April 21, 2010
 Earth Day Ideas from Green$ense for the Home by Eric Corey Freed & Kevin Daum

Do's:

Do fill an empty two-liter soda bottle and place it into the back of your toilet tank.  It saves you half a gallon of water with every flush.

Do swap out your showerheads for ultra low flow (less than 2.5 gallons per minute).  This will save you thousands of gallons of water every year. 

Do install power strips (or simply unplug) devices not in use.  Anything plugged in will suck energy, even when not in use.  These vampire loads are costing you up to 10% of your electricity bill.

Do insulate your hot water heater.  It will save you up to another 10% of energy costs.

Do caulk and weatherize around your windows and exterior doors.  If American households saved 10% of energy used to heat and cool their homes, it would amount to 8.2 billion kW saved, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 1,078,561 passenger vehicles.

If you live in the bottom half portion of the country (south of San Francisco), do install solar hot water heating on your roof.  It is easier and cheaper than you think.

Do install a water filter and skip the bottled water.  Peter Gleick, director of the Pacific Institute, says the true cost of bottled water is “like filling up a quarter of every bottle with oil.”
Do install a clothesline.  Electric dryers eat up 10% of your home electricity.  Skip it and save yourself the money (while saving 2000 pounds of CO2 from going into the atmosphere).

Do recycle and compost.  It's free and has an immediate and direct impact.

Don'ts:

Don't bother with photovoltaic solar panels until you improve the baseline energy efficiency of your home.  Simple and cheap weekend projects will be far easier and more immediate.

Don't bother replacing those old, leaky windows until you can afford to replace them with good energy efficient models.  If every home in the United States replaced their old, leaky windows, it would conserve enough energy to heat and cool 26.7 million homes a year. That is the equivalent of taking more than 323,000 cars off the road.

 Don't trade in your perfectly good, working car for a hybrid.  Instead keep the tires inflated, filters clean and drive more conservatively.  Hyper-miling (the practice of driving to save fuel) works with any car.

Don't turn on the air conditioner except on the hottest days.  Install (and use) and whole house or single room ceiling fans instead.

Don't purchase a new refrigerator or dryer until you pick out models with a high EnergyStar rating.  On average, any standard appliance you upgrade to an Energy Star model will reduce its energy use by 30%. For example, the refrigerator is the largest single energy user in your home. By replacing a 1990 or older model with a new Energy Star model, you’ll save enough electricity to light your home for four months.

Don't leave the flue to your fireplace open!

Don't replace your roof with asphalt shingles.  Even white asphalt shingles still overheat the roof.  Use recycled and light colored roofing instead.

Don't throwaway an existing (but perfectly usable) material just to replace it with a "green" one.

