New Mexico
Catholic leaders to attend ‘groundbreaking’ forum on nuclear weapons
CNA Staff, Aug 20, 2024 / 06:00 am
Catholic organizations at the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of New Mexico (UNM) are banding together to host a forum with policymakers and leading voices on nuclear disarmament and deterrence.
The “Forum on Nuclear Strategy: Disarmament and Deterrence in a Dangerous World” is set to take place on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the University of New Mexico, led by the Endowed Chair of Roman Catholic Studies and the Religious Studies program at UNM and the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies (IACS) of USC.
The “groundbreaking” forum will discuss deterrence and disarmament approaches to nuclear weapons amid rising political rivalry between the U.S., China, and Russia, according to an Aug. 13 press release by IACS.
The forum is “considered the first of its kind since the American Catholic bishops reshaped the nuclear weapons debate in the 1980s,” the release noted. In 1983, the U.S. bishops released a pastoral letter, “The Challenge of Peace,” which discussed Catholic teaching on war, deterrence, and disarmament.
“The forum is an important opportunity for experts in religious and secular fields to learn from each other as they explore modern nuclear strategy decisions,” said Archbishop John Wester of Sante Fe, who is set to present welcoming remarks at the forum, in the release.
“It’s precisely these conversations that will lead to a clearer understanding of the threat that nuclear weapons pose and how best to navigate the waters of the perilous arms race we find ourselves in today,” he added.
Wester has contributed to the conversation on nuclear weapons particularly through his pastoral letter on nuclear disarmament in 2022, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.”
The subject of nuclear weapons is particularly relevant as New Mexico plays host to the Los Alamos and Sandia nuclear weapons laboratories as well as the largest storage site of nuclear warheads in the U.S. arsenal, the Kirtland Underground Munitions Maintenance and Storage Complex.
New Mexico is also historically connected with nuclear weapons, as the first atomic bomb was detonated at the Trinity Site in New Mexico in 1945.
“It’s important that we host this discussion near the birthplace of nuclear weapons and with leading experts from differing perspectives regarding nuclear strategy,” stated Richard L. Wood, president of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC.
“With regional conflicts escalating and the threat of nuclear war rising, humanity is at a critical moment,” Wood said. “Our forum will be a platform for in-depth discussion and debate that will explore our current global realities and seek tangible solutions to the rising threat of nuclear conflict.”
Before the forum begins, participants will have a closed-door discussion for debate and discussion on finding common ground. In the public forum, participants will summarize their thinking and the results of the dialogue.
Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Mitsuaki Takami of Nagasaki, Japan, and the bishop of San Diego, Cardinal Robert McElroy, are set to participate in the forum, as well as political leaders including the former deputy secretary-general of NATO and former U.S. undersecretary of Arms Control and International Security for the U.S. State Department, Rose Gottemoeller, and Thomas Countryman and Christopher Ford, both former U.S. assistant secretaries of state for International Security and Nonproliferation under Barack Obama and Donald Trump, respectively.
The archbishop emeritus of Nagasaki, who survived the atomic bomb when he was in utero, will share a reflection at the forum. Takami lost several members of his extended family in the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
Academic voices will include Maryann Cusimano Love, associate professor of international relations at The Catholic University of America; Richard Love, professor of national security strategy at the National Defense University; and Gerard Powers, director of Catholic peacebuilding studies at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
The director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Thomas Mason, will also participate in the forum.
(Story continues below)
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Local leaders and Indigenous communities impacted by nuclear-weapons testing are also set to participate.
Those wishing to attend may register here to attend in person or via livestream.
Kate Quiñones is a staff writer for Catholic News Agency and a fellow of the College Fix. She has been published by the Wall Street Journal, the Denver Catholic Register, and CatholicVote, and she graduated from Hillsdale College. She lives in Colorado with her husband.
Leapfrog released its 2026 spring hospital safety grades.
Grades are assigned based on overall performance, including patient safety.
The Leapfrog Group’s goal is to publicly report patient safety and quality information for the benefit of consumers, purchasers, and referring physicians as they make decisions about where to seek care and where to direct patients,” the company stated on its website.
Here’s how your local hospitals performed.
MountainView Regional Medical Center – A
Leapfrog gave MountainView an “A.”
“Being the only hospital in Doña Ana County to earn an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group speaks to the high standards our team sets – and meets – every day,” said MountainView CEO Patrick Shannon. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our physicians, nurses, and employees to deliver the safest care possible for our community.”
“An ‘A’ Grade is a strong sign that MountainView is deeply committed to protecting patients from harm,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We commend the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers for the role each played in earning this distinction.”
The hospital performed better than average in several areas including low infection rates, addressing safety problems, and ICU care. The hospital received below average performances ratings in surgical site infections post colon surgery, communication about medicine and discharge, communication with doctors and nurses and nursing and bedside care for patients.
Memorial Medical Center – B
Memorial Medical Center received a “B” grade from Leapfrog.
The hospital performed well in effective leadership, reduction and prevention of infections and addressing safety problems.
The hospital received below average ratings for kidney injury after surgery, serious breathing problems, harmful events, communication about medicine and discharge, and communication with doctors and nurses.
Not rated by Leapfrog were Three Crosses Regional Hospital.
Nearby top rated hospitals
Leapfrog gave an A to William Beaumont Army Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso. Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso received a B.
How did other New Mexico hospitals perform?
A recipients were:
- CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico in Alamogordo
B recipients were:
- Lovelace Women’s Hospital in Albuquerque
C recipients were:
- Carlsbad Medical Center in Carlsbad
- CHRISTUS St. Vincent in Santa FE
- Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell
- Lovelace Medical Center-Downtown in Albuquerque
- Lovelace Regional Hospital in Roswell
- Lovelace Westside Hospital in Albuquerque
- University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque
D recipients were:
- San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington
- UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center in Rio Rancho
Explore the full survey results at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.
Jessica Onsurez is editor of the Las Cruces Sun-News. Reach her by email at jonsurez@usatodayco.com.
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The Social Security Office released the most popular baby names for 2025 on Thursday. And here in New Mexico, we saw some familiar names top the charts once again.
Coming in at No. 1 for girls is Mia, and as for the boys, Noah ranks No. 1. That’s no change from 2024 when Mia and Noah also led the pack, both coming in at No 1. For 2025, there were a total of 66 babies named Mia and 115 babies named Noah, while in 2024, there were 81 Mias and 105 Noahs.
What do the names mean? Online sources list a few different interpretations for Mia, but one common association is with the Italian word “mia,” which means “mine.” As for Noah, the name is most commonly associated with the prominent bible figure. It’s thought to mean “rest,” or “comfort.”
Here’s a look at some of the other top baby names in New Mexico for 2025.
- Girls:
- Olivia (65 total)
- Sophia (65 total)
- Sofia (60 total)
- Camila (59 total)
- Eliana (57 total)
- Isabella (56 total)
- Amelia (53 total)
- Aria (45 total)
- Aurora (45 total)
- Boys:
- Liam (109 total)
- Mateo (99 total)
- Elijah (76 total)
- Santiago (70 total)
- Sebastian (69 total)
- Ezra (67 total)
- Elias (66 total)
- Ezekiel (66 total)
- Levi (69 total)
Nationally, Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names, and have been for the past seven years, according to the Social Security Administration. As for the fastest-rising names, Klarity jumped nearly 1,400 spots on the girls’ list, and Kasai jumped 1,108 for boy names.
Other names rising in popularity for boys include Atlas, Adriel, Emiliano, Arthur, and Archer. On the girls’ list, Ailany, Sienna, Amara, and Georgia are becoming more popular.
You can find the full list by state online.
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