Navajo Nation Man Killed By Bear

Above, a black bear at Yellowstone Bear World. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A bear attack in the Navajo Nation resulted in a fatality.

One may ask, "There are bears in the Navajo Nation?" Incredible as it may seem (not to those of us who live in New Mexico), not all of the Navajo Nation is in the desert. There are some mountainous areas with forests within the Navajo Nation.

We have bears in the Cibola National Forest near our community of Jamestown. One bear was hit recently by a vehicle when it tried to cross Interstate 40 near our community. Personally, I have not seen any bears while driving in Six Mile Canyon of the national forest.

The bear attack took place near the community of Crystal, which is in the Chuska Mountains.  

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported:

Black bears attacked two people in New Mexico this week, killing one, as drought conditions continue to drive the animals out of their habitat, increasing human-bear encounters.

The fatality occurred Thursday in Crystal on the Navajo Nation in northwestern New Mexico, The Guardian reported Friday. The victim has not been identified.

It was only the second fatal bear attack reported in a century. The last was 25 years ago.

Navajo Nation police officers killed the bear, according to the report. Tribal officials did not respond to The New Mexican’s inquiry Friday about the incident.

To read more, go here. 

"Truth Commission" Proposal For Epstein's NM Ranch

The tentacles of sex trafficking involving the late Jeffrey Epstein could possibly involve some prominent New Mexicans.

To find out whether this is the case (or not), a "truth commission" proposal is heading to the New Mexico House floor.

Above, Jeffrey Epstein. Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department mugshot.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican:

A proposed “truth commission” to investigate possible crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein at his Santa Fe County ranch could, state lawmakers hope, make New Mexico a leader in seeking accountability in a scandal that has become one of the biggest issues in national politics.

House Joint Resolution 1 is headed to the House floor after winning unanimous approval from the House Judiciary Committee on Saturday and the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee a week ago.

Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, one of the sponsors of the resolution, said it proposes creating a bipartisan “fact-finding mission” aimed at “getting the story straight,” rather than investigating specific claims of sex trafficking or other crimes alleged to have occurred at Epstein’s sprawling Zorro Ranch near Stanley.

It would be interesting to see if actual crimes were committed at Zorro Ranch and if prominent New Mexico politicians were guests there. Wouldn't it be funny if Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's name is listed as a past guest? 

To read more, go here.

Appeals Court Halts New Mexico's Gun Purchase Waiting Period

Above, a card I picked up last year at Loeffler's Guns Etc. in Grants. 

Last year, I bought a Winchester Model 12 shotgun just before the new New Mexico law forcing a 7-day waiting period on gun purchases.

The law went into effect May 15, 2024.

Lawsuits then ensued challenging the constitutionality of the law.

Yesterday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the plaintiffs against the law.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported:

A federal appellate court Tuesday landed a heavy blow against a New Mexico law requiring a seven-day waiting period for firearms purchases.

The ruling, which questions the constitutionality of the waiting period, could affect similar laws in place in states across the country.

Tuesday’s ruling means New Mexico’s gun purchase waiting period — passed into law last year — will be put on hold until the legal challenge by two state residents is resolved in a lower federal court. But the ruling also provides a signal of the how the court is likely to rule on the law.

Judges from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver reversed a lower court decision to deny a injunction against New Mexico’s Waiting Period Act, which requires a seven-day “cooling-off period” for purchases of guns throughout the state, with some exceptions for concealed carry permit-holders and law enforcement officers and sales between immediate family members.

An order issued by the appellate court Tuesday states the law is “likely an unconstitutional burden on the Second Amendment rights of its citizens.”

This is definitely great news for gun owners in New Mexico and, possibly, around the country.

To read more, go here. 

Second Amendment Supporters Rally At Roundhouse

Above, the New Mexico Capitol Building in Santa Fe. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The timing of yesterday's snowstorm put a big dent in the attendance numbers of the 2nd Amendment rally at the state Capitol building, known as the Roundhouse.

I attended a similar rally there in January 2020 which drew several hundred people.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican:

About 40 gun rights supporters gathered outside of the Roundhouse on a snowy Saturday to express their opposition to gun control measures being considered by the Legislature.

Specifically, Senate Bill 279, which would outlaw the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-powered semiautomatic rifles that use high-capacity magazines and ban magazines holding more than 10 rounds.

Gun owners who currently own one of the weapons to be restricted would be allowed to keep them but would have to certify them with the state. The bill advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 5-4 vote Friday night, along party lines except for Sen. Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, who voted against it.