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April 19,2010
AS Horner, Inc. will begin installation of a temporary traffic signal at the Diamond/Sandia/Orange intersection, requiring shoulder work and right lane closures. Preparations for establishing the work zone will also begin and will include removal of current pavement markings and placing temporary pavement markings for the northbound and southbound detours.
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April 15,2010
Garett Williams has been hired as the new head football coach for Los Alamos High School.  For the past two years he has worked with the Los Alamos football.  In 2008-2009 he served as an assistant coach with the C Team and this past year worked as an assistant coach with the Varsity team as a linebacker, running back and special teams coach.  He  is also an assistant track coach with the boys program. Williams  is also a Middle School Science Teacher for Los Alamos Public Schools.
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April 14,2010
The FAA has issued KRSN AM 1490 a report of no hazard to put an antenna near the middle school. It is a reversal of an initial decision made 7 months  ago and  is a reply to appeal we sent in 5 months ago.  Apparently staffing changes at the FAA caused the delay of the review.
This gives KRSN a chance to return the antenna to the area very close to where it used to be.
Negotiations have begun with Los Alamos Public Schools to rent the land allowing us to build a new antenna and creating a new revenue stream for the schools.
We hope to create a win win situation for us and the schools.  And then you can hear us all over the town site.Feel free to express your support to the Los Alamos Schools administration.  If you want to know more stop by our studios.
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April 13, 2010
 For decades Los Alamos citizens have been selling and buying personal vehicles from the county-owned lot on Diamond Drive just north of Trinity, otherwise known as the “Lemon Lot.”  With the beginning of phase IV work on Diamond Drive, the Lemon Lot will be moving to make room for the County’s contractor to stage equipment for the two year road project.  The Lemon Lot will temporarily relocate to the recently abandoned County Annex Building site at 901 Trinity Drive.  Spaces at the new location will become available on April 19 and will accommodate 25 cars/trucks, three motorcycles, and two recreational vehicles.  Citizens can reserve permits now by calling the 311 Customer Care Center at 311, 505-662-8333 or visit the Customer Care Center’s new location at 150 Central Park Square, Los Alamos 
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April 9, 2010
San Ildefonso Pueblo has received more than $1 million in stimulus money to expand wireless services in the Española and Pojoaque valleys.  The San Ildefonso Pueblo Enterprise Corporation plans to use the $1.2 million in stimulus grant and loan money to install four cell towers powered by solar panels, plus buy the networking equipment to serve an additional 2,405 homes through Tewa Communications.The four new towers will go in locations within the pueblo's boundaries at sites approved by the San Ildefonso Pueblo Council, of which Peña is a third-term member. The service will be available to pueblo and nonpueblo residents in Nambé Pueblo, Pojoaque Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo, La Mesilla, El Rancho and Cuyamungue.
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April 8, 2010
Bandelier National Monument is burning piles of mechanically thinned vegetation along State Highway 4 from Ponderosa Campground to the Apache Springs Trailhead  today. Smoke should not be heavy, but depending on weather conditions, may be seen throughout the spring from nearby Los Alamos and Jemez Mountains communities,” “Travelers on Highway 4 are urged to use caution when driving near the work areas. They should watch for pockets of smoke and for Bandelier staff working near the road.
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April 7, 2010
 A planned power outage will affect residential utilities customers south of Trinity Drive in the Oppenheimer/Loma Vista neighborhood on Saturday from 11‐12 p.m. according to officials at the Los Alamos Dept. of Public Utilities. Five commercial customers in the area will be affected by the planned power outage from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday and have been notified individually. The outage will enable inclusion of the commercial customers on the new Downtown Circuit 17 while renewing the aged electric infrastructure in the overall area. Door hanger notifications will be distributed to ensure each customer’s notification. The project is a component of the DPU’s multi‐year Electric Grid Upgrade & Renewal initiative.
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April 6, 2010
Community Services Director Stephani Johnson outlined plans regarding the County’s interim management of The Art Center at Fuller Lodge. The agreement with the County’s contractor, a Board of Directors also known as The Art Center at Fuller Lodge, was terminated last week with an effective date of April 3, 2010, but the Center was closed by the ACFL immediately following the County’s announcement on March 25^th. The County had already selected a new contractor, Village Arts, who will take over operations in July. Johnson said she has made arrangements for a temporary, paid position to hire Chris Ward to assist with operations during this interim period.  Ms. Ward was a previous director of the Art Center from 2000 to 2004 and is a local resident.  The Center will be closed this week so that the County staff and volunteers can perform a comprehensive inventory of physical resources. The Center will re-open to the public on Monday, April 12^th.  This includes the related art gallery that is part of the Center and popular with residents and tourists. The County, with the assistance of Ms. Ward and volunteers, has contacted consignment artists to offer their work for sale. 
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April 1, 2010
