County Council Votes Down Proposed Gas Rate Increase
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Department of Public Utilities (DPU) customers will not see, at least for the time being, an increase in their gas rates.
The proposed rate increase, which the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) recommended, was voted down 4-3 during the regular Los Alamos County Council meeting Tuesday night. Councilor David Reagor, Councilor Melanee Hand, Vice Chair Ryn Herrman and Council Chair Randall Ryti voted against the new rate while Councilors Beverly Neal-Clinton, Theresa Cull and Suzie Havemann voted in favor.
According to agenda Read More
Ukrainian Graduate Student Visits Los Alamos To Experience Culture And Gain Work Experience
Ukrainian student Vitalii Yashchuk with his Los Alamos County business license and samples of books he is selling. He is in the U.S. through the Southwestern Advantage Summer Program for college students to earn money and gain work experience by selling educational materials. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Vitalii Yashchuk, a Ukrainian graduate student from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics in Poland, has limitless ambitions. In fact, he crossed half the globe and arrived in the small town of Los Alamos last week Read More
Applications For Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Now Open
NMHED News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico veterinarians who commit to serving rural, frontier and tribal communities can now apply for up to $80,000 in student loan repayment assistance through the state’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program.
Administered by the New Mexico Higher Education Department, the program targets a persistent shortage in food animal veterinary care across the state’s rural and agricultural communities.
Recipients must commit to providing care for food-producing livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats and poultry, in New Mexico’s rural communities Read More
Heinrich Calls For Consideration Of Conservation Bills, Bipartisan Cooperation On ENR Legislation
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers opening remarks at a hearing to consider pending legislation before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, June 10, 2026. Courtesy photo
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — During a business meeting on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to consider pending legislation, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Committee, criticized Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah) for continuing to advance Republican priorities while leaving bipartisan and Democratic conservation, public lands, and Read More
Camp May Road Closed For Phase 3 Of Jemez Mountain Fire Protection Project
COUNTY News:
Beginning June 15, the entirety of Camp May Road, Camp May, and adjacent trails will be closed from Monday through Thursday, until the end of the Jemez Mountain Fire Protection Project, anticipated in December. The roadway will remain open Friday through Sunday for recreational access at the ski hill.
The road closure is necessary to allow the contractor Dub-L-EE, LLC the safety, the security and the space to complete the project on time.
Phase 3 includes the construction of four water booster stations and running cables for the new underground fiber and electric distribution Read More
Fort Stanton Receives Recognition For Ongoing Investment In Preserving New Mexico’s History
Fort Stanton Historic Site. Courtesy photo
NMDCA News:
FORT STANTON — Fort Stanton Historic Site, one of eight New Mexico Historic Sites, earned recognition with an Architectural Heritage Preservation Award for rehabilitating four significant historic structures on the site: the Visitor Center (1855), Laundress Quarters (1876), Hospital (1936), and Nurses’ Quarters (1941).
The award, presented by the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee on May 29, 2026, in Albuquerque, recognizes major preservation work that protects and revitalizes significant historic buildings Read More
Sen. Luján Presses Agriculture Secretary Rollins On New World Screwworm At Senate Agriculture Hearing
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, pressed Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on the New World screwworm that has now been detected in Lea County, New Mexico. At a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Sen. Luján questioned Secretary Rollins on the impacts of staffing cuts on the response to the spread, the federal government’s response, and USDA’s commitment to prioritizing impacted states.
A full video of the exchange is available here.
Senator Luján’s Read More
Registration Now Open For Topper Soccer Camp
NHCC Hosts Author Angel Vigil For Two-Day Celebration
NMDCA News:
Award-winning author, performer, stage director and teacher, Angel Vigil, is the author of seven award-winning books on Hispanic and Western culture and arts. His book The Corn Woman, and Other Stories and Legends from the Hispanic Southwest won the prestigious New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age National Award. His book Una Linda Raza, Cultural and Artistic Traditions of the Hispanic Southwest won the Border Library Association Southwest Book of the Year Award and the Colorado Book of the Year Special Recognition Award.
At 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 18, Vigil will read Read More
Pets Of The Week: Blue And Cheese
Blue is a handsome heartthrob and professional toy collector. This 64-pound pittie believes no journey should be taken empty-mouthed. Walk? Toy. Bedtime? Toy. Meeting new friends? Definitely toy. He proudly carries his treasures everywhere he goes like a little kid showing off a favorite stuffed animal.
Beneath all that charm is a hunkachunka meatloaf of a dog with an enormous heart. Blue loves his toys, adores his people, and occasionally forgets he’s not actually a lap dog. His goofy personality and sweet nature make him impossible not to love.
Blue is currently learning house, crate, and Read More
Work To Resume On U.S. 285 In Tres Piedras June 15
NMDOT News:
TRES PIEDRAS — Work is scheduled to resume from mile post 384 to mile post 392.5 north of Tres Piedras on June 15.