Further on in the article, it was written that more moderate Democrats, who were Second Amendment supporters, were primaried out of office by more radical Democrats during last election cycle.

The big question is: Will people of New Mexico comply of Senate Bill 279 passes and is signed into law? You can bet there will be lawsuits filed if it does.

To read more, go here.

Grisham Calls For Special Session For Gun Control

New Mexico Gov. "Malevolent" Michelle Lujan Grisham is calling for a special session of the legislature to take up "public safety protections", which is her euphemism for gun control. 

However, if this special session is for dealing with the southern border that the Mexican cartels control, then I would be for it. But she previously said that she wants her gun control proposals passed and may call a special session to do it.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican:

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday she will call the Legislature into a special session July 18 "to take up additional public safety protections that New Mexicans demand."

“While we made some progress toward a safer New Mexico during the 30-day day session, we agree that we must do more,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

“The special session in July will enable us to deliver additional statutory changes that reduce the danger and risk New Mexico communities face every day," she said. "The best proposals for making our state safer will be under consideration, and I welcome input from my colleagues in the legislature."

She couldn't get all that she wanted during the legislature's regular session in infringing upon New Mexican's Second Amendment rights, so she is trying to ram them through in a special session. Despicable!

To read more, go here. 

Gov. Lujan Grisham Whines Over "Murderer" Label

The Democrat Party has embraced abortion, sometimes with such glee they are often referred to as the "Party of Death". So when they are called out on their position on it, they scream like gut pigs.

The latest is New Mexico Gov. Michelle "The Groper" Lujan Grisham whining over being called a "murderer" by State Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo) on Twitter. Well, in her case, "if the shoe fits, wear it" (as in Cinderella).

According to the Piñon Post (of which Block is editor and founder):

State Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo) recently took to Twitter to characterize Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s comments supporting abortion up-to-birth as the governor being a “murderer.”

Following the tweet, Lujan Grisham’s office played the victim, telling the Santa Fe New Mexican, “Comments like these absolutely have the potential to incite violence, including to the governor, her family and colleagues.”

It is unclear how she equates being called a “murderer” to “inciting violence,” but she is well-known for name-calling of her own. 

She told New Mexico sheriffs who were unhappy with her anti-gun laws that they were “rogue sheriffs” having a “childish pity party,” and she called her political opponents “QAnon lizard people.”

It is obvious that the governor can dish it out but can't take it.

To read the full story, go here. 

Native American Groups Blast NM Governor Over Indian Affairs Pick

The irony is not lost to those of us who opposed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham during the election.

Her pick for the state's Indian Affairs Department has a shady past. Although there was not enough evidence to prosecute James Mountain, he still has a cloud over his head. Native American groups, including the president of the Navajo Nation, oppose his appointment.

Lujan Grisham should have been sensitive enough not to appoint such a person. Then again, she has her own tawdry history of groping, hence the irony. Birds of a feather?

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported:

A coalition of advocates dedicated to stemming the tide of violence and missing persons cases in Indian Country is demanding more transparency from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, saying there should be greater accountability in the system for vetting state-appointed positions that serve Indigenous communities.

About 30 protesters gathered Friday in the state Capitol Rotunda to voice concerns about the Democratic governor’s contested pick to head the state’s Indian Affairs Department. They want the governor to withdraw her appointment of James Mountain, citing charges he once faced. They were joined by legislators, including Democratic Sen. Shannon Pinto of the Navajo community of Tohatchi. The Navajo Nation president also has said he cannot support the appointment.

“For so many survivors, when we see James Mountain, we see our abusers,” said Angel Charley, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women.

She said Mountain’s appointment has overshadowed a stalled proposal in the Legislature to make crime victims’ reparations funds available to the families of missing and slain Native Americans.

“He knows how much division there is because of his nomination,” she said. “Step down.”

Lujan Grisham’s appointment has sent shockwaves through tribal communities. While the governor so far has continued to defend Mountain, she has yet to submit his nomination to the Senate for confirmation despite the legislative session ending at noon Saturday.

Many in the Democratic-led Legislature have remained mum about the governor’s choice not to push for a hearing, which would offer a public forum for Mountain to be vetted.

A former San Ildefonso Pueblo governor, Mountain was once was indicted on charges that included criminal sexual penetration, kidnapping and aggravated battery of a household member. The charges were dropped in 2010, with prosecutors saying they did not have enough evidence to go to trial.