U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall announced that Questa Independent Schools will receive $8.6 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the Land of Enchantment Teacher Quality Partnership.  The grant will fund 50 special education teachers and 50 principals over the next five years in the Chama Valley, Dulce, Cuba, Jemez Mountain, Mesa Vista, Questa, Peñasco and Kirtland Central Consolidated school districts.  The Land of Enchantment Teacher Quality Partnership will use this funding to support a special education teacher residency program, which will recruit recent college graduates who will be paired with a special education mentor in the classroom.  The grant will also allow the schools to develop and implement a school leadership program to prepare candidates for careers as principals and superintendents.  The funding will allow teachers in the districts to take a one year leave from teaching and explore an administrative internship.
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March 25, 21010
Community Services Director Stephani Johnson announced this morning that the County has terminated its contract with The Art Center at Fuller Lodge. Under the current contract, the County has the option to terminate with or without cause, provided that the Center is given 10 days notice. The letter of termination was issued yesterday afternoon and the contract will end April 3, 2010.
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March 24, 2010
Governor Bill Richardson vetoed the food tax today in the final legislative action of his two terms as governor. Governor Richardson made good on a campaign promise when he led the charge in 2004 to eliminate the tax on food. The Senate insisted on including a partial reinstatement of the food tax as part of a larger revenue bill passed during the recent special session. Governor Richardson signed the revenue package, but line-item vetoed the tax on food. In addition to his action on the revenue bill (Senate Bill 10) Governor Richardson also signed two other pieces of the budget-balancing package passed during the special session.Budget (House Bill 2) – Governor Richardson signed the budget bill, which includes language that gives the Governor the authority to make additional spending cuts across state government. The Governor will exercise that option if cash reserves decline as a result of the food tax veto. The Governor is also prepared to use $20 million in stimulus money to balance the budget.Cigarette Tax (House Bill 3) – Governor Richardson signed a bill that increases the tax on cigarettes by 75 cents per pack. Because the bill was intended to raise revenue to balance the budget, the Governor vetoed earmarks that would have diverted $13.3 million from the tax for other purposes. The veto means the money will go to the General Fund, to help bolster reserves. The Governor also vetoed language that would have ended the tax after four years. Because the tax is meant to deter young from smoking, the sunset provision is not necessary.
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March 22, 2010
Los Alamos County Council will hear a proposed drinking water rate increase at its March 23^rd council meeting.  Water bills have two components, the commodity rate and a monthly meter charge.  The Department of Public Utilities will recommend an increase to both.   It has been more than ten years since drinking water rates were last changed in Los Alamos.  At that time the commodity rate was reduced from $4.32 per thousand gallons to the current rate of $3.72 per thousand gallons.  This Tuesday councilors will consider a proposed ordinance to raise the commodity rate to $3.95 per thousand gallons and raise the monthly service charge per meter.  The public hearing is Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. in the Community Building . Copies of the ordinance can be found on-line at www.losalamosnm.us/utilities or at the Mesa and White Rock libraries, or the 311 Customer Care Center at its new location, 150 Central Park Square.
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March 17, 2010
The Española Ranger District seeks public comment on a proposal to restore the Los Alamos Canyon Dam and Reservoir.  These repairs are needed to meet New Mexico State dam safety  regulations while preserving existing uses for water supply and recreation.  The 30-day comment period begins March 17, 2010.  The proposal would permit Los Alamos County to repair the “high hazard” Los Alamos Canyon Dam and Reservoir located on National Forest System lands administered by the Espanola Ranger District, Santa Fe National Forest, near Los Alamos, New Mexico.  A document describing the proposal and a no-action alternative has been sent to interested people, organizations and governments, and has been posted on the Forest website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/.  A copy may also be obtained at the district office, 1710 N. Riverside Dr., Espanola, NM. 
 Improvements would include re-contouring the reservoir-side and downstream dam faces, removing concrete on the dam face, dredging up to 6,000 cubic yards of native fill, rebuilding a gate tower, and installing a 55-foot steel bridge to connect the dam and gate tower.   Hauling material, such as gravel, sand and concrete, would occur using local roads, including East Jemez Road, Diamond Drive, and West Road.  A No-Action Alternative was also evaluated that would not authorize the special use permit for repairs and improvements.
 Details of the proposal can be found in the comment document, which will lead to an environmental assessment that will provide the basis to decide whether to issue the permit or not.  For more information about the project, contact Donald Serrano at the Española Ranger District.
Commenter's should provide their name, mailing address, title of the project, substantive comments on the proposed action and supporting reasons the ranger should consider in his decision, and signature.  They can be mailed to District Ranger, Espanola Ranger District, PO Box 3307, Española, NM 87533; delivered in person at the ranger office (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays) or faxed to (505) 753-9411, attn: Sandy Hurlocker. E-mailed comments should be submitted to comments-southwestern-santafe-espanola@fs.fed.us.  Please send either email message, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf) or Word (.doc) only with identifiable name or scanned signature.
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March 15,2010
 San Ildefonso Pueblo is receiving $783,000 to improve its drinking water treatment facilities and the distribution system for Pajarito Village and Battleship Mesa. U.S. Sen. Tom Udall says the money also will go to upgrade the drinking water system in the Main Village and Black Mesa. The project will include reducing arsenic in drinking water.

