Tag Archives: New Mexico

US

California, Iowa, New Mexico, South Dakota and more

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Voting has finished in all seven states that held primaries on Tuesday, as California polls closed at 11 p.m. ET. Some high-profile incumbents – including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Republican Sens. John Thune and Chuck Grassley – have beaten back their primary challengers, and their general election competitors have been determined for November. 

In California, results in many races will likely not come on Tuesday night, since the state conducts its elections by mail. It also advances the top two vote getters to run in November, regardless of party affiliation, meaning some match-ups could result in two Democrats facing off or two Republicans. 

One of the California Republicans facing a primary challenge is Rep. David Valadao, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump. Two Republicans are challenging Valadao in the primary, former city Councilman Chris Mathys and Education Board Trustee Adam Medeiros, but Trump has not endorsed either of them.

State Assemblyman Rudy Salas is expected to be the Democratic nominee against Valadao, if he makes it,attempting to flip back a seat that was held by a Democrat until 2020.

Democratic Reps. Katie Porter, Josh Harder and Mike Levin are on the target list for national Republicans and are waiting to see who their challenger this November will be. Of the three, Levin may face the toughest race, since his district leans Democratic by only two points, according to data from Dave’s Redistricting App. 

Poll workers wait for voters in a polling station at San Francisco fire station 16 on June 07, 2022 in San Francisco. California. California voters are heading to the polls for the state’s primary election.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images


There are several statewide races happening in California, including primary challenges against Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Alex Padilla, who was appointed to finish out Vice President Kamala Harris’ term. But there are also two high-profile local elections happening in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is term-limited, and Rep. Karen Bass and real estate developer Rick Caruso leading the contenders. A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll from late May showed Bass at 38% and Caruso at 32%, but if no candidate gets 50% of the vote, the top two contenders will go to a runoff in November. 

In San Francisco, progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin faces a recall vote, with the few polls on the race suggesting he is in danger of losing his seat.

Meanwhile in South Dakota, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, won the Republican nomination for governor after facing a primary challenge from the right. Noem, one of the Republican party’s rising stars and possible presidential contender, focused her victory speech on President Joe Biden. She will face Democrat Jamie Smith in November, who ran unopposed on Tuesday. 

Incumbent Sen. John Thune, who is seeking his fourth term, also defeated his primary challengers.

In Iowa, Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is 88, has served in the Senate since 1981, survived his primary challenge from Iowa state Senator Jim Carlin.

Grassley will face Michael Franken, who defeated former U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer. She was elected to Congress in 2018, but lost her bid for reelection in 2020. Finkenauer had to fight to get on the ballot after a judge initially ruled that she did not have enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot. The Iowa Supreme Court reversed that decision several days later.

Franken helped close the gap with Finkenauer, who entered the race as the perceived frontrunner, by outspending her on advertising. He often pitched his military service as helping him appeal to independents and some more moderate Republicans.

“We’re going to work very hard. The central premise of this campaign is leadership, which is often overlooked and underestimated. This will propel us,” Franken said at a victory party Tuesday night. “It’s our time to lead our nation into a better tomorrow.”

Republicans have set their sights on Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Television meteorologist Mark Ronchetti won the Republican primary over several challengers to take on Lujan Grisham in November. Lujan Grisham ran  unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

As the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol prepares for public hearings this month, Democratic select committee Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson won his primary, according to the Associated Press. 

Primaries were also held in New Jersey. Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski, whose district was redrawn to be more Republican-friendly and won in 2020 by just 1 point, won his primary. Tom Kean Jr. won the Republican primary in New Jersey’s 7th District and will face Malinowski, the same matchup as 2020.

In New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District, Trump-endorsed Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who switched parties in 2019 to vote against Trump’s impeachment, won his primary. In the 8th District, Robert Menendez Jr., the son of long Sen. Robert Menendez, won the Democratic primary. 

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Science

Boeing capsule lands back on Earth after space shakedown

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Boeing’s crew taxi returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Wednesday, completing a repeat test flight before NASA astronauts climb aboard.

It was a quick trip back: The Starliner capsule parachuted into the New Mexico desert just four hours after leaving the orbiting lab, with airbags attached to cushion the landing. Only a mannequin was buckled in.

Aside from thruster failures and cooling system snags, Starliner appeared to clinch its high-stakes shakedown cruise, 2 1/2 years after its botched first try. Flight controllers in Houston applauded and cheered the bull’s-eye touchdown.

