- CONGRESS-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A special congressional election in New Mexico is testing political enthusiasm among Democrats in an increasingly progressive district last won by a Republican in 2006. The winner of Tuesday's four-way election for the 1st Congressional District will fill a seat left vacant by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland as she joined the Biden Cabinet. Republican state Sen. Mark Moores' campaign to flip the seat has highlighted concerns about crime in Albuquerque and has painted his Democratic opponent as a radical progressive. Democratic state Rep. Melanie Stansbury has aligned her campaign closely with initiatives from the Biden administration.
- DOAGY FIRE BURNING
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Fires in New Mexico's Gila National Forest have burned nearly 70 square miles after lightning strikes earlier this month. Officials say fires are a part of the forest ecosystem, but they're looking out for threats to property, sites of cultural significance, and infrastructure across the state as fire season heats up. In Cuba, New Mexico, a small fire threatens oil and gas sites. In the Gila, the Johnson Fire is approaching the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, a treasured pre-Colombian settlement preserved in rock.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK
SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico's more cautious school districts are signaling that learning will be in-person this fall. Urban school districts like Albuquerque and Santa Fe were slower to reopen doors this spring. Both districts have confirmed in recent weeks that classes will be held in-person this fall, with a few exceptions. Currently, around half of New Mexico's public school students have chosen to finish the semester remotely after state officials gave the green light to reopen. Students wanting to continue in remote learning this fall are being encouraged to register now for online-only schools in their districts, including in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation is reporting two new confirmed COVID-19 cases and no additional deaths. Tribal health officials say the latest figures released Sunday night pushed the total number of cases since the pandemic began more than a year ago to 30,841 on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The known death toll now is 1,324. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says people must continue getting vaccinated, wear face masks and practice social distancing while honoring soldiers on Memorial Day.
- DRUG COURIERS-CITIZENS
PHOENIX (AP) — An increasing number of American citizens have been apprehended as they have tried to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S. since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. For more than a year, the closure of the U.S.-Mexico border to nonessential traffic has limited the number of foreign citizens entering the U.S. by land. The rules have been extended until at least June 21. But Mexican authorities have allowed most U.S. citizens to walk or drive south across the border with relative ease. Law enforcement officials and drug trafficking experts say the border rules and their lopsided enforcement are driving the rise in U.S. citizens involved in borderland drug busts.
- SANTA FE SHOOTING
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Police in Santa Fe are searching for a suspect who shot a man in the head outside a motel before fleeing the scene in a stolen car. They say officers were called to the GreenTree Inn around 1 p.m. Saturday on a report of gunfire. When officers arrived, they reported finding a 59-year-old man the victim bleeding in the parking lot. Medics rushed the man to a hospital where he's listed in critical condition. His name hasn't been released. Police say witnesses gave them a description of the suspect and the license plate number of the stolen vehicle.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation is reporting nine new confirmed COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths. Tribal health officials say the latest figures released Saturday night pushed the total number of cases since the pandemic began more than a year ago to 30,839 on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The known death toll now is 1,322. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said people must continue getting vaccinated, wear face masks and practice social distancing.
- CONGRESS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A special congressional election is testing the pulse of politics in the Albuquerque metro area and a few outlying rural communities at a turning point in the pandemic and economic recovery. Four names are on the ballot in Tuesday's congressional election to succeed Deb Haaland after her confirmation as secretary of the U.S. Interior Department. Republican Mark Moores hopes to erode the 219-211 Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives with his hardline campaign platform on crime and immigration enforcement. Democrat Melanie Stansbury has embraced President Joe Biden's core agenda for economic recovery, free universal preschool, infrastructure and the environment.