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March 10, 2010
THE TOPPER BASKETBALL SEASONS ARE OVER. THE GIRL’S LOST THERE QUARTERFINAL GAME YESTERDAY AND THE BOY’S LOST THEIR QUARTER FINAL GAME TODAY.  KRSN AM 1490 HAS ENJOYED BRING YOU LOS ALAMOS HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS.  THIS WILL BE THE LAST SEASON OF THESE BROADCASTS UNLESS KRSN SUCCEEDS IN OBTAINING A NEW ANTENNA.  LOS ALAMOS COUNTY IS THE ONLY ENTITY THAT OWNS ENOUGH VACANT LAND IN THE TOWN FOR AN ANTENNA TO BE BUILT THAT SATIFYS THE FCC, LANL, AND THE FAA. THEY DO NOT FEEL LIKE RENTING US LAND TO BUILD AN ANTENNA.  THE DEADLINE FROM THE FCC TO HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE IS AUGUST 3.  IF THIS DEADLINE IS NOT MET KRSN WILL CEASE TO EXIST.  PLEASE EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT FOR KRSN TO REMAIN A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY BY TALKING TO THE COUNTY COUNCILORS AND TONY MORTILLARO OUR COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR.
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March 4,2010
A Pojoaque High School graduate was nominated to become New Mexico's next U.S. attorney. Career prosecutor Kenneth J. Gonzales, has worked in the U.S. Attorney's Las Cruces office in recent years and  the U.S. Attorney's Office since 1999.
Gonzales' nomination was announced jointly by New Mexico's U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall.  Bingaman and Udall interviewed all candidates who expressed interest in the U.S. attorney position and sent a short list to the White House for consideration. Gonzales received his Bachelor of Arts and law degrees from The University of New Mexico.
He also served as a judicial law clerk to a chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court, and was a legislative assistant to Bingaman on criminal justice, Indian affairs and other issues. He has also been a judge advocate in the U.S. Army.
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March 3,2010
Two teams of researchers—including Los Alamos National Laboratory theoretical biologists Bette Korber, Will Fischer, Sydeaka Watson, and James Szinger—have announced an HIV vaccination strategy that has been shown to expand the breadth and depth of immune responses in rhesus monkeys. Rhesus monkeys provide the best animal model currently available for testing HIV vaccines.
The research appeared in two back-to-back articles in Nature Medicine this week, and outlines a strategy, called “mosaic vaccines,” for reducing the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
HIV is an extremely variable virus. One of the most daunting challenges for developing an effective HIV vaccine is designing one that stimulates immune responses that will protect an individual from the highly diverse spectrum of strains of the circulating virus. The mosaic vaccine design uses computational methods developed at Los Alamos to create small sets of highly variable artificial viral proteins. These proteins, in combination, provide nearly optimal coverage of the diverse forms of HIV circulating in the world today.
In one of the two papers, Dr. Dan Barouch of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard University reported very promising results when HIV mosaic vaccines were embedded in specialized vectors—organisms that transmit pathogens to a host—that were designed in his laboratory specifically to make strong “Killer T cell” responses. Killer T cells enable our immune system to recognize and kill virally infected cells, and they help clear or contain viral infections.
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March 1, 2010
 THE VARSITY HOCKEY WENT TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND.  IT WAS A DOUBLE ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT WITH THE PURE TEAMS IN ONE DIVISION AND THE COMPOSITE TEAMS IN THE OTHER.  PURE TEAMS CONSIST OF PLAYERS ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND THE NAMED HIGH SCHOOL.  COMPOSITE TEAMS CONSIST OF PLAYERS FROM SCHOOLS THAT ARE UNABLE TO FORM PURE TEAMS.  FRIDAY NIGHT THE TOPPERS BEAT ELDORADO 5 TO 1.  SATURDAY MORNING  LOS ALAMOS LOST TO TAOS IN OVERTIME 3 TO 2.  THEY PLAYED AGAIN LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND BEAT LA CUEVA 4-2.  SUNDAY MORNING THEY PLAYED TAOS AND BEAT THEM 3-1.  THAT MEANT THE TOPPERS HAD BEAT TAOS ONCE AND TAOS HAD BEAT THE TOPPERS ONCE SO THEY MET AGAIN ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.  THE TOPPERS BEAT TAOS  IN THAT FINAL GAME   BY THE SCORE OF 4-1 TO BECOME THE PURE TEAM STATE CHAMPIONS. IT IS THEIR FIRST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE 2001.  
THEY THEN PLAYED A NIGHT CAP KING OF THE HILL GAME IN WHICH LOS ALAMOS LOST TO THE SANTA FE BLUE JACKETS .

