- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Grocery store employees, home caregivers, farm workers, other essential workers and people over 60 are now eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in New Mexico. The state Health Department on Friday announced it was moving to new phases in its distribution plan. The move comes as New Mexico and other states aim to meet a federal mandate of getting more people vaccinated by May. State officials say they also have reached a key milestone as more than 60% of those already eligible have received at least their first shot. New Mexico remains ranked top in the U.S. for vaccine distribution.
- MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Legislation to legalize cannabis in New Mexico is scheduled for a decisive Senate floor vote under a framework that emphasizes government oversight of pricing and supplies along with social services for communities where the criminalization of pot has led to aggressive policing. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth scheduled a vote on a bill Friday to legalize cannabis consumption and sales to people 21 and over. Critics say the proposed regulatory framework may foster a powerful, government-protected monopoly. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the pot industry can help the state economy emerge from the pandemic slump. Legislators have discarded a Republican-sponsored proposal that stressed low taxes.
- TWO KILLED-TEEN ARRESTED
VILLANUEVA, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in northern New Mexico say a 14-year-old Las Vegas boy has been arrested in the killings of two men at a home in the small community of Villanueva. The New Mexico State Police said the boy was arrested March 8 on charges of first-degree murder and other crimes in the Feb. 14 killings of 59-year-old Guadalupe Gutierrez and 32-year-old Kevin Anthony Gutierrez. A State Police statement did not provide a suspected motive for the killings but said the boy had run away from home and wanted to stay with one of the men. The Associated Press generally does not report the names of juvenile crime suspects and defendants.
- DUCEY-BORDER
DOUGLAS, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is headed to the U.S.-Mexico border as the region experiences a surge in migrants. Ducey's office says he'll fly over the Douglas area Friday and hold a roundtable discussion. Ducey is a Republican and will be joined by several Republican lawmakers, local officials and Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott. Ducey met with border and emergency management authorities on Wednesday. He's joined Republicans in blaming President Joe Biden for fueling the problems. Biden lifted some of predecessor Donald Trump's restrictive immigration policies when he took office, though the surge began while Trump was still in office.
- EDUCATION FUNDING-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico state Senate is sending to voters a constitutional amendment that could increase funding for early childhood and K-12 education by hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The passage of the proposal is a victory for Democrats who have tried to increase the withdrawal of funding from the Land Grant Permanent Fund for over a decade. The measure would increase withdrawals from the fund by 1.25%, with most of the money going to early childhood education and some going to K-12 schools. The state's $20 billion endowment has doubled in the past 11 years thanks to oil and gas royalties and market investments. The proposal's critics say future revenues could fall.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported six more deaths and 18 new cases of COVID-19 as the total number of cases approaches the 30,000 mark since the pandemic began. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's pandemic total to 29,987 confirmed cases and 1,228 known deaths. The Navajo Nation had a soft reopening Monday with 25% capacity for some businesses under certain restrictions. Still, mask mandates and daily curfews remain. Tribal President Jonathan Nez is strongly urging all residents to limit their travel to only essential activities. He says now is not the time to go on vacation or to hold large in-person gatherings on the reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- CONGRESS-IMMIGRATION
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has voted to open a gateway to citizenship for young "Dreamers," immigrant farm workers and other migrants who fled to the U.S. from war or natural disasters abroad. Thursday's votes give Democrats wins in the year's first votes on immigration. The issue faces a steep climb in the Senate because Republicans are demanding that immigration bills contain steps to toughen border security. One bill offers legal status to around 2 million "Dreamers" who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, and to others. A second measure offers legal status to 1 million immigrant farm workers, about half the nation's agricultural labor force.
- LEGISLATURE-BURN BILL
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation that will clear the way for more prescribed fires as New Mexico deals with worsening drought and climate change. The measure clarifies liability for private landowners who conduct prescribed burns. Officials with the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department say that will make it easier and more affordable for landowners to get insurance. They say similar legislation in other states has resulted in increased prescribed burning. Supporters of the measure says the intensity of recent fire seasons underscores the need for action. The governor also signed other bills related to the minimum wage and education.