New Mexico approves nearly $47 million in loans for recovery following historic wildfire - Associated Press
About half of the money set aside earlier this year by New Mexico lawmakers to help cities and counties recover from a historic wildfire has been allocated by the state.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office announced Wednesday that nearly $47 million in no-interest loans have been approved for road repairs and culvert restoration in San Juan and Mora counties. Those counties were hit hard by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire in 2022.
The blaze — the largest in the state's recorded history — was sparked by prescribed burn operations conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. Now, residents in the burn scar are preparing for another season of post-fire flooding.
"As I continue to urge the federal government to expedite the resources they owe northern New Mexicans, we will push forward together to make sure New Mexicans are taken care of in the meantime," Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
The state funding was unanimously approved during this year's 60-day legislative session and took effect immediately after being signed by the governor on Feb. 20.
Mora and San Miguel counties are the only local governments to apply for the funding so far. State officials say they are working with others to identify projects and ensure applications and implementation complies with federal and state requirements so that the loans will eventually be covered by Federal Emergency Management Administration's public assistance program.
State lawmakers who represent residents within the burn scar said the recovery process will be long and difficult.
"It is critical that we maintain hope and a positive momentum in the wake of this disaster and the myriad aftereffects still emerging on a daily basis," said Sen. Pete Campos, a Las Vegas Democrat who sponsored the emergency fire loan bill.
The governor also issued 21 executive orders Tuesday for emergency funding totaling more than $15 million for wildfire recovery work and to reimburse other states that helped during the initial response.
New Mexico prosecutors: Man accused in deadly movie theater shooting is a danger to the community - Associated Press
A man accused in a deadly movie theater shooting in New Mexico's largest city is a danger to the community and should be held pending trial, prosecutors said in a motion filed Thursday.
They outlined their arguments for keeping Enrique Padilla jailed as the 19-year-old made his first court appearance on charges that include first-degree murder, shooting at an occupied building, conspiracy and tampering with evidence.
Authorities have said that an argument over seating at an Albuquerque movie theater on Sunday evening escalated into a shooting that left one man dead and sent frightened filmgoers scrambling.
"The defendant opened fire inside a crowded movie theater, putting the lives of everyone in the room in danger. He shot and killed the victim over seating arrangements," the motion stated. "It is clear that the defendant has no regard for the safety of others, and that he is willing to kill over the minor inconvenience of switching seats to watch a movie."
Court records show Padilla has yet to be appointed an attorney who could speak on his behalf, and a detention hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Padilla was treated for a gunshot wound after officers found him outside the theater the night of the shooting.
Witnesses told police that a man later identified as Padilla arrived at the theater with his girlfriend and found another couple in at least one of their reserved seats. Theater staff attempted to help resolve the dispute, but it escalated with a hurled bucket of popcorn, shoving and then gunfire, according to a criminal complaint.
Michael Tenorio, 52, was shot and died at the scene. His wife, Trina Tenorio, said he was unarmed.
Emergency dispatchers received about 20 calls as other people fled the theater.
An off-duty police officer who was at the movie administered emergency aid to Tenorio. The officer witnessed the confrontation but did not see a weapon in the darkened theater, reporting a rapid-fire succession of gunshots before one man in the dispute ran out.
Italian researchers reach the edge of space flying aboard Virgin Galactic's rocket-powered plane - Associated Press
A team of Italian researchers reached the edge of space Thursday morning, flying aboard a rocket-powered plane piloted by Virgin Galactic as the space tourism company prepares for monthly commercial flights.
The flight launched from Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, with two Italian Air Force officers and an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy focusing on a series of microgravity experiments during their few minutes of weightlessness.
One wore a special suit that measured biometric data and physiological responses while another conducted tests using sensors to track heart rate, brain function and other metrics while in microgravity. The third studied how certain liquids and solids mix in that very weak gravity.
Virgin Galactic livestreamed the flight on its website, showing the moment when the ship released from its carrier plane and the rocket was ignited. The entire trip — from lifting off at Spaceport America to gliding back down to the runway — took about 90 minutes. The space plane reached a peak altitude of more than 52 miles.
In all, there were six aboard — two Virgin Galactic pilots, the three Italians and another Virgin Galactic employee who oversees training for passengers.
With the ship's pilot, it marked the most Italians in space at the same time. Col. Walter Villadei, a space engineer with the Italian Air Force, celebrated by unfolding an Italian flag while weightless.
