Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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SANTA FE — The state Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition to release large numbers of inmates from state prisons amid the coronavirus pandemic. The state Law Offices of the Public Defender, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association filed a petition last month asking the Supreme Court to order Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration to release inmates who meet certain criteria to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the state’s prisons. The petit...
ALBUQUERQUE — Kirtland Air Force Base installation commander Col. David Miller is aware of complaints from retirees about being prevented from shopping at the commissary and base exchange during the COVID-19 pandemic. Miller said the restrictions in place at Kirtland are in line with those at other military bases around the country, including Cannon Air Force Base, near Clovis. It may be July before those restrictions are lifted, Miller said. “I’m fourth-generation military. Making this kind of decision is diffi...
“Extremely negative and nasty.” That’s how political observer Brian Sanderoff describes the battle between former state Rep. Yvette Herrell and oil and gas executive Claire Chase in their bids to become the Republican challenger in the 2nd Congressional District race. “It seems like they are trying to outdo the other” in portraying their loyalty to President Donald Trump, said Sanderoff, president of the Albuquerque-based firm Research and Polling Inc. “It’s really no surprise, given President Trump’s popularity in t...
SANTA FE — A reopening plan released by the state offers a peek at how New Mexico might gradually relax its business closures and stay-at-home instruction throughout the summer. If disease transmission is low enough, for example, New Mexicans could visit theaters sometime next month, and schools might open in August. Each step, of course, will depend on New Mexico’s success at limiting the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease that has contributed to the deaths of 181 people in the state. Gov. Michelle Lujan Gri...
SANTA FE — There are headaches and heartburn on tap at the Roundhouse, as a new report issued last week indicated New Mexico’s revenue outlook will be bleak for the foreseeable future. Specifically, a double whammy of collapsing oil prices and a broader economic downturn triggered by the coronavirus means New Mexico will likely collect between $1.8 billion to $2.4 billion less than previously projected for the fiscal year that starts in July. “It hasn’t been — in any way — a pretty picture,” said Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, a Ga...
After several weeks of declines in the new unemployment claim totals in New Mexico, the number rose again last week following the rollout of a new program making benefits available to self-employed workers and others. The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions received 22,896 new initial unemployment claims through Wednesday, department secretary Bill McCamley said in a video interview with the Albuquerque Journal on Thursday. McCamley said that brings the state total to 141,156 initial unemployment claims since mid-Mar...
Diane Rowe was expecting to be fined $100 or face possible jail time for keeping her pawn and gun shop open in Grants in defiance of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public health orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Instead, she says she has been charged $5,000 a day by the state. And the fine she’s facing now totals $60,000 over a 12-day period. “I did not expect this for standing up for my rights,” she told the Albuquerque Journal. Rowe said her business — Papa’s Pawn and Gun — had received a cease-and-desist order from...
After confusion surrounding the operation of plant nurseries that prompted some temporary closures, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office has made it clear: nurseries selling live plants are allowed to stay open, but only through curbside or delivery service. Nurseries must also continue to take social distancing precautions and abide by the mass gathering rule that prohibits five or more people gathering in a room or in an outdoor space where they can’t be at least six feet from each other, according to Governor’s Offic...
SANTA FE — The number of New Mexico patients hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms jumped 24% on Friday — reaching 152 people, with 38 patients on ventilators to help them breathe. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, in a press briefing, also said six more people had died, pushing the total to 84 deaths. “This is harsh,” she said. “There’s no governor, no family member, no individual anywhere in the world that wants to report on this.” Altogether, Lujan Grisham said, testing confirmed 153 new cases of COVID-19 , bringing the total...
The state deemed you “nonessential” and told you to go home and stay there. You still have bills to pay but no work and no paycheck. OK, you say, it’s a public health emergency. But if the state is going to do this, surely that same government will be Johnny on the Spot when it comes to processing the unemployment claim that constitutes your economic lifeline. This is what we call wishful thinking. If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone. As Albuquerque Journal investigative reporter Mike Gallagher reported last week, ten...
SANTA FE — The state Supreme Court — in an unprecedented hearing by video link — rejected an emergency petition Tuesday that would have shifted New Mexico’s June 2 primary to an election by mail. The decision came after more than two dozen of New Mexico’s top election officials — citing danger to public health — pleaded for court permission to close polling sites and conduct the primary election largely through mail-in ballots. In a 2 1/2 -hour hearing, the justices wrestled with their authority to step in. They pointedl...
Immediately after being notified that she tested positive for COVID-19 last month, Jennifer Burrill began making a list of everywhere she’d been and everyone she’d come into contact with since March 3. That’s the date she first began experiencing a sickness, similar to seasonal allergies, that she now worries was actually the virus. The 48-year-old public defender came up with 74 names, which she provided to the New Mexico Department of Health. But the DOH epidemiologists conducted active contact tracing and monitoring only...
