New Mexico reaches 100 measles cases after 3 reported in Santa Fe County
— Nakayla McClelland, Albuquerque Journal
Measles cases have officially hit triple digits in New Mexico, according to state health officials.
On Thursday, the New Mexico Department of Health announced that the state has recorded more than 100 cases of measles after three Santa Fe County residents were diagnosed with the disease.
Of the cases, one resulted in death after an unvaccinated Lea County resident contracted pneumonia related to the disease.
In the Santa Fe County cases, two were adults and one was a child, all of whom were unvaccinated.
From Feb. 1 to Aug. 13, more than 48,000 New Mexicans have received the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. Nearly 28,000 vaccinations were given to children under the age of 18.
"We remain grateful New Mexicans continue to get their measles vaccination in an effort to slow the spread of the virus," Dr. Miranda Durham, state Department of Health chief medical officer, said in a news release. "Without that, measles outbreaks are more likely to last longer and grow over time."
A person with measles is contagious four days before a rash appears and remains contagious for several days, according to the Department of Health. In enclosed spaces, the virus can remain in the air for two hours after a person who has the illness has left.
Symptoms begin with a cough, runny nose and eye redness, followed by a fever and rash, which starts on the head before spreading down the body, the health department says.
‘Forever chemicals’ detected in Clovis-area blood tests, New Mexico environmental officials say
— Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
Blood tests from all but two of more than 600 residents around Cannon Air Force Base found so-called “forever chemicals” associated with firefighting foams, which have contaminated surrounding groundwater, according to a report released Thursday by the New Mexico Environment Department.
While the presence of the chemicals in 99% of the 628 samples is on par with national studies showing the level the group of chemicals known as PFAS appears in most people’s blood, New Mexico environment officials said the key finding of the study was types of chemicals present.
“That shows a correlation between what’s in their blood and what came from military operations at Cannon Air Force Base,” Environment Secretary James Kenney said in an interview with Source NM ahead of the report’s release Wednesday.
Cannon Air Force Base officials when reached by phone Wednesday said they could not immediately provide a response because the report was not yet public. Source NM will update the story with any further comment.
Of the 33 compounds tested for in the blood of residents outside of nearby Clovis, the four most prevalent substances are ingredients found in currently or historically in aqueous film-forming foams, or the type of suppressant used to put out fires from flammable liquids like gasoline.
The report also found that 14 people tested had very high PFAS levels, similar to levels found in other states where the chemicals were manufactured or spilled. For comparison, only an estimated 9% of adults nationwide have those levels present.
“I think it’s profoundly disappointing that we have 14 New Mexicans who are in that highest national tier from the Cannon Air Force Base’s foams migrating offsite,” Kenney said. “We don’t make the chemicals in New Mexico, they’re only used here in that concentration and that significance in military operations, and they think this is that direct link that has been missing, but now proven.”
New Mexicans working or living closer to the PFAS-contaminated groundwater plume under Cannon had PFAS levels that were three times higher than residents not working or living near the plume, according to the report.
The blood test results are from a 2024 state program to collect samples in 2024 from residents in surrounding Curry County immediately surrounding the base, in partnership between environment officials and New Mexico Department of Health. Participants were alerted to their results in the spring.
There’s been a rising awareness to address contamination from PFAS, an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of synthetic chemicals used in the manufacture of everything from rugs to cookware to firefighting foams. The foams, first used in the 1970s are effective for fighting high-heat fires from jet fuel ignition, hence the prevalence of their uses on Air Force Bases.
PFAS were first detected in soil and groundwater in 2018 near Cannon Air Force Base, with state officials alleging that the military’s use of firefighting foams over decades seeped into the soils and water. A dairy with contaminated wells was required to euthanize more than 3,000 cows and brought the miles-long plume to light.
These chemicals resist breaking down in nature and can accumulate in water, soils and increasingly in the blood and bodies of humans and animals around the world. While their harms are still being studied, researchers have linked PFAS exposure to a wide range of health issues such as: decreased fertility, fetal developmental delays, increases in certain cancer risks, disruption of immune responses and more, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Efforts to address PFAS pollution nationally are estimated to cost billions of dollars as cleanup efforts stretch for years. New Mexico’s PFAS contamination is concentrated around military bases including Cannon Air Force Base, Holloman Air Force Base, Kirtland Air Force Base, White Sands Missile Range and Fort Wingate.The state has spent more than $10 million between investigations, damages, legal costs and cleanup, according to court filings.
While the military has previously promised to end PFAS use, top officials are saying they cannot meet the deadline to find an alternative in 2026, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hesgeth’s statements to the Government Accountability Office in July.
“If this can happen in Curry County, it can happen in Anywhere, USA,” Kenney said. “They’ve authorized the use of these firefighting foams for another year, and the Department of Defense is going to be releasing these into communities all over the country.”
New Mexico is embroiled in several lawsuits over PFAS contamination. New Mexico is part of multi-state litigation in South Carolina, which includes a combined 10,000-plus cases against military and civilian PFAS contamination.
The state is also involved in separate litigation in the federal court system, after the U.S. Department of Defense sued the state, claiming it overstepped its authority in mandating cleanup.
