New Mexico Surpasses 100K Infections, Reports 40 Deaths – Associated Press
New Mexico marked more grim milestones Wednesday with confirmed COVID-19 infections surpassing the 100,000 mark and the daily death toll reaching a new high as some public health restrictions were eased following a two-week lockdown.
Health officials reported an additional 1,549 confirmed cases for the day, bringing the statewide total to nearly 100,970. About half of the state’s total cases since the pandemic began have been reported in just the past month.
The 40 additional deaths reported Wednesday included people who ranged in age from their 40s into their 80s. Nearly all of them had been hospitalized and had underlying conditions.
Health officials expect an uptick in cases in the coming weeks as a result of family gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday.
In a statement, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said she was praying for the families that have been affected and for health care providers and first responders who have been on the front lines.
Two Longtime Democratic New Mexico Senators Vacate Seats Early – Associated Press
A longtime New Mexico state senator has announced he is retiring from his position and will step down a month before his four-year term was scheduled to expire after losing his bid this year for reelection.
Democratic state Sen. John Arthur Smith, who had served eight terms and was chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, announced Tuesday he wanted to spend more time with his family and leave the legislative life behind.
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth said Smith's colleague Democratic state Sen. Richard Martinez also submitted his resignation early this week.
Smith and Martinez were two of the five incumbent Senate Democrats who were defeated in the June primary election. Both participated in two special sessions and various legislative interim committee meetings after being defeated.
It’s unclear whether anyone will step into the two positions before the start of the next legislative session, scheduled to begin in mid-January. County commissioners in the district usually recommend replacements to the governor but Wirth was unsure if the same process would be used because of the limited remaining time frame.
Roswell City Council Reopens Facilities Despite State Order As Some Restrictions Ease Statewide - Roswell Daily Record, Associated Press
New Mexico is easing some public health restrictions Wednesday by restoring limited outdoor restaurant dining and allowing "close contact" businesses such as exercise gyms to reopen at 25% of capacity with up to 10 customers. Meanwhile, officials in some cities are opting to reopen senior centers, libraries and other facilities at reduced capacities. Roswell, Rio Rancho and Farmington are among them.
Rio Rancho officials said Tuesday that citizens entering any city facility will be required to wear a face covering and maintain distance between themselves and others. They also said it's still imperative that people continue to stay home as much as possible.
In Roswell, the City Council passed a directive Monday night allowing the city manager to keep city facilities open, regardless of the state public health order.
The Roswell Daily Record reports that Councilor Jacob Roebuck proposed the resolution, saying his concern was for the mental, social, academic and financial health of the people, especially youth.
Those who testified before the City Council talked about rising levels of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, violence, sexual assaults, substance abuse and academic failures that they have witnessed in recent months.
Roswell High School football coach Jeff Lynn said gun violence has increased and the New Mexico Activities Association has reported that eight student-athletes in the state have died by suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the New Mexico Crisis and Access Line at 1-855-NM-CRISIS or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Roebuck said he realized that the city can't affect businesses or schools, so the resolution was "far from a perfect" solution. But he said keeping city venues and facilities open would at least provide some opportunities for youth and the elderly to be active and social.
The Daily Record reports spokesperson for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Nora Meyers Sacket, said state public health orders are law and that “just as municipalities cannot choose to be exempt from state laws, they cannot choose to be exempt from state public health measures,” adding that Chaves County, which includes Roswell, “continues to record alarmingly high COVID-19 rates.”
New Mexico Jail Seeks To Return Stolen Money To Inmates - Associated Press
Officials are seeking to return funds that were stolen from inmates' accounts at the Bernalillo County jail over several years.
The Metropolitan Detention Center said Tuesday it is trying to locate 99 former inmates so the misappropriated money can be refunded.
An independent audit recently made public by the state auditor's office alleges that a former fiscal supervisor at the jail tapped into inmate trust accounts to issue fraudulent debit cards. More than $15,600 had been misappropriated from the accounts, which are used by inmates to buy commissary snacks, toiletries and pay for some services during their incarceration.
Jail officials were tipped off in 2019 when a former inmate called about money missing from the account.
