Local News

Winter weather is here, county officials offer residents some safety considerations for motorists to take in order to make their travel as safe as possible.
Motorists are encour­aged to equip their vehi­cles with chains and/or snow tires and carry a con­tainer of sand and a shovel in their vehicle. Barrels of sand for public use are placed at locations that historically become icy and slick during storms, including:
• San Ildefonso South at both ends of the guardrail
• North Mesa Road east of the roundabout
• Near the end of 37th Street off of Diamond Drive
• At the dead end of Gold Street/Arroyo Lane
• Near the intersection of N.M. 4 and Rover in White Rock
• Near the intersection of North Road and Quemazon
• Other locations within Quemazon
Streets may be snow-packed and slippery dur­ing winter storms. Road condition updates will be broadcast on several popular regional TV and radio stations when streets become so hazardous that motorists might encounter delays.
It is the responsibility of every motorist to have their vehicle properly equipped and serviced to handle such condi­tions, and to drive their vehicle carefully and courteously during adverse conditions.  

One argument for the Los Alamos County Council’s decision last week to appoint Councilor David Izraelevitz and County Administrator Harry Burgess to the Las Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation board was the success of the Los Alamos Research Park. The development was presented as an example of what can be accomplished through mutual cooperation.

In a letter supporting more active county participation in the LACDC, Board Chair David Horpedahl wrote, “The LACDC believes the Research Park project to be the most significant and most successful economic development project that has been undertaken by Los Alamos County to date.”

“It was the lab and county working together, in this case led by our organization, to try to create something that had never really existed in this town, and that was high quality, commercially operated space for science and technology activities,” LACDC Executive Director Kevin Holsapple said.

The Los Alamos Research Park was the first large-scale economic development project supported by the county. Council awarded the project $800,000 in grant money, plus additional debt financing.

The LACDC leveraged that money to assemble more than $17 million in additional investment from outside the county, a 21:1 ratio.

The Annual Assessment process of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Stockpile is the authoritative method for the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration to evaluate the safety, reliability, performance and military effectiveness of the nuclear weapons stockpile, and it is a principal factor in the country’s ability to maintain a credible nuclear deterrent without nuclear explosive testing.

In 1995, President Clinton established an annual reporting and certification requirement that ensures the nation’s nuclear weapons remain safe and reliable without underground nuclear explosive testing. Subsequently, Congress enacted into law the requirement for annual stockpile assessments in Section 3141 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003.

The Directors of the three DOE nuclear weapons laboratories — Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories  — are required to complete annual assessments of the safety, reliability and performance of each weapon type in the nuclear weapons stockpile.

LANL spokesman Fred DeSousa said the assessments are categorized as classified information.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson want to cap their sensational comebacks with Super Bowl appearances. For now, they can be proud of Pro Bowl spots.
So can Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, one of two rookies chosen Wednesday for the Jan. 27 NFL all-star game.
Manning missed all of the 2011 season with neck and back problems that required several operations. He then signed with Denver as a free agent and has led the Broncos on a 10-game winning streak to take the AFC West.
‘’I know there’s great players out there in the NFL, but there’s some great players on this team this year that deserve to go,’’ said Manning, whose 12th Pro Bowl is a record for quarterbacks. He ranks fourth in league passing this year, has thrown 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Four other Broncos made the AFC roster: DE Elvis Dumervil, linebacker Von Miller, CB Champ Bailey and tackle Ryan Clady. Bailey’s 12th appearance is a record for defensive backs.
‘’My goal has always been to go out and help the team win and play at a high level,’’ Manning added. ‘’Anything that comes along with that, like being honored as a Pro Bowl selection, is very humbling.’’