- PROPOSED STADIUM-LEASE AGREEMENT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — City officials and the New Mexico United soccer team announced Thursday the terms of a long-term lease and development agreement should voters approve a stadium bond. If the bond is passed in the Nov. 2 municipal election, city officials say Albuquerque will invest up to $50 million to build a stadium that has up to 12,000 seats. The lease agreement includes a $32.5 million contribution toward the stadium project by New Mexico United and the team is committed to paying for the day-to-day operating costs. The agreement also outlines the use of local food and beverage vendors and a provision to bring a women's soccer team to Albuquerque.
- AP POLL-HUNGER IN AMERICA
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans struggling to feed their families over the past pandemic year say they've had difficulty figuring out how to get help and had trouble finding healthy foods they can afford. A poll from Impact Genome and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 23% of Americans say they haven't been able to get enough to eat or the kinds of foods they need. Most of those facing food challenges enrolled in a government or nonprofit food assistance program in the last year, but 58% still had difficulty accessing at least one service.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported 45 more COVID-19 cases and one additional death. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 33,682 confirmed COVID-19 cases from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The known death toll now is at 1,437. 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. Any worker who does not show proof of vaccination by Sept. 29 must be tested every two weeks or face discipline.
- AMBER ALERT-NEW MEXICO
TSAYATOH, N.M. (AP) — The Navajo Division of Public Safety has issued an Amber Alert for four missing children in New Mexico. Authorities say the children _ ages 2, 5, 7 and 10 _ allegedly were taken by their father after Navajo police responded to a domestic incident Thursday in Tsayatoh. Police say the man drove off with the children in a vehicle that was later found abandoned and the five were believed to be traveling by foot. Tsayatoh is located in a rural area of the Navajo Nation about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Gallup, N.M.
- AP-US-INDIGENOUS-BOARDING-SCHOOLS-ALBUQUERQUE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque city officials plan to use ground-penetrating radar as they research the history of a site where dozens of Native American boarding school students are believed to have been buried more than a century ago. They also plan to use orange markings at the city park to signify the importance of the site. Orange is the color used to symbolize the movement that is bringing more awareness to the troubled legacy of the boarding school system. Indigenous activists became concerned earlier this year when a plaque memorializing the students from the former Albuquerque Indian School disappeared. They established a makeshift memorial and called for an investigation.
- HAITIAN MIGRANTS-BORDER CONVERGENCE
DEL RIO, Texas (AP) — A confluence of factors caused the sudden arrival of thousands of mostly Haitian migrants on the Texas border this month. Descriptions from Haitian migrants and advocates in contact with them reveal a phenomena produced by confusion over the Biden administration's policies after it extended protections for the 150,000 Haitians living in the United States this spring. They say it also reflects the power of social media and platforms like WhatsApp, used by migrants to share tips and information that often gets distorted and can quickly go viral within an immigrant community and change migration flows.
- HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Health care access is getting substantially less expensive for consumers on the state's health insurance exchange. The drop is through a combination of federal pandemic relief, a growing pool of subscribers and — coming soon — proceeds from a new state tax. State health exchange CEO Jeffrey Bustamante and state insurance Superintendent Russell Toal briefed a panel of legislators Thursday on the shifting financial landscape for access to medical care. Across New Mexico, about 214,000 residents remain uninsured among a statewide population of 2.1 million. About half of those uninsured residents qualify for assistance through Medicaid or subsidized insurance policies sold on the state exchange.
- BC-US-SCI-NORTH-AMERICA-OLDEST-FOOTPRINTS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fossilized footprints discovered in New Mexico indicate that early humans were walking across North America around 23,000 years ago. The footprints were found in a dry lake bed in White Sands National Park. Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed seeds stuck in the footprints to determine their approximate age. Based on the size of the footprints, researchers believe that at least some were made by children and teenagers who lived during the last ice age. The research was published Thursday in the journal Science.