OP/ED

Appel: Legislators And Governor Should Fix New Mexico’s Road Crisis

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By PAUL APPEL
President
Asphalt Pavement Association of New Mexico
As often happens, a bill died in the last day of the 2025 session when time ran out and what died just might be our roads. But legislators and the governor have a chance to fix it, make our roads safer, and save thousands of jobs.
In average years, the legislators fund road construction and necessary road maintenance to the tune of $200 million. In this year’s session back earlier this year, there was only a $65 million allocation – for maintenance alone, leaving the state’s road construction and maintenance fund short by $135 million.
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Op-Ed: The Shared Vision Of Jane Goodall And Pope Leo

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By TERRY HANSEN
Milwaukee, WI.

Conservationist Jane Goodall has passed away at age 91. As a United Nations Messenger of Peace, she urged: “You’re supposed to share the planet, and yet species are disappearing. Ecosystems are collapsing. That’s going to affect us.”

More recently, Pope Leo XIV implored: “We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, while despising his creatures. Nor can we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ without participating in his outlook on creation and his care for all that is fragile and wounded.”

Pope Leo and Goodall share deeply rooted values: reverence for life, Read More

Op Ed: Lessons From The Nuclear Age For Today’s ‘Race’ For Artificial Super-Intelligence

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MARK A. MACINNES, Ph.D.
Los Alamos

As a LANL retiree after 37 years of service, my career was focused on biological research and Nuclear Quality Assurance roles. I saw firsthand how competition between nations drove the world to make large investments in nuclear deterrence. Alarmingly, the arms race isn’t over, with more countries pursuing the ‘security’ of atomic weapons.

Today, with the advancement of large-scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) computing, we are experiencing a déjà vu moment. We need to find an alternative approach to the winner-takes-all ‘arms race’ mentality to develop Read More

Op-Ed: Conner Tharp UNM-LA Endorsement

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By Eric Vasquez
Executive Director
Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area

I had the privilege of working with Conner Tharp during her time at the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, where she showed tangible leadership in economic and workforce development.

Conner understands the unique needs of northern New Mexico and has a proven ability to create opportunities that strengthen our communities. Her vision and dedication will serve UNM–Los Alamos well, ensuring students are prepared for both higher education and the local workforce. I fully support her candidacy for the UNM–LA Read More

Op-Ed: New Electricity Rules Are At Odds With Climate Goals

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By NICHOLAS THOMPSON, Ph.D.
R&D Engineer
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos County is implementing two changes to how electricity will be billed. Both of these changes are aimed at reducing the peak grid demand, which is an important goal given how electricity demands are increasing. However, these changes can also result in higher bills for consumers and one of these changes is at odds with the County’s Climate Action Plan.

The first change is known as “Time of Use” rates. The idea here is to reduce demand as much as possible during peak usage times. In general, electricity grids need Read More

Nathan: Why The Health Care Worker Compacts Belong In The Special Session

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By FRED NATHAN
Executive Director
Think New Mexico

When the legislature convenes for a special session starting Oct. 1, it should enact a straightforward reform that will immediately increase access to health care providers in New Mexico: join all the interstate compacts for health care workers.

These interstate compacts are agreements among states to recognize professional licenses issued by the other states participating in the compact. So, for example, a doctor licensed in Colorado could provide their license information to the New Mexico Medical Board and quickly become licensed Read More

Op-Ed By Fr. Theophan Mackey

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By Fr. Theophan Mackey
Saint Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church
Los Alamos

I have been hearing the word “martyr” thrown around broadly and cavalierly in recent days, even by some in my church and vocation. This greatly unsettles me, and I have unfollowed a handful of priests whose words I usually find edifying because of it.

The word “martyr” comes from the Greek for “witness.” But more specifically people are currently using it to denote a Christian martyr. This is problematic.

Now, one can be a Christian, and a martyr for a cause other than Christ. One can be a non-Christian and a martyr for a cause. But Read More

DeVolder: Driver Threats To Pedestrians

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By Mark DeVolder
Los Alamos

Re: Driver Threats to Pedestrians

Recently, my wife and I were walking west on the north side of Central in Los Alamos. Traffic in both directions was heavy.  I noticed that a compact car was trying to make a left-hand turn near Fuller Lodge.  The car had been there for some time, and there were about 5 or 6 cars backed up behind the car.

As I stepped off the sidewalk into the street, the car suddenly came driving directly toward my wife and me. Fortunately, the car stopped in time and we did not get clobbered. The car zoomed off and parked on the west side of Fuller Lodge. Before Read More

Op-Ed By NNSA Field Office Manager Ted Wyka: Plan To Depressurize Waste Containers Is Safe And Rigorously Vetted By Independent Experts

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By TED WYKA
Manager
NNSA Los Alamos Field Office

The success of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s vital national security mission is only possible if operations are conducted safely, with a clear understanding of risk, and a proven plan to mitigate that risk. This applies to everything the lab does, from how it conducts cutting-edge scientific experiments to how it produces plutonium pits. This approach is essential to the safety of our workforce of over 18,000, for our neighbors who surround the site and for the environment. It’s also why the federal agency that governs the lab, the National Read More

Op-Ed: Caja del Rio Power Line Project

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By DEIRDRE MONROE
Santa Fe
Author of Caja trails map

An article in the Santa Fe New Mexican (Aug. 13, 2025) described a USFS “finding of no impact” for a proposed power line that would cross the northern Caja Plateau, linking Los Alamos with an existing electrical substation just off Buckman Road. Since then, I have read several strong statements of opposition. While there certainly is opposition to the project, there is also support. I’d like to provide some food for thought.

The Caja is lovely—beautiful and rugged—but it is a 100,000-acre, working landscape. In my 25 years of exploring this area Read More