Daily Postcard: Virgin Mesa In Jemez Mountains
Daily Postcard: Cliffs and old cabins from logging days in the 1920s and 30s viewed from recent trip to Virgin Mesa in the Jemez Mountains off Forest Road 607. Photo by Shari Mills
Regrowth of pine trees after fires at Virgin Mesa. Photo by Shari Mills
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Bayo Canyon Trailhead Closed 7 A.M. To Noon Thursday
The Bayo Canyon Trailhead at the San Ildefonso roundabout is centrally located on the Los Alamos Trail Network. Trails lead in all directions. To the east are the Bayo Benches and Bayo Canyon. The Dot Grant Trails are just through the tunnel and connect with the Perimeter Trail. To the south, across the roundabout, the East Fork Trail leads to destinations in Pueblo Canyon and to the downtown area. Courtesy/LAC
COUNTY News:
The Bayo Canyon Trailhead will be closed 7a.m. to noon to enable Southwest Fire Defense to safely bring down two dead pine trees.
Direct questions to the Open Space and Trails Read More
County Customer Care Begins Limited In-person Business
COUNTY News:
While citizens are able to conduct most Los Alamos County business with the Customer Care Center via phone or email, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the work week, citizens will now be able to conduct in-person transactions, too.
Starting Monday, June 22, Customer Care representatives will open two of the three windows in the Municipal Building lobby 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Work stations and the municipal building lobby, at 1000 Central Ave., are modified to comply with the May 15, 2020, All Together New Mexico, COVID-safe practices for individuals and employers, which Read More
Governor Includes Business And Tax Relief, Public Safety Reform, Election Changes, More For 2020 Special Session
STATE News:
SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will ask the New Mexico Legislature to consider tax relief for individuals, loans for small businesses and local governments, police reform and election improvements, among other topics, when it meets in a special session beginning Thursday.
Lawmakers will be asked to consider those bills in addition to modifying the state budget that takes effect July 1, the main purpose of the special session.
As a result of the global pandemic, projected state revenues declined steeply following the legislative session earlier this year, leaving a gap Read More
Udall Calls On White House To Withdraw Nancy Beck Nomination Following Opposition By Republican Senators
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Tom Udall:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement today calling on the White House to withdraw the nomination of Nancy Beck to serve as the chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), after two Republican senators indicated that they would oppose her nomination:
“Nancy Beck is the absolute wrong choice to be the nation’s top consumer watchdog, and that is now a bipartisan conclusion. It is becoming clear that Dr. Beck’s nomination faces a likely impossible path in the Senate because she is too extreme Read More
Chart 95: COVID-19 In New Mexico June 17
The cumulative number of diagnoses and deaths in the state of New Mexico versus date. Created by Eli Ben-Naim
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New Mexico COVID-19 Cases Now At 10,065 With 5 More Deaths And 4,351 Patients Recovered
STATE News:
SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials have announced this afternoon 138 additional positive tests for COVID-19.
Los Alamos County remains at 7 cases that have tested positive for COVID-19.
Today’s update includes 5 additional deaths reported in New Mexico related to COVID-19.
The New Mexico Department of Health reported today the most recent cases:
- 20 new cases in Bernalillo County
- 2 new cases in Chaves County
- 3 new cases in Curry County
- 18 new cases in Doña Ana County
- 6 new cases in Lea County
- 20 new cases in McKinley County
- 1 new case in Otero County
- 2 new cases in Rio Arriba County
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Issues Special Session Agenda
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham today announced the special session agenda, which begins Thursday. Courtesy photo
By JENS GOULD
SFNM
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced today the agenda for the Legislature’s special session, calling for lawmakers to tackle a wide array of initiatives, from economic relief to voting and police reform.
The agenda goes far beyond the main reason for calling the emergency session, which is to fix an estimated $2 billion hole in New Mexico’s budget caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The governor is asking lawmakers to take up proposals, sponsored
Op-Ed: State Economy Needs Investment, Vision
By Liddie Martinez, chairwoman of the Economic Recovery Council’s Subcommittee on Economic Relief
&
Brian O’Leary, chairman of the council’s Subcommittee on Economic Development
As the administration of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham continues to carefully follow through on its plan for gradually reopening the New Mexico economy, it’s time to start focusing our attention further out on the horizon.
The first order of business should be to extend a helping hand to the many homegrown, small businesses struggling to recover from the damage inflicted by COVID-19. Federal aid has been helpful, Read More
View Of Sky Shortly Before Sunrise Today
View of the sky shortly before sunrise this morning over White Rock. Photo by Bob Reedy Read More
Council Using Zoom For Public Comment At Meeting June 30
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County Council has a regular session scheduled at 6 p.m. June 30.
The format will be the same used for May meetings to comply with the New Mexico Department of Health’s public emergency order governing mass gathering because of COVID-19.