For Villadei, it was even more historic as the Italian Air Force is marking its 100th year. He said he sees commercial flight as an opportunity for more researchers to access space and to foster the development of new technologies.
"It's a kind of changing of the mindset," he told The Associated Press in an interview. "We are sharing the risk, we are growing up together, we are learning (from) each other — the private (sector) from the institutions and the institutions from the private (sector). This is amazing to me."
Next up for Virgin Galactic will be the first of hundreds of ticket holders. Many have been waiting years for their chance at weightlessness and to see the curvature of the Earth. Those commercial flights are expected to begin in August and will be scheduled monthly, the company said.
Virgin Galactic has been working for years to send paying passengers on short space trips and in 2021 finally won the federal government's approval. The company completed its final test fight in May.
The Italian research flight was initially scheduled for the fall of 2021 but Virgin Galactic at the time said it was forced to push back its timeline due to a potential defect in a component used in its flight control system. Then the company spent months upgrading its rocket ship before resuming testing in early 2023.
After reaching a specific altitude, Virgin Galactic's space plane is released from a carrier aircraft and drops for a moment before igniting its rocket motor. The rocket shuts off once it reaches space, leaving passengers weightless before the ship then glides back to the runway at Spaceport America.
Virgin Galactic has sold about 800 tickets over the past decade, with the initial batch going for $200,000 each. Tickets now cost $450,000 per person.
The company said early fliers have already received their seat assignments.
Villadei said it was an honor to be among the first of Virgin Galactic's passengers, and while his focus was on running experiments, he did not miss the opportunity to look outside.
"The boundaries between the black of the sky and the colors of the Earth beneath us was amazing," he said, noting that his expectations were surpassed even though he has years of training under his belt.
Villadei and his colleagues collected blood and urine samples before and after the flight as part of their numerous experiments. He said it will take months to analyze the data and the results will help to formulate new experiments aimed at better understanding microgravity.
"The future is definitely something that is going to deal with space. Space is the new frontier," he said. "We are going to expand our knowledge and our capability to live and work and spend time in space."
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AP video journalist Carrie Antlfinger in Milwaukee, WI, contributed to this report.
New Mexico State agrees to pay $8M to settle basketball players' sex assault, hazing lawsuit - By Eddie Pells Ap National Writer
New Mexico State University agreed to pay $8 million to settle a lawsuit involving two basketball players who said they were sexually assaulted by teammates, according to state records released Wednesday.
Deuce Benjamin and his father, William, who was a co-defendant, will receive $4.125 million, while the other plaintiff, Shak Odunewu, will receive $3.875 million, according to the terms on the state's open-records website.
In agreeing to the settlement, the New Mexico State board of regents does not admit liability. The funds will come from a state risk-management insurance policy. The settlement is not expected to directly impact the school's annual budget.
Benjamin's attorney told The Associated Press the settlement was made in part to keep the players from having to relive their experience over what could have been a years-long legal process.
"To New Mexico State's credit, they took the lawsuit very seriously," Joleen Youngers said. "They obviously recognized that our clients had been harmed."
Youngers said both players hoped to continue their basketball careers at other schools, but no solid plan was in place.
"I know there's a powerful love for the game, but I know it's taken a toll on them," she said.
The AP normally does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Benjamin and Odunewu had both agreed to let their names be used in both the lawsuit and subsequent media interviews.
In addition to the regents, two coaches and three players were also released from liability in the lawsuit. The state attorney general's office is looking into possible criminal charges in the case.
In their lawsuit, Benjamin and Odunewu described being ganged up on and assaulted on more than one occasion. Odunewu said one time, after seeing Benjamin being assaulted, he asked a coach to do something, and the coach responded by laughing and asking "What do you want me to do about it?"
Benjamin went to campus police after one of the assaults, which led to the abrupt cancellation of the 2022-23 season and the firing of coach Greg Heiar.
In a news conference to discuss the lawsuit in May, Benjamin and his father, a former Aggies star basketball player, said Heiar's replacement, Jason Hooten, suggested to Benjamin that he find a new school.
"I don't think you're supposed to hit the reset button and lump in victims with everyone you're getting rid of," William Benjamin said. "Deuce was going to be an Aggie if he was good enough."