“It’s great to have this incredible test flight behind us,” said Steve Stich, director of NASA’s commercial crew program. He described the demo as “extremely successful,” with all objectives met.

Added Boeing’s Mark Nappi, a vice president: “On a scale of one to 10, I think I’d give it a 15.”

The Starliner capsule parachuted into the New Mexico desert just four hours after leaving the orbiting lab.
AP

Based on these early results, NASA astronauts will strap in next for a trip to the space station, perhaps by year’s end. The space agency has long wanted two competing U.S. companies ferrying astronauts, for added insurance as it drastically reduced its reliance on Russia for rides to and from the space station.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is already the established leader, launching astronauts since 2020 and even tourists. Its crew capsules splash down off the Florida coast, Boeing’s Starliner returns to the Army’s expansive and desolate White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

An infrared image shows the Boeing Starliner capsule using the parachutes as it descends to land at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
AP

Boeing scrapped its first attempt to reach the space station in 2019, after software errors left the capsule in the wrong orbit and nearly doomed it. The company fixed the flaws and tried again last summer, but corroded valves halted the countdown. Following more repairs, Starliner finally lifted off from Cape Canaveral last Thursday and docked to the space station Friday.

Station astronauts tested Starliner’s communication and computer systems during its five days at the space station. They also unloaded hundreds of pounds (kilograms) of groceries and other supplies that flew up in the Boeing capsule, then filled it with empty air tanks and other discarded gear.

Nasa shows the Boeing Starliner capsule, upper center, leaving the International Space Station on May 25, 2022.
AP

A folded U.S. flag sent up by Boeing stayed behind, to be retrieved by the first Starliner crew.

“We’re a little sad to see her go,” station astronaut Bob Hines radioed as the capsule flew away.

Along for the ride was Starliner’s test dummy — Rosie the Rocketeer, a takeoff on World War II’s Rosie the Riveter.

The repairs and do-over cost Boeing nearly $600 million.

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US

Crews in New Mexico, Arizona scramble to corral wildfires

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Firefighters in New Mexico’s Rocky Mountain foothills are excavating new firebreaks and clearing brush to keep a massive wildfire from destroying more homes and pine forests

10 May 2022, 01:10

3 min read

LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Firefighters in northern New Mexico worked Monday in rugged terrain ahead of a massive wildfire, feverishly trying to position crews to clear brush and stop the monster blaze from burning more homes in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

The wildfire has charred 308 square miles (798 square kilometers) of tinder-dry ponderosa forests, making it the largest blaze burning in the U.S. during what has been an early start to the fire season. Thousands of people have been evacuated.

Much of the Southwest has been in the grips of drought for decades and warmer temperatures have combined with spring winds to make for dangerous fire conditions.

Crews in Arizona were dealing with strong winds Monday as they battled a fire near the U.S.-Mexico border that forced several dozen people from their homes.

And another wildfire in northern New Mexico near the federal government’s key facilities for nuclear research prompted Los Alamos National Laboratory and others in the area to begin preparing for evacuations, though officials stressed there was no immediate threat to the lab.

The fire has burned nearly 64 square miles (165 square kilometers).

Officials said some medically fragile residents and large animals already have been moved out of the area to lessen the traffic congestion should evacuations be ordered. They anticipated residents would have at least a day or two notice before being required to leave.

“If the fire gets its fifth gear, it will be here sooner than we want it to be,” said incident commander Rich Harvey. “We’re doing everything we can to check it.”

Strong, gusty winds continued to blow across the region after fanning the fires for weeks and often grounding essential aircraft used to drop water or fire retardant ahead of the flames, complicating efforts to contain them. Wind will continue to be a factor this week, along with low humidity, but to varying degrees depending on the day.

Fire officials predicted part of the main New Mexico fire would push north into rugged terrain that is difficult for firefighters to access.

“This isn’t a surprise to us. All the models showed this probably was going to happen,” said fire operations section chief Todd Abel, adding that crews have spent days working to protect ranch homes scattered thorough the area.

Nearly 1,700 firefighters were battling the blaze burning northeast of Santa Fe that was almost 50% contained. It has destroyed nearly 300 structures, including homes, commercial buildings and barns.

The region’s largest population center — Las Vegas, New Mexico, home to 13,000 people — remained largely safe from the flames after some area residents were allowed to return over the weekend. Schools were expected to return to in-person classes on Tuesday.

