Schools’ 2013 Standards Based Assessment Results Unveiled at 12:30 p.m. Today
Gov. Susana Martinez
STATE News:
SANTA FE – Gov. Susana Martinez, together with Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera will present the results of the 2013 New Mexico Standards Based Assessment (NMSBA) at 12:30 p.m. today.
PED Secretary Hanna Skandara
Students in grades 3rd through 8th, as well as high school sophomores and juniors take the NMSBA every spring and results are used to determine if students are on grade level in core subject areas.
Check back at ladailypost.com for full details on how Los Alamos schools rank on the assessments. Read More
Clark & Kendall’s Weekend Preview: June 28
Clark & Kendall’s Weekend Preview is Sponsored by FYILA
Summer Concert Series – Parker Millsap Band with Michael Rose 7 p.m. today, June 28 at Ashley Pond
Downtown Friday Night 4 to 11 p.m. today, June 28
Wallflowers Art Exhibit Opening 5 to 7 p.m. at Fuller Lodge Art Center
History Happy Hour until 6 p.m. at Historical Museum
What’s a Click? Until 8 p.m. Bradbury Museum – Discover the wonders and advances of high-speed cameras and the things scientists learn by using them.
Group Dog Walk 6 to 7 p.m. from Pet Pangaea
Karen Wray Fine Art Gallery & Studio open until 8 p.m.
PBS Read More
Three Funding Opportunities in Engineering Research
NIST News:
Funding opportunities for research in the areas of disaster-resilient buildings and communities, sustainable construction and manufacturing, and “smart” firefighting have been announced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST.)
NIST anticipates selecting one project on each topic and awarding about $300,000 per project. Electronic applications are due no later than 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, July 25, 2013. The deadline for paper applications is 5 p.m., Eastern Time, July 25, 2013.
NIST’s Engineering Laboratory seeks proposals Read More
Humans Stoked Australia’s ‘Angry Summer’ Heat
The Australian continent endured unprecedented high temperatures in the summer of 2013. This image, using data from NASA’s Aqua satellite, shows Australian land-surface-temperature anomalies, or departures from average, during Jan. 1-8, 2013. Red means above-average temperature; blue, below average; grey, incomplete data. Australia’s summer occurs during the northern-hemisphere winter. Image by Jesse Allen/NASA Earth Observatory
AGU News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. –- Human influences that drive global warming are likely to have played a role in Australia’s exceedingly hot summer Read More
Luján: With Only a Few Days Left until Interest Rates Double on Student Loans, It’s Time for Congress to Act
U.S. CONGRESSIONAL News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District voted today to bring up legislation to address the increase in interest rates on student loans that is scheduled to occur on July 1.
With only five days to go until rates double, Luján joined with all his Democratic colleagues in an attempt to immediately bring legislation to the floor that would freeze rates at 3.4 percent for the next two years. Not one Republican voted with Democrats to bring up the legislation, blocking the effort.
“House Republicans have passed a bill that is a non-starter in the Read More
YMCA Jar Wars Campaign Raises Money for Youth Scholarships
Y Campers battle with light sabers during Space Week. Courtesy photo
YMCA News
In a take-off of the much beloved Star Wars movies, The Family YMCA is launching a “Jar Wars” campaign to raise funds for youth scholarships in a race to help 20 kids attend camp.
“Help me, Everyone Kenobi, you’re my only hope,” said Linda Daly, the Y’s executive director, imitating Princess Leia’s plea to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Community and Y members are asked to contribute their change, bills or checks to a jar in the Y lobby with their favorite character’s photo. The Y’s Summer Camp, based at Mountain Elementary Read More
YCC Pushes Ahead in Week Two
YCC crews worked on this section of trail in week two of their summer projects. Note the rock reinforcement along the side of the trail. Photo by Lynn BjorklundYCC News:
In week two of their summer activities, the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew continued their rapid and quality trail building, doubling the amount of trail in very difficult conditions, not to mention unseasonably hot weather.
Hard work, black soil, little shade, steep terrain and hot temperatures added to the challenge, and this year’s theme of building new trails in impossible places.
The crew has a checklist of trail building Read More
Join the Fun at Fourth of July Kids Parade
Participants line up at 2012 Fourth of July Kids Parade. Courtesy photo
YMCA News:
In keeping with tradition, the Family YMCA, in cooperation with other community organizations, will host this year’s Kids Parade. Get dressed in your finest red, white, and blue gear and join in the fun! Decorate your bikes and Fido, too!
This year the parade will be bigger and better than ever. At the end of the parade route, everyone will take a moment to honor our country with a patriotic flag raising ceremony and then the celebration will begin.
There will be music, bouncey houses, face painting, games, prizes Read More
YMCA Extends Book Fair
YMCA News
The Family YMCA is extending the Scholastic Book Fair until 9 p.m.July 5. The public is welcome to shop at the Y daily during normal business hours and after the Y annual Fourth of July Children’s Parade.
Los Alamos and Scholastic author Stephen McCrainie has 30 signed copies of his Mal & Chad series for sale. McCrainie is the son of Y members Tracy and Nathan McCrainie.
Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Y’s annual youth scholarships campaign. Read More
Los Alamos Firefighters Douse White Rock Brush Fire
A small blaze broke out this afternoon in dry weeds growing near the front of the White Rock Lutheran Church on Meadow Lane in White Rock. Los Alamos Firefighters arrived within minutes and quickly extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com Read More
Letter to the Editor: Response to Local Editorial Regarding 4th of July Event
By DON CASPERSONIn their editorial comment section of June 23, the Los Alamos Monitor chose to criticize the manner in which the Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos is preparing for our annual 4th of July celebration at Overlook Park.