US commits more lawyers to address Native American disappearances and killings - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced it will be funneling more resources toward addressing the alarming rate of disappearances and killings among Native Americans.
As part of a new outreach program, the agency will dispatch five attorneys and five coordinators to several regions around the country to help with investigations of unsolved cases and related crimes.
Their reach will span from New Mexico and Arizona to Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Michigan and Minnesota.
Attorney General Merrick Garland acknowledged that the crisis has shattered the lives of victims, their families and entire tribal communities.
"The Justice Department will continue to accelerate our efforts, in partnership with tribes, to keep their communities safe and pursue justice for American Indian and Alaska Native families," Garland said in a statement.
The announcement came as a special commission gathered in Albuquerque for one of its final field hearings as it works to develop recommendations on improving the response from law enforcement and coordination within local, state, tribal and federal justice systems.
The commission started its meeting with a prayer and a moment of silence as four colorful skirts were displayed at the front of the room in honor of those who have gone missing or have been trafficked or killed.
Some commission members read the names of victims to be remembered, including Ashlynne Mike, an 11-year-old Navajo girl who was abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered in northwestern New Mexico in 2016.
With seemingly insurmountable jurisdictional challenges, members of the federal commission have a difficult task ahead. Over the next three days, they will be listening to more heartbreaking stories from Native American families who have had loved ones vanish or turn up dead.
The goals of the 37-member commission include tracking and reporting data on missing-person, homicide and human trafficking cases and increasing information sharing with tribal governments on violent crimes investigations and other prosecutions on Indian lands.
Aside from making recommendations to the Interior and Justice departments, the commission also is tasked with boosting resources for survivors and victims' families, such as providing access to social workers and counselors.
Elizabeth Hidalgo Reese, a member of Nambé Pueblo and senior policy advisor for Native American affairs at the White House, acknowledged the emotional toll that comes from victims and families sharing their stories.
"We need to understand this problem from every angle, we need to explore every possible solution," she said at the start of Wednesday's hearing. "So we do need to hear from all of you."
Leanne Guy, the founding executive director for the Southwest Indigenous Women's Coalition, was among the commissioners who said they repeatedly hear about frustrations that stem from families not having any communication with law enforcement about the status of their loved ones' cases.
Guy's sister-in-law, Laverda Sorrell, vanished more than 20 years ago. Her family has seen federal agents come and go and no new leads despite rewards being offered.
Guy, who is Navajo, said she's hopeful the recommendations that come from the commission's painstaking work will transcend politics and presidential administrations.
"How we put this together will be very, very critical," she said. "We don't want it to just sit on the shelf. We're hoping this creates meaningful change because we've been dealing with this crisis forever. We need to figure out how to move forward."
Fellow commissioner Patricia Whitefoot of the Yakama Nation broke down in tears recounting the difficulties she had getting information about her sister's case over the decades. Daisy Mae Heath disappeared in 1987, and it wasn't until recently that DNA tests confirmed that remains found in a remote area of the reservation in 2008 were hers.
"It's difficult to say how angry you are about all of that and the anger that family members may carry," Whitefoot said.
The state, federal and tribal law enforcement agents and lawmakers who made up the panels talked about challenges with recruiting, retention and funding. They also pointed to a lack of training when peppered with questions by the commission.
Commissioner Amber Kanazbah Crotty, who also serves on the Navajo Nation Council, said it's not only a law enforcement challenge but one that involves sustainable funding for public health services that could help prevent violence within communities.
"How do we provide those wrap-around services?" she asked the panelists. "These are very complicated questions that I'm asking you. But this is a complicated crisis."
New Project ECHO program trains providers in youth mental health - ABQ Journal
New Mexico has struggled to provide mental health care, especially for young people. The state is ranked 47th nationwide when it comes to youth mental health, according to Mental Health America. But a new program launching across the state may provide some relief.
Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico has launched training for health care providers to help them diagnose and treat children with mental health issues, anywhere in the state.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the program had its first training session last week and will have four more through October. The trainings focus on topics liketrauma-informed care, suicide prevention, and cultural competency.
Officials say they hope this program will ensure primary care providers around the state have the resources and knowledge to provide much-needed care for children with mental health issues.
Discrimination against asylum seeker with disability in NM leads to national policy change — Source New Mexico
Edgar Garrido Diaz came to the U.S. seeking safety from his home country.
In August 2022, Garrido Diaz suffered a knee and ankle injury during recreation time while detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Cibola County detention center in northwestern New Mexico.
A few weeks after that, federal immigration officials tried to deport him. They made his injury worse because officers kept Garrido Diaz in leg shackles for nearly an entire day, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security found.
The federal investigation, prompted by a 2022 complaint from lawyers representing Garrido Diaz, concluded the immigration officials responsible for his detainment and deportation discriminated against him while he suffered a physical disability.
This spurred a national policy change in how Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers restrain people with disabilities that are temporary or permanent.
“It is not human to treat me the way they did,” Garrido Diaz told Source NM.
The policy changes, sent to the attorneys who evoked the investigation, include new requirements for ICE to individually assess how people with disabilities are restrained and new guidance from the civil rights and civil liberties division within the federal Department of Homeland Security.
Sophia Genovese is the managing attorney at the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, the organization that filed the complaint last year on behalf of Garrido Diaz. She said this policy change will have a nationwide impact on people who are commonly being hurt by restraints.
It’s an update that’ll no longer affect Garrido Diaz since ICE deported him nine months ago, in September 2022.
Genovese said while her center doesn’t think there should be restraints or even detainment at all, this policy change is one step in the right direction.
“We hear constantly from folks that they feel like they’re being treated like criminals and they’re being treated worse than animals,” she said. “And the treatment doesn’t make sense for the type of proceeding that they’re in.”
A PARTIAL RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINT
This rule shift came nearly a year after New Mexico immigration lawyers raised issues Garrido Diaz faced at the Cibola County detention center in Milan, N.M. Along with physical abuse and medical neglect, they alleged due process violations and potential mail interference crimes.
The complaint filed for Garrido Diaz last year also alleged due process violations. Genovese said she hasn’t heard back yet about those issues and isn’t sure if she will.
Last year, CoreCivic — the private prison company that operates the Cibola detention center — told Source NM the complaint allegations from Garrido Diaz aren’t true and don’t reflect the center’s policies.
CoreCivic spokesperson Brian Todd said the company stands by that statement.
He said Cibola has a detention standard compliance officer to make sure the center adheres to ICE standards and policies. He added that the facility is independently accredited by the American Correctional Association, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the justice system.
“Cibola, like all of our immigration facilities, is monitored very closely by our government partner and required to undergo regular review and audit processes to ensure an appropriate standard of living for all detainees,” Todd said via email.
Beyond having his sprained ankle shackled, Garrido Diaz said the Cibola County detention center guards mistreated him and the bathrooms were unsanitary.
ICE didn’t respond to a request for comment.
HOW THIS HAPPENED
After an immigration judge denied Garrido Diaz’s asylum claim last year, his deportation was imminent.
Garrido Diaz’s country of origin is not disclosed in this article due to safety concerns.
In July 2022, Garrido Diaz was sleeping at the detention center in Cibola County when federal guards woke him up around midnight to deport him, according to the federal investigation findings.
Garrido Diaz, having previously sustained an ankle injury, got his walker and joined the officers on a trek to be sent back to his home country, the homeland security complaint response says. Although it had been a few weeks prior since he injured his knee and ankle during recreation, the wound was still prominent.
CoreCivic officials previously diagnosed him with a grade three ankle sprain, something that can take weeks to heal.
Around 2:30 a.m., ICE officers put leg restraints on Garrido Diaz, according to homeland security. Garrido Diaz said he was in intense pain and asked repeatedly for immigration and customs enforcement officers to take off the restraints.
The shackles stayed on for nearly 19 hours, finally getting removed that evening around 9:20 p.m., the investigation found.
ICE denies that Garrido Diaz asked for the restraints to come off, according to the complaint response.
“ICE claimed that had he made the request, the restraints would have been adjusted if deemed necessary and/or appropriate according to policy,” the report reads.
A few weeks later, upon seeing an orthopedic specialist, the investigation revealed that Garrido Diaz was diagnosed with a grade four ankle sprain, worse than the original injury he sustained.
Now almost a year later, Garrido Diaz told Source NM that he still has pain in his ankle, especially when he drives a lot for work, which he does often.
“My right foot, which is the one with my injury, hurts a lot,” he said. “Even to this day, it is still swollen.”
In his home country, he said there are parallels to poor conditions he lived through in the U.S. He said he’s constantly working to make enough to live and unable to speak up about political matters.
