- SPACE COMMAND-ALBUQUERQUE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's largest city — Albuquerque — is among 31 potential locations for the federal government's new space command center. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced Friday that they will lead a community effort to land what is expected to be a major federal facility that would add more than 1,000 jobs. The officials had submitted in June a letter of interest proposing the city as an ideal location. They cited New Mexico's existing defense and science installations and the state's growing aerospace sector. Members of the state's congressional delegation also have voiced support for the effort.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials are reporting an additional 175 COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 23,160 since the pandemic began. Friday's tally marks another day of lower daily case counts as state health officials look to keep the numbers from spiking again. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during a briefing earlier this week that as long as the state can sustain lower case counts, the potential for reopening parts of the economy become greater. Case counts are just one metric that health officials are tracking. Others include the rate of spread, hospitalizations and the capacity for contact tracing.
- PENSION FUND-PRIVATE PRISONS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Policies that guide pension investments for New Mexico teachers and other educational retirees would have to change if the Educational Retirement Board wants to divest in private prison companies or other individual stocks it disapproves of for social reasons. Questions about socially responsible investments dominated Friday's meeting as teachers' unions and immigrant activists have called on the board to stop investing in Florida-based GEO Group and Tennessee-based CoreCivic. Currently, investments are handled by managers as part of index funds that consist of numerous companies. Legal and fiscal experts stressed to board members that they have a responsibility to be prudent and ensure the greatest return for retirees.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Popular tourist destinations on the Navajo Nation, including Canyon de Chelly, can start welcoming back tourists Monday under the tribe's reopening plan. Much of the reservation has been closed since March as coronavirus swept through. The tribe released a plan this week that allows parks and marinas to reopen with safeguards. Businesses can operate at limited capacity. Tribal President Jonathan Nez says the Navajo Nation won't rush to fully reopen, recognizing that cases could spike if residents become complacent. Employees at tribal and national parks on the reservation say they will be busy this weekend preparing for tourists.
- NAVAJO ELECTIONS-LAWSUIT
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A member of the Navajo Nation is suing the tribal government to try to force a primary election that was canceled because of the coronavirus. Eloise Brown alleges in the complaint that tribal officials don't have the authority to alter election dates. She says that power is reserved for the Navajo people. The lawsuit filed in tribal court seeks to postpone the November general election until a primary election can be held. Navajo Nation Council Speaker Seth Damon's office didn't respond directly to the lawsuit but said the council established a record of its discussion on a bill to cancel the primary.
- CODE TALKER DAY
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Hundreds of Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allied forces covertly communicate during World War II were honored in a ceremony Friday. Code Talkers Day is celebrated annually on Aug. 14, the date of the Japanese surrender marking the end of the War. The ceremony is typically held in person but was taken online this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of Navajos serving in the U.S. Marine Corps transmitted messages using a code based on the Navajo language. The code developed by an original group of 29 Navajos was used to confound Japanese forces. It was never broken. Only a handful of Code Talkers are still alive.
- CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has named three members of a nine-member commission on civil rights. The announcement Friday means the commission can get to work on proposing legislation to tackle policing accountability in the 2021 regular legislative session. The New Mexico Civil Rights Commission was formed through legislation in June during a special session that focused on coronavirus budget woes. But it took place as massive protests around the country called for policing reform in the wake of the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans in police custody. The commission is required to report its suggestions by Nov. 15.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small and Republican challenger Yvette Herrell have agreed to at least two televised debates in a closely watched race in southern New Mexico. Torres Small and Herrell said this week they agreed to participate in a KOB-TV debate and another sponsored by KOAT-TV and the Albuquerque Journal. Both say they'd like to add some more debates in the El Paso, Texas, market, which is home to many residents in the southern part of the district. Torres Small defeated Herrell by less than 4,000 votes in 2018, but the two never faced off in a televised debate.