NewsExtras Moves to the Monitor’s New Web Site Today…
The Los Alamos Monitor took the wraps off its new Web site early Sunday morning and my blog, NewsExtras, has moved to that site: www.lamonitor.com/blogs.
The new site ushers in a new era of convergence, as the newspaper advances its Internet presence.
The site, lamonitor.com, has a number of key features and technological advances that were not available on the newspaper’s previous Web site.
Chief among those features, the site now affords a greater use of video, photo slideshows, reader forums, blogs, and other elements designed to extend the newspaper’s reach and provide a place for community conversation and debate.
“This is indeed the moment of convergence for the Los Alamos Monitor, Publisher Keven Todd said. “The Monitor is no longer a newspaper that also happens to have a Web site. As we’ve seen the lamonitor.com numbers explode and essentially double in the past year—220,000 page views in August—it has become clear that a greater depth of online capabilities was needed in order to better serve our readers and advertisers.”
In reviewing some of the site improvements, Todd pointed to video as being chief among them.
The new content system makes it easier and faster for the news team to post video than ever before, he said.
“Not only is there a multimedia showcase for video and photo slideshows on the homepage, but readers will also find video posted with more stories to add a depth of reporting that was time-consuming and rather cumbersome on the previous site,” Todd said. “The video feature alone represents an ability to add a dimension to reporting news that is unprecedented here locally.”
Other enhancements to lamonitor.com include Reader Forums, Blogs, and a Pet of the Week feature along with an Adopt-a-Pet from the local shelter.
Readers will also find a way to more easily access the specific news they’re looking for through the drop-down menus under each of the main section headers at the top of the homepage.
“We’ve been listening to what our readers have been telling us they want from the Monitor, in both print and online,” Todd said. “The online side not only represents a major investment that allows the Monitor to deliver a greater depth of news here locally, but it also coincides with a bigger, company-wide online initiative by Landmark Community Newspapers, the parent company of the Monitor.”
Regular online readers should go ahead and register on the site in order to post comments, and participate in the many features that will in essence become an online extension of the Los Alamos community, Todd said.
“At some point in the not-too-distant future, much of the content on lamonitor.com will go behind a pay wall,” Todd said. “Print newspaper subscribers will gain access to the online extras as part of their paid subscriptions, while anyone will be able to purchase an online-only subscription and continue to gain full access to all the local news. We invest so much in developing local content; it simply does not make sense for the Monitor to continue giving it away for free online.”
Todd said that while the new lamonitor.com is a substantial step forward for the Monitor in terms of becoming a more robust multimedia news outlet, he points out that this is only the first phase and that more enhancements are already in development.
“We want everyone to get involved with the online community that lamonitor.com will come to represent,” Todd said. “But stay tuned, the best is yet to come.”
LANS Picnic at the Park Honors 9/11
LANS officials honor 9/11 victims with a wreath placed today at Overlook Park during the annual Picnic in the Park Day. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
A somber ceremony led by Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Michael Anastasio this afternoon at Overlook Park was filled with memories of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack and the people who lost their lives on that horrific day.
“We all felt vulnerable that day in a way we’ve never felt before and unlike the rest of the population – we get to come to work everyday and we have the ability to do something about it,” Anastasio said.
Ed Vigil of LANL's Government Affairs Office, LANL Director Michael Anastasio and Acting Director Terry Hawkins of LANL's Office of Counterintelligence during today's 9/11 ceremony at Overlook Park. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
David Swingle from the laboratory’s veteran’s committee spoke of the cowardly sneak attack in which there was “no warning, no pity and prisoners.”
“There were feelings of disbelief, great loss and a resolve to never let it happen again…a small group of religious fanatics are not going to ruin our American way of life…but we have a lingering problem and that is terrorism,” Swingle said.
Some 3,000 LANS employees, family members and members of the community gathered at Overlook Park in White Rock for the fourth annual Picnic in the Park Day. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Acting Director Terry Hawkins of LANL’s Office of Counterintelligence recalled where he was when the planes flew into the World Trade Center.
Director Kurt Steinhaus of LANL's Community Program Office joins others today for a moment of silence in honor of those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
“I was in Israel giving a talk on counterterrorism, someone came in and said, ‘Terry, the World Trade Center has collapsed,’” Hawkins said.
