New Mexico Blocks Roads Into Gallup As Virus Cases Surge - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
The governor of New Mexico invoked the state's Riot Control Act as she sealed off roads to nonessential traffic in Gallup to help control a surging coronavirus outbreak in the former trading post on the outskirts of the Navajo Nation.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday also announced a ban on nonessential outings and required businesses to close from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. in the city of about 70,000 people along Interstate 40.
Infection rates in Gallup and surrounding McKinley County make it one of the worst U.S. hotspots for the pandemic as patients overwhelm intensive care facilities. Lujan Grisham said physical distancing is not being maintained.
The riot act gives the governor the power to prohibit people from walking the streets, carrying firearms, assembling in public and purchasing alcohol. Emergency declarations under the act expire after three days.
Federal health officials have linked the severity of the problem in Gallup to an early outbreak at a detox center that was followed by infections among homeless people.
A spokeswoman for Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services hospital says homeless residents of Gallup who contracted COVID-19 were being offered temporary shelter at four motels at the expense of the state to isolate them and slow the spread of the virus.
Governor Making Plans For Social Distancing At Polling Places – Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is laying the groundwork for social distancing requirements at polling places during the state's June 2 election.
Limits in a new health order range from as few as four voters to as much as 20% of occupancy limits. The current order does not apply to the general election in November.
The number of COVID-19 cases in New Mexico rose by 104 on Friday to 3,513. There were also eight additional deaths bringing the total to 131.
Cases in congregate living facilities such as senior living centers continue to grow. The Department of Health has identified positive COVID-19 cases in residents and/or staff in 25 such facilities around the state.
McKinley County in northwest New Mexico has the most cases in the state at 1,064.
The Albuquerque Journal reported the Navajo Nation reported 9 new deaths and 164 additional cases. There are now 2,141 cases on the reservation and a total of 71 deaths. There are more cases in the McKinley County part of the reservation than any other county.
Employees Must Present Valid Reason To Continue Benefits If Called Back To Work – Associated Press, The Albuquerque Journal
Employees in New Mexico who have been furloughed or laid off will not be able to continue their unemployment benefits without a valid and acceptable reason once they are called back to work by employers, officials said.
The Albuquerque Journal reported the State Department of Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley said furloughed employees who are called back by their employers must provide "good cause" for not returning to work and continuing to receive unemployment benefits.
The announcement came as the state has started to reduce restrictions on shuttered business amid the coronavirus pandemic.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
Virgin Galactic Completes First Glide Flight In New Mexico - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Virgin Galactic's spaceship has landed in the New Mexico desert after its first glide flight from Spaceport America.
The company announced Friday's flight on social media, sharing photos of the spaceship on the runaway. Officials said stringent operational protocols were in place during the flight to ensure safety amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The protocols included the use of masks, changes to the work areas and procedures to enforce social distancing.
Virgin Galactic is working toward commercial operations that will take passengers on supersonic thrill rides to the lower reaches of space to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and a view of the Earth below.
More than 600 customers from around the world have put down deposits for flights, and about 8,000 reservations of interest have been made since the successful test flight into space in December 2018. Company officials expect that interest to surpass the company's capacity for flights for the next few years.
The initial seats were sold at $250,000 apiece. Those who want to register interest online are paying a fully refundable deposit of $1,000.
The company also has made donations of more than $60,000 in New Mexico and is working on developing oxygen hoods that could potentially help COVID-19 patients.
Group Says Funds Meant For Chicken Conservation Misused - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Environmentalists are questioning spending by wildlife managers who oversee a conservation effort for the lesser prairie chicken after money was used on a building and salaries rather than on projects to help the bird.
Once listed as a threatened species, the chicken's habitat spans parts of five states — including a portion of the oil-rich Permian Basin.
The Center for Biological Diversity has been pushing for federal protections for the species and pointed to an audit of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies that was recently made public.
The association says it's taking steps to improve oversight and management of the conservation program. The voluntary conservation programs cover New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.
An audit estimated that between $5 million and $7 million had been diverted from conservation endowment accounts and were improperly used to cover administrative costs. Money was also improperly transferred from the endowments to pay landowners who signed conservation agreements, according to the audit.
Navajo Death Row Inmate Loses Appeal To Probe Racial Bias - By Terry Tang and Felicia Fonseca, Associated Press
The only Native American on federal death row has lost a bid to look into potential racial bias in his case.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had put Lezmond Mitchell's execution on hold while he sought review of a lower court decision. The appeals court ruled Thursday that Mitchell had no grounds to interview jurors for potential bias against Native Americans.
The judges pointed out several safeguards that were in place. Mitchell was convicted in the 2001 murder of a fellow Navajo tribal member and her 9-year-old granddaughter. He was sentenced to death on a charge of carjacking resulting in death.
Governor Extends Stay-At-Home Order To May 15 With Relaxed Restrictions – Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is extending an emergency health order through May 15 while relaxing restrictions on nonessential businesses that offer curbside service and deliveries and allowing gun shops, veterinary offices and state parks to reopen with restrictions.
Confirmed infections statewide in New Mexico climbed to 3,411 on Thursday. There were 11 new fatalities that brought the overall death toll to 123.
