- Trump inks law addressing missing, murdered Native Americans
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed a bill named for a Fargo murder victim to address cases of missing and murdered Native Americans. Savanna's Act, which is named for Savanna Greywind, passed the House last month after passing the Senate earlier this year. The bill was introduced by former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, of North Dakota, last Congress and was reintroduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, in the current Congress. The law is meant to help police track, solve and prevent crimes against Native Americans. It directs the Departments of Justice and Interior to consult with American Indian tribes while developing national law enforcement guidelines.
- New Mexico comes close to marking another high on new cases
SANTA FE. N.M. (AP) — A day after reporting a record daily number of additional COVID-19 cases, New Mexico officials came close to doing so again on Saturday. State officials reported 486 additional COVID-19 cases — two short of the 488 reported Friday — and five additional deaths. The state's totals increased to 32,722 cases and 907 deaths. Johns Hopkins University data analyzed by The Associated Press indicated the state's seven-day rolling average of new deaths declined in the past two weeks from 3.3 on Sept. 25 to 2.4 on Friday. Meanwhile, the rolling average of daily new cases over the same period rose from 146 to 299.
- Remote schooling forces child welfare agencies to adapt
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Child welfare monitoring and enforcement have been challenged by the coronavirus pandemic. Teachers, the backbone of the abuse and neglect reporting system, are separated from their students by remote learning. In New Mexico, schools, state agencies, and law enforcement officials say the lack of in-person schooling has required more attention. Reports of "educational neglect" can lead investigators to a household where children are unfed, unkempt, and unschooled. But it can also mean a capable parent has had trouble with Wi-Fi. In Albuquerque, law enforcement officers are applying a light touch to truancy calls that don't result in arrest and regularly connect families to social services.
- Forecasters: Hot, dry, windy weather on tap for New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Forecasters say much of New Mexico will be hot, dry and windy this weekend, with wildfire smoke in some areas. The National Weather Service says there will be record and near-record temperatures ranging from 8 to 17 degrees above normal through Saturday and that winds will strengthen statewide on Sunday, creating concerns about wildfires. Forecasters also say chances for precipitation will be near zero across all of northern and central New Mexico. And the weather service says smoke from a wildfire in eastern Arizona will continue to impact the area around the New Mexico communities of Glenwood, Reserve and Socorro.
- Former frat member sentenced for shooting student as hazing
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A former New Mexico State University fraternity member who shot another student during a hazing ritual last year was given an 18-month suspended sentence on Friday. Miguel Altamirano pleaded no contest to charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and negligent use of a deadly weapon while intoxicated. Altamirano shot Jonathan Sillas in the leg at a campground in November 2019 during hazing for the Kappa Sigma fraternity at the university. The university revoked Kappa Sigma's charter and Altamirano was expelled.
- Virus infections set new one-day record in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is losing ground in efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 as newly reported daily infections hit a record of 488 cases. Three additional deaths from the pandemic also were disclosed Friday by state health officials as fatalities from the pandemic surpassed 900. Bernalillo County, with the state's most populous urban area, accounted for 135 new cases, while Dona Ana had 81. Lea and Chaves counties together accounted for 77 new cases. The state's infection and positivity rates for the spread of the virus are climbing as the administration of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham holds the line on emergency public health restrictions.
- Navajo Nation members eligible for $1,500 for virus relief
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Enrolled members of the Navajo Nation will be eligible for payments of up to $1,500 as part of the tribe's response to the coronavirus. President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer on Friday approved the $49 million plan adopted by the tribal council. The funding comes from the tribe's share of federal coronavirus relief funding. Adults will be eligible for payments of $1,500 while minors are eligible for $500. Nez said in a statement that there isn't enough funding to cover payments for all enrolled members of the tribe, so the money should be directed to elders and those most in need.
- Schools allege overreach by New Mexico education secretary
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A group of New Mexico school districts argue in a lawsuit that the Public Education Department is overstepping its authority during the pandemic. From forcing children without the internet to learn remotely to commandeering toilet paper for child care centers, they say the education department's mandates exceed the powers laid out in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's emergency health order to deal with COVID-19. A number of the school districts represented in the lawsuit are on or near the Navajo Nation, where stakes are high for in-person learning. The region was hit hard early in the pandemic. Now its students, around half of whom cannot connect to the internet, are struggling to keep up with school.