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Thousands visit historic Trinity Site during open house

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Thousands visit historic Trinity Site during open house


SOCORRO COUNTY, N.M. – The movie “Oppenheimer” is continuing to have in impact on our state.

On Saturday, there were huge crowds at the Trinity Site for a rare open house to see the test site of the first atomic bomb.

People lined the road to one of the most exclusive national parks in the country. Early birds arrived hours before the gates opened at 8 a.m. 

“We had already heard of the site before. But after we saw the Oppenheimer movie, we thought it’d be really cool to come see it,” said Laurel Houston, a visitor from Dallas. 

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This year, a long line of cars waited to see the test site of the first atomic bomb after the “Oppenheimer” movie released this summer. 

“It’s unique that you actually get to stand in the place where the world changed,” said Houston.

The site only opens twice a year. Site officials say over 3,000 people came out, and some with other goals than just site seeing.

“I think all of us think of the bomb and the creation of the bomb, and then what happens on the battlefield or not. But there’s other consequences, and one of the big ones is all of this waste, this has been produced,” said Cynthia Wheeler with the 285 Alliance. 

Mark Swan and his wife were passing through New Mexico from Minnesota and had to stop. 

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“We were in Alamogordo this whole past week, and people were talking about the fact that the Trinity Site is going to be open only twice a year, and we are lucky enough to be here,” said Swan. 

The open house also includes a tour of the McDonald House. That is where the plutonium core was put in the world’s first atomic bomb. The test site is just a few miles away from the house.

Swan says walking the same halls as Oppenheimer was amazing. 

“It’s a bit overwhelming to think that they put that much power together in a little ranch like this, and then blew it up. But it’s scientifically over overwhelming to try to understand what they accomplished here,” said Swan. 

The open house gives visitors a window into the past and what life was like on the Manhattan Project. 

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Site officials say the missile range was almost used for filming in the actual movie. 

“Chris Nolan actually came out and toured the site to get a feel for it, because he’s really into kind of getting a feel for these historic films when he works on them. And they even did ask about the possibility of filming the Trinity scenes somewhere in the nearby area,” said Drew Hamilton a public affairs specialist of White Sands Missile Range, Army Test and Evaluation Command.

One school group came all the way from Canada to see the sites in-person after studying the Manhattan Project. 

“It is so incredible being here. And I, you know, being in this little crater, just knowing that this is the site where the human history changed forever, is really, really interesting feeling,” said Dylan Schoing, a visitor from Canada. 

Only harmless radioactivity remains at the site where man became death or the destroyer of the worlds. 

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If you missed this weekend’s open house, the next chance we’ll get to come out to the Trinity Site will be April 2024. 



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New Mexico

Early voting kicks off in Indiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Wyoming

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Early voting kicks off in Indiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Wyoming


Four more states began their early voting processes on Tuesday: Indiana, New Mexico, Wyoming and the major swing state of Ohio.

Here is everything you need to know about casting a ballot in each of the states.

All eyes on the Senate race in Ohio

Ohio is home to one of the most competitive Senate races on the map.

Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown has won the Midwestern state three times, but with Trump pushing White working-class voters toward the GOP and record spending from both parties, this is set to be a tight race. Brown faces Republican businessman Bernie Moreno.

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Republicans have made inroads in the northeastern and heavily industrial areas bordering Pennsylvania. Trumbull County flipped to the GOP in 2016, and Trump increased his margin to 10 points in 2020; Mahoning County flipped in 2020 by almost two points. These counties played a key role in Trump’s statewide wins.

Democrats are performing better than ever in the “three C’s”: Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. These areas have the highest percentages of college-educated voters. President Biden won the counties home to these cities by double-digit margins in 2020, with roughly 30-point wins in Franklin (Columbus) and Cuyahoga (Cleveland).

Unlike in other competitive states, Republicans still hold up in Ohio’s suburban and exurban areas, particularly those surrounding Cincinnati.

Ohio’s Senate race is a toss-up and the presidential race is ranked Likely R on the Fox News Power Rankings.