LANL Director Michael Anastasio. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
A moment of silence about 3,000 laboratory employees, family members and people from the community who gathered at the event.
LANS’ Picnic at the Park has become an annual tradition since Los Alamos National Security took over the management contract for LANL four years ago.
Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
The first two years it was held at Sullivan Field and last year and today at Overlook Park.
LANS gives UNM-Los Alamos a $1,000 check for its Public Safety Certificate Program in recognition of the firefighters and police officers who makes sacrifices daily to protect America. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
This year’s picnic day just happened to fall on the anniversary of 9/11, said co-organizers Tim Martinez from the laboratory’s Community Programs Office and Ed Vigil from the Government Affairs Office. Martinez and Vigil worked on today’s event for the last year with organizing committee chair Camille Lopez.
LANL Director Michael Anastasio passes out book bags to attendees at today's annual laboratory family day. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
LANS hired national event planning experts Compass Rose, which partnered with local nonprofits to share in the profits of the day, providing hot dogs and hamburgers, Jolly Jumpers and other family fun activities on LANS’ tab.
Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Los Alamos fire and police personnel set up their vehicles and interacted with the public, as did LANL’s Emergency Management and Response team.
“This is a way for LANS to show appreciation to all of the employees for their hard work and dedication throughout the year,” Vigil said. “This year because the event fell on 9/11, LANS wanted to also recognize the sacrifices fire and police personnel make on a daily basis and on 9/11.”
Los Alamos Police, Firefighters and LANL's EM&R brought out their trucks for the public to tour today during the picnic. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
LANS awarded Executive Director Cedric Paige of the University of New Mexico at Los Alamos a $1,000 check at the event for its Public Safety Certificate Program.
Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Senior LANL management was on hand meeting and greeting laboratory employees, their families and members of the community throughout the day.
Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Detective Accepts Plea; Quits Force
Shari Mills. Photo by Carol A. Clark/for the Monitor
Det. Shari Mills has tendered her resignation with the Los Alamos Police Department and accepted the district attorney’s offer to enter a pre-prosecution diversion program.
Mills, 53, was on paid administrative leave since June, after becoming the prime suspect in an aggravated burglary case at the home of her ex-husband, Lt. Scott Mills, also a Los Alamos police officer.
LAPD called in the state police to investigate the case while conducting a parallel administrative investigation of their own.
“We have concluded our internal affairs investigation and just received a letter of resignation from Det. Mills,” Deputy Chief Kevin Purtymun said Wednesday. “It’s up to the district attorney’s office whether criminal charges will be filed.”
District Attorney Angela Pacheco said Thursday morning that Det. Mills was facing felony charges of residential burglary and larceny.
“Det. Mills has been referred to a diversion program with consent of the victim Scott Mills,” Pacheco said. “She has to meet with our office for one year – she has a substance abuse issue and she has to get treatment for that issue.”
Ordinarily, individuals involved in burglaries and larcenies are not referred to the diversion program but this is a domestic issue, she said.
“In determining whether to put someone in the program, we take into account prior criminal history, the nature of the crime and the victim’s feelings in the matter,” Pacheco said. “Det. Mills was apparently under the influence at the time of the break in. If she had a criminal record or if it were a violent crime she wouldn’t have been put in the program. If the victim had been opposed, we would never have put her in the diversion program – he really supported her getting treatment.”
Pacheco described Det. Mills as a person who “for the most part has led an upstanding life.”
“For personal reasons she had a stumble,” Pacheco said.
Read the full story in Friday’s edition of the Los Alamos Monitor.
Fatal Crash Probe Continues
Investigators have obtained a search warrant for the cell phone belonging to the driver involved in a recent head-on collision in which a woman died.
“We have the cell phone in our possession and are examining it,” Capt. Randy Foster said. “We’re also going through the process to retain the vehicle in which the woman passed away for further investigation and evidence purposes.”
The vehicle is a gray Nissan Altima that belonged to Miranda Martinez, 29, of Velarde.
Martinez was driving west on East Jemez Road near Royal Crest Mobile Home Park when, according to police, Matthew Vigil, 33, of Espanola driving eastbound crossed over the line in his Chevy Silverado pick-up and smashed into her car.
