Council Discusses Request to Hire Person to Handle Records Requests, Tentatively Approves Administrative Services Budget
Acting Administrative Services Director Laura Gonzales briefs Council on the need for the creation of a position for a full time person to handle the overwhelming number of public records requests, which is bogging down the work of other employees in the Administrative Services Department. Council tentatively approved 6-1 a substitute motion for the Administrative Services Department’s proposed $6.873 million FY2013 budget and the projected $7 million FY2014 budget excluding full time positions. Councilor David Izraelevitz cast the sole no vote. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
County Proposed FY2013 Budget Takes into Account Anticipated Expenditure Reductions by LANL
During its budget hearings, which started Monday and continue tonight through Wednesday night, the Los Alamos County Council is assessing and approving the County’s proposed FY2013 budgets and the projected FY2014 budgets. The County’s objective is to continue to provide the high level of service the community has come to expect, despite anticipated reductions in revenues associated with reduced federal expenditures at the County’s primary employer – Los Alamos National Laboratory. With proposed expenditures totaling $196.6 million in FY2013 and projected Read More
Council Tentatively Approves CDD Budget 7-0
Acting Community Development Department Director Steve Brugger discusses his department’s $1.912 million proposed FY2013 budget and $1.862 projected FY2014 budget before the County Council gave unanamous tentative approval. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
Second Day of County Budget Hearings is Underway
Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Right now members of the Los Alamos County Councilors are considering proposed budgets for FY2013 and projected budgets for FY2014 for five more County departments:
Community Development, Administrative Services, Non-Departmental, Capital Projects and Facilities and Public Works.
Councilor Vincent Chiravalle is participating in the meeting via telephone. Chair Sharon Stover, Vice Chair Ron Selvage, Councilor Mike Wismer, Councilor Fran Berting, Councilor Geoff Rodgers and Councilor David Izraelevitz are present in Council Chambers Read More
Today Marks Date Women Begin to Catch up to What Men Made Last Year
Column By Nina Thayer, AAUW, Leadership Corps
April 17 is the symbolic day this year when women will on average catch up with the amount men made in the previous year.
New statistics out this month show that New Mexico’s women make on average 77 percent of what our men make.
Forty years after the Women’s Movement of the early ‘70s, it is hard to imagine that this gender pay gap continues.
More women work outside the home than 40 years ago; more women attend college than 40 years ago; more women are the only wage earner for themselves and their family than 40 years ago.
The American Read More
I love lifestyles!
Column by Bonnie J. Gordon
Since I was a baby journalist in high school, people have been trying to convince me that I should be writing hard news.
Why, well meaning individuals keep asking me, should I be wasting my talents writing lifestyles and entertainment and features when I could be covering something “really important?”
News flash—I’m already writing about the really important stuff. Sure, crime, politics and county government are important. I’m glad other people want to write about them.
I’m convinced however, that soft news is just as important.
Take arts and entertainment Read More
Students descend on Los Alamos National Laboratory April 23-24 for Supercomputing Challenge Expo and Awards Ceremony
LANL News:
Research by student teams to be showcased during this month’s New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge. Courtesy/LANL
More than 200 New Mexico students and their teachers will convene at Los Alamos National Laboratory April 23 and 24 for judging and the awards ceremony in the 22nd annual New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge.
More than 60 teams of students from elementary, middle, and high school are participating in the event, said David Kratzer of the Laboratory’s High Performance Computer Systems group and LANL’s coordinator of the Supercomputing Challenge.
While at LANL, Read More
A Taste of Russia: April 27 Fundraiser Dinner for Los Alamos Youth Trip to Sarov
Los Alamos Youth are planning a trip to Russia this summer as part of an ongoing series of exchange visits with the Los Alamos Sister City of Sarov.
This program is sponsored by the Los Alamos – Sarov Sister City Initiative (LASSCI).
To help support the costs of the trip, LASSCI is holding fundraising dinner — A Taste of Russia.
The dinner is set for 6:30 p.m. April 27 in the Vista Room at the Best Western Hilltop House Hotel.
In addition to Russian food, the program will include a Silent Auction of Russian crafts and Entertainment by the youth travelers.
Tickets may be purchased from any of the student Read More
Ron Barber to Speak at Phi Beta Kappa Banquet Honoring Local High School Scholars
By Joyce Ann Guzik
On Sunday evening, April 29, the Los Alamos Phi Beta Kappa Association will hold its 56th annual banquet to honor the top graduates of Los Alamos High School.
Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest undergraduate honors society in the United States and has about 275 members in Los Alamos County (1.5 percent of the county’s population.)
The banquet for the honor graduates, Phi Beta Kappa Members and their guests, will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Fuller Lodge in Los Alamos starting and will be catered by Decadent Table.
The 43 students of the Class of 2012 who will be honored this year are: Peter Read More
New Restroom Facilities for Park and Trail
The Los Alamos County Parks Division has completed two new restroom facilities. The restrooms will be put into operation on Wednesday of this week. Dick McIntyre, Parks Division Manager reports that the restrooms were planned and budgeted as part of the Canyon Rim Trail development.
The first restroom is found at East Park next door to the new Los Alamos County Animal Shelter.