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Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Associated Press writer Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona, contributed to this report.

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US

Wildfires rage in West, destroying homes and forcing thousands to evacuate

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Douglas Siddens’ mother was among those who made it out with just the clothes on her back when a deadly, wind-fueled wildfire ripped through a mountain community in southern New Mexico.

The RV park where she lived was reduced to “metal frame rails and steel wheels,” said Siddens, who managed the site

“I had like 10 people displaced. They lost their homes and everything, including my mom,” he said.

The fire has destroyed more than 200 homes and killed two people since it broke out Tuesday near the village Ruidoso, a vacation spot that draws thousands of tourists and horse racing fans every summer.

Fire burns along a hillside in the Village of Ruidoso, N.M., on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Officials say a wildfire has burned about 150 structures, including homes, in the New Mexico town of Ruidoso. (Alexander Meditz via AP)

Alexander Meditz / AP


Hundreds of homes and summer cabins dot the surrounding mountainsides. The RV park that Siddens managed is near where an elderly couple was found dead this week outside their charred residence.

Elsewhere in the U.S., crews have been battling large fires this week in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado, where a new blaze forced evacuations Friday along the Rocky Mountain’s eastern front near Lyons about 18 miles north of Boulder.

That fire was burning in the Blue Mountains near the Larimer-Boulder county line about 20 miles southeast of Estes Park, the east entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.

In New Mexico, some evacuation orders were lifted late Friday, covering about 60% of the estimated 4,500 people ordered to leave their homes since the fire started Tuesday, Village of Ruidoso spokesperson Kerry Gladden told The Associated Press on Saturday. Evacuation estimates were previously reported to be around 5,000 people.

“The big story is we’re in a re-population mode,” Gladden said earlier during a media briefing.

Those evacuation orders remaining in effect may be lifted in coming days, officials said.

Donations poured in from surrounding communities all too familiar with just how devastating wildfires can be.

It was a decade ago that fire ripped through part of the village of Ruidoso, putting the vacation spot on the map with the most destructive wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history when more than 240 homes burned and nearly 70 square miles of forest were blackened by a lightning-sparked blaze.

On Friday, Mayor Lynn Crawford was rallying heartbroken residents once again as firefighters tried to keep wind-whipped flames from making another run at the village. She said the response from their neighbors has been amazing.

“So we have plenty of food, we have plenty of clothes, those kinds of things but we still appreciate and need your prayers and your thoughts,” the mayor said during a briefing. “Again, our hearts go out to the family of the deceased, to those that have lost their homes.”

Authorities have yet to release the names of the couple who died. Their bodies were found after worried family members contacted police, saying the couple had planned to evacuate Tuesday when the fire exploded but were unaccounted for later that day.

This photo provided by the Village of Ruidoso shows a fire fighting air tanker dropping fire retardant across the mountains near the Village of Ruidoso, N.M., on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Officials say a wildfire has burned about 150 structures, including homes, in the New Mexico town of Ruidoso. (Kerry Gladden/Village of Ruidoso via AP)

Kerry Gladden / AP


While many older residents call Ruidoso home year round, the population of about 8,000 people expands to about 25,000 during the summer months as Texans and New Mexicans from hotter climates seek respite.

Fans also flock to Ruidoso Downs, home to one of the sport’s richest quarter-horse competitions. The racing season was expected to start May 27, and horses that board there aren’t in any danger as fire officials use the facility as a staging ground.

Part-time residents have taken to social media over the last few days, pleading with fire officials for updates on certain neighborhoods, hoping their family cabins weren’t among those damaged or destroyed.

The hotlines lit up Friday afternoon as people in the village called in to report more smoke. Fire information officer Mike DeFries said that was because there were flare-ups within the interior of the fire as the flames found pockets of unburned fuel.

While the fire didn’t make any runs at the lines crews had established, he said it was still a tough day for firefighters due to single-digit humidity, warmer temperatures and the wind.

Authorities reiterated that it was still too early to start letting people in to see the damage. They asked for patience as fire crews put out hot spots and tried to build a stronger perimeter around the blaze.

“It’s still an active fire area in there and it’s not a safe place,” DeFries said. “It’s going to require patience. At the same time, every step that we’re taking is designed to suppress this fire and to get people back home as soon as possible.”

New Mexico authorities said they suspect the fire, which has torched more than 9.5 square miles (24 square kilometers) of forest and grass, was sparked by a downed power line and the investigation continued Friday.