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February 27,2010
Last night the girls varsity basketball team played Espanola for the district 2 championship.  We lost by the score of 54 to 38.After the game the  District 2 all star team was announced as was the district 2 coach of the year award. Our own Tara Logan was named District 2 Coach of the Year. Shelby Courtright, Taylor Ealee, and Tyree Richins were named to the first string. Sara Worland made 2nd string. Jenny Tumas and Gina Rosavich were given honorable mentions.  the team will most likely be invited to the state tournament and we will learn the details on Monday. 
Last night was the opening round of the state hockey tournament.  Los Alamos beat Eldorado 5-1.  Our next game is today at 10:15.  We will be playing Taos.  KRSN AM 1490 will be bringing you that game live.
Also tonight the boys varsity basketball team will be playing Espanola in Espanola for the Disrtict 2 Championship at 7pm.  We will bring you this game live beginning about 6:50 pm.
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February 25, 2010
NJROTC cadets traveled down to Albuquerque and competed against 15 other schools at the Rio Ranch Color Guard and Academic Competition and left with 11 trophies of which six were 1st place, four were 2nd place, and one was 3rd place. Overall, the cadets won the Sweepstakes competition and the drill meet. It is a credit to the way these teenagers are able to prepare for and focus on a task at hand. The next competition for the drill teams will be at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on April 9th. Wish them luck!
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February 24, 2010
Chevron will redevelop a portion of the tailings site from its molybdenum mine in Questa, which has been in use for more than a century.  This project will allow for exploration of new uses for mining brownfields while producing approximately one megawatt of solar power to be sold locally and connected to the Kit Carson Rural Electric Cooperative. The facility will include approximately 175 solar panels on about 20 acres of the Questa Mine’s tailings site. The project will be implemented in conjunction with an evaluation of various soil cover depths for closure of the tailing facility at the end of mining operations.
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February 23, 2010
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has awarded a contract for $799,828 to Southwest Interface Solutions of Belen, New Mexico to remove Salt Cedar plants from almost 2,300 acres of Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The project began in January and is expected to be complete in December 2010.   Salt Cedar, a non-native species originally brought to New Mexico for its erosion control properties, has become a nuisance with its rapid growth rate, high water use and outcompetion of native vegetation. The Salt Cedar Species also raises the salinity level of local water and soil and provides little in terms of habitat or food for wildlife. An Environmental Assessment that outlined proposed options for combating Salt Cedar infestation pointed to extraction of 1,500 acres and herbicide treatment of 980 more. Southwest Interface Solutions is contracted to complete the assignment with a minimum of disturbance to wildlife at the Pecos River facility.
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February 19, 2010
The Hilltopper hockey varsity team completes its regular season play this weekend.  They will play their final home game against the Cibola Cougars Friday night at 7PM and then the Albuquerque Outkast on Sunday.  The Toppers have lost to both of these teams this season and hope to rebound. Friday night is designated as Senior Appreciation Night and will begin with a brief recognition ceremony for the graduating seniors and their parents.  The graduating seniors from both Varsity and JV teams are Andre Appert, Kyle Barich-Mooday, Oliver Funsten, Neel Gupta, Ryan Hopper, Ryan Locke, Marina Meneakis, Colton Pope, Patrick Raichur, Cameron Ranken, Justin Trujillo, and Matt Xu.  This is the second year in a row that the team has lost roughly half of its team to graduation. The Toppers final regular season game, against the Albuquerque Outkast  is on Sunday at 11:30AM at Albuquerque's Outpost Arena.  We will bring you that game live from Albuquerque here on KRSN AM 1490 and on the net KRSNAM 1490.COM
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February 16, 2010
Governor Bill Richardson today signed an executive order declaring five New Mexico counties disaster areas as a result of recent snow storms. The Governor has declared  Cibola, McKinley, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and San Juan counties, as well as the Navajo Nation, disasters and has made up to $300,000 in disaster funding available to the affected areas. Counties were hit by a series of winter storms that large amounts of snow, in excess of 4 feet in some areas, causing emergency situations across the region. The severe winter weather made roads impassable and in some areas food had to be brought in by 4x4’s and helicopters
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February 12, 2010
In a seven-week push starting this week, Los Alamos National Laboratory will nearly double its number of weekly shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, NM, Lab officials said today.  The campaign will eliminate LANL’s existing backlog of approximately 1,500 drums of legacy transuranic waste awaiting shipment to WIPP.
The campaign became possible through cooperation across the DOE complex. A mobile loading crew from Oak Ridge National Laboratory will move temporarily to LANL to double the Lab’s loading capacity. The loading facility will move to a seven-day operation, up from the normal five days per week. LANL normally completes four shipments per week to WIPP. During this campaign, that number will increase to seven.
WIPP officials have already notified state agencies and stakeholders along the route to WIPP.
LANL has an estimated 10,000 containers in aboveground storage, awaiting processing and eventual shipment to WIPP. The containers must be removed from LANL’s Technical Area 54 before cleanup can be completed.  Under an agreement with the state of New Mexico, that cleanup must be complete by the end of 2015.
