- ALBUQUERQUE CRIME-MOTHER'S SLAYING
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in New Mexico have charged a Mexican national with the 2019 slaying of the mother of two state police officers. District Attorney Raul Torrez announced the charges against Luis Talamantes-Romero during a news conference Thursday. Talamantes-Romero is in federal custody in Texas awaiting sentencing for illegal re-entry into the U.S. He's also facing charges of aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and other crimes. Jacqueline Vigil was shot dead last year in her driveway as she prepared to leave for the gym. The case had gone unsolved for months, drawing the attention of President Donald Trump as he pushed his tough-on-crime agenda.
- GOVERNOR-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An attorney who successfully defended the governor's emergency health orders from legal challenges has been promoted to chief of staff by Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Matthew Garcia was named chief of staff Thursday to succeed John Bingaman as he departs state government for the private sector. Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Sackett said Bingaman continues to advise the governor on a volunteer basis in her role as co-chair to the transition team for President-elect Joe Biden. Garcia, as general counsel to the governor's office, made a series of appearances before the state Supreme Court regarding the state's pandemic response, the governor's emergency powers and voting procedures.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico has marked its highest daily count of confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. Health officials on Thursday reported an additional 1,753 cases to push the statewide tally to more than 60,770. Eighteen deaths also were reported. The state has been struggling with uncontrollable spread in recent weeks and health care administrators have warned that many hospitals are at or near capacity. In Albuquerque, an alternate care overflow facility designed to house coronavirus patients has remained locked and unused. The state is considering a federal request for Department of Defense military personnel to staff the facility.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT
PHOENIX (AP) — Seven months after he was first hospitalized with COVID-19, a utility worker from Las Cruces, New Mexico, has a brand new set of lungs. Doctors at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, where the transplant took place, are expected to release 52-year-old Arthur Sanchez on Saturday. He is the first of two double lung transplants the hospital has performed on coronavirus patients since the pandemic began. There have been reports of a handful of COVID patients nationwide who have received a lung transplant. Sanchez has called himself "a walking miracle." Doctors say he spent more than 115 days in various hospitals during his battle with the virus.
- TAX PREPARER-GUILTY PLEA
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a northern New Mexico tax preparer faces up to six years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting the preparation of false income tax returns. The U.S. Attorney's Office for New Mexico said in a statement that 44-year-old Carlos Perea of Las Vegas pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Albuquerque. The statement said Perea owned and operated Perea Fast Tax in Las Vegas and that he admitted to reporting false information to decrease tax liabilities and increase refunds. According to the office, Perea faces up to three years in prison on each count.
- CHILD WELL-BEING-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Any efforts in New Mexico to build a successful early childhood education system will depend on the state's ability to prevent child neglect and abuse. Members of a task force focused on child well-being relayed their findings to a panel of state lawmakers Thursday. Dr. Andrew Hsi of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center says it has been difficult to organize state leadership around the issue of prevention despite troubling statistics. The team of experts pointed to data suggesting 1 out of 2 New Mexico children have at least one adverse experience by the time they are 3.
- HEALTH SECRETARY-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A public health expert at the University of New Mexico has been appointed to lead the state's Health Department amid surging daily rates of coronavirus infection. Physician Tracie Collins was appointed Wednesday to lead an agency that is a cornerstone of the state's response to COVID-19. Gov. Michelle Lujan says she chose Collins based on the need for "experienced and compassionate public health leadership." Collins said the state wants to help people protect each other from COVID-19 in private settings amid indications that the virus is spreading at social and family gatherings that are beyond the direct reach of emergency health orders.
- OUTDOOR ECONOMY-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's outdoor recreation economy is outpacing the industry's growth nationwide. Officials with the state's Outdoor Recreation Division pointed Wednesday to updated figures released by the federal government's Bureau of Economic Analysis. The numbers show the industry contributed $2.4 billion to the state's gross domestic product last year and grew nearly 6% since 2018. The report also shows that the industry employs more than 35,000 workers and accounts for $1.2 billion in annual income. Since 2018, outdoor recreation income has grown 7.6% in New Mexico. That's compared with an increase of less than 4% for the nation.