The daily recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (4/27/20 edition)

This daily recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free daily email. Sign up here. See all of our COVID-19 coverage here. State officials announced 66 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, as well as six deaths. Due to a “technical lapse” the state released a “partial” update Sunday afternoon on the […]

The daily recap of New Mexico COVID-19 news (4/27/20 edition)

This daily recap of COVID-19 news from New Mexico is available in a free daily email. Sign up here.

See all of our COVID-19 coverage here.

  • State officials announced 66 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, as well as six deaths. Due to a “technical lapse” the state released a “partial” update Sunday afternoon on the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by a type of coronavirus. Read our story here.
  • Medical workers from California arrived to help out with the Navajo Nation, which is one of the hardest hit areas of the country.
  • The Albuquerque Journal looked at how the state’s models turned optimistic last week. Read the story here.
  • There are now 1,716  COVID-19 cases on the Navajo Nation and a total of 59 deaths, an increase of 176 cases since Friday. 
    • There are now 618 cases located in New Mexico, an increase of 101 since Friday. McKinley County now has the most cases on the Navajo Nation, overtaking Navajo County, in Arizona, over the weekend.
    • The Navajo Times wrote about 28 year old Valentina Blackhorse, former Miss Western Navajo for 2015-2016, who passed away just one day after testing positive for COVID-19. A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created for Valentina’s funeral expenses.
    • The Navajo Board of Election Supervisors has delayed the filing period for candidates while the election board and the election administration determine protocols for the election that protect public safety and align with the public health emergency orders issued by the Navajo Department of Health, the Farmington Daily Times reported.
    • The Navajo Nation was under a 57-hour weekend curfew for the third week in a row to slow the spread of the COVID-19. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez extended the weekend curfews to May 17, according to the Farmington Daily Times
  • Two Albuquerque city councilor want the mayor to open up some shuttered businesses soon, including liquor stores, hair salons and golf courses, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
  • The Albuquerque Journal looked at the City of Grants as its mayor prepares to allow businesses to reopen, in defiance of the state public health emergency order.
  • Many substitute teachers are not getting paid during school closures, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
  • COVID-19 is making things worse for immigrants, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
  • U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland appeared on MSNBC last week and spoke about the problems from COVID-19 in Indian Country. See the video here.
  • A federal judge will issue a decision on whether Alaska Native corporations are eligible to receive funds from the CARES Act earmarked for tribal entities, the Associated Press reported.
  • Santa Fe city employees are getting ready for furloughs, as the COVID-19 response continues to ravage local governments’ budgets.
  • The outbreak has changed Santa Fe’s court functions radically, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
  • The state extended its suspension of in-person visits for inmates.
  • The Village of Ruidoso is preparing for a possible 40 percent reduction in revenue, the Ruidoso News reported.
  • An investigation into the La Vida Llena assisted living facility by the office of New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas has found the facility, which now accounts for one in six deaths in the state related to COVID-19, did not mandate employees use personal protective equipment, and that staff were even discouraged from using it as late as early April, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
  • KOAT-TV spoke to Peter Trevisani, the owner of New Mexico United, about the governor’s economic recovery council, which first met on Friday.
  • The Albuquerque Journal also explored what information can be gleaned from ZIP code-level data about COVID-19 cases in New Mexico. Experts warn that the raw data is preliminary and can be misleading. 
  • The delay in the census could lead to a delay in redistricting, the Associated Press reported.
  • The Carlsbad Current Argus looked at the composition of the 15-member Economic Recovery Council that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced last week. Two of the 15 council members are based south of Albuquerque. 
  • The Daily Lobo explored the misinformation and political signalling that may have fuelled the recent “anti-quarantine” protests in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
  • A column in the Las Cruces Sun News looked at the struggles of home life for parents with children who are attending classes online. 
  • KUNM looked at how sports are being impacted by COVID-19. Listen here.