Hotter and drier weather coupled with decades of fire suppression have contributed to an increase in the number of acres burned by wildfires, fire scientists say. The problem is exacerbated by a more than 20-year Western megadrought that studies link to human-caused climate change.

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US

Crews fight New Mexico fires as some evacuations lift

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RUIDOSO, N.M. (AP) — Authorities have lifted some evacuation orders for a mountain community in drought-stricken southern New Mexico as firefighters worked Saturday to contain a wind-driven blaze that killed two people and destroyed over 200 homes.

The evacuation orders lifted late Friday covered about 60% of the estimated 4,500 people originally ordered to leave their homes since the fire started Tuesday but specific numbers weren’t immediately available, Village of Ruidoso spokesperson Kerry Gladden told The Associated Press on Saturday. Evacuation estimates were previously reported to be around 5,000 people.

“The big story is we’re in a re-population mode,” Gladden said earlier during a media briefing.

Those evacuation orders remaining in effect may be lifted in coming days, officials said.

Those waiting to return included Barbara Arthur, the owner of a wooded 28-site RV park that had wind damage but didn’t burn.

“We feel blessed,” said Arthur, who on Saturday was staying at a motel and preparing taco ingredients to take to another RV park for dinner with people displaced by the fire, including some of her tenants.

Arthur said the fire came within a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) of her park and that she saw flames while evacuating. “It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever been through in my 71 years of living,” she said.

Fire incident commander Dave Bales said crews worked to put out hot spots and clear lines along the fire’s perimeter to keep the fire from spreading. The fire has no containment but Bales expressed a mix of satisfaction with work done so far and prospects for coming days.

Weather conditions Saturday appeared favorable with reduced wind and increased humidity, Bales said. “We have lines in. We just want to make sure they hold in that wind,” he said.

The fire and the winds that spread it downed power lines and knocked out electricity to 18,000 customers. Electricity has been restored to all but a few dozen customers, said Wilson Guinn, a Public Service Co. manager.

But people returning to their homes needed to be cautious and call utility officials if they encounter downed lines, Guinn said.

“We may have missed something,” Guinn said. “Don’t try to touch them, fix them, roll them up, whatever.”

Gladden, the village spokesperson, said residents also need to be aware that the strong winds earlier in the week may have damaged trees that could still fall or lose limbs.

“It’s important that what started this whole event was a significant wind storm,” she said.

Hotlines lit up Friday afternoon as residents reported more smoke, which fire information officer Mike De Fries said was caused by flare-ups within the interior of the fire as flames found pockets of unburned fuel.

The fire started in the neighborhood and then spread to more remote areas, De Fries said Saturday. Authorities are investigating the cause.

“What you have here in Ruidoso are stretches where homes are destroyed, multiple homes are destroyed within neighborhoods,” De Fries said. “And then there is the clear evidence and the trail of the fire as it progressed further north and west and in some cases neighborhood to neighborhood as it burned through the Village of Ruidoso’s north and east side.”

Authorities have yet to release the names of the couple who died. Their bodies were found after worried family members contacted police, saying the couple had planned to evacuate Tuesday when the fire exploded but were unaccounted for later that day.

As of Saturday, the fire had burned 9.6 square miles (25 square kilometers) of timber and brush.

Hotter and drier weather coupled with decades of fire suppression have contributed to an increase in the number of acres burned by wildfires, fire scientists say. The problem is exacerbated by a more than 20-year Western megadrought that studies link to human-caused climate change.

There are other blazes in the state, including the smaller Nogal Canyon fire to the northwest of Ruidoso. That fire was caused by downed power lines, De Fries said, and has burned six homes and eight outbuildings. People have been ordered to leave the area.

“We are right now in a time, even though it’s very early in the year, where places like New Mexico have had extra stretches of just extremely dry weather,” De Fries said. “Combining that with some winds, and you can see by the number of fires that are taking place and number of new starts every day and each week that fire conditions are a big concern.”

Ruidoso a decade ago was the site of the most destructive wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history when more than 240 homes burned and nearly 70 square miles (181 square kilometers) of forest were blackened by a lightning-sparked blaze.

While many older residents call Ruidoso home year round, the population of about 8,000 people expands to about 25,000 during the summer months as Texans and New Mexicans from hotter climates seek respite.

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This story has been corrected to spell a fire information officer’s last name as De Fries, not DeFries.

