SOME NEW MEXICANS SAY
THEM FOR THE BETTER.
A YEAR AFTER THE
PANDEMIC HIT -- SOME
PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING THE
NEW
HABITS THEY PICKED UP
DURING QUARANTINE...
LIKE EXERCISING MORE,
WRITING AND COOKING AT
HOME.
RESTAURANT OWNERS SAY
THIS YEAR HELPED THEM
APPRECIATE PATIO SPACE,
AND THE REGULARS WHO
KEPT THEIR BUSINESSES
ALIVE.
TEACHERS SAY THE
PANDEMIC HAS TAUGHT THEM
TO TEACH MORE
EFFICIENTLY.
KEEP SOME CHANGES
IMPLEMENTED DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
THE C-E-O AT CHRISTUS
ST. VINCENT SAYS THEY
HAVE RECOGNIZED
THE NEED FOR STAFF TO
DIVERSIFY THEIR
SKILLSETS... FOR
INSTANCE
BLOOD. DOCTORS SAY THEY
HAVE SEEN MORE PATIENTS
OPTING FOR CARE VIA
PHONE AND VIDEO CALLS.
THEY EXPECT TO SEE THAN
TREND CONTINUE.
THE STATE IS
PRIORITIZING PEOPLE AGED
60 AND OLDER -- WITH
HEALTH CONDITION TO GET
THE COVID-19
VACCINE FIRST.
THE COMBINATION OF
AGE... AND HEALTH
CONCERNS... PUT THIS
GROUP AT
AN EVEN GREATER RISK OF
SEVERE COMPLICATIONS AND
DEATH.
UP WITH THE STATE TO GET
NOTIFIED WHEN A
VACCINE IS READY.
A LOCAL PROFESSOR IS
WEIGHING IN ON THE
IMPACT OF THE
PANDEMIC -- ON THE FOOD
SERVICE INDUSTRY.
RESTAURANTS STILL HAVE
TO OPERATE AT A LIMITED
LIMITED STAFF.
U-N-M SOCIOLOGY
PROFESSOR ELI WILSON
SAYS THIS COULD HAVE
LASTING EFFECTS.
THAT'S BECAUSE MORE
WORKERS ARE FORCED TO
START NEW CAREER PATHS
OR BECAUSE FEWER
POSITIONS ARE
AVAILABLE.
SOME NEW MEXICANS COULD
START SEEING STIMULUS
PAYMENTS
AS SOON AS THIS WEEKEND.
PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNED
THE NEARLY TWO-TRILLION
DOLLAR RELIEF
PACKAGE A DAY EARLIER
HE SIGNED HIS SWEEPING
1-POINT-9 TRILLION
DOLLAR RELIEF PACKAGE
INTO LAW YESTERDAY.
ACCORDING TO THE WHITE
HOUSE -- STIMULUS
PAYMENTS WILL GET TO
ABOUT 90% OF AMERICAN
HOUSEHOLDS.
NEW MEXICO IS EXPECTING
ONE- POINT-SIX BILLION
DOLLARS FROM THE
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.
SOME IDEAS FOR WHERE THE
STATE SHOULD SPEND THOSE
FUNDS-- ARE
600-MILLION FOR THE
STATE'S UNEMPLOYMENT
FUND...
AND 50-MILLION FOR
HOUSE SPEAKER BRIAN
EGOLF HOPES LAWMAKERS
USE PART OF THAT
MONEY TOWARDS ROADS AND
CONTINUED VACCINE
EFFORTS.
TWO BILLS ENHANCING
BACKGROUND CHECKS ON
MOVING THROUGH CONGRESS.
THE HOUSE PASSED THE
"ENHANCED BACKGROUND
CHECKS ACT OF 20-
21" AND THE "THE
BIPARTISAN BACKGROUND
CHECKS ACT OF 20-
21" YESTERDAY.
THEY WORK TO CLOSE
SALE OF GUNS WITHOUT A
BACKGROUND CHECK. BOTH
BILLS HEAD TO THE
SENATE.
NEW MEXICO LAWMAKERS
REMAIN OPTIMISTIC
RECREATIONAL
CANNABIS WILL PASS THIS
SESSION.
HOUSE BILL 12 WOULD
MARIJUANA FOR
PEOPLE 21 AND OLDER...
LAWMAKERS HAVE TRIED TO
PASS SIMILAR LEGISLATION
IN THE PAST... BUT IT
HAS BEEN STALLED IN THE
SENATE.
THE BILL IS HEADED TO
THE SENATE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE - WHERE
SOME NEW MEXICO KIDS ARE
MAKING USE OF A NEW
PROGRAM,
CONNECTING THEM WITH
ADVOCATES BY TEXT.
C-Y-F-D LAUNCHED THE
"REACH NEW MEXICO
PROGRAM" IN DECEMBER.
ADVOCATES WILL ANSWER
THEIR QUESTIONS 24/7 --
OR ALERT
INVESTIGATORS ABOUT
POTENTIAL NEGLECT OR
ABUSE.
C-Y-F-D SECRETARY
BRIAN BLALOCK SAYS THEY
HAVE SEEN A HUGE
RESPONSE,
ESPECIALLY FROM OLDER
YOUTH.
FACEBOOK DATA CENTER IN
LOS LUNAS IS HEADING
TOWARD EXPANSION.
