artdirector@sfreporter.com
COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials yesterday reported 3,157 new COVID-19 cases, a nearly 21% increase from Wednesday (but still a significant decrease from surge caseloads within the last few weeks that topped 6,000). The new cases bring the statewide total so far to 487,604; DOH has designated 347,535 of those cases as recovered. The statewide test positivity rate continued to decline: from 25.4% to 24.2% (the target is 7.5%).
Bernalillo County had 727 cases, followed by Doña Ana County with 436 and San Juan County with 385. Santa Fe County had 148 new cases.
According to the state’s most recent vaccination report, over the four-week period between Jan. 3 and Jan. 31, 55.5% of COVID-19 cases were among those who have not completed their primary vaccination series, as were 77.4% of hospitalizations and 92.8% of deaths. In response to a question from SFR during this week’s COVID-19 update, Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said DOH plans to incorporate a third metric into that report that accounts for booster shots.
The state also reported 28 additional deaths, 23 of them recent, including two from Santa Fe County: a female in her 50s who had been hospitalized and had underlying conditions, and a female in her 90s who had underlying conditions. There have now been 234 deaths in Santa Fe County and 6,516 statewide. As of yesterday, 696 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, 45 more than the day prior.
Currently, 91.5% percent of adults 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 77.4% have completed their primary series. Among the same demographic, 42.1% have had a booster shot. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 70.2% of people have had at least one dose and 59.7% have completed their primary series. Among children ages 5-11, 36% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 25% have completed their primary series. In Santa Fe County, 99% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 86.6% have completed their primary series.
New Mexicans can register for a COVID-19 vaccine here, schedule a COVID-19 vaccine booster here and view a public calendar for vaccine availability here. Parents can add dependents to their vaccine profiles here. You can read the guidelines for quarantine and isolation here.
You can order free at-home COVID-19 tests here and find other testing options at findatestnm.org. The health department is offering drive-through PCR testing through Feb. 21; to find an appointment (recommended only for people with symptoms), register here.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
NM House approves increased spending plan
Awash with revenue from increased oil and natural gas production, along with a boost in consumer spending, New Mexico’s House of Representatives yesterday passed HB 2, the General Appropriations Act on a 56-13 bipartisan vote, approving a nearly $8.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2023—a 13.8% from last year. “Our unprecedented revenues mean we have the chance to make a real difference in the lives of New Mexicans, and people are counting on us to work together this session to deliver results,” House Appropriations and Finance Committee Chair state Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup, said in a statement. “But we also have to do that smartly and responsibly. I am incredibly proud of the smart, responsible investments in this budget.” The bill will next go to the state Senate and then to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, whose office has previously expressed reservations about some facets of the spending plan. Thirteen Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, with state Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, proposing an alternative plan (right around the 1:42 mark) with lower spending and a larger tax cut.
As the Albuquerque Journal reports, much of the increased spending will go for higher teacher pay, along with increased pay for state workers. In the case of educators, approximately $130 million would be used to elevate starting teacher pay to $50,000 annually, along with increases for minimum pay levels for more experienced teachers and a $15-per-hour minimum wage for all school employees. The education portion of the budget also provides millions for professional development for educators; teacher loan repayment; and Native American education programs, among myriad other priorities. “We are incredibly grateful that these legislators understand the tremendous need for another significant investment in Pre-K through higher education and targeted programs to ensure equitable opportunities for every New Mexican child,” Public Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus said in a statement. State Rep. Candie Sweetser, D-Deming, a member of the House Education Committee, said in a statement she “spent months listening to families, teachers and administrators, and I am proud this budget reflects their priorities and concerns. This is a historic investment in our future because it is a historic investment in our children.”
New state engineer starts Monday
ICYMI, New Mexico has a new state engineer who starts work on Monday, Feb. 7. Earlier this week. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Mike Hamman, currently serving as the state’s water advisor in governor’s office, to the new position where he will be charged with administering the state’s water resources. In a statement, Hamman said he was grateful “for this opportunity to build upon the state’s work to secure a resilient water future for New Mexicans. In the face of current and future water resource challenges statewide, it is critical that we take immediate action to mitigate the impacts of increasing temperatures in our arid climate and employ every available federal resource coming to New Mexico to improve and adapt our water infrastructure.” Prior to becoming the state’s water advisor, Hamman served as the chief engineer and chief executive officer for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and, before that, worked for 17 years at the US Bureau of Reclamation. John Romero, who has been the acting state engineer since the start of the year, will return to his role as director of the Water Rights Division of the Office of the State Engineer.