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Associated Press journalist Julie Walker contributed to this report.

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US

New Mexico launches cannabis sales within Texans’ reach

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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is bringing sales of recreational marijuana to the doorstep of Texas, the largest prohibition state, as the movement toward broad legalization sweeps up even more of the American West.

As of Friday in New Mexico, anyone 21 and older can purchase up to 2 ounces (57 grams) of marijuana — enough to roll about 60 joints or cigarettes — or comparable amounts of marijuana liquid concentrates and edible treats.

New Mexico has nurtured a medical marijuana program since 2007 under tight restrictions. Friday’s launch still represents a sea change for local law enforcement, taxation officials, commercial growers and residents who thought full-blown legal access to pot would never come.

At a Santa Fe dispensary, recreational cannabis consumers said they were thrilled to openly buy local pot and cut ties with the black market.

“When they legalized it here, I didn’t need my guy anymore,” said Devin Killoy, a painter and handyman in clothes speckled with white.

Antonio Rodriguez, a 38-year-old grocery worker, said he was content to pay new taxes on recreational cannabis: “I want everyone to be legit, even if it’s more expensive.”

Across the state, would-be marijuana farmers are bidding for water rights and learning to raise their first cannabis crops, as experienced medical cannabis producers ramp up production and add new retail showrooms.

New Mexico is among 18 states that have legalized pot for recreational use, with implications for cannabis tourism and conservative Texas, where legalization efforts have made little headway.

In Clovis, New Mexico, a high plains town of about 40,000 residents less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Texas, Earl Henson and two business partners have pooled resources to convert a former gun shop and shooting range into a cannabis store and companion growing room at a Main Street address.

“I can’t explain how happy I am,” said Henson, a former real estate agent who says his affection for marijuana was a burden in the past. This week, he began harvesting the first crop for a cannabis store titled Earl and Tom’s. “I think these cities that are near Texas, for the next two years it is going to change their economies.”

In the state capital of Santa Fe, marijuana is going on sale across the street from the city’s newly built visitors center on a block lined with galleries, clothing boutiques and restaurants.

LeRoy Roybal, manager of Minerva Canna’s downtown cannabis store, said he hopes the stigma of cannabis use quickly fades.

“I think we’re liberating a lot of hearts and souls,” he said. “It’s going to be like getting a cup of joe at Starbucks.”

Supportive lawmakers hope that broad legalizing of marijuana will stamp out black markets, boost employment and provide stable new sources of government income.

Consumers initially will rely heavily on supplies from 35 legacy marijuana businesses that took root over the past 15 years. Cannabis regulators have issued more than 230 new marijuana business licenses so far — to growers, retailers and manufacturing facilities for extracts and edibles.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday said that broad marijuana legalization responds to popular demands and is generating small business opportunities.

“This is what consumers want,” said Lujan Grisham, up for reelection in November. “We have the potential for 11,000 more workers, jobs in places where young people can work and stay, like Torrance County and Texico and Tucumcari and Raton.”

Local governments can’t ban cannabis businesses entirely, though they can restrict locations and hours of operation. Public consumption is prohibited under threat of a $50 fine for first-time infractions.

New business licenses for cannabis cafes or lounges haven’t been requested yet — leaving people to indulge in their homes or designated hotels, casinos and cigar shops.

In southern New Mexico, Mayor Javier Perea of Sunland Park says marijuana retailers can set up anywhere across the small city flanked by the Rio Grande and fencing along the U.S. border with Mexico.

He said about 30 marijuana business have sought authorization in the city of just 17,000 residents, banking on tourism from nearby El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico.

Perea hopes the industry creates economic opportunity and tax income to bolster city services. Local governments will receive a minority share of the state’s 12% excise tax on recreational marijuana sales, along with a share of additional sales taxes. Medical cannabis remains tax-free.

“The one thing that we are going to struggle with is we are going to run out of buildings” for new businesses, he said.

Legal experts warn that people who purchase cannabis in New Mexico and choose to return home to other states could risk criminal penalties, arrest and incarceration — most notably in Texas.

Paul Armento, deputy director of the drug policy group NORML, said Texas is among the leading states for marijuana-possession arrests, and that possession of marijuana concentrates, which are legal in New Mexico, is punishable in Texas by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Marijuana also remains illegal under federal law to possess, use or sell — a standard that applies across vast tracks of federal land and Indian Country in New Mexico.

