NM House District 43 Update
Column by Rep. Jim Hall
This is the second monthly column discussing a few of the concerns and issues that have come to me in New Mexico House District 43 in the past 30 days.
It is a short column intended to recognize both the diversity and community in this beautiful part of Northern New Mexico.
If anyone in District 43 has state government issues (1) that are referenced in the column or (2) are not being addressed, I welcome questions or comments.
During the last 30 days l gave three presentations on the last legislative session to local organizations.
Since the even-year sessions Read More
Luján Offers Bipartisan Legislation to Address Fire Hazards in National Forests
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District introduced legislation to help protect national forests from wildfires while creating jobs in local communities.
The Forest Stewardship and Fire Fuels Reduction Act of 2012 is a 10-year reauthorization of a federal program that funds efforts to reduce overgrown vegetation in forests that contributes to the intensity and devastation of wildfires. The bipartisan bill is cosponsored by Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona.
“Last year our national forests were devastated by wildfires. In New Mexico alone, wildfires destroyed 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
Road Action at Sherwood and N.M. 4
Workmen are still required in paving roads with these fancy machines. This crew mans the “lay-down” machine and assures an even thickness of the asphalt coating. The hot asphalt can melt the soles of the men’s boots if they stay in one pace to long. The N.M. 4 job will require two coats of material to form the finished roadway. Each coat appears to be about 2 to 3 inches thick. Photo by TK Thompson/ladailypost.com
This “shuttle buggy” picks up a load of fresh asphalt hot mix that has just been dumped in a ribbon onto the roadway by a bottom-dump semi truck this past week Read More
New Mexico WW2 Internment Camps Symposium: Inside and Outside the Barbed Wire
The New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors will hold a symposium on New Mexico World War II internment camps. Learn more about the experiences of Japanese people held in New Mexico’s internment camps during World War II at an April 21 and 22 symposium. “From Inside and Outside the Barbed Wire: New Mexico’s Multicultural World War II Internment Stories,” will be in the History Museum auditorium, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 21 and 1-4 p.m. Sunday, April 22.
Organized by the Committee to Preserve New Mexico’s Internment History, the symposium commemorates the 10th Read More
Los Alamos Ranked Among Nation’s Top Hunting and Fishing Spots
Courtesy/outdoorlife.com
Los Alamos is ranked 28 among the “35 Best Hunting and Fishing Towns in the U.S.,” according to OutdoorLife magazine.
The publication says about Los Alamos: “Stay close to home for walleyes, catfish, bass and trout, in waters like Abiqui Lake, Rio Chama and Rio Grande. The nearby Valles Caldera National Preserve runs a lottery program for monster elk.”
Now in its fifth year, the annual “Best Towns for Sportsmen” feature is an OotdoorLife institution: “Readers love to argue the merits of their burgs based on our rankings; local newspapers Read More
PNM Seeks Lower Emissions Limits For San Juan Generating Station
San Juan Generating Station News:
Albuquerque: PNM today requested changes to the New Mexico air permit for San Juan Generating Station to allow for the installation of new visibility controls at the plant in the next several years.
“We are prepared to move forward on installing new environmental controls that will meet federal visibility requirements and further reduce the plant’s emissions. Our strong preference is to do this in the most cost-effective way so that the cost to PNM customers and our state’s economy is kept as low as possible,” said Pat Vincent-Collawn, chairman, president Read More
Heavy Lifting on N.M. 4
With assistance from a crane, workers prepare to erect a new traffic signal near the intersection of N.M. 4 and Rover Boulevard Wednesday. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com Read More
ICAC Task Force Executes 13 Search Warrants
FBI News:
New Mexico State Attorney General Gary K. King and U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced today that, during the last three weeks, federal, state and local law enforcement affiliates of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force executed 13 search warrants as part of “Operation Artemis.”
Operation Artemis was aimed at identifying individuals throughout New Mexico involved in the distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography through peer-to-peer file sharing programs.
“At the heart of child pornography cases is our duty to protect our Read More
Overall, Three Mile Island Operated Safely in 2011
The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Middletown, Penn., was the site of a March 28, 1979 power plant accident that brought about sweeping changes involving emergency response planning, reactor operator training, human factors engineering, radiation protection, and many other areas of nuclear power plant operations. Courtesy Photo
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION News:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct an open house April 11 in Middletown, Penn., regarding the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance for the Three Mile Island 1 nuclear Read More