COVID-19 in numbers

Due to the three-day holiday weekend, New Mexico has not had a COVID-19 update since Friday, October 8. At this point, New Mexico health officials have reported 972 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 258,943 to date. ; The DOH has designated 229,031 of these cases as recovered.

Bernalillo County had 240 new cases, followed by San Juan County with 164, and Santa Fe County had the third highest number of new cases in the state: 62.

The state also announced 15 more deaths, including 12 recent; there have now been 4,869 deaths statewide. As of Friday, 342 people were hospitalized with COVID-19.

Currently, 80.7% of New Mexicans aged 18 and over have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 71.3% are fully vaccinated. In the 12-17 age group, the state currently reports that 61.8% of people have received at least one dose and 53.1% are fully vaccinated; however, these percentages represent a decrease from last week – SFR has a pending request to the health department for information regarding this discrepancy. In Santa Fe County, of those 18 and older, 91.3% have received at least one dose and 81.3% are fully immunized.

You can read all of SFR’s COVID-19 coverage here.

It’s campaign fundraising season

Ten political campaigns were referred to the state ethics commission, following a spot check of the 2020 financial campaign reports. The random sampling of 10% of the accounts, or about 110 reports, resumed for the first time since 2016, officials citing insufficient resources as being partly responsible for the gap. The audit, required under the state’s Campaign Reporting Act, looks for deviations such as: unregistered political action committees; unauthorized expenses; and exceeding political contribution limits. A report released on Friday also identified around 30 other reports with discrepancies in which the issues were resolved. The unresolved accounts – which will now be reviewed by the Ethics Commission and possibly state prosecutors if enforcement action is needed – include former state senator Phil Griego, whose campaign has $ 17,900 d ‘unpaid fines and an account balance over $ 41,000; Griego served over a year and a half in prison starting in 2018 after his conviction in a political scandal. Other testimonies mentioned included a political action committee for former state representative Luciano “Lucky” Varela, who died in 2017, and whose account was cited for reporting a duplicate contribution to Senator de State Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe, of PAC. and campaign account. Other political committees referred to the Ethics Commission include the Sierra County Democratic Party; the Curry County Republican Party; and the Federated Republican Women of Lea County.

Meanwhile, yesterday marked the deadline for candidates to file current campaign finance reports (although they actually have until today because yesterday was a public holiday). So far, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has raised $ 2.5 million since April for her re-election campaign next year “putting her squarely on the path to victory,” her campaign said in a press release. . The governor’s campaign also made an additional payment of $ 87,500 over the past six months to settle harassment charges from a former campaign spokesperson who accused the governor of pouring water on his crotch and then grabbed said crotch while laughing (allegations denied by the governor and his campaign). In total, the campaign spent $ 150,000 to settle the allegations, which drew criticism from the state’s Republican Party. Of the seven Republicans who hope to challenge Lujan Grisham in next year’s general election, State Representative Rebecca Dow, R-Truth or Consequences, appears to be ahead financially; she has raised over $ 440,000 so far in her main candidacy for GOP governor.

NM cancels voter registration same day for November 2

Planning to register to vote on polling day, November 2? No. While voters were able to use same-day registration for the first time during the June primary, it will not be available next month. Residents can continue to register to vote during early voting, but registration to vote on polling day requires approval from the voting system certification committee. New Mexico hosted same-day registration in June as a pilot program, according to state Election Officer Mandy Vigil. Speaking to lawmakers last month, Vigil said that while nearly 2% of voters used same-day registration in June, there are some technical issues that need to be addressed before using it again. These would include improvements to the county clerks portal, fixing a software bug and improving email notifications. Early voting at the Santa Fe County Clerk’s Office (100 Catron Street) continues until October 15, during which residents can register and vote in person; Extended and early voting takes place from October 16 to 30, when voters will be able to register and vote at multiple locations. For more information on the upcoming elections, see SFR’s election coverage.