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

Effort to challenge six laws enacted last year comes to an end

Effort to challenge six laws enacted last year comes to an end

Earlier this month, the New Mexico Supreme Court denied and dismissed the effort to challenge six laws enacted in 2023. The New Mexico Supreme…
Governor to call special session for public safety legislation this summer

Governor to call special session for public safety legislation this summer

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that she will call the Legislature into a special session this summer to address public safety legislation that did…
Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Nuclear Watch New Mexico calls for comprehensive plutonium cleanup at LANL

Nuclear Watch New Mexico calls for comprehensive plutonium cleanup at LANL

A group of anti-nuclear activists used data from Los Alamos National Laboratory to map places where plutonium contamination has been found in areas near…
Fish and Wildlife Service faces new deadline to finalize protections for a NM chipmunk

Fish and Wildlife Service faces new deadline to finalize protections for a NM chipmunk

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has until August 15 to issue a final listing determination for the Peñasco least chipmunk. A federal district…
Ozone pollution continues to plague New Mexico

Ozone pollution continues to plague New Mexico

Four of the nine New Mexico counties evaluated in the annual State of the Air report received failing marks for ozone pollution. The counties…
Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with…
Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican Brittany Behenna Griffith has a laundry list of adjectives to describe the ideal special education teacher:…
Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican A challenging task awaits New Mexico lawmakers in the next 30 days: Reconciling three very different…
Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with covid-19 patients, emergency physician Sonya Stokes remains shaken by…
Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to six tribal nations and…
Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee discussed a potential constitutional amendment that seeks to limit the governor’s executive powers. The committee approved…
Latest SCOTUS abortion case uncertain and could impact New Mexico

Latest SCOTUS abortion case uncertain and could impact New Mexico

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday on an abortion-related case, this time over whether an Idaho anti-abortion law preempts a federal…
Abortion fund provider rebrands and holds open house

Abortion fund provider rebrands and holds open house

An abortion fund provider unveiled a rebrand and offered an open house in Las Cruces to celebrate the organization’s new name, mission and values. …
Stansbury introduces judicial ethics bill on U.S. Supreme Court steps

Stansbury introduces judicial ethics bill on U.S. Supreme Court steps

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury announced a bill on Thursday that would, if enacted, establish judicial ethics to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Judicial Ethics…
Latest SCOTUS abortion case uncertain and could impact New Mexico

Latest SCOTUS abortion case uncertain and could impact New Mexico

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday on an abortion-related case, this time over whether an Idaho anti-abortion law preempts a federal…
Abortion fund provider rebrands and holds open house

Abortion fund provider rebrands and holds open house

An abortion fund provider unveiled a rebrand and offered an open house in Las Cruces to celebrate the organization’s new name, mission and values. …
Politics and abortion, how much will it matter?

Politics and abortion, how much will it matter?

At the national level, abortion is still a high-stakes issue with both major presidential candidates talking about it in their campaigns, but it may…
Progressives going after incumbents in hot Democratic primaries

Progressives going after incumbents in hot Democratic primaries

By Justin Horwath, NM In Depth It’s a safe bet Democrats will barrel into 2025 with their supremacy intact at the New Mexico Legislature.…
Effort to challenge six laws enacted last year comes to an end

Effort to challenge six laws enacted last year comes to an end

Earlier this month, the New Mexico Supreme Court denied and dismissed the effort to challenge six laws enacted in 2023. The New Mexico Supreme…
Vasquez calls out Republicans for ‘inaction’ on border policy

Vasquez calls out Republicans for ‘inaction’ on border policy

U.S. Rep. Gabriel “Gabe” Vasquez, a Democrat who represents the state’s 2nd Congressional District along the U.S.-Mexico border, cosponsored a resolution on Monday calling…
Nuclear Watch New Mexico calls for comprehensive plutonium cleanup at LANL

Nuclear Watch New Mexico calls for comprehensive plutonium cleanup at LANL

A group of anti-nuclear activists used data from Los Alamos National Laboratory to map places where plutonium contamination has been found in areas near…
Latest SCOTUS abortion case uncertain and could impact New Mexico

Latest SCOTUS abortion case uncertain and could impact New Mexico

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday on an abortion-related case, this time over whether an Idaho anti-abortion law preempts a federal…
Ozone pollution continues to plague New Mexico

Ozone pollution continues to plague New Mexico

Four of the nine New Mexico counties evaluated in the annual State of the Air report received failing marks for ozone pollution. The counties…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report