“I went to the United States looking for support,” he said. “And here (in my home country) are the same precarious conditions.”
He said he can’t afford to seek asylum in another country.
The federal findings
As a result of Garrido Diaz’s experience, ICE is required to do individualized assessments when restraining people with disabilities, according to the homeland security response.
It also says the DHS Civil Rights and Civil Liberties office plans to give more guidance and recommendations to ICE on how to handle these types of situations.
According to the federal investigation, ICE shouldn’t have restrained Garrido Diaz around his legs like officers did in the first place because he had a clear disability.
Immigration officers are normally authorized to restrain people during transportation. But that’s not always the case for people who have disabilities.
Homeland security officer Peter Mina, who wrote the investigation findings and complaint response, said ICE officials should have known Garrido Diaz could’ve been an exception from his obvious difficulty walking and bandaged injuries as well as his medical records.
Mina said ICE officers could’ve removed or adjusted the leg restraints without any “undue financial or administrative burden” and still been within policy standards.
“ICE’s own policy allows for exceptions for individuals with physical disabilities or injury, and there is no indication in the record that Complainant posed a safety or security threat to himself or to those around him,” Mina wrote.
Daniela Pino del Pino interpreted the interview with Garrido Diaz and translated the interview recording from Spanish to English.
Garrido Diaz said he hopes the ICE guards and officers will actually follow the new requirement. But from his own experience, he said, nobody’s really supervising them or looking out for what the migrants are going through.
“From the bottom of my heart, I hope that my case and what I was able to expose will be of some use,” he said, “and that they apply with this policy and that no one goes through what I went through.”
Navajo Nation lawmaker introduces bill to legalize gay marriage — Kalle Benallie, Indian Country Today via Source New Mexico
The fight to have same-sex marriage recognized by the Navajo Nation continues during Pride Month.
Navajo Nation Council Delegate Seth Damon signed and sponsored legislation that would recognize same-sex marriages within the Navajo Nation during the Navajo Nation Pride opening ceremony on June 23.
“The prohibition against same-sex marriages does not uniformly welcome or support the well-being of all Diné,” Damon said. “The purpose of the legislation I’m sponsoring is to ensure that all Diné are welcome within the four sacred mountains and to recognize all marriages within the Navajo Nation.”
The legislation also amends other provisions within the Navajo Nation Code to conform with this repeal, but the traditional Navajo wedding ceremony involving a man and woman shall remain unchanged.
Since 2005, same-sex marriages have been prohibited when the Navajo council overwhelmingly voted to pass the Diné Marriage Act, even a second time to override a presidential veto of the act.
At the time, same-sex marriages were prohibited throughout the country, although there was a growing sentiment to legalize marriages for all. This led to a number of regional ordinances designed to define marriage as between one man and one woman. President George W. Bush would even lean on the definition during his re-election campaign in 2004.
This spurred the Navajo council to pass its Dinė Marriage Act, which has remained intact, even after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.
“We feel it’s in the best interest of the Navajo Nation to repeal Title 9 so that everyone can enjoy the full benefits of legal recognition of their marriages within the Navajo Nation, whether our relatives are heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transgender, non-gender specific, two-spirit, or Nádleehí,” Damon said in a press release.
However, some progress has been made in recognizing the tribe’s LGBTQ+ citizens with the 24th Navajo Nation Council passing a resolution in 2020 to establish Diné Pride Week to be held every third week in June to protect Navajo Nation citizens from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and marital status among other things.
“We see ourselves as sacred human beings,” Alray Nelson, Diné PRIDE co-founder and executive director, said. “And with that knowledge, we teach every LGBTQ young person not only is the Navajo Nation on the right side of history, but its leaders also support our community.”
Eugene Tso, a former Navajo Nation Council delegate, joined Damon at the signing ceremony. He introduced similar bills in June 2022 and in March 2022. The March bill was voted down in its early committee meetings, ultimately never passing.
“We live with people we love. There should be no discussion about it when this legislation comes to the floor,” Tso said in a statement. “Why would you debate it? This is who we are. We’re Diné.”
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren was in attendance at the legislation signing where along with Navajo Nation Vice President Richelle Montoya and Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley became the first Navajo leaders to proclaim June 18-25 as Navajo Nation Pride Week.
