Politics

American Federation Of Teachers NM Responds To Obama’s Call To Eliminate ‘Unnecessary Testing’

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AFT News:
 
ALBUQUERQUE ― American Federation of Teachers New Mexico President Stephanie Ly released the following statement:
 
“Students, parents, educators, and communities are rightfully excited to hear President Obama call for the reduction of unnecessary testing in our schools, with a cap of no more than 2 percent of classroom time being spent on testing and test-prep. While it is just a beginning, it certainly gives professional educators hope that a serious reevaluation of priorities is coming to the United States Department of Education.
 
“Across
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Udall Votes Against ‘Weak’ Cyber Security Bill

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U.S. Sen. Tom Udall

U.S. SENATE News:

  • Bill Lacks Privacy Protections … Bill would make it optional for companies to share information on hacks, while allowing them to share customers’ personal information with the government

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tom Udall has voted against the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act. He issued the following statement:

“In recent months, we’ve seen the threat that cyber attacks pose to businesses, their customers and the economy as a whole. It’s imperative that we take strong steps to protect against hacks. But this bill is not the right Read More

DOE/DOD To Hold Semi-annual Public Meeting

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KAFB News:

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE – The Department of Energy and Department of Defense will hold its semi-annual public meeting at 5:30 p.m., today at the Cesar Chavez Community Center at 7505 Kathryn St. off Louisiana Blvd.,in Albuquerque.

For more information, call the Kirtland Air Force Base Public Affairs Office at 505.846.5991. Read More

USDA Provides Funding For Some 1,100 Renewable Energy And Efficiency Projects Nationwide

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

USDA News:

  • 14 Projects in New Mexico support solar and other renewable energy projects to create jobs and promote energy independence

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Monday announced that USDA is awarding loans and grants that will help more than 1,100 rural small businesses and agricultural producers reduce energy usage and costs in their operations.

The funding is for energy efficiency improvements and/or renewable energy systems. USDA is financing projects in every state, as well as in the Virgin Islands, Read More

NM Delegation Announces $15 Million To Upgrade Amtrak’s Southwest Chief Route

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Southwest Chief. Courtesy/wikipedia

STATE News:

  • Essential repairs will help ensure rail continues to connect rural NM communities, bring tourists to state

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Michelle Lujan Grisham, Steve Pearce and Ben Ray Luján have announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded $15,210,143 for the Southwest Chief Route Advancement and Improvement Project to continue essential upgrades to Amtrak’s Southwest Chief line.

The Southwest Chief runs from Chicago to Los Angeles and stops in several Read More

Udall, Heinrich, Luján Respond To Evaluation Of Gold King Mine Spill Highlighting EPA Responsibility

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SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON — Thursday Oct. 22, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján responded to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Technical Evaluation of the Gold King Mine Incident.
 
The report found that responsibility for the mine blowout, which spilled 3 million gallons of wastewater into rivers in New Mexico and Colorado, rests with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
 
The report points out that an EPA mine remediation crew attempting to reopen the mine failed to take into consideration the engineering complexity
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SCAM ALERT: Phone Scammers Using Office Of Attorney General To Rip-Off New Mexicans

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STATE News:

ALBUQUERQUE – Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas issued a Scam Alert regarding scammers using the Office of the Attorney General’s name to trick consumers.

The scammers may know the last four digits of your Social Security Number, may have caller ID information that appears to be a government agency calling, they may send bogus e-mails to you, and they may call back numerous times.

“Do not be fooled by this phone scam and do not give out any personal identifiers or financial information over the phone. The Office of the Attorney General does not call you, or hire people to call you, Read More

CYFD Cabinet Secretary, NM Supreme Court Chief Justice, NMJJAC Gathered Thursday In Los Alamos

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From left, NMJJAC Chair Sharon Stover, Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard, CYFD Cabinet Secretary Monique Jacobson  and New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Vigil in Council Chambers Thursday in the Municipal Building. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
 
NMJJAC members gather Thursday morning in Council Chambers to discuss youth issues. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
 
Staff Report

The Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC) met Thursday in Council Chambers at the Municipal Building in downtown Los Alamos.

JJAC Chair Sharon Stover opened

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NNSA Awards Over $11 Million to Accelerate Development Of Domestic Mo-99 In U.S. Without Use Of Highly Enriched Uranium

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Workers prepare a low-enriched uranium machine for the production of Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). Courtesy/NNSA

NNSA News:

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced Thursday it has awarded more than $11 million in additional funding to its cooperative agreement partners, SHINE Medical Technologies and NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, to accelerate the establishment of new, domestic sources of the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) produced without the use of proliferation-sensitive highly enriched Read More

U.S. Rep. Lujan Grisham Co-Sponsors Bill To Remove Term ‘Alien’ From Federal Immigration Law

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U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham is co-sponsoring legislation that would remove the term “alien,” as an outdated way to refer to immigrants in federal law.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Joaquin Castro, would replace the term with “foreign national.”

“This term is outdated and unnecessary in this day and age,” Lujan Grisham said. “Worse, we’ve seen how these terms are used to demean and devalue human beings for political purposes. We should be an inclusive society that treats and welcomes all people with respect.”

The legislation also would Read More