COVID-19 by the numbers
Yesterday, New Mexico health officials announced 153 additional positive tests for COVID-19, bringing the state total to 4,291. The state also reported seven new fatalities, including the first for Santa Fe County: a 90-year-old woman who was hospitalized and had underlying medical conditions. While the state does not release information on the deceased, Santa Fe resident Kay Lockridge says the woman was her partner, longtime activist and photographer Roslyn "Roz" Pulitzer, who died April 30 of pneumonia and was a resident at Advanced Health Care where she was recovering from a fall. The other six fatalities were in McKinley and Bernalillo counties, and bring the total number to 169. As of today, 193 people are hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19. The health department has designated 1,073 cases as recovered.
State government also reported on its efforts to meet New Mexico's food security issues since the start of the stay-at-home orders: According to a news release, state agencies have delivered more than 5.4 million meals to children and youth, more than 293,000 meals to seniors and, separately, more than 400,000 pounds of food items to communities in need throughout the state.
You can read all of SFR's COVID-19 coverage here. If you've had experiences with testing or the virus, we would like to hear from you.
Grim state budget forecasts
State government economists yesterday released a memo that examines two economic modeling scenarios for New Mexico's financial future, both grim. In both the "U-shaped" and "L-shaped" scenarios, the memo says, "widespread business closures and associated layoffs lead to significant declines in personal income tax and gross receipts tax (GRT) revenues." Projections say recurring revenue in FY21 could drop from $1.8 to $2.4 billion below previous forecasts. Lawmakers are expected to convene in June to tackle the $7.6 billion general fund spending plan for the fiscal year that starts on June 30. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants legislators to consider accessing more money from the state's $18 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund to help shore up finances.
Las Vegas, NM requires face masks
Yesterday, Las Vegas Mayor issued an executive order requiring all residents and visitors to wear face coverings when in public. The order remains in effect until midnight May 20 and violations are subject to a civil penalty of $50. The face coverings are required when entering and while inside of indoor spaces that are open to the public within city limits and any public transportation. The order exempts children under five as well as people who are advised not to wear masks for medical reasons. The order follows two new COVID-19 cases in San Miguel County, which currently has a total of four cases.
St. Mike’s president resigns
St. Michael's High School President J. Taylor Gantt is leaving the school to become the chief financial and operations officer for United World College in Montezuma. He resigned Tuesday, effective June 30. "I'm very grateful for my time at St. Michael's," Gantt told the Albuquerque Journal. "I learned professionally and personally. I sent all my kids there and my family hosted four exchange students. I'll probably forever be connected to that school." Gantt and the school's Board of Trustees will create an interim plan for the 2020-2021 school year and begin a search for a new president.
Listen up
Episode 58 of "Your New Mexico Government" delves into how to cope with the ongoing stay-at-home orders on a spiritual, psychological and emotional level. Guests include: Reverend Amani Malaika of the Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living; Chrysalis New Mexico Board member Áine McCarthy; integrative trauma therapist Nicholas Cuccia of Awake and Aware; Jennifer Schneider, concentration coordinator for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of New Mexico College of Nursing; and Jessamyn Lovell and Lee Montgomery, who discuss family life, parenthood, loneliness and the difficulties of watching a young son come to terms with the pandemic in his own way. "Your New Mexico Government" is a collaboration between SFR, KUNM and PBS New Mexico.
Aged man survives COVID-19
Is Los Ranchos de Albuquerque resident Phil Corio the world's oldest person to survive COVID-19? Hard to say, really, but Corio does appear to have contracted and survived the virus and (drum roll) he's 108 years old. His son, 58-year-old Ron Corio, says he and his dad contracted the virus in March. The elder Corio, who had a bad sore throat and chest cough, was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia but wasn't tested at that time—despite Ron Corio's request—because he didn't have a fever. Two weeks ago, both father and son along with caregivers were tested for viral antibodies. While questions remain about the reliability of such tests, Ron Corio's came back positive. His father's results were "indeterminate," but his doctor thinks between the son's positive results and Phil's pneumonia, he, too, had the novel coronavirus. At any rate, both are doing OK now. Life has not changed much for the elder Corio, who advises not smoking and breathing as tips for a long life. "I never take any medicines, just some eye drops," he says. "I play checkers, and I watch TV, mostly sports."
Folk art flea market also nixed
The 11th annual Folk Art Flea—a fundraiser for the Museum of International Folk Arts' educational programs—is kaput until 2021. "Though we had already begun preparations, we decided we could not confidently hold the event this year and ensure the safety of our customers," Friends of Folk Art Board Chairwoman Edelma Huntley says in a press release. "We are exploring other creative ways, including online events, to continue supporting the museum. Flea shoppers are encouraged to visit the Museum of International Folk Art's website for museum and flea-related updates."
Hotter and windier
Today's forecast: Sunny with a high near 84 degrees and quite windy, with a north wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west 20 to 30 mph. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Temperatures are predicted to drop to a high of 68 tomorrow and it looks like some precipitation may come our way at the end of the weekend.
Thanks for reading! The Word always appreciates writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner's celebrity profiles and this recent one of Val Kilmer does not disappoint.
