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TUES: Hospitals Furlough Staff Amid Pandemic Fallout, + More

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Hospitals Announce Staff Cuts And FurloughsAssociated Press, Santa Fe New Mexican

Hospitals around New Mexico have announced staff cuts and furloughs.

Hundreds of employees from Memorial Medical Center and MountainView Regional Medical Center in Las Cruces to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe are being placed on temporary leave amid fallout from public health orders and a ban on elective surgeries and non-urgent procedures.

The number of COVID-19 cases rose to 1,407 Tuesday with five additional deaths bringing the total to 36.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports Christus St. Vincent is placing 300 employees on “temporary low volume leave” for up to 90 days, although hospital officials said it could be longer.

CEO Lillian Montoya told the paper St. Vincent had seen a nearly 35% decline in patients and a drop of $10 million in net revenue per month.

Employees on leave will still be personnel of Christus and will retain their benefits.

Petition Seeks Release Of New Mexico Prisoners Amid Outbreak Associated Press

Some attorneys and prisoner advocates have petitioned the New Mexico Supreme Court for the release of more inmates from the state corrections system amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Defense attorneys, public defenders and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico filed an emergency petition today. They want the court to order the immediate release of those at risk of serious illness from COVID-19, those within a year of release, and those held on infractions such as parole and probation violations.

The request goes beyond the releases ordered by the governor last week. New Mexico has more than 1,400 cases of the virus. The infections include an inmate at the Santa Fe County Detention Center who previously tested negative, and one at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque.

Immigrant advocacy groups also sent a letter today to the governor, pressing her to do what she can to reduce the number of federal immigration detainees being held in county lockups in New Mexico.

The groups asked the same of governors in Colorado and New Jersey.

Supreme Court Rejects Mail-In Election Albuquerque Journal

The New Mexico Supreme Court rejected a petition Tuesday to hold the June 2 primary by mail.

The Albuquerque Journal reports numerous top election officials sought a decision to close polling cites during the coronavirus pandemic and rely on mail-in ballots.

The justices decided state law did not permit them to order a mail-in election. However, they did direct that county clerks should mail voters absentee ballots to encourage that method.

The pace of coronavirus infections in New Mexico is expected to peak in late May under current statistical modeling by state health officials. That puts the pandemic on a collision course with the primary vote.

Republicans want the state to distribute absentee ballots by request only. Democrats want mail-in ballots sent out to all registered voters.

New Mexico Weighs Voting Methods For Peak Of Virus Pandemic - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press

New Mexico's Supreme Court is considering competing proposals to increase reliance on absentee balloting by mail in efforts to safeguard public health and voting rights in the state's June 2 primary.

Arguments and a possible ruling were scheduled for Tuesday. The pace of coronavirus infections in New Mexico is expected to peak in late May under current statistical modeling by state health officials.

That puts the pandemic on a collision course with the primary vote. Republicans want the state to distribute absentee ballots by request only. Democrats want mail-in ballots sent out to all registered voters.

Republicans including state party Chairman Steve Pearce view the looming court decision as precedent-setting for future elections as they advocate for absentee mail-in balloting by request only.

A proposal from a majority of county clerks — supported by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver — would scuttle traditional, in-person voting and instead distribute mail-in ballots to nearly all registered voters, with the limited exceptions where election-related mail has bounced back.

That plan also would provide so-called voting service centers for registered voters to turn in absentee ballots by hand, fill out provisional ballots and seek other assistance.

Many households across extremely remote areas have no traditional street addresses — one reason New Mexico is ranked as the most hard-to-count population by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Data Shows Native Americans Are Nearly 37% Of COVID-19 CasesAlbuquerque Journal, Associated Press

A new data portal rolled out by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office shows Native Americans make up 36.7% of coronavirus cases in the state.

The Albuquerque Journal reports Native Americans make up around 11% of New Mexico’s population. That’s according to 2019 estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Department of Health officials said one reason for that large number may be due in part to the extensive testing the agency has done in Native American communities with clusters of the virus.

The number of COVID-19 cases rose to 1,407 Tuesday with five additional deaths bringing the total to 36.

In terms of age, the portal shows the greatest percentage of cases are concentrated in people ages 30 to 49, followed by people ages 50 to 69.

Church Sues New Mexico Over Rules Against Mass GatheringsAssociated Press, Albuquerque Journal

A church is suing the state after houses of worship were removed from an exemption of a public health order that limits gatherings to no more than five people.

Legacy Church is seeking a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction, saying the order violates the church's First Amendment rights.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the church has about 20,000 members. It named the state and Health Department Secretary Kathy Kunkel in the complaint.

Legacy is streaming its services rather than holding them in person, but Pastor Steve Smothermon says that production requires about 30 people to be in the building.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the order allows churches to continue online services and many congregations are doing that while following the public health orders on social distancing.

San Juan County Sees 5 COVID-19 Deaths As Statewide Total Rises To 31 - Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press

Confirmed coronavirus cases in New Mexico climbed by 107 cases to 1,345 on Monday, with five new deaths.

All five deaths reported Monday occurred in San Juan County, bringing the total number of deaths statewide to 31. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the state’s death toll rose 55% in just two days. 

