If you have not done so lately, drive by the Beach area to check out all of the new developments taking place. In addition to the volleyball court going in and the new gazebo, there’s a row of large shade structures in the upper beach area in front of the water park. The City is soon going to put picnic tables under these structures. You’ve probably seen similar shade structures going up at parks and playgrounds around town.
This was originally an idea suggested to us by residents on Facebook. Nuclear Waste Partnership agreed to be our partner on this project, and we’ve been adding shade all over town ever since. These structures are beneficial year-round, but especially help keep people safe in the summer.
Thanks to Sean Dunagan and Nuclear Waste Partnership for being so incredibly supportive on this community project.
NWP’s recent community contributions also include $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club to assist with infrastructure improvements, $15,000 to area school districts to assist with technology upgrades and $5,000 to the Inspired by Science Winter Online STEM Camp. Overall, the company gave out $500,000 last year.
Marathon Oil, Truckers Against Trafficking and the NM Attorney General’s Office have come together to host a “Virtual Coalition Build” to end Human Trafficking from 10-11:30 a.m. Oct. 28. The Coalition Build is a 90-minute event designed to bring together members of the SE NM community to find ways that the energy and trucking industries can partner with law enforcement to close loopholes to traffickers.
The link to register for this free event is: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvc-2tpjMjE9VDW7fS6n_yXyjh72559_qg
Topics covered will be Human Trafficking 101, Sex Trafficking-A Survivor’s Perspective, Empower Freedom-Combating Human Trafficking through the Energy and Trucking Industries and a Law Enforcement Panel Discussion. Thanks to everyone involved with this life-saving effort.
Earlier this week, Rep. Cathrynn Brown outlined her plans to reintroduce a bill that would exempt New Mexico residents from taxes on Social Security income. A similar bill, House Bill 29, was introduced last year but died in committee.
The Social Security Act was designed to help seniors get out of poverty, and New Mexico is currently ranked third in the nation in terms of seniors living in poverty. It’s also the sole source of income for about a third of our seniors, and every little bit matters a great deal. It is also extremely unfair – social security money is set aside throughout our working lives when we receive a paycheck- which is taxed at that time. That’s why it is called a “double tax.”
We hope to see Rep. Brown’s bill get more traction during our upcoming legislative session.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway