- ELECTION 2021-BALLOT DROP BOXES-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Election officials are deploying ballot drop boxes across New Mexico for people who chose to cast absentee ballots without walking indoors during the upcoming Nov. 2 election for public offices, including for mayor of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver told a legislative panel Monday that county clerks are required to provide one drop box for every 25,000 voters and at least two per county. Exceptions can be made at the request of county officials. Ballots must be collected at least once a day from the boxes, video surveillance of drop boxes is required and recordings must be retained by county clerks.
- ELECTION 2021-SANTA FE MAYOR
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Santa Fe's incumbent entrepreneur-turned-mayor defended his handling of conflicts over historical monuments and stewardship of a COVID-battered economy at a candidate forum Monday amid stinging criticism from two Latina challengers. Mayor Alan Webber was vying against Democratic City Councilor Joanne Vigil Coppler and Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson. Webber is seeking a second term after leading New Mexico's fastest growing major city through the pandemic and state emergency health orders that all but shut down the crucial hospitality and tourism industries. Vigil Coppler says the mayor has neglected city finances and bedrock parks-and-recreation obligations. Webber has embraced vanguard progressive initiatives such as universal basic income.
- HOUSE PARTY SHOOTING-PLEA
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A 17-year-old boy has been arraigned in the shooting death of a man at a Las Cruces house party this summer. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the teen pleaded not guilty Monday at a hearing. He is one of two people charged in the July 31 killing of 23-year-old Nicodemus "Nico" Gonzalez. The teen is being charged as an adult. His attorney asked if he could be released from jail in order to complete his high school studies. Authorities say the teen and a 19-year-old suspect shot almost a dozen rounds at a group of people during the party after a fight erupted. Police say Gonzales was an innocent bystander.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOL VACCINATIONS
Across the U.S., vaccine-hesitant parents are struggling with vaccine-seeking teenagers set on getting their shots. A return to in-person school this month are raising the stakes for high school students who want to be safe in packed classrooms and homecoming rallies. Coronavirus outbreaks are already forcing some school closures, especially in states with low vaccination rates. President Biden has called for schools to host at least one vaccine clinic. But in many states, schools and local health officials are not promoting vaccines or making it easy for kids to get them, fearing political fallout from parents.
- SUSPENDED PROFESSOR-NEW MEXICO
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico State University professor has been traveling to advocate for audits of the 2020 presidential election amid a paid suspension for rejecting coronavirus health mandates from the school. The Las Cruces Sun News reports that the public university on Aug. 27 extended its emergency suspension of professor David Clements. Several complaints were received from students after Clements rejected campus mask and vaccination mandates. The university requires students and staff to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or provide test results for the virus on a weekly basis. Its indoor mask mandate mirrors the New Mexico public health orders. Clements could not be reached Sunday.
- MARIJUANA LICENSE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials in late June briefly opened a window to submit applications for lucrative licenses for pot production and then approved the only application received. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the Health Department issued the license June 28 to Albuquerque-based GH LLC after minimal public notice. The episode is prompting allegations of favoritism and calls for an investigation. The state had not allowed pot producers to apply for licenses in the previous six years, as the new Cannabis Control Division of the state Regulation and Licensing Department prepared to assume oversight of cannabis licensing.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's pandemic death roll rose by 20 on Friday, the largest reported single-day increase in months. The state on Friday also reported 885 additional confirmed cases, the largest one-day increase in a week and substantially higher than the recent daily average. The state's pandemic totals increased to nearly 240,000 cases and just over 4,600 deaths. The last time the state's daily report on additional deaths was larger was in May when the total jumped by 114 after an audit. Before that, the state hadn't reported a daily increase of 20 or more since February.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Monday reported six more COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths. The tribe has seen 33,240 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,419 known deaths from the coronavirus since the pandemic began. Based on cases from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9, the Navajo Department of Health has issued an advisory for 35 communities due to uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. Navajo officials are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel. Officials say all Navajo Nation executive branch employees will need to be fully vaccinated against the virus by the end of this month or submit to regular testing. The new rules apply to full, part-time and temporary employees. The tribe's reservation covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.