- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Navajo Nation officials reported 59 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths from the virus as of Tuesday evening. In all, the tribe has seen 39,080 positive cases and 1,527 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began. The tribe is urging residents on the vast reservation to limit in-person gatherings to help prevent the spread of the virus as the Thanksgiving holiday nears. The reservation covers 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) and extends into parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK
The U.S. is in better shape approaching its second Thanksgiving of the pandemic, thanks to the vaccine. But some cold weather regions are reporting surges of COVID-19 cases that could get worse in the days ahead as families travel the country. Nearly 200 million Americans are fully vaccinated. That leaves millions without a shot in the arm. Hospitals in the cold Upper Midwest, especially Michigan and Minnesota, are filled with COVID-19 patients who are mostly unvaccinated. Dr. Rochelle Walensky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says vaccines make this fall holiday much different.
- PROP FIREARM-FILM INCENTIVES
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislators are expressing nearly unfettered support for state tax incentives to the film industry at a pubic hearing in the wake of the shooting death last month of a cinematographer from gunfire on the set of a western movie production. New Mexico offers a rebate of between 25% and 35% for in-state spending for video production that helps filmmakers large and small underwrite their work. A gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of the western movie "Rust" killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded a director. The production registered to receive a state tax rebate but may never collect.
- INTERSTATE 40-HOLIDAY CONSTRUCTION
LAGUNA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — Travelers on Interstate 40 in northwestern New Mexico will get a break from construction delays this week. The state Department of Transportation will suspend work on a 5.5-mile project on the interstate near Laguna Pueblo from Wednesday through Sunday. Transportation Secretary Mike Sandoval says he understands drivers are frustrated by the often lengthy delays as westbound traffic was reduced to one lane and merging vehicles faced an uphill climb. The department says the work should be finished in mid-December, ahead of schedule. Other phases of the project will wrap up in the spring.
- DAM REPAIRS-WATER STORAGE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Major repairs to a northern New Mexico dam will mean irrigation water will have to be stored elsewhere. Repairs on El Vado Dam are slated to start next spring. That will leave the lake in Rio Arriba County far below capacity and unusable for at least a year. Page Pegram of the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission says Abiquiu Lake is the most likely backup for irrigation in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation plans to fix the dam's foundation and spillway, among other things. The dam was built in the 1930s.
- CHACO CANYON-OIL AND GAS
CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland met with state and tribal leaders Monday in northwestern New Mexico where a battle has waged for decades over oil and gas development. Haaland reflected on actions her agency took last week to curb new leasing around Chaco Culture National Historic Park. She says the celebration was "millennia in the making." While Navajo leaders support preserving parts of the area, they say individual Navajos stand to lose a source of income if a proposed buffer is created. The area holds significance for many Indigenous people in the Southwest. Haaland is a member of Laguna Pueblo.
- MORTGAGE CRISIS-PENSIONS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State prosecutors say New Mexico's public pension and investment funds will receive $24 million from several major financial institutions to resolve a lawsuit over mortgage-backed securities and the financial crisis more than a decade ago. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas on Monday announced the settlement with seven financial institutions, including Barclays Capital, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch. The settlement resolves allegations of inadequate disclosures about mortgage-backed securities that were purchased by the public pension and investment funds. Claims were dismissed with no admission of liability.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — At least two New Mexico school districts are sending all of their students home early this week because of a coronavirus infection surge. Santa Fe Public Schools says students will go to remote learning starting Tuesday. That represents the the largest closure of K-12 schools since the spring. The smaller Los Lunas school district outside Albuquerque is closed to in-person learning on Monday and Tuesday ahead of the Thanksgiving break. While some schools had to close their doors in the past because of virus outbreaks, remote learning for an entire school district has been rare this semester. Online school comes at a cost, including parental child care struggles.