 |
|
June
17, 10:35pm
Firefighters continue
suppression efforts on
all three fires. New
containment on fires: Tecolote:
35% , South Fork: 30%
and Red Fern: 94%.
A public meeting for the
residents of Gallinas
Canyon and El Porvenir
is scheduled for
tomorrow, June 18, 2010
at 7 p.m regarding the
Tecolote Wildfire
currently burning
northwest of Las Vegas,
NM. The meeting will be
at the La Placita
Volunteer Fire
Department located in
the Gallinas Canyon.
The meeting will be
hosted by La Placita
Volunteer Fire
Department with Bill Van
Bruggen Type 1 Incident
Management Team and the
Santa National Forest
present to discuss the
Tecolote Fire.
TECOLOTE
FIRE: 751 acres, 35%
contained, 563 personnel
committed to the fire.
Firefighters continued
to construct direct
fireline and to
strengthen and improve
contingency lines to be
used in the event that
burnout operations are
required. Areas within
the existing perimeter
continued to burn off
due to higher
temperatures, low
humidity and gusty
winds. Helicopter
operations were
temporarily suspended
due to gusty winds. All
previously constructed
fireline has held.
Continued hot, dry
weather is forecast for
tomorrow. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/
for more weather
information.
PUBLIC MEETING
PLANNED: A public
meeting for the
residents of Gallinas
Canyon and El Porvenir
is scheduled for
tomorrow, June 18, 2010
at 7 p.m regarding the
Tecolote Wildfire
currently burning
northwest of Las Vegas,
NM. The meeting will be
at the La Placita
Volunteer Fire
Department located in
the Gallinas Canyon.
The meeting will be
hosted by La Placita
Volunteer Fire
Department with Bill Van
Bruggen Type 1 Incident
Management Team and the
Santa National Forest
present to discuss the
Tecolote Fire.
PREPAREDNESS: For
further information on
how to plan and prepare
for wildfires as well as
what to do during and
after a wildfire, visit:
Ready.gov.
For specific wildfire
preparation information,
visit:
http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/wildfires.html
CLOSURE: An
Incident Emergency
Closure to ensure public
and firefighter safety
which will include the
area around the fire as
well as national forest
land including EV Long
Campground; El Porvenir
Campground; day-use
picnic areas; Hermit's
Peak Trail, El Porvenir
Trail and Hollinger
Hiking Trail. Forest
Road (FR) 263, State
Road 65; FR 18 (Mineral
Hill Road) within the
national forest
boundaries are closed to
traffic. There will be
someone posted at forest
boundaries to restrict
access to National
Forest land.
SOUTH FORK
FIRE: 9,791 acres,
30% contained, 500
personnel committed to
the fire. Today crews
continued chipping
operations along the
west control line. Spot
fires that were detected
in the previous
operating period were
mopped-up. Indirect line
improvement continued on
all sections of the fire
perimeter. Contingency
dozer line on the west
line has been started
and will be completed
Friday.
Crews will continue
chipping along west
control line and south
control line tomorrow.
Patrol and mop-up
operations will occur on
the west and north
control lines. Indirect
line improvement will
continue around the fire
perimeter
For the safety of
firefighters and the
public, the Forest
Service continues to
maintain road closures
near the fire area.
Roads affected include
FR 27 on the fire’s
western flank; FR 31,
south of the Abiquiu
Land Grant; and the
section of FR 144 on the
southern containment
line between FR 27 and
FR 31.
Firefighters will
continue to monitor
several internal islands
within the fire boundary
which will continue to
burn, producing smoke
over the next few weeks.
In addition, the New
Mexico Environment and
Health Departments have
issued a smoke advisory
for the South Fork fire
area. The health
advisory affects the
north-central areas of
New Mexico which include
the Jemez Mountains and
the Santa Fe National
Forest. For more
information on air
quality in the South
Fork fire area log in to
http://air.nmenv.state.nm.us/.
RED FERN
FIRE: 103 acres,
94% contained. The Red
Fern fire is now managed
by the Cuba Ranger
District. Fire personnel
continue to mop-up, hold
and improve hand-line.
Full containment is
expected within the next
few days dependent on
weather conditions.
###
June
16, 9pm 2010
FIRES
HOLD
DESPITE
RED
FLAG
CONDITIONS
Here's
tonight's
fire
update.
Smoke
from the
fires
may be
visible
as fire
activity
increases
during
the next
few
days. In
the
evenings,
it’s
common
for
smoke to
settle
into
lower
elevations
and in
drainage
areas.
The
Department
of
Health
recommends
that
sensitive
groups,
such as
the
elderly,
small
children,
or any
individual
with
respiratory
or heart
problems,
leave
the area
until
the
smoke
dissipates
or stay
inside
as much
as
possible.
Citizens
are also
urged
not to
use
swamp
coolers
as they
will
pull the
smoke
inside.
TECOLOTE
FIRE:
717
acres,
25%
contained,
550
personnel
committed
to the
fire. No
growth
was
observed
today
despite
higher
temperatures,
very low
humidity
and
gusty
winds.
Helicopter
operations
were
suspended
for the
afternoon
due to
the high
winds.
All
previously
constructed
fireline
held
against
the Red
Flag
conditions.
Firefighters
continued
direct
attack
on the
fire's
edge as
well as
construction
of
indirect
contingency
fireline.
The fire
weather
forecast
is
calling
for Red
Flag
conditions
to
continue
in the
area
tomorrow,
indicating
the
potential
for high
gusty
winds,
low
relative
humidity
and
warmer
temperatures
for the
region.
Go to
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/
for more
weather
information.
PREPAREDNESS:
For
further
information
on how
to plan
and
prepare
for
wildfires
as well
as what
to do
during
and
after a
wildfire,
visit:
Ready.gov.
For
specific
wildfire
preparation
information,
visit:
http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/wildfires.html
CLOSURE:
An
Incident
Emergency
Closure
to
ensure
public
and
firefighter
safety
which
will
include
the area
around
the fire
as well
as
national
forest
land
including
EV Long
Campground;
El
Porvenir
Campground;
day-use
picnic
areas;
Hermit's
Peak
Trail,
El
Porvenir
Trail
and
Hollinger
Hiking
Trail.
Forest
Road
(FR)
263,
State
Road 65;
FR 18
(Mineral
Hill
Road)
within
the
national
forest
boundaries
are
closed
to
traffic.
There
will be
someone
posted
at
forest
boundaries
to
restrict
access
to
National
Forest
land.
SOUTH
FORK
FIRE:
9,274
acres,
25%
contained,
573
personnel
committed
to the
fire.
Today,
crews
continued
to
improve
the
primitive
road
system
on the
northeast
and
south
sides of
the fire
in
anticipation
of
firing
operations.
Although
seven
spot
fires
were
detected
along
Forest
Road 27
on the
north
and west
sides of
the
fire,
all were
attacked
and
lined by
the
resources
assigned.
Crews
began
mopping
up
fireline
on
Forest
Road 27.
A
contingency
line has
been
planned
for a
portion
of the
northwestern
side of
the
fire.
Tomorrow,
indirect
line
improvement
will
continue
in on
the
east,
west and
south
sides of
the
fire.
Chipping
of red
slash
resulting
from
crews
improving
the road
system
and
mop-up
will
continue
on the
north
and west
sides.
Chipping
will
begin
along
the
south
side of
the fire
when the
equipment
arrives.
Spot
fires
will be
monitored
and
mopped-up
across
the
fire.
Information
Officers
from the
Type 2
Arizona
Central
West
Zone
Incident
Management
Team
will be
present
at the
Rio
Arriba
County
Rodeo,
located
at the
“Event
Center”
on
Friday,
June 18
from
5:00 pm
to 7:00
pm to
share
information
about
the
South
Fork
fire and
answer
the
public’s
questions.