New Mexico’s cannabis industry, still reliant on cash to avoid running afoul of federal law, is gaining access to banking services through an alternative certification system for credit unions and banks supported by state attorneys general.

The state also plans to underwrite $5 million in low-interest loans to small cannabis businesses that can’t access traditional credit.

Lawmakers in New Mexico have sought to reverse harm inflicted by marijuana criminalization on minority communities and poor households by automatically dismissing or erasing past cannabis convictions, encouraging social and economic diversity in employment and reducing financial barriers for startup businesses.

The state’s micro-business license to cultivate up to 200 plants for a flat $1,000 fee is attracting first-time commercial growers such as recently retired U.S. Marine Kyle Masterson and wife Ivy, a Hispanic Army veteran with business consulting experience. They are raising three children and making a mid-life career shift into cannabis.

The Mastersons, residents of suburban Rio Rancho, searched more remote areas for an affordable building to cultivate high-grade marijuana under lights, settling on a vacant former movie theater in tiny Cuba, New Mexico, at the base of the Jemez Mountains.

“It felt right, it felt good and out of a vision of what we could do,” said Kyle Masterson, who served in four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. “We’re used to working out of austere environments without much direction and doing our best.”

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US

Capitol riot trial opens for Cowboys for Trump founder

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WASHINGTON (AP) — An elected official from New Mexico went to trial Monday with a judge — not a jury — set to decide if he is guilty of charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol grounds on the day a pro-Trump mob disrupted the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden is scheduled to hear attorneys’ closing arguments Tuesday for the case against Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, whose trial in Washington, D.C., is the second among the hundreds of people charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, siege.

The judge heard testimony Monday from three government witnesses. Griffin’s lawyer said he doesn’t plan to call any defense witnesses.

The case against Griffin is unlike most of the Capitol riot prosecutions. He is one of the few riot defendants who isn’t accused of entering the Capitol or engaging in any violent or destructive behavior. He claims he has been selectively prosecuted for his political views.

Griffin, one of three members of the Otero County Commission in southern New Mexico, is among a handful of riot defendants who either held public office or ran for a government leadership post in the 2 1/2 years before the attack.

He is among only three riot defendants who have asked for a bench trial, which means a judge will decide his case without a jury.

Griffin, a 48-year-old former rodeo rider and former pastor, helped found a political committee called Cowboys for Trump. He had vowed to arrive at the courthouse on horseback. Instead, he showed up Monday as a passenger in a pickup truck that had a horse trailer on the back.

Griffin is charged with two misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

A key question in Griffin’s case is whether he entered a restricted area while Pence was still present on Capitol grounds, a prerequisite for the U.S. Secret Service to invoke access restrictions.

Griffin’s attorneys said in a court filing that Pence had already departed the restricted area before the earliest that Griffin could have entered it, but Secret Service inspector Lanelle Hawa testified that Pence never left the restricted area during the riot.

Hawa said agents took Pence from his office at the Capitol to a secure location at an underground loading dock on the Capitol complex. Pence remained in the loading dock location for four to five hours and never left the security perimeter before the joint session of Congress resumed on the night of Jan. 6, Hawa testified.

Defense attorney Nicholas Smith asked Hawa if it was Pence’s decision to remain there for hours.

“I can’t answer that,” she said.

Smith said prosecutors apparently believe Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct by peacefully leading a prayer on the Capitol steps.

“That is offensive and wrong,” Smith told the judge during his brief opening statements.

Prosecutors didn’t give any opening statements. Their first witness was Matthew Struck, who joined Griffin at the Capitol and served as his videographer. Struck has an immunity deal with prosecutors for his testimony.

After attending then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, Griffin and Struck walked over barriers and up a staircase to enter a stage that was under construction on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace for Biden’s inauguration, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors played video clips that showed Griffin moving through the mob that formed outside the Capitol, where police used pepper spray to quell rioters.

“I love the smell of napalm in the air,” Griffin said in an apparent reference to a line by Robert Duvall’s character in the war movie “Apocalypse Now.”

After climbing over a stone wall and entering a restricted area outside the Capitol, Griffin said, “This is our house … we should all be armed,” according to prosecutors. He called it “a great day for America” and added, “The people are showing that they have had enough,” prosecutors said.

Struck testified that he and Griffin went to the Capitol to find a place to pray. Smith asked Struck if anybody appeared to be “riled up” by the prayer that Griffin led.

