- AP-US-BIDEN-CABINET-INTERIOR
WASHINGTON (AP) — Maine Sen. Susan Collins says she will support New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland to be Interior secretary. Collins is the first Republican senator to publicly back Haaland, who's set to become the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency. The announcement Wednesday makes Haaland's confirmation by the Senate nearly certain and follows Haaland's endorsement last week by Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Collins says she differs with Haaland on several issues but appreciates her role in helping to lead House passage of the Great American Outdoors Act, a landmark conservation law that Collins co-sponsored.
- SPACEPORT AMERICA-NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SIERRA COUNTY, N.M. (AP) — Spaceport America has named New Mexico native Scott A. McLaughlin as its new executive director. The company announced the appointment on Tuesday. McLaughlin served as the director of business development at Spaceport America prior to being named interim executive director in July 2020. He has worked at several government agencies including the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as in the private sector with tech and engineering companies. McLaughlin graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in electrical engineering. Spaceport America is a federally licensed launch complex situated on 18,000 acres adjacent to the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.
- AP-US-POLICING-REFORMS-NEW-MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Policing reforms are making for strange bedfellows in New Mexico as the co-founders of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and the conservative-backed nonprofit group Americans for Prosperity lobby for a bill to eliminate police immunity from lawsuits on civil rights violations. Ice cream entrepreneurs and civic activists Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on Tuesday joined an online news conference to promote the proposed policing reforms that would allow civil right lawsuits against local officials in state courts. Cohen says he hopes the bill will be approved and serve as a model for police accountability movements in other states.
- ONLINE SCHOOLING-LAWSUIT
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Accusations of civil rights violations have been filed against the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education on behalf of students who cannot return to in-person learning. In documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, attorneys are seeking as much as $1.8 billion on behalf of the district's nearly 90,000 students to cover private school tuition, citing constitutional guarantees to an adequate education. Many New Mexico school districts have opted not to dramatically increase in-person learning despite approval from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Albuquerque Public Schools spokeswoman Monica Armenta declined to comment because the situation involves pending litigation.
- LEGISLATURE-LOAN REGULATIONS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A bill capping interest rates at 36% annually for short-term, low-dollar loans has cleared the New Mexico Senate. Democrats say it will further reduce lending they describe as predatory. Republicans and one Democrat opposing the bill called it out of touch, arguing that on a monthly basis, the bill will cap loans to 3% and largely eliminate access to credit for the poor and unbanked. Currently, lenders can charge as much as 175% on loans of $5,000 or less. Supporters of the bill say that local nonprofit organizations and credit unions are increasingly lending to those in need.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is touting her administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the state stepped up last year with direct economic aid and is looking to provide more relief through pending legislation. She spoke Tuesday during an online forum, acknowledging that the pandemic has been a cruel hardship. Critics have accused her of ignoring her own policies and spending thousands of dollars on groceries while many New Mexicans remain without jobs and businesses have yet to recover. The Republican Governors Association on Monday launched a week of digital ads targeting the governor, and Republican leaders in the state say Lujan Grisham's choices have had unfortunate results.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Tuesday reported 16 new COVID-19 cases with 14 additional deaths. The latest figures from tribal health officials bring the total number of COVID-19 cases to 29,774 cases since the pandemic began. The death toll now is 1,184. Health facilities on the reservation and in border towns are conducting drive-thru vaccine events or administering doses by appointment. The Navajo-area Indian Health Service has vaccinated more than 135,000 people so far. A daily curfew from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. and a mask mandate remain in effect for residents of the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah to prevent the spread of the virus.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK MORE SCHOOL
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico lawmakers are exploring how to make sure kids spend more time in class next year to address the loss of learning during the pandemic. Senate Democrats have advanced a bill that would require schools to tap into an existing $200 million fund to extend the school year. The mandate would take effect if the governor's current in-person learning restrictions are lifted. Teachers would have to stick with their students for an additional 10 to 25 days depending on the grade level and would be paid for the extra time. A bill in the House would allow that time to be used in longer days instead.