The
Rodeo
Information
Center
will be
located
within
the Rio
Arriba
County
Special
Operations
trailer.
SMOKE:
Smoke
may be
visible
as fire
activity
increases
during
the next
few
days. In
the
evenings,
it’s
common
for
smoke to
settle
into
lower
elevations
and in
drainage
areas.
CLOSURE:
For
the
safety
of
firefighters
and the
public,
the
Forest
Service
announced
closures
of roads
surrounding
the
fire.
Roads
affected
include
FR 27 on
the
fire’s
western
flank;
FR 31,
south of
the
Abiquiu
Land
Grant;
and the
section
of FR
144 on
the
southern
containment
line
between
FR 27
and FR
31.
####June 15,
2010
Beginning
at 2
p.m.
Wednesday
afternoon,
the Los
Alamos
National
Laboratory
and Los
Alamos
County
will
once
again
conduct
siren
testing
at the
Material
Disposal
Area B (MDA
B)
located
along DP
Road.
Regarding
the
siren,
Taylor
wants
the
public
to know
that if
during
the
excavation
process,
a highly
unlikely
but
potentially
serious
event
were to
occur
allowing
a
release
of
contaminated
materials
into the
atmosphere,
that the
purpose
of the
siren is
to alert
folks to
take
some
precautionary
protective
actions.
The
siren
patterns
are as
follows:
• Alert
Tone:
15-second
hi/lo
pattern
followed
by a
“take
shelter
immediately”
voice
message;
•
All-clear
Tone:
15-second
steady
pattern
followed
by a
“resume
normal
activities”
voice
message;
and
•
Monthly
test:
brief
“bell/chimes”
pattern
|
|
June 15, 2010 9pm
CONTINUED PROGRESS MADE
ON SANTA
FE NATIONAL FOREST WILDFIRES
TECOLOTE FIRE: 720 acres,
20% contained, 415 personnel
committed to the fire. Minimal
growth was observed today due to
cooler temperatures and higher
humidity levels. Firefighters
were able to take advantage of
conditions to prepare and
strengthen fireline in
anticipation of Red Flag
Conditions for Wednesday and
Thursday. The weather forecast
is calling for higher winds and
warmer temperatures. Strategies
and resources are in place for
changing weather conditions.
CLOSURE: An Incident
Emergency Closure to ensure
public and firefighter safety
which will include the area
around the fire as well as
national forest land including
EV Long Campground; El Porvenir
Campground; day-use picnic
areas; Hermit's Peak Trail, El
Porvenir Trail and Hollinger
Hiking Trail. Forest Road (FR)
263, State Road 65; FR 18
(Mineral Hill Road) within the
national forest boundaries are
closed to traffic. There
will be someone posted at forest
boundaries to restrict access to
National Forest land.
SOUTH FORK FIRE: 9,274
acres, 25% contained, 564
personnel committed to the fire.
Today, crews continued
constructing fireline and
continued firing operations
along Forest Road 27 on the
north side of the fire.
Utilization of primitive roads
as means of minimizing the fire
area is being implemented within
the northern side of the fire.
Tomorrow, indirect line
improvement on the south end of
the fire will continue.
Chipping of dead and down
hazardous fuels along Forest
Roads 27 and 144 will begin when
equipment arrives.
Information Officers from the
Type 2 Arizona Central West Zone
Incident Management Team will be
present at the Rio Arriba County
Rodeo on Friday, June 18 from
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm to share
information about the South Fork
fire and answer the public’s
questions. The Rodeo Information
Center will be located within
the Rio Arriba County Special
Operations trailer.
CLOSURE: For the safety
of firefighters and the public,
the Forest Service announced
closures of roads surrounding
the fire. Roads affected include
FR 27 on the fire’s western
flank; FR 31, south of the
Abiquiu Land Grant; and the
section of FR 144 on the
southern containment line
between FR 27 and FR 31.
RED FERN FIRE: 103
acres, 90% contained. Today,
fire crews held and strengthened
control lines, and continued
with mop up (extinguishing and
removing burning material near
containment lines and felling
snags) and rehab operations.
The Type 3 Incident Management
Team assigned will transition
the fire back to the Cuba Ranger
District tomorrow at 7 a.m.
June
15, 2010 1:30 pm
SUPPRESSION ACTIONS CONTINUE
ON SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST
FIRES
TECOLOTE FIRE:
696 acres, 10% contained,
415 personnel committed to
the fire. Fire activity was
moderate to active
yesterday. Aerial resources
continue to be utilized and
fire crews are working the
perimeter of the fire
cutting line, and reducing
fuels in the area along
Tecolote Creek. Weather
predictions for Wednesday
and Thursday are calling for
higher winds and warmer
temperatures. Strategies and
resources are in place for
the changing weather
conditions.
A public meeting was held
last night at the United
World College. Bill Van
Bruggen Incident Commander
of the Type 1 Team addressed
concerns of the community
and stated that "we are
selecting tactics that will
give us the highest level of
success while ensuring that
crews and homeowners are
safe".
A second public meeting will
be held tonight June 15 at
7pm at the Cabo Lucero Fire
Department at Mineral Hill
to discuss fire strategies
tactics and address concerns
about the fire.
A mobile fire retardant unit
was positioned yesterday in
Gallinas Canyon off of State
Road 65, to mix retardant to
utilize in the water drops
on this fire. These drops
assist ground crews in
cooling off hot spots.
CLOSURE:
An
Incident
Emergency Closure to ensure
public and firefighter
safety which will include
the area around the fire as
well as national forest land
including EV Long
Campground; El Porvenir
Campground; day-use picnic
areas; Hermit's Peak Trail,
El Porvenir Trail and
Hollinger Hiking Trail.
Forest Road (FR) 263, State
Road 65; FR 18 (Mineral Hill
Road) within the national
forest boundaries are closed
to traffic. There will be
someone posted at forest
boundaries to restrict
access to National Forest
land.
SOUTH FORK FIRE:
5,343 acres, 10% contained,
595 resources committed to
the fire . Firefighting
crews successfully held the
western side of the South
Fork fire on Monday and
began burnout operations on
the northern side.
Today, crews will continue
firing operations along the
northern side. They will
improve firelines along the
western side. Indirect line
construction and improvement
along the southern and
eastern side will also
continue.
Fire officials advise
residents to expect
continued smoke in the area
for the next several days as
fire perimeters are secured.
CLOSURE:
For the safety
of firefighters and the
public, the Forest Service
announced closures of roads
surrounding the fire. Roads
affected include FR 27 on
the fire's western flank; FR
31, south of the Abiquiu
Land Grant; and the section
of FR 144 on the southern
containment line between FR
27 and FR 31.
RED FERN FIRE:
103 acres, 85% contained.
The Type 3 Incident
Management Team assigned to
the fire continues to
demobilize. A transition
back to the Cuba Ranger
District of the Santa Fe
National Forest is scheduled
for tomorrow at 7 a.m.
June
14, 2010; 10:15pm
Firefighters make
moderate gains on fires on
Santa Fe National Forest
Fires
TECOLOTE FIRE:
700 acres. 10% contained. A
Type 1 Incident Management Team
(IMT) is in place. Relatively
cool conditions and low to
moderate fire behavior allowed
crews to construct direct and
indirect line today on the
fire’s south and southeast
flanks. No evacuations have been
ordered; contacts with residents
in Gallinas Canyon and El
Porvenir have been made to
inform them about the
possibility of evacuation should
the fire progress further north.