In a new case filed this year, state officials alleged Cannon Air Force failed to address contamination, including barring state inspectors entry to the base to test for PFAS. The Department of Defense requested the case move to federal court, which was granted in August.
Sen. Pat Woods, a Republican from Clovis, told Source NM the state appropriated $12 million to pay to connect residents to city water, replacing contaminated, private wells.
“In the short run, we’re going to do some of these shorter pipelines to help Clovis citizens that have contaminated water and high levels in their bloodstream,” Woods said. “We didn’t cause the problem, but we’re proposing a solution to the problem.”
The New Mexico Environment Department will hold a public meeting on Thursday Oct. 23 in Curry County to present the report’s findings.
NM investment accounts surpass $64 billion, as debate simmers over best use — Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
New Mexico’s state investment accounts have ballooned to a record-high $64 billion, rekindling a long-running debate about how they should best be put to use.
Amid recent calls to take more money out of the state’s permanent funds for targeted initiatives, the state’s top investment official made the argument Wednesday for leaving current distribution levels in place.
Specifically, State Investment Officer Jon Clark told members of a legislative committee the permanent funds will distribute nearly $2.6 billion in the current budget year — or about $500 million more than last year’s levels.
This year’s distributions make up about 28% of state public school spending and roughly 78% of early childhood spending statewide, according to State Investment Council data.
“Some people incorrectly assume it’s sitting there and not being used,” Clark told members of the interim Investments and Pensions Oversight Committee, referring to the $64 billion in overall assets.
The recent growth of New Mexico’s permanent funds, fueled largely by skyrocketing oil production levels and investments gains, means the state now has the nation’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund. Only Alaska, which provides annual dividend checks to all residents, has a larger such fund, Clark said.
New Mexico’s annual permanent fund distributions, which are projected to increase to nearly $10 billion by 2050 barring any policy changes, provide stability for state lawmakers and could allow for future tax cuts to be enacted, Clark added.
However, the state’s $64 billion-plus portfolio has also caught the attention of some state residents, who argue more should be done to address New Mexico’s chronically high poverty rate and reliance on federal programs like Medicaid.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland cited the state’s permanent funds during a recent campaign event, while appearing to support increased distribution levels.
“It’s very unbalanced and we need to take money and invest in communities so that they can lift their communities up,” Haaland said during the event, which was posted to a social media account.
But Clark, while not referring to any specific proposals, warned lawmakers against taking large amounts of money out of the permanent funds.
He said taking half of the money — or $32 billion — out of the investment accounts would be “disastrous” for future education spending in New Mexico, citing the compound interest generated by the permanent funds if left untouched.
“We are going to be much more proactive in explaining this,” Clark said during Wednesday’s hearing.
Any changes to New Mexico’s permanent fund distribution levels require the approval of statewide voters. That happened most recently in 2022, when voters overwhelmingly ratified a constitutional amendment increasing distribution levels for early childhood programs.
Meanwhile, the State Investment Council now manages 14 different funds, including two funds created by lawmakers this year — a Medicaid trust fund and a behavioral health trust fund.
The behavioral health trust fund got an initial $100 million start-up infusion from the Legislature, while the Medicaid fund could see its first inflows this fall.
The exact amount flowing into the fund will depend on how much appropriated funding went unspent by state agencies during the budget year that ended in June, Clark said.
New Mexico governor declares crime ‘emergency’ in Española, authorizes National Guard to assist — Patrick Lohmann, Austin Fisher, Source New Mexico
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an emergency declaration for the small city of Española and the surrounding area Wednesday, saying local police are overwhelmed with rising crime and drug overdose deaths. In an executive order, the governor authorized state resources, including the National Guard, to help after city, county and Pueblo leaders requested the assistance.
According to the executive order, police calls in the Española area have doubled in the last two years, and police dispatches to businesses have quadrupled in that same period. She also cited Rio Arriba County’s high overdose death rate, “with residents struggling with addiction to fentanyl and other illicit substances.” Lujan Grisham’s order also authorized $750,000 in emergency spending.
“When our local leaders called for help to protect their communities, we responded immediately with decisive action,” Lujan Grisham said in a news release announcing the executive order. “We are making every resource available to support our local partners on the ground and restore public safety and stability to these areas that have been hardest hit by this crisis.”
Lauren Thorp, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, told Source NM the order is meant to help local, county and tribal police pay for “officer overtime, public safety equipment, and multi-agency interventions to address the surge in violent crime and drug trafficking.”
“This coordinated approach addresses the interconnected challenges of crime, overdoses, and community instability that have strained local capacity beyond their limits,” Thorp said in an email.
There is no “immediate” assignment to deploy the National Guard, Thorp said, but that standard language in the governor’s executive order “is there if needed.”
Guard spokesperson Hank Minitrez also confirmed that. “Guard hasn’t been tasked with any mission,” he said in a text message.
The governor signed a similar executive order in April that authorized National Guard troops to assist law enforcement in Albuquerque, the state’s biggest city. The governor’s April declaration in Albuquerque drew denunciations from the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico.
