The clinking of thousands of glass tiles fills an upstairs room in the Mesa Public Library, where thirty or so people sit bent over templates they’re laying with colorful patterns. Next to an elderly couple sitting shoulder to shoulder over their shared tray of tiles, an elementary-aged brother and sister help each other pick the right shades from buckets of vibrant oranges, greens, and blues. In an hour or two, their seats will be filled by a quiet teenager and a chatty group of middle-aged women.

They’re assembling pieces of a mosaic designed by Austin-based artist J. Muzacz. Featuring a collage of native wildlife against a sprawling backdrop of mesas and skies, the mosaic will color the south-facing wall at the Los Alamos Justice Center on the corner of Trinity and Oppenheimer.

The colored tiles everyone chooses are open to a degree of interpretation, but Muzacz leans into the uncertainty and puts his trust in the community’s hands and eyes. When he lays out the segments once the workshops are over, he’ll be seeing the finished mosaic for the very first time.

Dreaming in pixels

Muzacz has always been drawn to art that’s open to the public. “Even when I was in high school doing dumb stuff with graffiti,” he laughs, “it was always the freedom of public space. I like the challenge of being outdoors and making something site-specific that ages with the environment, and I like the free viewing of it.” Making something that brings a brief glimpse of beauty to a space hundreds of people pass by every day means more to Muzacz than the formal recognition of a gallery setting with twenty visitors a week and an entrance fee.

Muzacz put together his first mosaic largely by himself, but with help from his wife, Yuki Takata, and a couple of friends. It took weeks to lay out all the tiles. But after becoming a teacher and devising ways to make his art inviting and accessible to all, he’s since refined his process. When the community joins in to help with the assembly, they can knock out a hundred square feet of a mosaic in a day — about 22,000 tiles that would otherwise take him a week on his own.

It’s not just about efficiency. “When people come to contribute to this piece, they can say they had a hand in the built environment,” Muzacz explains. “It builds solidarity among the community, and it builds an ethos of taking care of your space. When people show up and do that, I think it feels good for everybody, even if they’re only doing one square.” In the final piece, Muzacz sees the energy of hundreds of hands preserved in the artwork.

Muzacz starts with a collage in Photoshop, where images are scaled and colors adjusted to fit the available tiles, creating the pixelated, photorealistic style that characterizes much of his art. The entire composition is then split into segments — for this mosaic, a square foot each of 15 by 15 3/4-inch tiles — and templates are created to show which colors go into each segment, and where. Whoever comes to help assemble the mosaic just picks up a template and gets to work.

There are tons of different shades of every colored tile, so it’s inevitable that there will be some mistakes. Muzacz decides to embrace them. “If something’s way off, we’ll fix it,” he says, “but a few little glitches are expected, so most of the time we preserve people’s choices. However the tiles are placed, it’s someone’s unique perspective, and I want to honor that.” He doesn’t think he’s ever done a perfect mosaic — but he also doesn’t think that exists.

Once every template has been completed, Muzacz and his crew — Joey Cruz, Maggie Lyon, and Yuki Takata — arrange and install the mosaic piece by piece over the course of several days. “By the end of it,” he says, “we’ll all be dreaming in pixels.”

Pieces to place

Muzacz designed the mosaic for Los Alamos in collaboration with the county’s Art in Public Places (AAP) board. His focus on collaboration and community engagement meant that residents could be involved in both the design and assembly of the piece. The board posted links to surveys in local press releases, on social media, and on signage around town, where community members had the chance to provide written comments on the scenes and wildlife they felt had an important presence in their lives, and later vote between several designs. Each plant and animal in the mosaic is there because a Los Alamos local wanted it to be.

“The community really put a lot of care into their feedback,” said Chelsea Ashcraft, the APP’s staff liaison. “Everyone who responded was super-specific about what they wanted to see.” After nearly two years of collaboration to find both the site and design that meant the most to residents, their visions are finally taking shape.

This process of dialogue and exchange is what lets Muzacz create art that resonates with communities all over the world. He has projects coming up later this year in New Jersey and Botswana, and he’s previously run workshops in Japan, Mexico, and all throughout Austin in Texas, often making use of recycled tile that would otherwise accumulate in landfills.

Travel gives Muzacz the opportunity to pass on new art forms and new ideas of how a community can repurpose their tile. “No matter where I go, it’s not about showing people the right way to do something,” he says. “I’m sharing what I’ve learned and then seeing where everyone else goes with it. The more I can share with others, the more they can take off and run with their own creative direction.”