Fire managers remain concerned
about predictions of hotter,
dryer temperatures later in the
week and potentially more active
fire behavior. Public meeting
tonight at United World College
in Montezuma was attended by
about 30 people; tomorrow’s
morning update will include
meeting highlights. A second
public meeting will be at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, June 15 at the Cabo
Lucero Fire Department in
Mineral Hill. Members of the
Type 1 Incident Management Team
and the Pecos/Las Vegas District
Ranger will be on hand at both
meetings to give a briefing
about the fire and hear public
concerns.
CLOSURE: The Forest
Service is implementing an
Incident Emergency Closure to
ensure public and firefighter
safety which will include the
area around the fire as well as
national forest land including
EV Long Campground; El Porvenir
Campground; day-use picnic
areas; Hermit's Peak Trail, El
Porvenir Trail and Hollinger
Hiking Trail. Forest Road (FR)
263, State Road 65; FR 18
(Mineral Hill Road) within the
national forest boundaries are
closed to traffic. There will
be someone posted at forest
boundaries to restrict access to
National Forest land.
SOUTH FORK FIRE:
5,343 acres, 10% contained.
Type 2 IMT began firing
operations today along Forest
Road 27, completing firing along
2.5 miles of road and holding
the fire on its west flank.
“Firing” or “burning out” is
used to widen a control line by
eliminating unburned fuels
between the control line and an
advancing fire front. Indirect
line construction continued on
the south, east and northern
flanks of the fire. Firing will
continue tomorrow along the
northern flank. Crews are also
preparing line and building
dozer line in advance of firing
to the west along Forest Road 31
and private land. The
southeast flank of the fire is
currently mid-slope on Polvadera
Peak and backing slowly
downslope. A fish rescue in
Polvadera Creek is expected if
conditions allow. Control is
difficult in some areas of the
fire where terrain is steep and
inaccessible with heavy fuels of
mixed conifer. A series of
prescribed burns conducted in
the area by the Espanola Ranger
District of the Santa Fe
National Forest has helped slow
the fire’s spread north. Fire
managers have predicted
containment by June 24 if firing
work can continue without
extreme weather impacts. For
further information, see
www.inciweb.org
and
http://azcw2.imtcenter.net.
CLOSURE: The Forest
Service is implementing an
Incident Emergency Closure to
ensure public and firefighter
safety on Forest Service land
surrounding the South Fork Fire.
Closure boundaries are FR 27,
FR 31 south of the Abiquiu Land
Grant and the portion of FR 144
from the intersection of FR 27
to FR 31.
RED FERN FIRE:
103 acres. 85% contained. The
Type 3 Incident Management Team
is continuing demobilization. On
Tuesday one hot shot crew and
two engines will continue mop up
and containment work, monitoring
for any spots. A transition
back to the Cuba Ranger District
of the Santa Fe National Forest
is scheduled for 7 a.m.
Wednesday June 16.
June 13, 2010; 9:00 PM
Conditions Improve on
Santa Fe National Forest
Fires
TECOLOTE FIRE: 700
acres. 0% contained. Decrease
in fire size is due to more
accurate mapping through Global
Positioning System and the
ability of aerial resources to
fly over the fire today and get
a more accurate size up. Due to
the complexity of this fire, a
Type 1 Incident Management Team
is in place. Weather conditions
improved early in the day
allowing four helicopters to
make water drops throughout the
day. Ground resources were busy
today especially in the northern
and western perimeters of the
fire where it has been most
active. No evacuations have
been ordered although the public
in Gallinas Canyon has been
informed about the fire and are
aware of the possibility of
evacuation should the fire
progress further north. A
public meeting will be held on
June 14 at 7 p.m. at the United
World College on NM 65 in
Montezuma, 2.5 miles north of
Las Vegas. A public meeting will
also be held on June 15 at 7
p.m. at the Cabo Lucero Fire
Department in Mineral Hill.
Members of the Type 1 Incident
Management Team and the
Pecos/Las Vegas District Ranger
will be on hand at both meetings
to give a briefing about the
fire and hear public concerns.
CLOSURE: The Forest
Service is implementing an
Incident Emergency Closure to
ensure public and firefighter
safety which will include the
area around the fire as well as
national forest land including
EV Long Campground; El Porvenir
Campground; day-use picnic
areas; Hermit's Peak Trail, El
Porvenir Trail and Hollinger
Hiking Trail. Forest Road (FR)
263, State Road 65; FR 18
(Mineral Hill Road) within the
national forest boundaries are
closed to traffic. There will
be someone posted at forest
boundaries to restrict access to
Forest Service land.
SOUTH FORK FIRE: 5,143
acres, 0% contained. Weather
conditions allowed three
helicopters to drop water on the
fire throughout the day. An
Incident Emergency Closure to
ensure public and firefighter
safety has been implemented on
land surrounding the South Fork
fire. Additional wind and
weather events will dictate the
direction and spread of the
fire. Crews continued
preparation for potential
burnout operations along Forest
Road 144 and 27. Personnel
continue to scout areas where
suppression actions can be taken
successfully and develop
alternatives for contingency.
CLOSURE: The Forest
Service is implementing an
Incident Emergency Closure to
ensure public and firefighter
safety on Forest Service land
surrounding the South Fork Fire.
The closure area boundaries are
FR 27, FR 31 south of the
Abiquiu Land Grant and the
portion of FR 144 from the
intersection of FR 27 to FR 31.
RED FERN FIRE:
103 acres. 75% contained. Today
crews are holding and improving
the fireline already in place,
with the possibility of
rehabilitation in some areas.
Demobilization of some
resources has begun
June 13, 2010; 12:30 PM
###
Significant Fire Growth
on South Fork and Tecolote
Fires
TECOLOTE FIRE:
1,373 acres. 0% contained.
Lightning caused. Firefighters
have been unable to safely
construct fireline due to
extreme fire behavior and strong
winds. The fire made a
significant push to the north
and is now 1.5 miles south of
Gallinas Canyon. At least two
spot fires were reported outside
of the main fire perimeter. No
evacuations have been ordered
although the public in Gallinas
Canyon has been informed about
the fire and are aware of the
possibility of evacuation should
the fire progress further north.
CLOSURE: The Forest
Service is implementing an
Incident Emergency Closure which
will include area around the
fire as well as national forest
land including EV Long
Campground; El Porvenir
Campground; day-use picnic
areas; Hermit's Peak, El
Porvenir and Hollinger Hiking
Trails. Forest Road (FR) 263,
State Road 65; FR 18 (Mineral
Hill Road) within the national
forest boundaries are closed to
traffic. This closure is
implemented to ensure public and
firefighter safety. There will
be someone posted at forest
boundaries to restrict access to
Forest Service land.
Time/Date Started:
9:00 PM, Friday, June 11, 2010
Location:
Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District,
Santa Fe National Forest;
approximately 2.5 miles south of
Gallinas Canyon
Resources Committed:
9 Type 1 Hotshot Crews, 5 Type 2
crews, 4 helicopters, 5 engines,
1 water tender, 100 overhead
including a Type 1 Incident
Management Team (IMT).
Approximately 457 total
personnel. Air attack. Air
tankers are available as needed
with weather permitting.
Threats/structures:
At this time, no structures are
immediately threatened.
SOUTH FORK FIRE:
2,521 acres. 0% contained.
Lightning caused. Yesterday,
strong southerly winds blowing
over the South Fork Fire pushed
it onto the northwest side of
Polvadera Peak and drove it
north parallel to Forest Road
27, coming within ¾ miles of the
road at certain points. Fire
behavior was extreme with rapid
advances and flame lengths of
over 200 feet. A spot fire, 2
miles ahead of the main fire and
outside the fire lines, was
quickly detected and contained.
