- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Around 15,000 residents previously ineligible for pandemic stimulus checks have started receiving payments from the state. The group includes immigrants in the country without work authorization. Officials with the New Mexico Human Services Department said the $465 relief payments began arriving this week via direct deposit or checks. The Legislature allocated $5 million to the fund for those who hadn't received federal payments in April. Agency officials say they were able to identify an additional $2 million on top of that. COVID-19 cases have been declining in New Mexico, but the economic fallout from the pandemic continues.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-SANTA
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — It's official, at least according to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: Santa Claus and his reindeer are immune to COVID-19 and can safely visit homes across the state. Lujan Grisham's office on Wednesday announced that she had issued a proclamation assuring New Mexico children that health experts had determined the coronavirus poses no danger to Santa and his hoofed helpers. As for the formalities, the proclamation designates Santa as an essential worker and exempts him from New Mexico's social distancing and travel requirements. Lujan Grisham added that she hopes everyone stays safe over the holidays.
- NAVAJO NATION WATER RIGHTS
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Congress has passed a long-awaited bill that would address water availability issues for residents living on the Navajo Nation in Utah who lack access to running water, a problem exacerbated by the pandemic. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the Utah Navajo Water Rights Settlement Act was passed on Monday as part of a massive $2.3 trillion spending bill that includes $900 billion in coronavirus relief and a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending package. The legislation will next head to President Donald Trump for his signature. The legislation would recognize the Navajo Nation's right to 81,500 acre feet of water from the Colorado River basin in Utah.
- ELECTRIC VEHICLES-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest electric provider has a plan for incentivizing the buildout of infrastructure that would be needed to bolster the use of electric vehicles in the expansive state where even gas stations can be few and far between. The Public Service Co. of New Mexico filed the proposal with state regulators last week. Utility officials say it's the result of more than a year of research and community outreach. The proposal includes customer rebates for charging infrastructure and charging during off-peak times. If the Public Regulation Commission approves, the utility says a full program rollout could happen as early as 2022.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is partnering with a national health care company to provide free, at-home COVID-19 test kits. State health officials said Tuesday that the kits can be ordered via Vault Medical Services' website. All that's needed is an internet connection, email address and a photo. State officials acknowledged the lack of broadband access around New Mexico and said the new at-home option is meant to bolster the in-person testing clinics that have been operating since the pandemic began. The state also is launching a new registration app where people can sign up for vaccinations. More than 14,000 shots have been administered to health care workers so far.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation is reporting 151 new coronavirus cases and seven more deaths from COVID-19. The latest figures were reported Tuesday by the Navajo Department of Health for the reservation that extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The Navajo Nation has reported 755 deaths since the pandemic hit. The Health Department says the first doses of the recently approved vaccine made by Moderna have arrived at the Navajo Area Indian Health Service. The Navajo Nation is in a three-week lockdown requiring all residents to stay home except for emergencies, shopping for essentials like food and medicine or traveling to an essential job.
- US ATTORNEY-RESIGNATION
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's top federal prosecutor is stepping down as president Donald Trump prepares to leave office. U.S. Attorney John Anderson announced his resignation Tuesday effective just before midnight on Jan. 2. He says he'll join a law firm in the Santa Fe area. Trump was an assistant U.S. attorney in New Mexico for five years before joining Holland & Hart in Santa Fe in 2013. Trump appointed him U.S. attorney in 2017 and he was confirmed by the Senate early the next year. Attorney General William Barr says in a statement that Anderson's performance in office "brought great credit" upon himself and the Department of Justice.
- BIDEN-IMMIGRATION
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden says it will take months to roll back some of President Donald Trump's actions on immigration. He's offering a slower timeline than he promised on the campaign trail and one that may rile advocates pushing for speedy action on the issue. His Tuesday comments echo those made by two of his top foreign policy advisers in an interview with Spanish wire service EFE on Monday, tapping the brakes on rolling back Trump's restrictive asylum policies. Susan Rice, Biden's incoming domestic policy adviser, and Jake Sullivan, his pick for national security adviser, as well as Biden himself, warned that moving too quickly could create a new crisis at the border.