- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
The Navajo Nation has reported nine new COVID-19 cases but no new deaths, pushing the total number of cases since the pandemic past 30,000. The latest numbers released Sunday bring the tribe's pandemic total to 30,0007 confirmed cases. The number of known deaths remains 1,233. The Navajo Nation had a soft reopening last week with 25% capacity for some businesses under certain restrictions. Still, mask mandates and daily curfews remain. Tribal President Jonathan Nez reiterated in a statement the importance of getting vaccinated. However, he says those who are vaccinated should not take vacations or hold large in-person gatherings with the ongoing spread of COVID-19 variants.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Health officials in New Mexico on Sunday reported 176 more confirmed COVID-19 cases but no additional deaths. The latest numbers increasing the state's pandemic totals to 189,731 cases and 3,889 known deaths. Of the new cases, Bernalillo County had 56 of them with Dona Ana County having 20, Curry County 16 and Lea County 14. Bernalillo, the state's largest county that includes metro Albuquerque, had 54,052 of New Mexico's total cases since the pandemic began. The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
- AIRPORT BODIES
NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities are still investigating claims made by a man charged in a New Jersey slaying who has said he killed a total of 16 people in multiple states. A law enforcement official confirmed Sunday that Sean Lannon is the primary suspect in the killing of his ex-wife and three others found in a car in New Mexico. The official, who had direct knowledge of the probe, could not discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official says investigators are searching missing persons records and other police reports to try to identify any potential victims.
- FATAL HOUSE FIRE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a man has died in a house fire in Albuquerque. City fire crews responded to a single-family home around 6:15 a.m. Sunday and extinguished the blaze within 15 minutes. Albuquerque Fire Department officials say one man got himself out of the home safely, but another man was found in the back bedroom. They say the man was evacuated from the house, but had already died. The fire was mainly confined to the attic with major smoke damage throughout the home. Authorities say no other injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
- LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers are closing out a 60-day legislative session that charts an economic exit from the pandemic. As the session ended Saturday, progressive legislators in the Democratic majority have pushed forward policing reforms, shored up abortion rights, and approved medical aid in dying. In the final hours, lawmakers passed proposals that would guarantee paid sick leave for private-sector workers and ramp up state tax breaks for working families. Proposals to legalize recreational marijuana faltered. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says she will call a special legislative session in coming weeks to give cannabis reforms another try.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Department of Health is launching an app that will enable your phone to tell you in some instances if you have been exposed to COVID-19. KRQE-TV reports that the app called NM Notify and intended to help slow spread of the coronavirus will go live Tuesday. The department says NM Notify is a voluntary program that works by exchanging anonymous keys through Bluetooth with other nearby phones that also have the exposure notification app activated. When a person tests positive for COVID-19, they will get a text with a verification that, when activated, will let other phones nearby know of exposures. New Mexico on Saturday reported 191 additional confirmed cases and seven more deaths.
- COURT OF APPEALS-APPOINTMENT
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has appointed a judge to the state Court of Appeals to fill a vacancy created by Justice Julie J. Vargas' appointment to the state Supreme Court. The state's 4th Judicial District Chief Judge Gerald E. Baca was appointed to the New Mexico Court of Appeals on Friday. Baca will now be one of 10 judges tasked with reviewing appeals from the state's lower courts. Baca, a registered Democrat, will have to win the 2022 primary and general elections to remain on the Court of Appeals. This is Baca's third gubernatorial appointment.
- BIDEN-BORDER
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is scrambling to manage a growing humanitarian and political challenge at the U.S.-Mexico border. Stories of unaccompanied minors and families trying to cross border and of overwhelmed border facilities have begun to dominate the headlines and threaten to overshadow the administration's ambitious legislative agenda. President Joe Biden said Sunday that he will "at some point" go to the border and that he knows what is going on with border facilities. Administration officials say Biden inherited an untenable situation that resulted from what they say was President Donald Trump's undermining and weakening of the immigration system. Critics say the new administration should have been better prepared.