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February 11, 2010
Cyber-security first responders will be put to the test in an upcoming training-and-competition event hosted by Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories. Federal, industry, and New Mexico state computer specialists will meet for a grueling week that combines state-of-the-art training with opportunities to team up, solve relevant cyber problems, and attack one another. In a friendly and collaborative competition, participants will hone their skills against the best in the business.
"Tracer FIRE 2," as the event is titled, will be a collaborative information security training event featuring the skill sets most critical to computer security specialists: malware reverse engineering, computer host forensics, and Internet protocol deobfuscation-all critical skills to protect computer networks and the information they contain from the modern, worldwide cyber attackers that can destroy systems and steal information.
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February 3, 2010
The voting on school funding issues ended yesterday.  The public schools request for the continuation of the tax to help with maintenance on school buildings pass by the vote of 3166 to 2935.  the request for the mil levy funding for UNM-LA was defeated by the vote of 3591to 2576.
The Los Alamos Public Schools extends an enormous THANK YOU to the Los Alamos community for your support!  To all those who voted YES on the referendum, we will do all that we can to ensure that your confidence in our district was well placed.
UNM-LA THANKS THE 2576 VOTERS THAT SUPPORTED THEM.  THEY THANK THE COMMUNITY FOR ALLOWING THEM TO EDUCATION THE PUBLIC ON THE MULTIPLE MISSIONS THAT THEY FULFILL WITH IN THE COMMUNITY .  AND THEY LOOK FORWARD TO THE OPPORTUNITY OF HAVING THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT THEM IN THE FUTURE.
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January 29,2010
The Los Alamos County Council voted last night to approve a site selection committee’s top choice of where to build the new Municipal Building.In a 5-2 vote, council selected the Los Alamos Apartment property located east of the Bradbury Science Museum along Central Avenue downtown.
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January 28, 2010
 In its 25th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Kyle Pittman of Los Alamos High School as its 2009-10 Gatorade New Mexico Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Pittman is the first Gatorade New Mexico Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from Los Alamos High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the racecourse, distinguishes Pittman as New Mexico’s best high school boys cross country runner. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in January,
The senior raced to the Class 4A state championship this past season with a time of 14:59.6, leading the Hilltoppers to second place as a team. Pittman also won the Rio Rancho Jamboree, the University of New Mexico Lobo Invitational and the Albuquerque Academy Invitational. He capped his season by finishing fourth at the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional championships, then taking 26th at the NXN Finals.
Pittman has maintained a 3.74 GPA in the classroom. A member of the school’s Peace and Environmental clubs, he has volunteered locally as a research assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory and shoveling snow for the elderly.
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January 27,2010
As of yesterday 4,276 ballots out of almost 13,000 ballots that had been mailed out have been returned in the school funding election. Ballots are due in the county clerks office by February 2. Look around,  find your ballot and vote.  Express your opinion. It is an American privilege.
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January 25, 2010
The LAGRI petition, designed to have citizens vote on many County capital projects and land transfers, was rejected by Council in a special meeting Saturday..
The Council voted to not adopt either resolution and voted to have the issues referred to the Charter Review Committee for priority consideration. The vote on each resolution was 5-2 (Chiravelle and Bowman voting no).
The reasoning behind the rejection is as follows.
The petition illegally joined two (or more) separate propositions as one proposed amendment to the Charter, and, thus, is invalid to submit to the voters at an election. The two propositions are voter approval on certain capital projects and voter approval of specific actions affecting public lands. If the question whether to add Section 705 is presented to the voters, a voter cannot vote for, or against, one proposition or subject matter without voting for, or against, the other. This practice is called "logrolling". If a special election is called to consider Amendment 705 proposed by the petitioners, County voters will be faced with an impossible situation.If a voter agrees with the proposition of requiring an annual election on capital projects but disagrees with the electorate voting on every major change in the use of public land at the annual election, he or she cannot separate the question on the ballot-the vote is For or Against the Charter amendment which contains both propositions.
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January 22, 2010
Due to the severity of the storm that is supposed to hit us this afternoon, the decision has been made to cancel ALL school activities for the weekend, the science fair has been re-scheduled to next weekend, the 29 and 30th same times and locations.
- ALL Athletic Events & Practices plus school-sponsored clubs and activities are canceled for Friday 1/22 & Saturday 1/23. 
- NJROTC Military Ball has been canceled for 1/23 and will be rescheduled.
- The SAT test scheduled for Saturday WILL take place as our test site serves Northern New Mexico. If a student cannot make Saturday’s test, it is up to that student to call College Boards to reschedule.