Strong winds grounded all
aviation resources yesterday and
precluded the accurate delivery
of water and retardant to the
fire. Today, crews will continue
preparing the fire lines along
Forest Roads 27, 31 and 144 for
burn out operations if needed.
There will be a public meeting
in Espanola today at 2:00 p.m.
at the Espanola City Council
Chambers, located at 405 Paseo
de Onate. For further
information, see
www.inciweb.org
and
http://azcw2.imtcenter.net.
CLOSURE: The Forest
Service is implementing an
Incident Emergency Closure on
Forest Service land surrounding
the South Fork Fire. The
closure area boundaries are FR
27, FR 31 south of the Abiquiu
Land Grant and the portion of FR
144 from the intersection of FR
27 to FR 31. This closure is
implemented to ensure public and
firefighter safety.
Time/Date Started:
1:35 PM Thursday, June 10, 2010
Location:
Española Ranger District, Santa
Fe National Forest;
approximately 2 miles southwest
of Polvadera Peak and
approximately 1 mile north of FR
144.
Resources Committed:
5 Type 1 Hotshot Crews, 4 Type 2
crews, 5 engines, 4 water
tenders, Type 2 IMT, 267 total
personnel. 3 helicopters and 2
air tankers are available as
needed with weather permitting.
Threats/structures:
Cultural and natural resources
are threatened. No structures
are immediately threatened.
RED FERN
FIRE: 103 acres. 70%
contained. Cause under
investigation. Wind played havoc
yesterday, causing power lines
to drop near the fire area.
Quick response stopped any new
starts. Observed fire behavior
was smoldering and creeping with
minimal movement. The line held
throughout the wind events
yesterday, as a testament to the
work accomplished by the crews
on the fire. Actions for today
are to improve the hand line,
mop up the two spots 100%, and
initiate mop-up over 100 feet
inside the perimeter. Full
containment expected by June 14,
dependent on weather and winds.
Time/Date Started:
1:05 PM Thursday, June 10, 2010
Location: Cuba
Ranger District, Santa Fe
National Forest; approximately
13 miles east of Cuba, New
Mexico.
Legal Location:
T20N, R2E, NESE Sec 7
Fuels: Ponderosa
Pine and Mixed Conifer
Resources Committed:
1 Type 1 Hotshot Crews, 3 Type 2
crews, 3 Type 1 helicopters, 1
Type 3 helicopter, 6 engines,
Type 3 IMT, 135 total personnel.
Structures: 1
historic outhouse was lost. One
historic cabin is threatened.
In addition, there were two new
fire starts yesterday on the
Jemez Ranger District of the
Santa Fe National Forest near
Battleship Rock. High winds
toppled power lines and sparked
the blazes. Fire crews
responded and quickly stopped
progression of the fires and
built containment lines, keeping
them each to approximately ¼ of
an acre.
###
June 12, 2010 8:00 PM
Extreme Fire Behavior on
South Fork and Tecolote
Fires
Extreme fire behavior and high
winds throughout the day made it
unsafe for firefighters to get
containment on the South Fork
and Tecolote fires. Large smoke
plumes were visible since this
morning which made it hard to
adequately size up the fires.
An infrared flight will occur
tonight to try to get a better
estimate of size of the fires.
The use of airtankers was halted
due to strong winds but a Type 1
helicopter continued to make
water drops. The fires were
closely monitored by air attack
and ground resources. No
structures are immediately
threatened at this time and no
evacuations have been ordered.
Additional information will be
provided as we are able to more
adequately size up the fires.
Tecolote Fire:
approximately 500 acres, 0%
contained, cause unknown-under
investigation. A Type 1
Incident Management Team led by
Incident Commander (IC) Bill Van
Bruggen will manage the fire
starting tomorrow morning.
South Fork Fire:
approximately 1,800 acres, 0%
contained, lightning caused.
Being managed by a Type 2
Incident Management Team led by
IC Clay Templin. A public
meeting will be held June 13, at
2 p.m. at the Espanola City
Council Chambers.
Red Fern Fire:
103 acres, 55% containment,
minimal fire activity. Estimated
containment is June 14th.
June 12, 2010
New Fire on Pecos/Las
Vegas District of Santa Fe
National Forest
The Tecolote fire was
reported at 9:00 p.m. on
June 11 on the east side of
the Pecos/Las Vegas District
of the Santa Fe National
Forest. It is located on
Bear Mountain in the
Tecolote drainage
approximately 2.5 miles
south of Gallinas Canyon.
Fire activity observed
early this morning included
spotting and torching with
short duration runs through
the canopy of the trees.
The area has steep, rugged
terrain in a deep canyon.
The weather will be a
concern today with hot and
dry conditions continuing.
The biggest challenge will
be the winds which are
forecasted at 25-35 mph and
gusts up to 50 mph.
TECOLOTE FIRE
Time/Date Started:
9:00 p.m. Friday, June
11, 2010
Location:
Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger
District, Santa Fe
National Forest; 2.5
miles south of Gallinas
Canyon on Bear Mountain
in the Tecolote
drainage.
Cause: Unknown,
under investigation
Fuels: Ponderosa
Pine and Mixed Conifer
Size: 100 Acres
% Contained: 0
Resources Committed:
Air attack. 5 heavy
airtankers have been
ordered. Duane
Archuleta’s Type 3 is on
route to the fire. A
Helitanker is being
utilized for water
drops. Additional
resources are being
expedited to the fire
including an order for 3
Type 1 Hotshot crews and
5 engines.
Threats/structures:
At this time, no
structures are
threatened.
###
June 11, 2010
SOUTH FORK & RED FERN
WILDFIRE UPDATES
Aerial and ground resources
will continue to actively
suppress the South Fork and
Red Fern wildfires today.
Hotter and drier conditions
with high winds are expected
for today. Due to
increased fire growth,
complexity and the need to
order more resources,
Incident Management Teams
have been ordered to
continue to suppress the
fires. Louie Casaus’ Type 3
Incident Management Team is
managing the Red Fern Fire
and Duane Archuleta’s Type 3
Incident Management Team is
managing the South Fork
Fire. Clay Templin’s Type 2
Incident Management from
Central Arizona has been
ordered and will assume
command of the South Fork
Fire tomorrow at 6 am.
Future fire updates will
include information on both
fires.
SOUTH FORK
Time/Date Started:
1:35 Thursday, June
10, 2010
Location:
Española Ranger
District, Santa Fe
National Forest;
approximately 2
miles southwest of
Polvadera Peak and
approximately 1 mile
north of FR 144.
Cause:
Unknown, under
investigation
Size: 260
Acres
% Contained:
0
Resources
Committed: Air
Attack, 1 Type 3
Helicopter, 1 Type 1
Helicopter, 2 Type 1
Hotshot Crews, 2
Engines, and Duane
Archuleta’s Type 3
Incident Management
Team. Clay
Templin’s Type 2
Incident Management
from Central Arizona
has been ordered and
will assume command
of the South Fork
Fire tomorrow at 6
am. Air tankers are
available as needed.
Threats/structures:
Cultural and
natural resources
are threatened. No
structures are
immediately
threatened.
RED FERN
Time/Date
Started:
1:05 PM
Thursday, June
10, 2010
Location:
Cuba Ranger
District, Santa
Fe National
Forest;
approximately 13
miles east of
Cuba, New
Mexico.
Cause:
Unknown, under
investigation
Size:
120 Acres
% Contained:
0
Resources
Committed:
Air Attack, 3
Type 1
Helicopters, 1
Type 3
Helicopter, 8
Engines, 3 Type
2 Hotshot Crews,
1 Dozer, and
Louie Casaus’
Type 3 Incident
Management Team.
