- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION
PHOENIX (AP) — Navajo Nation officials say they will participate in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trials amid a steady decline in coronavirus cases. The American Indian territory once had the highest coronavirus infection rate in the country, but has since seen a substantial decrease in community spread. Navajo officials reported zero new confirmed cases on Sept. 8 for the first time since the pandemic began. As of Friday, there have been 9,952 confirmed cases and 530 deaths from the coronavirus in the Navajo Nation. The vaccine trials will be conducted at health care centers across the Navajo Nation. Participation is entirely voluntary.
- POLICE SHOOTING-NEW MEXICO
LAGUNA, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a New Mexico State Police officer suffered minor injuries in a shooting Saturday along Interstate 40 west of Albuquerque. The State Police said a suspect who was not injured was taken into custody. The incident occurred near Laguna and that eastbound traffic on I-40 was being diverted onto State Road 6, Laguna is about 70 miles west of Albuquerque. No identities were released and a State Police statement did not provide additional details on the incident, including the nature of the officer's injuries.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — President Donald Trump is throwing his support behind Republican challenger Yvette Herrell in a crucial U.S. House race in southern New Mexico. The president tweeted this week that Herrell had his "complete and total endorsement" and pointed to her support over border security, "brave law enforcement," and the Second Amendment. The endorsement comes as Herrell is seeking to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in the traditionally conservative-leaning district that sits along the U.S.-Mexico border. Torres Small defeated Herrell in 2018 by less than 4,000 votes. She is among the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — According to state data released Friday, more than 26,500 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in New Mexico since the start of the pandemic. There were 818 related deaths as of Friday. Out of 137 newly confirmed cases, 40 were in rural Chavez County where the return to classroom learning is on hold because of high positivity rates for the coronavirus. Two new virus deaths included a woman in her 30s in Lea County with prior underlying health conditions who died after being hospitalized.
- WILDFIRES-MEDIA ACCESS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Journalists have captured searing, intimate images of active and dangerous wildfires burning California, due in large part to a state law that guarantees press virtually unfettered access to disaster sites. That's not the case everywhere as rules about media access vary by state, and even by government agency. Some states only allow journalists behind fire lines with escorts, while others rarely grant permission due to safety concerns. Wildfires are raging in several states in the western U.S. Deadly fires have forced tens of thousands of people from their homes in Oregon, Washington and California.
- AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-IMMIGRATION-HOTELS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — About 8,800 unaccompanied children have been quickly expelled from the United States along the Mexico border under a pandemic-related measure that effectively ended asylum. The disclosure came Friday in the government's appeal of an order to stop using hotels for long-term detention of children. The Trump administration has also expelled more than 7,600 people who came in families since the public health emergency order took effect in March. The administration has asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a ruling that found use of hotels skirted fundamental humanitarian protections.
- ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-NEW MEXICO
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — President Donald Trump is throwing his support behind Republican challenger Yvette Herrell in a crucial U.S. House race in southern New Mexico. The president tweeted this week that Herrell had his "complete and total endorsement" and pointed to her support on border security, "brave law enforcement" and the Second Amendment. The endorsement comes as Herrell is seeking to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in the traditionally conservative-leaning district that sits along the Mexico border. Torres Small defeated Herrell in 2018 by less than 4,000 votes. She is among the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress.
- POKEMON SLAYING-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Police have filed murder charges in connection with an October 2019 shooting of a women who stumbled upon a robbery while playing Pokemon Go on a cellphone. The Albuquerque Police Department on Friday announced charges including murder, robbery and tampering with evidence against 19-year-old Izaiah Andres Garcia of Tijeras in connection with the shooting death of Cayla Campos on the outskirts of a pubic park in Albuquerque. Garica is in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting trial in a separate killing. Garcia's attorney could not be reached immediately. Campos' boyfriend told police that the two were playing the augmented reality video game when they drove up on a robbery.