- ELECTION 2020-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico election officials are bracing for a final day of in-person voting and absentee-ballot deliveries as Democratic candidates seek to extend their domination in federal elections and Republicans try to reclaim a footing in Congress and reelect the president. New Mexico has open races for a U.S. Senate and a northern congressional seat and there is a hard fought rematch in the southern 2nd congressional district along the U.S. border with Mexico. Election authorities announced Monday that voter participation has surpassed 770,000. That nearly exceeds overall participation of about 804,000 in 2016. New Mexico has about 1.3 million registered voters.
- NAVAJO-COAL POWER PLANT
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Navajo Nation would expand its investment in coal-fired electricity generation as part of a plan to acquire more shares in one of the Southwest's last remaining coal power plants. The tribe's Navajo Transitional Energy Co. has negotiated an agreement with New Mexico's largest electric utility to take on the utility's share of the Four Corners Power Plant in 2024. If approved by state regulators, the transaction would preserve jobs at the plant and the adjacent tribally-owned mine for several more years. Many of the workers are Navajo. The deal would also allow the New Mexico utility a faster exit from coal.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Navajo Nation health officials are reporting 73 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 but no deaths. The latest figures bring the total number of cases to 11,828 and the known death toll to 581. Tribal health officials said 125,851 people on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic started and 7,546 have recovered. A shelter-in-place order, mask mandate, daily curfews and weekend lockdowns remain in effect on the Navajo Nation. Meanwhile, the tribe is considering legislation to permit casinos and other gaming facilities to re-open at 50% capacity.
- IMMIGRATION-PUBLIC BENEFITS-LAWSUIT
CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge in Chicago has struck down a Trump administration rule that would deny green cards to immigrants who use food stamps or other public benefits. In a decision Monday that applies nationwide, the judge says the rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act, among other things. It's the latest turn in a complex legal battle over the rule that had taken effect recently after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a hold on the policy. A lawsuit in Chicago had been filed by immigrant rights advocates and Cook County. Trump administration officials did not return messages seeking comment on the ruling.
- AP-US-TRUMP-IMPACT-ON-IMMIGRATION-CITIZENSHIP-AGENCY
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The U.S. agency that reviews citizenship and visa applications has shifted to emphasize fraud detection, enforcement and vetting under President Donald Trump. Applicants, attorneys and some U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees call it overkill. Immigration critics say it's overdue. Curbing legal immigration has been a priority for Trump as he's reshaped the immigration system, arguably more than any U.S. president. New rules make asylum more difficult to get and disqualify more low-income applicants from green cards. Processing times are longer, and the agency's backlog of cases stands at 5 million. Trump adviser Stephen Miller says the agency was plagued by a "huge amount of fraud." Some critics say it hasn't provided enough evidence of that.
- NAVAJO ELECTIONS-LAWSUIT
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A Navajo Nation judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to force a primary election that was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Elouise Brown filed the complaint in August, claiming the voting rights of Navajos were violated when all of the primary election candidates moved on to the tribe's general election ballot. Window Rock Judicial District Judge Malcolm Begay dismissed the lawsuit last week. He says the court didn't have jurisdiction because Brown didn't follow provisions in tribal law to sue the tribal government. The decision came days after the tribe filed a motion to dismiss the case.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Saturday said the spread of coronavirus is out of control in New Mexico and urged residents to stay home and avoid gathering with others to celebrate Halloween. A Facebook post by the Democratic governor's office urged New Mexicans to protect themselves and their fellow residents "by celebrating a COVID-SAFE Halloween" that included staying home and not gathering with others. State officials on Saturday reported 592 additional known virus cases and 11 additional deaths but said the case data for the day was incomplete due to a technical problem. The state's totals increased to 46,490 cases and 1,018 deaths.
- CLIMATE CHANGE-PROGRESS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State officials say New Mexico has made progress in reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to the effects of climate change, but work remains. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that a state climate change task force released its second annual climate report. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the state's commitment to fighting climate change has grown stronger as the effects of climate change have been exposed by an extended fire season, severe drought and low water levels. The report outlines steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions and conserve energy including updated building codes that save new homeowners up to $400 annually.