- VIRUS OUTBREAK-SOUTHWEST FORESTS
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The Memorial Day weekend saw crowds heading into the woods of northern Arizona's Coconino National Forest. But that was also typical of other May weekends this year, as were the trash and numerous abandoned campfires that visitors left behind and that officials say presented health and safety hazards. And the same was true in northern New Mexico's Santa Fe National Forest where volunteers cleaning up one picnic area found paper plates, dirty diapers and even buckets of human waste. The trash aside, officials say the potential for human-caused wildfires is particularly worrisome when so many people are in forests and might have to be evacuated.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Organizers say it's "full speed ahead" as they plan for this year's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta amid the coronavirus pandemic. Hosted by New Mexico's largest city, the annual event usually draws hundreds of thousands of visitors and ballooning teams from around the world for nine days in early October. The fiesta's director of operations says officials are considering a few options and are hopeful the event can still happen. But he also acknowledged that the plans have to be flexible. State officials have said it's unlikely they'll permit large gatherings any time soon despite easing other restrictions as part of a phased reopening of New Mexico's economy.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-MONUMENTS-NEW MEXICO
GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — Plans are being made to partially reopen two national monuments near Grants in northwestern New Mexico for recreational access after being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The National Park Service says El Malpais National Monument on Monday will reopen access to all trailheads, though the monument's visitor center near Interstate 40 will remain closed temporarily due to a construction project. Officials say they tentatively plan to reopen the trails and campground at El Morro National Monument on a schedule of Wednesday through Sunday each week beginning in mid-June.
- MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEATH-ALBUQUERQUE PROTEST
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police in Albuquerque said officers were forced to use tear gas and a helicopter against demonstrators after a protest against the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis turned violent. Albuquerque Police Deputy Chief Harold Medina said four people were taken into custody following reports of 33 gunshots near a peaceful protest Thursday along the city's historic Route 66. Medina says protesters surrounded a female sergeant's patrol car and broke the vehicle's windows before she escaped. He says some protesters also tried to drag motorists out of their cars and then attacked other police vehicles with baseball bats. No injuries were reported.
- ELECTION 2020-LEGISLATURE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's primary election is testing the political fortitude of several influential Democratic legislators who have resisted progressive initiatives ranging from recreational marijuana legalization to shoring up abortion rights and greater spending from a state education trust. Candidates backed by a coalition of liberal advocacy groups are challenging Democrats in key Senate leaderships posts, including chamber President Mary Kay Papen of Las Cruces and Senate finance committee leader John Arthur Smith of Deming. Liberal groups say Senate leaders are neglecting social safety-net services. One senator is shifting course about state savings and spending in response to the coronavirus.
- AP-US-ENDANGERED-WOLVES-FOSTERING-PUPS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A record number of captive-born wolf pups has been placed into the wild as part of an effort by federal and state wildlife managers to boost the genetic diversity among Mexican gray wolves in the Southwestern U.S. The interagency team announced the results of this season's cross-fostering program Thursday. They say the work of integrating the 20 pups into wild wolf packs took place in April and May. A dozen pups were fostered into four packs in eastern Arizona. Eight were spread among three packs in New Mexico. The most recent survey shows there are more than 160 wolves in the wild in the two states.
- SNAKE INTERRUPTS ZOOM CLASS
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico elementary school teacher on Zoom with students had a lesson interrupted thanks to an uninvited guest: a bullsnake. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the desert animal surprised Sunrise Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Annette Otero Nuñez during a class May 12 via Zoom from her backyard in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The students _ at home on their computers or mobile devices _ saw Nuñez getting rattled. Nuñez called Las Cruces Animal Control and an officer responded while class was still in session. Animal control officer Juan Valles then gave students a quick lesson on identifying desert snakes. The bullsnake, prevalent in the American Southwest, is not venomous.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Some New Mexico counties have seen visitor spending collapse while others have seen revenues in the construction and agriculture industries grow in recent months. The state Economic Development Department released data Friday for the third quarter of the fiscal year. That period between January and March includes the first weeks of the coronavirus health emergency when businesses were ordered to close or curtail operations. State police say they have issued 175 cease-and-desist orders to violators. New Mexico is now preparing to ease some of the restrictions beginning next week as the number of infections nears 7,500.