- HOMICIDE-ALBUQUERQUE PARTY
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police are investigating a fatal shooting at a party on the southeast side of town. Police say they found one man dead after they responded to a call at about 3 a.m. Monday at a residence on Tomatillo Lane. A neighbor reported he heard people arguing before gunshots rang out. Investigators are treating it as a homicide but they haven't released any other details. The victim's name is being withheld.It's the sixth homicide in the Albuquerque area over the past week.
- SUPREME COURT-BORDER WALL
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is leaving in place a decision that rejected environmental groups' challenge to sections of wall the Trump administration is building along the U.S. border with Mexico. The high court on Monday declined to hear an appeal involving construction of 145 miles of steel-bollard walls along the border in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. Environmental groups had challenged a federal law that allows the secretary of Homeland Security to waive any laws necessary to allow the quick construction of border fencing. Environmental groups argued that violates the Constitution's separation of powers. But a lower court dismissed the case.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Health officials in New Mexico reported 192 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday with one additional death. That raises the state's totals to 11,809 confirmed cases with at least 492 known deaths. The bulk of the reported additional cases were in Bernalillo County (45) San Juan County (34), McKinley County (28) and Dona Ana County (27). The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
- EDUCATION LAWSUIT-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge will reconsider a 2018 ruling that found the state failed to provide children a sufficient education as required by the state constitution. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham argues her administration is on its way to addressing the ruling and the case should be dismissed. The lawsuit has brought racial and socioeconomic inequity to the forefront in a state where per-student spending and educational achievement hover near the bottom of national rankings. Newly appointed state District Court Judge Matthew Wilson will consider dueling motions Monday to dismiss or more aggressively enforce the ruling.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Hospitals in New Mexico have started to loosen restrictions that kept family and friends from visiting patients. San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington says patients who have not tested positive for COVID-19 will be allowed one visitor. Visitations are still prohibited for patients who have tested positive. Lovelace Medical Center, Presbyterian and the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque have also announced similar visitation policies with only one visit each day with facial covering requirements. On Saturday, the state reported 209 additional confirmed cases with two additional deaths.
- AP-US-RACIAL-INJUSTICE-SPANISH-LEGACY
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — A decades-long fight between some Hispanics and Native Americans over the removal of statues honoring Spanish colonial figures in New Mexico and California is boiling over again. Hispanics who venerated Spain's historical ties to the U.S. say the monuments celebrate their cultural heritage. Native Americans say that history ignores the pain of colonialism. The historical markers highlight a complicated past that has spanned centuries. Spain's enduring hold over the territory that is now New Mexico made it unlike other areas in the Southwest and opened the door for memorializing the Spanish influence.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-FIREWORKS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque and Bernalillo County are teaming up to stage July Fourth fireworks displays in each quadrant of the metro area to encourage residents to avoid congregating in any one area while restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak remain in effect. A statement released Saturday said the planned multiple displays are intended to allow residents to watch the fireworks from home. The four fireworks displays will launch from the Ladera Golf Course, North Domingo Baca Park, the Los Altos Golf Course, and Tom Tenorio Park. The announcement statement said the sites will be closed to the public several ahead of the planned launch time of 9:20 p.m.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO-PLASTIC BAN
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Bernalillo County will continue to allow for the use of single-use plastic bags amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. County manager Julie Morgas Baca first suspended the ban on plastic bags during a March 10 emergency meeting. She said the use of single-use bags should cut down on the possible spread of the coronavirus. The ban on plastic bags and Styrofoam containers took effect in unincorporated areas of the county on Jan 1. The city of Albuquerque, which has its own ban on plastic bags, is also temporarily allowing for their use. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham raised concerns Thursday about a recent uptick in COVID-19 infections.