State

Legal Notice of Decision for Travel Management on the Santa Fe National Forest Published

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SFNF News:

Illustration: Map of the Santa Fe National Forest showing the widely separated Ranger Districts. Courtesy/SFNF

SANTA FE—The legal notice of decision, which triggers the appeal period, for travel management on the Santa Fe National Forest was published today, July 6, 2012, in the Albuquerque Journal. The Notice of Availability for the Santa Fe National Forest’s Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for managing motorized travel were also published in the Federal Register today.

The decision makes changes to the forest’s motorized transportation Read More

One Year Later: Udall to Tour Las Conchas & Wallow Fire Sites

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SOCORRO – This week, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall will visit Catron County and Santa Clara Pueblo to examine the destructive long-term effects of last year’s Las Conchasand Wallow fires and their implications for the current record-breaking wildfire season.

Udall will also visit the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA).

Today, July 2, Udall will travel to the JVLA radio telescope facility near Magdalena.

Udall will tour the site with association directors and scientists and travel up into the interior of an antenna.

Udall will then travel to Spur Ranch in Luna where last year’s Wallow Fire crossed Read More

NMSU, NMBC, Beef Industry Experts Host National Beef Academy for Youth at Valles Caldera July 8-13

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VALLES CALDERA News:
Valles Caldera. Photo by Greg Kendall/ladailypost.com
To address the concern that ranching is an aging industry, New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service will host a weeklong applied skills beef academy for youth from across the United States at the Valles Caldera National Preserve in northern New Mexico, July 8-13.

“The average age of the New Mexico rancher is 57,” said Dina Chacon-Reitzel, executive director of the New Mexico Beef Council. “And 97 percent of New Mexico’s ranches are family owned and operated multigenerational outfits.
Read More

Espanola YMCA Teen Center Celebrates Tournament

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FAMILY YMCA News:

Team members gathered with their trophies at the Espanola YMCA Teen Center. Courtesy/Espanola YMCA Teen Center

 

By Gabriel Dion, Program Co-Director
Espanola YMCA Teen Center

The Espanola YMCA Teen Center hosted its fourth annual Str8 Ballin’ Basketball Tournament Saturday, June 16.

The event drew 150 audience members and 44 youth-age participants.

The youth of Espanola were given a chance to shine and that is what we, the Espanola YMCA Teen Center are all about. The teens love it when they have a passion and interest in something whether it’s big or small and are given Read More

No Fireworks Allowed on Santa Fe National Forest

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SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST News:

Forest Supervisor Maria Garcia reminds visitors and campers that the use of fireworks is prohibited on the Santa Fe National Forest.

Fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices are prohibited on national forest lands year-round, regardless of weather conditions or holidays.

Forest visitors also are reminded about the importance of recreating safely and responsibly and to keep in mind the following:

Stage 2 Fire Restrictions Prohibit: Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, or wood stove fire. The use of petroleum-fueled Read More

Hall Weighs in on Supreme Court’s Health Care Decision

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By Rep. Jim Hall
House District 43

I am currently in Washington, D.C., attending a conference for state legislators on Medicaid put on by the non-partisan Council of State Governments.

The primary focus of the conference has been how to address the ongoing, large increases in Medicaid costs on state finances.

Today’s decision by the Supreme Court makes these issues even more timely and important.

The predicted growth in New Mexico Medicaid before the Court’s decision was an increase in New Mexico Medicaid enrollees by between 172,000 and 212,000 at a yearly cost increase of between $350 Read More

LATA Leads List of Top Revenue Companies

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A Los Alamos field crew member from LATA uses a hand auger to collect environmental samples in northern New Mexico. Courtesy/LATA

By Carol A. Clark

A Los Alamos Company stood out among New Mexico’s top high-tech companies recognized last week for their achievements by New Mexico Flying 40, which annually honors the state’s fastest-growing companies.

Los Alamos Technical Associates (LATA), 999 Central Ave., led the list of Top 10 revenue companies for the second consecutive year.

LATA is a technical project management services company with total revenues of $237.8 million in 2011, which Read More

Celebration Marks 1,000th TRU Waste Shipment

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Employees of the Transuranic (TRU) Waste processing facility are joined by local and state officials to celebrate the 1,000th (1,014th) shipment of TRU waste to WIPP. Photo by Greg Kendall/ladailypost.com

By Greg Kendall

New Mexico’s governor and other dignitaries gathered at Los Alamos National Laboratory Tuesday for a special event marking the 1,000th shipment of nuclear waste to a permanent repository at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad.

“I am pleased we continue to make progress on our environmental cleanup commitment to protect this beautiful place where Read More

Hall Prefers Civility of New Mexico Politics

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District 43 Report
By State Representative Jim Hall

This is the fourth report in the series on State House District 43. The district is large, diverse, and filled with active people and events. This report is necessarily brief and only covers a few events. 

First, there is now more background information on the Las Conchas Fire, the science, and proposed policy and technical responses. 

As I mentioned in my special report, one of the major events was the EPSCoR sponsored meeting on “Fire and Water: The Las Conchas Fire.”

The final meeting report is at: (https:////nmfirst.org/_literature_139628/Town_Hall_on_New_Mexico_Fire_and_Water_Final_Report Read More

Luján Named Ranking Member of Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs

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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District announced today that he has been named Ranking Member of the House Natural Resource Committee’s Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs.

Luján, who is serving in his second term, will replace Rep. Dan Boren of Oklahoma as Ranking Member.

“It is an honor to be named to this important position that is critical for the many states that are home to native communities,” Luján said. “As Ranking Member, I look forward to building on my efforts to strengthen an effective government-to-government relationship that respects Read More