Politics

Heinrich Raises Questions On Potential Ethics Violations By Senior Official At Department Of Interior

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From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Burgum requesting a briefing from the Department’s Designated Ethics Official (DAO) regarding actions of Karen Budd-Falen, the Department’s Associate Deputy Secretary, that raise serious concerns about her compliance with federal ethics laws and standards.

“I am writing to express deep concern regarding reports that a senior official at the Department Read More

Interior Secretary Designates Six New National Trails

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Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum

From the Department of the Interior:

          • New hiking, paddling and multi-use trails add 162.5 miles to the National Trails System 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In celebration of Great Outdoors Month and National Trails Day on June 6, designated five new National Recreation Trails and one National Water Trail, adding 162.5 miles of hiking, paddling and outdoor recreation opportunities across five states.

The newly designated trails join a nationwide network of more than 1,350 National Recreation Trails found in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico Read More

Governor Appoints Rebecca Roose Natural Resources Trustee 

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Rebecca Roose

STATE News:

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced the appointment of Rebecca Roose as New Mexico’s Natural Resources Trustee through the remainder of the governor’s term. 

Roose has served as the governor’s senior infrastructure advisor since fall 2023 and as acting Natural Resources Trustee since March. Roose’s term as trustee will end when the governor’s does on Dec. 31, 2026. 

The Office of the Natural Resources Trustee (ONRT) is the State of New Mexico’s natural resources watchdog. When contamination injures New Mexico’s land, water or wildlife, ONRT works Read More

County Council To Meet In Closed Session June 9

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COUNTY News:

Los Alamos County Council is scheduled to meet in a closed session at 4 p.m., Tuesday, June 9, in Council Chambers at 1000 Central Ave.

The purpose of the closed session is to discuss the performance evaluation of Los Alamos County’s contract employees.

The agenda has been published and can be found here. Read More

Op-Ed: ‘County Shows It Doesn’t Give A Flock About Surveilling Citizens’

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By JAMES RICKMAN
Los Alamos

Perhaps I should feel grateful that County leaders dispatched their official Spin Doctor to reply to my letter about the emergence of a network of Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) in our community (link). But outside of Mr. Krueger’s “Trust Us, We’re the Government” response, the County continues to sidestep the issue of why the cameras were installed in the first place.

Is Los Alamos facing some kind of underlying existential threat that necessitates its citizens giving up some of their liberties to gain a little more security?

The way the County tells it, Read More

Rep. Vasquez Secures Win In Fight For Accountability & Answers From DOD On El Paso Airport Closure

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U.S. HOUSE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On June 4, U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02)—in his role as a member of the House Armed Services Committee—secured a critical, bipartisan win in his ongoing fight to get the accountability and answers New Mexicans deserve from the Department of Defense regarding the chaotic closure of the El Paso Airport in February 2026. 

During committee markup, Rep. Vasquez introduced an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act requiring the Department of Defense to provide a report on its coordination process with DHS and FAA, an explanation Read More

Los Alamos Helps Fire Up interplanetary Space Missions

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Artist’s rendering of NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan. The car-sized lander will explore Titan’s environment and study its complex chemistry. Courtesy/NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

LANL News:

  • Work is helping to power exploration into the cosmos

Within the recesses of a Los Alamos National Laboratory facility, a scientist studies a small ceramic pellet through layers of leaded glass. The pellet fits in the palm of a hand, but its purpose is anything but small. It is a plutonium-238 heat source, engineered to power scientific instruments in some Read More

DPLAC To Hold Monthly Meeting Monday June 8  

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DPLAC News:

The Democratic Party of Los Alamos (DPLAC) is scheduled to hold its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 8.

How to attend:

          • In person: White Rock Branch Library
          • Via Zoom, Meeting ID: 816 5412 7593

Agenda items:

  • Primary election results
  • Executive team updates (Chair, Vice Chair, Ward Chairs)
  • Upcoming events
    • Table at Los Alamos Pride June 12
    • June 13: Garage Sale. Donations welcome.
    • Friday night concerts
    • Next monthly meeting 6:30 p.m., July 13, at Mesa Public Library
    • Aug. 2: Obama Chili Cookoff, Fuller Lodge.
    • September 12: JFK Fundraiser Dinner, Beef & Leaf Cafe.
  • Democratic
Read More

County Invites Community To Comment On Upcoming Safety Improvements To Ashley Pond Park

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COUNTY News:

Los Alamos County preliminary design concepts for preventing vehicles from leaving Trinity Drive and entering Ashley Pond Park are now available for residents to provide feedback on now through Aug. 2.

The community is invited to review the designs and provide feedback on the County’s consultation page for this project.

Three design concepts were drafted with contractor Groundworks Studio to provide different options of protecting park-goers from the potential of vehicles intentionally or unintentionally leaving Trinity Drive, while also improving or complementing Read More