Public Safety

County: Feeding Wildlife Vs. Seasonal Foraging

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COUNTY News:

Feeding wildlife is very different than allowing wildlife to forage for seasonal, natural foods, and is almost always detrimental to the animals, the environment, and human safety.

Dangers of feeding wildlife

  • Health problems for animals range seasonally to adapt to different foods. Feeding nutrient-dense food during winter, for instance, can disrupt these changes and sicken the animal.
  • Behavioral changes  
    • Loss of natural foraging skills: Animals that become dependent on human food handouts may lose the skills needed to find food on their own, making it harder for them
Read More

NMED Warns Public Of Risks Of Purchasing Goods From Unregulated Online Food Vendors

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NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department is warning the public about health risks from unlicensed food vendors selling enchilada plates, meal preps, and other cooked foods through social media platforms like Facebook Marketplace.

Foods that require a permit include:

  • Cooked meals, enchilada plates, meal preps
  • Dairy-based products
  • Meats, including jerky
  • Any item needing temperature control for safety

These foods can support harmful bacterial growth and cause foodborne illness without proper handling.

While New Mexico’s Homemade Food Act allows individuals to prepare Read More

Laguna Wildfire Weekly Update: Aug. 28

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SFNF News:

Acres: 17,415

Start Date: 6/25/2025

Containment: 90%

Location: Located in the Coyote Ranger District, 8 miles north of New Mexico State Road 96 and west of the Chama River Canyon Wilderness.

Personnel: 5 

Resources:1 engine

Fuels: Oak brush, ponderosa pine, Piñon-juniper

Highlights: Updates will be provided once a week, unless significant activity or changes occur. The next Laguna Wildfire Weekly Update will be provided Tuesday Sept. 2, 2025.

Over the weekend the fire area received ¾ of an inch of rain. No smoke has been visible for the last two days. 

The wildfire remains within Read More

Former DEA Agent To Speak On Current Drug Trafficking Overview And U.S. Policy

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Michael S. Vigil

SFWAF News:

Michael S. Vigil, born and raised in Española, New Mexico, earned his degree in criminal justice at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces where he graduated with Honors. He later joined the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and became one of its most highly decorated agents. Throughout his career, he served in thirteen foreign and domestic posts of duty and rose through the ranks to the highest levels of the Senior Executive Service becoming the Special Agent in Charge of the Caribbean and San Diego Divisions. One of his final posts was as the Chief of International Read More

NM State Police Conducts Successful Warrant Operation

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NMSP News:

EDDY COUNTY — On Aug. 22 and 23, 2025, the New Mexico State Police, in partnership with the Administrative Office of the Courts, conducted a Safe Surrender and warrant round-up operation in the Carlsbad area.

The Safe Surrender program was designed to give the public an opportunity to resolve outstanding warrants voluntarily. The operation was carried out in two parts. Part One focused on Safe Surrender, where defendants were able to voluntarily appear before New Mexico Magistrate Courts on both scheduled dates to comply with their court orders. Part Two, conducted on Saturday, Read More

First Private ABC Suicide Prevention Training Held Aug. 16

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Bernadette Lauritzen speaking Aug. 16 at ABC suicide prevention training. Courtesy photo

COMMUNITY News:

Bernadette Lauritzen (Executive Director of Champions of Youth Ambitions), alongside Brandi Weiss (Program Manager and Anchorum Fellow for Los Alamos Community Foundation), hosted the first ABC suicide prevention training partner class at the Los Alamos Jewish Center on Aug. 16.

ABC suicide prevention training (ask, be present, and connect) recently rolled out in Los Alamos in partnership with Santa Fe Community College.

LAUNCH (Los Alamos Uniting for Community Health) is working Read More

Emergency-Preparedness Exercise Scheduled At Los Alamos National Laboratory Wednesday Sept. 3

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LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has scheduled an emergency preparedness exercise for Wednesday, Sept. 3.

The exercise will test the preparedness of personnel who would respond in the case of an actual emergency.

The exercise will last approximately six hours, beginning at 10 a.m. The event is only an exercise.

Some elements of this exercise may be observable to the public, such as increased emergency vehicle traffic, workers in protective equipment performing simulated activities and “exercise in progress” signage.

The Laboratory’s Emergency Management Division Read More

Los Alamos Police Identify Woman In Vehicle Theft Case

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Alexis Nevels

LAPD News:

The Los Alamos Police Department (LAPD) has identified the woman suspected of stealing a Los Alamos County vehicle on Aug. 20, 2025, from the area of Ashley Pond. Officers arrested Alexis Nevels, 32, of Los Alamos the same day, but she refused to identify herself.

Nevels is charged with the Unlawful Taking Of A Motor Vehicle, a fourth-degree felony, and Concealing Identity, a petty misdemeanor.

Nevels had been arrested after a Bandelier National Monument Park Ranger spotted the vehicle about 90 minutes after it was reported stolen. It was parked and unoccupied at the Read More

Fencing To Be Installed Around Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Health Research Laboratory

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LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) Health Research Laboratory (HRL) complex, adjacent to Los Alamos Medical Center on Diamond Drive, is being emptied for pre-demolition preparation activities. Fencing around the perimeter of the complex is expected to be installed in the next couple of months.

Most of the parking used by hospital staff and patients between the medical center and HRL will remain open and may continue to be used. Parking will be reassessed for safety prior to construction mobilization. A gate will be installed under the Los Alamos Canyon (Omega) Bridge to prevent Read More

Op-Ed: Which Side Are You On?

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By ANDI KRON
Los Alamos

I recently reunited with an Israeli friend who was visiting the Lab on official business. It had been 2 1/5 years since I last saw him in Israel. “How are things going in Israel?” I asked with trepidation. “We are traumatized,” he answered. His brother is a surgeon and has been on reserve duty for months as a medic in Gaza. His wife is a lecturer in universities and lost several students in the massacre of October 7, 2023. Her parents live in the south where Hamas terrorists infiltrated and killed residents of their community. He needs police protection when he travels to Europe Read More