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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 3:20 a.m. MDT

  • New Mexico reports 192 additional COVID-19 cases and 1 death

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Health officials in New Mexico reported 192 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday with one additional death. That raises the state's totals to 11,809 confirmed cases with at least 492 known deaths. The bulk of the reported additional cases were in Bernalillo County (45) San Juan County (34), McKinley County (28) and Dona Ana County (27). The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.  

  • Virus raises stakes in New Mexico landmark education lawsuit

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge will reconsider a 2018 ruling that found the state failed to provide children a sufficient education as required by the state constitution. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham argues her administration is on its way to addressing the ruling and the case should be dismissed. The lawsuit has brought racial and socioeconomic inequity to the forefront in a state where per-student spending and educational achievement hover near the bottom of national rankings. Newly appointed state District Court Judge Matthew Wilson will consider dueling motions Monday to dismiss or more aggressively enforce the ruling.

  • New Mexico hospitals to resume patient visitations

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Hospitals in New Mexico have started to loosen restrictions that kept family and friends from visiting patients. San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington says patients who have not tested positive for COVID-19 will be allowed one visitor. Visitations are still prohibited for patients who have tested positive. Lovelace Medical Center, Presbyterian and the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque have also announced similar visitation policies with only one visit each day with facial covering requirements. On Saturday, the state reported 209 additional confirmed cases with two additional deaths.

  • Spanish colonial monuments fuel race strife in US Southwest

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — A decades-long fight between some Hispanics and Native Americans over the removal of statues honoring Spanish colonial figures in New Mexico and California is boiling over again. Hispanics who venerated Spain's historical ties to the U.S. say the monuments celebrate their cultural heritage. Native Americans say that history ignores the pain of colonialism. The historical markers highlight a complicated past that has spanned centuries. Spain's enduring hold over the territory that is now New Mexico made it unlike other areas in the Southwest and opened the door for memorializing the Spanish influence.

  • 4 Albuquerque fireworks displays planned to avoid gatherings

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque and Bernalillo County are teaming up to stage July Fourth fireworks displays in each quadrant of the metro area to encourage residents to avoid congregating in any one area while restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak remain in effect. A statement released Saturday said the planned multiple displays are intended to allow residents to watch the fireworks from home. The four fireworks displays will launch from the Ladera Golf Course, North Domingo Baca Park, the Los Altos Golf Course, and Tom Tenorio Park.  The announcement statement said the sites will be closed to the public several ahead of the planned launch time of 9:20 p.m. 

  • Use of plastic bags still allowed in Bernalillo County

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Bernalillo County will continue to allow for the use of single-use plastic bags amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. County manager Julie Morgas Baca first suspended the ban on plastic bags during a March 10 emergency meeting. She said the use of single-use bags should cut down on the possible spread of the coronavirus. The ban on plastic bags and Styrofoam containers took effect in unincorporated areas of the county on Jan 1. The city of Albuquerque, which has its own ban on plastic bags, is also temporarily allowing for their use. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham raised concerns Thursday about a recent uptick in COVID-19 infections.

  • New Mexico Supreme Court chief justice postpones retirement

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The top judge on the New Mexico Supreme Court is postponing her scheduled retirement from the state high court until later in the year because of a late-emerging snag. Chief Justice Judith Nakamura said in early June she would retire July 31, but on Friday she said in a statement she had received unspecified "new information" from Public Employees Retirement Association that requires her to postpone her retirement. Nakamura's statement said she now plans to remain a Supreme Court justice "until later this year" and that the justices will elect a new chief justice on July 15.

  • Judge: Alaska corporations can get tribal virus relief money

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that Alaska Native corporations are eligible for a share of coronavirus relief funding set aside for tribes. Congress included $8 million for tribes in a relief package approved earlier this year. Tribal nations sued to keep it out of the hands of Alaska Native corporations, arguing they didn't qualify. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., disagreed in a ruling late Friday. He said the corporations can be treated as tribal governments for limited purposes. Various tribes said they are reviewing the decision and deciding on the next steps. The Treasury Department didn't respond to a request for comment.