New infections were concentrated in the Navajo Nation region, with 48 new cases in McKinley County and 23 in San Juan County in the Four Corners area.

The Albuquerque Journal reports cases reached 813 on the Navajo Nation. That’s a two-day increase of 115 cases. The nation’s largest Native American reservation on Monday had seen a total of 28 deaths due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. 

As Oil Prices Stay Low New Mexico Faces Billions In LossesAlbuquerque Journal, KUNM News

With crude oil prices hovering around a 20-year low, New Mexico is facing a potential loss of billions of dollars in state revenue.

The Albuquerque Journal reports chairman of the state senate’s Legislative Finance Committee, Sen. John Arthur Smith, says the low oil prices currently put the state’s losses in the range of $1.5 to $2 billion. That’s about $1 billion more on the high end than last month’s estimate.

Sen. Smith told the Journal that depending on how long crude prices remain where they are, oil industry experts tell him the state’s losses could reach the $3 billion mark.

New Mexico Senators Seek Relief For Small Towns -Albuquerque Journal, KUNM News

The state’s two U.S. senators are hoping to stabilize small towns in New Mexico and across the county.

The Albuquerque Journal reports Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich introduced the Coronavirus Relief Act Monday. The bill, also sponsored by Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, would provide financial relief of $250 billion to municipalities with fewer than 500,000 residents.

Sen. Udall said in a press release both the health and economic crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic have hit small and rural communities hard. Such towns, Udall says, are in need of direct funding for stabilization. Those that qualify could use the bill’s funding for expense reimbursement, and to make up for expense increases and revenue losses.

New Mexico GOP Pushes Back On COVID-19 Business Restrictions - By Morgan Lee and Russell Contreras, Associated press

The Republican Party is urging Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to allow the reopening of nonessential small businesses with some requirements for social distancing.

Speaking on a virtual press conference with small business owners, GOP Chair Steve Pearce said new restrictions are unfairly hurting small "mom and pop" shops while allowing big box stores like Walmart to continue operating.

Pearce said the precautions are too drastic and put small businesses in jeopardy of financial ruin.

Lujan Grisham said she is working on a plan to reopen the state economy while putting the highest priority on public health and safety.

The first-term Democratic governor and state health officials have suspended nonessential business through at least April 30 in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. They also want to ensure health care facilities are not overwhelmed by a surge of patients.

The National Rifle Association and allied businesses have sued the state, alleging it infringed on 2nd Amendment rights by closing down gun shops and shooting ranges as nonessential businesses. Firearms are still sold at some feed and hardware stores.

New Mexico Utility's Parent Company Reports 1st Quarter Loss - Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press

The parent company of New Mexico's largest electric provider is reporting a first-quarter loss of more than $15 million. 

PNM Resources said Monday it posted a loss of 19 cents per share, but that revenues for the quarter topped $333 million. 

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the first-quarter results include the early stages of the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. 

PNM officials expect increases in residential electric use and decreases in commercial use primarily as a result of stay-at-home orders in New Mexico. 

The first quarter also reflected the significant market downturns at the end of March.

 

New Mexico Wind Farm To Provide Power For Arizona Customers - Associated Press

Federal land managers have finished an environmental review of a planned 100-megawatt wind farm near the Arizona-New Mexico border. 

The Bureau of Land Management says anyone with concerns about the Borderlands Wind project has until May 11 to protest. 

Residents have concerns about property values, protection of the night sky and the effects on eagles, bats and other avian species. 

Under the agency's preferred alternative, the wind farm would include 34 turbines on more than two dozen square miles of federal land southwest of Quemado, New Mexico. 

The wind farm would provide electricity to customers of Arizona-based Tucson Electric Power.

Rio Arriba County Settles Over Mexican Flag-Flying Episode Associated Press

A New Mexico county has settled with a man who said a troubled sheriff pulled him over for flying a Mexican flag on his truck on the Fourth of July.

The attorney for Joshua Talamante said last week that Rio Arriba County has agreed to settle for $55,000 nearly six months after Talamante filed a tort claim notice, a precursor to a lawsuit.

Talamante says Rio Arriba County Sheriff James Lujan pulled him over during Chama, New Mexico's July Fourth parade, last year and told him he needed to take down the Mexican flag flying from this truck.

Lujan did not return phone messages.

The settlement is one of many recent legal problems involving Lujan and his office.

Lujan is facing charges after police say he showed up drunk to a SWAT standoff, tried to order officers away, and then ignored commands to leave the "kill zone."

New Mexico State Police Car Chase Leads To 1 Dead, 1 Injured Associated Press

New Mexico State Police are investigating after a vehicle pursuit in Los Lunas ended with an officer shooting two people, killing one.

Authorities say the incident started Sunday evening when Valencia County Sheriff's deputies asked for State Police assistance in securing a scene and searching for a person in the area.

A State Police officer then spotted a passenger car driving at a high speed. The officer tried to get the car to stop but the driver fled. A high-speed pursuit ensued. The car eventually came to a stop.

According to authorities, the officer used his Taser and then his firearm on two men. Gunfire from the officer hit them both.