🪿 ICYMI — Boomtown stories from July 2026
Bear break-ins, gas leaks, road construction, and significant court rulings — here's everything you need to know from the biggest stories in Los Alamos this month.
This month, Los Alamos kept us busy. We reported on everything from the return of major construction along Trinity Drive and the surge in gas leak calls caused by a regional pipeline shutdown, to significant developments in two closely watched criminal cases. We also reported on bears breaking into homes and a man getting bitten by a rattlesnake, part of a growing conversation about how our community can better coexist with wildlife.
If you missed any of July's biggest stories, we've got you covered.
Gas leak calls explode in Los Alamos
The smell of gas has people calling utilities in record numbers. What’s behind it? New Mexico Gas Company has shut down the main gas pipeline that supplies Los Alamos and many of the communities between Albuquerque to Taos for maintenance and inspection. This shutdown, however, has unfortunately resulted in an explosion in the number of “gas leak” calls to the county’s utilities department.
📰 Learn more by clicking here.
Man convicted of raping child sentenced for probation violation
Shawn M. Cavasos pleaded guilty in March to felony counts of criminal sexual penetration of a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor as part of a plea agreement. He is now due in court later this month to be sentenced for violating the terms of that agreement.
📰 Read the full story by clicking here.
Bears responsible for multiple recent home invasions in Los Alamos
Bears broke into two Western Area homes during the night of July 28, a week after two similar incidents happened in Quemazon.
📰 Learn more by clicking here.
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Man bitten by rattlesnake on local hiking trail
A Los Alamos man in his mid-thirties suffered a rattlesnake bite to his left ankle while hiking on Quemazon Trail above Western Area.
📰 Read more details by clicking here.
Trinity Drive construction updates
Los Alamos residents and commuters can expect to see orange construction barrels along Trinity Drive as traffic is reduced to one lane on each side to allow for construction work. There will be three projects impacting access to Trinity Drive.
📰 Learn more by clicking here.
Man who raped LAHS student to serve probation as part of plea deal
Adrian Ferran raped a Los Alamos High School student after taking her off campus in December. He accepted a plea agreement in the case last month.
📰 Read the full story here.
Bears behaving badly, but they’re not entirely to blame
This year, the local bears have been testing the patience of Los Alamos residents. As of June 30, there’d been seventy-two calls to Los Alamos County to report nuisance bears. Additionally, statistics from animal control show the number of bear encounters reported to the county has been increasing, particularly for residents in White Rock.
📰 Find out more here.
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