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Morning Word
DOH reports first likely NM monkeypox case
The state health department yesterday reported the first “probable” case of monkeypox in New Mexico. According to a DOH news release, the patient—who is currently doing well and isolating at home—had just returned from out-of-state travel and was likely exposed through contact. SFR has pending questions with the health department regarding the individual’s county of residence and location of travel. Initial testing was completed late Friday by the DOH Scientific Laboratory Division and confirmatory testing is being completed at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Monkeypox is a very rare disease in the United States, and it’s important to keep in perspective that monkeypox does not spread as easily among people,” Acting Department of Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said in a statement. “While the risk for most people remains low, anyone who has close contact with someone with monkeypox is at risk of infection, which makes this a public health concern for all of us.” Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 21 days of exposure to the virus with flu-like symptoms before progressing to rashes or sores. More information about monkeypox can be found on both the DOH and CDC websites.
City considers charging for abandoned shopping carts
The Santa Fe City Council will hear a proposal at its Wednesday evening meeting to begin charging retailers for the abandoned shopping carts that have proliferated around town. According to a city memo, the proposed bill would create fines of $150 for each shopping cart the city retrieves and returns to an establishment. The fine, the memo notes, costs less than the cost of a new shopping cart. In addition, the bill would require retailers to attach certain information to each shopping cart, including the owner’s name and phone number, as well as a notification prohibiting its removal from the premises. The move comes following an uptick of reports of abandoned carts in the summer of 2021, which the city reported at the time as its top complaint from constituents. Following the increase, the city hired a contractor to collect carts from private property and, to date, has collected and returned 3,000 carts from across the city at a cost to the city of $47,000. Following Wednesday night’s presentation, the bill is scheduled for public comment at the council’s July 27 meeting, will be considered at two committee meetings in August and and receive a public hearing at the council’s Aug. 31 meeting.
Former NM Gov. Richardson to travel to Russia for Griner
National media are reporting former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will be traveling to Russia in the next few weeks to assist in efforts to free both WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan. Both Griner and Whelan’s families have been working with the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which negotiates prisoner and hostage exchanges. The Richardson Center has not confirmed the travel, but Richardson told CNN last week, following Griner’s guilty plea in Russia: “We believe that any prisoner in a situation like this needs to do what they believe can help them survive the ordeal. She is fighting for her life.” Richardson also said he “is working hard on trying to secure the safe return” of both Griner and Whelan from Russia, but would not provide additional details due to “ongoing efforts.” Richardson, also a former US energy secretary and UN ambassador, has helped in numerous cases in which US citizens were detained abroad, and played a key role in former Marine Trevor Reed’s release from Russia in April.
COVID-19 by the numbers
New cases: 2,483 (includes the weekend); 573,339 total cases
Deaths: nine; Santa Fe County has had 318 total deaths thus far; there have been 7,972 total fatalities statewide. Statewide hospitalizations: 155. Patients on ventilators: 14.
Community levels: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly community levels report, which uses case rates along with two hospital metrics in combination for its framework, for the seven-day period of June 30-July 6, 11 counties—including Santa Fe for the second week in a row—have “red” or high levels (one more than last week). Among other recommendations, the CDC recommends indoor masking for communities with high levels. Twelve counties are “green,” aka low—three more than last week—and the rest are “yellow,” or medium. The CDC updates its map on Thursdays. Case rates: According to the state health department’s most recent report on geographical trends, for the seven-day period of June 27-July 3, Grant County had the highest daily case rate per 100,000 population: 73.3, followed by San Juan County at 66.7 and McKinley County at 60.9; Santa Fe County’s case rate was 49.4, down from 57.8 the prior week. Resources: Vaccine registration; Booster registration Free at-home rapid antigen tests; Self-report a positive COVID-19 test result to the health department; COVID-19 treatment info: oral treatments Paxlovid (age 12+) and Molnupiravir (age 18+); and monoclonal antibody treatments. Toolkit for immunocompromised individuals. People seeking treatment who do not have a medical provider can call NMDOH’s COVID-19 hotline at 1-855-600-3453. Vaccines for children: Parents of children ages 6 months to 5 years can now schedule appointments for vaccinations at VaccineNM.org.
You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
Listen up
On the most recent episode of ¡Colores! from New Mexico PBS, Santa Clara Pueblo scholar Dmitri Brown talks with host Ebony Isis Booth about viewing the Manhattan Project through a different lens. “It’s very easy to think about Los Alamos as a gravitational force,” Brown says. “There were physicists from all over that came to Los Alamos,” he notes and the project stands as a “pivotal moment” in the 20th century. But, he adds, there were also Tewa workers bussed to Los Alamos and “other centers of the world just down the valley in the Tewa pueblos…and I think it’s important to look at that history from Tewa pueblo perspectives as well.”
Come for the art, stay for the lavender
Madrid makes Travel & Leisure’s list for the nine best small towns in the US for art lovers, with the magazine noting that while Santa Fe is “known as a hot spot for artistic spirits,” Madrid is a good choice “for a smaller, more eclectic dose of creativity.” The former mining town, T&L writes, “was reborn as an art colony, and a hippie vibe prevails at the many galleries and boutiques. In addition to an abundance of artisan-made jewelry, the galleries feature ceramics, sculptures, paintings and photography.” Teen Vogue also gets in on the New Mexico action in its 2022 Ultimate Summer Guide, geared at recent college graduates. The magazine recommends a visit to Albuquerque’s Los Poblanos Historic Inn if “staying in the States and frolicking in a field of lavender is your idea of a good time…You love a spa, they got it. You love culinary experiences, they got it. You love Indigenous history, they have that too.” Teen Vogue also gives a nod to the north, noting: “If you’re an art lover, we suggest you take a day trip to Santa Fe to see the amazing Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.”
Legendary runner’s NM connection
The New York Times profiles the accomplishments and life struggles of legendary runner Henry Rono, 70, who set four world records in 1978 and now lives back in Kenya after three decades away. But Rono, the story says, cares less about his accomplishments as a runner and more about learning English later in life—which he did at Central New Mexico Community College. “Henry’s such a more complex and endearing figure than he’s usually depicted,” CNM English Professor Tomas Radcliffe tells the Times. Radcliffe edited Rono’s self-published memoir, Olympic Dream. “His goals and motivations are pure to him. That may be the most exceptional thing about him.” During his time in New Mexico, Rono also spent time as a special-education teacher and coach, training athletes in the Navajo Nation and Albuquerque, such as Kris Houghton and Solomon Kandie, who the story says set personal bests under his guidance. “He loves the pureness of someone seeking to better themselves,” Houghton said.
Still waiting on rain
Once again, the National Weather Service forecasts the possibility for rain in Santa Fe today, with a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mostly after noon. Otherwise, it will be partly sunny with a high near 85 degrees. Odds for rain rise to 50% tonight before 3 am. The rain, should it come, could be heavy at times.
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