- New Mexico may elect historic all-female US House delegation
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico voters are on the verge of sending a historic all-female U.S. House delegation to Congress, no matter which party wins races. And the state's three congresswoman may be all women of color _ another milestone. Latina and Native American candidates are running in all primaries in each contests and have been among the top fundraisers. Democratic Rep. Deb Haaland, who is Laguna Pueblo, is running for re-election for her Albuquerque seat. Democratic Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, who is Mexican American, is running for re-election for her southern New Mexico seat. Women in both the Republican and Democratic primaries are running for the open northern New Mexico seat.
- New Mexico Republicans decry liberal PAC ad in GOP primary
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Republicans in New Mexico are calling on a liberal Super PAC to pull ads that seek to favor one GOP U.S. House candidate over another. U.S. House hopeful Yvette Herrell said Sunday she agreed with 125 Republicans who signed a letter and asked her to denounce a new commercial by the Patriot Majority PAC. The group began airing commercials Saturday attacking candidate Claire Chase for previous critical social media posts about Trump while praising Herrell for supporting Trump's border wall. Critics say Democrats want Chase to lose in the GOP primary because she'd be a tougher candidate against Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in the general election to represent New Mexico's southern district.
- Joe Harvey, former New Mexico state senator, dies at 80
HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — Joe Harvey, a former Democratic state senator in New Mexico, who also served as Hobbs city manager for 23 years, has died. His family said Sunday he died May 8, at his home in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. No cause of death was given. He was 80. Born in 1939 in Spokane, Washington, Harvey moved to Hobbs after serving in the U.S. Army. He worked for Hobbs police and eventually became Hobbs city manager at the age of 28. At the time, Harvey was the youngest city manager in state history. He was elected to the state senate in 1984 as a Democrat and served two terms.
- Number of coronavirus cases in New Mexico nearing 7,000
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Health officials say New Mexico now has nearly 7,000 coronavirus cases. State Department of Health officials on Sunday reported 149 additional COVID-19 cases and nine more deaths. That pushes the totals to 6,943 coronavirus cases and 317 deaths. Health officials say that of six of the nine deaths were in McKinley County with the other three in San Juan County. They say eight of the nine people who died had underlying medical conditions. Of the new cases, 64 were reported in McKinley County which now has 2,192 COVID-19 cases. There were 23 news cases in San Juan County and 12 in Bernalillo County, which has an overall total of 1,337 cases.
- Dem super PAC pushes 'weak' GOP US House primary candidate
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — A Democratic-leaning super PAC is jumping into a New Mexico contested GOP U.S. House primary and running commercials in support of a President Donald Trump ally that Democrats believe they can defeat in November. Patriot Majority PAC began airing television commercials Saturday attacking oil executive Claire Chase for previous critical social media posts about Trump while praising former state lawmaker Yvette Herrell for supporting Trump's border wall. The ad urges Republican voters to "make a better choice." Democrats have expressed fears that Chase would be a tougher candidate for Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small to face. Herrell lost to Torres Small in 2018 by fewer than 3,000 votes.
- Roswell man being held without bond in fatal shooting case
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Police in Roswell say a suspect has been arrested in a shooting that left one man dead and another wounded. They say 22-year-old Tyler Aaron Kelley was taken into custody Saturday afternoon and is being held without bond at the Chaves County Detention Center. Police say Kelley is facing charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery and tampering with evidence. It was unclear Sunday if Kelley has a lawyer yet for his case. Investigators believe Kelley shot the two 19-year-old victims and then disposed of the handgun he allegedly used. Police say Marcelleno Briseno of Roswell was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital.
- Deputies arrest suspect in Roswell pursuit, explosion
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in New Mexico say they have arrested the man they say led police on a chase ending with an explosion at a gas station. Chaves County Sheriff Mike Herrington says 21-year-old Victor Barron of Roswell was arrested Thursday after deputies say he tried to use a stolen credit card. He had burns on his face and arms. Barron was charged with unlawful taking of a vehicle, concealing identity, credit card theft and fraudulent use of a credit card. Chief Deputy Charles Yslas says additional charges related to the Monday police pursuit are pending. Online court records don't list a lawyer for Barron who could comment on the allegations.
- Rural areas, tribal lands hit hardest by census interruption
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Even before the pandemic, people living in rural communities and on tribal lands are among the toughest to count in the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau suspending work this spring pushed those efforts even further behind. That concerns advocates in rural America and Indian Country. Alaska, West Virginia, New Mexico and other states with large rural populations are lagging behind the rest of the nation in answering the once-a-decade questionnaire. Those states have the largest concentration of households that rely on getting the forms from visiting census workers. Ultimately, it could cost them congressional seats and federal funding for highways, schools and health care.