“They started chanting, ‘Pray for Trump,’” Struck replied. “It looks like they’ve been calm and they’re listening to Couy.”

In a court filing, prosecutors called Griffin “an inflammatory provocateur and fabulist who engages in racist invective and propounds baseless conspiracy theories, including that Communist China stole the 2020 Presidential Election.”

Griffin’s attorneys say hundreds if not thousands of other people did exactly what Griffin did on Jan. 6 and haven’t been charged with any crimes.

“The evidence will show that the government selected Griffin for prosecution based on the fact that he gave a speech and led a prayer at the Capitol, that is, selected him based on protected expression,” they wrote.

More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. More than 230 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and at least 127 of them have been sentenced. Approximately 100 others have trial dates.

Earlier this month, a jury convicted a Texas man, Guy Wesley Reffitt, of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun in the first trial for a Capitol riot defendant. Jurors also convicted him of obstructing Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, of interfering with police officers who were guarding the Capitol and of threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement.

Reffitt’s conviction on all charges could give prosecutors more leverage in negotiating plea deals in many other cases or discourage other defendants from going to trial. The outcome of Griffin’s trial also could have a ripple effect, helping others to decide whether to let a judge or a jury decide their case.

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Associated Press writer Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to show the attorney who said “That is offensive and wrong” was Nicholas Smith, not David Smith.

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Arizona 4-year-old girl abducted 62 years ago ID’d as Sharon Lee Gallegos

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A young girl who was found dead in an Arizona desert in 1960 and dubbed “Little Miss Nobody” finally has a name.

Officials utilized cutting-edge DNA evidence and facial reconstruction to solve the 62-year-old mystery and identify the slain child as Sharon Lee Gallegos, sheriffs said at a Tuesday press conference livestreamed by ABC15 Arizona.

Gallegos, 4, was abducted on July 21, 1960 while playing with other kids behind her grandmother’s house in Alamogordo, NM, according to police.

When her decomposed body was found 10 days later more than 500 miles away in Congress, Ariz, police initially believed she could be the victim. Unfortunately, officials estimated the dead girl was 7, and a clothing and footprint comparison did not match, so federal and local officials eventually explored other leads, investigators said.

When Sharon Lee Gallegos’ body was found after she was abducted, police initially determined the clothing and footprint comparison did not match.
AP

“Footprint comparisons are not obviously how we do things now, but that was probably the best technology they had available to them at the time,” Yavapai County Lt Tom Boelts said.

Investigators started looking at the case again in 2014, relying on old newspaper reports for much of their research, police said.

In 2015, they exhumed the girl’s body from under her “Little Miss Nobody” tombstone, but DNA testing was not then advanced enough to generate a new lead.

Yavapai County Sheriff Lt. Tom Boelts speaks about the identification of Sharon Lee Gallegos during a news conference in Prescott, Arizona on March 15, 2022.
AP

A publicized 3D facial reconstruction image a year later put a face to the unidentified girl, and led to a tip that it might be young Sharon. A privately funded DNA test from the Texas laboratory Othram was then able to match the girl’s genetic material with that of a living relative.

“In 1960, people had no idea that DNA would even be a technology — they wouldn’t even know what to call it, it didn’t exist,” said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes.

“But somehow, someway they did enough investigation to preserve, to document, to memorialize all the things that needed to occur, so that someday we could get to this point.”

Ray Chavez speaks during a news conference regarding the identification solving of Sharon Lee Gallegos in Prescott, Arizona on March 15, 2022.
AP

Positively identifying the girl was a team effort, consisting of volunteers, police and advocates. It was the coldest case that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had ever helped solve, officials said.

“We still have work to do in this case,” Boelts said. “We would still like to identify the people who took her. We would still like to answer the questions what happened in those 10 days from the time she was taken to the time she was found. So we are still working.”

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Entertainment

Alec Baldwin denies responsibility for killing Halyna Hutchins

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Alec Baldwin filed legal papers Friday denying any responsibility for shooting dead Halyna Hutchins — even blaming the late cinematographer for giving him the directions that led to the deadly accident.

The 63-year-old actor insisted that every single mistake leading to the Oct. 21 shooting on the New Mexico set of “Rust” was “performed by someone else.”

His filing Friday also revealed that Baldwin made an “exhaustive effort” to get the crew back together to finish the doomed movie even after a flurry of lawsuits blamed him for mom-of-one Hutchins’ death.

