- New Mexico sees test shortage as coronavirus cases top 2,000
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is running short of free at-home rapid tests to detect COVID-19 infections as the state struggles with the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The company that runs the state's program said Thursday that the state's supply of tests was overstretched. The announcement came hours after Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wrote that residents could "order a testing kit today." By afternoon "all available tests have been shipped" and Vault Health was offering paid testing instead. The state reported an additional 2,209 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and 26 additional deaths.
- Navajo council votes to send big checks to tribal members
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation's tribal council has voted to send $2,000 checks to each qualified adult and $600 for each child using $557 million in federal coronavirus relief funds. The vote to send the checks to about 350,000 tribal members was approved Thursday by Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez to take effect. Wednesday's 18-2 vote during a special session of the tribe's lawmaking body will tap some of the approximately $2.1 billion the tribe is receiving from President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan Act.
- New Mexico governor signs state House redistricting measure
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation to redraw election boundaries for seats in the New Mexico House of Representatives. The Democrat signed the measure Wednesday, calling it a "sound map that is representative and respectful of New Mexico's varied communities of interest." Republicans disagree. They have argued that the maps approved by the Democrat-led Legislature are partisan and far from fair representation. They say the voices of rural residents, conservative Democrats and independents will be marginalized. The House map is expected to give Democrats an edge in about 45 of 70 seats. Democrats currently hold a 45-24 advantage in the chamber.
- Behind the wait for a verdict at Maxwell jury deliberations
NEW YORK (AP) — The Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial was a four-week winding road with sordid testimony by four women accusing the British socialite of grooming their teenage selves for abuse at the hands of financier Jeffrey Epstein. The defense maintained the abuse could have been real, but Maxwell wasn't part of it. It all came to a climax earlier this week with a guilty verdict in federal court in Manhattan, delivered after five days of jury deliberations. The scenes from the courtroom as the trial wound down were sometimes tedious, sometimes tense.
- Fact Focus: Misinformation persists after Maxwell trial ends
The sex-trafficking trial of Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, ended with guilty verdicts, but that didn't stop the flow of false news that has swirled around the case. Posts emerged on Thursday falsely claiming that trial documents were sealed to protect Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex crimes, and his influential friends. At the same time, previously debunked claims reemerged on social media, including that there was no media coverage of the high-profile trial. Maxwell was found guilty on five of six counts in a monthlong trial where she was accused of helping Epstein sexually exploit teenage girls.
- What's next for Ghislaine Maxwell after guilty verdict?
NEW YORK (AP) — With a guilty verdict in the sex-trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, here's a look at what the once high-flying Jeffrey Epstein confidante was accused of and what's next for her. The 60-year-old Maxwell was convicted of all but one count on Wednesday and faces the possibility of decades in prison. Maxwell's defense contended she was victimized by a need to make someone pay for the alleged crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on his own sex-abuse charges, and her family supports an appeal.
- Woman arrested on arson charge in fire at Islamic Center
ALBUQURQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police have arrested a woman sought on a warrant charging her with arson in a Nov. 29 fire at the Islamic Center of New Mexico. The arrest warrant for Isela Camarena was issued Monday and she was arrested and jailed Wednesday. According to court records, she's charged with arson involving damage over $2,500. Local media reported that security video showed a woman setting a trash can's contents on fire, then pouring the burning trash on the ground and spreading the burning material. Court records didn't list a defense attorney for Camarena who could comment on the allegation against her.
- New Mexico storm expected to cause severe driving conditions
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Forecasters say a winter storm is expected to produce severe driving conditions Friday and Saturday due to high winds and drifting snow with heavy snow accumulations in the mountains. The National Weather Service said widespread and significant impacts to holiday travel are expected. While temperatures Friday will be low enough for valleys to get rainfall, the weather service said colder air will arrive after midnight and allow any rain to change over to snow through Saturday morning. Forecaster say strong winds will combine with bitterly cold temperatures Saturday and Sunday to produce dangerously cold wind chills.