- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — The mayor of a small New Mexico city is promising a confrontation Monday between his small police force and State Police as he seeks to lift a COVID-19 lockdown order. Grants Mayor Martin "Modey" Hicks vowed last week that he would allow all small businesses to reopen in defiance of the governor's order to keep them closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Lujan Grisham said Martin's plan makes "absolutely no sense whatsoever" and warned that State Police would be ready to enforce the health order. Health officials say New Mexico now has at least 2,726 coronavirus cases with 99 known dead.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — Health officials on Saturday reported 69 additional COVID-19 cases in McKinley County, making it the New Mexico county with the most reported cases. The total of 708 cases reported in McKinley County as of Saturday now surpass the 670 reported in Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque. McKinley County includes the city of Gallup and part of the Navajo Nation, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. The tribe's reservation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The New Mexico Department of Health updated its statewide figures, reporting nine additional deaths related to COVID-19 and 139 additional cases of the disease as of Saturday, for a total of 93 deaths and 2,660 cases.
- TRIBES-CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUNDING
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — 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.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — 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.
- AP-US-BORDER-WALL-CONSTRUCTION-PUSHBACK
PHOENIX (AP) — 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.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — 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.
- MAYOR-NAZI REFERENCE
GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — 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.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — 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.