In that order, she also authorized $750,000 in emergency spending because she said Albuquerque was “experiencing a significant increase in crime” and requested help because it, too, did not have adequate resources to respond.
But unlike the Albuquerque executive order that directed the emergency funding directly to the National Guard, the Española order directs the funds to the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, an agency that typically helps residents respond to wildfires, floods or other natural disasters.
Thorp provided Source recent letters from the Santa Clara and Ohkay Owingeh pueblos, along with Española and Rio Arriba County officials, asking the state to assist. She also forwarded along a series of charts from the Española Social Services Department director, Michelle Fraire, who said that the city has already seen 49 overdoses, compared with 40 in all of 2024.
“I predict this number will continue to increase and more than double,” Fraire wrote, according to the materials the governor’s office provided.
Danielle Silva, a spokesperson for Homeland Security, told Source that the department is receiving the funding to coordinate various state agencies, like it does after a natural disaster, to assist local officials dealing with the increased crime.
“We’re kind of dealing with the state as a whole trying to figure out a multi-faceted response,” she said. “The details on that need to be fleshed out with the locals, but they asked for help so we’ll figure out how to do it.”
Silva said “housing and other public safety” are examples of how the state’s various agencies might be able to assist the communities.
Española Police Chief Mizel Garcia told Source the reason why the city asked for help is because it doesn’t have enough police officers to respond to a spike in crimes committed by young people and crimes involving guns.
“We lose a lot of officers to bigger agencies that pay more and offer more benefits,” Garcia said in an interview. “The issue for us is the availability of resources.”
The northern New Mexico city of just over 10,000 people cannot generate as much in tax revenue as larger cities, he said.
Española borders the Pueblos of Ohkay Owingeh to the north and Santa Clara to the south, which the order says are also experiencing “a significant increase in crime.”
Garcia said it is premature to say what the funding will be used for, and that will be determined once his agency can have a meeting with the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohkay Owingeh and Santa Clara tribal police departments to develop a plan of action.
“Many parts within the city of Española are within the jurisdiction of our tribal agencies, so this isn’t just for my department, this is something that’s joint,” Garcia said. Including the New Mexico State Police, there are five different police agencies that can respond to calls in the city, he said.
Española officials said at a town hall meeting on crime and organized by the governor last summer that they were having trouble recruiting local police officers, given that Los Alamos National Laboratories offered similar candidates much higher pay.
At the same town hall, residents were divided about what the city should do about an unhoused encampment that grew alongside the Rio Grande in town. City officials cleared the encampment shortly after the meeting, drawing an outcry.
In the Albuquerque executive order, the governor authorized up to 70 National Guard soldiers to arrive in the city of about 560,000. They were dressed in plain clothes and were instructed to help APD with “non-law enforcement” activities including traffic control, administrative duties, transporting incarcerated people, court security, emergency response and “other critical functions that allow local law enforcement to focus on crime reduction efforts.”
The National Guard remains in Albuquerque, since the governor reauthorized its presence. The state has spent at least $2 million to keep it there.
APS introduces these new sporting events policies ahead of upcoming athletics year — Noah Alcala Bach, Albuquerque Journal
In the name of safety, Albuquerque Public Schools is changing policy to allow only clear bags at athletics events and eliminate the use of cash for concessions.
“I think the conversation has been happening for quite some time,” Antonio Gonzales, deputy superintendent of operations, said in a Wednesday interview. “So really looking at best practices, what others are doing throughout the state and nation to ensure that we are taking continuous steps to ensure safety for our staff, students and families is of the utmost importance.”
The move comes following a school year when 15 firearms were found on district campuses — including charter schools — and less than two years after an Atrisco Heritage Academy High School Student, Elijah Pohl-Morfin, was fatally shot in the school’s parking lot after a basketball game.
“We want to eliminate the chances of having something really bad happen at our games,” Adrian Ortega, executive director of APS’ athletics and activities, said in a Wednesday interview. “Safety is at the bottom of our decision, specific to clear bags, safety for our spectators, safety for our athletes, safety for our coaches.”
The policy changes are being introduced at a time when juvenile crime is a hot-button issue across the metro area and the state.
The district’s football season begins Aug. 21, with games between Volcano Vista and La Cueva, Valley and Bernalillo and Manzano and Highland across its three stadiums.
“We really don’t want it to be a confrontational thing, and we really want to educate our public during their first few games,” Ortega said. “This is something that we’re trying to do just for safety purposes.”
Additionally, beginning in the spring, APS will no longer accept cash at sporting events, accepting only card payments for concessions. The announcement this week comes two years after APS switched to only accepting card payments for sporting event tickets.
“The primary motive is safety. We want to eliminate our people accepting, carrying and depositing a large amount of cash,” Ortega said. “It’s been really successful with our admission, and we’re hoping that it’s successful with our concessions as well.”
The cost of concessions will not go up as a result of the cashless transition, according to Ortega.
In addition to credit and debit cards, touch-to-pay options like Apple Pay and Google Pay will also be accepted. Concessions generated around $225,000 in revenue last school year, according to APS.