This is what you get when stupid people in the state re-elect a groping insensitive governor. 

To read more, go here.

Teamsters Upset Over Ronchetti UPS Visit

One has to give the Mark Ronchetti credit for entering into "enemy territory" when he paid a visit to a UPS warehouse in Rio Rancho yesterday. 

Their union has endorsed Gov. "Malevolent Michelle" Lujan Grisham in this year's gubernatorial campaign. This is not surprising or unusual, for the union bosses are nothing more than Democrat operatives. The rank-in-file workers welcomed Ronchetti.

Now they're pissed off over Ronchetti's morning visit to the workers.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican:

A Teamsters union that represents UPS drivers delivered a sharp rebuke to Mark Ronchetti on Tuesday after the Republican gubernatorial candidate promoted a visit to a UPS warehouse in Rio Rancho.

Just before 9:30 a.m., Ronchetti took to Twitter to thank UPS for opening its warehouse doors to send off their drivers before their shifts.

“Working New Mexicans are ready for a government that listens and cares about its constituents,” he tweeted along with photos of him speaking to what appeared to be dozens of UPS drivers and shaking hands with one of them. “On November 8, we will give them that!”

Tuesday afternoon, Teamsters Local 492 took to Facebook to decry the visit, writing it was “management” who invited Ronchetti to speak to a room of union members.

“Ronchetti does not represent our Teamster values and we despise his use of UPS teamsters as a prop this morning, to advance his anti-worker agenda,” the union wrote.

The union cited the governor’s “strong record delivering for New Mexico workers and their families.”

People need to be reminded that Lujan Grisham's "strong record" for delivering for New Mexico workers includes using the State Police as her personal Gestapo to harass, terrorize and shut down businesses during the past two years.  About 40% of New Mexico businesses have been permanently shuttered due to Lujan Grisham's edicts, killing off thousands of jobs in the process.

Her record stinks, to put it mildly.

To read more, go here.

Southwest Chief Collides With Truck, 3 Killed

Above, a westbound Southwest Chief train pulls into Gallup station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A train of the Amtrak line I took two years ago from Riverside, California to Gallup, New Mexico following my aunt's funeral collided with a dump truck in Missouri and derailed. Three people were killed.

The train was of the Southwest Chief line. The train was en route from Los Angeles to Chicago.

It likely came through Gallup at about 7:00-8:00 this morning.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican:

MENDON, Mo. — Three people were killed and several others were injured Monday when a passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck and derailed in a remote, rural area of Missouri, officials said.

Two of the people who died were on the train and one was in the truck, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were hurt, the patrol said. Several hospitals said they had received patients and were expecting more.

The Southwest Chief was carrying about 243 passengers and 12 crew members when the collision happened near Mendon, Amtrak said. The Highway Patrol said seven cars derailed.

The collision occurred at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no crossing arms, Dunn said. A 911 call about the collision came in at 12:43 p.m. and the first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes, he said.

To read more, go here. 

Summer's "Sticker Shock" of Travel Prices

Above, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Earlier this year, I bought airline tickets for my ex-roommate for her visit here in July and for myself for a trip to Los Angeles for my high school's 50-year reunion in September.

The prices were reasonable for the round trips (around $300). It pays to buy as early as you can.

It looks like I bought them in the nick of time as airline prices, along with everything else, have soared.

The Santa Fe New Mexican posted an article that warns people to prepare for summer "sticker shock."

They begin with:

DALLAS — Airlines and tourist destinations are expecting monster crowds this summer as travel restrictions ease and pandemic fatigue overcomes lingering fear of contracting COVID-19 during travel.

Many forecasters believe the number of travelers will match or even exceed levels in the good-old, pre-pandemic days. However, airlines have thousands fewer employees than they did in 2019, and that has at times contributed to widespread flight cancellations.

People who are only now booking travel for the summer are experiencing the sticker shock.

Domestic airline fares for summer are averaging more than $400 a round trip, 24 percent higher than this time in 2019, before the pandemic, and a whopping 45 percent higher than a year ago, according to travel-data firm Hopper. “The time to have gotten cheap summer flights was probably three or four months ago,” says Scott Keyes, who runs the Scott’s Cheap Flights site.

To read more, go here. 

New Mexico Governor's Mansion Used State Funds For Party

There she goes again.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's campaign had to reimburse the state for a political event held last year in the Governor's Mansion in Santa Fe.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican:

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office tapped into a taxpayer-funded expense account to pay for a political event at the governor’s mansion in October, prompting her reelection campaign to quietly reimburse the state two months later.