Air tankers are
available as
needed.
Structures:
1 historic
outhouse was
lost yesterday.
One cabin is
threatened.
Closures:
Officers
from NM State
Police will not
be controlling
traffic on
Highway 126 at
FR 264 today
###
June 10, 2010
On May 27th, New Mexico Senator
Jeff Bingaman introduced
proposed legislation
co-sponsored by Senator Tom
Udall which will transfer the
Valles Caldera National Preserve
from the U.S. Forest Service to
the National Park Service. Bill
S-3452 effectively dissolves
the Valles Caldera Trust and
transfers the management
responsibility for the Preserve
to the National Park System. The
bill has been assigned to the
Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee which is
chaired by Senator Bingaman.
The Committee will not conduct a
field hearing in New Mexico but
will host a formal hearing in
Washington D.C. on June 24th. If
you have not been invited to
testify in the hearing, you can
submit any comments, input or
other communications on this
issue via mail or courier, email
or by phone to the committee
members. The committee contact
page is:
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
and the list of individual
members contact information
is:
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=About.Members
###
Increased fire danger due to
recent hotter and drier
conditions has prompted the need
for Stage 1 Fire Restrictions
across the Santa Fe National
Forest, including wilderness
areas beginning at 8 a.m.,
Friday, June 11.
First
level (Stage 1) restrictions
will limit campfires to Forest
Service developed camp and
picnic grounds where grills and
grates are provided (see
exception list in attached
Order). Smoking is permitted
only in vehicles, in developed
campgrounds, or in areas cleared
at least three feet in diameter
of all flammable material.
Possessing, discharging or
using any kind of fire work or
other pyrotechnic device is also
prohibited. Gas and propane
stoves, lanterns or heating
devices are permitted providing
such devices meet the fire
underwriter’s specifications for
safety.
####
June 7, 2010
Fire Name: Rio
Time/Date Started: 12:27
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Location: Jemez Ranger
District, Santa Fe National
Forest; approximately 6 miles
northwest of Jemez Springs and
approximately ½ mile southwest
of Fenton Lake State Park within
Sandoval County.
Cause: Human caused –
abandoned campfire.
Fuels: Ponderosa Pine
and Mixed Conifer
Size: 1,356 acres
% Contained: 100
Evacuations: All
evacuations have been lifted.
The Rio Wildfire is now being
managed by the Jemez Ranger
District. Today, fire crews are
checking containment lines and
mopping up as needed. Rehab of
dozer lines and hand lines is
also underway. Rehab operations
are 50% complete.
###
June 5, 2010
Fire Name:
Rio
Time/Date Started:
12:27 Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Location:
Jemez Ranger District, Santa Fe
National Forest; approximately 6
miles northwest of Jemez Springs
and approximately ½ mile
southwest of Fenton Lake State
Park within Sandoval County.
Cause:
Human caused. Over the busy
Memorial Day Holiday weekend
forest officials put out 17
abandoned campfires on the Jemez
Ranger District alone.
Fuels:
Ponderosa Pine and Mixed Conifer
Size:
1356 acres
%
Contained:
85
Evacuations have been lifted for
the Seven Springs community and
the Fish Hatchery. Fenton Lake
State Park will be re-opened
starting Monday, June 7, 2010.
###
June 4, 2010
The New Mexico Broadcasters
Association (NMBA) has announced
its NMBA/AP Excellence in
Broadcasting awards. The honors
will be awarded at the group’s
annual banquet Friday, June 11
at the Albuquerque Marriott
Hotel.
Division 4 Station of the
Year is KRSN AM in Los Alamos.
Here is a list of our awards.
Public Service
Announcement -
KRSN-AM United Way PSAs -
David Sutton, Production Manager
Public Service
Campaign -
KRSN-AM Self Help -Gillian
Sutton, General Manager
Station
Promotional Announcement -
KRSN-AM Webcasting - David
Sutton, Production Manager
DJ Personality
Aircheck -
KRSN-AM Rosalie Heller's
Excursions in Classical Music -
"Music Feast" - Rosalie Heller,
DJ; David Sutton, Production
Manager
Complete
Newscast Station -
KRSN-AM News 10-20-09 - Gillian
Sutton, Newscaster; David
Sutton, Production Manager
:60 Commercial -
KRSN-AM Atomic City Transitman -
David Sutton, Production/Voice;
Adam Holton, Voice
General News -
KRSN-AM News Bites 12-9-09 -
Gillian Sutton, Newscaster;
David Sutton, Production Maanger
Non-Sports Talk
Show -
KRSN-AM Peter Apel - Monday
Matters Bernadette Lauritzen,
Host; David Sutton, Production
Manager
Sports Talk Show
-
KRSN-AM Sports 10-20-09 -John
Whitcomb, Sports News; David
Sutton, Production Manager
###
The fire is now 35% contained.
Evacuations have been lifted
for the Seven Springs community
and the Fish Hatchery.
Evacuations remain in effect
for Fenton Lake State Park due
to use for fire suppression.
Size: 1405 acres
(decrease in size due to more
accurate mapping). Fire
has not grown in the last 12
hours. Firefighters have
constructed containment line
around the entire fire and are
concentrating their efforts on
strengthening existing
containments lines, especially
around areas of the fire that
are still active. In less
active areas, firefighters have
begun mop up operations
(extinguishing and removing
burning material near
containment lines and felling
snags).
###
June 3, 2010
Craig Cowie's New Mexico Type 2
Incident Management Team is now
managing the Rio Wildfire. A
public meeting will be held
tonight at 6 PM at the Madonna
Parish Hall (Our Lady of the
Assumption Parish), located on
Highway 4 across from Jemez
Mountain Electric Co-op.
Evacuations
remain in effect along FR 376,
Fenton Lake State Park, the
community of Seven Springs and
the fish hatchery. 10%
contained. 1925 acres
burned
###
June 2, 2010
Here are the winners from
yesterday's primary
election. In the Governor's
primary the Democratic
winner is Diane Denish and
the Lt. Governor is Brian
Colon. The Republican ticket
will be Susana Martinez for
Governor and John Sanchez
for Lt. Governor. For U.S.
Representative District 3 it
will be Democrat Ben Ray
Lujan against Republican Tom
Mullins. In the state race
to represent District 43, it
will be Democrat Stephanie
Richards against incumbent
Republican Jeannette
Wallace. Locally the
candidates for County
Council includes Democrats
Debra Gill, Ken Johnson, and
Nathan Hjelm. On the
Republican side it includes
Jim Hall, Ronald Selvage,
Geoff Rodgers, and Fran
Berting.
###
Fire Name: Rio
Date Started:
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Location: Jemez
Ranger District, Santa Fe
National Forest;
approximately 6 miles
northwest of Jemez Springs
and approximately ½ mile
southwest of Fenton Lake
State Park within Sandoval
County.
Cause: Suspected
abandoned camp fire. During
the Memorial Day
Holiday weekend forest
officials put out 17
abandoned campfires on the
Jemez Ranger District.
Size:
Approximately 1,370 acres
% Contained: 0
Resources Committed:
3 Type 1 hotshot crews, 1
Type 2 crew, 17 engines, 1
water tender, 1 dozer, air
attack and lead plane, 4
Type 1 Helicopters, 1 Type 3
helicopter, 4 air tankers,
Archuleta's Type 3 Incident
Management Team and various
overhead. Craig Cowie's New
Mexico Type 2 Incident
Management Team has been
ordered to manage the fire.
In addition, other resources
are being ordered.
Predicted Weather for
Wednesday: Partly
cloudy. Maximum temperature
74-78 degrees; relative
humidity 8-13 percent.
