- PUBLIC BENEFITS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An advocacy group for disadvantaged communities in New Mexico says more language translation and interpreter services are needed for people who don't speak Spanish or English. The Center on Law and Poverty on Tuesday asked a state District Court judge to intervene and order more robust services in languages such as Vietnamese, Chinese, Dari, Arabic, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, and Diné. The group warns that some foreign language speakers are likely to be missing crucial health and nutritional support that they are eligible to receive. The findings are disputed by the state Human Service Department that oversees food stamps and Medicaid.
- HYDROGEN HUB-CONCERNS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Environmentalists are dismissing plans by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for New Mexico to become a hydrogen fuel hub. A coalition of groups sent the Democrat a letter on Tuesday. They call the hydrogen hub effort a "distraction" that could perpetuate the fossil fuel industry. Hydrogen fuel cells can power vehicles, but most energy used to produce hydrogen comes from natural gas. Climate activists say the state needs to focus on renewable resources such as solar and wind. In a speech Monday, Lujan Grisham described hydrogen as a transition fuel that will help meet the state's emission reduction goals.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported 22 more COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths for the sixth consecutive day. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 34,194 confirmed COVID-19 cases from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The known death toll remains at 1,447. The tribe's reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) and it covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Navajo officials still are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel.
- INDIGENOUS BOARDING SCHOOLS-ALBUQUERQUE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque city councilors have adopted a resolution acknowledging the trauma that U.S. Indigenous boarding school policies have caused for Native American communities over the decades. Councilors passed the measure Monday night. Mayor Tim Keller is expected to sign the resolution on Indigenous People's Day. The effort also formalizes a commitment by the city to work with tribal leaders and Indigenous communities toward reconciliation and healing. The city has been researching the history of a site where students of the former Albuquerque Indian School were believed to have been buried. Ground-penetrating radar will be used to study the site.
- JAIL ESCAPEE CAUGHT
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a man who escaped Sunday night from the Chaves County jail is back in custody after being captured in a Roswell house following an hours-long standoff late Monday. Officials said 37-year-old Daniel Cobos was found in a room under a blanket after a SWAT team deployed gas canisters and entered the home. Court records say Cobos awaits trial in several cases on charges that include attempted armed robbery and resisting arrest. Officials said Cobos escaped from the jail by entering an unlocked bathroom, crawling through the ceiling and slipping through a gap in a fence,. He awaits trial on charges that include attempted armed robbery and resisting arrest.
- AP-US-ELECTION-2022-ENERGY-NEW-MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is thanking attendees of the New Mexico Oil And Gas Association's annual meeting for their contributions to the economy. Fossil fuel mining is the state's largest government revenue source and directly funds education. Lujan Grisham also pledges to continue stricter regulation of methane emission and other byproducts of oil and gas extraction. She is cheering recent investments in hydrogen fuel cell technology and promises to pass a bill next year to make New Mexico a hydrogen "hub." Hydrogen can store energy and produces no carbon dioxide emissions. But hydrogen production currently relies on fossil fuels inputs. Climate activists are protesting Lujan Grisham's speech.
- ELECTION 2021-PROGRESSIVE MAYORS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Progressive mayors are seeking reelection to New Mexico's largest city and its fast-growing state capital as voting begins Tuesday, contending with challenges from Hispanic candidates from the more conservative wing of the Democratic Party. The Nov. 2 election is a preamble to statewide and congressional contests in 2022, where Democrats hope to extend their hold on all statewide offices including governor and super-majorities in the state House and Senate. They also hope to reclaim a congressional swing seat. Voting begins Tuesday by mail and at county clerks' offices, with early voting at additional locations to start Oct. 16.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Monday reported 29 more COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths for the fifth consecutive day. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 34,172 confirmed COVID-19 cases from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The known death toll remains at 1,447. Based on cases from Sept. 10-23, the Navajo Department of Health had issued an advisory for 40 communities due to an uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. The tribe's reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) and it covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Navajo officials are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel.