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COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials yesterday reported 969 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases to 325,272; DOH has designated 274,839 of those cases as recovered. Bernalillo County had 341 new cases, followed Sandoval County with 108 and Doña Ana County with 97. Santa Fe County had 31 new cases. The seven-day statewide test positivity rate of 13.6% remains above the targeted 7.5%, but has decreased slightly.
DOH also announced 11 additional deaths, two of them recent; there have now been 5,430 fatalities statewide. As of yesterday, 666 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, 34 more than the day prior.
Currently, 86.6% of New Mexicans 18 years and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 74.8% are fully vaccinated. Among that demographic, 26% have had a booster shot. In the 12-17-year-old age group, 65% of people have had at least one dose and 55.9% are fully inoculated. Among children ages 5-11, 19.5% have had at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine and 5.2% are fully vaccinated. In Santa Fe County, 98.1% of people 18 and older have had at least one dose and 84.7% are fully vaccinated.
Acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase, Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Laura Parajón and state Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Ross will provide a COVID-19 update at 2 pm today, which will stream live on the DOH Facebook page, and with Spanish translation on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s YouTube page.
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 all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.
Lawmakers propose millions for broadband, roads and nurses
A proposed spending bill for $462.5 million federal dollars includes $15 million to expand nursing programs; approximately $159 million for the state’s broadband plans; and more than $150 million for road infrastructure and beautification work. The appropriations would account for less than half of the state’s $1.1 billion American Rescue Plan Act funds; lawmakers would likely take up the rest of appropriation at their regular 30-day financial session in January. Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces, House Appropriations and Finance Committee’s vice chairman, tells the Albuquerque Journal the bill is “a first strong step,” but notes “there is so much need out there.” A hearing yesterday provided the first opportunity for public feedback on the spending, following a legal dispute between lawmakers and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office regarding authority over federal dollars. The governor’s office has not weighed in specifically on the current proposed spending plan, but spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett tells the Journal “there’s certainly no shortage of projects and programs to put funding towards—we’re glad to see the Legislature begin to take action and fully expect them to allocate funds guided by meaningfully supporting and benefiting New Mexicans.” The House and Finance Appropriations Committee is slated to continue discussing the bill today.Lawmakers today will also continue looking at proposed maps for the state’s redistricting. The House State Government, Elections & Indian Affairs Committee will meet at 9 am to look at several redistricting concepts (HB3, HB4, HB5 and HB8) from the state’s Citizen Redistricting Committee. That committee presented its work yesterday to a Committee of the Whole House of Representatives. In a statement, Rep. Daymon Ely, D-Corrales, expressed gratitude to the committee “which spent hundreds of hours hearing public input, scouring demographic data, and assessing communities of interest to ensure fair maps that best represent the population and diversity of New Mexico today…No map can please everyone, but they can and should be fair. And these CRC maps have passed the highest of standards, not only by evaluation of this bipartisan-created committee but by external experts.”
State opens apps to all cannabis businesses
“The Cannabis Control Division’s licensing system is open for business,” Regulation and Licensing Department Superintendent Linda Trujillo announced yesterday, as the CCD began accepting applications for manufacturing and retail businesses; the division started accepting licenses for producers at the end of August. “The Cannabis Control Division doesn’t want to waste a single minute in getting cannabis businesses up and running in the state,” Cannabis Control Division Director Kristen Thomson said in a statement. “After hearing stakeholders’ enthusiasm for standing up this industry as soon as possible, we are instituting this new licensing process to help businesses, entrepreneurs and communities maximize the economic opportunities this new industry is creating.” Prospective cannabis business operators can apply online, but no licenses will be issued until the rules for that industry sector have been finalized. Rules for manufacturing, retail, courier and other industry sectors are set to be finalized in advance of a Jan. 1 deadline ahead of sales starting April 1. Trujillo said the state was allowing applicants to “start the licensing process now…so that they they can be prepared as more rules are being quickly finalized.”The division will hold a hearing at 9 am, Thursday, Dec. 9 on licensing and permitting requirements for testing laboratories; research laboratories; cannabis consumption areas; integrated cannabis micro-businesses; training and education programs; and cannabis server permits. In addition, the division will be proposing rules related to packaging and labeling of cannabis products and advertising and marketing requirements for licensees. Finally, cannabis micro-business owners will soon be able to access a New Mexico Finance Authority $5 million loan program geared at providing social and economic equity in the nascent industry, although potential recipients tell SFR they are troubled by the program’s March timeline for loan distribution.
