- AP-US-NATIONAL-MONUMENTS-BIDEN
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will restore two sprawling national monuments in Utah that have been at the center of a long-running public lands dispute, and a separate marine conservation area in New England that recently has been used for commercial fishing. Environmental protections at all three monuments had been stripped by former President Donald Trump. The White House announced the changes Thursday night ahead of a ceremony expected Friday. It says Biden was "fulfilling a key promise" by restoring Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments to their full size. His plan also restores protections in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument in the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Cape Cod.
- GOVERNMENT ETHICS-ELECTRIC VEHICLES
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A recently retired Cabinet secretary who oversaw New Mexico's first major foray into electric vehicles for government fleets has gone to work at a lobbying group for automotive dealerships. The group is safeguarding state-authorized control over direct sales of new vehicles from incursions by electric-car maker Tesla and other potential rivals. Tesla forged a route around the direct-sales prohibition last month as it opened a store on Native American land in northern New Mexico. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham indicated Thursday she is open to reforming the state prohibition on direct new vehicle sales.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported 49 more COVID-19 cases and five additional deaths. It's the second consecutive day that the tribe reported at least one coronavirus-related death after going six days in a row with no additional deaths. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 34,309 confirmed COVID-19 cases from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The known death toll now is 1,453. Navajo officials still are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel. 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.
- AFGHAN REFUGEES-NEW MEXICO
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is preparing to welcome 400 refugees who fled Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of U.S. troops in August. About 100 of those refugees are expected to resettle in Las Cruces. Officials with the state's primary refugee resettlement organization, Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, say the remainder are expected to relocate to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Some Afghan refugees are being sheltered at nearby New Mexico military installations as they are connected with resettlement organizations. In Las Cruces, volunteers are being sought to help with the resettlement effort and groups are asking for donations, furniture and other supplies.
- UTILITY RATES-ARIZONA
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona regulators are moving to reduce the potential profits of the state's largest electricity provider as part of a pending rate-setting case that also includes major coal-related issues. The Corporation Commission voted 4-1 Wednesday to reduce Arizona Public Service Co.'s authorized profit on expenses to 8.7%, from 10%. Commissioner Justin Olson said a 8.7% return was an appropriate response to the utility's performance on customer issues. The commission voted to further consider whether to charge ratepayers for emissions upgrades to the Four Corners Generating Station in New Mexico, and on whether to use ratepayer money to pay $100 million to Navajo Nation communities affected by coal plant closures.
- SLAIN SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Ballistics experts who testified in the murder trial against a U.S. Air Force airman disagreed on whether a bullet taken from the skull of the victim was fired from a rifle the airman owned. The testimony phase of the trial wrapped up Thursday in northern Arizona. Closing statements are scheduled Friday. Mark Gooch is accused of driving from the metropolitan Phoenix air base where he was stationed to northwestern New Mexico, kidnapping and killing Sasha Krause. Her body was found on the outskirts of Flagstaff. There's no indication Gooch and Krause knew each other, but they both grew up in Mennonite communities.
- LEGISLATURE FREE LUNCH
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers routinely accept free lunches from lobbyists. This week, internet and testing companies are sponsoring education committee meeting lunches. The committee will consider writing legislation that pays for internet and school testing. Final decisions over which companies to choose are decided by school districts and state education officials, not legislators. But one former legislator who refused all gifts from lobbyists says the practice creates the appearance of wrongdoing. Current lawmakers on the Legislative Education Study Committee say they are not influenced by the free lunches, which can earn companies time to present products in private.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The head of New Mexico's labor department says there are tens of thousands of online job postings in the state and his agency is trying to find ways to connect workers with employers. Workforce Solutions Secretary Ricky Serna said during a briefing Wednesday that many of those job postings are within the health care field. He said there has been some overall job growth since the height of the pandemic and that the number of people receiving jobless benefits has dropped significantly now that most extensions have expired. Still, he said it's difficult to tell if workers are returning to their same professions or pivoting to something new.