Afternoon winds expected
from west to northwest at 8
to 15 mph.
Structures: No
structures have been lost.
83 structures are
threatened.
Evacuations: Evacuations
have been ordered for:
Campers along FSR 376,
Fenton Lake State Park, the
Community of Seven Springs,
and the fish hatchery. Ten
people were evacuated
yesterday. Evacuation
center is in place at the
Jemez Valley Public Schools
at 8501 Highway 4 near Jemez
Pueblo. At this time no one
is staying at the center as
evacuees have chosen to stay
with friends or family.
Evacuees are encouraged to
check-in at the La Cueva
Fire Department even if
they're not planning to stay
at the evacuation center.
Road Closures:
FSR 376 has been closed at
the southern end at Gilman
all to the way to Highway
126. All access routes
leading from FSR 376 within
Virgin Mesa are also closed.
Highway 126 has been
re-opened this morning but
is subject to close again,
along with other roads and
areas affected by the fire
as warranted by increased
fire activity.
Summary: Today,
air support will aid in
slowing the fire by dropping
water and retardant on hot
spots. Ground crews will
continue to strengthen and
construct line along the
west and north sides of the
fire. On the east side, the
fire has burned into the
fire scar from the human
caused Lakes Wildfire fire
that burned approximately
4,000 acres in August of
2002. On the south side of
the fire, fire managers are
using Highway 376 as part of
the fire line.
###
June 1, 2010
A fire burning in the Jemez
Mountains near Fenton Lake has
jumped from three acres to 100
acres and a nearby campground is
being evacuated.
State
Road 476 has been closed from
Highway 4 through the Gilman
Tunnels and all the way to
Fenton lake.
The Rio Fire was spotted today
by helicopter. State Forestry
reports that firefighting
resources are en route. By mid
afternoon it was reported to be
moving northward.
###
May
27, 2010
An intimate understanding of complex
materials that lie at the heart of
pharmaceuticals or even nuclear
weapons can occur more quickly and
efficiently thanks to an agreement
between Los Alamos and Argonne
national laboratories.
Thomas Proffen of the Los Alamos
Neutron Science Center's Manuel
Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center
and Peter Chupas and Karena Chapman
of Argonne's Advanced Photo Source
have developed an agreement that
allows researchers to readily use
complementary facilities at both
locations. The agreement has created
a protocol under which researchers
can collect data on the Neutron
Powder Diffractometer (NPDF) at the
Lujan Center as well as the
high-energy X-ray beamline 11-ID-B
at Argonne's APS facility and then
use specially developed
user-friendly software to combine
the high-quality X-ray and neutron
scattering data.
Together, the two experiments
provide "total scattering" data with
different scattering weights for
each atom type. This allows
materials scientists to peer even
deeper into the structure and
behavior of materials at the atomic
level.
Prior to the agreement between the
two institutions, scientists needed
to present separate proposals for
use of each facility; this sometimes
meant that researchers collected
data from different samples or
gathered information at a second
facility years after using the
first. Now that the agreement is in
place, researchers can get combined
access to each machine more quickly
and easily.
Perhaps even more significant, the
agreement increases collaboration
between the staff members at each
facility, which may lead to
improvements in the modeling
software and in the techniques used
to capture data.
###
May 26,
2010
On Wednesday afternoon, May 26th
beginning at 2 pm, Los Alamos National
Laboratory and Los Alamos County will be
conducting siren testing at the Material
Disposal Area B (MDA B) located along DP
Road.
"LANL has recently installed a portable
siren at MDA B to alert site workers and
the public to possible emergencies that
may arise during the mitigation work
taking place within the enclosure", said
Phil Taylor, Emergency Management
Specialist for Los Alamos County. "We'd
like to hear what the siren sounds
like."Regarding the siren, Taylor wants
the public to know that if, during the
excavation process, a highly unlikely
but potentially serious event were to
occur such as a fire or explosion that
might breach the enclosure allowing a
release of contaminated materials into
the atmosphere, that the purpose of the
siren is to alert folks to take some
precautionary protective actions.
"The siren
should alert people in the immediate
vicinity of the worksite to shelter in
place. That means to stay inside a
building, or if outside to go inside a
building, shut the doors and windows,
and secure air intakes, outside
ventilation and air conditioners. You
should have a reliable AM radio and tune
it to AM 1610 to listen for updates,
situation reports and instructions."
And of
course KRSN am 1490 will also keep you
informed of the situation at hand
###
May 26, 2010
Hazardous devices teams from around the
Southwest and New Jersey are participating
in the fourth annual Robot Rodeo which began
today at Los Alamos National
Laboratory. They are out at Technical Area
49, a remote section of Laboratory property
near the entrance to Bandelier National
Monument. There are 10 events which each
team participates in using their robots.
The events test the skills and improve cross
agency dialect so they can learn from each
other and have the opportunity to work
together.
The ten events have names such as Who's on
first? What's on Second? Those two are
actually car bombs to be diffused.
Surprise! which is a multibomb scenario.
The media was invited today so Gillian spent
the morning at the event.
The entertaining event for today was making
pancakes using your robot. This is much more
difficult than one might imagine. The
robot operators were in their trailers
outside the makeshift kitchen manipulating
their robots with two dimensional television
screen.
They were required to stir the pancake
batter, pour it onto the electric grill,
flip the pancake using a spatula, determine
when it is done, take it off the grill
onto a paper plate and deliver it to the
judges at the breakfast table. This
uses the fine remote skills the robot
operators have to use to diffuse bombs.
All the robots
used in New Mexico are made by the same U.
S. manufacturer allowing for ease of
maintence and cross training between
agencies. The robots are controlled by
fiber optic cables or RC. When you
have several robots working together,
operators must make sure they are on
different frequencies so controllers will
not affect other robots.
The Laboratory, Sandia National
Laboratories, and the International
Association of Bomb Technicians and
Investigators, Region II, put on the rodeo.
###
May 25, 2010
Transportation Secretary Gary L. J. Girón
today announced that the Department will
award more than $12.1 million in federal
transit grants throughout the state.
Transportation District Five will receive
more than $2.7 million that will be awarded
to Los Alamos County, the North Central
Regional Transit District, Town of Taos
Chili Line and Torrance County Project
Office.
###
May 24, 2010
The Los Alamos County will open a
new Capital Improvement Project (CIP) cycle
on May 24, 2010.
Phase 1 (study) applications can be
submitted by any citizen or staff member.
The cycle will close on August 23, 2010
An informational meeting was held on May
19th in Council Chambers.
Some of the ideas presented included
Ashley Pond Park Improvements, Central
Avenue Public Restroom, Tennis Complex,
Multi-Purpose Youth Facility, LA Reservoir
Improvements, Canyon Rim Trail, White Rock
Community Center, Community Building and
Site Study, Signage in the Arts & Culture
District, Ice Rink Improvements, Oppenheimer
Improvements between Trinity and Canyon, NM
502 Sound Barrier for Eastern Area
Residents, Radio System for Emergency
Communications and Interoperability, Golf
Course Improvements, Aquatic Center Flooring
and Decking.
###
May 20, 2010 On Tuesday night the Los Alamos County
Council picked a new name for Airport Basin.
It is "Pajarito Cliffs Site" and the road
into it is now named "Camino Entrada."
###
May 19, 2010
The Los Alamos School Board had a special
meeting last night to appoint a new school board
member for district 4 which is the Barranca
area. They chose Kevin Honnell.
Los Alamos
High School has hired Matt King as the new head
boys basketball coach and English teacher for
the 2010-11 school year. Matt has spent the
last 2 years as an assistant coach at Volcano
Vista and two years as an assistant at LaCueva
High School. Matt played basketball for LaCueva
High School where he earned All-State Honors.