THE DOABLE EVANGELISM SEMINAR THAT WAS GOING TO BE HELD AT THE UNITED CHURCH TOMORROW HAS BEEN CANCELLED
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January 21,2010
LAPS Broadcast E-Alert: Atomic City Transit Cannot Run Buses at 12:30 on 1/21 They do not have enough drivers.
LAPS Broadcast E-Alert: ALL Schools Will Dismiss at 12:30PM Today 1/21/10 - Absolutely ALL activities, practices, and meetings are cancelled.
- The LAPS Youth At Risk Summit has been cancelled and will be rescheduled
- Friday, January 22nd, 2010 - All LAPS schools will be on a 2 hr. delay with a possible closing.
If the schools close on Friday, January 22nd,  the Los Alamos County Science Fair will be postponed until January 29th & 30th. Same times and locations.

Bandelier is closed.
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January 19,2010
The Municipal, Magistrate and District Courts  moved into the new Justice Center yesterday.They will be open for business today  and the new courtrooms will be scheduled accordingly. Signs will be posted at their former locations re-directing visitors to the new Justice Center. Once inside the Center, visitors should follow temporary directional signs to the new courtrooms or office located on the first or second floors.
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January 15,2010
Los Alamos National Laboratory will play a key role in helping develop advanced biofuels for transportation, thanks to funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. As a partner in two separate funding awards announced this week by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, LANL will partner with businesses, nonprofit organizations, universities, and other national laboratories to create a proof-of-concept system for commercializing algae-based biofuels or other advanced biofuels that can be transported and sold using the nation’s existing fueling infrastructure. LANL will be awarded some $12 million from both projects., Los Alamos researchers will enhance techniques for harvesting and concentrating lipids from algae in an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly manner using the Los Alamos Acoustic Flow Cytometer, a 2007 R&D 100 Award-winning technology. Los Alamos researchers will also capitalize on the Laboratory’s chemistry expertise to design or use unique catalysts to selectively and effectively slice through chemical bonds in biomass materials to extract the energy-rich portions of those materials in a safe, cost-effective manner.
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January 14,2010
Demolition of the former White Rock Fire Station 3 on Rover Boulevard is expected to get underway next week. The contractor, Paul Parker Construction, is currently working on asbestos abatement. This portion of the project must be accomplished using certified contractors who are required to prevent any airborne release through redundant measures. These activities should cause little disruption and be fairly transparent to the general public. Air monitoring stations will operate during abatement as a safety precaution, but no air quality issues are anticipated. The site will be fenced for safety and security and work will be contained within this area. When actual demolition begins next week, motorists traveling on Rover Boulevard may see large equipment working. Waste will be hauled away in large trucks turning north onto Rover then east on SR 4 as they drive to the truck route to access the Los Alamos Eco Station for disposal
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January 11, 2010
If you are wondering where the ducks from the pond went. Thirteen of 15 ducks* and all 3 geese were temporarily relocated  from Ashley Pond Park to the former Animal Shelter, after the fountain at Ashley Pond began freezing over this week. The ducks and geese rely upon the fountain to maintain a circle of water in the middle of the pond where they can safely escape predators such as coyotes. Below normal temperatures across New Mexico led to ice freezing at the fountain, putting the ducks in danger and the need for a new shelter on a temporary basis. Special thanks go out today to the "Duck Buddies" - local volunteers who gathered up the ducks and geese and transported them safely to the former Animal Shelter. *It should be noted that the remaining two ducks not captured had been observed as being able to fly, and thus they should be able to fly away from any predator.
