- FIRE RESTRICTIONS-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Three forests in northern New Mexico will be implementing fire restrictions next week to reduce the risk of human-caused fires. Forest officials cited dry conditions in announcing the restrictions for the Carson, Cibola and Santa Fe forests. They're also worried about the complexity of fighting wildfires amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Lincoln National Forest in southern New Mexico already is prohibiting campfires. New Mexico's state forester also has imposed restrictions on fireworks, campfires, smoking and open fires on all non-municipal, non-federal and non-tribal lands statewide because of the escalating fire danger.
- SANTA FE HOMICIDE CASE-ARREST
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Police in Santa Fe say a suspect has been arrested in the 2018 fatal shooting of a man during an altercation in his backyard. They say 26-year-old Joseph Jones is jailed on suspicion of murder, tampering with evidence, attempt to commit aggravated burglary and residential burglary. Police say 52-year-old Robert Romero was shot and killed at his home in central Santa Fe on July 30, 2018. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports detectives have been investigating the case using several types of new technology, including DNA testing and genetic analysis. A genetic data profile of the shooter was created from a DNA sample left at the crime scene. Police say they narrowed a list of possible suspects to three potential matches and identified Jones as the suspect.
- CHAMA-WATER BOIL
CHAMA, N.M. (AP) — The northern New Mexico village of Chama has been placed on a water boiling order. The Albuquerque Journal reports the order came after investigators found the Chama plant's two huge filtering tanks weren't functioning correctly, producing only 36% of the water required. The primary malfunction came from the layers of sand and coal that filter all incoming water. Investigators say documents detailing daily operations and a schedule of required maintenance were missing. Essential testing supplies were either buried in storage closets or nowhere to be found.
- NEW MEXICO STATE-PROBE
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — State Attorney General Hector Balderas is demanding that New Mexico State turn over documents related to an investigation into its head football coach. His office filed Thursday an Inspection of Public Records lawsuit in state district court seeking a full report of a probe into the Aggies football program and head coach Doug Martin. Balderas says his office received an executive summary of a private attorney's report but not all of the documents. He says it was "reckless" that school has not been fully transparent in how they have addressed abuse complaints. New Mexico State spokeswman Minerva Baumann says the school has been transparent and found Martin broke no laws.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the state is woefully short of professionals devoted to contact tracing aimed at alerting people who are exposed unknowingly to the coronavirus. The state has about 100 workers devoted to tracing exposure to the disease through interviews with people who have tested positive, when it needs at least 670 professionals. The state last month embarked on a contact-tracing pilot program but little has been said publicly about the effort. The congressional delegation says New Mexico is in line for more than $77 million in federal funding for testing and contact tracing. New Mexico has more than 5,500 cases, with 11 new deaths reported Thursday.
- CHACO CANYON-DRILLING
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It was supposed to be a virtual public meeting focused on a review of a proposed plan that will govern oil and gas drilling and other development across a vast corner of northwestern New Mexico. The area includes a national park and spots important to Native American tribes. Instead, Thursday's meeting hosted by federal land managers spurred only criticism as tribal members and environmentalists pushed for the public comment period to be extended due to hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Not only have tribes been hit hard by the virus, they say the lack of broadband and limited cellphone service make participating in the virtual meetings difficult.
- AP-VIRUS-OUTBREAK
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Coronavirus outbreaks are testing the public health networks in pockets of the U.S., while some states prepare to lift lockdown measures, seeing signs of progress. From a hospital near the Navajo Nation to the suburbs of the nation's capital, front-line medical workers in COVID-19 hot spots are struggling to keep up with a crushing patient load. Governors are starting to slowly reopen some segments of their local economies, pointing to evidence that deaths and new hospitalizations are peaking or starting to recede. But a government whistleblower warned Thursday that the U.S. faces its "darkest winter in modern history" unless leaders act decisively to prevent a rebound.
- AIR FORCE FLYOVER-NEW MEXICO
A formation of U.S. Air Force jets on Friday will conduct a flyover in southern New Mexico to show appreciation for healthcare workers, first responders and other essential personnel during the coronavirus pandemic. Holloman Air Force Base officials said four F-16s from the base outside Alamogordo will fly over hospitals and other sites in Roswell, Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, Alamogordo and Las Cruces between 5;25 p.m. and 6 p.m. Similar flyovers have been conducted around the country as part of a campaign called "Air Force Salutes."