RUIDOSO DOWNS — May 1 is the earliest horses and horseman can arrive at Ruidoso Downs Race Track. But for now, the plan is to start racing as scheduled on May 22. A statement from All American Ruidoso Downs, LLC, the partnership that operates the track and casino, on Thursday said the intent is based on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s “stay at home” order to slow the spread of coronavirus. National guidelines have extended restrictive social distancing guidelines through April 30. “The May 1st restart date requires that horseme...
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t mandating the use of masks when New Mexicans go out in public. But the Governor’s Office said Thursday that top state health officials are now strongly encouraging state residents to cover up — by wearing face coverings when they leave their houses as a way to mitigate the spread of germs amid a coronavirus outbreak. Specially designed masks for doctors and nurses should not be used by members of the public, however, to ensure there’s as many as possible for frontline healthcar... Full story
SANTA FE — When Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a public health emergency on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic, she invoked a 2003 law that — until the current outbreak — had never been used. It’s one of several state laws the governor’s administration has used as it tries to slow the spread of COVID-19 in New Mexico, which had infected 495 state residents as of Friday and been attributed as the cause of 10 deaths. While some New Mexicans have questioned whether the governor is overstepping her authority by ordering... Full story
SANTA FE — New Mexico’s hospitals are modifying medical equipment to make more ventilators, confronting price gouging and freeing up bed space as they prepare for a surge in new virus cases, according to an online panel discussion moderated by the Albuquerque Journal on Wednesday. The top executives at Presbyterian, Lovelace and the University of New Mexico health systems also said they are collaborating well together and ready to work as a team amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “We can see the tsunami that is fast approaching the... Full story
SANTA FE — With the coronavirus spreading across New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday announced the closure of all “non-essential” businesses statewide and delivered a blunt message to state residents. The message: Stay home and only go out when absolutely necessary. “If we limit person to person contact, we will be doing everything in our power to slow the spread,” Lujan Grisham said during a Monday news briefing at the state Capitol. The “stay at home” order is functionally no different than the “shelter in p... Full story
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham suggested fans and families follow New Mexico's high school basketball tournament online — rather than in person — as the state tries to limit a virus outbreak. She said it was simply her advice, not a mandatory order. But limiting attendance at public gatherings will make it easier for New Mexico to slow the spread of COVID-19, she said. "My advice to fans and family members — watch it on TV" or follow it on social media, the governor said of the basketball tournament. "The whole f... Full story
A bill signed into law Monday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will provide free breakfast and lunch to thousands of low-income public school students who have been required to pay a reduced fee for meals through a federal program. House Bill 10, funded through a $650,000 appropriation to the Public Education Department that was included in the main state spending bill for fiscal year 2021, will eliminate copays of 30 cents or 40 cents per meal for about 12,500 students across the state who qualify for federal reduced-price...
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law Monday sweeping changes to New Mexico’s retirement system for police officers, firefighters and public employees — a move intended to strengthen the financial health of the state’s pension plan. The bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 72, will temporarily freeze cost-of-living adjustments for some retirees and require public workers and government agencies to pay more into the system. The changes are intended to better position the Public Employees Retirement Associa...
SANTA FE — Legislation to overhaul New Mexico’s pension system for firefighters, police and other public employees is headed to the full Senate for consideration following a tense public hearing. Members of the Senate Finance Committee voted 10-2 in favor of Senate Bill 72, which is aimed at improving the financial health of the Public Employees Retirement Association. The vote came after harsh public testimony Monday from retirees who objected to proposed changes to how their annual cost-of-living adjustment would be cal...
The state Senate’s unanimous support last week of legislation that would make the state’s out-of-court settlements more transparent is an encouraging step forward for New Mexicans who want to know how their tax dollars are being spent. The state House must not let this good-government bill die before the end of the legislative session next week. For far too long, out-of-court settlements between plaintiffs and the state General Services Department’s Risk Management Division have been subject to a gag order of at least six m...
SANTA FE — A slim majority of adults in New Mexico support a red-flag law that would allow for the temporary removal of firearms from individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others, according to an Albuquerque Journal Poll. The Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act passed the state Senate on Friday by a vote of 22-20. It now moves to the House, where it could be addressed in committee within the next few days. The telephone survey found that 52% of adults support the law and 37% are opposed. The rest had mixed f...
PORTALES — NBCUniversal continues to give back to New Mexico, and Eastern New Mexico University is the latest beneficiary. The company purchased a studio in Albuquerque in 2019 and got involved in the state's Give Back program, a workforce development initiative supported by film productions around the state, said Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes. A check for $17,014 was presented Tuesday to the ENMU Department of Theater and Digital Filmmaking. The check from NBCUniversal was part of the F...
PORTALES — She will long be known as the woman who cared for “the boy in the bubble.” But history will also remember her as an accomplished medical school professor and physician who experienced major breakthroughs in the treatment of babies’ immunological systems. Services for Dr. Mary Ann South were held in her hometown of Portales on Saturday. South was best known as a member of the team of doctors who cared for David Vetter, known as “the boy in the bubble” because of the protective plastic domes in which he lived his e...