This belief in the shared stewardship of his art is clear in the way he laughs off any suggestion of ownership over his latest mosaic. “I don’t need my signature on this thing,” he says, waving the idea away. “The fact that I helped make it happen is enough. It’s your guys’ mosaic now.”

Head to the south‑facing wall at the Justice Center for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the mosaic’s completion at 11 am on Saturday, June 13.

Muzacz’s other work and projects can be viewed here.

Thirty-nine-year-old Ernest Abeyta, of Manassa, Colorado, is charged with misdemeanor traffic charges for failure to yield to a pedestrian in crosswalk and careless driving. At the time of the crash, Abeyta was turning from North Road onto Urban Street as Easton crossed the intersection in the crosswalk, according to LAPD incident reports.

The crash happened just after 11 am on March 15. Soon after, Easton was transported to the Los Alamos Medical Center and later airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque in critical condition. He later died on March 17.

Abeyta remained at the scene following the crash and witnesses told police he got out of his truck to help Easton and later identified himself to police as a paramedic, according to the incident reports, which were obtained by Boomtown through a public records request.

Abeyta told investigators that he did not see Easton in the crosswalk as he turned onto eastbound Urban because he blended in with the landscaping in front of the park at the intersection, the incident reports stated. He also said he’d come to a complete stop before turning.

During the investigation, two officers from the LAPD crash investigations team recreated the crash “multiple times,” with one officer driving a vehicle on North and then turning onto Urban as another officer crossed the road using the crosswalk.

“Though cars, people, heights, views while driving a car, etc. are different, the reenactment showed it was possible for me to completely lose sight of [the other officer] while she was in the crosswalk,” an officer wrote in one incident report.

Abeyta was issued a summons to appear for an arraignment hearing in the case, scheduled for June 23 in Los Alamos County Magistrate Court.

According to an online obituary, a celebration of Easton’s life is scheduled for 1 pm on June 27 at the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos.

This month, we dug into these stories and more. You can also read about a new school board member and a possible fix for ongoing internet troubles, meet the volunteers and dogs who train year-round to find missing people across Northern New Mexico while learning to avoid dangerous rattlesnake encounters, and take a look at two new playgrounds now open for families to enjoy.

Dive into the stories that informed, surprised, and sparked conversation across Los Alamos this month.

LAPS ignored period products law for more than two years

Invoices show that Los Alamos Public Schools was aware of a state law requiring free menstrual products in school bathrooms as early as July 2023 but didn’t begin purchasing products and dispensers for them until September 2025, after Boomtown asked Superintendent Jennifer Guy about the district’s compliance with the law.

📰 Read more by clicking here.

Training dogs to find the lost and avoid the dangerous

Forty years strong: Search dogs, snake training, and saving lives — learn about the important work that Mountain Canine Corps does for our community, and our pups. The all-volunteer team, which consists of twenty people and sixteen dogs, trains year-round to locate missing hikers, lost hunters, older folks with dementia, and others who vanish into our region’s vast landscape.

📰 Learn more by clicking here.

Reports shed light on investigation into crash that killed local educator

Longtime educator Brian Easton died after being struck by a pickup that made a turn as he crossed the street as a pedestrian near North Road and Urban Street. Witnesses told police that the man driving the truck stopped to help Easton, according to police reports obtained by Boomtown that helped answer a few lingering questions created by this tragic incident.

📰 Read the full story here.

New LAPS board member appointed and a possible solution for internet troubles

Our April 14 school board recap showcased school network problems, a contentious appointment, and a look at the budget for the 2026-2027 school year.

📰 Learn more by clicking here.

Los Alamos cuts the ribbon on two new playgrounds

Los Alamos County cut the ribbon on two newly rebuilt playgrounds this week, the 37th Street Play Lot in Los Alamos and Rocket Park in White Rock. We stopped by to see what the excitement was all about.

🔊Listen to the audio story and see more photos here.

Details about the Los Alamos townsite power outage on May 8

Boomtown sat down with Dennis Astley, the deputy utilities manager for Los Alamos County, to learn more about the townsite power outage in early May. Here’s what he told us.

📰 Read the full story by clicking here.

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The following results were provided by the New Mexico Secretary of State and can be viewed in full here. All ballots have been counted, but the results are unofficial until they are certified by the Los Alamos County Clerk and the New Mexico Secretary of State, a process that will be completed at the county canvass on June 11 and the state canvass on June 23.

The winners of these primary races will be on the November 3 general election ballot. Nominees who are currently running uncontested in the general election could still face challengers as independent and third-party candidates may still join the race.

