- EDUCATION-IN PERSON SCHOOLS
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the state will soon reopen schools to students of all ages. The vast majority of New Mexico students have been consigned to distance learning during the pandemic, which has led to a slowdown in learning and failing grades. The Democratic governor has pushed back the start of in-person learning since August, citing COVID-19 case numbers. The governor said Tuesday in her State of the State address that New Mexico will be ready by Feb. 8 with a plan for in-person learning. It will include middle- and high-school students who until now have not been allowed to participate in any partial in-person programs.
- STATE OF STATE-NEW MEXICO
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico's governor is urging legislators to approve increased spending on public schools, health care and aid to small businesses in her annual State of the State address. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced new details of her economic relief platform Tuesday and touted state achievements in coronavirus testing. She set a Feb. 8 deadline for allowing school districts to reopen classrooms to students of all ages. The first-term Democrat quoted inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and announced in her own words that "we will stand up, dust ourselves off, and begin again to climb." Lujan Grisham is calling for small business loans and rent subsidies aimed at reviving a battered state economy during aggressive restrictions on business activity and school attendance.
- SOUTHWEST WEATHER
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Parts of multiple roads in Arizona's high country were closed Tuesday as a major winter storm made its final sweep through the state. The National Weather Service says more than 2 feet of snow fell in parts of Flagstaff, Prescott, Payson and Show Low. The storm didn't spare other parts of the state, leaving smaller amounts of snow and rain. In Nevada, higher-elevation outlying areas of metro Las Vegas got light snow Tuesday morning. Up to an inch was expected in some places. Officials urged drivers to postpone travel at higher elevations.
- ALBUQUERQUE-HOMELESSNESS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Officials in New Mexico's largest city are investing more money in an existing homeless shelter west of Albuquerque as they continue looking at options for establishing a new, more accessible shelter. The $1 million investment announced this week will pay for upgrades at the Westside Emergency Housing Center. It will include better ventilation to address COVID-19 concerns. The city is using federal grant funds to pay for the work. The center served an average of about 4,760 people monthly in 2020. Officials say that number will likely increase as the pandemic continues. Voters in 2019 approved a bond that included $14 million for a new shelter.
- DEADLY HIT-AND-RUN
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico authorities say a truck driver faces felony charges for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident in which a woman and an infant in a car seat were found dead along Interstate 40. Police found the bodies after spotting debris the night of Jan. 19. Authorities say the woman was carrying the child in the car seat while walking in the left lane of the highway when they were hit. Authorities arrested the driver from Indiana the next day at a truck stop east of Gallup. Police say heroin and methamphetamines were found in the truck. The trucker's lawyer didn't return a message seeking comment.
- VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Nearly one quarter of New Mexico's population has registered to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. But officials with some of the state's largest health care providers said Monday that inconsistencies with the supply chain are among the barriers to getting more shots in arms. They say they have been planning and are ready to set up more clinics to administer vaccines when more doses arrive. More than 507,000 residents have registered on the state's vaccine website. Health officials say the focus right now remains on those who are 75 and older. More than 203,800 doses have been administered.
- NAVAJO COUNCIL SPEAKER
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Lawmakers on the Navajo Nation have chosen Seth Damon to serve another two-year term as speaker. The lawmakers are meeting this week for their winter session in Window Rock, Arizona. The first item on their agenda was to select a speaker to oversee the tribe's legislative branch. Seth Damon received the only nomination. Damon has served on the 24-member council for six years, representing a handful of communities around Gallup, New Mexico. As speaker, he presides over quarterly Navajo Nation Council sessions. The position also is second in line to succeed the Navajo Nation president.
- COCHISE COUNTY-HUMAN REMAINS FOUND
DOUGLAS, Ariz. (AP) — Cochise County Sheriff's officials say human remains have been found in the Peloncillo Mountains east of Douglas and about a mile from the New Mexico border. They say hunters were in the area when they found the remains Sunday and notified authorities. Sheriff's deputies and the U.S. Border Patrol responded to the scene. The remains were carried out and turned over to a mortuary for transport to the medical examiner's office. Sheriff's officials say they're continuing to investigate the case and working with the medical examiner to identify the remains and determine the cause of death.