- AIR FORCE-WAR GAMING
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Construction has started at Kirtland Air Force Base for a new digital laboratory for advanced wargaming and other simulation and analysis work involving laser weapons and space vehicles. Officials said the Air Force Research Laboratory's $6 million Wargaming and Advanced Research Simulation Laboratory is intended to spur strategies involving innovation, speed and partnerships within the laboratory. Col. Eric Felt says digital engineering will allow lab personnel to explore more concepts faster without waiting for hardware. The lab will replace a facility more than 15 years old and is expected to be ready for occupancy in the spring of 2023.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported 54 more COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 33,394 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,428 known deaths from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Navajo officials are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel. Officials said all Navajo Nation executive branch employees will need to be fully vaccinated against the virus by the end of September or submit to regular testing. The tribe's reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles. It covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- REDISTRICTING-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An advisory committee to the New Mexico Legislature on redistricting is deciding on a set of conceptual maps to circulate for public comment. The Citizens Redistricting Committee met Thursday to advance a long list of conceptual maps. The actual line-drawing will be done by the state's Democrat-led Legislature, which could ignore the commission and use its overwhelming majorities to create districts that help Democrats continue to win elections for years to come. States, including New Mexico and Indiana, are using citizen advisory boards on redistricting to temper political inclinations without taking powers away from state lawmakers.
- PRETRIAL RELEASES-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New findings by University of New Mexico researchers indicate that just under 5% of Albuquerque-area defendants awaiting trial commit violent crimes while free from jail. A senior state courts official said the research indicates that the vast majority of defendants don't commit new crimes pending trial but the top prosecutor for Bernalillo County and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham say its still troubling that some defendants commit crimes while free. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the university's Institute for Social Research analyzed more than 10,000 felony cases in Bernalillo County amid debate over the state's system of releasing felony defendants.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 45 more COVID-19 cases and five additional deaths. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 33,338 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,426 known deaths from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Navajo officials are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel. Officials said all Navajo Nation executive branch employees will need to be fully vaccinated against the virus by the end of September or submit to regular testing The tribe's reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles. It covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- TESLA STORE NEW MEXICO
NAMBÉ, N.M. (AP) — Tesla has sidestepped car dealership laws by setting up shop on Native American land for the first time. The move in New Mexico could be a model for Tesla's efforts to sell in other states that require car companies to sell through dealerships. The tribe has welcomed Tesla's store that opened last week, calling it an environmentally conscious employer. Car dealers say consumers should buy electric vehicles from companies that follow state laws. They say the traditional car dealership sales model is more convenient, generates tax revenue and brings down car prices through competition. Tesla enthusiasts are happy they don't have to travel out of state for repairs.
- FOOD STAMPS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Food banks in New Mexico are watching warily within a state with high rates of childhood poverty and hunger as the federal government pours more money into food stamps starting in October. At the same time, companion emergency benefits are being renewed tenuously each month to allow the maximum food-aid payment per individual or family — often doubling standard monthly benefit payments. The eventual end to those programs is likely to send shock waves through personal and family finances in New Mexico, where more than one-in-four residents depends on the government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to put food on the table.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — State health officials say New Mexico is on the downslope of the pandemic as the number of new infections has started to decrease. Still, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase said during a briefing Wednesday that community spread remains high across the state and precautions need to be taken. That includes extending the state's latest mask mandate for at least another month in indoor public settings. The mask mandate had been set to expire Wednesday. New Mexico in May 2020 was among the first states to require that face coverings be worn in public settings. That order was lifted last May for fully vaccinated people.