Regional

  NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government says it has approved the first new applicants in several years to the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for immigrants brought to the U.S. as young people. But it turned away more applicants than it approved as it reopened a program that a Brooklyn federal judge had ordered to resume. Judge Nicholas Garaufis had ordered the federal government to post public notice that it would accept applications under terms before President Donald Trump ended DACA in 2017. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that Trump violated federal law in how he ended the program. The government said it approved 174 new applications last month. But it said it denied 121 and rejected 369.

  PHOENIX - As a result of one positive COVID-19 test within the NM State men's basketball team, the Aggies announced Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, that they are pausing team activities.

Because of the pause, NM State's first two WAC games of the 2020-21 season at Dixie State on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021 and Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 have postponed. Make-up dates for those two league contests will be announced at a later date.

  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico oil and gas regulators have kicked off a public hearing on proposed rules for managing venting and flaring by the industry. Oil and gas revenues underpin the state’s budget, but Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has promised that her administration would adopt some of the toughest rules in the U.S. for cracking down on methane and other emissions. Under the proposal, operators would need to reduce their waste by a fixed amount every year to achieve an ultimate gas capture rate of 98% by December 2026. Environmentalists are concerned about loopholes, saying the state should prohibit all venting and flaring.

  SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials on Monday announced 936 additional COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths. As of today, there are 703 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.

Police arrested a felon suspected of being in possession of a loaded handgun at a Las Cruces Walmart store on Friday.

Manuel Ramirez, 42, of the 2100 block of Chisholm Trail, is charged with one fourth-degree felony count of receipt, transportation or possession of a firearm by a felon. He also faces a misdemeanor count of criminal trespass.

  Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) is doing its part to further reduce the spread of COVID-19 by distributing disposable masks to its residential customers.

Residential Customers will be receiving two masks per property through the same company LCU uses to distribute utility bills. Nearly 40,000 residences will be receiving masks by the end of this week.

A group of citizens provides oversight to major improvement to the City of Las Cruces (CLC) infrastructure. The Capital Improvements Advisory Committee (CIAC) members advise and assist the City with their capital improvements plan, for which impact fees may be assessed. The group monitors and evaluates the implementation of the projects that affect residents throughout the City. Get to know your CIAC members who may help shape the future of Las Cruces.

  President Donald Trump put forth a dizzying array of fuzzy accounting and outright false claims in an extraordinary phone call to Georgia's secretary of state seeking a reversal of his election defeat, fabricating a slew of votes that he said should've been counted in his favor.

In the hourlong conversation Saturday with Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, Trump suggested that the Republican “find” enough votes to hand Trump the victory.

  DALLAS (AP) — Texas has hit a new record high for COVID-19 hospitalizations. State health officials reported 12,563 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals Sunday, an increase of more than 240 from Saturday. It was the sixth time in seven days that the state reported record breaking hospitalizations. A surge in the disease caused by the novel coronavirus is continuing to strain state medical resources following holiday travel and gatherings. The Texas Department of State Health Services reports 14,535 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, 1,510 more probable cases and 50 fatalities. Intensive care units in parts of Texas are full or nearly full.

SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials on Sunday announced 1,033 additional COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths.

As of today, there are 716 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.

  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More than 6,500 New Mexico businesses and nonprofits will receive up to $50,000 under a state program created to help companies cope with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The Albuquerque Journal reports that's about half of the companies that applied. The program uses $100 million of federal coronavirus relief funds allocated to the state. Marquita Russel, who runs the state agency that administers the program, says she expected to receive roughly 10,000 applications. The agency received over 14,000. In all, 6,530 applications were funded, which comprises about 46% of all applicants.

  FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — National Weather Service forecasters say they’re still looking at the data for 2020 but that it’s clear that there was record or near-record dryness in much of the Southwest last year. In Arizona, Flagstaff had only 9.59 inches of rain in 2020, compared with the normal amount of 21.86 inches. Flagstaff’s previous record low of 9.90 inches in 1942. In New Mexico, the weather service office in Albuquerque reported that the statewide average precipitation through November was only 5.22 inches. That was 8.03 inches below normal and put the state on track to make 2020 the fourth driest year on record.

  FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Few Native American tribes have signed up to participate in clinical trials as coronavirus vaccines are developed. The reasons range from suspicion and distrust tied to unethical practices of the past to the quick nature of the studies, which typically may need several layers of approval from tribes. Researchers say that without participation from Native Americans, tribes won't know which vaccine might best be suited for their citizens. About a handful of tribes have agreed to allow researchers to enroll their citizens in vaccine trials, including in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest. They point to a need to slow the virus among a population that's been disproportionately affected.

SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials on Saturday announced 1,252 additional COVID-19 cases and 32 deaths.

As of today, there are 662 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.

SANTA FE – New Mexico state health officials on Friday announced 1,286 additional COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths.

As of today, there are 791 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.

  ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — U.S. Rep.-elect Yvette Herrell of New Mexico says she’ll be among Republican members of Congress who will formally object on Wednesday to the certification of the Electoral College tally of votes. The Roswell Daily Record reports that Herrell said Thursday on her Facebook page that she would vote against certifying the Electoral College results in which President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump. Herrell is set to be sworn into office on Sunday, three days before House and Senate hold a joint session to certify the vote results. Trump has attributed his defeat to widespread voter fraud, despite nonpartisan election officials saying there wasn’t any.

  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A judge in Albuquerque has ruled this week that the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center should not penalize medical marijuana patients under its custody or supervision for using the drug. District Court Judge Lucy Solimon said the order, issued Tuesday, applies specifically to the Albuquerque facility. Spokeswoman Julia Rivera said the jail would comply with the ruling. The decision stems from a drunken driving case where Joe Montaño, who was sentenced to house arrest in October 2019, was jailed for having medical marijuana as a licensed patient. County attorneys said he violated federal laws. His attorney Jacob Candelaria argued licensed inmates should not be penalized.

  FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Casinos run by the Navajo Nation plan to temporarily lay off more than 1,100 workers on New Year’s Day because of prolonged closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The tribe’s Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise announced the decision Thursday night, saying it was left with no choice but to move ahead with the layoffs because of lack of revenue caused by the closures. The tribe operates four casinos in Arizona and New Mexico that have been closed since March. Together they employ more than 1,200 people, including more than 775 tribal members. The Gaming Enterprise plans to keep 165 employees on the payroll.