- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico officials are reassuring teachers that they can't be sued by students who get the coronavirus as some of them head back to the classroom. Like most public servants, teachers are protected by insurance that covers court costs. Officials with the state's school insurance authority say it's too soon to say how great the risk of lawsuits against schools will be. Many large districts have opted to stay online for now. But Tuesday marked the first day of in-person learning for some younger students in 20 districts and charter schools around the state.
- AP-US-OBIT-FORREST-FENN
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An antiquities dealer and author who gained fame after hiding a a treasure chest that drove hundreds of thousands of people to search the American West has died at age 90. Police confirmed Forrest Fenn died Monday of natural causes at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Only recently, Fenn announced the bronze chest filled with gold, jewels and other valuables had been found in Wyoming by someone he didn't name. He hid it a decade ago and dropped clues in a poem published in his 2010 autobiography. The treasure spurred an almost a cult-like following, and some people died searching for it.
- ELECTION 2020-NEW MEXICO
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Republicans say they have unveiled a "moderate agenda" around economic development in a bid to capture the state House and Senate. GOP House Minority Leader James Townsend and Republican Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt on Tuesday released a plan they say will bring moderate Democrats and Republicans together following one of the nation's worst recessions amid the pandemic. Townsend says Republicans are running one of its most diverse set of candidates for legislative races. Brandt says the "Fair Deal" comes after several liberal Democrats defeated moderate Democrats in the state Senate. The blueprint calls for improving the state's bond rating and for criminal justice reforms.
- BURNING CAR-TWO DEAD
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in Albuquerque are investigating after two people were found dead in a burning car. Albuquerque police said Monday that they have linked the two deaths to a home invasion. Officers were investigating a home invasion and another case of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon at two different locations Sunday. According to investigators, a car was reported stolen from the scene of the home invasion. Other officers assisting with a nearby car fire say the two victims were found dead inside after the fire was put out. Detectives have since found evidence linking the car fire to the other two incidents.
- XTO ENERGY-PLANTS
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — A major oil and gas producer in the Permian Basin has withdrawn its application for a permit to construct and operate a natural gas facility in southeastern New Mexico. The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy Inc. announced last week it is withdrawing its permit application in Eddy County, citing future infrastructure plans in the area. The application was for two facilities known as the Husky Gas Plant and Central Delivery Point planned to operate in Eddy County about 14 miles northeast of Loving. The facilities would have had the capacity to process about 200,000 barrels per day of oil stabilization.
- AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CENSUS-TRIBES
LODGE GRASS, Mont. (AP) — Millions of federal dollars for impoverished Native American communities are on the line in the U.S. census, and tribes are racing to avoid being undercounted again. Almost all of the nation's more than 300 reservations trail significantly behind the rest of the country in the count. There have long been challenges counting people on far-flung Native lands amid language barriers and distrust of the federal government. But the pandemic has dealt a devastating new setback, with lockdowns keeping census takers away as Indian Country has struggled with disproportionate numbers of infections. Reaching a full count on most reservations now looks nearly impossible.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials are reporting 46 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus _ the lowest daily number in the state since early April. The new cases announced Monday bring the state's total to 26,144. State health officials also said four more people have died from the virus. According to state numbers, 807 people in New Mexico have died from COVID-19. There are 65 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for the virus. That number may include individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 out of state but are currently hospitalized in New Mexico.
- RECORD HEAT-HOMELESS
PHOENIX (AP) — Extreme temperatures across the Southwest and a record-breaking summer in Phoenix pose additional threats during the coronavirus pandemic, especially for people living on the street. Public health officials in the Phoenix area reported 55 confirmed heat-related deaths so far this year with about 270 cases under investigation. Weather experts expect the heat to continue having an impact. Officials say the dangerous heat has been exacerbated by the pandemic as some heat relief locations have closed. In response, Phoenix has opened a "heat respite center" in the south building of the Phoenix Convention Center to provide shelter from the weather while employing virus safety measures.