- NEW MEXICO STREAM ACCESS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The debate over whether the public has a right to fish or float streams and other waterways that flow through private property has percolated for decades in many western U.S. states. It has reached a boiling point in New Mexico but a resolution has been delayed again. The state Game Commission chairwoman opted Friday to defer a vote on the applications of landowners seeking to prohibit public access to portions of streams that run through their property. She cited recent questions raised by critics about a potential conflict of interest. She denied having conflicts, but asked the attorney general's office for a review.
- LAS VEGAS-DROUGHT VERSUS GROWTH
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Cities in the U.S. West are preparing for considerable growth in the coming decades despite a historic drought and shrinking water supplies. From Phoenix to Boise, officials are working to ensure they have the resources, infrastructure and housing supply to meet growth projections while balancing conservation. Their efforts are constrained by the fact that some cities are surrounded by federal land. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada wants to remedy the issue around Las Vegas by strengthening protections for some public lands while selling others to commercial and residential developers. Opponents argue that approving these kinds of "swaps" isn't sustainable, particularly in areas that rely on a shrinking water supply.
- VACATION PAYOUT-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is proposing extra pay worth up to two weeks of salary for longtime state employees under her oversight who skimped on vacation in 2020 amid the pandemic. The State Personnel Board is scheduled to consider approval Friday of pay for rank-and-file executive-branch employees and political appointees with large balances of vacation that might otherwise expire. Under ordinary circumstances, state employees lose without payment any unused leave in excess of 240 hours at the end of the calendar year. The proposal arrives as Lujan Grisham ramps up her campaign for reelection.
- OBELISK DESTRUCTION-LAWSUIT
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A Hispanic heritage group in Santa Fe is suing the mayor over the destruction of a U.S. veterans memorial by activists during a demonstration on Indigenous People's Day. The lawsuit seeks to block Mayor Alan Webber's plans to have the monument permanently removed and replaced with a more culturally inclusive one. The 33-foot stone obelisk honored Union soldiers who died fighting Indigenous and Confederate enemies in the 1860s. Its remnants lie at the center of the city's historic plaza, encased in a plywood box. The lawsuit argues that the marker is covered by state law protecting historic places and must be restored.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported 12 new COVID-19 cases and one more death. Tribal health officials said the total number of virus-related deaths on the Navajo Nation now is 1,343 with the total number of reported cases at 30,948 since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez says the mask mandate will remain in place, especially as concern grows over virus variants. More than half of residents on the reservation that stretches into New Mexico, Arizona and Utah eligible to get vaccinated are fully vaccinated. Health facilities are offering vaccines during drive-thru events or by appointment.
- VIRUS OUTLOOK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is under pressure to get thousands of people vaccinated Thursday to meet a deadline set by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. She wanted to reopen the state July 1, as long as 60% of residents 16 and older were fully vaccinated. Data from the New Mexico Department of Health shows 59% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated, marking just a slight increase from the day before. Some say it would be difficult hit the mark given that daily increases have amounted to just a few tenths of a percent. The governor's office also lifted mask requirements for youth athletes who are fully vaccinated.
- AMERICAN WOMEN-QUARTERS
A string of notable American women will appear on the U.S. quarter under a four-year program that begins in 2022. The U.S. Mint says its American Women Quarters Program will celebrate women's accomplishments and contributions to U.S. history. Honorees chosen for the first year are: Maya Angelou, poet and author; Sally Ride, America's first woman in space; Wilma Mankiller, the Cherokee Nation's first female principal chief; Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American Hollywood film star; and Adelina Otero-Warren, a leader in New Mexico's suffrage movement. Mankiller's husband, Charlie Soap, thanked the mint for recognizing his late wife. He tells Indian Country Today the coin will inspire other Native Americans and "women everywhere."
- WESTERN HEAT WAVE-EXPLAINER
PHOENIX (AP) — Much of the American West has been blasted with sweltering heat this week as a high pressure dome combines with the worst drought in modern history to launch temperatures into the triple digits. Record daily highs have been seen this week in parts of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Utah even before the official start of summer. Phoenix is baking in some of the U.S. West's hottest weather and hit a record-breaking 118 degrees Thursday. Climate scientists say the early arrival and intensity of the heat wave have much to do with a long-running drought gripping the region and climate change.