Columns

Zamora: Disaster Relief Was Meant For Fire Victims, Not FEMA Insiders

By Rep. MARTIN ZAMORA
District 63
Candidate for Congressional District 03

When Congress created the Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire compensation fund, the mission was simple: help New Mexico families rebuild after one of the worst disasters in state history. Homes were destroyed, land was lost, and entire livelihoods vanished overnight. The fund was meant to be a promise that victims would not be abandoned by their government.

Today, that promise is in jeopardy, and the people responsible for oversight have failed the folks they were charged with helping.

Investigative reporting has revealed Read More

Robinson: State’s Legislative Schedule And Structure Are Locked In The Past

By Sherry Robinson
All She Wrote
© 2026 New Mexico News Services

In my time covering the Legislature, I watched thoughtful deliberations for the first few weeks of a session. After that the pace picked up, the days grew longer, and hearings stretched into the wee hours and filled weekends. In the final week, hoarse, exhausted legislators were still trying to move legislation, but many a good bill – maybe one you cared about – died because the clock ran out.

This is no way to run a railroad, I thought year after year.

New Mexico’s Legislature is locked in an outdated schedule and structure. Sessions Read More

Fr. Theophan: Learning By Teaching

By Fr. Theophan Mackey
Rector
Saint Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church

Another month has come to an end.

How can January take so long, and February pass in the blink of an eye?

I’m starting another round of pottery classes at the Arts Council. Tile and mold making on Tuesdays and throwing on Thursdays. I’ll have to take a break in April for Holy Week and all that surrounds the events of Pascha, but it is so much fun to teach new students.

When we start, I let them know that I have been throwing pottery on and off for over thirty years. The basics of centering the clay and pulling walls are astonishing to beginners, Read More

Houck: The Process of Selling – Part 1 of 3 Preparing to Sell Some Key Considerations

By DAVID HOUCK
Qualifying Broker
Atomic Realty, LLC

Before putting your home on the market, there are many important decisions and preparations to consider.

Step 1 – Decide How You Want to Sell. Will you:

  • Hire a broker to handle all marketing and full transaction management?
  • Hire a broker for transaction paperwork only, but handle marketing yourself?
  • or sell entirely on your own?

Ask yourself:

  • Are you willing to take time away from work and family?
  • Do you have time to find and hire a professional photographer?
  • Do you know where and how to market your home effectively?
  • Does time permit you to maintain
Read More

Weekly Fishing Report: March 2, 2026 

By GEORGE MORSE 
Sports and Outdoors 
Los Alamos Daily Post 

Several lakes in Northeast New Mexico opened for fishing this weekend. Morphy Lake State Park, Clayton Lake State Park, Charette Lakes and Maxwell Lake 13 opened after being closed for the winter. Clayton Lake was stocked Feb. 18 with 4,001 rainbow trout in preparation for the opener. There should be good fishing for holdover rainbow trout at Charette and Maxwell Lake 13. 

Be sure to call 575.377.1594 to check on ice conditions at Eagle Nest Lake. The weather forecast indicates a warming trend so ice conditions may deteriorate.    Read More

Dannemann: The New Malpractice Law

By MERILEE DANNEMANN
Triple Spaced Again
© 2026 by Merilee Dannemann

Like most New Mexicans, I am deeply relieved that our medical malpractice law has been changed to get rid of unlimited punitive damages, the part of the law that has been scaring the heck out of our doctors and leading too many of them to leave the state.

I have already seen the first attack on the new version of the law – an article by a trial lawyer implying that injured patients won’t receive the compensation they deserve and greedy corporations will have no incentive for safety. Let’s clear this up.

The news coverage has focused Read More

Fr. Glenn: Déjà Vu All Over Again

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Hmph. War again. In the Middle East. Again.

It’s doubtful that the world will ever be free of war, and war is certainly tragic, regardless of the reasons for it or how “surgical” it is. I can’t help but think of the opening scene of the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” when the prehistoric proto-human picks up the bone and realizes he can use it as a weapon to kill … and we’ve been killing one another with weapons ever since. It’s that seemingly primordial desire to dominate for mates, territory, resources; we see it everywhere in nature. But you’d think we could lament the historical carnage Read More

Tales Of Our Times: ‘Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Twain!’ – Zesty Messaging, Then & Now

Tales of our Times
By JOHN BARTLIT
New Mexico Citizens
for Clean Air & Water

‘Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Twain!’ – Zesty Messaging, Then & Now

1867: Mark Twain

Mark Twain’s famed spoofery crystallized many of America’s durable truths. In 1867, Twain published a dodgy little piece titled “My Late Senatorial Secretaryship”. Twain recollects his imagined stint as secretary to a U.S. senator. In Twain’s mind, the senator asks him to answer a letter from constituents dealing with the rural post route to Tomahawk … but, “to leave them a little in the dark.”

Twain revels in the task:

Gentlemen: Read More

McQuiston: Why Modern Headlights Are Blinding Everyone … And What That Means For Accidents

By ALLEN MCQUISTON
Jemez Insurance Agency
Serving Los Alamos Since 1963
If you’ve driven at night lately, you’ve probably wondered if everyone has their brights on.
Most don’t.
Modern headlights are simply much brighter than they used to be — and while that helps the driver using them, it’s creating real problems for everyone else on the road.
What Changed?
For years, cars used halogen bulbs with a softer, yellow light. Today, most new vehicles use LED or HID lights.
They are:
  • Brighter;
  • Whiter (often slightly blue); and
  • Designed to project farther.
At the same time, more people drive SUVs and trucks,
Read More

Martinez: Protecting Financial Well-Being Of Our Small Businesses Is Essential To Sustaining Strong Community Ties And Economic Stability Of Los Alamos

By LIDDIE MARTINEZ
President, Los Alamos Region
Enterprise Bank & Trust, Member FDIC

As we settle into 2026, I encourage all of our small business owners to take a moment to review their fraud prevention plans. Since many local businesses don’t have large security departments, planning ahead is an important step we can take to protect ourselves.

The world of fraud is changing rapidly, driven more recently by artificial intelligence (AI). This means scams are faster, more convincing and much harder to recognize. Those old red flags, like awkward emails or clunky visuals, are disappearing, Read More