Los Alamos County, NM

Participating in Friday’s ribbon-cutting event for the Canyon Rim Trail Underpass are, from left, Los Alamos County Councilor David Reagor, Councilor Melanee Hand, Public Works Director Juan Rael, Denise Derkacs, Council Chair Randall Ryti and County Engineer Eric Martinez. Also pictured are Alex Sanchez, Larry Lujan, Amelia Sanchez, Shirley Lujan and Hector Sanchez, family members of Desirae Lujan, the Project Manager who passed away before the project was completed. Photo by Vint Miller/Los Alamos County.

When the U.S. Forest Service announced the closures of the Santa Fe, Carson, and much of the Cibola National Forests, I was pleased to see our Senator, Martin Heinrich, offering a different perspective. Understanding the importance of recreational access to public lands to New Mexicans, he asked the Forest Service to reconsider their blanket closures. While he acknowledged the value of certain actions including prohibiting campfires, barbecues, and overnight use, he questioned the need to prohibit all day use in areas like the Sandia foothills next to Albuquerque.

Aspen Elementary School K-Kids Club members with books they collected for the African Library Project. Courtesy photo. Members of the Barranca Mesa Elementary School K-Kids Club with one of the posters they made to thank firefighters at the Cerro Pelado Fire. Courtesy photo. Pinon Elementary School K-Kids Club members collected...

To the Los Alamos County community – I fully understand the disappointment the community is experiencing by not being able to enjoy our wonderful outdoor surroundings due to the Stage 3 closures. While sympathizing with the feelings of loss, as someone who primarily gets all his exercise on the local trails, as the Fire Chief, I need to make sound decisions with public safety coming first. The Los Alamos County closure of our trail system only impacts the trails within the Los Alamos and White Rock townsites, including the interior canyons, like Pueblo and Bayo Canyons. The bulk of all available trails in the area are either Santa Fe National Forest or LANL/DOE owned, and subject to closures by those entities. Almost all the trails in the White Rock area are on DOE property, and the trails in Pajarito Acres are privately held and controlled by the homeowner’s association. You can find this ownership data for all trail areas in the County on the Los Alamos County Assessor website under parcel maps.

As the risk from the Cerro Pelado fire eases with less active fire and more containment, it seems like an appropriate time to recognize the people that got us to this point. First. I will begin by thanking the Los Alamos Fire Department and Wildland Fire Division for their early and continued response to the fire. Chief Hughes and Wildland Chief Sterna lead a well-trained and dedicated group of professionals, and they deserve our appreciation.

During an award ceremony Wednesday in the gymnasium at Los Alamos Middle School, Principal Suzanne Lynn and Vice Principal Andy Ainsworth honor the school’s Athletes of the Year for 2022 in the boys and girls categories from each grade level including, from left, 7th graders Colin Hoch and Camden Shunk and 8th graders Karlicia Salazar and Noah Banks. Photo by Kimberley Bergstrom.

Community members are gathered for Salsa and Cumbia lessons in front of the stage ahead of this evening’s first summer concert of the season at Ashley Pond Park. The Los Alamos Middle School Band performs next followed by opening band Concepto Tambor and at 8 p.m. headliner Nosotros takes the stage. Photo by Ryn Herrmann.

Los Alamos County officials, including Council Chair Randall Ryti, center, Councilor David Reagor, back row, left, Public Works Director Juan Rael, Councilor Denise Derkacs and Deputy Public Works Director Eric Martinez snip the ribbon this afternoon to officially open the Canyon Rim Trail Underpass. County officials were joined by Public Works Senior Engineer Desirae Lujan’s family members. Lujan, who spear-headed the underpass project, died in 2019. In her honor, a memorial bench was installed on the Canyon Rim Trail near the underpass. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com.

From left, Los Alamos Police Det. Michael Weiss, Det. Jemuel Montoya and Cpl. David Boe prepare to lead a group of cyclists this afternoon from the Canyon Rim Trail Underpass to Ashley Pond Park. The ride was part of the County’s Bike to Work Day festivities. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com.

