- Conceptual redistricting maps emerge from citizens board
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An advisory committee to the New Mexico Legislature on redistricting is deciding on a set of conceptual maps to circulate for public comment. The Citizens Redistricting Committee was scheduled to meet on Thursday to select those conceptual maps. The actual line-drawing will be done by the state's Democrat-led Legislature, which could ignore the commission and use its overwhelming majorities to create districts that help Democrats continue to win elections for years to come. States, including New Mexico and Indiana, are using citizen advisory boards on redistricting to temper political inclinations without taking powers away from state lawmakers.
- Navajo Nation reports 45 more COVID-19 cases, 5 more deaths
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 45 more COVID-19 cases and five additional deaths. The latest numbers pushed the tribe's totals to 33,338 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,426 known deaths from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Navajo officials are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel. Officials said all Navajo Nation executive branch employees will need to be fully vaccinated against the virus by the end of September or submit to regular testing The tribe's reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles. It covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
- Tesla builds 1st store on tribal land, dodges state car laws
NAMBÉ, N.M. (AP) — Tesla has sidestepped car dealership laws by setting up shop on Native American land for the first time. The move in New Mexico could be a model for Tesla's efforts to sell in other states that require car companies to sell through dealerships. The tribe has welcomed Tesla's store that opened last week, calling it an environmentally conscious employer. Car dealers say consumers should buy electric vehicles from companies that follow state laws. They say the traditional car dealership sales model is more convenient, generates tax revenue and brings down car prices through competition. Tesla enthusiasts are happy they don't have to travel out of state for repairs.
- Nutrition aid surges, food banks brace for uncertain future
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Food banks in New Mexico are watching warily within a state with high rates of childhood poverty and hunger as the federal government pours more money into food stamps starting in October. At the same time, companion emergency benefits are being renewed tenuously each month to allow the maximum food-aid payment per individual or family — often doubling standard monthly benefit payments. The eventual end to those programs is likely to send shock waves through personal and family finances in New Mexico, where more than one-in-four residents depends on the government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to put food on the table.
- New Mexico extends masking order as new cases trend downward
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — State health officials say New Mexico is on the downslope of the pandemic as the number of new infections has started to decrease. Still, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase said during a briefing Wednesday that community spread remains high across the state and precautions need to be taken. That includes extending the state's latest mask mandate for at least another month in indoor public settings. The mask mandate had been set to expire Wednesday. New Mexico in May 2020 was among the first states to require that face coverings be worn in public settings. That order was lifted last May for fully vaccinated people.
- Groups ask US to consider extreme heat in border policies
PHOENIX (AP) — Human rights groups are calling on the Biden administration to consider the effects that climate change-fueled heat has on migrants when designing the government's border policies. Human Rights Watch on Wednesday released the letter sent by 68 groups to the U.S. government, urging a new approach to actions on the southwestern border after this summer's deadly heat. The Southwest has become one of the fastest warming regions in the U.S. as climate change increasingly wreaks havoc on the environment. The letter says limiting entry to migrants hoping to apply for asylum can prompt them to make risky journeys through dangerous areas.
- US grants license for temporary nuclear waste dump in Texas
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are giving the go-ahead for temporary storage of highly radioactive waste in west Texas. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted a license to Interim Storage Partners to build and run a facility that could take up to 5,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel rods from power plants and 231 million tons of other radioactive waste. That sets up a showdown with state officials. Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill to ban storing or shipping high-level nuclear waste through the state. Environmental groups have also sued to block the project, which would be built about 350 miles west of Dallas, near the Texas-New Mexico state line.
- 22-year-old Pinon woman crowned as new Miss Navajo Nation
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Niagara Rockbridge has been crowned as Miss Navajo Nation. A virtual coronation ceremony was held Saturday at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock. The weeklong pageant included a sheep butchering contest, interviews and a traditional and contemporary skills talent competition. Rockbridge is from Pinon. The 22-year-old succeeds Shaandiin Parrish, who served an unprecedented two-year term as Miss Navajo Nation as the 2020 pageant was canceled because of the pandemic. Tribal officials say the role of Miss Navajo Nation is to be an ambassador of the largest sovereign nation in the U.S. The tribe's reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles. It covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.