State

Pile Burning at Bandelier Today

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 Bandelier News:

Weather permitting, the fire crew at Bandelier National Monument is planning a pile burn to be done today. The pile of wood debris is located in the park gravelyard, a fenced, cleared area near the park entrance along NM Hwy 4.  
 
The burn is planned to begin about 9 a.m. and be finished by the end of the day. Although there will be only a relatively small amount of smoke, it may be visible from a wide area since the gravelyard is located on the top of the mesa.
 
Information about other park events and ongoing activities is available by visiting the Bandelier National
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Los Alamos Sheriff Addresses Gun Debate

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Los Alamos Sheriff Marco Lucero in his downtown office Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post

During an interview Wednesday in his downtown office, Los Alamos County Sheriff Marco Lucero participated in a Q&A with the Los Alamos Daily Post on gun issues plaguing the state and the nation:

Q&A

Los Alamos Daily Post: President Obama has issued a series of Executive Orders designed to regulate firearms across the country. New Mexico House Bill 114 would have prohibited the enforcement of any new federal firearm
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Udall Hosts NM’s MVD Express at Senate Meeting on Job Creation

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Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. meets with Janice Lucero, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of MVD Express. Courtesy photo

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – New Mexico small business leader Janice Lucero of Albuquerque was the guest of U.S. Sen. Tom Udall at a Capitol Hill discussion on best practices creating jobs and strengthening America’s economy.

Lucero is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of MVD Express, a public-private partnership with the State of New Mexico that provides high-quality, efficient motor vehicle services throughout 11 locations in the state.

Representatives Read More

Gun Show Loophole Bill Wins Approval in the House

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STATE News:

SANTA FE – House Bill 77 the “Firearms Transfer Act” has passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 43 to 26. 

HB 77 requires anyone who sells a firearm at a Gun Show to conduct a background check. It also includes a component for submitting mental health adjudication information to the FBI. 

HB 77 survived an attempted amendment by Rep. Bill Rehm to change the reporting requirements. Debate on the floor lasted almost two hours.

It began with the support of Rep. Nate Gentry (R-Bernalillo-30) who helped to draft the mental health component. He said, “If this bill helps Read More

NMDOHH Reports Two Pediatric Influenza Deaths

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NMDOH News:

Flu Activity Continues Statewide

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health announced today that a 2-year-old girl from McKinley County and 15-year-old boy from Torrance County died from influenza-related illnesses in the past month.

Since Oct. 1, 2012, the Department of Health has identified 89 pneumonia and influenza-related deaths. Last flu season, the Department identified one influenza-related pediatric death.

“It is still important and not too late to get vaccinated, as flu is likely to continue to circulate in New Mexico for some weeks,” said State Epidemiologist Read More

Public Open House for N.M. 502–Trinity Drive Transportation Improvement Project

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Courtesy/NMDOT

FHA-NMDOT News:

Public Open House

The Federal Highway Administration and New Mexico Department of Transportation announce an open house on the N.M. 502–Trinity Drive Transportation Improvement Project.

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 20

Time: 5-8 p.m. Open House

Location: Council Chambers, Los Alamos Community Building, 475 20th St.

Project Summary: During the past decade, the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has developed and evaluated several alternatives to reconstruct Trinity Drive (NM 502) from Knecht Street (Beginning of Project or BOP) to Tewa Loop (End Read More

Officials Brief Council on RDC and REDI Initiative

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REDI Program Manager Eric Vasquez, center, and RDC Executive Director Kathy Keith present an annual update on their organization including a briefing on the general mission and the REDI (Regional Economic Development Initiative) initiative to County Council. Los Alamos County’s Economic Vitality Administrator Greg Fisher looks on at left. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

Staff Report

The Regional Development Corporation (RDC) is a private non-profit, 501 (c) 3, Economic Development Organization (EDO) whose primary service area is Northern New Mexico (NNM).

RDC was Read More

Senators Reintroduce Measure to Make Valles Caldera a National Park

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U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich reintroduced legislation today to transfer the management of the Valles Caldera National Preserve to the National Park Service (NPS.).
 
Udall and retired Sen. Jeff Bingaman first introduced this legislation in 2010 in light of inconsistent funding, the need for infrastructure improvements and concerns that the Preserve would not achieve financial self-sustainability by 2015, as directed by the Valles Caldera Preservation Act of 2000.
 
“Millions of years in the making, the Valles
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State Farm Invests $20K in Area Youth

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Teens work on a project at the Española YMCA Teen Center. Courtesy/YMCA 

YMCA News:

Española –The Española YMCA Teen Center received a $20,000 grant from State Farm Saturday during the Y’s annual Red and Black Ball in Los Alamos.

Local State Farm agents Lou Santoro and Abe Dispennette presented the award to Family YMCA Executive Director Linda Daly on behalf of the company’s regional Good Neighbor Citizenship program.

The grant will fund educational programming, skill-building classes and recreational activities in support of keeping an underserved population engaged in Read More

Udall Meets With Secretary of Defense Nominee

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U.S. Sen. Tom Udall meets with Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel Feb. 11. Courtesy/Udall’s Office

U.S. SENATE News:

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., Monday issued the following statement after a meeting with Secretary of Defense nominee, Sen. Chuck Hagel:
 
“My meeting today with Senator Chuck Hagel was very useful. We had the opportunity to touch on a variety of issues facing our country and how New Mexico contributes to the strength of our national security.
 
“Senator Hagel conveyed that if confirmed, he will be committed to keeping safe, reliable
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