Photo by Greg Kendall/ladailypost.com
The second restroom is at the other end of the completed section of the Canyon Rim Trail near the Los Alamos Cooperative Market.
Photo by Greg Kendall/ladailypost.com Read More
SFI Colloquium: “On the Evolutionary Origins of the Egalitarian Syndrome”
Sergey Gavrilets. Courtesy/SFI
Sergey Gavrilets will present his talk “On the Evolutionary Origins of the Egalitarian Syndrome” at 3:30 p.m. Monday April 23 in the Noyce Conference Room at the Santa Fe Institue.
Gavrilets works at the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Mathematics, National Institute For Mathematical and Biological Systems, University of Tennessee.
Abstract: Humans exhibit strong egalitarian syndrome, i.e. the complex of cognitive perspectives, ethical principles, social norms, and individual and collective attitudes promoting Read More
Work Continues During Break in Tuesday’s Budget Meeting
Acting Assistant County Administrator/Chief Financial Officer Steven Lynne explains details of the County’s proposed and projected FY2013 and FY2014 budgets to councilors Ron Selvage, center, and Vincent Chiravalle during a break at Tuesday night’s budget meeting in Council Chambers. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Los Alamos County Councilor David Izraelevitz discusses budget fine points with County Administrator Harry Burgess during a break in proceedings Tuesday night. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Council Tentatively Approves County Administrator and County Attorney Office Budgets
Los Alamos County Administrator Harry Burgess explains that the point of purchasing ipads for use by designated personnel is to save paper as well as for efficiency. Councilor tentatively approved the County Administratror’s Office proposed $8.799 million FY2013 and projected $10.018 million FY2014 budget 6-1 with Councilor Vincent Chiravalle casting the no vote. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com.
Acting Los Alamos County Attorney Brian James keeps legal check on the budget hearing in Council Chambers Tuesday night. Council Council tentatively approved the County Attorney’s Read More
Council Tentatively Approves First Grouping of Seven Department Budgets
Council tentatively approved the first group of department budgets in a 6-1 vote with Councilor Vincent Chivaralle casting the sole no vote. The Clerk’s Office, Assessor’s Office, County Council, Municipal Court and Sheriff’s Office, Fire and Police comprised the first group. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Sheriff Marco Lucero told Council that his four deputies served 265 court orders in the last year. He also ask that Council add $25,000 to his budget for the purchase of a work vehicle because he had driven his personnel vehicle 5,3,00 miles in the course of Read More
County Financial Officials Brief Council on FY2013-FY2014 Budgets
Los Alamos County Budgets and Grants Manager Gina Coluzzi and Acting Assistant County Administrator/Chief Financial Officer Steven Lynne presented an overview of the County’s FY2013 proposed budget and the FY2014 projected budget. They are now fielding questions from individual councilors. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
Public Comments on Budget Items at Tonight’s Council Meeting
Susan Mack of Family Strengths Network spoke in support of the Los Alamos County Extension Office at 475 20th St. and its importance to the community. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Former County Councilor Robert Gibson cautioned the Council to rein in spending. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
A crowd fills Council Chambers at tonight’s budget hearing. Vernon Kerr addresses Council during public comment. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Vernon Kerr takes his turn at the podium while several citizens line up to address Council as well. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
Wildfire 2012 Featured Public Safety Tips
Snow fell Saturday during the Wildfire 2012 public information event at the Community Building at 20th Street and Central Avenue. Officials from Los Alamos County Emergency Management, Los Alamos Fire Department, Bandelier Fire Department, Valle Caldera Fire Department, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the U.S. Forest Service were among the agencies on hand to answer questions and provide the public with safety information related to this year’s upcoming fire season. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
During Saturday’s Wildfire 2012 event, a crowd gathered around Read More
Dr. Ann Wadstrom Died Sunday
Longtime Los Alamos resident Dr. Ann Wadstrom has died.
Wadstrom was 80 years old.
She encountered complications from a recent surgery.
Wadstrom was the president of the Los Alamos Federated Republican Women and region director of the New Mexico Federation of Republican Women.
She has been an active member of the United Church and participated on several civic and community committees over the years.
Details for her memorial service are pending. Read More
Los Alamos Police Blotter: April 6 to April 11, 2012
The following information was provided by the Los Alamos Police Department.
Neither arrests nor charges indicate a conviction, and neither means that a person is guilty of the charges filed against them.
April 6 at 1:45 p.m. / Police charged Kendall Frye, 44, of Los Alamos with battery against a household member in the 800 block of Aster Street and issued him a summons to appear in Magistrate Court.
April 6 at 3:07 p.m. / A 28-year-old Los Alamos man reported that he was the victim of larceny in the 800 block of 9th Street. The estimated loss is more than $500.
JERRED Read More
Lymphoma Seminar Set for Thursday
By Paula Roybal Sánchez, Extension Home Economist
The Los Alamos Council on Cancer will be presenting a free community program on Lymphoma, Thursday, April 19.
Dr. Eric Bernstein, oncologist with the Northern New Mexico Cancer Care at Los Alamos Medical Center will be providing information on the historical significance of lymphoma, the differences between Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, the relationship between radiation and lymphoma, the four stages of lymphoma and treating lymphomas with chemotherapy and radiation.
Nurses and allied health professionals will be awarded Read More
