Local News

In one of his first acts as President Wednesday, President Barack Obama ordered heads of executive departments and agencies to side with openness in administering the Freedom of Information Act.

“All agencies should adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure, in order to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher in a new era of open government. The presumption of disclosure should be applied to all decisions involving FOIA,” he wrote.

Environment Secretary Samuel Bodman saved one of his last official gestures for former Sen. Pete Domenici, who retired Dec. 31 after 36 years in office.

Bodman, whose tenure will end with the advent of a new administration in Washington on Tuesday, announced a virtual memorial in Domenici’s name.

A group of buildings in the main administrative area of Los Alamos National Laboratory will be known as the “Pete V. Domenici National Security Complex.”

Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama assumed the reins of power as America’s first black president today, declaring the nation must choose “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord” to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

In frigid temperatures, an exuberant crowd packed the National Mall and parade route to celebrate Obama’s inauguration in a high-noon ceremony, according to first Associated press reports after his speech.

  The Los Alamos County Parks Division and the Santa Fe National Forest plan to continue maintenance burning in Bayo Canyon on Jan. 22, 23 and 24, 2009.

  “The New Mexico Air Quality Bureau has changed its rules for prescribed burning and we are permitted to burn only on days with good ventilation and smoke dispersal,” said Craig Martin, the Los Alamos County open space specialist.