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Morning Word
COVID-19 by the numbers
State health officials yesterday reported 106 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total so far to 204,577, with 192,777 designated as recovered.
Bernalillo County had the most cases: 23, followed by Doña Ana County with 15 and the Torrance County Detention Center with 12. Santa Fe County had 10 cases, six of which came from the 87507 ZIP code.
The state also announced five additional deaths, each from a different county; there have now been 4,310 fatalities.
As of today, 101 people are hospitalized with COVID-19.
The state’s first vaccination sweepstakes drawing is set to take place today as New Mexico moves toward its goal of 60% vaccination. Currently, 67.8% of New Mexicans have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 59% are fully vaccinated. In Santa Fe County, 76% have had at least one dose and 66.5% are fully inoculated.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here. If you’ve had experiences with COVID-19, we would like to hear from you.
Masks off on the field of play
Youth who have been vaccinated and waited an appropriate length of time may participate in sports together without wearing masks, according to amendments to public health orders announced Thursday by New Mexico officials. The New Mexico Activities Association tells the Albuquerque Journal its members are happy with the news, but it comes just a few days before the end of prep sports season; athletes were asked to wear masks at the Class 1A state track meet yesterday, for example, while the the 2A and 3A meets are set for today and Saturday under the new rules. The state also rolled out an incentive program for teams that offers cash payments for those who register and meet certain vaccination thresholds.
Rincon Fire relatively inactive
In the first community meeting for the Rincon Fire held last night at Mora High School, the US Forest Service provided updates on the blaze in the Pecos Wilderness near Hamilton Mesa. The estimated size of the lightning-caused fire has not changed much—it’s now at 532 acres. Firefighters say it has remained inactive given the humidity and cloud cover of the past days with little canopy burning. Chances of rain storms today and Saturday in the area may help to suppress flames, though drying and warming conditions starting Sunday and running until late next week present opportunities for the fire to get more active. Santa Fe National Forest will continue releasing daily updates and New Mexico Fire Information collates developments on fires across the state.
Plaza preservation litigation
The Union Protectiva de Santa Fé organization yesterday filed a District Court lawsuit against Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber and the City of Santa Fe, arguing that the Plaza obelisk must be replaced under the requirements of the state’s Prehistoric and Historic Sites Preservation Act. The group is asking for an injunction by which the court would order replication of the sandstone monument that stood in the Plaza center from the late 1880s until last year, when activists tore it down on Indigenous Peoples Day in October. “Upon information and belief, Defendant Webber took no action to protect the monument from the vandals,” reads part of the lawsuit, which later asks the court to stop the city from spending public money on Plaza plans that fail to “minimize harm” to the historic area. Union Protectiva defines itself as “among the oldest Spanish Fraternal Organizations in the United States,” and further says it “is a union of persons of good character, without regard to race, political or religious beliefs” that “exists to promote and protect the culture and history of Santa Fe, as well as the intellectual advancement of its members.” Both activists and the mayor had called for the obelisk to come down before the vandalism because of its divisive inscriptions that referred to the Civil War and to “savage Indians.”
Listen up
How would you feel if there was a way for Romeo and Juliet to live happily ever after, or at least to find out whether they even really like each other? Or what if the girl fell for Romeo’s bro instead? The &Sons theater company began broadcasting the production of its original script, Lay Our Scene, via livestream platform Twitch and individual tickets last weekend. It continues this weekend and one more. Audience members will encounter various scenarios during which the story can veer off in several directions. Those who buy tickets are encouraged to watch the stream multiple times to catch all the different branching plot points.
Home sweet sale
Property owners taking advantage of the “sell high” philosophy are cashing out on houses they’ve kept for rent in an already stretched rental market. SFR features a story from one renter who is hoping to buy the home she’s living in, but faces competition in a cash-rich seller’s market. We bet you’ve got one like that from someone in your circle. According to the Santa Fe Association of Realtors, the median home price in Santa Fe County leapt from $572,500 in 2020 to $650,000 this year. And homes spent an average of 59 days up for sale in 2020; that figure is 39 so far in 2021.
Plaza, love and happiness
If you missed out on last year’s Love & Happiness event at the HIPICO equestrian center during the height of COVID-19, there’s another chance this weekend. Organizer Raashan Ahmad and friends appear Saturday, including DJs Ride, Dynamite Sol and D-MONIC for a cavalcade of Motown, dance jams, hip-hop and more that’s planned as a “Juneteenth celebration of life.” (ICYMI, just yesterday President Joe Biden signed a bill approved by Congress making June 19 a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the US.) The event on the Plaza encourages registration and masking, but it’s free. Organizers will also accept donations for the Santa Fe Mutual Aid/Santa Fe Mutualista group, which helps connect those in need with those who help. Find other ideas for getting out in SFR’s Weekend Picks.
Still pretty darn hot
The forecast for today, through the weekend and much of next week should feel familiar by now: highs in the low 90s or maybe the high 80s, with slight chances of afternoon and evening thunderstorms. A heat advisory remains in effect again the Four Corners and the National Weather Service also warns to watch for “erratic wind gusts” if storms do arrive.
Thanks for reading! The Word is feeling the TGIF vibes and can’t wait to close her laptop.
