WASHINGTON (AP) — "Vicious dogs.” “Ominous weapons.” Injured police. Gagging protesters. Shattered storefronts. Armed personnel at centers of power and landmarks. Anguish and arson.

Taking the measure of these days in the nation's capital, President Donald Trump exclaimed: “Washington, D.C., was the safest place on earth last night!”

Such alternate realities pervaded the world described by Trump and his team over the past week.

  LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The Las Cruces City Council has moved to ditch a proposed mandate backed up by misdemeanor penalties and instead will consider a resolution encouraging people to wear face coverings in retail and commercial businesses to help combat the spread of the coronavirus. The council Friday tabled the proposal in favor of holding a special meeting Monday to consider the resolution. City officials said in a statement that the council “prefers voluntary compliance over enforcement and does not want the effort to be punitive." State officials on Saturday reported 129 additional COVID-19 cases with five additional deaths. 

On Friday at approximately 11:55 p.m., Gallup Police Department were dispatched to the Redwood Lodge Motel in Gallup, NM in reference to two male subjects in a white Dodge Truck brandishing a firearm.

When Gallup Police Department officers arrived on scene, they located the white Dodge truck with two men inside. The white Dodge truck drove around the Gallup officers almost striking their Patrol unit. The white Dodge truck turned on New Mexico State Road 118. The truck fled and a pursuit was initiated. 

Protesters were out in force in Las Cruces on Saturday.  Police closed portions of Lohman and Telshor, as scores of people walked through what is normally one of the busiest intersections in the city.  The approximately three-hour protest disrupted traffic, but no injuries or arrests were reported.

The protest comes one day after Las Cruces Police announced an officer had been relieved of his duties.  The Las Cruces Police Department last week received the autopsy report from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator regarding the death of Antonio Valenzuela who passed away Feb. 29, 2020, following his arrest by officer Christopher Smelser.

After reviewing the autopsy report, LCPD Chief Patrick Gallagher has determined it is in the best interest of the department and the community to relieve officer Smelser of his duties as a result of his involvement in this incident. A letter of intent to terminate employment with the City of Las Cruces was delivered to officer Smelser on Friday, June 5. Smelser, an officer with LCPD since March 2016, has been on administrative leave since Feb. 29 pending the outcome of the autopsy report.

  Sparks flew as crews cut off the large metal nubs in the floor of the “pit” of the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA) Amador Avenue Transfer Station. With a line of trash trucks stretching past the Las Cruces Utilities Water Quality Laboratory and concrete still drying on the floor of the Transfer Station, it was a high speed turnover to switch out the old trash compactor for a new “monster” weighing 130,000 lbs, and with a price tag of $1.9 million.

SANTA FE – Every New Mexican should have health care during the COVID-19 emergency – to help expedite that process there is a new online screening tool to help New Mexicans determine what health insurance coverage they may qualify for by answering a few simple questions. It is available at: New Mexico Health Coverage Connector.

The New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance partnered with the New Mexico Human Services Department, beWellnm, and the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool to make the tool.

Soil is a natural resource that supports human civilization and plays a vital role in global food security. So, while we may not be ranchers, crop growers or researchers, we all have a vested interest in soil – especially soil health.

Soil health, as defined by a team of researchers in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University, is “the state of the soil being in sound physical, chemical, and biological condition, having the capability to sustain the growth and development of land plants.”

  While the City of Las Cruces is starting to reopen its departments to the public and adjusting to the “new normal” of day-to-day life, Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) is more focused than ever on precautions to ensure the health and wellness not only of its associates, but also the public. Just as residents are doing at home, LCU has bumped up the cleanliness factor by adding extra custodial staff. 

  SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday announced additional resources for New Mexico families interested in summer youth programming. Through a collaboration between the Department of Cultural Affairs, Public Education Department, Early Childhood Education and Care Department, and Children, Youth & Families Department, the state has assembled a comprehensive array of supports for families – including a directory of available programs, online and print resources, child care resources and other materials. 

These resources are available on http://www.newmexico.gov/summer-youth-programs/, along with a full list of COVID-19 Safe Practices for in-person programs.

After several days of ballot counting, Alexis Johnson today was declared the winner in the Republican 3rd Congressional District Primary race. The announcement comes after a delay so thousands of absentee votes could be counted. 
 
Johnson won the nomination with 37% of the vote. Harry Montoya took 35% and Karen Bedonie got 28%.