The Albuquerque Journal reported other restrictions will remain in place. Indoor malls, gyms, theaters, casinos and dine-in restaurants will remain closed. A requirement for a 14-day isolation period for any travelers from outside the state also remains.
Lujan Grisham held out hope for a larger and gradual reopening by mid-May, but only if virus transmission slows. She reiterated the need to continue social distancing, avoid unnecessary trips and wear a mask.
New Mexico Supreme Court Orders Mayor To Keep Health Orders - By Russell Contreras, Associated Press
The New Mexico Supreme Court has ordered the mayor of the small city of Grants to comply with a health order and stop nonessential businesses from reopening.
The high court issued its ruling Thursday after Attorney General Hector Balderas filed a petition seeking an order following Grants Mayor Martin "Modey" Hicks’ move to let his city's businesses open despite rising New Mexico COVID-19 cases.
Hicks said he would allow stores and the city's golf course in the small western New Mexico town of 9,000 residents to reopen. That came despite warnings from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham that state police would issue citations to businesses that don't comply.
Navajo Infections Surge As Trump Prepares To Visit Southwest - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
U.S. health officials say coronavirus infections are beginning a renewed surge on the Navajo Nation and bordering areas that may peak around May 10.
In a press briefing Thursday, officials with Indian Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described efforts to contain the virus on remote stretches of the Navajo Nation.
The Centers for Disease Control has deployed two field teams to the Navajo Nation at the request of tribal authorities. Federal authorities have opened two alternative care centers in the region that can expand bed capacity at hospitals by caring for recovering COVID-19 patients with oxygen treatment and other therapies.
The Albuquerque Journal reports there are now 2,141 confirmed COVID-19 infections and 71 deaths on the Navajo Nation as of Thursday, according to tribal officials.
In New Mexico's rural McKinley County, confirmed infections climbed to 1,027 Thursday, surpassing the infection total in Albuquerque. Infections were reported in three nursing homes in Gallup.
State Human Services Secretary says intensive care beds have hit maximum capacity in McKinley County. Patients are being transferred to Albuquerque, where hospitals are using emergency triage plans to expand intensive care capabilities.
That surge comes as President Donald Trump on Thursday said the federal government will not be extending its coronavirus social distancing guidelines and tried to dispel economic gloom, saying he was anticipating a major financial rebound in the coming months. He plans to visit Arizona next week.
Navajo Nation Special Session Cancelled Due To Virus Concern - Associated Press
The Navajo Nation Council scheduled for Friday has been cancelled so all of the Legislative Branch buildings can be disinfected and sanitized.
Council Speaker Seth Damon announced Thursday night that the move was made "out of an abundance of caution" due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Under Legislative Branch protocol, the first instance of a symptomatic report will automatically result in a further closure of program offices.
The Legislative Branch is comprised of 13 programs that have been operating on extremely limited office staff since March.
Damon says work will continue to move forward under expanded remote work plans with each of the programs.
Special Prosecutor Takes Case Of Suspected Drunk Sheriff - Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
A special prosecutor has been appointed to lead a case involving a New Mexico sheriff accused of showing up drunk to a SWAT standoff.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the New Mexico Attorney General's Office named the district attorney in the 9th Judicial District in Clovis as a special prosecutor in charge of the case against Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan.
Police say officers reported Lujan smelled of alcohol and ignored commands to leave the "kill zone" in front of the barricaded house in March.
Lujan told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the accusations in the criminal complaint are false.
Matt Baca, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said the agency decided to pass on the Lujan case because it is currently prosecuting charges against a former Rio Arriba County deputy accused of using a stun gun against a student at Española Valley High School.
Virtual Meetings Set For Drilling Plan Near National Park - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Federal land managers plan to hold a series of virtual meetings on a contested plan that will guide oil and gas development near Chaco Culture National Historical Park for at least the next decade.
The first meeting will be May 14. Four others will follow. Environmentalists, some Native American tribes and other critics have been asking the Bureau of Land Management to extend the public comment period on the resource management plan.
They say federal officials should wait until the coronavirus outbreak subsides so the public has more opportunity to participate in the process.
Despite existing protections within its boundaries, the World Heritage site has been at the center of a decades-long fight over drilling in northwestern New Mexico.
Historians say the area contains the remnants of what was once a hub of indigenous civilization that aligned its structures with the seasonal movements of the sun and moon.
While drilling is off-limits within the park's boundaries, concerns in recent years have expanded beyond environmental effects to the preservation of cultural landmarks. Tribes, environmentalists and archaeologists all warn that unchecked development could compromise significant spots outside Chaco's boundaries.
Scientists Examine Hurdles To US Plutonium Disposal Plan - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
Security and the availability of space at the U.S. government's only underground nuclear waste repository are among the hurdles identified by experts tasked with studying the viability of a plan to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released its final report Thursday on the decades-long $18 billion plan to dilute and dispose of the waste at the remote site in southern New Mexico.
The report expands on preliminary findings first released in 2018. The experts found that the plan is technically viable and offered suggestions on how to limit potential risks that would come from dealing with the plutonium waste.