AHEAD OF THE LOS LUNAS
VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING,
A PETITION OPPOSING
THE PROJECT GATHERED
HUNDREDS OF SIGNATURES
BEEN ENOUGH TIME TO
ASSESS THE IMPACT
OF THE PROJECT
ON THE COMMUNITY'S WATER
SUPPLY. BUT COUNCILORS
VOTED IN FAVOR OF
FUNDING THE PROJECT.
STATE POLICE ARE
SHOOTING IN CHAMITA.
THEY SAY IT STARTED
YESTERDAY WHEN AN S-U-V
PULLED
ONTO A PROPERTY ALONG
COUNTY ROAD 56.
THE OCCUPANTS THERE TOLD
THE PEOPLE IN THE S-U-V
TO GET OFF THE
REPORTEDLY OPENED FIRE.
A MAN INSIDE THE VEHICLE
WAS KILLED, WHILE TWO
OTHER MEN AND A
WOMAN WERE HOSPITALIZED.
TONIGHT-- A CANDELIGHT
VIGIL IS PLANNED FOR
JOSEPH HOBBS-- THE
11-YEAR-OLD BOY MURDERED
IN LOS LUNAS.
DEPUTIES SAY THE BOY WAS
SHOT AND KILLED AT A
HOME IN MONTEREY PARK
LAST WEEKEND.
ACCORDING TO THE
JOURNAL, THE VIGIL WILL
BE HELD THIS EVENING AT
6-PM...AT
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY
IN LOS LUNAS.
TO ATTEND.
NOW LET'S GET A LOOK AT
THAT MORNING DRIVE...
I-40 EAST AT RIO GRANDE
PLANET ARE BEING NAMED
IN NAVAJO.
NASA MISSION MEMBERS
NICKNAME LANDMARKS AND
GEOLOGICAL
FEATURES -- SO THEY ARE
WORKING WITH THE
NAVAJO NATION TO COME UP
WITH INFORMAL NAMES FOR
PARTS OF THE
PRESIDENT JONATHAN NEZ
AND A TEAM OF ADVISORS
CAME UP WITH A LIST
OF 50 NAMES FOR THE NASA
TEAM TO START WITH...
AND PLAN TO KEEPING
TIME NOW FOR THE FIVE
FACTS ---
AT NUMBER FIVE --
PRODUCER -- BUENO FOODS
-- IS PLANNING TO
EXPAND.
THE COMPANY IN BARELAS
SAYS IT NEEDS MORE
FREEZER SPACE TO
HELP THEM MEET THE
GROWING DEMAND FOR THEIR
CHILE PRODUCTS.
THE COMPANY IS FUNDING
DOLLAR PROJECT FOR A NEW
FREEZER WAREHOUSE.
THEY'RE ALSO ASKING THE
ALBUQUERQUE DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSION TO HELP THEM
LAND A HALF
MILLION-DOLLAR LEDA
GRANT.
BUENO FOODS SAYS THE
EXPANSION COULD BE
WOULD ADD ALMOST 50 NEW
JOBS.
AT NUMBER FOUR --
NEW MEXICO LAWMAKERS SAY
THEY REMAIN 'CAUTIOUSLY
OPTIMISTIC' RECREATIONAL
CANNABIS WILL PASS THIS
SESSION. HOUSE BILL 12
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA
FOR
PEOPLE 21 AND OLDER...
FOR YEARS, LAWMAKERS
HAVE TRIED TO PASS
SIMILAR
LEGISLATION... BUT IT
HAS BEEN STALLED IN THE
SENATE.
THIS YEAR, LAWMAKERS ARE
MAKING IT A
PRIORITY TO SEE THE
LEGISLATION THROUGH. THE
BILL IS HEADED TO THE
SENATE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE - WHERE
THE BILL STALLED LAST
YEAR.
incoming winter storm
AT NUMBER TWO --
THE STATE IS NOW GIVING
ONE GROUP IN
GETTING VACCINATED
AGAINST COVID-19.
PEOPLE WITH SEVERE
HEALTH CONDITIONS
CONTINUE TO BE
ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINES IN
NEW MEXICO... BUT NOW
THOSE AGED 60 AND
OLDER WHO HAVE ON OF THE
ELIGIBLE.
HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY THE
COMBINATION OF HEALTH
ISSUES AND
AGE PUTS THE GROUP AT
EVEN GREATER RISK OF
COVID COMPLICATIONS AND
DEATH.
WE HAVE A LIST OF
ALWAYS ON KRQE DOT COM.
AND AT NUMBER ONE --
HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE
TAKING A LOOK AT HOW FAR
NEW MEXICO HAS COME...
ONE YEAR AFTER THE
STATE'S FIRST CONFIRMED
MOMENT TO REMEMBER THE
NEARLY 39-HUNDRED
NEW MEXICANS WHO HAVE
DIED FROM COVID-19.
THEY ALSO LOOKED BACK AT
THIS TIME LAST YEAR...
EXPLAINING IF NEW
STOP THE SPREAD... THERE
COULD'VE
BEEN BETWEEN 80 TO 90
PERCENT POPULATION
INFECTION... AND
15-THOUSAND DEATHS.
NEW MEXICO IS NOW
REPORTING THE LOWEST
CASES IN SIX MONTHS.
DR. SCRASE WOULD NOT
SAY IF ANOTHER SHUT
DOWN IS OUT OF THE
QUESTION... BUT DID SAY
NEW MEXICO IS IN A GOOD