I would like to respond to that editorial with our own viewpoint, and to remind all of the residents of Los Alamos that a great deal of preparation and planning has already taken place, and much of that has been in consultation with the Los Alamos Fire Department. We take the safety issues associated with a fireworks display very seriously, Read More
Jim Nesmith Elected President of Rotary Club of Los Alamos
Rotary President Jim Nesmith
Staff Report
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos has elected Jim Nesmith as president. He received the gavel from Immediate-past President Linda Hull during the organization’s annual dinner Tuesday at the Posse Lodge.
“I’m just so honored to be elected to this position and represent such a fantastic group of people,” Nesmith said. “I hope we can continue to provide service to the community at the same level as our former President Linda Hull has done.”
Nesmith is the Foreign National Program Coordinator at Los Alamos National Read More
Reception for ‘Wallflowers’ Coincides with Flower Show
Some of the work on display in ‘Wallflowers.’ Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
A painted rain barrel surrounded by paintings in ‘Wallflowers’ at Fuller Lodge. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.comEverything’s coming up roses ─ and lilies and daisies ─ at Fuller Lodge Art Center.
The current exhibit, “Wallflowers” presents five dozen artists and eight dozen blooming works in every imaginable media. It’s quite the bouquet. The reception will also celebrate the fabric art of quilter Nicole Dunn, Read More
Carol A. Clark Named ‘Rotarian of the Year’
Rotary President Linda Hull, right, with ‘Rotarian of the Year’ Carol A. Clark. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
ROTARY News:
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos named Carol A. Clark as its 2012-2013 ‘Rotarian of the Year’ during an annual event Tuesday night at the Posse Lodge.
Clark is publisher of the Los Alamos Daily Post. She joined the local Rotary Club in January 2012 and serves on its Board of Directors.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized in this way by such an outstanding organization,” Clark said.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos applauds Read More
Thompson Ridge Fire 95 Percent Contained … 3 Percent Sustained High Intensity Burn
Initial Burn Severity Map for Thompson Ridge Fire. Courtesy/BAER
JEMEZ SPRINGS – Thompson Ridge BAER specialists recently completed their field surveys and are finalizing their analysis and findings.
The hydrologists and soils scientists finished their modeling for predicted post-fire water run-off and erosion levels.
The BAER team identified critical values-at-risk and is finalizing their recommended emergency stabilization actions and treatments for these values that will be included in their BAER assessment report along with their data, analysis, and findings. The BAER report Read More
US, Japan Develop New Method for Radiological Dose Assessment Around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants
Courtesy/NNSA
NNSA News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) have developed a novel method for analyzing airborne radiological monitoring data. This new method has been used to perform a detailed study of survey data taken by the NNSA and JAEA in the months following the March 2011 radiological incident in Japan.
Aerial surveys were employed in the region surrounding the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to cover the area impacted by the accident quickly, thoroughly and safely. This new analysis Read More
Letter to the Editor: Democrats and Republicans Should Address Root of Problem
By Tom RibeBehold the shallow immigration debate in Congress! Watch as republicans struggle with their racist base. See Democrats embrace a symptoms based “solution” while the root causes go unaddressed like a starving dog in the yard.
Why do millions of people from Central America and Mexico come to the U.S.? Why do they risk their lives in hot deserts and dodge heavily armed drug gangs to get minimum wage jobs in freezing cities full of strangers? In Santa Fe hundreds of immigrants are homeless on our south-side.
Yes, the U.S. is a land of opportunity to an extent, but the flip side is that Read More
Column: June 26, 2013 Marks Beginning of Hope!
Column by Josh Dolin
June 26, 2013 probably does not carry a lot of meaning for most people. But for millions of gay Americans, including myself, it marked the beginning of hope for a nation-wide legalization of gay marriage. Or to me, a hope for equality in my future.
Just yesterday the Supreme Court made two historic decisions regarding gay rights. In United States v. Windsor, the court ruled that a section of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was unconstitutional. This discriminatory law signed by President Clinton in 1996 denied same-sex couples over 1,100 federal rights granted to opposite Read More
Los Alamos Salutes Americans with Free 4th of July Fireworks Show & Events
COUNTY News:
In honor of Independence Day, Los Alamos is offering many free events on July 4 to celebrate our freedoms including a fireworks show, Fun Run and naturalization ceremony to welcome our newest Americans.
Families will have the liberty on whether or not to walk or run at the “Firecracker 5K Family Fun Run” on July 4. The walk/run benefits the YMCA, with entry fees for adults at $25; $10 for youth and $15 for YMCA members. T-shirts are included, door prizes will be given away, and prizes will be awarded to the person with the best 4th of July inspired costume. The “Firecracker 5K Family Fun Read More
Letter to the Editor: Be Wise on Water Wells
By RUSSELL T PACKI am sorry I was out of town when the meetings were held about the proposed new water wells in White Rock. If those who have taken the Not In My Backyard position toward those wells succeed, everyone in LA county will lose!
Some say, “We don’t need the water right now, so let’s just wait.” That is very short sighted. When you lose water rights, it is usually impossible to ever get them back!
I grew up in Southeastern Idaho in the middle of an 82-year fight over the water of the Bear River. For details, give me a phone call or see M. R. McCarthy, The Last Chance Canal Company (Signature Read More