COUNTY News;

Los Alamos County Councilors Sharon Stover, Mike Wismer and Vincent Chiravalle are completing their terms as County Councilors Dec. 31.

The community is invited at 7 p.m. today, Dec. 18, to Council Chambers as the remaining Councilor and County Board and Commission members and County Staff formally recognize their service and thank them for their dedication to Los Alamos and White Rock.

Stover has lived in White Rock for more than 25 years and served on the County Council in 1996 by appointment and was elected in 1998-2002.

She currently serves

LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory employees have again demonstrated concern for their communities and those in need by pledging a record $2.13 million to United Way and other eligible nonprofit programs.

Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS), which manages and operates the Laboratory for the National Nuclear Security Administration, plans to prorate its $1 million match among the selected nonprofit organizations, bringing the total donation to $3.1 million.

“I am again touched by the

NNSA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As 2012 draws to a close, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has compiled a list of some of its most important accomplishments and improvements over the past year.

The NNSA, in conjunction with its Management & Operating contractor partners, reached significant milestones in its nonproliferation and counterterrorism portfolios, made a host of significant achievements through its work with the United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile, and maintained a constant focus on continuous improvement.

“We had our

COUNTY News:

The Los Alamos County Transportation Division will be turning off the power to various streetlights to enhance the viewing of holiday farolitos.

The streetlights will be turned off Monday, Dec. 24 and will be restored Wednesday, Dec. 26.

For safety purposes, the Transportation Division requests that all vehicles and trailers be moved to off-street parking during the full period that lights will be off.

If this is not possible, it is recommended that the vehicles and trailers be silhouetted by farolitos.

Neither arrests nor charges indicate a conviction, and neither means that a person is guilty of the charges filed against them.

Dec. 8 at 4:45 p.m. / A 71-year-old Los Alamos man reported that he was the victim of larceny in the 2000 block of 47th Street. The estimated loss is less than $250.

Dec. 10 at 11:25 a.m. / A 76-year-Los Los Alamos man on Los Pueblos reported that he was the victim of fraudulent use of his credit card. The estimated loss is $300.

Dec. 10 at 5:22 p.m.

Column by Elena Yang

No, I am not joking. Besides, I really want to end 2012 with the last column on a high note. 

A few recent reports, from different media outlets, on “in-sourcing” and “octopus management” have highlighted some smart management practices:

• http://www.npr.org/2012/12/08/166801322/not-just-patriotic-u-s-manufacturing-may-be-smart
• http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/12/the-insourcing-boom/309166/3/
• http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120802-military-tactics-from-the-octopus/1

Learning from octopus’ decentralized adaptive strategies, such as

LABB News:

The Los Alamos Big Band (LABB) will be presenting their annual Christmas Dance 7:30–10:30 p.m., Dec. 27 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church Parish Hall, 3700 Canyon Road.

The dance will be a special performance to honor the memory of Cathy LeClaire, a former member of the Big Band vocal quartet "The Mountainaires."

Cathy, her husband Rene with Steve and Terry Coggeshall sang for many years with LABB in the style of the famous Glenn Miller quartet "The Modernaires."

Rene will be the guest vocalist for the upcoming dance. All are welcome to come and dance or just

NIST News

By Ken Voytek: 12-12-12, the Mayan calendar, your lucky number, or your birth number. We obsess about data. Well, maybe only I do. Maybe I should take up numerology.

The most recent BLS reports compiling data on manufacturing provides an interesting picture. Uncertainty seems to the word of the day given the broader economic and policy environment.

If you read the headlines as my colleague Mark Schmit does, you come away with one picture.

Environmental Sustainability Board meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20 in the Community Building Training Room at 20th Street and Central Avenue.

The meeting is open to the public.

AGENDA:

I. Public Comment
II. Approval of Minutes
III. Committee/Subcommittee Reports
1. Chair Report
a. New Board Member Training Complete
b. January B&C Luncheon and Municipal Building Tour
2. Liaison Reports
(1). Utility Board – Don Machen, Christine Chavez
(2). Planning and Zoning – Deb Gill, Cliff Han Shunsheng
(3). Transportation –Skip Dunn, Reid Priedhorsky
(4). Parks and Recreation –Mary Barr,

COUNTY TRANSPORTATION DIVISION News:

The students of Little Forest Playschool are seasoned bus riders. During the summer they go on at least one field trip a week and have taken the bus to the pool, the library, Ashley Pond, the Farmer’s Market and other places in Los Alamos.

In late November the students arrived at school, walked to the bus stop on 38^th Street and Villa and did their morning stretches while waiting for the number 6 to arrive. 

They rode