- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque Academy closes classrooms on COVID-19 concerns
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A private high school in Albuquerque has closed its classrooms after someone associated with the school came into contact with someone infected with COVID-19. Albuquerque Academy announced Wednesday evening the suspension of in-person classes at its campus in the city's Northeast Heights. Public school districts in Albuquerque and Santa Fe have imposed education-related travel restrictions on staff and students. New Mexico health officials have confirmed four positive tests for the new coronavirus, including a woman in her 70s in the Albuquerque area who traveled to New York City. Other infections included a couple in their 60s from Socorro County who recently returned from Egypt and a Santa Fe County woman who had visited New York.
- BUDGET CRUNCH-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico governor signs budget amid coronavirus worries
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham trimmed $100 million in infrastructure projects as she signed a $7.6 billion annual general fund budget that makes major new investments in public education. The governor said Wednesday that the slightly trimmed budget strikes a balance by investing in transformative changes while ensuring financial stability in the event of an economic downturn. It increases salaries across state government and at public schools by an average of 4% and overall state general fund spending by 7.5%. Republicans in the House minority voted in unison against the budget bill as an unsustainable expansion of state spending and favored a rebate instead.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico governor confirms virus cases, declares emergency
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Four people in New Mexico have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state's first known cases of infection. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Wednesday that a husband and wife in their 60s within Socorro County in central New Mexico tested positive, along with a woman in her 70s in the Albuquerque area and a woman in her 60s from Santa Fe County. The residents who tested positive recently traveled to Egypt and New York City. As a result, the governor declared a public health emergency and sought to postponed major public event. She said one event being postponed is the annual Gathering of Nations, which draws tens of thousands of indigenous people from around the world.
- ELECTION 2020-NEW MEXICO
GOP unveils 'diverse' slate in move to take New Mexico House
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Republicans have introduced a slate of candidates they hope will flip the Democratic-controlled New Mexico House amid rural anger over a new red-flag gun law and uncertainty over oil prices. Republican Party of New Mexico chairman Steve Pearce said Wednesday the party will run 113 candidates in 101 races during the June primary and will challenge many Democratic House and Senate members. He says nearly half of the slate is women, and it also includes Native American and Latino candidates. Republicans have been aggressively seeking inroads in New Mexico's Hispanic and Native American communities since the 2018 election when Democrats won the governorship and expanded their majority in the state House.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
GOP hopeful: Republican Congress showed 'lack of leadership'
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A Republican U.S. House candidate in a crucial New Mexico race says the GOP-controlled Congress and the Trump Administration showed a "lack of leadership" during President Donald Trump's first two years in office. Former state lawmaker Yvette Herrell told conservative podcast host Daniel Horowitz this week she felt GOP leaders in the House and Senate could have done more to push a conservative agenda from 2017 and 2018. She also faulted the Trump administration for failing to tackle issues that "could have been put to bed." Herrell later praised Trump for "fighting Republicans." A campaign manager for Claire Chase, a Herrell GOP primary opponent, says Herrell's comments make her sound like Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
TAX EVASION-NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque shop owner gets prison term for tax evasion
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 77-year-old Albuquerque jewelry store owner faces over two years in prison after being sentenced for tax evasion. A federal judge sentenced David Castle on Tuesday to 27 months in prison following his Dec. 3 guilty plea. The U.S. Attorney's Office for New Mexico says Castle admitted committing tax evasion between 2010 through 2013 as sole owner and operator of the Gold and Silver Exchange, a business specializing in purchase, sale and repair of jewelry.
- STOLEN CAR-BEYONCÉ CLAIM
Police: Suspect in car theft claimed she was Beyoncé Knowles
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico woman is facing charges after police say she stole a car and later tried to claim she was pop singer Beyoncé Knowles. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports Henry was arrested Saturday morning when an officer spotted a vehicle that resembled one that recently had been reported stolen. According to court documents, the 48-year-old Henry ignored the officer's orders to pull over and later parked in front of her home. Documents say Henry told the officer she was Beyoncé. Henry is charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, concealing identity and resisting or obstructing an arrest. It was not known if she had an attorney.
- CONSTRUCTION SITE-GRAVES
Around 30 graves discovered at New Mexico construction site
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Around 30 graves from what is believed to be a former cemetery have been found at a construction site in New Mexico. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports workers at a construction site in downtown Santa Fe found human remains in February and more remains have since been found. Archaeologist Alysia Abbott told the city's Archaeological Review Committee last week that her team is in the early stages of formalizing a testing plan for the future site of a retirement community. The remains are believed to have been buried in what was once the original Masons and Odd Fellow Cemetery, which was closed in the early 1900s.