She died at the scene.
“Investigations become very sensitive anytime there’s a death involved,” Foster said.
He estimates that it could take up to a month to complete this investigation. In the meantime, Vigil has not been charged or cited.
Read the full story in today’s edition of the Los Alamos Monitor.
Betty Gunther Seeks to Help Guide County Council
A new candidate has entered the local county council race. Betty Gunther got the nod Wednesday from the Los Alamos Democratic Party central committee to replace Nathan Hjelm, who withdrew his candidacy last month citing time constraints.
“We made a list of people we thought would be good and Betty was on the short list,” Democratic Party Chair Cathy Chapman said. “She’s good at researching, organizing and making sound decisions.”
Gunther, 65, retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory about five years ago following a career as a computer and electrical technician. She was a founding member of the University, Professional and Technical Employees union at LANL.
“I have been following county government for many years and I’m interested in the future of this community,” Gunther said. “I’ve actually toyed with the idea (of serving on council) for some time, not for any specific reasons except I’m a great believer in democracy doesn’t work unless we do. My issues are really about how we govern our county – all the many little things that make up our community.”
Read the full story in today’s edition of the Los Alamos Monitor.
Crowd Attends Rachel’s Challenge at Los Alamos Middle School
Fifty students, staff and their parents attended Rachel's Challenge last night at Los Alamos Middle School. Here students Hallie Thayer, Sydney Trujillo and Principal Donna Grim accept the challenge by signing the banner. Tonight at 6:30, Los Alamos High School will host the final, free presentation about how simple acts of kindness can change the world. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen/for the Monitor
Food Co-op Hires Manager
Steve Watts. Courtesy photo
The Los Alamos Cooperative Market has taken yet another major step in its journey to becoming a reality.
It has hired a general manager with extensive co-op experience to help move the operation through the home stretch.
“The co-op board is delighted to announce that Steve Watts has accepted our offer,” said Nancy Savoia, board president. “Steve was the general manager of the French Broad Food Cooperative in Asheville, N.C. for the last four years and before that was the business development director for the La Montanita Co-op here in New Mexico.”
In his work with La Montanita, Watts served as project manager on two new cooperative store acquisitions, Savoia said, adding that his experience and dedication to natural food cooperatives qualify him for the challenges ahead.
“I have actually been working with Los Alamos since about 2005,” Watt said in an interview from Ashville Tuesday.
He will initially serve a non-concurrent dual role with the Los Alamos co-op. When he moves to town next month, Watts will work as project manager, assisting board members and the developers in building the store at Pajarito Cliffs.
“That will be my first duty and I will do everything from equipment sourcing to store layout and design to hiring staff,” Watts said. “Once the store is turned over to us by the developers, hopefully by mid January, then I’ll be the general manager overseeing the operations of the store.”
The goal is to run a successful, viable food co-op, he said, adding that the challenge is how to take a co-op located on the edge of town and make it the heart of the community.
“If we can do that, then we’ve been successful,” Watts said.
Read the full story in Thursday’s edition of the Los Alamos Monitor.
Police Beat Through Sept. 1, 2010
Police Beat items are compiled from public information contained in Los Alamos Police Department Records.
Charges or citations listed in Police Beat do not imply innocence or guilt.
Aug. 26
6:40 p.m. – A 17-year-old Los Alamos boy was charged with reckless driving in Rendija Canyon. He was referred to the juvenile probation officer and released to his parents.
Aug. 27
2:43 p.m. – A 14-year-old Los Alamos boy was charged with distribution of a controlled substance at the Los Alamos Middle School. He was referred to the juvenile probation officer and released to his parents.
2:43 p.m. – A 13-year-old Los Alamos boy was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia at the Los Alamos Middle School. He was referred to the juvenile probation officer and released to his parents.
Aug. 28
12:49 p.m. – Andrew C. Lawrence, 38, of Los Alamos was charged with battery and issued a criminal summons to appear in court.
12:16 a.m. – Konstantin Turitsyn, 28, was arrested on Canyon Road and charged with DWI following a traffic stop.
3 a.m. – Javier E. Leyva, 22, was arrested in Santa Fe by another agency on a Los Alamos Magistrate Court bench warrant.
