Ruling Due Monday In Tribal Case Over Virus Relief Funding -Associated Press
A federal judge says he will issue a decision Monday on a request from tribal nations to temporarily halt the distribution of $8 billion in coronavirus relief funding.
State and local governments started getting direct payments this week, but tribal governments have not received any money set aside for them.
More than a dozen tribes have sued the U.S. Treasury Department to keep Alaska Native corporations from getting a share of the funding.
The Treasury Department says the corporations are eligible. The tribes and the department disagree on a definition of "Indian Tribe" that's included in the CARES Act.
Navajo Nation Reports 6 Deaths, 180 New COVID-19 Cases -Associated Press
Navajo Nation health officials are reporting six new deaths and 180 new cases of COVID-19.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said Friday the big increase in cases is partially due to increased testing. The Navajo Department of Health says there are 1,540 known cases across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, and 58 people have died.
Tribal authorities are again enforcing a weekend curfew in effect from 8 p.m. on Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, and Nez says more stringent patrols are planned.
People caught violating the curfew face up to 30 days in jail and fines up to $1,000.
Despite Critics' Outcry, Border Wall Construction Goes On -Associated Press
The federal government is proceeding with plans for a border wall even as communities where construction is ongoing protest the presence of workers.
In the Yuma, Arizona, area, the government modified a contract last month to add 1.5 miles of a 30-foot border wall with an anti-climb plate for $55.8 million. It's looking to award another $50 million contract next month to add fiber optic cables, lighting, closed circuit TV, a ground detection system and signage.
Still, lawmakers and advocates are calling for construction to be halted amid the coronavirus outbreak. They say the workers put small border communities with few health care resources at risk.
Native American Leader Discourages Nearby City Reopening -Associated Press
The Native American community at Acoma Pueblo is pushing back against plans by the mayor of a nearby city to allow the reopening of nonessential businesses in defiance of a statewide health order.
Pueblo Gov. Brian Vallo on Friday urged the governor of New Mexico to take any measures necessary to prevent the reopenings in Grants before the state social distancing order expires.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has indicated that she will extend the order until at least May 15. Meanwhile, New Mexico health officials said six more people have died of COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 84.
The state has reported more than 2,500 virus cases.
ADL Condemns New Mexico Mayor's 'Nazi' Remark About Governor -Associated Press
The Anti-Defamation League is denouncing comments made by a New Mexico mayor who compared New Mexico State Police to the Gestapo and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to the Nazis.
The Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region said Friday it condemns comments made by Grants, New Mexico, Mayor Martin "Modey" Hicks to The Associated Press.
In an interview Thursday, Hicks, a Democrat, compared the Democratic governor to the Nazis over her closures of nonessential business to stop the spread of COVID-19.
ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin says mayor's frustration is no excuse for comparing public health orders with the actions of the Nazis.
Hicks didn't immediately return a phone message.
GOP US House Hopefuls Release Mocking Ads In New Mexico Race
Two Republican candidates in a crucial U.S. House race in southern New Mexico have released dueling ads disparaging the other for being a fake supporter of President Donald Trump.
Oil executive Claire Chase and former lawmaker Yvette Herrell unveiled this week the television commercials with more than a month to go before the June 2 primary.
The Chase campaign calls Herrell a "career politician" who worked to undermine Trump's campaign in 2016. Herrell responded by releasing two videos — one attacking Chase over old anti-Trump Facebook posts and another seeking to highlight Herrell's connection to the tea party.
Chase and Herrell are vying to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small.
New Mexico University Gets Grant To Tackle Opioid Epidemic -Associated Press
New Mexico State University has received a $200,000 federal grant to grow the number of nurse practitioners who will fight the opioid epidemic in the state.
The university said Thursday its School of Nursing will use the money to fund a project aimed at expanding the number of family nurse practitioners in New Mexico.
The grant will provide funding for the NMSU School of Nursing faculty members in the Family Nurse Practitioner program to develop a curriculum that emphasizes integrated mental health and primary care.
The program is delivered in a distance-education format, allowing nurses throughout New Mexico and the adjacent border region to earn degrees without relocating.
Hearing Set For Man Charged In Sunday School Teacher's Death -Associated Press
A May 1 bond hearing has been scheduled in Flagstaff for an Air Force airman charged in the death of a Sunday school teacher who had been living in New Mexico.
Attorneys argued at a hearing Friday over whether Mark Gooch was eligible for bond on charges that he kidnapped and killed Sasha Krause.
The judge didn't make a bail decision and instead scheduled a hearing for next week.
Krause was living among other members of the Mennonite community in Farmington, New Mexico, before she disappeared Jan. 18. Gooch's attorney, Matthew Springer, said his client was entitled to the presumption of innocence.