Documents obtained under a public records request show New Mexicans for Michelle, the governor’s campaign committee, issued the state a $1,837 check in December to pay for expenses stemming from a Democratic Governors Association party hosted by Lujan Grisham in Santa Fe.

At the time, Lujan Grisham was serving as chairwoman of the association, a Washington, D.C.-based political organization dedicated to electing Democratic governors and other candidates.

Lujan Grisham’s contingency fund spending has been a source of controversy in the past, and it’s given the governor’s critics, particularly Republicans hoping to win back control of the Governor’s Office in November, ammunition to use against her as she runs for a second term.

To read more, go here. 

Social Security Benefits Exempt From NM Income Tax

People generally complain (with good reason) with government legislatures. But on rare occasions, the politicians do something that most people can get behind with enthusiasm.

Such is the case of having Social Security benefits exempt from income taxation in New Mexico.

From the Santa Fe New Mexican:

The state Senate unanimously approved a tax package early Thursday morning that exempts Social Security benefits from the state’s personal income tax and reduces New Mexico's gross receipts tax rate by 0.025 percent over two years — both priorities of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

And with just about eight hours to go before the end of this year's legislative session, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to concur with the Senate changes to House Bill 163 later that morning. 

That legislation is now on its way to Lujan Grisham's desk for her signature. 

One of the reasons the state voted to exempt Social Security benefits from the income tax is to entice seniors to move to New Mexico.

To read more, go here. 

Antiques Roadshow Coming To New Mexico In June

One of the few shows on television I'll bother watching these days is Antiques Roadshow on PBS on Monday nights.

Which brings me to an article that caught my attention this morning.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported:

The PBS show Antiques Roadshow announced this week it will be visiting Museum Hill in Santa Fe on June 14, offering expert appraisals of antiques.

That show will produce three episodes from the all-day event, which will air in 2023.

Admission to the Antiques Roadshow event is free, but those hoping to attend must apply for a ticket by March 21 at pbs.org/roadshowtickets. Ticket applicants later will be selected in a random drawing.

 To read more, go here.

New Mask Mandate For New Mexico

Gov. "Malevolent Michelle" Lujan Grisham has reinstituted the mask mandate in New Mexico on the pretext that the Delta Variant strain of the coronavirus is on the rise.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican:

Time to mask up again, New Mexico.

As COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious delta variant continue to worry health officials and stress New Mexico’s already short-staffed hospital network, the state once again will require face masks to be worn in all public indoor spaces under a public health order issued Tuesday.

In addition, all employees at hospitals and congregate care facilities, such as nursing homes, hospice centers and prisons, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Unvaccinated employees must obtain their first dose within 10 days and their second shot, depending on the type of vaccine, within 40 days of the first.

“We know that the pandemic is not over and that we’re in a pivotal moment in the state,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said during a virtual briefing.

The mask mandate, which goes into effect Friday and will continue through at least Sept. 15, applies to everyone age 2 and up. The only exception is when eating or drinking.

The new mandates received mixed reviews.

“I’m not for that in any way,” said Jason Aufrichtig, owner of Counter Culture and co-owner of Pizza Centro. “I’m not against the mask, but I’m for the vaccine. I put my faith in the vaccine. It’s working.”

To read the full article, go here. 

New Mexico School Board Suspended Over Mask Mandate

The dictatorship of Gov. "Malevolent Michelle" Lujan Grisham has suspended the Floyd school board for voting to not comply with her mask mandate.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported:

ALBUQUERQUE — The Floyd school board was suspended by the state Public Education Department on Wednesday for not going along with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s mask mandate for children as schools prepare for classes to resume this month and COVID-19 cases continue to rise again.

The five-member Floyd school board voted last week to make masks and social distancing optional and reaffirmed the decision in another vote Monday despite warnings from state officials that they could face suspension or other enforcement actions.

The district’s superintendent has been ordered to report directly to Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart.

Stewart said in a memo to the board members that the state agency has a responsibility to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all staff and students. 

House Republican Leader Jim Townsend of Artesia called the state’s move unfortunate given that New Mexico is just days away from schools reopening.

“Instead of politicizing and headline grabbing, I sure wish that the governor and PED would have implemented a serious plan to address the learning gap and the myriad of other issues that have been exacerbated during COVID,” he said Wednesday, adding that school districts are being used as pawns by Santa Fe bureaucrats.

