OP/ED

Lentini: City Managers Are Not Elected Officials

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By CYNTHIA P. LENTINI
Española Resident/Community Activist

The Unsheltered Committee of the City of Española met Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. It’s sad when City representatives spend more time in denials and retaliation than on the business at hand: What to do for the unsheltered in the community.

The highlights of the meeting were not presentations of data, facts, reasonable arguments, and planning. Instead, the meeting spent an inordinate amount of time complaining about the alleged BS of social media and the City Manager’s verbal attacks against City Councilor Samuel LeDoux. Sitting back Read More

Skolnik: What ‘Else’ We Need In Our Elected Officials

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By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock

I thank Kevin Holsapple for his recent letter: “What I Wish For in Our County Councilors” (link).

All of the points Mr. Holsapple raised are fundamental.

However, they are not sufficient to ensure effective public service. For this, we need people who possess one additional trait:

The ability to focus unrelentingly on solving problems, in sustainable, cost-effective, and fair ways, despite the constraints to doing so.

This is in stark contrast, of course, to people who focus on telling us, often over and over again, “why problems can’t be solved”.

As someone who Read More

Holsapple: What I Wish For In Our County Councilors

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By KEVIN HOLSAPPLE
Los Alamos

With an election coming up, I am thinking about who to vote for, for the open County Council seats. I encourage every voter to have some criteria in mind when choosing who to vote for. It isn’t clear to me how the available candidates (or our current Councilors) match up to what I wish for in our County Council, but I would sure welcome hearing from them all on the following criteria as I decide who to vote for and talk to other people who ask what I think. All of the current councilors and candidates are good, nice, community-minded people who mean well, but voting for friends Read More

Mead: Our Election System Is Biased

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By WILLIAM C. MEAD
Los Alamos

The 2024 Presidential election is a critical one in the life of our country, for several reasons: the outcome will lead to considerable chaos and possibly violence, no matter who wins. For example, if Trump wins, he has promised mass deportations of illegal aliens and severe punishments for election workers that he considers to have “cheated”. If Harris wins, Trump has already planted seeds for contesting the election and his rhetoric might inspire violence from “MAGA” supporters—possibly worse than January 6th.

Sadly, this election will occur under the rules Read More

Werley: Legality Of Feeding Deer In Los Alamos

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By Dr. Ken Werley
Los Alamos

To: State Representative Christine Chandler, Los Alamos Daily Post, and NM Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF),

Re: feeding deer in Los Alamos:

BACKGROUND:

I have lived at my residence for 40 years.  For 25 years, when I notice an interested deer, I have fed it a small cup of birdseed that takes a deer 2-3 minutes of their day to consume. My house backs onto the golf course and it has the only unfenced yard on the east side of 35th St on my block. Some deer daily pass though my yard on the way between the golf course and the many fruit trees across the street (and to get to the canyon Read More

DeVolder: Reducing Plastics In Environment – Part II

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By MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

Reference: US Environmental Protection Agency (link).

I am trying to determine if plastic bags and containers are friend or foe.

When I was growing up, my lunch sandwiches were typically wrapped in waxed paper. Sometimes the bread dried out. However, even a dried-out sandwich was a treat for a hungry kid like me. Image the thrill when plastic sandwich bags came on the market and my sandwiches stayed nice and fresh.

As time went on, plastic containers and bags supplanted metal, glass and paper containers. I thought this was an improvement because metal containers got Read More

Op/Ed: Response To Mr. Hanson On Draft Climate Action Plan

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By BARBARA SMITH
Los Alamos

I was reading Mr. David Hanson’s Op-Ed published July 14 in the Los Alamos Daily Post (link) and would like to comment and dissect his points. As Mr. Hanson pointed out, we should all read and put forth our comments to the County Council on the CAP document before August 6 when it is presented to the Council. Otherwise it will be forced upon us whether we like it or not.

(1) “The focus of the plan on CO2 tracking and reduction will provide no benefit to Los Alamos residents unless the rest of the world participates with us. It distracts our attention and consumes funding that could Read More

Op-Ed: Homage To Educators

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By MARVIN BLAIR
Los Alamos

As we approach the first week of school, we must pause and recognize the educators, assistants, custodians, and administrators who wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to caring for our children. While we go about our daily routines—it is work, errands, rest, or family responsibilities—they tirelessly nurture young minds. Teaching children gratitude and appreciation is a precious gift that transcends ethnicity, values, gender, and socioeconomic status. Although we often hear about combating racism, promoting justice, and ensuring equity, we sometimes Read More

Reconductoring Is Solution To Los Alamos Energy Needs

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By JOHN BUCHSER
Chair
Northern Group of Sierra Club
Rio Grande Chapter

Over the last 10 years, new designs of wire for high voltage power lines have resulted in an over 85% capacity increase as compared to older wire design. This wire can be used to replace older wire at a cost 50% less than building new power lines.

If both power lines feeding LANL that cross the Rio Grande are reconductored, the total power capacity available to LANL will nearly double, without the disruption of a new power line that adds to the visual clutter across the canyon and traverses across a presently undisturbed section Read More

Op/Ed: A Bit Of History Behind ‘The Boys Of The Pajarito Plateau’

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By LIZ MARTINEAU
Los Alamos

Dear Community,

This week the Art in Public Places Advisory Board is scheduled to discuss a piece of artwork called “The Boys of the Pajarito Plateau.” This community treasures Fuller Lodge, which is one reason I think this subject has generated such interest. (As someone who believes in historic preservation this warms my heart!) However, I want to provide some background information about the Los Alamos Ranch School students and dispel some inaccuracies that I have heard circulating in the community.

  • The subject matter of this painting is a group of Los Alamos Ranch
Read More