According to the Secretary of State, 26.1% of eligible voters in Los Alamos County cast ballots in this primary election.

Los Alamos County Election Results

County Commissioner at Large

Democrat

• Theresa Ann Cull: 23% – 2,299 votes

• David E. Hampton: 22% – 2,218 votes

• Steven S. Lynne: 20% – 1,952 votes

• Melanee M. Hand: 19% – 1,868 votes

• Joseph F. Granville: 15% – 1,525 votes

Republican

• Jason Alan Chappel: 52% – 830 votes

• Eric Roland Stromberg: 48% – 780 votes

County Sheriff

Democrat

• Antonio L. Maggiore: 51% – 1,522 votes

• David Izraelevitz: 49% – 1,470 votes

County Assessor

Democrat

• Jeff Casalina: 100% – 2,506 votes

Probate Judge

Democrat

• Perry C. Klare: 100% – 2,530 votes

Magistrate Judge

Democrat

• Catherine E. Taylor: 100% – 2,544 votes

Municipal Judge Municipal District 32

Democrat

• Elizabeth K. Allen: 100% – 2,616 votes

Federal, state, and district election results

The following results are state- or district-wide. See a breakdown of how Los Alamos County voted here.

United States Senate

Democrat

• Ben Ray Lujan: 84% – 180,516 votes

• Matt Dodson: 16% – 33,883 votes

Republican

• Larry E. Marker (write-in): 100% – 4,770 votes

United States House of Representatives — District 3

Democrat

• Teresa Leger Fernández: 100% – 68,261 votes

Republican

• Martin Zamora: 100% – 32,829 votes

New Mexico Governor

Democrat

• Deb Haaland: 72% – 156,861 votes

• Sam Bregman: 28% – 60,189 votes

Republican

• Greggory D. Hull: 47% – 56,412 votes

• Doug W. Turner: 37% – 44,319 votes

• Duke Rodriguez: 16% – 19,288 votes

Lieutenant Governor

Democrat

• Maggie Toulouse Oliver: 80% – 168,109 votes

• Harold James Pope Jr.: 20% – 42,127 votes

Republican

• David M. Gallegos: 50% – 56,359 votes

• Aubrey Blair Dunn: 38% – 42,752 votes

• Manuel “Manny” Lardizabal: 12% – 14,147 votes

Secretary of State

Democrat

• Amanda López Askin: 53% – 106,968 votes

• Katherine E. Clark: 47% – 94,424 votes

Republican

• Ramona L. Goolsby: 100% – 96,149 votes

Attorney General

Democrat

• Raul Torrez: 100% – 187,832 votes

Republican

• Samuel Isaiah Kane Sr: 100% – 95,611 votes

State Auditor

Democrat

• Joseph M. Maestas: 100% – 180,229 votes

Republican

• Joshua James Ryan Lawrence (write-in): 100% – 4,638 votes

State Treasurer

Democrat

• Laura M. Montoya: 100% – 179,310 votes

Republican

• James F. Ellison (write-in): 100% – 4,716 votes

Commissioner of Public Lands

Democrat

• Juan de Jesus Sanchez III: 56% – 113,881 votes

• Matthew McQueen: 33% – 66,232 votes

• Jonas Moya: 11% – 21,988 votes

Republican

• Michael Jack Perry: 100% – 96,683 votes

Judge — Court of Appeals Position 1

Democrat

• Kris Houghton: 100% – 171,366 votes

State Representative District 43

Democrat

• Christine Chandler: 100% – 3,602 votes

District Court Judge — First Judicial District: Division 04

Democrat

• Denise Marie Thomas: 100% – 32,553 votes

District Court Judge First Judicial District: Division 08

Democrat

• Anastasia Rose Martin: 100% – 32,302 votes

What happened?

A 13,200-volt underground electrical distribution cable near the Aquatic Center failed, and the resulting arc burned through the adjacent conduit and cables and caused a massive power surge on that circuit. The monitoring equipment at LANL’s substation, which supplies the townsite, measured this surge around 10,000 amps; the typical current through these lines is 50 or 100 amps.

Why did the entire townsite lose power?

The initial surge went right through the circuit breaker for the downtown circuit and tripped the main breaker at the substation that supplies all six circuits that power the townsite. LADPU engineers are still trying to understand what happened with the protection relays that should have opened and isolated it to the one circuit instead of all six.

That surge also burned wires on two overhead poles along Trinity Drive, which were on the same downtown circuit. There was also an underground fault in a different circuit on North Mesa.

What caused the cable to fail in the first place?

