- Tribes say voting access hurt by US Supreme Court ruling
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Native American advocates say a ruling this week by the U.S. Supreme Court in an Arizona voting rights case will impact tribes broadly. The high court's conservative majority said Thursday that Arizona's interest in the integrity of elections justified not counting ballots cast in the wrong precinct and returning early ballots on behalf of others. They said voters faced "modest burdens" at most. Tribes disagreed, saying the decision was another notch in the long history of voting discrimination. They say it will impact Indigenous people who don't have residential mail service or who must drive long distances to polling sites or to the post office.
- Indigenous group questions removal of boarding school plaque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A historical plaque memorializing Indigenous children who died while attending a boarding school in New Mexico more than a century ago has gone missing. Indigenous activists are pushing the city of Albuquerque to investigate. The plaque was in a park near the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Members of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women are among those looking for answers. City officials say they are working with tribal leaders and others to determine what steps should be taken. The removal of the plaque comes as the U.S. government embarks on a nationwide investigation to uncover the troubling history of boarding schools that sought to assimilate Indigenous youth over many decades.
- Richard Branson announces trip to space, ahead of Jeff Bezos
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson is aiming to beat fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos into space by nine days. Branson's company announced Thursday evening that its next test flight will be July 11 and that its founder will be among the six people on board. The rocket ship will soar from New Mexico. Bezos plans to blast into space from West Texas on July 20, the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. He'll be on the debut flight of a Blue Origin rocket with people on board, accompanied by his brother, a female aerospace pioneer and the winner of a $28 million charity auction.
- Navajo Nation reports no COVID-19 deaths in 4 of last 5 days
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported four new cases of COVID-19, but no additional deaths. It marked the fourth time in the last five days that no deaths have been recorded on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The latest numbers pushed the Navajo Nation totals to 30,008 cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began more than a year ago and 1,354 known deaths. Tribal officials said last week that the first case of the Delta variant has been identified on the reservation. The variant has become prevalent in the U.S. over the past few weeks and has been detected in many states, including the Four Corners states.
- New Mexico gives most US funding to child care of any state
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is directing the nation's biggest chunk of federal coronavirus relief money to helping middle-class families pay for child care. The vast expansion is aimed at getting parents back to work in one of the poorest states in America. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the change Thursday, which immediately expands eligibility for child care assistance to 350% of the federal poverty line. That means families of four making about $93,000 are now eligible for subsidies. That's up from around $54,000. New Mexico is the latest state along with Georgia, Montana and others to use pandemic relief money to expand child care subsidies.
- New Mexico lifts pandemic restrictions on businesses
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has lifted all pandemic-related restrictions on public gatherings and business operations, marking the possible end to aggressive public health precautions more than 15 months after the local onslaught of the COVID-19. New Mexico business owners were hopeful Thursday as they marked the end of the state's limits on occupancy rates and a color-coded risk system for counties. Still, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state health officials say the campaign to get more people vaccinated will continue. New Mexico reports about a 62% vaccination rate. Turning the page, Health Secretary Tracie Collins announced her departure from a crucial state agency in the pandemic response.
- Recall petition begins against Cowboys for Trump founder
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A political committee has begun circulating a petition to recall Cowboys or Trump founder Couy Griffin from public office as a commissioner in Otero County. The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin said Thursday in a news release that it has begun collecting signatures in efforts to scheduled a recall election. The petition alleges that Griffin neglected and misused his position as a county commissioner while skipping public meetings and promoting a support group for President Donald Trump that Griffin treated as a for-profit business. Griffin calls the allegations frivolous and without merit. Separately, Griffin also confronts federal charges in connection with the U.S. Capitol siege.
- New Mexico taking over operations of another private prison
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — For the second time in two years, the state of New Mexico is taking over operations of a private prison. The medium security prison in Santa Rosa, currently run by the GEO Group, is expected to be turned over to the state by November. The state took over operations of the Northeast New Mexico Detention Facility in Clayton in 2019. The New Mexico Corrections Department reportedly has entered into a lease agreement to transition the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility to a publicly operated facility. The decision comes amid a large decrease in prison population levels across New Mexico following a pandemic-related executive order to decrease inmate numbers by the hundreds.