Aug. 29
7:24 p.m. – Justin Stone, 24, of Los Alamos was arrested on Central Avenue and charged with driving on a suspended or revoked license following a traffic stop.
9:15 p.m. – Andrew C. Lawrence, 38, of Los Alamos was arrested and charged with extreme cruelty to animals after police discovered that he stabbed his cat to death.
3:37 p.m. – Maria Munoz, 20, was served a Municipal Court Warrant while she was in the Los Alamos County Detention Center.
Aug. 30
8:29 p.m. – Travis Kennedy, 32, of Los Alamos was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting, evading, obstructing an officer on Iris Street after police responded to a disturbance call.
Aug. 31
9:51 a.m. – Desiree Nitz, 20, of Los Alamos was arrested on Canyon Road on a Municipal Court Warrant.
Sept. 1
11 p.m. – Ivan Y Vasin, 19, of Los Alamos, Colt Francis Allen, 19, Mark Anthony Martinez, 21, James Tyler Leibee, 19, and a 17-year-old Los Alamos girl were issued criminal citations to appear in court for being in possession of alcohol at 3301 Canyon Rd.
11:35 p.m. – Manuel Baca Jr., 22, of Los Alamos was arrested and charged with buying, selling or giving alcohol to minors.
Read Police Beat archives at lamonitor.com.
Regulations Strangling Business and Banking
Sen. Tom Udall. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Local business people shared bottom line concerns with U.S. Sen. Tom Udall during a Chamber Coffee event at Fuller Lodge Tuesday.
“More than anything, I just want to hear from everybody,” Udall said. “We’re very; very interested in the small business situation here. One of the things we want to do is get money into the hands of community banks.”
County Council Chair Mike Wismer and Rep. Jeannette Wallace attend Chamber Coffee. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
The banking and mortgage loan crisis that has plagued the nation for the last three years has led to stiffer regulations.
CEO Bill Enloe of Los Alamos National Bank told Udall that those regulations are making things difficult for community banks — especially banks in rural communities.
County Administrator Tony Mortillaro greets business people at Tuesday's Chamber Coffee event at Fuller Lodge. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
“The new regulations were imposed in part to limit risks to banks, but the effect on community banks is that it makes it difficult to raise capital – if you’re shrinking capital – you’re shrinking loans,” Enloe said.
CEO Bill Enloe of Los Alamos National Bank and Kent Pegg, owner of LA Fitness participated in a meeting with Sen. Tom Udall Tuesday as part of September's Chamber Coffee. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Read the full story in the Los Alamos Monitor.
Chamber Coffee. Photo by Katy Korkos/for the Monitor
County Council Vice Chair Sharon Stover and Katy Korkos of the Chamber listen as Sen. Tom Udall speaks with business people. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Kurt Steinhaus of LANL's Community Programs Office discusses a number of laboratory accomplishments with Sen. Tom Udall. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Gunther Enters Council Race
The Los Alamos Democratic Party central committee has elected Betty Gunther to replace Nathan Hjelm in the race for Los Alamos County Council.
Hjelm withdrew his candidacy last month citing time constraints.
“We made a list of people we thought would be good and Betty was on the short list,” Chair Cathy Chapman said.
Read the full story in Thursday’s edition of the Los Alamos Monitor.
Los Alamos Firefighters Union Endorses House Candidate Stephanie Richard
Stephanie Richard
President Flavio Martinez of the Los Alamos Firefighters Union said the rank and file has endorsed Democrat Stephanie Richard for the District 43 House seat held nine consecutive terms by Republican Jeannette Wallace.
“We proudly stand in support of Stephanie Richard,” Martinez said in a news release. “She’s committed to public safety and will be a strong champion for area firefighters. As professional firefighters, we realize we cannot provide for the safety of the citizens alone. We need strong advocates of our work at all levels of government. We support candidates who share our commitment to the emergency medical and fire response for the public good.”
“This is an important endorsement I’m proud to receive,” Richard said in a news release. “Our firefighters are our first responders and everyday they work to make us safe. Los Alamos Fire Fighters face conditions unlike others in the state. They could end up putting out fires at the lab that involve radioactive materials, a situation that raises numerous other issues such as additional training and health risk concerns. I will be a strong advocate for their safety and that of our community.”