Vice President Harris and former President Trump are neck and neck in the polls. (Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, New Mexico is also in the “likely” column, both at the presidential and senate level. The state delivered Biden an 11-point win in 2020, but Latino or Hispanic voters made up 35% of the state’s electorate in the 2020 election, and those voters’ support for the Democrat ticket has wavered in recent polls.

Republicans would need to run up their margins with these voters all across the state and keep Harris at bay in places like Doña Ana County, home to Albuquerque and which last voted for Biden by 18 points, to pull off a victory.

Key downballot races in today’s early voting states

Voting also begins today in four House districts ranked Lean or Toss Up on the Fox News Power Rankings. For a full list of competitive races, see the latest Senate and House rankings.

  • Indiana’s 1st District: Democrat Rep. Frank Mrvan has held this northwest Indiana district since the last presidential election; he won it by 5.6 points in the midterms. This year, he faces Republican Lake County Councilman Randy Niemeyer. It’s Lean D in the Power Rankings.
  • New Mexico’s 2nd District: New Mexico’s 2nd District occupies most of the southwest land area of the state. It includes Las Cruces and parts of Albuquerque, but it also has a chunk of the rural vote. Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez won the district by just 1,350 votes in the midterms; this year, he faces the seat’s former Republican occupant, Yvette Herrell. This is a Power Rankings Toss Up.
  • Ohio’s 9th District: This northwestern Ohio seat has been held by populist Democrat Rep. Marcy Kaptur since 1983, but her margins have shrunk as Ohio has drifted right. She faces conservative Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin on the ballot this year; it’s another Power Rankings Toss Up.
  • Ohio’s 13th District: Finally, the northeastern 13th District includes Youngstown and parts of Akron; it has been represented by Democrat Rep. Emilia Sykes since 2023. Sykes faces Republican former state Sen. Kevin Coughlin this year. It’s also a Toss Up.

How to vote in Indiana

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Indiana.

Voting by mail

Indiana began absentee voting on Tuesday. Residents do not need to provide an excuse in order to receive a ballot. State officials must receive a ballot request by Oct. 24, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

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Early in-person voting

Indiana offers early in-person voting beginning Oct. 8 and running through Nov. 4.

Voter registration

Indiana residents must have registered to vote by Oct. 7.

Polling place in 2009

A voter arrives at a polling location. Indiana began absentee voting on Tuesday.  (REUTERS/Joel Page)

How to vote in New Mexico

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for New Mexico.

Voting by mail

New Mexico began absentee voting on Tuesday. Residents do not need to provide an excuse in order to receive a ballot. State officials must receive a ballot request by Oct. 22, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

IN BID FOR DISGRUNTLED REPUBLICANS, HARRIS TEAMS UP WITH CHENEY IN GOP BIRTHPLACE

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Early in-person voting

New Mexico offers early in-person voting beginning Oct. 8 and running through Nov. 2.

Voter registration

New Mexico residents must register to vote by the end of Tuesday.

How to vote in Ohio

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Ohio.

Voting by mail

Ohio began absentee voting on Tuesday. Residents do not need to provide an excuse in order to receive a ballot. State officials must receive a ballot request by Oct. 29, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

Early in-person voting

Ohio offers early in-person voting beginning Oct. 8 and running through Nov. 3.

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Voter registration

Ohio residents must have registered to vote by Oct. 7.

Election 2024 Trump

Republican presidential nominee former President Trump returns to speak at a campaign rally at the site of his July 21 attempted assassination in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

How to vote in Wyoming

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Wyoming.

Voting by mail

Wyoming began absentee voting on Tuesday. Residents do not need to provide an excuse in order to receive a ballot. State officials must receive a ballot request by Nov. 4, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

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Early in-person voting

Wyoming offers early in-person voting beginning Oct. 8 and running through Nov. 4.

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Voter registration

Wyoming residents must register to vote by mail by Oct. 21. They can register to vote in person at any time during early voting or on election day.



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New Mexico man who shot Native American protesting statue takes plea deal

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New Mexico man who shot Native American protesting statue takes plea deal


A New Mexico man has accepted a plea deal in the 2023 shooting of a Native American activist protesting a conquistador statue, lawyers said on Monday, in a case that highlighted rising political violence in the United States.

