Politics

Joint Effort To Look At DPU Finances Gets Thumbs Up

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Members of the Board of Public Utilities and Department of Public Utilities staff listen to County Council suggest forming a joint effort to review the utilities department’s finances. The idea received strong support. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com 

 

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post

During the Tuesday night Los Alamos County Council special session, the Council pitched its idea to facilitate a joint effort between the Council, the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to do an independent review of DPU’s major Read More

NNSA Awards NNSS Site Management & Operating Contract To Mission Support And Test Services, LLC

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NNSA News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced today it has awarded Mission Support and Test Services LLC (MSTS) with the management and operating contract for the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) near Las Vegas, Nev.
 
MSTS is a limited liability company consisting of Honeywell International Inc. (Honeywell), Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (Jacobs), and Stoller Newport News Nuclear, Inc. (SN3).
 
NNSA conducted a full and open competition for the follow-on NNSS M&O contract. The award is valued at $5 billion
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Letter To The Editor: To Bond Or Not To Bond, That Is The Question

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By KHAL SPENCER
Los Alamos
 
Ralph Chapman’s letter in the Los Alamos Daily Post (link) has been the latest in a long list of well written and thoughtful letters, both pro and con, regarding the Recreation Bond vote. If nothing else, we have once again proven that Los Alamos residents are thoughtful and engaged in our civic governance. I would expect a high “voter turnout”.
 
I would also offer to compare the discussion up here on The Hill regarding this bond question, which has been driven by engaged residents using their own thoughts, vs. the discussion of the failed
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Udall, Heinrich Call On FCC To Protect Net Neutrality

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U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich joined in sending a letter led by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass) to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai expressing strong opposition to the Chairman’s plans to gut net neutrality protections.
 
In 2015, the FCC adopted the Open Internet Order which reclassified broadband as a telecommunication service and prohibited internet service providers from setting up internet fast and slow lanes, ensuring all online traffic is treated the same. Next week, the FCC plans
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2017 Special Election Update: Los Alamos County Recreation Bond

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Senior Deputy Clerk Francella Montoya and Deputy Clerk Victoria Martinez bundling returned ballot envelopes in batches of 25 to ensure that each returned envelope is scanned into the ballot tracking system for voter credit. Courtesy photo

COUNTY News:

For the upcoming County Bond Election, 13,484 ballots were mailed May 2 to registered voters to the address on file with the County Clerk. To date, the Los Alamos County Clerk’s Office has received 4,050 returned ballot envelopes, 423 undeliverable ballots and one unsigned ballot.

Of the 423 undeliverable ballots, there were 23, which provided Read More

AG Balderas Calls For Federal Policy Change To Expand State’s Medicaid Fraud Authority To Address More Home Healthcare Abuse Cases

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Attorney General Hector Balderas
 
AG News:
 
LAS CRUCES ― Attorney General Hector Balderas and the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) sent a letter urging the U.S. government to change its policy so that state attorneys general can use federal funds to investigate and prosecute a wider range of Medicaid abuse and neglect cases, including those that happen at home.
 
Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides free or low-cost medical benefits to millions of Americans. More than 6.4 million people enrolled in the Medicaid program are age 65 or older.
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Udall Secures Commitment From Veterans Affairs Secretary Shulkin Not To Close Facilities That Provide Care For Veterans

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U.S. Sen. Tom Udall
 
U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall questioned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary David Shulkin on the steps he is taking to ensure veterans are getting the health care and coverage they have earned.
At the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies hearing, “Reducing Burden & Increasing Access to Healthcare: Improving VA Community Care,” Udall asked Secretary Shulkin for clarification on his statements
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NMED Seeks Appointees For Recycling And Illegal Dumping Alliance

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NMED News:
 
SANTA FE ― The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is seeking appointees for the Recycling and Illegal Dumping (RAID) Alliance that supports a cleaner, healthier environment for New Mexicans.
 
The industry waste generator seat, the nonprofit organization seat, and the solid waste authority seat are open.
 
The RAID Alliance, established by the 2005 New Mexico RAID Act, provides recommendations to NMED to award grants designed to protect the health and welfare of the environment and current and future residents of New Mexico
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Letter To The Editor: Why Future Generations Don’t Need Bond

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By A Student
Los Alamos
 
I have heard a lot of people saying this bond would be an investment in future generations, to have more options, or that they just don’t want to travel to Santa Fe.
 
As a member of the future generation in Los Alamos, I am Voting no on the Rec Bond.
 
If investing in the community is someone’s goal then please invest in the housing problem; invest in making sure the future generation has the opportunity to have a roof over their heads and then and only then can anything else be considered. Students are being forced to live in their
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AG Balderas Sues President To Properly Compensate State For Coal Extraction And Its Climate Change Impact On New Mexico

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STATE News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE ― Attorney General Hector Balderas joined with the Attorneys General of California, Washington and New York to file a challenge in federal District Court in Montana to the Trump Administration’s decision to resume federal coal leasing without completing the required environmental impact statement as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
 
“Yet again, President Trump is breaking the law and New Mexicans stand to pay the price for his illegal actions,” Attorney General Hector Balderas said. “New Mexico taxpayers must be properly
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