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

  • AP-US-ELECTION-2020-CONGRESS-INDIGENOUS-REPRESENTATION

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Internet access, health care and basic necessities like running water and electricity within Indigenous communities have long been at the center of congressional debates. But until recently, Congress hasn't had many Indigenous members who were pushing for solutions and funding for those issues. Hope is growing after the Native delegation in the U.S. House expanded by two on Election Day. Wins by Cherokee member Yvette Herrell in New Mexico and Native Hawaiian Kai Kahele in Hawaii brought the number in Congress to six. Scholars say representation is progress and the product of efforts to put forth Indigenous candidates, increase voter turnout and Native communities flexing their political muscle.

  • NUCLEAR REPOSITORY-LAWSUIT

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — A contracting company is suing the manager of the U.S. government's nuclear waste dump. Critical Applications Alliance alleges in a federal lawsuit that Nuclear Waste Partnership breached its contract to rebuild the repository's air system. The contractor was hired in 2018 to build the ventilation system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant for $135 million but the contract was terminated in August. The lawsuit argues that the project was troubled from the start, suffering from delays and frequent design changes resulting from Nuclear Waste Partnership's inexperience in major construction projects. Nuclear Waste Partnership declined to comment on the pending litigation.

  • VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Top medical officers for some of New Mexico's largest hospital systems say they are now at or above normal capacity as the coronavirus pandemic surges across the state. They briefed reporters Monday, saying they're seeing the strain on staff and they won't be able to sustain the pace over the long term. New Mexico set another record with 1,418 additional COVID-19 cases reported in a single day. Presbyterian Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jason Mitchell says hospitals are operating under contingency plans. He's among those pleading with people to stay home to curb the spread of the virus.

  • VIRUS OUTBREAK-NAVAJO NATION

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Health officials have reported 124 additional coronavirus cases and two additional deaths from the virus for the Navajo Nation as of Sunday. In all, the tribe has reported more than 12,000 known cases and 593 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began. The tribe imposed a weekend curfew that ended early Monday due to the uncontrolled spread of the virus in 29 of its communities that has affected 29 communities throughout the reservation, which spans more than 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

  • AP-US-GRAY-WOLVES-ENDANGERED

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Wildlife advocates and environmental groups are challenging the removal of federal protections for gray wolves across most of the U.S. Two coalitions of groups have filed notice that they plan to sue the U.S. Interior Department in federal court unless protections are restored. The Trump administration last week ended longstanding federal safeguards for gray wolves in the Lower 48 states. That put states and tribes in charge of overseeing the predators and opens the door to more hunting. Gray wolves have recovered from near extinction in parts of the country but remain absent from much of their historical range. Colorado wildlife officials plan to reintroduce wolves in coming years.

  • NAVAJO-HEMP FARMS

SHIPROCK, N.M. (AP) — A team of federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers are serving search warrants on the Navajo Nation near Shiprock. The warrants are sealed and FBI spokesman Frank Fisher could not provide any details Monday, saying only that they stemmed from an ongoing investigation. In October, more than a dozen people were arrested on drug charges at a motel in the area. Authorities alleged the suspects were trimming marijuana plants in multiple motel rooms as marijuana was being stored in other rooms. Investigators were trying to determine whether the suspects were tied to illegal hemp farm operations on the reservation.

  • VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW MEXICO

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico on Saturday for the second day in a row reported nearly 1,300 additional COVID-19 cases and 16 additional deaths. Officials say there are 1,287 additional cases, a one-day record that was the same number reported Friday. But officials on Saturday also said that 10 of the cases reported Friday had turned out to be duplicates or not lab-confirmed. With those adjustments and the latest reported cases, the statewide case total reached 53,671 with 1,104 deaths. State officials warned Thursday that new records would be set over the coming weeks as the rate of spread remains high.

  • BLACK DISTRICT ATTORNEY

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Officials say voters in Dona Ana County have elected the first Black district attorney in New Mexico after he ran unopposed. The Las Cruces Sun-News reported that 62-year-old Gerald Byers said he believes people will be able to work together toward the elusive goal of total justice. Henry Valdez, director of the administrative office of district attorneys, has said he isn't aware of any other African Americans in the state who have held the office. Byers said he began his career at the Bernalillo County district attorney's office while in school through a program that allowed third-year law students to prosecute cases under the supervision of a prosecutor.