Crews have no idea. It’s a kind of cable that has not historically failed. It could have been a minor flaw in the manufacturing that took time to appear. It could have been a tree root. But there was nothing left to indicate what caused the failure.

Was this a freak event?

When you have a substation with the capacity that serves Los Alamos, you can have incredible fault currents, and with this size conductor [500 mcm], it moves a lot of power. It was 10,000 amps on a wire that’s rated for 130-140 amps. The wire became a fuse. Everything becomes a fuse at 10,000 amps, and it did nasty stuff. But it is rare to have something of this magnitude.

Editor’s note: This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.

Saturday, May 30 is the last day to cast an early vote in the 2026 primary election. This is the first New Mexico primary election using the “semi-open” primary format, which allows independents (a.k.a. decline-to-state, or DTS) to vote using a major-party ballot.

Check out our free-to-read April 28 story for more information about the primary changes and a look at the local election.

Sample ballots for Los Alamos voters have been posted on the county clerk’s website.

More information on the races and the candidates can be found in the Primary Voter Guide published by the non-partisan Los Alamos League of Women Voters.

Polls will be open daily between 8 am to 6 pm at the Los Alamos Municipal Building or the White Rock Town Center. While it’s too late to register to vote through the state’s online website, same-day voter registration is available at the polling places.

On Election Day — Tuesday, June 2 — polls will be open at multiple locations around the county from 7 am to 7 pm for in-person voting.

Witnesses told police that the man assisting Easton as he lay in the road was the driver of the truck that hit him and that he immediately climbed out of his vehicle and ran to Easton. The man, according to incident reports, wore a hat with a “medic” symbol on it and later identified himself to police as a paramedic.

The crash happened just after 11 am on March 15. Soon after, Easton was transported to the Los Alamos Medical Center and later airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque in critical condition. Unfortunately, he died at that hospital on March 17.

The driver, who is not facing charges at this time and therefore Boomtown is not naming, remained at the scene and told crash investigators that he did not see Easton in the crosswalk as he turned onto eastbound Urban because he blended in with the landscaping in front of the park at the intersection, according to the incident reports obtained by Boomtown through a public records request. The driver also said he’d come to a complete stop before turning.

As part of the investigation, two officers from the LAPD crash investigations team later recreated the crash “multiple times,” with one officer driving a vehicle on North and then turning onto Urban as another officer crossed the road using the crosswalk.

“Though cars, people, heights, views while driving a car, etc. are different, the reenactment showed it was possible for me to completely lose sight of [the other officer] while she was in the crosswalk,” an officer wrote in one incident report.

As part of the investigation, LAPD officers collected the driver’s cellphone while he was at the scene of the crash, and police filed for a warrant to search the phone’s data, specifically data from 10:45 am to noon on March 15, according to the application for the warrant filed in Los Alamos District Court on March 17.

LAPD investigators on March 17 attempted to access the phone’s data using a Cellebrite, a forensic device used to extract evidence from smartphones. However, the attempt was not successful because, “The Cellebrite device did not recognize the iPhone, and due to the lack of a password, the extraction was unsuccessful,” an officer wrote in an incident report.

Police contacted the lawyer of the driver and requested the password to the phone; however, under New Mexico law there is no legal obligation for him to provide police with the password. The lawyer also told police that his client had already stated he was not using his cellphone at the time of the crash, according to the incident reports. LAPD returned the phone to the driver on March 27.

According to an online obituary, a celebration of Easton’s life is scheduled for 1 pm on June 27 at the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos.

The Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation recently established a memorial scholarship fund to honor the longtime Los Alamos resident and educator.

LAPSF Executive Director Jenny McCumber last month told Boomtown that she expected the first scholarship in Easton’s honor to be awarded this year.

“I’ve…

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Boomtown’s trying something new: short audio stories.

Sit back, take a listen, and please let us know what you think.

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Long-awaited safety upgrades are finally coming to NM 502 and Camino Entrada, while new developme…

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• New this year: semi-open primary elections

• Who’s on the ballot (so far)

• When you can vote

• More about the state election changes

Early voting for New Mexico’s primary election …

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The first large-scale community test of Los Alamos County’s emergency notification syst…

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A Los Alamos man is facing charges related to child sexual abuse in Los Alamos and Albuquerque following separate investigations by police in both cities.

Police in Los Alamos on April 2 arrested 63-year-old Timothy Pacheco on felony charges of criminal sexual penetration of a child and kidnapping following an investigation by detectives with the Albuquerque Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit.

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• Investigation into crash that killed Brian Easton continues as a foundation launches a scholarship fund in his name

• LAPS Board renews superinte…

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