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January 9, 2010
This afternoon, Approximately 950 residences in the Western area and portions of downtown were without power for approximately two hours in the afternoon of Saturday, January 9^th.  The Department of Public Utilities reports that linemen were deployed and were able to restore power by 4:30 p.m.THIS POWER OUTAGE DID CAUSE THE CANCELLATION OF THE GIRL’S VARSITY BASKETBALL GAME WHICH WAS SUPPOSE TO BEGIN AT 2:00 PM BUT WAS RUNNING LATE WITH AT START TIME OF ABOUT 2:30.  THEY WAITED UNTIL 3:30 BEFORE CANCELLING THE GAME. THE ST PIUS JV BEAT THE TOPPERS JV BY THREE POINTS
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January 8, 2010
All Atomic City Transit fixed routes, including After-School Routes, will NOT run on Friday, January 8th, 2010. Providing safe passage for every rider on Atomic City Transit is  top priority. The accident on November 18^th resulting  in  death was first time that this type of situation has occurred since Atomic City Transit began operations in October 2007. At the conclusion of the accident investigation, we have chosen to move away from the flagging system to designated bus stops for all Atomic City Transit operations. Bus stops will go into effect this coming Monday, January 11^th, 2010.  Locations of the new bus stops will be posted on the website, www.atomiccitytransit.com, by Sunday evening, January, 10^th, 2010.  Crews will be working throughout the weekend to establish bus stops along each of the routes.We will continue to review and evaluate our current policies and procedures to ensure the best possible care and safety of our riders. We take public outreach efforts about bus safety seriously. We will continue to work with the local schools and parents on educating our children about bus safety.
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January 6, 2010
Twelve employees from the Los Alamos National Laboratory claimed a $200,000 Powerball^® prize Tuesday after a co-worker announced their good fortune in a three-page PowerPoint presentation earlier in the day. The employees − 11 engineers and their administrative assistant – chipped in so that Sean Monahan could purchase 10 wagers for the Jan. 2 drawing.  Monahan discovered the $200,000 prize Monday night when he checked the ticket for winning numbers.  The ticket’s last wager matched the winning numbers of 3, 7, 23, 27 and 42.  Deciding it was too late in the evening to call anyone, Monahan drove the safe to work Tuesday and brought his unsuspecting co-workers into a conference room where he projected his PowerPoint announcement.  The news brought mostly whoops and hollers, but one thought it was a practical joke.
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More than one million spectators lining Colorado Blvd. and millions more watching around the world were treated to the antics of Academy-Award®-winning Pepé Le Pew and Penelope Pussycat. The Grand Marshal’s Trophy is given “for excellence in creative concept and design” and is one of the top three awards given each year. It is also New Mexico’s third award in as many years. Last year, the state’s float featuring Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote won the Bob Hope Humor Award, given to the float that is considered by the judges to be the “most comical and amusing.” Today is the fourth time in the past five years that New Mexico was represented by a float in the Tournament of Roses® Parade.  The float was once again designed by award-winning float designer Raul Rodriguez and built by Fiesta Parade Floats of Pasadena, Calif. under contract with the Tourism Department.