- New Mexico county that didn't have any COVID cases now has 2
New Mexico officials on Saturday reported 100 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases, including the second in a county that went months without any reported cases. De Baca County in thinly populated cattle country of east-central New Mexico on Thursday lost its status as the only county in the state without a confirmed COVID-19 case. The cases reported Saturday raised the statewide total to 26,661. Three additional deaths raised the death toll to 821. De Baca County stood alone without a reported COVID-19 case for two months after Mora County reported its first on July 10. As of Saturday, only two other counties, had case totals in the single digits.
- Navajo Nation will participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials
PHOENIX (AP) — Navajo Nation officials say they will participate in the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trials amid a steady decline in coronavirus cases. The American Indian territory once had the highest coronavirus infection rate in the country, but has since seen a substantial decrease in community spread. Navajo officials reported zero new confirmed cases on Sept. 8 for the first time since the pandemic began. As of Friday, there have been 9,952 confirmed cases and 530 deaths from the coronavirus in the Navajo Nation. The vaccine trials will be conducted at health care centers across the Navajo Nation. Participation is entirely voluntary.
- State Police: Officer suffers minor injuries in shooting
LAGUNA, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a New Mexico State Police officer suffered minor injuries in a shooting Saturday along Interstate 40 west of Albuquerque. The State Police said a suspect who was not injured was taken into custody. The incident occurred near Laguna and that eastbound traffic on I-40 was being diverted onto State Road 6, Laguna is about 70 miles west of Albuquerque. No identities were released and a State Police statement did not provide additional details on the incident, including the nature of the officer's injuries.
- Trump endorses Herrell in close New Mexico U.S. House race
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — President Donald Trump is throwing his support behind Republican challenger Yvette Herrell in a crucial U.S. House race in southern New Mexico. The president tweeted this week that Herrell had his "complete and total endorsement" and pointed to her support over border security, "brave law enforcement," and the Second Amendment. The endorsement comes as Herrell is seeking to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in the traditionally conservative-leaning district that sits along the U.S.-Mexico border. Torres Small defeated Herrell in 2018 by less than 4,000 votes. She is among the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress.
- New Mexico rolls out new supplemental unemployment benefit
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — According to state data released Friday, more than 26,500 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in New Mexico since the start of the pandemic. There were 818 related deaths as of Friday. Out of 137 newly confirmed cases, 40 were in rural Chavez County where the return to classroom learning is on hold because of high positivity rates for the coronavirus. Two new virus deaths included a woman in her 30s in Lea County with prior underlying health conditions who died after being hospitalized.
- Media access to wildfires, disasters varies widely by state
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Journalists have captured searing, intimate images of active and dangerous wildfires burning California, due in large part to a state law that guarantees press virtually unfettered access to disaster sites. That's not the case everywhere as rules about media access vary by state, and even by government agency. Some states only allow journalists behind fire lines with escorts, while others rarely grant permission due to safety concerns. Wildfires are raging in several states in the western U.S. Deadly fires have forced tens of thousands of people from their homes in Oregon, Washington and California.
- About 8,800 unaccompanied children are expelled at US border
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — About 8,800 unaccompanied children have been quickly expelled from the United States along the Mexico border under a pandemic-related measure that effectively ended asylum. The disclosure came Friday in the government's appeal of an order to stop using hotels for long-term detention of children. The Trump administration has also expelled more than 7,600 people who came in families since the public health emergency order took effect in March. The administration has asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a ruling that found use of hotels skirted fundamental humanitarian protections.
- Trump endorses Herrell in close New Mexico U.S. House race
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — President Donald Trump is throwing his support behind Republican challenger Yvette Herrell in a crucial U.S. House race in southern New Mexico. The president tweeted this week that Herrell had his "complete and total endorsement" and pointed to her support on border security, "brave law enforcement" and the Second Amendment. The endorsement comes as Herrell is seeking to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in the traditionally conservative-leaning district that sits along the Mexico border. Torres Small defeated Herrell in 2018 by less than 4,000 votes. She is among the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress.