COVID-19 by the numbers
Yesterday, New Mexico health officials reported 174 additional COVID-19 cases, a notable jump over the last few days when new case counts were fewer than 100. The new cases bring the statewide total thus far to 23,749.
Bernalillo County continues in the lead with new cases: 33 of them yesterday, followed by Lea County with 25 and Chaves County with 19. Santa Fe County had 12 new cases.
The state also announced six new deaths in Bernalillo, McKinley, San Juan and Taos counties. There have been 729 fatalities. As of yesterday, 94 people were hospitalized with COVID-19.
The new numbers arrived as the national COVID Exit Strategy website upgraded New Mexico from red to yellow for its COVID-19 efforts, and as the state met its own eight gating criteria for the first time.
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.
Gov touts NM’s energy plan
Speaking in front of a solar array at Northern New Mexico Community College's El Rito campus, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham touted the state's approach to fighting COVID-19 and the climate crisis during her quick speech during last night's Democratic National Convention. Saying New Mexico had "punched above our weight" in addressing COVID-19, Lujan Grisham said she was proud of New Mexicans from Taos to Truth or Consequences who had "stepped up" during the pandemic. "I'm proud of how we embrace our multicultural identity as our greatest strength," she noted. And while the Trump administration has rolled back environmental protections, she said, "we've expanded them…laying a roadmap here for what America can and should look like in the 21st century." As president, the governor said, Joe Biden will rejoin international climate agreements. "We have the chance this November to end two existential crises," Lujan Grisham said, "the Trump presidency and the environmental annihilation he represents." The governor also had a lengthy Washington Post interview yesterday in advance of her speech.
Medio Fire grows to 550 acres
As of last night, the Medio Fire remained un-contained and had grown to 550 acres, spurred by dry continuous fuels in the area. The fire began Aug. 17 off the Rio en Medio Trail in the Española Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest between the Rio Nambe and the Rio en Medio. It is now moving toward the 2011 Pacheco Fire, raising additional concerns "due to the amount of dead and down fuels in the burn scar," according to a SFNF update. Heavy fuels in steep, rugged terrain are adding to the complexity in efforts to control the fire; as such, fire managers yesterday decided a Type 2 Incident Management Team will take control of the fire tomorrow. While the Medio Fire isn't threatening any structures currently, values at risk include: Nambe Reservoir; tribal inholdings and traditional cultural resources; the Village of Rio en Medio; power lines including the Jemez Electric Coop power line; the Rio Nambe/Rio Capulin; the Rio en Medio watersheds; and trails and cultural sites in the SFNF.
Back to school…kind of
The entire Santa Fe Public Schools district begins the semester remotely today, with the district's chief information and strategy officer, Tom Ryan, saying SFPS is in better shape than the rest of the state. Ryan will present the results of statewide polling tonight at 5:30 pm on the district's YouTube channel regarding challenges faced by Hispanic families during remote learning, such as access to technology. The district has provided every student with a laptop or tablet, along with internet hot spots and increased citywide Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education voted last night to remain remote for the rest of the semester, following several school shut-downs due to infected employees. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham had said previously she hoped to begin hybrid learning for elementary school students after Labor Day if New Mexico's cases continue to decline. She reiterated that hope yesterday in a Washington Post interview.
Listen up
Tonight's the final evening for the virtual Democratic National Convention, which will include a live Pod Save America pre-show with hosts Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor and Dan Pfeiffer. Come 7 pm MT, the final speakers and performers will wrap up the four-day Democratic event, including: US Sen. Cory Booker, NJ; former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg; California Gov. Gavin Newsom; Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and, finally, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Performers include The Chicks and John Legend. If by some chance you missed Billy Porter and Stephen Stills performing the 1966 Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth" on opening night, you should listen to/watch that now.
Bon appétit!
Opening a new restaurant during COVID-19 sounds onerous enough, but what about opening one while being a full-time brand-new mom? That's what Manon Pierme took on when she signed her lease in early March for Manolla Café (223 Canyon Road, in the former Café des Artistes). A complete remodel delayed a planned opening for April until June, but she's now up and running counter-service for tartines, sandwiches, salads and other menu items sure to entice downtown workers. SFR found the offerings both delicious and nutritious, which makes sense given Pierme's background. She says: "I've always loved to cook and I have a background in nutrition, so to be able to implement the nutrition and the culinary aspect is really big for me. Being from France where food, fresh food, is really important. And I'm weaving in a Mediterranean style of eating as well, and a little bit of the Okinawa diet with lots of veggies and fruits and sometimes macrobiotics."
What James Baldwin can teach us
"I have visions of James Baldwin in New Mexico," writes Darryl Lorenzo Wellington in a column for SFR's culture section this week: "Of Baldwin, Blackness and Making a Multicultural New Mexico." Although Baldwin had no connection to the Land of Enchantment, "his work, however, speaks to the trials of multiculturalism, when communities in historical conflict must abide together in harmony," Wellington writes, and recommends the Governor's Advisory Council for Racial Justice explore Baldwin's work as part of their own. For his part, Wellington will appear on a free New Mexico Humanities Council online panel this evening at 6 pm discussing "Creating a Multicultural New Mexico" with Christa M Castro and Alicia Inez Guzmán.
Rain or shine?
Is it better to have had the hope of rain that never manifested or simply to have no hope at all? Either way, today's forecast calls for isolated showers and thunderstorms before 9 am, then isolated showers and thunderstorms after 3 pm. Overall chance of precipitation is 20%, which, based on the experience of yesterday and the day before, means no rain. Otherwise, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 92 degrees and north wind 5 to 10 mph. Tonight, about the same chances of rain with isolated showers and thunderstorms before midnight.
Thanks for reading! The Word has already admitted to succumbing to the sweatpants craze, but she stands firmly against the house dress trend.