Republican Sen. David Gallegos of Eunice, who serves on another local school board, said the Floyd board did what it was elected to do.

I am curious about what legal basis the state's Public Education Department has to suspend a duly elected school board. 

To read the full article, go here.

The Republican Party of New Mexico issued the following statement:

NEW MEXICO STATE GOVERNMENT VIOLATING LAW AS IT SEEKS TO PERMANENTLY ELIMINATE FLOYD, NM SCHOOL BOARD

RPNM: STATE'S AUTHORITARIAN LEGAL TACTICS MUST BE STOPPED-- SCHOOL BOARDS MUST HAVE LOCAL CONTROL IN THEIR COMMUNITIES

Albuquerque, August 5--The Republican Party of New Mexico is alarmed and outraged that the Lujan Grisham Administration is seeking legal action to permanently do away with the Floyd, New Mexico School Board. The state is blatantly exceeding its authority in this attempted takeover.

The Governor and the Public Education Department is again putting politics before pupils.

There must be local control of schools across our state. 

It is imperative that school districts across New Mexico make decisions in the best interests of their students and school employees. Our school boards have the duty and the right to make decisions as a self-governing body. These members know what’s best for students in their communities.

This is another bully tactic by the Governor and the state’s Public Education Department—which has now had three Secretaries and been under fire during the Governor’s tenure--and an absolute abuse of power. 

“The Governor continues her authoritarian ways. She is deliberately ignoring the rights and actions of the local school board and to use the courts now to gain state control is morally wrong and illegal,” said Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce. “This is another tactic by the state to instill fear to school boards across New Mexico. It’s shameful the Governor would act in this dictatorial manner. New Mexico’s public education system is the worst in the nation, and she should be taking measures to fix this enormous problem, instead of  seeking this power grab.”

Michelle Lujan Grisham: High On The Hog At Taxpayer Expense

Since the pandemic started, Democrat politicians have been imposing "Rules for thee, but not for me" on their subjects.

New Mexico's Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has come under fire before for breaking her own rules and she is taking heat again for spending on food and booze with taxpayers' money, when those costs should be coming out of her own pocket.

Fox News reported:

New Mexico’s Democrat governor is on the defensive after a report this week detailed her office’s spending from a taxpayer-supported expense fund.

Records show Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham spent nearly $13,500 over a six-month period in 2020 on items such as groceries, dry cleaning and alcohol, the Sante Fe New Mexican reported.

The booze spending included a purchase in September of more than $200 for five bottles of tequila, two bottles of vodka, two bottles of Merlot and single bottles of whiskey and gin, the report said.

In the same report, the newspaper disclosed that Grisham was hosting in-person staff meetings at the governor’s mansion at the same time that she was urging the public against mixing households in order to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

About half the $13,500 went toward food for the governor’s Cabinet members and staffers during those meetings, Grisham spokesman Tripp Stelnicki told The Associated Press.

State Republicans were outraged by the governor’s use of taxpayer cash.

It must be nice to live "high on the hog" at taxpayers' expense while imposing strict restrictions on everybody else.

To read more, go here.

Michelle Lujan Grisham For Health and Human Services?

Gee, that's all we need.

She'll do for the country what she has done for New Mexico: turn everything into a colossal mess.

From the Santa Fe New Mexican:

Momentum seems to be building for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to join the Biden administration as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Citing people familiar with the matter, CNN reported Wednesday that New Mexico's governor is a "leading contender" for the job and is expected to be nominated for the Cabinet position.

"While [President-elect Joe] Biden has faced considerable pressure to nominate Lujan Grisham to become Health and Human Services secretary, a Biden adviser said her credentials put her atop the list to run the sprawling agency — long before the public lobbying campaign began," CNN reported. "She has served as a state health secretary in New Mexico, a member of Congress and governor."

Another source says she turned down the Dept. of Interior. 

To read more, go here. 

"Bennie The Chicken-Hearted" Refuses To Debate Ronchetti

Above, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan. He's afraid to debate, but he's not scared. Otherwise, he would debate. He thinks the
senate seat is his. He already has a "SenLujan" Twitter account. Nothing like counting your chickens before they hatch!

Rep. Ben Ray "Bennie Lu-lu" Lujan apparently thinks he has the U.S. Senate seat from New Mexico in the bag or just is entitled to it (he already has a @SenLujan Twitter account). In any case, he is refusing to debate on television his Republican opponent Mark Ronchetti.

