COVID-19 by the numbers
New Mexico health officials yesterday reported 143 additional positive tests for COVID-19, bringing the statewide total of cases so far to 5,503. McKinley County continues to have the most new cases: 52, as of today, followed by San Juan County with 34 and Bernalillo County with 25. The state also announced 11 additional deaths, including the third for Santa Fe County: a male in his 80s who was hospitalized, had underlying medical conditions and was a patient at the Uptown Genesis facility in Albuquerque. As of today, 209 people are hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19, and the health department has designated 1,576 cases as recovered.
New Mexico will be receiving more than $77 million for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing from the US Department of Health and Human Services, according to a news release from US Sen. Tom Udall's office and announced by the entire state congressional delegation. The funds come from a relief package passed by Congress last month that includes $25 billion for national testing and contact tracing.
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.
Dark money controversy enters 3CD race
Several candidates in the seven-person 3rd Congressional District race are calling on Teresa Leger Fernandez to denounce so-called dark money after news that two dark-money groups appear to be supporting her campaign. Politico Pro reported yesterday that Perise Practical Inc. and Avacy Initiatives Inc have spent $300,000 combined on ads supporting Leger Fernandez. Candidates John Blair, Marco Serna and Valerie Plame all denounced the contributions in one way or another. "Secret contributions from shady sources are simply unacceptable," Blair said. Serna said he will be taking a "dark money out of politics pledge." Leger Fernandez' campaign manager, Emma Caccamo, said the campaign does not know anything about the ads and saw them when everyone else did. "We're proud to be running a New Mexico powered campaign, with contributions from all 16 counties in the district and no corporate PAC money," she said.
DNA tech solves murder
Santa Fe Police have made an arrest in the 2018 murder of Robert Romero, a 52-year-old husband and father killed at his home in an apparent attempted burglary. Detectives arrested Joseph Jones, 26, of Santa Fe, yesterday and charged him with murder, tampering with evidence, attempt to commit a felony, aggravated burglary and residential burglary. Police say it is the first homicide in New Mexico to lead to an arrest using genetic technology and the 111th in the country. Police compared DNA collected at the crime scene to a voluntary genetic database, which eventually led them to Jones. SFPD hopes to use the genetic technology from Virginia-based company Parabon NanoLabs, Inc., on other unsolved cases, including sexual assaults. "With the success of this case this has opened the door for us," Police Deputy Chief Paul Joye said. "We're going to evaluate what cases to use the technology on."
Inmates discuss pandemic prison conditions
Before they were allowed to receive masks, inmates at the privately run Cibola County Correctional Center near Grants say they were required to sign waivers releasing prison operator CoreCivic from any liability. A CoreCivic spokesman, however, says the forms just required inmates to acknowledge information about the masks' efficacy. Prisoners also say staff there are spraying bleach all over the inside of the detention center, leaving inmates enveloped in fumes with stinging eyes. Religious services have been canceled and a recent movie night featured Contagion, which depicts a gruesome worldwide pandemic. "If the infection gets into this building, what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and wait for death to come to our door?" one inmate said to New Mexico In Depth, noting "…that has caused a lot of unrest, just the thought of that."
Listen up
Episode 62 of "Your New Mexico Government" examines the issue of access to health insurance during the pandemic. Guests include Stephanie and Eddie Nelson, who lost their health coverage when Eddie lost his job and recently received a $900 emergency room bill for their COVID-19 test. UNMH Nurse Marie Sparks received a $1,500 COVID-19 test bill and also had to use her paid time off and sick leave for quarantine. New Mexico Superintendent of Insurance Russell Toal explains how insurance companies and providers should be handling coronavirus testing and treatment bills, and how is office is addressing problems. Center on Law and Poverty Executive Director Sireesha Manne shares how the center is helping ensure everyone has free access to health care and COVID-19 testing and treatment coverage, as does Barbara Webber, executive director of Health Action New Mexico. "Your New Mexico Government" is a collaboration between SFR, KUNM and New Mexico PBS.
State forecasts film industry bounceback
New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes says the film business will be one of the first industries to bounce back when the state re-opens. In an interview with Variety magazine, Keyes says the state is looking at a third partnership to follow its successful agreements with Netflix and NBCUniversal, both of which made 10-year and hefty financial commitments to the state. The third potential studio, however, remains under wraps. As for post-pandemic film work, Keyes says, "We foresee when we're able to open up that this is going to be one of our first sectors to bounce back."
SFO director looks to the future
News that the Santa Fe Opera was canceling its 2020 season hit hard for those of us holding out hope for an abbreviated season and some remote chance of attending, say, M. Butterfly or The Magic Flute or Tristan und Isolde or…OK, we were planning to see all of them. SFO General Director Robert K Meya tells SFR the opera also had been working on contingency plans and now is working on the near and far future financially and artistically. "We are optimistic and remain hopeful that we'll be able to get past all this," Meya said. "We're just praying that science and medical advances are moving forward and on our side."
Warm and breezy
Today's forecast: Sunny, with a high near 80 degrees and north wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the morning (in other words, it will be like yesterday). As for the weekend, Saturday and Sunday will both be sunny with high temps near 82 degrees. Both days will have afternoon wind: 5 to 10 mph on Saturday and a little bit stronger on Sunday. Our next teensy chance of rain right now forecast for Tuesday.
Thanks for reading! This London Review of Books essay about Joan Didion reminded the Word that she hasn't yet seen Griffin Dunne's documentary about Didion (his aunt) just in time for the weekend.