Officials say they've instituted new procedures and taken other corrective actions.
For example, employees now are emailed a temporary login for the inmate trust account system and are required to change their password upon receipt. The debit cards and related equipment are now kept in the cash accounting office under surveillance and are inventoried.
The jail is sending out registered letters to the last known addresses of former inmates who may have been affected.
New Mexico Residents Endure Long Wait For Virus Results - Associated Press
New Mexico residents have encountered longer lines for COVID-19 testing and are waiting several days or weeks for results as the pandemic surges throughout the state.
Another 2,330 confirmed cases were reported Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to more than 99,400 since the pandemic began.
State Health Department spokesperson Marisa Maez says the waits are happening because more daily cases mean more testing.
The Health Department says the state's seven-day average daily testing number is 12,651 — compared to less than 5,000 tests daily over the summer.
Maez says there is also a slower process of informing people about results because most are opting out of text message alerts and that forces health workers to make calls directly. Many people don't answer because they are called from numbers they don't know.
Watchdog: US Nuclear Dump Facing Space, Staffing Challenges – Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
A nonpartisan congressional watchdog group says the federal government's underground nuclear waste dump could run out of room if the number of drums shipped to the New Mexico site keeps expanding.
The Government Accountability Office in a recent report said better planning is needed at Southern New Mexico’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, to avoid potential disruptions.
The U.S. Energy Department estimates the facility's existing physical space will be full around 2025. The agency faces a statutory limitation on how much waste can be entombed at the site.
The Government Accountability Office acknowledged in its report that the Energy Department is under pressure to make sure it doesn't run out of space, particularly since the federal government's plan for restarting production of the plutonium cores used in the nation's nuclear arsenal will result in a new stream of waste that will need to be disposed of.
The Energy Department has estimated that the repository would need to operate at least another three decades — if not longer — to meet disposal needs.
Virgin Galactic Gets NASA Contract, Prepares For Test Flight - Associated Press
Virgin Galactic has been selected to provide regular access to flights for NASA payloads as the space agency conducts more research and development and plans for exploratory missions.
NASA announced the partnership Monday, saying the flight and integration services will benefit the agency's Flight Opportunity program managed out of Edwards, California.
Virgin Galactic joins other companies with similar commercial contracts with NASA. The agency says the contracts are worth a combined $45 million.
Virgin Galactic is preparing for its first test space flight from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. After public health restrictions forced a delay last month, the company announced Tuesday that the window for the test flight will open again on Dec. 11.
During the planned flight, elements of the customer cabin will be tested while upgraded horizontal stabilizers and flight controls will be assessed. The flight also will carry payloads as part of NASA's Flight Opportunity program.
NASA has been using commercial platforms early and often through the program. The effort is aimed at speeding up development and demonstrating key space technologies on commercial flight providers such as Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo. Commercial flights are expected to begin in 2021.
Navajo Nation Reports 104 New COVID-19 Cases, 3 More Deaths - Associated Press
The Navajo Nation is reporting 104 new COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths.
Tribal health officials also said Tuesday night that the Navajo Department of Health has identified 75 communities with uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.
The Navajo Nation now has had 16,711 total cases since the pandemic began with 656 known deaths.
Tribal health officials say 160,369 people have been tested and 9,425 have recovered.
Residents remain under a stay-at-home order, with an exception for essential workers and essential needs like food, medication and emergencies.
Peppered Chub Proposed By Agency As Endangered Species – Associated Press
A proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published Tuesday would list a small fish known as the peppered chub as an endangered species and designate parts of rivers in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and New Mexico as its critical habitat.
The minnow-like fish once found in each of the four states and in Colorado is now found only in parts of the upper South Canadian River in New Mexico and Texas, one of the four river sections proposed for protection, according to the plan published in the Federal Register.
Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity said the three other river sections needed immediate protection so the peppered chub could be reintroduced there before they disappear completely.
The four river stretches make up nearly 1,100 miles and include parts of the upper South Canadian, the lower South Canadian River in Texas and Oklahoma, and the Cimarron River and the Ninnescah Rivers, which both flow in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Public comment on the proposal may be submitted electronically to regulations.gov or by mail to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.