- AP-US-TRIBAL-ARTIFACTS-NEW-MEXICO
ZUNI PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — A hand-carved figure held sacred by a Native American community in New Mexico has been returned to the tribe by an Ohio auction house. Cowan's Auctions announced Thursday that the 15-inch carving of a Zuni Pueblo war god was returned in late August after being discovered in an estate collection that had been consigned to the auction house. The wooden war god carvings are ceremonially brought to shrines on tribal lands where they are left to return to the elements. Over the years, many have been illegally removed and have made their way to museums and private collections. Zuni Pueblo has recovered more than 100.
- ELECTION 2020-JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's Democratic senators have placed the judicial confirmation process for two U.S. District Court vacancies on hold until after the Nov. 3 election. They say the president has politicized the process, so they'll wait until the voters have spoken. Using their home-state consultation authority, Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall confirmed Thursday that they have interrupted the vetting of the two lifetime appointments. They say they took the action even before the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in response to a White House news conference where President Donald Trump rallied his base with talk of his judicial appointments.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Voters across New Mexico have submitted nearly 250,000 absentee ballot requests with especially strong demand among Democrats for alternatives to in-person voting amid the pandemic. State election regulators on Thursday also said initial vote tallies could extend beyond Election Day if voters wait until late in the cycle to mail or hand deliver ballots. Fewer than 8,000 absentee ballots were cast statewide in the 2016 presidential election. In other pandemic developments, the governor cited a slight increase in the rate of spread for COVID-19 statewide and more substantially signs of spread in areas including Albuquerque and Sandoval County.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHILD CARE
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Child care providers say a government agency formed in July has helped them stay afloat despite the coronavirus pandemic. The Early Childhood Education and Care Department recently expanded child care subsidies to groups left behind under previous rules, such as remote workers and students. This week, eligibility for child care assistance was extended to graduate students. Co-payments also have been waived for months now. Providers and parents say elevating the new agency to a cabinet-level department has led to better communication and more efficiency, resulting in improved services for children.
- INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CASE-PLEA
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say an Arizona man has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with a car crash in New Mexico and is facing a federal prison sentence. They say 28-year-old Maroquez Clah of Red Valley entered his plea Monday in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque. Clah remains on release pending a sentencing hearing that hasn't been scheduled yet. Prosecutors say Clah is facing a prison term of up to eight years followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. Clah was arrested on Feb. 14 on an indictment charging him with involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say Clah was driving under the influence of alcohol and was involved in a crash that killed another man.
- UNEMPLOYED MINE WORKER EXPO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Western New Mexico University and Chino Mine's parent company are co-hosting an expo next week to help mine employees put out of work by the coronavirus pandemic. The Silver City community's first drive-through training expo is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Officials with Freeport-McMoRan and the university say advisers will provide services and give personal consultations to mine employees and contractors. The university is waiving application fees for all expo attendees and expediting the admission application process during the two-hour event. Western New Mexico's mining industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-PRIVATE SCHOOLS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge is weighing whether pandemic-related occupancy limits for private schools in New Mexico violate constitutional rights to equal protection and freedom of assembly. A federal judge heard preliminary arguments Wednesday without ruling in a case being closely watched by educators and the Trump administration. The lawsuit by the father of a 7th-grader at a prep school in Albuquerque says the state is violating the U.S. Constitution by setting more stringent limits at private schools regarding in-person instruction. President Donald Trump has threatened to divert federal funding away from public schools that decline to reopen.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Travelers arriving in or returning to New Mexico from Colorado, Oregon and Rhode Island will be required to quarantine for 14 days in a bid to manage the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham added those three states to New Mexico's list of "high risk" states on Wednesday based on coronavirus positivity rates and per capita infections. In all, there are 39 states on New Mexico's list of high risk states. People who can show documentation of a valid negative COVID-19 test taken within the 72 hours before or after entry into New Mexico from another state are exempt from the quarantine requirement.