Weekly News & Updates From Los Alamos County
Published July 8, 2022
Upcoming Events
Two COVID-19 vaccine clinics for children 6 months to 5 years of age

In response to the Food and Drug Administration's recent authorization for emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged six months to five, Los Alamos County and Premier Medical Group have scheduled two vaccine clinics for this special population segment. On Monday, July 11, and Monday, July 18, Premier Medical Group will administer the Pfizer 6 months to 4 years vaccine and the Moderna 6 months to 5 years vaccine between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Mountain Elementary School, 2280 North Rd., Los Alamos. 
Community invited to a special Parks and Recreation Meeting
The Los Alamos County Community Services Department has been working with a professional consulting team to assist with the development of an Integrated Community Services Master Plan, that will help identify and assess existing programs, services, facilities, gaps, and look at future needs within the community.

The Community Services Department and the Parks and Recreation Board would like to invite the community to a special Parks and Recreation Meeting on July 13th at 5:30 p.m. This meeting will be held in person in room 330 at the Municipal building and via Zoom and will focus on the summary findings of the survey completed in May.

The public is also invited to the regularly scheduled Parks and Recreation Board Meeting on July 14th at 5:30 p.m. This meeting will focus on the results from the Level of Service and Condition Assessment of CSD facilities and amenities. This meeting will also be held in person in Council Chambers at the Municipal building and via Zoom. In addition to this meeting, we will discuss the possibility of turfing Boomer Field, and phase one of golf course improvements.

Below are the links and information for both meetings:
July 13, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82983895474
July 14, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88454053716
Los Alamos ScienceFest 2022: "Exploration"
July 12 - 17
Come experience a week full of workshops, conversations, movies, hands-on demos and more to celebrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) topics for kids and adults of all ages!

Various times and locations throughout the week
Most events will be free

​Be sure to check out all the STEM-related specials and gifts offered by our local business community!
Recycle Fashion Show
Saturday, July 16, 12:00 p.m.
Ashley Pond Park Pavilion as part of Science Fest
The Recycle Fashion Show is a fun event for all ages. The recycle fashion show is a fun and creative way to highlight the importance of incorporating the three R’s into our daily lives - reuse, reduce, and recycle. This event has been a community favorite for over a decade. Participants design, create and display their recycle fashions on the runway. This year the event will be held in collaboration with Science Fest. For more information contact sonja.martinez@lacnm.us.
Next Council meeting on July 19 to be work session
The next Los Alamos County Council meeting is a work session and will take place on July 19th, at 6:00 p.m., Council Chambers, 1000 Central Ave., Los Alamos. This will be an in-person/Zoom hybrid meeting.

View the complete agenda packet for this meeting here.
News
Atomic City Transit is hiring!
Los Alamos County Atomic City Transit is looking for individuals to join its team of Drivers. No experience is required and training is provided.
DPU offers an introduction to induction cooking
The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) launched a new program this week to introduce customers to the concept of cooking by induction—an idea that could have a positive impact on the environment.

DPU’s Induction Cooktop Loaner Program puts portable induction cooktops into the hands of customers who would like to try out using induction as an alternative to gas or electric stoves. An induction cooktop uses electromagnets to produce heat through a high-frequency oscillating magnetic field. Eddy currents produced by this magnetic field encounter resistance in iron-based cookware and that causes heat to be transferred directly to the cookware. Basically, induction technology eliminates the step in which the electric element or gas burner is heated up before any heat is transferred to cookware.
Public hearing set for gas rate increase
The Department of Public Utilities is proposing gas rate increases spanning the next four years. Two public hearings for the rate changes are planned. The first public hearing will take place at the July 20th Board of Public Utilities meeting. If the BPU approves the rate ordinance, a second hearing will be held on August 30th, at the Los Alamos County Council meeting. The rates must be adopted by the County Council before they can be put in place.

More information about the proposed rates can be found online at: https://ladpu.com/rates.
Canyon Road reconstruction project is underway
TLC Plumbing and Utility, under contract with the Los Alamos County Public Works Department, has begun the first phase of a three-phase road and utility construction project on Central/Canyon Road. Traffic delays are expected.
Tidbits and Treasures
The Believer: Alien Encounters, Hard Science, and the Passion of Dr. John Mack
The staff at Mesa Public Library is pleased to present The Believer: Alien Encounters, Hard Science, and the Passion of John Mack on Thursday, July 14 from 7 to 8 p.m. This free public program will be presented by author and former long-time New York Times reporter Ralph Blumenthal and reveals a tale that is out of this world!

Blumenthal’s biography of Dr. John Mack—an eminent Harvard psychiatrist and Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer—portrays a man who risked his career to investigate the phenomenon of human encounters with aliens. Blumenthal was an award-winning reporter for the New York Times and co-authored the Times article in 2017 that broke the news of a secret Pentagon unit investigating UFOs. He has written four nonfiction books including Miracle at Sing Sing: How One Man Transformed the Lives of America’s Most Dangerous Prisoners. A distinguished lecturer at Baruch College, he lives in New York City.

Praise for The Believer: "As a person sane enough to hold a driver’s license, I say, what are we to make of Mack’s findings? Read this gripping, factual account of a mental-health pioneer and truth-seeker by a soundly accredited successful author, veteran New York Times foreign correspondent, and reporter. Decide for yourselves and then tell me." —Dan Aykroyd

This program is free to the public and will be live-streamed via Zoom. Registration is required to attend. Please visit the event calendar for more information. Do you have questions or need help with registration? Please call (505) 662-8257. This program is made possible by Friends of Los Alamos County Libraries. 
‘Glowing’ a watercolor by Los Alamos area artist Kathi Geoffrion-Parker, a signature artist in the New Mexico Watercolor Society. Courtesy photo
Watercolors of the High Desert now showing at Step Up Gallery
Step Up Gallery at Mesa Public Library is proud to announce its current exhibit
Watercolors of the High Desert: The Work of Signature Artists of the New Mexico Watercolor Society, which runs through July 27.

The public is invited to attend a reception and meet the artists 2:30-4 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Refreshments will be served.

In a first-time-ever event, the “Signature Member Group” of the more accomplished artists within New Mexico Watercolor Society are exhibiting nearly 70 paintings by 36 different artists in Step Up Gallery located on the top floor of the Mesa Public Library in the historic center of Los Alamos, during July.

Visit the exhibition now through July 27 and share in the celebration of New Mexico’s beauty. All signature watercolors are for sale and can be purchased in Step Up Gallery’s Art Market online at: https://lalamosartscouncil.artspan.com/home.

Step Up Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sundays. At this time, masking and social distancing is welcome, but not required. The policy, however, may change without notice. Mesa Public Library is at 2400 Central Ave.
Tuesday at the Pond to feature Hillstompers
Join this Los Alamos icon and award-winning jazzy street band as they perform lively music and witty shenanigans to kick off Los Alamos ScienceFest 2022: Exploration. This show will open with a performance by the Belisima Irish Dance Group.
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