Regional

  SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials on Wednesday announced 1,151 additional COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths. As of today, there are 702 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico for COVID-19. This number may include individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 out of state but are currently hospitalized in New Mexico. This number does not include New Mexicans who tested positive for COVID-19 and may have been transferred to a hospital out of state.

  The City of Las Cruces Parks & Recreation Lions Tennis Courts, 701 W. Picacho Ave., will reopen today, Jan. 13, 2021 with New Mexico State Public Health Order restrictions (https://cv.nmhealth.org/public-health-orders-and-executive-orders/) still in place. The restrictions include wearing face masks, practicing a minimum of 6 feet social distancing, and limiting gatherings to five or fewer.

Lions Tennis Courts were closed due to GO Bond repairs. All nets have been installed for use.

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health on Wednesday announced the updated statewide COVID-19 map for the two-week period beginning Jan. 13, with 30 counties at the Red Level. Twenty counties saw a higher average daily per-capita rate of new cases in the last two weeks, and 17 counties saw a higher test positivity rate; 16 counties worsened in both metrics. Only 12 counties improved in both of the two health gating criteria metrics.

LAS CRUCES – The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an alert regarding a pet food recall. On Dec. 30, Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. announced a recall of certain lots of Sportmix pet food products. On Jan. 11, Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. expanded the recall to include additional products (not just Sportmix) that contain corn and were made in the company’s Oklahoma manufacturing plant. The recalled products may contain potentially fatal levels of aflatoxins. The FDA is working with several state departments of agriculture to investigate these products.

While the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) is unaware of any reports of affected pets in New Mexico, recalled pet food has been identified in the state.

   U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Air Force’s announcement today to base the new U.S. Space Command headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama:

“To rush such a large and consequential basing decision, mere days before the end of the Trump administration, should rightly lead to serious questions of political impropriety. After postponing the original site visit to Albuquerque last December, the Air Force evaluation team collected data on Albuquerque’s candidacy less than a week ago. I don’t see how it is possible to properly evaluate one of the Air Force’s final candidates in less than a week and come to a decision on something so important.

  Dona Ana County, NM – On Tuesday at approximately 3:30 p.m., the New Mexico State Police investigated a single-vehicle fatal rollover crash on Interstate 25, near milepost 7 in Las Cruces, NM. 

The initial investigation indicates a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, driven by Alfred J. Perez (23) of Peoria, AZ, was traveling north on Interstate 25.  For unknown reasons, the Chevrolet left the roadway and rolled.  Perez was ejected from the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries.  He was pronounced deceased on scene by the Office of Medical Investigator.  

Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash and seatbelts were not properly utilized.  This crash is under investigation by the New Mexico State Police.

SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday announced her agenda for the first session of the 55th New Mexico Legislature, a series of proposals that will advance meaningful investments and new policy in public education, early childhood well-being, environmental protection, racial justice and more.

In addition to the Executive Budget Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2022, which maintains vital state investments in key programs that benefit New Mexicans, the governor’s legislative priorities position New Mexico for a swift and robust recovery from the pandemic and will provide for sustainable progress and continued forward momentum in public education, economic development and public health and safety beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

  SANTA FE - The New Mexico Department of Health on Wednesday announced the state’s first case of the B117 coronavirus variant. A male in his 60’s has the variant; he is associated with travel to the UK in December. He is currently recovering from very mild illness; no hospitalization was required. To this point, DOH has identified no close contacts within the state. The B117 coronavirus variant first emerged in the UK in September, 2020. It has since spread to multiple countries and several U.S. states. There is no evidence that the variant has an impact on the severity of COVID-19 cases, nor on current vaccine effectiveness. For additional information, please visit the Center for Disease Control’s website on COVID-19 variants.

  SANTA FE, NM - The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is investigating one confirmed case – and one suspected case – of wound botulism. A 28-year-old male from Eddy County is hospitalized with wound botulism. The suspected source of infection is contaminated black tar heroin, and the nerve toxin that causes botulism was identified from a patient specimen. Another 29-year-old male from Eddy County with a history of injection drug use is hospitalized with suspected wound botulism.