Local News

Bart J. Daly, loving husband, father and grandfather, born Jan. 3, 1929, died July 18, 2008.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Bart Daly graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1950. He met his future wife Bettye in Mississippi and after a brief courtship they married in 1959 and moved to Chinle, Ariz.

After finishing a graduate degree from Arizona State University, they moved to Los Alamos with their first of five children in 1960. Bart worked in T-3 at Los Alamos National Laboratory until his retirement in 1993.

Although still somewhat under wraps, a project known as Angel Fire has been mentioned enough recently to arouse some curiosity.

Described formally as a “wide field of view persistent surveillance (WFVPS) aerial collection asset,” in an Air Force document, it is also less formally described by Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Michael Anastasio as technology for real time situational awareness on the battlefield.

Some 90 millimeters of picric acid diluted in a small container of 80 ounces of water spilled at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Technical Area 59 Thursday afternoon. “

The folks followed exact procedures,” LANL spokesman Kevin Roark said this morning. “The amounts were so small that it really didn’t have to be reported.”

In sufficient quantities, the acid is quite toxic and can be dangerous if not handled properly, he said, but it’s a ubiquitous chemical.

Bill Enloe, chairman and CEO of Los Alamos National Bank, said this morning that he thought honesty was the best policy when talking about the banking situation in New Mexico these days.

He was responding to a question about Gov. Bill Richardson’s press conference Thursday, and called to reassure New Mexicans that the state banking system is sound.

“We’re all different,” Enloe said, “although we’re probably all seeing higher past dues, more non-accrual and more charge-offs.”