He acknowledged what Damon introduced and said “…it will be up to everyone here to submit their comments for its passage.”
The legislation began its five-day public comment period on June 23 and will end before tribal council committees will hear it on June 29. Comments can be emailed or mailed. More information is here.
The heat wave blamed for 13 deaths in Texas so far spreads eastward - By Kevin Mcgill And Ken Miller Associated Press
Scorching heat blamed for at least 13 deaths in Texas and another in Louisiana blanketed more of the Southeast on Wednesday, stretching government warnings of dangerous, triple-digit temperatures eastward into Mississippi and Tennessee.
California, meanwhile, was facing its first major heat wave of the year. The National Weather Service warned that the dry, hot, windy conditions were ripe for dangerous fires in parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah.
Mid-week temperatures were forecast to surpass 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius) in much of the Southeast and high humidity was expected to push heat index values above 115 degrees (46 Celsius) in some areas.
Lingering power outages after weekend storms compounded the heat-related misery in Arkansas. More than 10,000 residents were still without power in the central part of the state. In Cabot, northeast of Little Rock, a local senior center provided cool air and a place to charge cellphones and tablets for those without electricity.
"Usually I just come at noon for the meal," Clint Hickman, still waiting for his power to come back on, said in a phone interview Wednesday. "It's kind of nice to have a little cool air, so I came a little earlier."
A park in Pearl River, Louisiana, featuring water fountains and overhead sprinklers for children to play in was a welcome respite for Victoria Lee, who was there with her small children.
"I have outdoor kids," she said. "They don't like being inside. So, when we're at home and they're outside and they're sweaty, they're just miserable all the time. So this just makes it a lot easier."
Among the heat's casualties was a man who died late Sunday in Shreveport, Louisiana, the second heat-related death in the state in an unusually warm June. The 49-year-old from neighboring Bossier City had been found lying on a sidewalk in Shreveport, where Sunday's temperature hit 97 degrees (36 degrees Celsius) — 10 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the average for the date.
The death of a 62-year-old woman on June 21 in Keithville also was blamed on heat. Relatives found her after she had spent several days without electricity because of earlier severe storms, the Caddo Parish Coroner's Office said.
In southeast Louisiana, the National Weather Service office in Slidell issued an excessive heat warning on June 16, the earliest in the year it's ever done so for that area, a meteorologist said.
Eleven of the Texas heat-related deaths occurred in Webb County, which includes Laredo. The dead ranged in age from 60 to 80 years old and many had underlying health conditions, according to Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern, who said the level of heat in the county was unprecedented.
The area has a higher poverty rate than the state average and that compounds the suffering, Stern said.
"The vast majority do not have air conditioning in their homes. They either have the fans off, or they have fans on but not proper ventilation," Stern said. "There has been at least one or two that have air conditioning but don't want to run it due to the bill."
Two Florida hikers also died while hiking in extreme heat at Big Bend National Park.
The heat has prompted the U.S. Postal Service to allow earlier starting times for letter carriers, according to the National Association of Letter Carriers Lonestar Branch. This comes after the death of a letter carrier who died June 20 in near triple-digit heat. The cause of the carrier's death was still under investigation Wednesday.
The unusually high temperatures were brought on by a heat dome that has taxed the Texas power grid and brought record highs to parts of the state, according to meteorologists.
That dome is spreading eastward and by the weekend is expected to be centered over the mid-South, said meteorologist Bryan Jackson with the National Weather Service in College Pak, Maryland.
Texas temperatures should then begin to drop from highs above 100 (38 degrees Celsius) degrees to daily temperatures in the 90s, Jackson said.
"It's relief from the extreme heat," Jackson said. "It's not really an end to a heat wave; it's just an end to the extreme part of the heat wave."
Another dome of heat has already developed on the West Coast, and an excessive heat warning is in place in a wide swath in the central part of the state, according to Jackson.
"By this weekend there is a risk for record high temperatures exceeding 100 degrees ... close to 110 degrees in the Central Valley of California," Jackson said. "Then some of the more typical mid-summer heat of getting above 115 degrees in the hottest areas of the desert Southwest."
Apart from the heat dome moving over the Southeast, California's Central Valley was under an excessive heat watch from Friday through Sunday, with highs up to 110 degrees (43 Celsius) in some areas. Much of the region around San Francisco Bay will be under a heat advisory.