Icy hot
While snow and ice shut down schools and the city this week, the Forest Stewards Guild took advantage of the weather this week to burn hundreds of piles of hazardous fuels on Glorieta Adventure Camp’s property. “The point of our crew is to fill in the gaps where organizations like the Forest Service or the county just don’t have the capacity specifically during this time of year,” Genevieve Conley, a member of the Forest Stewards Guild’s pile squad, tells SFR. In the winter, when seasonal wildland firefighters aren’t tackling fires across the country, there’s an urgency to take small steps toward fire mitigation, but a lack of available professionals, Conley explains. “Especially in the Southwest, we’ve suppressed fire for so long there’s so much to do and so it’s a year-round thing.” SFR’s William Melhado caught the crew in action and talked with members such as Gabe Kohler, the guild’s southwest program manager, about the organization’s work with private landowners to execute prescribed burns. “We use our crew to get some of those private land chunks done, but we also try and use it to demystify fire,” he says, and show landowners how they can undertake prescribed burns themselves.
Listen up
New Mexico Humanities Council’s NM Listens series comes to Santa Fe this weekend with a program currently scheduled as a hybrid at 7 pm, Sunday, Feb. 6: in person at St. John’s Methodist’s gathering room (1200 Old Pecos Trail) and on Zoom (register here). The series is a year-long, statewide program presented in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of New Mexico and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities’ initiative “A More Perfect Union, which “involves inviting audiences in different locales to reflect on our diverse history and the ideals of our democracy.” Santa Fe’s event, “Santa Fe Stories You’ve Never Heard,” features a panel of five Santa Fe community members sharing their stories and perspectives. You can check out December’s event, “Telling Reflections of New Mexico” with Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez, on YouTube.
Calling all snowbirds
Our winter weather may have wreaked havoc on the city, but it brought welcome snow at Ski Santa Fe, which also received some love this week from AFAR magazine in its roundup of the best independent ski resorts in the US. Ski Santa Fe, the magazine notes, “is a family-owned mountain that is perfect for families.” That family, of course, is the Abruzzo clan. The write-up includes some hot trivia: For instance, the Abruzzo brothers’ dad Ben made the first-ever successful transatlantic hot air balloon flight in 1978. The brothers took over Ski Santa Fe in 1985 after their parents died in a plane crash. “Through personal and financial hardship, these venturesome brothers—who grew up hang gliding and riding sail planes and now climb, heli-ski, cycle and fly planes—persisted against the odds to keep Ski Santa Fe open.” In addition to endorsing the mountain itself, AFAR recommends enjoying a little après at Totemoff’s Bar & Grill and, if you’re just visiting, heading down the mountain to check in at El Rey Court for your stay.
Sacred rock
National Geographic delves into turquoise’s ubiquity in New Mexico, and its importance to the Indigenous community. “Turquoise is not just a rock, it’s a sacred being,” Porter Swentzell, a professor of Indigenous Liberal Studies at Santa Fe’s Institute of American Indian Arts tells NatGeo. “Mining it and working with it take on deeper meanings.” That deeper meaning, as explored in the story, is felt by the state’s 23 Indigenous tribes, which includes members of 19 pueblos, three Apache tribes and the Navajo Nation. “Their artisans have been using turquoise in jewelry and objects for hundreds of years. Applications were myriad: Kewas carved the stone into disc-like heishi beads, Zunis inlaid it into shells.” Morris Muskett, a Gallup, New Mexico-based Navajo jewelry maker and weaver, says for Indigenous people, “turquoise is part of your heritage, it’s predetermined. In Navajo ways, it’s for spiritual protection and blessings.” The story also details turquoise’s historic and geologic roots; recommends visiting Santa Fe’s Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian to learn about the evolution of Indigenous turquoise crafts and trade; and, of course, mentions Santa Fe Indian Market and the Native American Artisans Portal Program for those looking to purchase authentic turquoise jewelry and the like for themselves.
Brrr
Yes, that was a cold night: According to the National Weather Service, wind chill values were as low as -18 (emergency responders have been out offering shelter and other assistance to people who are unhoused). Today should be sunny with a high near 30 degrees but, again, wind chill values could go as low as -19. A mostly sunny weekend awaits, with temps in the mid 30s tomorrow and as high as 38 degrees on Sunday.
Thanks for reading! The Word intends to watch Team USA’s Nathan Chen’s winning short program at the Olympics yesterday at least a dozen more times.