NMHU / SFPS partner for free courses

ICYMI on Friday, Santa Fe Public Schools and the University of the Highlands of New Mexico announced a new agreement that will allow eligible students to graduate from college debt-free. “This is an exciting opportunity for students to take their learning to the next level close to home and to be fully supported. Students who complete their degree course have the opportunity to be released from all academic debt when they enter their adult life, ”Superintendent Hilario“ Larry ”Chavez said in a statement. “Imagine having up to four years of tuition, fees, room and board at a four-year university fully covered! The future awaits our qualified students under this agreement, ”he said. The so-called “full ride” agreement is “in line with the NMHU’s vision” to “help transform lives and communities,” NMHU Vice President Theresa Law said in a statement. “The collaboration will show that we can do great things by working together and in the spirit of New Mexico values ​​at their best.” The agreement covers current juniors and seniors who have a minimum GPA of 3.0 at the end of their junior year; students must apply to the NMHU Scholarship Foundation by December 31st. More information available here.

Listen

How, precisely, has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted mental health? Dr. Kristina Sowar, associate professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology at the University of New Mexico, will discuss this question and review the data on the topic, during an online conference at 6 p.m. at 7 p.m. this evening via Zoom. Sowar will also examine how COVID has specifically affected people of all ages, with or without pre-existing conditions, and will also answer questions and comments during the event, which is sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Santa Fe. You here.

Dwell on this

Interior design magazine Remain has a residence in the Santa Fe Market, 1223 La Rambla, listed at $ 3.75 million by Sotheby’s International Realty. Located in Los Miradores (a gated community near St. John’s College), the owners of the property, a couple of lawyers and doctors who moved to Santa Fe from Los Angeles, have completely renovated what was once a condo. two units to showcase their extensive art collection. “We did our best to create a place that had the warmth of a home,” the couple said, “but still had the space of a gallery to display the art and sculpture that we love.” This involved adding gallery walls, covering exposed stairs and adding two tall windows above sliding glass doors in order to see “the beautiful treetops”. Their riskiest design decision, they say, was to hang on to an ’80s indoor bar. But it worked for the best! “The bar was updated with Moroccan style marble tiles and dark quartz tops, and it turned out to be a very nice place to entertain.”

Too big to count

Too much data? Yes, that’s one thing. Slate The magazine explores the federal government’s quest to narrow down its details, particularly the Department of Energy’s $ 13.7 million data reduction initiative. “We are drowning in data,” said Rafael Hiriart, a computer scientist at the New Mexico National Radio Astronomical Observatory. Slate. The observatory’s upcoming next-generation Very Large Array radio telescope will generate 20 million gigabytes of night sky observations per month and require a computer capable of performing 100 quadrillion floating point operations per second (apparently only two supercomputers on Earth are fast enough for feat). Officials say most scientists face similar challenges – “Big Data” which is too big – hence the research initiative to find ways to eliminate unnecessary data while retaining valuable material. This research is needed, says Jackie Chen, a mechanical engineer at Sandia National Laboratory. “We have the ability to generate data that gives us unprecedented insight into complex processes,” she says, “but what to do with all this data? And how do you extract meaningful scientific information from this data? And how do you reduce it to a form that someone who actually designs practical devices like motors can use? ” Stay tuned.

Brrr!

Expect a change in the weather today and tonight, with a 50% chance of showers before 3 p.m. Otherwise it should be partly sunny, with a high of near 54 degrees and very windy, with a southerly wind of 15 to 20 mph becoming southwest of 25 to 30 mph in the afternoon and possible gusts up to ‘at 40 mph (before you complain, Gallup has apparently already reported 59 mph the winds!). Tonight, Santa Fe could experience a low temperature of 27 degrees – yes, it’s freezing – with more gusty wind.

Thanks for reading! Due to dubious google alert combined with the early morning confusion, The Word just watched the entire this recent Depressed Rich Children parade in Paris and now in bewilderment imagines himself prowling and scowling around Santa Fe donning similar outfits.