LANL to shut down Friday unless shutdown ends

From KOB-TV.com - By: Erica Zucco, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - Unless Congress reaches a deal and ends the government shutdown soon, Los Alamos National Laboratory will close this Friday. The entire town of Los Alamos is bracing for the impact, since the laboratory is the biggest employer there. A shutdown would also crush local businesses that rely on customers who work at the lab.
     The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce says without those families spending, fragile local businesses could crumble. The shutdown itself will hurt city operations directly. “I see it as potential for a major failure,” Katy Korko said. “Our county government relies on Gross receipts taxes, which they receive from the operations of Los Alamos National Lab.”
     It’s a disaster they can see coming, and hope politicians will prevent. “The true impact of what's going on is not hitting home to the people in Washington,” Wells said. “I love our nation. This is a great nation. We need to act like we are.”
     It’s still unclear how many of the lab’s 10,000 employees will be affected. The House passed a bill to protect funding for the labs, but the Senate hasn’t touched it yet. They say they’re waiting for a bill to fund the entire government. More

LANL to shut down Friday unless shutdown ends

State to pay National Guard workers amid furlough

Gov. Susana Martinez's administration is stopping the furlough of several dozen civilian state workers for the National Guard by agreeing to cover their salaries this week while a federal government shutdown continues. 

A spokesman for the National Guard said Monday that the 55 employees maintain guard facilities across the state and include staff responsible for computer security and construction management. The state will pay about $53,500 to maintain the workers on the payroll this week by covering the federal share of their salaries. They otherwise would have been furloughed starting Monday.

 If the partial federal shutdown continues, the governor's office said New Mexico will consider whether to keep the civilian workers in their jobs.

State to pay National Guard workers amid furlough

Gov. speaks on youth ranch investigation

Gov. Martinez

Gov. Susana Martinez says evidence found at a New Mexico youth ranch for troubled kids corroborates allegations by current and former students of abuse. 

Martinez made the comments on Monday in defense of the state's handling of an investigation into the Tierra Blanca High Country Youth Program near Hillsboro . 

An Amber Alert and state police manhunt was launched Friday after officers found the ranch empty when they arrived to take custody of the children. Pete Domenici Jr., the ranch's attorney, said the children were safe and being returned to their parents. Martinez says officers issued the alert as they moved to verify that information. The alert was cancelled on Sunday.

 Police continue to seek the operator of the ranch, Scott Chandler, for questioning. Chandler has denied any children have been harmed.

Gov. speaks on youth ranch investigation