- HISTORIC HOME
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Renovations to a historic home in Las Cruces will soon be complete, and some hope the century-old property becomes the first addition to the city's new historic register. The home is significant because it once belonged to Hiram Hadley, the first president of what's now New Mexico State University. Dr. Robert McBride, who established one of the first hospitals in Las Cruces, also lived there and it was once used as a dairy. Under the historic preservation ordinance approved in in December, property owners can apply for designation and be put on the city's historic register. Members of the Historic Preservation Commission have visited the home.
- AP-US-TV-BUILDING-THE-AMERICAN-DREAM
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — A new film is examining the effects of the construction boom in the American Southwest on Latino workers. The VOCES/PBS documentary "Building the American Dream" dives into the lives of one Mexican immigrant family in Texas after their construction worker son dies while on the job. Salvadorian electrician couple is cheated out of wages and tries to force a contractor to pay. Meanwhile, advocates work to try to convince lawmakers to require companies to give workers water breaks. Director Chelsea Hernandez says she'd been working on the film since 2009 and it's a microcosm of the exploitation Latino construction workers face in the U.S.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
New Mexico officials on Saturday reported 100 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases, including the second in a county that went months without any reported cases. De Baca County in thinly populated cattle country of east-central New Mexico on Thursday lost its status as the only county in the state without a confirmed COVID-19 case. The cases reported Saturday raised the statewide total to 26,661. Three additional deaths raised the death toll to 821. De Baca County stood alone without a reported COVID-19 case for two months after Mora County reported its first on July 10. As of Saturday, only two other counties, had case totals in the single digits.
- 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.
- 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.