- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A day after Republicans won back New Mexico's only conservative-leaning congressional district, a top state Democrat says its boundaries will be redrawn. House Speaker Brian Egolf has suggested there could be implications for Republicans holding on to the seat. The redistricting process this time will be guided by the Democratic-controlled Legislature and Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Democrats also dominate the state Supreme Court, which could decide any legal disputes. Political experts have said there's more temptation to pass a partisan plan when the executive and legislative branches are held by the same party. Republicans say Egolf's focus should instead be on addressing the state's problems.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials are partnering with the federal government to expand COVID-19 testing across the southern part of the state. The state Health Department said Wednesday the effort is aimed at driving down positivity rates in counties that are currently on the "red" list. Once a county improves, it moves to the "green" list and some restrictions can be relaxed. Starting Thursday, the Health Department will open 12 new testing sites in areas where positivity rates have skyrocketed. That includes Las Cruces, Clovis, Hobbs, Carlsbad, Portales and several other locations. New Mexico's confirmed COVID-19 cases have topped 50,250.
- SANTA FE OBELISK-DESTRUCTION
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in New Mexico say charges have been filed against two people accused of destroying a monument that had stood at the center of Santa Fe's historic Plaza for more than 150 years. The Santa Fe Police Department announced Wednesday that 33-year-old Lily Sage Schweitzer and 29-year-old Ryan Witt each face multiple charges, including criminal damage to property and criminal trespass. Online court records didn't list attorneys for Witt and Schweitzer who could comment on their behalf. Police previously arrested two men following a rally on Indigenous Peoples Day last month that resulted in the obelisk being pulled down. Some view the monument as a symbol of the oppression of Native Americans.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
PHOENIX (AP) — The Navajo Nation Department of Health has issued a health advisory warning to residents about the "uncontrolled" spread of the coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases increases. The department announced Wednesday that 29 communities were affected by the spread throughout the reservation, including in the Arizona communities of Cameron, Leupp, Dilkon, Ganado and Round Rock. A daily curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. remains in effect on the Navajo Nation. Health officials have said it has had more than 11,900 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 582 deaths as of Tuesday.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham boasted that voters were turning out in droves Tuesday and electing Democrats up and down the ticket. But that didn't happen in a key congressional district where oil and gas development provides thousands of jobs and underpins New Mexico's state budget. Amid the blue wave, Republican Yvette Herrell marked a decisive victory to unseat Democratic incumbent Xochitl Torres Small in a campaign centered on jobs, personal liberties and reopening businesses shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic. Aside from Herrell's win, political observers suggest that margins in presidential and Senate races would have been larger if New Mexico voters had aligned more with Democrats.
- ELECTION 2020-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Democrats have expanded their control of the New Mexico Legislature, giving momentum to progressive priorities on marijuana, education and abortion. But Republicans reclaimed a conservative-leaning congressional district in southern New Mexico and fended off some progressive Democrats who had unseated centrists in legislative primaries. Democrats successfully defended legislative majorities in the state House and Senate, and women expanded their political representation in both chambers. Three Senate races and five House races are still undecided. County election boards are wrapping up counts Wednesday of a few thousand outstanding absentee and provisional ballots.
- ALBUQUERQUE HOMICIDE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Albuquerque police say officers responding to a report of a shooting in progress early Wednesday morning found a woman dead and a man gravely wounded, A brief statement released by the Police Department said the woman was found dead outside an apartment and the wounded man was found inside the unit with an apparent gunshot wound. The statement said the wounded man was taken to a hospital "where he is not expected to survive his injuries." No identities were released and the statement said detectives were in the initial stages of investigating circumstances of the incident.
- IMMIGRATION-PUBLIC BENEFITS-LAWSUIT
CHICAGO (AP) — A Trump administration immigration rule that would deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits like food stamps is back in effect while a U.S. appeals court considers the case. The Election Day move was the latest twist in the legal battle over the controversial rule. Government attorneys on Tuesday appealed a federal judge's decision to strike down the rule. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put a hold on the ruling, allowing the restrictions to proceed. Under the policy, immigration officials could deny permanent residency to legal immigrants over their use of food stamps, Medicaid or other public benefits.