Public in-person attendance will not be allowed. All Councilors and County Staff will participate using the Zoom conference platform.
Members of the public interested in watching the meeting can view the agenda and live stream the meeting using the link below and accessing the meeting for the respective dates listed above: https:////losalamos.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx Read More
New Albuquerque FBI Child Exploitation And Human Trafficking Task Force Swears In Bernalillo County Law Enforcement Officers
The FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force welcomed on Monday six new task force officers representing the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Three FBI Special Agents who are on the Task Force joined them for this photo. Courtesy/FBI
FBI News:
A new FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force welcomed six Bernalillo County law enforcement officers to its ranks after they were deputized.
Special Agent in Charge James Langenberg of the Albuquerque FBI Division swore in four Bernalillo County Read More
New Mexico Secretary Of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver Pushes For Temporary Automatic Mail Election
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver
By MICHAEL GERSTEIN
SFNM
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is advocating for legislation during this week’s special session that would extend the deadline for counting absentee ballots in the November general election and allow county clerks to automatically send ballots to all registered voters prior to Election Day, her office said.
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toulouse Oliver and a couple of dozen county clerks in the state had pushed for a mail-only primary election to protect poll workers and voters from risks of contracting Read More
Democratic Lawmakers Intend To Introduce Police ‘Use Of Force’ Reporting Requirements For Greater Transparency And More Accountability At 2020 Special Session
The 2020 Special Session begins Thursday at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. LADP/file photo
By MICHAEL GERSTEIN
SFNM
Four Democratic state lawmakers plan to introduce legislation during the special session, which begins Thursday, that they say would offer greater transparency and more accountability when it comes to police use of force.
Amid calls from protesters in New Mexico and nationwide to defund law enforcement agencies and stop insulating officers from possible consequences over excessive and lethal use of force, state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and others have asked Gov. Michelle Read More
Udall, Heinrich Press For Expanded Access To Affordable Health Care In Upcoming COVID-19 Legislation
U.S. SENATE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined 35 of their Senate colleagues Tuesday to urge House and Senate leaders to ensure that any upcoming COVID-19 relief bill includes strong provisions to expand access to quality and affordable health care coverage in the wake of the coronavirus public health crisis.
In their letter, the senators called for a bipartisan effort to increase the federal government spending on Medicaid to reduce the burden on state budgets as well as reduce premiums for individuals who are eligible for coverage Read More
Messages On Stones Lifting Spirits In Los Alamos
Stones painted with encouraging messages are lifting spirits all over Los Alamos including this stone placed by someone recently along the Canada del Buey Trail in White Rock. Photo by Ted Reed Read More
For Some, Hand-Shaking Is On Tap At 2020 Special Session
Rep. Greg Nibert, R-Roswell
By JENS GOULD
SFNM
A House Republican said Tuesday he would likely shake hands with or hug fellow legislators from Southeastern New Mexico during the special session — prompting criticism from House Speaker Brian Egolf, who said he was worried such a practice could jeopardize the health of others later this week.
Rep. Greg Nibert, R-Roswell, said lawmakers from his part of the state plan to wear masks and use hand sanitizer during the upcoming meeting in Santa Fe and would keep their distance from legislators from other areas of New Mexico.
But when it comes to interacting Read More
EM Nevada Transfer Of 70 Sites To DOE Office Of Legacy Management Nearing Completion
The DOE Office of Legacy Management is set to assume long-term stewardship responsibility for 70 sites — represented by the yellow dots in this map — on the Nevada Test and Training Range where the EM Nevada Program completed environmental corrective actions in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Courtesy/DOE
DOE News:
LAS VEGAS, Nev — The EM Nevada Program and DOE Office of Legacy Management (LM) are nearing completion of a transfer of long-term stewardship responsibilities for 70 sites on the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), including the Tonopah Test Read More
NMDWS: Connecting Job Seekers To Businesses With Immediate Job Openings Through ‘All Hands, New Mexico!’
NMDWS Cabinet Secretary Bill McCamley
NMDWS News:
ALBUQUERQUE — As the state continues its efforts for economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) and New Mexico Workforce Connection Centers (NMWC) are here to help businesses quickly fill their vacant positions with skilled workers they can depend on through the initiative ‘All Hands, New Mexico!’
“As Governor Lujan Grisham oversees the re-opening of New Mexico’s economy safely it is important for New Mexicans to know what jobs are now available,” NMDWS Cabinet Secretary Bill Read More
COVID-19 Emergency Laws Spell Disaster For Press Freedom
Since COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic, attacks on press freedom have proliferated. Courtesy/RSF
RSF News:
COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) March 11, since then it has been used as a pretext by governments to put constitutional guarantees on hold.
Now that relative calm appears to be in prospect, it is imperative that these exceptional measures be lifted.
Faced with the unprecedented epidemic, many governments have targeted those whose job is to inform the public. Emboldened by the emergency, the spread of repression has been translated Read More