State

Udall Secures Funding For National Labs, WIPP, Water Projects In Energy And Water Appropriations Bill

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U.S. Sen. Tom Udall 
 
U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Tom Udall joined the Senate Appropriations Committee to advance the Energy and Water appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2017.
 
The legislation, which is critical for New Mexico, funds the national labs, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), several New Mexico water projects and other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs. 
 
As a member of the subcommittee that wrote the legislation, Udall secured an increase in funding for the National Nuclear
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Prescribed Burn Planned In Española Ranger District

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SFNF News:
 
SANTA FE – Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest hope to take advantage of warmer weather in May 2016 to conduct the Mesitas prescribed burn on the Española Ranger District. 
 
The 1,800-acre treatment area is located approximately six miles southwest of Abiquiu, 15 miles north of Los Alamos and 15 miles northwest of Española.
 
Ignitions are planned to begin May 1, but that window is dependent on favorable conditions, including fuel moisture levels, air quality and weather forecasts. Once ignitions have started, they are expected
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Lujan Grisham Amends Bill To Ensure Public Access To Federal Buildings

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STATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham successfully added a provision to legislation designed to save taxpayer money by getting rid of unused and underutilized federal property.
 
Lujan Grisham’s amendment, based on problems with the Albuquerque Social Security Office, would require the federal government to consider the public’s access to agency services before deciding to make changes to federal properties, such as relocating office space.
 
“Last year, the Social Security Office in Albuquerque moved to an office
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Rep. Garcia Richard: Why I Continue To Serve

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By Rep. STEPHANIE GARCIA RICHARD
Democratic Incumbent
House of Representatives Dist. 43

Many people don’t know this about me, but every morning, before the sun rises, I go for a run. I’ve always been a runner, but since taking office four years ago, my morning ritual has taken on new meaning.

Running is not only a time to reflect on my family, church, and job at school, it is a time to think about the ways I can help increase funding to public education, spur economic development, and help put an end to DWI and domestic violence.

My morning runs are my way of staying grounded and reminding myself of  Read More

Udall, Heinrich Call For Swift Action On Border Security Concerns In New Mexico’s Bootheel

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich urged U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to promptly address border security and safety issues in the Bootheel region of Southern New Mexico.
 
In a letter to CBP Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, Udall and Heinrich called for the agency to provide resources and equipment to help local Border Patrol agents more effectively patrol the region’s vast rugged terrain. 
 
The senators are responding to residents who have raised concerns about border security, particularly in recent
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Espanola Tax Preparer Deborah Quintana Indicted For Tax Fraud And Tax Evasion

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TAX FRAUD News:

SANTA FE – A tax preparer from Espanola has been indicted for filing false tax returns and failing to pay taxes.

Deborah Quintana, 58, was charged with 28 counts of Tax Fraud and eight counts of Attempting to Evade or Defeat Tax, all felonies. These charges carry a maximum sentence of 55.5 years in prison and a $180,000 fine.

Quintana was indicted by a Santa Fe Grand Jury in the First Judicial District of New Mexico.

“With tax season upon us, this case should serve as a reminder to tax professionals across the state; if you cheat the system, you will be held accountable,” said Demesia Padilla, Read More

Study Shows Los Alamos County Offers Big ‘Bang For Buck’ On Property Taxes

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SmartAsset News:

SmartAsset, a New York financial technology company, recently released its second annual study on property taxes.

Los Alamos County ranked number 4 among New Mexico places getting the most ‘Bang for their Buck’ on property taxes, making their second consecutive appearance in the study’s top 5.

In addition to property taxes, the study analyzed the quality of local schools and the local crime rates to see where people were seeing the most value.

To view the full study results, methodology, and interactive map, click here. Read More

Udall Introduces Bill To Simplify Tax Filing

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SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Today, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to introduce the Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2016 to simplify and decrease the costs of the tax filing process for millions of taxpayers in New Mexico and across the country.
 
This year, taxpayers will spend an average of 13 hours preparing and filing their returns, and will pay $200 for tax preparation services — a cost equal to almost 10 percent of the average federal tax refund.
 
The legislation introduced today would direct
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Border Documentarian Diana Molina At Libary Sunday

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Faces of the Border mural. Courtesy photo

Diana Molina

LIBRARY News:

Artist, photographer, and writer Diana Molina has made a life-long study of the borderlands of Mexico, New Mexico and Texas. She brings her observational experiences together in a presentation called “Seven String Barbed Wire Fence” at Mesa Public Library at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 17, in the Upstairs Meeting Rooms. Photos, montages, three-dimensional installation examples, and a short video document the formidable barriers along the border.

Seven strings of barbed wire delineate the boundary between the United States Read More

AlgaStar/BioStim And Los Alamos National Laboratory Renew Research

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Biostim test setup at LANL. Courtesy/AlgaeIndustryMagazine.com

SCIENCE News:

A research team at AlgaStar Inc., a Florida-based biomass R&D cultivation company, reported to the Algae Biomass Summit in 2014 that electromagnetic field (EMF) biostimulation had yielded a 300 percent biomass growth increase and 174 percent increase in lipid oil content in several alga samples over controlled growth conditions.

Part of this research is being carried out by BioStim Inc., AlgaStar’s wholly owned subsidiary located in New Mexico. They are leading a consortium of small businesses as a part Read More