COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials yesterday reported 79 new positive test results for COVID-19, bringing the statewide total thus far to 23,579. Bernalillo County had 20 new cases, Lea County had 12 and Santa Fe County had 10 new cases, the third highest in the state.
The state also announced five new deaths in Bernalillo, Doña Ana, Lea, McKinley and San Juan counties. There have been 723 fatalities.
As of yesterday, 111 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. According to the state's most recent modeling report, new hospital admissions of patients who are Hispanic or white are continuing to increase each week, while admissions of Native American patients have been steadily decreasing. The 45-to-59 and 60+-year-old age groups make up the highest percentages of new hospital admissions each week.
Yesterday's modeling report also showed a slight tick upward to 0.8 for the statewide effective rate of transmission, still well below the target rate of 1.05 or less. The Northeast public health region—which includes Santa Fe—currently has the highest effective rate of transmission: 0.9.
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.
Get out the vote prep
State election officials say they are working on a plan with the US Postal Service that would let voters trace their mail-in ballots using an individualized bar code. Secretary of State staff updated lawmakers on the plan yesterday, along with other facets of the Nov. 3 election, which, like the June primary, will include increased voting by mail. The state also has added precautions to the absentee ballot process, such as requiring they be signed on the outer envelope and labeled with the last four digits of the voter's Social Security number. Santa Fe County is one of 10 counties in the state that will automatically be sending applications for absentee ballots to voters with valid mailing addresses. Santa Fe County Clerk Geraldine Salazar tells SFR via email that her office will begin sending those applications out on Sept. 14. When the SOS opens online applications, they will be available here. Qualified voters can also print an application here or call the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office at 505-986-6280 to request one.
SF Prep educator saves lost hiker
Former Marine and Santa Fe Prep Technology Director John Utsey saved the day—quite literally—for a hiker stranded for more than two weeks in the Santa Fe National Forest. Utsey and his two children came across the hiker last Saturday near the Winsor Trail, where he was immobilized. Utsey called 911 but, when search and rescue crews from the Santa Fe Fire Department showed up, they were unable to find the lost man and eventually ended the search that evening. "We searched as best as we could and called out," SFFD Capt. Nathan Garcia said. "We did not get any type of response. I don't know if we didn't hear him or he didn't hear us." Learning crews hadn't located the man, Utsey returned the next day, re-found the man, called 911 again and led crews to him. The lost hiker, who set off on a hike Aug. 3, was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.
Fire off Rio en Medio Trail
The smoke filling the air yesterday came from the Medio Fire, burning off the Rio en Medio trail on the Española Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest. As of yesterday evening, the fire had not been contained and had grown to at least 150 acres. The smoke, visible in a 50-mile radius, was expected to settle into lower elevations and drainages overnight across the same area. According to the SFNF, although the fire was within a few miles of Nambe and Tesuque Pueblos—as well as small communities in the area such as Chupadero and Rio en Medio—it was moving eastward, not threatening any structures and no evacuations were in place. The fire is likely to hit the burn scar from the 2011 Pacheco Fire and its trajectory was threatening Rio en Medio, Borrego, Aspen Basin and Aspen Ranch trails. The Mount Taylor Interagency Hotshots were joining firefighters from the Española Ranger District, Northern Pueblos Agency and Tesuque Pueblo last night to fight the blaze, the cause of which currently is unknown.
Listen up
The Navajo community of To'Hajiilee faces severe water shortages and has worked with Bernalillo County to find a way to pipe in water from Albuquerque—but a land development company stands in the way. The most recent episode of KUNM's Let's Talk New Mexico, discusses the To'Hajiilee water crisis as well as the aftereffects of the 2015 Gold King Mine spill and this year's dramatic increase in water use in New Mexico's largest city. Guests include: Mark Begay, To'Hajiilee chapter president; Debbie O'Malley, Bernalillo County commissioner, District 1; Brandon Francis, a New Mexico State University researcher; Shiprock Farmers' Market Manager Trini King; and Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority Water Conservation Manager Carlos Bustos.
Pipe dreams
Will US Sen. Kamala Harris, D-CA, push Joe Biden toward marijuana legalization now that she's his VP running mate? Will New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham rally hard for legalization here next year? These are some of the open questions posed in this month's "Leaf Brief," SFR's cannabis newsletter. As to the latter, the governor's campaign folks recently sent out an email survey asking residents if the state should legalize recreational use with the leading question: "How important is it to you that we do everything we can to boost the economies of local communities in New Mexico?" Leading or not, the question makes a good point: Recreational marijuana sales continue to break records in Colorado where, a few days ago, the state reported its June recreational bud receipts of $160 million represented the highest single month of sales in history.
The sound of winning
Congratulations to the 2020 New Mexico Music Award winners, who received their props in a hybrid drive-in/virtual awards ceremony last Sunday. You can watch that here. Some of the winners included: the Hoth Brothers from Santa Fe, who took home Best of the Year honors for their CD Workin' and Dreamin'; Jono Manson and Kito Peters, who received the Norman Petty Producer's Award for Peters' release Normal; Jamie Michaels in the Americana category for Bag 'o Bones; and Ron Crowder in the recording engineer category for his album This Is the Moment. Check out the full list of winners here.
Weather the storm
If you enjoyed the potential for rain yesterday and even the hint/tease of storms, today's forecast is for you. We're looking at scattered showers and thunderstorms with a 30% chance of precipitation, primarily after 3 pm. Otherwise, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 89 degrees and northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Same odds and the same scattered thunderstorm forecast this evening, mostly before 9 pm.
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