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COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials on Friday reported 1,055 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 275,209. DOH has designated 242,280 of those cases as recovered.
Bernalillo County had 235 new cases, followed by 172 in San Juan County and Doña Ana County with 113. Santa Fe County had 34 new cases.
The state also announced 10 additional deaths, including the 171st from Santa Fe County: a male in his 70s who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions; there have now been a total of 5,049 fatalities statewide. As of Friday, 397 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, 27 fewer than the day prior. DOH is expected to release a three-day update on cases, deaths and hospitalizations this afternoon.
Currently, 82.1% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 72.4% are fully vaccinated. Among that demographic, 9.8% have had a booster shot. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 62.5% people have had at least one dose and 54.3% are fully inoculated. In Santa Fe County, among those 18 years and older, 92.8% have had at least one dose and 82.3% are fully vaccinated.
New Mexicans can register for a COVID-19 vaccine here and check eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine booster here.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
LFC: NM not meeting stimulus reporting requirements
New Mexico did not meet reporting requirements for its use of federal stimulus funds, according to a new Legislative Finance Committee report. According to the report, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allocated $1.75 billion to the state, with the federal government requiring states to submit annual reports on their recovery plans. New Mexico’s plan, however, did not provide seven of the 11 minimum requirements. “While there are no apparent consequences for failed compliance, the public and the Legislature lack a clear plan from the executive for the use of these funds and how the executive proposes to ensure accountability and transparency,” the report states, noting that other states and entities “submitted more robust plans” that included key priorities, timelines, “strategies to engage and serve disproportionately impacted communities…and the use of evidence in funding decisions.” Thus far, the state has spent more than $682 million, primarily to replenish the unemployment insurance trust fund—approximately $656 million—and on the state’s vaccine lottery: $10 million, and another $4.3 million is committed to comparable expenses. The Albuquerque Journal reports that Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Debbie Romero said via a written statement the report in question only reflected the first five months of ARPA funding. “We are still building the programs and initiatives to roll out all the funds, which will be better reflected in the coming quarterly reports,” the statement said. “We continue to follow the federal government’s guidance and maintain communication as that guidance evolves. Currently, we are not at risk of losing funds.” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham office has maintained authority over federal stimulus funds, leading to a legal battle currently before the state Supreme Court.
Sheriff’s recover multiple weapons, ammo from Rust “prop truck”
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office recovered 12 revolvers, a rifle and boxes with miscellaneous ammunition from a “prop truck,”—according to an inventory filed by Detective Alexandra Hancock—located at Bonanza Creek Ranch, the site of the fatal shooting Oct. 21 of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set. The items were recovered following issuance of a search warrant that included details from an interview with the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, in which she told investigators she had “checked the ‘dummies’ and ensured they were not ‘hot’ rounds” and, after the incident, firearms had been secured inside a safe on a prop truck on set. Gutierrez on Friday released her first public statement on the shooting, via her attorneys, conveying her sympathies to Hutchins’ friends and family and reiterating that she had “no idea where the live rounds came from.” Lawyers Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence also alleged in the statement that the Rust set had been unsafe, saying Gutierrez Reed: “fought for training, days to maintain weapons, and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department. The whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings. This was not the fault of Hannah.” Actor and producer Alec Baldwin, who fired the shot that killed Hutchins and wounded Director Joel Souza, also spoke to paparazzi in Vermont, describing Hutchins as “my friend” but reiterating that the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s department had told him: “...multiple times, don’t make any comments about the ongoing investigation and I can’t.” In response to questions, Baldwin said he would support new safety measures regarding on-set guns, and that he did not anticipate Rust would continue filming, before asking paparazzi to stop following him and his family.
If you’re happy and you know it
The City of Santa Fe has begun collecting feedback from patrons of its community centers and libraries, via emoji kiosks. Specifically, emoji choices range from a smiley face to one with a frown, followed by the opportunity for patrons to leave specific kudos or gripes. Thus far, officials say feedback at the city sites—the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, Main Library, airport and City Hall, for instance—have been overwhelmingly positive—a boon to city employees. “After our long building closures and the stress that COVID placed on staff, it’s always nice to hear positive feedback,” Library Division Director Maria Sanchez-Tucker tells SFR. On the other hand, when users leave criticism, Sanchez-Tucker says that information helps inform her work. “If the feedback is negative—it’s rarely negative—but sometimes people do put specific examples in,” she says. “We’re able to address it if it’s specific enough, and then we can follow up on those issues.” The Community Engagement Office implemented the kiosk project to better understand the public’s experience in high-traffic areas, the office’s director, City Clerk Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic says, and began collecting data in July. Though still nascent, they could also end up used for public events as well. “We’ll see how we can incorporate these into additional services moving forward,” she says.
Listen up
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow this week, and will speak alongside White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, UN Special Envoy Mike Bloomberg, National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp and others at 8:30 am MT this morning on a session titled: “America Is All In: A Society-Wide Mobilization to Meet U.S. Climate Goals.” You can watch the livestream here and view the governor’s full schedule at the conference here.
Apparently, it’s almost Christmas
Today, the City of Santa Fe’s Park Division will begin decorating the Plaza for the holiday season and will continue doing so through Nov. 24 in advance of the annual tree-lighting the day after Thanksgiving (if you’re having trouble remembering last year’s lighting, it was an online drive-by event). As is customary, city workers will install thousands of decorative lights, garlands, and farolitos throughout the Plaza area, a process requiring ladders and the operation of a man-lift to complete the work. As such, designated areas of the Plaza will be closed and barricades will be utilized for safety. Motorists, pedestrians and Plaza vendors are urged to use caution and seek alternate routes. All this to say: Apparently, it’s now the holiday season. Lest one think the city is jumping the gun, Christmas lights have already been illuminated in some of London’s shopping areas, it seems. And, apparently post-Thanksgiving Black Friday sales started a month early due to supply-chain concerns (also capitalism) and so-called “Christmas creep” may have edged out Halloween this year.
Space chile harvest
ICYMI, last week astronauts on the International Space Station harvested the first chile peppers grown in space, which they began cultivating last July. Those are New Mexico chiles, an “Española Improved” hybrid that crosses a Northern New Mexico seed with Hatch chile. As for the research aspect, scientists are investigating “microbial analysis to improve understanding of plant-microbe interactions in space and the crew’s assessment of flavor, texture, and nutrition of the first peppers grown in space.” But we digress. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet shared a photo of the chiles, writing: “The whole crew cannot wait for some fresh food! It is such a joy to grow (and eat) your own food, and necessary for farther exploration of our Solar System.” In addition to sampling the chiles, the astronauts were expected to fill out surveys about them as well. They also are expected to perform the second harvest next month. As for the food accompanying those chiles, astronaut Megan McArthur shared photos of her space tacos (fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes, artichokes and Hatch chile).
Holiday weather?
Happy November, Santa Fe. The National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny day with a high near 61 degrees and east wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon
Thanks for reading! The Word found Apausalypse, a short film following “artists and thinkers in Iceland as they interpret a world gripped by the pandemic” kinda mesmerizing. Special thanks to reader Greg for recommending Emergence magazine.