Read the full story in the Los Alamos Monitor.
Rachel’s Challenge Comes to Los Alamos This Week
By Bernadette Lauritzen/for or the Monitor
Rachel Scott/Courtesy
Rachel’s Challenge comes to Los Alamos this week to teach everyone that small acts of kindness can make a big difference.
Dave Gamache first presented the program last May and returns to provide a spectrum of events for the community and students. Rachel Scott may have been the first student killed at Columbine, but should be remembered for being a regular student, with a good heart, who still continues to change the world with her words.
The Rachel’s Challenge program was brought to Los Alamos at the request of Los Alamos Middle School Principal Donna Grim as part of a well rounded effort to improve school climate and create a positive behavior plan for the middle school.
Students will sign a banner when they take the challenge to make life better. Two free, community presentations will take place Wednesday night at 6:30 at Los Alamos Middle School and Thursday night at 6:30 at Los Alamos High School's Duane Smith Auditorium. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen/for the Monitor
The one-hour presentation uses video and photographs to bring home the message that small acts of kindness have a ripple effect that can change someone’s day, a situation and even unknowingly, one day the world.
The May event provided a profound impact on staff and students as they prepared to head off for the summer.
“I found the experience to be very moving and is something I probably will never forget, said Assistant Principal Rex Kilburn, after the event last May. “On a personal level, the presentation achieved its purpose of making me reflect on myself. On a professional level as the assistant principal, I saw students engaged and focused, which I hope means they were really hearing, not just listening. If even only a few students make changes in their lives the presentation would still be considered a success in my opinion.”
Los Alamos School Board members, Superintendent Gene Schmidt and Grim brought the program back this year to begin the year on a series of positive notes for staff, students and hope to engage the community this week.
Los Alamos Middle School hosts the first round of events on Wednesday with seventh and eighth grade students attending separate assemblies with similar messages.
The LAMS Hawk Community Service class will take the message one step further by attending a 90-minute training to establish Chain Links, a Rachel’s Challenge offering to continue the message all year long.
The community is invited to attend one of two free presentations offered at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
The Wednesday evening event will be held at the middle school gym and is open to community adults and home school students in sixth grade and above, wishing to hear the message about simple acts of kindness.
The second offering will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Los Alamos High School’s Duane Smith Auditorium.
The community presentation follows a day time continuation for most of the freshmen class.
The LAHS class of 2014 ended their middle school career with a challenge offered by the words of Rachel Scott, provided by Gamache to help students see how they can change the world.
The freshmen class will also look into forming their own Chain Links program after the Thursday presentation.
The effort will start their year off as Hilltoppers with an eye toward making Los Alamos - and maybe the world – a little bit better because they are in it.
To assist with the Chain Links programs, which will be sponsored in part by the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board and Assets In Action or for information about the presentations, call 661-4846.
Local Grand Opening Draws Top GOP Candidates
Susana Martinez addresses the crowd at Saturday's grand opening of the GOP campaign headquarters in Central Park Square. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
As the political season heats up, the Los Alamos Republican Party opened their campaign headquarters in Central Park Square Saturday.
Congressional candidate Tom Mullins, gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez and Errol Chavez who is running for state auditor attended the event.
“We plan on changing things, we plan on being strong…we plan on shining a light on corruption,” Martinez told the crowd of 100 or so. “This race is so important, even for the Democrats, because if we turn the state red, then we can look to 2012. The nation is looking to us as a swing state…there’s only 59 days to the election.”
Both Martinez and Mullins expressed frustration with their opponents for being no shows at various events throughout the state. “There have been several events where she hasn’t shown up,” Martinez said of her opponent Diane Denish. Martinez pulled ahead by 6 percentage points over Denish in a recent Albuquerque Journal poll.
Mullins became tired of the fact that organizations weren’t polling his race against incumbent Ben Ray Lujan so he conducted a poll of his own Aug. 19.
Lujan received 45 percent and Mullins 40 percent with 15 percent undecided.
“And that is with Lujan having a name recognition of 97 percent in the poll and mine was only 38 percent,” Mullins said. “That means I have nothing to do but go up and he has nothing to do but go down.”
Read the full story in Tuesday’s Los Alamos .