The Los Alamos County Labor Management Relations Board meeting scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 7 has been canceled. Members of the public with questions may call the Human Resources Office at 505.662.8040.

Chamber Director Ryn Herrmann shows off the new thermometer fabricated and generously donated by Hand Precision Machining, Inc. (HPM) to United Way of Northern New Mexico (UWNNM) for its Community Action Fund campaigns. The thermometer is unveiled here at a recent UWNNM event at UNM-LA and is now on display at Metzger’s in Los Alamos. During the campaign the thermometer will move to various locations around town. Courtesy photo.

Fourth graders from Barranca Elementary, Chamisa Elementary and Online Academy learn Thursday afternoon about how the Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities operates water and gets a nice, refreshing cool down in the process! The demonstration, led by DPU Project Manager Clay Moseley, was part of the Water Festival held at Fuller Lodge. DPU sponsors the event and contracts the Pajarito Environmental Education Center to organize it. All Los Alamos Public School fourth graders take part in the festival, which continues today. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com.

Great Basin Team #1 Incident Commander Rich Harvey wears a hat at the morning briefing that says ‘Chief Harvey’ and displays a poster made by Los Alamos Public School students with dozens of message of gratitude to firefighters working on the Cerro Pelado Fire. Photo by Chief Troy Hughes/LAFD.

Aerial view Saturday morning of the Mari Mac Shopping Center where the former Smith’s and other spaces remain empty. Drone shot by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com. Large, vacant commercial properties in Los Alamos have been a topic of conversation for years. How to address these vacant buildings is regularly debated. One...

When the U.S. Forest Service announced the closures of the Santa Fe, Carson, and much of the Cibola National Forests, I was pleased to see our Senator, Martin Heinrich, offering a different perspective. Understanding the importance of recreational access to public lands to New Mexicans, he asked the Forest Service...

Los Alamos County Clerk Naomi Maestas, right, and Elections Manager Victoria Martinez are encouraging voters to come to the Municipal Building to cast their votes. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com. Linda Fox has been working Los Alamos County elections for about 15 years and is a familiar face to the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participated in an Appropriations Subcommittee hearing Wednesday to review the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Submission for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). To watch the video, click here. Download link here. During the hearing, Sen. Heinrich asked Under Secretary for Nuclear Security...

Daily Postcard: Exploring the details close-up of a Red Scarlet Desert Cactus blooming Monday in White Rock is a reminder to take time out of one’s busy schedule to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of life. Photo by Nancy Ann Hibbs. A Red Scarlet Desert Cactus is spotted blooming...

On the job in Los Alamos is birder Judy Magelssen preparing to photograph unusual birds Wednesday in front of the Small Business Development Center on Central Avenue. Magelssen uses an app on her phone to help identify birds within range of the app by their songs. #worklosalamos, #wherediscoveriesaremade. Photo by Jenn Bartram/ladailypost.com.

On the job in Los Alamos is Executive Director Ellen Specter gathering gifts for new clients at First Born Program of Los Alamos (FBPLA). FBPLA is a nonprofit organization that provides parents and primary caregivers with education and support to encourage normal growth and development of happy, healthy babies in positive, nurturing families in Los Alamos County. Services are free and may be requested at any time during pregnancy, at the birth of the baby, or until the baby is two months of age, and continue until the child is five years old, or until the family no longer requests program services. When space is available, families with little ones who are older than 2 months old can join the program. FBPLA is at 190 Central Park Square in the Small Business Development Center. There is room for more families, and the program is looking at expanding in the near future. The FBPLA home visitors are a diverse group and include staff fluent in Spanish, Hindi, Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hebrew. Participants in the program represent speakers of more than 20 languages. The program is relationship‐centered and curriculum‐based. Families receive support, information about pregnancy, early childhood development, health, nutrition and safety and learn fun activities to help build brain development and learning. Through weekly home visits, families identify personal goals, recognize challenges and opportunities for growth and build a healthy, loving, playful relationship with their child. For more information, visit www.firstbornla.org or email welcome@firstbornla.org. #worklosalamos, #wherediscoveriesaremade. Photo by Jenn Bartram/ladailypost.com.