He played for the University of New Mexico
during the 2000-01 school year. Matt earned his
B.S. in Communication and Journalism from the
University of New Mexico and obtained his
Masters in Secondary Education from Wayland
Baptist University. Matt is married to Michelle
who is also a teacher and they have a 2 year old
daughter Mikayla.
###
May 18. 2010
KRSN is attempting to put an antenna on the
vacant land across from the middle school..
The antenna would be 170' tall.. It will be
surrounded by 50'x50' fence. It will have 3 guy
wires anchored 144' from the base of antenna.
Each of those will be fenced for safety. The
rest of the area will remain open space
grasslands as it is now.
The land will be rented creating a steady stream
of income to Los Alamos Public Schools.
Stop by our office at 145 Central
Park Square to learn more and sign the petition
support our effort.
###
May 17, 2010
A wildfire started
on the Santa Clara Indian Reservation Sunday and
now is burning on the southeast side of Chicoma
Mountain above Santa Clara Canyon on the
Espanola Ranger District, Santa Fe National
Forest. The Elk Fire, estimated at 130 acres
late this morning, is burning in grass with
adjacent grass and timber. The fire is burning
above 10,000 feet and much of the area still has
large snow patches, so fire managers predict low
to moderate spread potential.
Suspected cause of the fire is lightning.
A Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) fire crew
attempted to access the area Sunday but found it
too steep to hike in. The Espanola Ranger
District helicopter conducted several water
drops Sunday and is continuing that work today.
Other resources include 11 Forest Service and
four BIA firefighters.
The fire is approximately eight miles north of
Los Alamos and 19 miles west of Espanola.
Smoke may be visible from Espanola and Los
Alamos.
###
May 14, 2010
The gym and administrative offices at the
Pojoaque Valley high school sustained some
$400,000 in damages last month when vandals
broke into the school and torched several pieces
of furniture, setting off a sprinkler system
that poured thousands of gallons of water into
the building for more than six hours. Damage to
the high school offices, is estimated at
$200,000 plus $50,000 to $75,000 to replace the
contents, such as computers, other electronic
equipment and furniture.
Water also poured downhill from the school and
flooded the hardwood floor of the gym just north
of the high school,. Repairs to the
water-damaged floor of the Ben Luján Gymnasium
are expected to be completed enough to hold
Pojoaque Valley High School graduation
ceremonies May 29. The cost of restoring and
resurfacing the gym floor has been estimated at
between $50,000 and $100,000,
A reward of up to $1,000 has been offered
through Crime Stoppers for information leading
to arrests in the case. Anyone with information
is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 955-5050.
Callers may remain anonymous.
###
May 13, 2010
The
Los Alamos Public Schools District Office is moving
to 2075 Trinity.
The new district office is known to many as the C de
Baca building.
The district has a lease with option to buy the
property.
Visitors to the new district office will need to be
patient while renovations are underway, A new public
entrance and visitor parking are under construction
on the southwest corner of the building. Visitors
are encouraged to park along the canyon rim behind
the building until designated visitor parking is
marked.
Student Support Services are located on first floor.
Human Resources and Technology are located on the
second floor. Administration and Business offices
are located on the third floor. Curriculum and
Instructional staff will be housed in Suite O of the
white stucco building across the parking lot from
the C de Baca Building.
Because of the size and complexity of the move,
district office staff will be in transition between
district office sites for much of May. For the next
two weeks, visitors are encouraged to call ahead to
learn which building staff are residing.
When the renovations and the move are completed, the
district will host an open house to give the
community an opportunity to tour the new complex.
###
May 12,2010|
The 2010-2011Los
Alamos School District Calendar was approved by the
School Board at the May 11th meeting. Wednesday
afternoons will be early dismissal for common planning
time. This is the same schedule that we currently use.
The first day of school for the fall is august 19.
Elementary students
will attend school all day the first week of school.
Elementary students
will attend school all day the first week of school.
###
May 11, 2010
Electric
linemen with the Los Alamos Department of Public
Utilities (DPU) spent Mother’s Day weekend restoring
power to customers. Underground cable failures were
the cause of the three outages that cumulatively
affected 126 residences over the weekend.
Approximately 50 customers on Barranca Mesa were the
first affected. An underground cable failed on Los
Pueblos Rd. at around 2 a.m. Saturday. The
electric linemen responded immediately, isolating
the section and making temporary repairs to restore
power there by 6:30 a.m. Permanent repairs began
Monday morning and are still underway.
The second outage occurred on Mother’s Day affecting
34 customers near Oppenheimer Dr. south of Trinity
Dr. at around 8:30 a.m., when another underground
cable failed. This repair got started, but was
delayed for hours as weekend on-call crews executed
on sensitive line locate work beneath a sidewalk,
and responded to a concurrent third outage at
another location. DPU’s electric linemen called for
back-up assistance from the DPU’s on-call Gas,
Water, & Sewer team who joined the electric repair
effort bringing jackhammers to carefully expose the
failed cable located beneath the sidewalk. As the
two teams worked, however, a third unrelated
underground cable failed, just up the street.
Outage number three affected 42 different customers
on Oppenheimer Dr. south of Trinity Dr. at around 2
p.m. Also difficult to access, the underground
cable again was located beneath a concrete
sidewalk. Crews used a backhoe to remove the
sidewalk at this location to complete repairs and
restore power by 5:30 p.m.
Crews returned to the second power outage to
continue their work to restore power via the
underground system. Power was restored by 10 p.m.
with the installation of an above-ground cable.
Complications with failed underground cables
necessitated replacement of all the cables in this
section, removal of the remainder of sidewalk, the
addition of a transformer and installation of
conduit. All three line failures occurred on
direct-bury, underground cable. Permanent
underground repairs began Monday morning and
continue.
###
May 10, 2010
The Intel International Science and Engineering
Fair, is the world’s largest pre-college science and
engineering competition. It is next weekend IN San Jose
California.. Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair typically brings together 1,500 young
scientists and engineers from up to 50 countries
annually. The participants showcase their cutting-edge
science and engineering projects and compete for nearly
$4 million in awards and scholarships. Typically more
than 20% of projects at ISEF result in patent
applications.
Alexander Kendrick from Los Alamos
will be
there with his water technology project. The project is
about detecting underground water by using low frequency
radio waves and loop antennas. The surface only system
was able to detect, an extension cord 15m (30ft)
underground in a cave, as well as water filled hoses and
other extension cords on the surface. This system could
potentially detect underground aquifers in dry regions
of the world as well as find water filled cave passages.
###
May 7, 2010
The
federal government has promised to pay for water-quality
monitoring to detect any signs of contamination from Los
Alamos National Laboratory heading toward Santa Fe's new
water-supply project.
Members of the joint Santa Fe city/county Buckman Direct
Diversion board on Thursday approved a memorandum of
understanding with the U.S. Department of Energy, the agency
that oversees the lab upriver from Santa Fe and is
responsible for cleaning up pollution from its nuclear
weapons work.
George Real, who heads up the DOE Nuclear Security
Administration's LANL site office, told officials that the
agency agrees with the terms of the document and the
department's assistant secretary for environmental
management plans to sign it at an official ceremony next
week. Real said the deal represents a "new attitude" for
LANL on being a good neighbor.
Although the contract doesn't specify a dollar amount, it
states that the Department of Energy is responsible for all
costs associated with sampling in canyons below the lab and
an early-notification system that will enable emergency
shutdown of the river diversion in the event a threat is
detected.
Officials have been talking about the sampling and
monitoring for years, but he said the agreement gives a
certainty that local authorities were seeking. The contract,
however, still contains a clause that says the department's
obligation is "subject to the availability of funds and
secretarial discretion."