GOP Headquarters Officially Opens for Political Season
Congressional candidate Tom Mullins, left, chats with Rep. Jeannette Wallace and a supporter late this afternoon at the grand opening of the local Republican Party Headquarters next to KRSN in Central Park Square. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez listens to a supporter as County Councilor Robert Gibson looks on. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez chats with a supporter. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
From left, Susana Martinez' husband, Chuck Franco, Errol J. Chavez running for state auditor and Los Alamos County Assessor JoAnn Johnson who is running unopposed for a second term, take a moment to pose for the camera. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez speaks with Los Alamos County Assessor JoAnn Johnson, who is running for a second term. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez speaks with County Councilor Vincent Chiravalle who cooked hot dogs for the 100 or so people who turned out late this afternoon for the grand opening of GOP Headquarters. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Councilor Vincent Chiravalle prepares a hot dog for gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez flanked by KRSN owners Gillian Sutton, far left, and David Sutton, far right. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Susana Martinez thanks her local campaign captain Rose Stephens before heading for the airport to fly to Las Cruces. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez and her local campaign captain Rose Stephens. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Inside the new GOP headquarters in Central Park Square, Susana Martinez talks about the issues facing the state and her bid for governor. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
A crowd gathers for the grand opening of the Republican Party Headquarters in Central Park Square and spills out on to the sidewalk late this afternoon. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez points out something to Rep. Jeannette Wallace who is running for re-election in the 43rd House District. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Congressional candidate Tom Mullins speaks to the crowd at today's GOP event. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
County Council candidate Geoff Rodgers and local GOP activist Norma Tech. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
County Council candidate Fran Berting discusses local issues during the event. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
County Council candidate Geoff Rodgers speaks to the crowd at today's grand opening of the local GOP Headquarters. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Los Alamos Republican Women activist Betty Cox, Councilor Robert Gibson and others put the fixings on their hot dogs. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
This GOP cake was devoured quickly by the crowd during today's event. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Brandie enjoys all the political festivities with her owner resident Tony Davis. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Susana Martinez discusses local and state issues during the event. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
GOP Headquarters at 146 Central Park Square. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Terry Wallace Sr. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
State Auditor candidate Errol Chavez discusses financial issues. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Rep. Jeannette Wallace speaks to the crowd. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Susana Martinez, followed by her husband Chuck Franco, departs for the airport. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
New Bridge at Hoover Dam – A Fantastic Feat of Engineering
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
A Work In Progress
Workers install a flagpole at the newly renovated Los Alamos Police Department on Central Avenue. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Meet New Orthodontist At Open House Thursday
Ian, 1, Angela, Dr. Devan Vest and Kyra, 4. Photo by Don Taylor
By Bernadette Lauritzen/For the Monitor
This week the community of Los Alamos says “Aloha,” to one of their newest residents as the community welcomes Dr. Devan Vest, DDS, MS and his family, as they join the office of Los Alamos Orthodontics.
Vest comes by way of BYU-Hawaii, West Virginia University and the Oregon Health and Science University, prior to his time in the Land of Enchantment.
After completing his specialty training, Vest moved to Albuquerque, where he worked as an associate orthodontist. While there, Vest learned of opportunities with Los Alamos Orthodontics’, Dr Hobson and how Hobson was interested in adding to his practice.
After an initial meeting, the Vest family decided they had found their new home.
“After having visited southern, western and eastern portions of New Mexico, we couldn’t believe the beauty of Los Alamos and the rest of Northern New Mexico. We fell in love with the place, as well as the practice opportunity, “ Vest said.
Vest, along with wife Angela, daughter Kyra, 4, and son Ian, 1, are glad to see the sun after a winter spent in Oregon.
“We love the outdoors and are particularly looking forward to the many outdoor activities that LA offers, such as hiking the many trails,” Vest said.
Vest has enjoyed the small town feel with his family, running the many trails and sharing interests with his patients. He also comes to Los Alamos with a professional mission statement that will bode him well during his time in the community.
Vest believes in an orthodontic practice with an exciting atmosphere that combines great patient care and excellent service. He wants to provide a safe, fun, and rewarding workplace for his employees and to promote self-worth among patients.
Vest worked to establish this mission statement by performing research, in addition to his full time work.
