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Latest New Mexico news, sports, business and entertainment at 6:20 a.m. MDT

  • LEGISLATOR-CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says Democratic state Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton should be prepared to resign if she is indicted in a probe into allegations of racketeering. The leading state legislator has connections to a company that had contracts with the school district where she worked. Lujan Grisham spoke Thursday as authorities also investigate possible money laundering, kickbacks and violations of a law governing the conduct of state lawmakers. Williams Stapleton could not be reached for immediate comment. She has been suspended without pay along with 11 other school district employees. Lujan Grisham says she is "horrified." 

  • VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported 13 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death. The latest numbers brought the total number of COVID-19 cases on the vast reservation to 31,351 since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The number of known deaths now is 1,374. The Navajo Nation recently relaxed restrictions to allow visitors to travel on the reservation and visit popular attractions like Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley.  The reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles and it covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. While cases are down, Navajo leaders are urging residents to continue wearing masks and get vaccinated.

  • TWO CABINET SECRETARIES

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has named two new cabinet secretaries. The top jobs oversee the departments of safety and education. Former Los Alamos Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus will become the new education secretary next month. Deputy Chief of the Rio Rancho Police Department Jason Bowie will become the next secretary of public safety. The department oversees the New Mexico State Police. The governor has seen a wave of retirements among department heads, with some citing the pressures of the pandemic. Grisham is still looking to fill top positions at agencies such as the Department of Workforce Solutions.

  • FORMER SHERIFF-EMBEZZLEMENT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A state appeals court on Thursday upheld the dismissal of charges accusing a former Torrance County sheriff of embezzlement, fraud and other financial crimes. A Court of Appeals panel disagreed with parts of a trial judge's decision dismissing the case against Heath White but said prosecutors failed to provide evidence that probable cause existed to warrant making White stand trial. White was accused in 2019 of using taxpayer dollars to buy personal items found on his property, but the Court of Appeals said the purchases had been approved and that White had inquired about returning the items after he left office.   

  • VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico will mandate that all state government employees get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly COVID-19 testing, moving in sync with federal authorities to shore up rates of immunization. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday at a news conference that New Mexico will join the federal government, California and New York City in requiring immunization or regular testing for their public employees. The changes for New Mexico take effect Tuesday under a newly signed executive order. Employees who flout the rules can be disciplined, including job termination. Lujan Grisham emphasized inconveniences that await state employees who are eligible for vaccination but unwilling.

  • IMMIGRATION-CENTRAL AMERICA

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris says efforts to address root causes of migration from Central America won't produce immediate results as she unveils a broad strategy that expands on principles the Biden administration has laid out before. The plan supports short-term relief for migration pressures like extreme weather while also committing sustained attention to deeper motivations for people to leave their countries. Harris said Thursday the governments of Mexico, Japan and South Korea have committed to joining the push, along with the United Nations. President Joe Biden's administration has struggled for short- and long-term responses.

  • VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Wednesday reported 14 new COVID-19 cases, but no additional deaths. The latest numbers brought the total number of COVID-19 cases on the vast reservation to 31,337 since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The number of known deaths remains at 1,373. The Navajo Nation recently relaxed restrictions to allow visitors to travel on the reservation and visit popular attractions like Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley. The reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles and it covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. While cases are down, Navajo leaders are urging residents to continue wearing masks and get vaccinated.

  • FLOODED ARROYO-MISSING PERSON SEARCH

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Crews have recovered the body of an unidentified woman who was swept away by floodwaters in an arroyo in northeast Albuquerque. City fire rescue officials say the body was found at a washout Wednesday afternoon. They say two people _ a man and a woman _ were spotted in the arroyo after heavy rain hit the area Tuesday evening. One person safely got out of the arroyo near Interstate 25 before the search was stopped by darkness and resumed Wednesday morning. Crews had been tied to railings along the arroyo as they searched for any sign of the second missing person coming through the raging water.