- DINE COLLEGE ENROLLMENT
TSAILE, Ariz. (AP) — Officials at Diné College are excited about enrollment numbers this fall as more students than expected have registered for classes despite challenges stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Provost Geraldine Garrity initially thought the limitations of internet access and connectivity on the Navajo Nation might affect numbers, but she said students found a way and prepared for the fall semester. The school reported that fall enrollment totaled 1,348 as of Monday. That's 50 students less than at the same time last year. Officials say the college is getting more transfer students and that full-time students outnumber part-timers this year.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham plans to relax some public health mandates and she is citing recent progress in slowing the coronavirus outbreak. The governor said Wednesday that limited indoor dining at food and drink establishments will be allowed. And capacity at houses of worship will be increased from 25% to 40% starting Saturday. State health officials say average daily coronavirus case totals have declined recently. They also say that virus testing capacity is meeting targets and that the virus' spread rate statewide is below the target. New Mexico has reported more than 24,730 confirmed cases and 755 deaths.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-RESTAURANTS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court upheld the authority of the state health secretary to restrict or close businesses because of the coronavirus pandemic. The unanimous 4-0 decision Wednesday was spurred by restrictions on indoor dining. In a decision announced by Justice Judith Nakamura, the court also rejected assertions by the restaurant industry that a July 13 ban on indoor dining service was arbitrary and capricious. The decision bolsters the authority of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her Cabinet, even as she announced plans to lift a ban on indoor dining as part of a revised public health order that will take effect Saturday.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small and Republican challenger Yvette Herrell have released dueling gun ads aimed at appealing to independent voters in New Mexico's southern district. This week, Torres Small unveiled a commercial where she is shown shooting various firearms in the desert while proclaiming, "This is how I unwind." It's similar to the Las Cruces Democrat's 2018 ad showing her shooting a rifle. Herrell released an ad this week with Democratic Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace attacking Torres Small for voting for a gun control measure. The ad also shows Herrell shooting a gun but at a firing range.
- RACIAL INJUSTICE-ALBUQUERQUE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police have deleted a tweet that denounced the "senseless" shooting of a Black man by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police and expressed sympathy for his family. Police Chief Mike Geier said Tuesday the tweet attributed to him was sent in error and apologized. The now-deleted tweet expressed sympathy to Jacob Blake's family and his children who witnessed the police shooting. Albuquerque Police Officers' Association president Sean Willoughby called the tweet embarrassing. Albuquerque police remain under court-order reforms following a harsh report about excessive force cases and the department's own string of police shootings that sparked violent protests in 2014.
- AP-US-INDIGENOUS-WOMEN-COLD-CASE-OFFICES
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The federal government has opened a cold case office in Anchorage, Alaska, to focus on missing Alaska Native and American Indian women. It's the sixth such office to open in the country since last month, with the final office set to open later in Nashville. The government says there are 1,500 open cold cases of missing or murdered women, and about 300 of those are in Alaska. That number leads the nation. The second-highest case count is in Arizona, where an office just opened outside Phoenix. Other offices are in Bloomington, Minnesota; Rapid City, South Dakota; Billings, Montana; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- ECONOMY-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Six times as many people filed for unemployment insurance in July compared with the worst phase of the Great Recession in 2009. A report Wednesday from the accountability office of the Legislature shows that New Mexico unemployment claims hit a peak of 32,800 in June 2009. Last month, New Mexico residents filed 197,000 claims. The hospitality industry including hotels and restaurants has been hardest hit by the new economic crisis judging from unemployment claims. The analysis by the Legislative Finance Committee warns that New Mexico may be slower to rebound economically than other states, citing the state's experience in the aftermath of the Great Recession. State labor officials can help by turning to proven low-cost re-employment programs.
- AP-FBC-NEW-MEXICO-PLAYER-DEATH
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — The family of a New Mexico football player who took his own life says school and its former coach ignored his pleas for help and instead made him play while injured. The mother and father of Nahje Flowers announced Tuesday they were suing the university, former head coach Bob Davie and the NCAA for not protecting the 21-year-old lineman, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in November. The lawsuit filed in federal court said Davie and the university failed to protect Flowers after he sought counseling to fight depression. Davie's lawyer, Michael Kennedy, says the allegation that Davie overruled medical advice is false.