He has fulfilled his Master of Science degree as a supplement to his Orthodontic Specialty Certificate.
His notable achievements also include; the Dr. William Kramer Award in the OKU Dental Honor Society, the William Butler Scholar Research Award, the American Academy of Oral Maxillofacial Pathology Award and more.
The staff of Los Alamos Orthodontics will welcome Vest formally with an open house on Thursday.
“The staff at Los Alamos Orthodontics is great,” Vest said. “They are very professional and always concerned about making sure the patients get the best care and service possible. At the same time, they really like to have fun and make appointments an enjoyable experience for the patients.”
The open house is 4:30-6:30 p.m. at 3250 Trinity Dr., Ste A. Refreshments will be served.
To learn more about Vest, call 662-4555.
UNM-Los Alamos…Possibly the Happiest Place on Earth!
Bonnie Gordon, left, and Cindy Leyba of the University of New Mexico at Los Alamos display the college's bright new t-shirts from their booth at the 2010 Fair and Rodeo at Ashley Pond. Photo by Carol A. Clark/Monitor
Boosting the Intelligence of Educators? Get Them Out of Their Chairs…
By Steve Bordley
If improving their heart and health was not reason enough to get educators out of their chairs, perhaps the lure to increase their intelligence will.
Sound far fetched? A new study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience has shown that walking will in fact enhance connectivity within brain circuits.
Additionally, the study found that walking also improves cognition and combats the decline in brain function normally associated with aging. Walking, in effect, keeps the brain younger and functioning at a higher level than those of sedentary individuals.
The challenge in today’s workplace environment is finding the time to walk the minimum amount of steps required to improve mental processes. Often lost in the debate concerning improving our education system is the need to care for the mental and physical health of our educators.
The study followed 65 previously sedentary adults aged 59 to 80 and joined a walking or stretching and toning group for a period of twelve months. The researchers also measured brain activity in 32 adults aged between 18-35 years of age.
The study focused on regions within the brain that function together as networks.
“Almost nothing in the brain gets done by one area it’s more of a circuit,” said University of Illinois psychology professor and Beckman Institute Director Art Kramer, lead researcher. Dr. Kramer has led previous studies which showed that walking can increase memory and cognitive abilities by as much as 15 percent in 6 months and increase the production of small blood vessels in the brain by 43 percent in the same duration. “These networks can become more or less connected. In general, as we get older, they become less connected, so we were interested in the effects of fitness on connectivity of brain networks that show the most dysfunction with age, Dr. Kramer added.”
Dr. Kramer and his staff were particularly interested in what is known as the Default Mode Network, a network of brain circuitry which dominates brain activity when an individual is detached from their surroundings either when passively observing an event or when daydreaming. A degradation in the DMN has been shown to be a common symptom of aging and a potential marker of disease such as Alzheimer’s.
In a healthy brain, DMN activity diminishes rapidly when an individual focuses on a specific activity requiring focus and concentration. Older brains, Alzheimer’s patients and schizophrenics are less able to detach from the DMN so that other brain networks may launch to handle specific tasks. Individuals with greater DMN connectivity have been shown superior in activities involving planning, strategizing or mutl-tasking.
“This is yet another study illustrating the importance of integrating continual movement into our workday as opposed to believing that our health can be enhanced with only a 30 minute trip to the gym three days a week,”stated Steve Bordley, CEO of TrekDesk Treadmill Desks www.trekdesk.com.
Treadmill desks allow employees the opportunity to walk slowly all day while they work and are designed to reduce the sedentary nature of the workplace, a crippling contributor to ill health of the average American.
The study used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) to investigate walkings’ effects on the DMN and other brain networks.
Taking benchmark tests at six months and 12 months respectively they found DMN connectivity significantly enhanced among older walkers but not in the control group of toning and stretching peers.
The walkers also exhibited increased connectivity in another area of brain circuitry known as the Fronto-Executive Network, which is known to aid in the ability to perform complex tasks.
The older walkers also outperformed the stretching/toning control group in cognitive tests by a wide margin.
“The higher the connectivity, the better the performance on some of these cognitive tasks, especially the ones we call executive control tasks – things like planning, scheduling, dealing with ambiguity, working memory and multitasking – these are the very skills that tend to decline with aging,” Kramer said.
