- LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO-SECURITY
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Fencing is being erected outside the New Mexico Statehouse and other government buildings as officials prepare for political unrest ahead of the legislative session and the presidential inauguration. The fencing started going up Wednesday and work continued Thursday. Meanwhile, members of the New Mexico National Guard are deploying to Washington to provide security and other support during President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Couy Griffin, founder of the Cowboys for Trump support group in New Mexico, said he will travel to Washington with a rifle in the trunk of his vehicle and handgun under the seat to take a stand in support of gun rights and against the election of Biden.
- COURT-GUARDIANSHIP REFORMS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico will now require that proposed guardians and conservators participate in an orientation program before being appointed by a judge to make decisions for people who are incapacitated. The New Mexico Supreme Court issued an order Thursday approving the new rule. It will apply to cases filed on or after Feb. 1. A committee involved with reforming the state's adult guardianship system developed a series of videos that cover topics from filing grievances to identifying and reporting abuse. Justice Shannon Bacon said the videos will ensure that people serving in theses roles understand their duties and responsibilities under the law.
- DECAPITATED KITTEN-CHARGES
BLOOMFIELD, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in New Mexico have arrested an off-duty wildlife officer on suspicion of decapitating a 9-week-old gray kitten at his home in Bloomfield. The Farmington Daily Times reported that Jicarilla Apache Game & Fish employee Joseph Weaver was arrested on a fourth-degree felony charge of extreme cruelty to animals. Bloomfield police said in a statement that officers responded to a home Sunday for a welfare check when they found Weaver's family distraught about the kitten. Police say Weaver's wife told officers that she saw him standing with a pocketknife in his hand and the kitten floating in the bathroom sink. Weaver's attorney declined to comment on the case.
- ALBUQUERQUE-RECRUITING RESIDENTS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest city is launching a new marketing campaign to attract remote workers who can do their jobs from anywhere. Albuquerque's effort also is aimed at getting former residents — so-called boomerangers — to move back as a way to boost the local economy. City officials announced Wednesday that they're partnering with a local firm to highlight Albuquerque as an ideal place for people seeking a more healthy lifestyle with room to grow. They're hoping to capitalize on trends that have been accelerated by the pandemic — namely people wanting to move away from large cities.
- GOVERNOR'S AGENDA-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is enthusiastically backing recreational marijuana and hoping to crack down on predatory lending as she outlines a list of top priorities for 2021 legislative session. The endorsements she made Wednesday include authorization and taxation of recreational cannabis and an effort to shore up abortion rights. Lujan Grisham also wants a proposed constitutional amendment to tap more money for education from a state trust. The ouster of several conservative Democratic senators in 2020 elections increases chances for those initiatives during the legislative session that starts Tuesday. For pandemic relief, the governor wants restaurant alcohol deliveries permitted and an overhaul of liquor license regulations.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials say they have detected the first known case of a more contagious variant of COVID-19. The state Health Department announced Wednesday that a man in his 60s who traveled to the United Kingdom in December has the variant. Officials described the man's illness as mild and said no hospitalization was required. Meanwhile, hospitalizations related to the coronavirus have decreased. Health officials say some counties have seen improvements in the rate of spread and positive tests. However, only Harding and Union counties are able to relax some public health requirements. The rest remain in the higher risk category.
- MINE SPILL-SETTLEMENTS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Navajo Nation's Department of Justice has settled with two mining companies to resolve claims stemming from a 2015 spill that sent wastewater downstream from the inactive Gold King Mine in southwestern Colorado. Under the settlement with the Navajo Nation, Sunnyside Gold Corp. will pay the tribe $10 million. The state of New Mexico also has reached limited agreements with some defendants regarding its claims. The spill released 3 million gallons of wastewater that fouled rivers in three western states with a bright-yellow plume of arsenic, lead and other heavy metals. A federal contracting crew triggered the spill while prepararing for a possible cleanup.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO BUSINESS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court heard oral arguments as it weighs whether the state must compensate businesses for losses from temporary closures or other public health emergency restrictions. The five-member court delayed a decision Wednesday until a later date with no firm deadline. A coalition of businesses says pandemic restrictions have effectively seized private property from businesses that might otherwise have taken their own precautions against the spread of COVID-19. Their multiple lawsuits characterize the state's public health emergency orders as regulatory taking that merits compensation to businesses. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration says property rights come with limitations concerning the safety of others.