NM AG announces opioid settlement
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas yesterday announced the state will join an $18.5 billion nationwide settlement with the United States’ three largest distributors of opioid medications: McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health. Balderas filed suit in 2017 against the three companies, along with the manufacturers that make opioids and the retail pharmacies that sell them, several of which, including Purdue Pharma, have since filed for bankruptcy as a result of a nationwide wave of litigation. According to a news release from the AG’s office, New Mexico’s lawsuit is scheduled for trial against the remaining companies in September 2022. New Mexico’s portion of the settlement will depend largely on participation in the settlement by the state’s cities and counties as well as by state government; the more local governments that participate, the more money will ultimately be paid to New Mexico, the news release says. “The harm these companies caused by pouring millions of pills into our state while turning a blind eye is nearly incalculable, these funds allow us to move forward and start to rebuild our communities decimated by this crisis,” Balderas said in a statement. “The current appropriating process is too old and antiquated. I’m asking state leaders and local governments to come up with an equitable split; we need to immediately get dollars into the hands of those on the front lines battling this crisis.”
Listen up
Inside Higher Ed’s podcast, The Key, takes a look at New Mexico’s Collaborative for Higher Education Shared Services (CHESS), an alliance between Santa Fe Community College, Clovis Community College, Central New Mexico Community College, Northern New Mexico College and San Juan College, announced last February, in which the five schools are jointly developing a shared enterprise technology system to manage student, financial, human resources, and other campus services and records. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Co-founder and Editor Doug Lederman, SFCC President Becky Rowley and Central New Mexico Community College President Tracy Hartzler discuss the initiative and the changes it has and will engender.
Nuts about piñon
“In New Mexico, Money Grows on Trees,” Eater proclaims, in a story that looks at the business of picking piñon nuts, specifically for the Navajo Nation and other Indigenous tribes. When piñon has a boom year, Eater notes, “late-summer Gallup transforms into a massive center for piñon commerce. Gigantic signs outside of gas stations, restaurants, and trading posts advertise that they are buying piñon. Vans toting brokers from outside of the region park along Highway 602 and set up tables and chairs with their own handmade signs: ‘BUYING PINON.’” Ellis Tanner incorporates piñon into his business Ellis Tanner Trading Company, which also sells arts and crafts. “As far as I’m concerned, the Almighty put piñon here for the Navajo people,” Tanner tells Eater. “If you ever have a chance to watch a Navajo family go out and harvest piñon, stop what you’re doing, get some lunch, and watch. It’s a family event.” Locals compare piñon to gold, the story says; nuts sold for $15 a pound in Gallup during the summer of 2020, with rumors swirling that in some parts of the state, the price was as high as $40 a pound. But for a broker like Tanner, the piñon business has seen better days; the bark beetles, he says, “...have wreaked havoc on the trees. We’re handling 10% of what we used to handle in the 1960s. That’s all there is.”
Come for the space travel, stay for the chile
More props for New Mexico from the national media, with Lonely Planet recommending the best spots to visit depending on a visitor’s inclinations. Santa Fe, LP says, is the go-to spot for art: “Pull up a barstool in this town and you could be doing so next to an artist who fills local venues rivaling those in New York and Los Angeles.” Visit Taos for outdoor recreation (suggested activities include kayaking and “rambling with llamas”). Head to Albuquerque for nightlife and culture, courtesy of the National Hispanic Culture Center and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, among other venues. Ruidoso is best for families and Truth or Consequences is the pick for space travel (and, presumably, hot springs). Las Cruces purportedly wins for eating chile, Carlsbad is your best bet for spelunking and White Sands for “natural splendor.” Meanwhile, CNN Underscored includes Santa Fe in its seven-city roundup of “Best December weekend getaway” spots, noting: “If you’re looking to go somewhere with plenty of holiday cheer but somewhat off the beaten path, check out New Mexico’s charming capital.” Why? Well: “This Southwest destination may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of December travel, but the city comes alive with festive decorations and celebrations in advance of the holidays.” We sure do.
The calm before the less-calm
Today should be partly sunny with a high near 52 degrees and north wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Tomorrow looks about the same, but the National Weather Service continues to forecast weather arriving tomorrow night into Friday, so time will tell.
Thanks for reading! The Word is enjoying perusing LitHub’s 101 best book covers of 2021, along with AV Club’s roundup of 15 best book covers, the latter of which happens to include a title from Santa Fe’s Stalking Horse Press, designed by its publisher, James Reich.
