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Today's News

  • Dragon Machine focus of talk

    Richard E. Malenfant talks about the history and significance of the Dragon Machine at the next Bradbury Science Museum “Brown Bag Luncheon Series,” presentation from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
    The Dragon Machine was the first nuclear reactor to demonstrate a divergent chain reaction supported by prompt neutrons alone. The machine was constructed in 1944 and used for experiments that were essential to the Manhattan Project. As part of National Safety Month, the talk also will include information about the non-fatal accident of February 1945 and the accidents with fatalities in August 1945 and May 1946.
    Malenfant joined the critical experiments facility at LANL in 1961 and is now a member of the Critical Experiments Safety Committee.
    The talk is in the auditorium of the Bradbury Science Museum. It is open to the public and attendees are welcome to bring their lunch. 

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  • Business Spotlight: Wildfire burns profits for mountain merchants

    This time of year, business is usually thriving for Jemez retailers, yet, another fire season begins to take its toll.

    The typical crowds of campers, fishermen and outdoor enthusiasts have now been replaced with buses and trucks full of personnel working in shifts and sleeping in tents while fighting the Thompson Ridge Fire.

    Although the lands within the Santa Fe National Forest have remained open throughout the course of the fire, recreational visitors are currently staying clear of the area, it seems, mostly due to fear of heavy smoke and misinformation regarding road and forest closures.

    Garth and Robin Bascom, owners of the Elk Mountain Lodge in La Cueva, said that guests booked as far off as July, have called and cancelled their reservations citing the fire as the reason for their decision. Robin said that she has had six cancellations in just the past week alone.

    Many who are not familiar with the Jemez area have a false impression of how close the fire and smoke is to other popular outdoor destinations.

    The fire is currently burning only in the Valles Caldera with smoke actually moving the opposite direction of La Cueva and Jemez Springs.

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  • Gabaldon configures social services plan

    Los Alamos County’s new Social Services Manager, Kim Gabaldon, has her work cut out as she begins the process of weaving together the scattered threads of various community assistance programs into a viable and coordinated whole.

    The county council approved $260,000 for the creation of a social services division in the FY2012 budget after a Community Needs Assessment by the Los Alamos Community Health Council recommended having a central point of contact for better service delivery and more effective organization.

    Until Gabaldon was hired three months ago, oversight of social services was scattered between various county departments and outside organizations.

    Gabaldon has the background to meet the challenge. She was employed by the State of New Mexico the last five years as the Native American Liaison for the Behavioral Health Services Division.

    Prior to that she served as a policy analyst for the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care for the province of Ontario, Canada where she is from.

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  • Happy Flag Day

    Today was Flag Day and before the rain hit, flags were displayed proudly on Trinity Drive.

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  • LAFD monitoring small fire started by lightning strike

    Shortly after a lightning storm rolled through Los Alamos Friday afternoon, witnesses spotted a plume of smoke in the Jemez mountains overlooking Los Alamos. The fire lasted for about 20 minutes before it appeared to go out on its own, before it sputtered to life again a short time later.

    Justin Grider, a deputy chief with the Los Alamos Fire Department, said they are monitoring the situation and have contacted the NM Forest Service, since the fire is on Forest Service land. Grider was told that since the source of the fire seems to be located within the burn scar of the Las Conchas Fire, they are going to take a wait and see approach rather than try to hike in and put it out. Grider said the Forest Service believes the small blaze will probably run out of fuel shortly and burn itself out. Witnesses are reporting that two trees have caught fire.

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  • Thompson fire crews aided by weather

    Now two weeks old, the Thompson Ridge Wildfire officially hit 24,000 acres in size Thursday, but crews working the blaze were aided by the weather to get containment to the 75 percent mark.
    “The Friday morning update said, “Fire activity last night was minimal, allowing firefighters to address hotspots, patrol the perimeter of the fire, and mop-up further into the interior. Cleanup efforts will begin today with the removal of hoses, cutting of snags, and chipping of felled trees. Suppression rehabilitation efforts will also begin around South Mountain as we mitigate the impact of firefighter efforts to stop the fire.” officials said in a statement.
    Crews continued mop-up on South Mountain and chipping in the southeast section of the fire. The spot fire that occurred early this morning was reevaluated, and was calculated at 40 acres. Crews contained the spot fire by expanding the fireline utilizing bulldozers, digging handline, setting hose lays, and removing snags.
    Portions of N.M. 4 will be reduced to one lane Friday for chipping and removal of vegetation that was cut to prepare the contingency line along that roadway.

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  • Hitchhiking cat 'Mata Hairi' headed home to Oregon

    HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A well-traveled cat named "Mata Hairi" will soon be reunited with her owner after spending nearly 10 months traveling thousands of miles with a hitchhiker who rescued her from the rain.

    The feline adventure started in Portland, Ore., when the cat's owner, Ron Buss, let her out of the house on Sept. 1. The cat, white with patches of dark gray, usually left for no more than a couple of hours at a time, but this time she didn't return.

    When Michael King, who has been homeless since 2003, spotted Mata Hairi, she was crouched under a table at a cafe, trying to stay out of the pouring rain.

    "I see cats all the time," King said. "I don't pick up cats. I don't want a cat, especially a full-grown one.

    And he definitely didn't want to haul around the needed food and bowls that would add 20 pounds to his pack.

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  • Raw: India Floods Wash Away Apartment Building

    Authorities in India say monsoon flooding has washed away an apartment building in the northern part of the country. The severe flooding has left at least 23 people dead, and 50 people missing.

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  • Police: NM woman unmasks robber, finds grandson

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police say a New Mexico woman who confronted a masked intruder in her home stumbled upon a shocking discovery when she ripped off his disguise — the robber was her grandson.

    KRQE-TV reports that 22-year-old Thomas Clark is facing robbery charges after police say he stole his grandmother's purse during a bizarre robbery at an Albuquerque home.

    According to police, the woman confronted the Clark, dressed in black with a purple bandana over his face, last week when he broke into her home.

    Police say the woman yanked off the mask but Clark pushed her and fled with her purse.

    He was arrested later at his parents' home.

    Police say he confessed and said he did it for casino money.

    It was unclear if he had an attorney.

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  • Today in History for June 17th
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