- ALBUQUERQUE SCHOOLS FINE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque Public Schools officials say they are appealing more than $650,000 in fines from the IRS due to late tax form filings and payroll tax payments. The Albuquerque Journal reports that an audit found the district may face penalties of $666,379 for submitting late W-2 forms for 2018 and late payroll taxes payments for 2019. Director of accounting Ben Lubkeman says the late payroll taxes were caused by a human error and discovered four weeks later and then paid in full. He says the the W-2 forms were filed late after the due date was changed by law and officials missed the date change.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOLS REOPENING
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Classrooms in some New Mexico schools were scheduled on Monday to allow in-person education for the first time this semester. Albuquerque Journal reported in-person classes were temporarily suspended by the state for two weeks to prevent a feared increase in COVID-19 cases. Small groups of students with disabilities were allowed to attend classes, but schools offering other in-person classes had to shut their doors and teach remotely. Schools are now able to restart schedules that were planned before the pause. New Mexico Public Education Department was unable to immediately provide a count of schools planning to reopen in-person classes Monday.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Officials on the Navajo Nation reported 96 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths Sunday. The latest figures bring the total reported coronavirus cases on the reservation to 26,383, including 919 deaths. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says that with the holidays having passed, he is optimistic that the reservation has started to flatten its curve of positive cases. He is hopeful that the administration of the vaccine will help flatten the curve even more. Nez says residents still need to remain vigilant and practice health safety measures like staying home. The Navajo Nation extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- AP-US-COWBOYS-FOR-TRUMP-ARREST
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico county official who runs a group called Cowboys for Trump and who had vowed to return to Washington after last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol to place a flag on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk has been arrested by the FBI. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin was arrested Sunday on charges of illegally entering the U.S. Capitol. Griffin did not immediately respond to phone or text messages seeking comment. On Thursday, Griffin, said he planned to travel with firearms to Washington, D.C., for Biden's inauguration.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico on Saturday reported 1,092 additional known COVID-19 cases and 36 more deaths, increasing the state's pandemic totals to 162,893 cases and 2,910 deaths. Counties with triple-digit numbers of new cases included Bernalillo and Dona Ana while McKinley, San Juan and Sandoval counties each had at least 70 additional cases. Most of the deaths involved people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s but some were in their 30s, 40s and 50s. The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
- LEGISLATURE-GREEN AMENDMENT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two New Mexico Democrats are seeking to strengthen protections for the state's environment and natural resources through a joint resolution that calls for amending the state constitution. If approved during the upcoming legislative session, the proposed amendment would go before voters to decide. Introduced by Sens. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and William Soules, the resolution reads that the state shall conserve, protect and maintain these resources for the benefit of all people and future generations. Environmentalists are calling it New Mexico's "Green Amendment." It will be among numerous environmental proposals up for consideration during the 60-day session that begins Tuesday.
- AP-US-VOLUNTEER-TEEN-TUTORS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — When her suburban Dallas high school was forced to move online last spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, Charvi Goyal realized that the schoolmates she'd been informally tutoring between classes would still need extra help but wouldn't necessarily be able to get it. So she took her tutoring online, as well. Goyal, a 17-year-old high school junior from Plano, roped in three classmates to create TutorScope, a free tutoring service run by high schoolers for other kids, including younger ones. What started with a handful of instructors helping friends' siblings has blossomed into a group of 22 tutors from Texas, Arizona, and Ohio that has helped more than 300 students from as far away as South Korea.
- MEXICAN GRAY WOLF COUNT
PINETOP, Ariz. (AP) — Biologists are combing the rugged mountains of the U.S. Southwest to find out how many Mexican gray wolves are roaming the wild. The annual count in Arizona and New Mexico started in November and is expected to run through early February. The population numbers of the endangered predators will be released in March. A reintroduction program began in 1998. At least 163 wolves were counted during the last survey. That marked a nearly 25% jump in the population from the previous year and put wildlife managers about halfway to declaring the species recovered.