- FOSTER CARE-SETTLEMENT
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has reached a settlement with foster youth and their advocates that will allow for the creation of a trauma response system for all children in state custody. The Human Services Department and state child welfare officials announced the agreement in a statement on Thursday. It calls for building a statewide community-based behavioral health system that all children and families will have access to and implementing training for staff, foster parents and others who serve children affected by trauma. The settlement comes in a 2018 case that alleged youth in the New Mexico foster care system lacked safe, stable placements and behavioral health services.
- WILDFIRE THREAT-NEW MEXICO
SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) — Forest Service officials say the threat of wildfires is rising in southwestern New Mexico. Gila National Forest officials on Thursday cited strong winds, low humidity and the recent discovery of an abandoned campfire for a decision by fire managers to raise the forest's fire danger level to moderate, up from low. Forest officials said campers and other visitors should practice fire safety. That includes taking steps such as never leaving a fire unattended, clearing flammable material from within at least 5 feet (1.5 meters) in all directions and making a fire only if a shovel and enough water to put out the fire are on hand.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's has its first coronavirus death. Health officials said Wednesday the man in his late 70s was hospitalized in Artesia on Sunday and died the same day. The state Health Department said he had multiple underlying health issues and his condition deteriorated rapidly. Infections have climbed to 112 in the state, with schools shut down and a stay-at-home order in effect. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the death marks a tragic day and urged residents to take precautions to limit the spread of the virus. She also issued two new orders designed to address the shortage of protection equipment for health care workers.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-ARIZONA
PHOENIX (AP) — Health officials say the number of coronavirus cases in Arizona has now risen to more than 500 with eight dead. The Arizona Department of Health Services confirmed that 508 cases have now been reported. More than half are in Maricopa County. All but two eastern counties _ Gila and Greenlee _ now have cases. Meanwhile, Navajo Nation officials announced Wednesday night that cases on the reservation had risen to 69, up from 49. More than 40 were in Navajo County in rural northeastern Arizona. The tribe reported other cases elsewhere in northeastern Arizona and a dozen in northwestern New Mexico.
- MARIJUANA-NEW MEXICO-ISRAEL
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico medical marijuana company has begun exporting cannabis-based medicine to Israel. The Albuquerque Journal reports Ultra Health spokeswoman Marissa Novel says the company started exporting earlier this month through a partnership with Israeli pharmaceutical group Panaxai. The medicine was created using hemp grown in Bernalillo County. Ultra Health is believed to be one of the first U.S. companies to export medical marijuana to Israel. Ultra Health CEO and president Duke Rodriguez says New Mexico officials played a crucial role in getting the export effort started.
- CARLSBAD CAVERNS-SHOOTING
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a Colorado man was shot and killed near Carlsbad Caverns National Park following a physical altercation with a National Parks ranger. The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports Eddy County Sheriff Mark Cage said Wednesday that Charles Gage Lorentz was shot by the ranger after being stopped for erratic driving on Saturday. Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Matt Hutchinson says Lorentz was shot during the altercation that ensued and pronounced deceased at the scene by the Office of the Medical Investigation. The ranger was not injured.
- BACKYARD SHOOTING
HOBBS, N.M. (AP) — A 19-year-old facing charges for killing three people at a southeastern New Mexico backyard party is moving closer to trial. The Hobbs News-Sun reports Bishop Henderson III is scheduled this week to face a judge for a preliminary hearing in the deaths of 18-year-old Khalil Carter and 24-year-old Kristal Avena, both of Hobbs, and 22-year-old Lamar Lee Kane Jr. of Washington, D.C. Four others were taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds. Hobbs police say the three were killed when Henderson opened fire at a Hobbs party in August. Henderson's defense attorney says the backyard attack began as a drive-by shooting.
- SOLAR DIRECT PROJECT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico utility regulators have approved a program that will allow local governments and large businesses to subscribe to a universal solar field to be built by the state's largest electric provider. Public Service Co. of New Mexico says the cities and businesses can make a 15-year commitment to match their energy use to the solar field's output. The utility says the arrangement will help cities and businesses meet their sustainability targets. The 50-megawatt facility will be built on Jicarilla Apache Nation land in northern New Mexico. Officials say it will be the first tribally owned, utility-scale solar project in the nation.