- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Top health officials say New Mexico has a solid plan in place to stretch hospital and health care resources as far as possible before having to ration care. But they also warned during an update Tuesday that the state could face that prospect if the coronavirus pandemic worsens. Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase said there are hospitals around New Mexico facing extremely high demands. He said state health officials are likely to formally declare that providers are at a stage where rationing care is possible. Officials stressed that the tools for making such decisions are objective and based on equity and fairness.
- HEALTH ORDERS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's governor and top health officials are trying to fend off a flurry of lawsuits by businesses owners who say financial losses caused by the state's pandemic health orders amount to a regulatory taking and should be compensated. The administration of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is urging the state Supreme Court to intervene and defuse the lawsuits. On Tuesday, an attorney for small businesses said state law supports public compensation for the pandemic response. Arguments are scheduled in January at the Supreme Court. At least 14 lawsuits initially filed in district court describe pandemic-related health orders as a regulatory "taking" that merits just compensation to businesses.
- CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An attorney for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe has claimed that alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse and their lawyers are seeking to eliminate the archdiocese in New Mexico by wanting information about the church's holdings. Three lawsuits claim that the archdiocese illegally transferred about $245 million to parishes and their trusts before the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy. An attorney for some of the victims called the accusation made at a court hearing Monday unconstructive and untrue. The archdiocese's website lists 79 priests and clergy members who were "credibly accused" of sexually abusing children.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK TEXAS BASE
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico congressional delegation is raising questions about a coronavirus outbreak among a group of soldiers in El Paso, Texas, which borders their state. The Oregon Army National Guard unit recently returned from a month-long deployment in the southern European country of Kosovo as part of a NATO peacekeeping force. The Senators and Congress members say they've learned 70 soldiers have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday. In a letter to the Pentagon, the delegation asks for details about how the army will test and contact trace going forward, and if the outbreak has spread beyond the unit.
- STATE BUDGET-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State economists are predicting a rebound in New Mexico state government income for the fiscal year that starts in July 2021, on top of multibillion-dollar financial reserves. Economists for the Legislature and three state agencies said Tuesday that the state anticipates an increase in general fund revenues of $163 million over current annual spending obligations. That's roughly a 2% increase. The state is likely to finish the fiscal year in July with $2.4 billion in financial reserves. That leaves New Mexico well-positioned to maintain funding for essential services in public education, public safety, health care and more amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico hospital officials are updating the public on the overburdened healthcare system as cases and hospitalizations remain high. They're begging the public to cancel social visits, wear a mask and wash hands to drive down the COVID-19 cases. They're working to manage congested hospitals and exhausted medical staff. On Monday, the state's top insurance regulator announced directives aimed at safeguarding access to health insurance, COVID-19 testing and treatment. On directive puts a freeze on recent proposals by commercial insurers to exclude coverage for various risks presented by COVID-19. That delays any potential approval until the Legislature can meet next year.
- FENN TREASURE
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A grandson of the late author and art dealer Forrest Fenn has confirmed that a medical school student from Michigan found an over $1 million treasure chest that Fenn stashed in the wilds of Wyoming more than a decade ago. Shiloh Forrest Old wrote Monday on a website dedicated to the treasure that 32-year-old Jonathan "Jack" Stuef found the treasure in June. Stuef had met with Fenn soon after finding the treasure. Stuef also identified himself to Daniel Barbarisi for an article published Monday by Outside Magazine. Fenn left clues to finding the treasure in a poem in his memoir, "The Thrill of the Chase."
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Health officials in New Mexico on Sunday reported 1,250 new COVID-19 cases with 11 additional deaths. The latest numbers pushed the state's totals since the pandemic began to 108,088 cases and 1,749 known deaths. On Saturday, New Mexico reported 1,925 cases and 32 deaths as the state continues to deal with a COVID-19 surge. Health officials had been warning that cases could go up in weeks following family gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday and related travel. Meanwhile, the New Mexico Human Services Department has been appropriated $5 million by the state Legislature to provide emergency financial assistance to low income state residents who didn't get a federal COVID-19 tax relief economic impact payment.