005)

Lest we forget:

On November 10, 2015, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz signed an MOA for creating and managing the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, which included provisions authorizing the Park to be located at three sites: Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Hanford, Wash. and Los Alamos, N.M. Specific locations at the three sites include the X-10 Graphite Reactor, buildings 9731 and 9204-3 at the Y-12 complex, Read More

Letter To The Editor: Vote For David Hampton, A New Voice And Vision For UNM-LA

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By DONNA MACDONALD
Los Alamos
 

I ask the community to vote David Hampton for the UNM-LA Advisory Board, position 3. We need new and fresh voices at the table to move our community forward. 

I certainly appreciate his vision to push UNM-LA towards becoming a 4-year Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) university. We keep losing our brightest and best students to out-of-state colleges, and a local 4-year college par excellence could encourage them to stay.

There would be stubborn resistance from UNM Main Campus, of course, so this initiative would require strong community

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Letter To The Editor: Time To Improve Our More Than 50 Year Old White Rock Schools

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By CRAIG WASHNOK

Principal, Chamisa Elementary School

I have the pleasure of becoming  the next principal at Chamisa Elementary School.

It has been a truly amazing experience. The community culture is one of the best aspects of Chamisa. Our community is what makes Chamisa unique. Chamisa Elementary School’s culture is entwined with the community.

The culture of Chamisa has stood the test of time. It’s now time to enhance the culture of Chamisa with structural upgrades.

Both Chamisa and Pinon elementary schools have stood relatively unchanged for over 50 years. Chamisa continues to Read More

Letter To The Editor: SGR Endorses Christine Bernstein

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By STEPHANIE GARCIA RICHARD
Commissioner of Public Lands
 
I voted today!
 
But unfortunately, because of my district, I didn’t get to vote for one of my favorite candidates for school board. However, if you live in District 3, you have the chance to vote for Christine Bernstein for LAPS School Board.
 
I first met Christine when we were both teachers at Pojoaque Schools. She is an innovative, committed and passionate high school teacher and I know she will bring just as much energy to the school board as she does to the classroom. I’ve witnessed her in action and seen the way she always
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Letter To The Editor: Response To Importance Of Political Parties

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By DENNIS LITTLE
Los ALamos

Mr. Kerr,

Perhaps I’m in the minority, I’m not sure and I’ve never seen a study to confirm. I was raised by a single mother who wasn’t political at all. To the best of my knowledge, she never voted in her life. In any case, I would hope that most people in a town with so many smart people would do their own research and decide who and/or what political party to vote for rather than just depending on what their parents said to do.

With regards to the rest of your letter, I disagree.

The House (with a Democratic majority) has passed a great number of bills, Read More