For a man who has accomplished absolutely nothing for his congressional district (of which I am a resident), this is not very smart politics to say the least. He needs to earn the senate seat. Being Nancy Pelosi's "butt-boy" does not cut it.

Steve Pearce, Chairman of the New Mexico Republican Party has issued the following press release:

U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE’S DECISION TO SKIP DEBATE TYPIFIES “NO-SHOW” BEHAVIOR IN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

ALBUQUERQUE, SEPTEMBER 6 — Rep. Ben Ray Luján has declined to take part in a televised U.S. Senate debate on October 5. The debate is sponsored by KOB-TV and the Santa Fe New Mexican. Republican candidate Mark Ronchetti will participate.

The following is a statement from Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce:

“It’s not surprising that Rep. Luján will be a no-show at this important debate. He has done little to help New Mexicans in Congress and has been a no-show in his home District. With an open U.S. Senate seat, it’s vital that voters be able to compare and contrast political views, and it’s obvious Lujan doesn’t care enough to discuss important issues for constituents of his state. This exposes who Rep. Luján really is, and New Mexicans deserve better than this.”

Maybe he should be known in the future as "Bennie The Chicken-Hearted". 

New Mexico An "Island" In COVID-19 Positivity Rate

Data on coronavirus infections are showing that the state of New Mexico is an "island" compared to surrounding states.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican:

Last month in Arizona, a staggering 1 in 4 people tested for COVID-19 received a positive result. 

Currently in Texas, it’s about 1 in 6. 

Yet in New Mexico, the numbers are very different. About 1 in 30 tests is coming back positive. 

The state is performing much better than its neighbors on a key coronavirus metric called the test positivity rate, which measures how many people who get COVID-19 tests turn out to have the disease. 

The statistic is an indication that New Mexico is proving itself to be a safer island — epidemiologically speaking — in a sea of states doing a poorer job of monitoring and controlling the virus. 

It also helps explain why officials were able to report a steep decline in the state’s COVID-19 transmission rate Thursday, just several weeks after New Mexico experienced a troubling surge. 

“We’ve had a couple of peaks, and hopefully we’re through a big part of the second peak,” said state Human Services Secretary David Scrase, a main figure leading the state’s efforts against the novel coronavirus. 

Test positivity rates are gaining more visibility nationwide as health officials look to them as a key factor in making decisions on reopening the economy. Unlike the rate of new cases or hospitalizations, the positivity metric helps determine whether testing is widespread enough to accurately understand the spread of the virus. 

And among the dizzying trove of COVID-19 statistics being analyzed in New Mexico, this number is taking more prominence: State officials just added it to the list of criteria they use to make policy decisions about reopening the economy, which has taken a severe hit through the crisis. 

While Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has said it’s been difficult to watch the economic hardship, she’s reiterated that her public health mandates have been necessary. 

She recently noted members of the state’s Economic Recovery Council had questioned whether adding the test positivity rate to the state’s gating criteria would be “moving the goal posts” on the metrics used to decide how and when to reopen the economy.

So, in other words, Grisham's "one size fits all" health order approach (instead of targeting "hot spot" areas) will continue despite the good news.

To read the full article, go here. 

Group Protest Calls For Lujan Grisham's Removal

Above, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Since Gov. "Malevolent Michelle" Lujan Grisham is so fond of protests (she praised BLM protests in the midst of the pandemic), she's going to get one just outside of her office. This one, organizers say, will last 30 days.

The protest group is calling for the removal of Lujan Grisham from office and for its grievances to be addressed.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported:

A group calling for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s removal from office says it will protest outside the Roundhouse for days or even weeks until its grievances are heard. 

Organizers of I Will not comply NM say they will gather Sunday at the Capitol and lock the doors to the building from the outside as a symbolic gesture. They are calling their demonstration “Shut Down the Capital.” 

“This isn’t about Republicans. It isn’t about Democrats. It isn’t about COVID. It isn’t about masks. It’s about the Constitution,” said Stephen Garrett, a small-business owner in Moriarty who founded the group in 2019. 

Garrett said the governor violated the First and Second amendments by closing churches and gun stores during the onset of the novel coronavirus outbreak. 

“I have contacted the Department of Justice and White House numerous times asking for intervention,” he said, but they have not responded. 

“I don’t understand how you can subvert the Constitution of the United States,” he added. “It’s the founding document, the founding laws of our country.”

Unfortunately, there is no recall provision for the removal of the governor or other state elected officials in the New Mexico constitution.

To read more, go here.