###
May 6,
2010
Casa
Mesita Group Home Board members faced a difficult decision
regarding the continued operation of the Casa Mesita Group
Home: there is not enough cash flow to continue operations.
Therefore, Casa Mesita Group Home will discontinue its
current operations this month. When the Group home re‐opened
last June, the Board based this decision on three major
assumptions: (1) the reimbursement rate from the State would
be at a rate that had been negotiated with the Medicaid
contractor; (2) operations would be at capacity by having
sufficient numbers of Medicaid‐approved referrals of
clients; and (3) the Medicaid contractor would reimburse us
fully and in a timely fashion. All three of these
assumptions fell through, making it financially impossible
to continue the operation of the Group Home.
###
May 5, 2010
The baseball coach of the year is our own Mike Gill.
Austin Aslin
, Scott Berkebile Lukas Coker, Ryan Schleft, and Michael
Young made the first team of the all district baseball team.
Billy Cooper and Thomas Russell made the second team.
The softball
coach of the year is Topper Coach Roger Anaya.
The softball
player of the year is Topper Stephanie Abney.
The
following Topper girls made the first team all district
softball: Stephanie Abney , Micaela Christensen , Shelby
Courtright , Briana Radosevich Kristina Radosevich , and
Monika Teter .
The second team
includes
Megan Briener , Samantha D'Anna and Ashley Valdez
The state baseball Tournament begins with a home game at Bomber
Field on Saturday at 1pm. KRSN will bring you the game
live.
The girl's
softball tournament is next weekend in Las Cruses.
GO HILLTOPPERS!!!
###
May 4, 2010
LAHS Juniors, Shelby Anderson and Lizzie Wasilewska, and Seniors,
Miles Carlsten and Michelle Dinkel were chosen as participants in
the National Congressional Student Art Competition at Warehouse 21
in Santa Fe on Saturday, May 1st.
Michelle Dinkel's hand colored linocut and Miles Carlsten's digital
still life were the 2 top finalists in the competition.
Michelle Dinkel was selected as the winner of the competition for
the 3rd New Mexico Congressional District! Congressman Ben Lujan
awarded her 2 tickets to Washington D.C. to attend the opening of
the National Student Exhibition in June where her work will hang in
the Congressional Art Gallery for one year along with student
winners from all over the country!
Shelby, Lizzie and Miles artwork will hang in the Congressman's
office for one year
###
April 30, 2010
The San Ildefonso Pueblo
Enterprise Corporation (SIPEC) announced today the acquisition of
Chimayo Red, a wireless internet service provider based in the
Espanola Valley. The Corporation's already established TewaCom
Wireless internet provider, in conjunction with Chimayo Red, will
continue its focus to expand broadband internet services to under-
and un-served rural communities,
expand broadband wireless internet
service to over 6,500 households and businesses in the upper Rio
Grande Valley, reach customers who have inadequate broadband
internet services in Mendenales, Alcalde, Velarde, El Rancho, Jacona,
Jaconita, Espanola, and the Pueblos of San Ildefonso, Ohkay Owingeh
and Santa Clara; and offer residences and businesses an internet
alternative to Windstream and Qwest Communications.
###
April
29, 2010
Vandals set fires and torched furniture inside Pojoaque High School
Tuesday night.The fires set off the school's sprinkler system that
flooded a building for more than six hours. A smoke alarm went
off. However, authorities say it didn't alert fire dispatchers, allowing
the sprinklers to run all night, dumping thousands of gallons of water.
The Pojoaque Fire Department wasn't notified of the fire until after 7
a.m. Wednesday. None of the school's classrooms, labs or other
student-activity rooms were damaged. Water damaged administrative
offices, teachers' lounge and a gymnasium floor. The school has been
closed has been closed the last 2 days. Classes should resume
tomorrow.
###
April 28, 2010
During the next two weeks, residents in Los Alamos County may be
receiving a phone call asking for their feedback on County
government. The County has been regularly conducting these citizen
satisfaction surveys since 1996, and this will be the ninth survey.
The purpose of the citizen survey is to gather public opinion on a
variety of subjects, including satisfaction with County services and
programs. Whenever possible, the County uses the information gained
from the survey to help guide the County's goals for service
improvement. The firm under contract to conduct the County's
phone survey is Southwest Planning & Marketing, Inc. They will
randomly select approximately 400 County residents to participate in
the phone survey. Phone calls will be made between May 1 and May
17. Residents are encouraged to participate if contacted! The
survey should take less than 15 minutes and includes a variety of
questions designed to solicit public input on community needs,
quality of life, media and information sources, and County resource
allocation. If you are called remember KRSN.
###
April 26,
2010
All
traffic has been moved to the east side of Diamond with one lane of
traffic in each direction with left turn lanes where possible The
contractor will begin milling operations and curb & sidewalk removal on
the west side of Diamond as well as trenching for a waterline. There
WILL BE congestion and delays, please allow extra travel time. Your
cooperation, patience, and courtesy are essential. Please use the queue
space provided, take turns merging, don't block intersections, and drive
defensively. Consider carpooling, flexing schedules, or riding Atomic
City Transit. There will be no access from Diamond to Ridgeway, use
Sandia. Only right turns will be allowed from Ridgeway onto Diamond..
Important:
Bicyclists have the legal right to use the traffic lane or the sidewalk.
Motorists and bicyclists must courteously share the road. Pedestrian
traffic will be diverted to the east side of Diamond Drive. Use
signalized intersections and the overpasses. If pedestrians choose to
cross at other locations, they should exercise extreme caution.
###
April 23, 2010
- Two
underground line faults Thursday morning resulted in a power outage for 85
homes between Canyon Road and 15th Street, and eastward toward
the Myrtle St. Green. The outage began at 11:30 a.m. By 2 p.m. Dept. of
Public Utilities' electric linemen had restored power to all but 31 homes in
the area, achieving full power restoration at 3:45 p.m. The fault occurred
in an area that has seen recent upgrade maintenance work as part of DPU's
Electric Grid Upgrade & Renewal initiative. Underground lines there are
surpassing their specified lifespan. The underground line fault was
unrelated to the recent upgrade work. Earlier in the day, around 5:15 a.m.,
an outage affected businesses east of and including Los Alamos County's new
Airport Basin when a breaker at the LANL EA4 feeder opened. Power was
restored by 6:20 a.m. Cause of this outage has not been determined.
###
April 22, 2010
U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today announced that the Senate
Judiciary Committee has approved the nomination of Albuquerque resident
Kenneth J. Gonzales to be New Mexico's U.S. Attorney. Gonzales' nomination
is now ready to go before the full Senate for a final vote. Gonzales is a
graduate of Pojoaque High School, and received his Bachelor of Arts and
Juris Doctor degrees from the University of New Mexico. Before taking a
position in 1999 as a career prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's New Mexico
offices in Las Cruces and Albuquerque, he 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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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 25th. 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 12th.
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
March 22, 2010
Los Alamos County Council will hear a proposed drinking water rate increase at
its March 23rd 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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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 .
###
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.
###
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!
###
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.
###
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.
###
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
####
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
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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
###
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.
###
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.
###
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.
###
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
###
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.
###
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 9th. 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
###
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 18th 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 11th, 2010. Locations of the new bus
stops will be posted on the website,
www.atomiccitytransit.com,
by Sunday evening, January, 10th, 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.
###
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.
### January 4, 2010
For the second time in three years, the State of New Mexico’s
float entry in The Tournament of Roses® Parade – “Enchantment
is in the Air” – is winner of the coveted Grand Marshal’s
Trophy.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. |
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