The final phases of this project include the application of an Open Graded Friction Course to improve drainage, striping of the roadway, slope work on the shoulders of the roadway and the completion of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
The contractor will be working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and some weekends as needed. One lane will be closed during working hours, and flagging operation will be in place to allow motorists to pass through the Read More
Heinrich, Luján Introduce Legislation To Help New Mexico Farmers & Ranchers Access Virtual Fencing
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led the introduction of the Fencing Eligibility for New Conservation Equipment (FENCE) Act, legislation cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), to allow farmers and ranchers to access U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding for virtual fencing.
Virtual fencing technology allows for the controlled movement and grazing of livestock through GPS-enabled collars that deliver audio cues and electrical pulses; replacing physical infrastructure that often interferes Read More
Sunday Forum: ‘Beyond The Binary: A Workshop On Sex And Gender Identity’ June 14
COMMUNITY News:
The public is invited to attend the Second Sunday Forum at the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos at 12:15 p.m., June 14. The Second Sunday Forum program endeavors to educate the public about issues that affect the community and to provide opportunities for exploration.
The title of the June 14 Forum is “Beyond the Binary: A Workshop on Sex and Gender Identity.” This forum is presented in recognition of Pride Month. The speaker is The Right Reverend Michael Angelo D’Arrigo.
Humanity has always been far more diverse than the simple categories we often inherit. In this Read More
Coronado Historic Site To Host Plein Air Sketching Classes
NMDCA News:
Artists are invited to test their skills in an outdoor en plein air sketching workshop held at Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo. Taught by local artist Mary Beth Woiccak, each 90-minute session will have a different subject for participants to draw. Students will receive a small sketch pad, drawing pencil, and kneaded eraser to use and take home.
Workshop sessions:
- 9:30–11 a.m., Saturday, June 27: Learn how to draw the site’s historic structures.
- 9:30–11 a.m., Saturday, July 25, 2026: Learn how to draw the river and mountains.
The workshop is $25/session for FCJHS and MNMF Members, Read More
Luján, Heinrich Introduce Legislation To Boost Funding For Indian Water Rights Settlements
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Protecting Indian Water Rights Settlements Act of 2026, legislation to ensure the federal government fulfills its trust responsibilities by providing dedicated, mandatory funding for Indian water rights settlements through the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund, first authorized in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
As of May 2026, there are 39 enacted Indian Read More
Adobe Theater Presents ‘These Shining Lives’ July 17
L-R Clair Row, Sarah Kesselring, Castalia Mayerhofer. Behind – Michael Weppler. Courtesy/Rhonda Sigler-Ware
ADOBE THEATER News:
The Adobe Theater presents THESE SHINING LIVES. The show runs from July 17 – Aug. 9. Fridays and Saturdays at 7.30pm, Sundays at 2.00pm. Saturday, August 1st, matinee only at 2pm. Thursdays, July 23rd and August 6th at 7.30pm ($10 tix available).
Written by Melanie Marnich, These Shining Lives is a touching historical drama, based on the true story of four women who worked for the Radium Dial Company, a watch company based out of Ottowa, Illinois, Read More
FBI: Three New Mexico Men Charged With Conspiracy To Transport Aliens And Conspiracy To Kill A Witness
FBI News:
A federal grand jury in the District of New Mexico returned a superseding indictment charging Wilfrido Saenz, 29; Ignacio Jaramillo, 22; and his brother, Ismael Jaramillo, 35, all of New Mexico, for their roles in a scheme to transport aliens and later murder a witness to that crime.
According to court documents, between June 2021 and April 2024, Saenz, Ignacio Jaramillo, and Ismael Jaramillo conspired to transport illegal aliens. Saenz and Ignacio Jaramillo are also charged with conspiracy to kill a witness in April 2024 in retaliation for providing law enforcement information Read More
Recap Of June 9 Los Alamos Public Schools Board Meeting
2026 School Board Group Photo. Courtesy photo
LAPS News:
Members of the Los Alamos Public Schools School Board met June 9 for the first meeting following the wrap up of the 2025-2026 school year.
This was the second meeting for new board member Elisa Baker. Also in attendance were President Sondra Wyman, Vice President Lauren Coupland and Secretary Melanie Colgan.
The board approved installation contracts with HMM Services for heating and cooling in several locations at Los Alamos Middle School and Los Alamos High School. The contract was approved in the amount not to exceed $160,000. The contracts Read More
‘1947 Roswell UFO Incident Revisited: Constitutional and Legal Issues’ June 25
NMDCA News:
New Mexico State Library, New Mexico Museum of Space History, and the University of New Mexico (UNM) Department of Political Science are pleased to announce a special, free online presentation, “The 1947 Roswell UFO Incident Revisited: Constitutional and Legal Issues.”
Join a free online panel discussion 4–6 p.m., Wednesday, June 24, 2026, featuring a legal examination of the legendary Roswell flying saucer crash of 1947. The program, one week before with the 79th anniversary of the Roswell crash, will be presented online by a panel of four high-achieving University Read More
Daily Postcard: Jupiter And Venus Conjunction Viewed From Los Alamos
Daily Postcard: Jupiter and Venus conjunction viewed Tuesday from Los Alamos. Photo by Lauren Hughes Read More