COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials reported 862 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, led by Bernalillo County with 202 and Doña Ana County with 137. Both Chaves and Santa Fe counties had the third highest number: 53.
Yesterday marked a record number of deaths in a single day: 23, with 400 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 58 of them on ventilators.
Hospitalizations have increased 95% in the last two weeks and 260% in the last month, while deaths have jumped 108% from just over one week ago and 230% from two weeks ago.
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.
NM Gov warns of grim November
New Mexico's COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths all are rising dramatically, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said yesterday during a weekly briefing. "The data is not good and we are not trending anywhere in the right direction," Lujan Grisham said. Moreover, it is too late to stop rising hospitalizations and deaths in November, she said. "There is nothing we can do," she said. "Nothing that will change that trajectory." To drive home the concerns about hospital capacity, University of New Mexico Center for Adult Critical Care Co-Chief Jonathan Marinaro and Presbyterian Healthcare Services Medical Director Denise Gonzales joined yesterday's briefing to echo the governor's call for New Mexicans to socially distance and wear masks at all times. Human Services Secretary David Scrase reviewed measures the state is taking to provide support to hospitals, but also issued warnings about the growing strain. "We're in a pretty bad situation," Scrase said. "I think that's clear."
Dreams of gerrymandering
New Mexico Republicans may have won back the state's 2nd Congressional District on election night, but Democratic Speaker of the House Brian Egolf says it's "the last time" the southern and western district will have "a map that looks like it looks now…next time it'll be a different district and we'll have to see what that means for Republican chances to hold it." Egolf says redistricting will redraw the historically Republican district, which has only been held by Democrats twice in 40 years. One of them, incumbent Democrat US Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, lost her seat to Republican Yvette Herrell on Tuesday night. Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce, who once represented the district, fired back at Egolf, saying all "he can think about are political tricks to make sure his weak candidates can win a district where Republicans are already outnumbered." Nonetheless, New Mexico Democrats are well positioned to redistrict, given their dominance in the state's Legislature and courts, as well as a 2019 US Supreme Court ruling that removed federal courts from hearing partisan gerrymandering cases.
3, 2, 1…lift off!
Virgin Galactic announced yesterday it expects its first human spaceflight from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico to take place between Nov. 19 and 23. The news accompanied business updates for the company's third quarter, whose highlights included: completing work on Spaceport America's third-floor astronaut-training lounge and customer center; installing reclining seats, cabin cameras and download link hardware on VSS Unity for future live stream capability; and unveiling the design of the SpaceShipTwo cabin interior. While COVID-19 has impacted the company's business in terms of delays and "cost efficiency," it says it has stayed on track for planned upcoming flights. Speaking of which, Virgin Galactic says it will retire its "One Small Step" program—which allows people to reserve spots to space—at the end of the year (the program now has close to 900 participants). The company says it will reopen ticket sales next year after company founder Sir Richard Branson's flight. The company also plans to unveil that SpaceShipTwo vehicle in the first quarter of next year, and entered into agreements with NASA and the Southwest Research Institute to have planetary scientist Alan Stern fly on it and conduct experiments in space.
City: The election is over
While vote-counting and nail-biting continues elsewhere, here in Santa Fe, the election is over. Or, at least, it's time to take down political signs. The City of Santa Fe says it requires political candidates or their campaign workers remove all campaign signs within five days of the date of the election. The math says the last day campaign signs can remain in place is Sunday, Nov. 8. And candidates whose signs remain in place beyond the deadline face $50 for each day the signs stay up. Campaign signs placed on private property also must come down by Sunday. P.S. The city says plastic campaign signs are not recyclable, although their metal stakes might be accepted in scrap metal collection programs.
Listen up
New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez kicks off a new series, "New Mexico History in 10 Minutes," which, as the name makes clear, provides a digestible look at our history (spoiler alert: Episode 1 actually begins with pre-history, aka nomadic hunters and gatherers). As Martinez tells New Mexico Magazine this month, he used to be a high school teacher and he loves stories. That bodes well for delivering New Mexico's complex history to everyone. "In New Mexico, history and culture are in your face," Martinez says. "They're not just things that happened 500 years ago or 100 years ago. People are still talking about it now, and they're arguing about it now—as if it happened yesterday."
Into the blue
While not prescribing alcohol as a solution to this week’s election angst, a bit of imbibing come noon 5 pm today seems reasonable. But what to drink? The Word’s cousin newsletter The Fork did what one does when searching for a situationally appropriate cocktail and called upon The Liquid Muse, aka Natalie Bovis. “Although we ‘Democratic Donkeys’ didn’t get the blue tidal wave of our dreams, the blue trickle is enough to fill our cocktail glasses!” Bovis says. “As months of anticipation turn to days of frustration, let’s lift our spirits with this celebratory cocktail…and, as Biden would say, keep the faith for the next four years.” To that end, you’ll find Bovis’ recipe for “Kick Up Your Heels” in this week’s Fork. The weekly food missive also has the latest updates on restaurants serving Thanksgiving meals, the city’s extension for outdoor restaurant permits and lots more from our culinary town.
McConaughey’s confession
Actor Matthew McConaughey published a celebrity memoir last month, Greenlights, which he describes writing after revisiting 35 years of his diaries and notes about life (The Washington Post says "a great thing about Greenlights is that the persona never sounds like a put-on. The bad thing, though, is that he obviously wrote it himself and seems certain that in addition to being a memoirist he's also a certified motivational speaker and, worse, a poet.") At any rate, New Mexico plays what has been described by McConaughey as a pivotal role in his life and, thus, his book. As he tells E!, after he became famous, following a lead role in 1996's A Time to Kill, McConaughey "sought guidance" at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, which he had read about in a book. He walked 13.5 miles into the monastery where he was welcomed with "open arms and a small cot." The next day, he and Brother Christian went for a walk, during which, McConaughey says, "I unloaded my feelings of guilt, the low and lecherous places my mind had been traveling, the perverseness of my thoughts."
Ready for your close-up?
If that Matthew McConaughey story had you longing for your own journey toward fame, the New Mexico Film Office invites you to consider The Industry Forum. The program, announced yesterday, provides support and training for New Mexico background workers in the film and television industry. According to a news release, the workforce training program will offer three cumulative course levels on topics such as: breaking into background, finding casting calls, submitting for work, getting paid, being a stand in, being a photo double, driving on set, set etiquette, safe set practices and more. All courses will be virtual and the first one takes place on Dec. 5. "Working as a background actor is an excellent way to break into the film industry and can either be a career in itself, or a gateway to other industry careers," Amber Dodson, New Mexico Film Office director, said in a statement.
Come rain or shine
Forecasts say today will be mostly sunny, with a high near 66 degrees and northeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Same general temperatures on Saturday but with a 20% chance of showers after 2 pm and a 60% possibility Saturday night after 11 pm. A little cooler on Sunday—52 degrees or so—with yet another 20% chance for showers (rain, presumably). Monday brings a 40% possibility of rain and maybe even snow. Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading! The Word has been enjoying the Quarantine Soundscapes feature the New York Times assembled of their readers' "sonic geography."