Ryan Martinez pleaded no contest to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault for shooting activist Jacob Johns and pointing his handgun at Malaya Peixinho, another demonstrator, according to his lawyer Nicole Moss. He will serve four years in state prison.

“He is still maintaining that he acted in self-defense,” Moss said, adding that Martinez would likely serve under three years in prison by accruing good time, followed by five years probation.

Mariel Nanasi, a lawyer representing Johns and Peixinho, called the shooting “a racially motivated hate crime by a MAGA-proud gun-toting crazed man who came to a peaceful prayer ceremony with a fully loaded live gun.”

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Martinez was at the protest wearing a red cap with the Donald Trump slogan “Make America Great Again.” He was originally charged with attempted murder, which carries up to 15 years in prison.

“This is a continuation of colonial violence. Unfortunately, this criminal process is reflective of the systemic white supremacy that indigenous people face,” Johns said in a statement, adding that as a Native American he would have been sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting someone at a MAGA rally or a Christian prayer service.

New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack Altwies offered the plea deal to Martinez.

“The resolution is in the best interests of justice and the community,” she said in a statement.

Johns, a global climate activist and artist, was shot as he tried to prevent Martinez from pushing his way into the vigil in Espanola, New Mexico, opposing reinstallation of the statue of a 16th century Spanish colonial ruler.

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The Juan de Onate bronze was removed in 2020 from a site just north of Espanola during nationwide anti-racism protests and was to be reinstated at a county complex in the town.

Peixinho called the plea deal inappropriately light.

“However it shows our desire for conflict resolution,” Peixinho said in a statement.

The shooting marked the latest violence around Onate statues put up in the 1990s to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Spaniards to New Mexico.

The monuments have long outraged Native Americans and others who decry his brutal 1598 colonization. Onate is known for the 1599 massacre of a Pueblo tribe, leading a group of Spanish settlers into what is now New Mexico.

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Some descendants of Spanish colonial settlers, known as Hispanos, say Onate should be celebrated as part of New Mexico’s Hispanic heritage.



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Poll: Vasquez leads Herrell in New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District race

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Poll: Vasquez leads Herrell in New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District race


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A new KOB 4/SurveyUSA poll shows that incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez has a solid lead over Republican challenger Yvette Herrell.

We asked voters in New Mexico’s Second Congressional District, “If the election was held today, who would you vote for?” Here were the results:

  • Gabe Vasquez: 51%
  • Yvette Herrell: 42%
  • Undecided: 8%

582 likely voters surveyed. Credibility interval of +/- 4.5 percentage points

This race is a rematch of two years ago when Vasquez beat Herrell when she was the incumbent. Vasquez has served CD-2 since winning in 2022, representing much of southern New Mexico, including communities like Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Silver City and Las Cruces, and parts of the Albuquerque metro like the West Side and the South Valley.

We asked voters, “What is your opinion on Gabe Vasquez?”

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  • 45% have a favorable opinion of him
  • 31% have an unfavorable opinion
  • 18% are neutral
  • 5% have no opinion

582 likely voters surveyed. Credibility interval of +/- 4.5 percentage points

We also asked voters about their opinion on Yvette Herrell:

  • 34% have a favorable opinion
  • 41% have an unfavorable opinion
  • 20% are neutral
  • 6% have no opinion

582 likely voters surveyed. Credibility interval of +/- 4.5 percentage points

There are many issues that are playing into elections across the board so we asked CD-2 voters, “Which of these issues will have the most influence on your vote for the U.S. House of Representatives?”

  • Immigration and border: 28%
  • Abortion: 17%
  • Inflation: 16%
  • Crime: 12%

582 likely voters surveyed. Credibility interval of +/- 4.5 percentage points

Jumping off of that question, we also asked about how much of a deciding issue immigration and the border is:

  • Conservatives: 48%
  • Moderates: 22%
  • Liberals: 5%

And about how much of a deciding issue abortion is:

  • Conservatives: 5%
  • Moderates: 15%
  • Liberals: 42%



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