“This is a rare instance when the system broke down, and someone should be held legally culpable for the tragic consequences,” the star’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, wrote in an arbitration filing Friday shared by Deadline.

“That person is not Alec Baldwin,” said the filing, adding that he is just “an actor.”

The arbitration demand against Baldwin’s fellow producers claims the star’s contract protects him from any financial responsibility in a slew of lawsuits filed against him, including the wrongful death complaint filed by Hutchins’ widow.

Even without that clause, Baldwin was completely innocent in the “unthinkable tragedy,” according to the filing, which revealed he was paid $250,000 to star in and produce the low-budget western.

Alec Baldwin filed legal papers March 11, 2022, denying any responsibility for shooting dead Halyna Hutchins.
Jeff Neira/ABC via Getty Images

“As he had done throughout his career, Baldwin trusted the other professionals on the set to do their jobs,” Nikas wrote.

“The facts make clear that Baldwin is not culpable for these events or failures.”

Those whose directions Baldwin followed included Hutchins herself, the filing stated, calling it “the worst day in Alec Baldwin’s life” that “will continue to haunt” him.

Halyna Hutchins was killed when a gun held by Baldwin fired a live round.
Fred Hayes/Getty Images for SAGindie

Hutchins “directed Baldwin” in the rehearsal scene to “determine how best to angle the camera and what movements Baldwin should make for her to capture the cocked gun that the script had called for,” it said.

“Hutchins described what she would like Baldwin to do with the placement of the gun … She directed Baldwin to hold the gun higher, to a point where it was directed toward her,” the filing detailed.

“In giving and following these instructions, Hutchins and Baldwin shared a core, vital belief: that the gun was ‘cold’ and contained no live rounds.

“Baldwin asked Hutchins whether she wanted to see him cock the gun, as the script required. She responded yes,” the filing stated.

On her instructions, “Baldwin then pulled back the hammer, but not far enough to actually cock the gun.

“When Baldwin let go of the hammer, the gun went off,” the filing noted.

“As later became known, a live bullet discharged from the gun and struck Hutchins, traveling through her body and striking [director Joel] Souza in the shoulder. Both Hutchins and Souza fell to the ground,” it said.

“No one understood what had happened,” the filing stated of the “panic and confusion” immediately after.

It was only when Baldwin was interviewed by Santa Fe sheriff’s deputies that he saw “a photograph of the object that had just been removed from Souza’s shoulder at the hospital — a .45 caliber slug.

“Baldwin recognized the object as a live bullet, and he finally began to comprehend what had transpired on the set of ‘Rust’ that day,” the filing stated, saying the actor was “shocked.”

Halyna Hutchins and Alec Baldwin are seen on the set of “Rust,” just before the shooting.
Sergey Svetnoy
Baldwin’s filing blames Hutchins for giving him the directions that led to the deadly accident.
AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File

But the star took no responsibility for failing to double-check that the gun had no live bullets in it — claiming rookie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed ordered him not to, saying “it was her job to check the gun — not his.”

“An actor cannot rule that a gun is safe,” the filing said. “That is the responsibility of other people on the set.”

The filing also detailed Baldwin’s initial communications with Hutchins’ widow, Matthew, who allegedly hugged the star and told him, “I guess we’re going to go through this together.”

It included screenshots of text messages showing the pair’s “warm” relationship, with Matthew telling Baldwin he was “very gracious” helping him and his 9-year-old son, Andros.

Baldwin repeatedly said he understood if Matthew wanted to cut ties, but the widower “continuously assured” him he “wished to keep in touch and maintain their … positive and mutually supportive” relationship.

As well as that friendship, Baldwin made an exhaustive effort to contact the Rust cast in the hope of acquiring their support to finish the film,” the filing revealed, admitting no one wanted to.

“He did so both with the intent of honoring Halyna’s legacy by completing her last work and of compensating Hutchins and his son from the film’s profits.”

Baldwin insisted his warm messages continued weeks after his now-notorious TV interview in which he claimed he had not fired the fatal shot, the filing said.

Cast and crewmembers on the set of Rust.
Josh Hopkins/Instagram
Hutchins’ family is suing Baldwin.
Jack Caswell via AP

The actor was completely taken aback when the widower gave his own TV interview saying he was “just so angry” at Baldwin’s “absurd” claims.

“The Matthew Hutchins that showed up on the Today show is someone Baldwin had never met before,” Friday’s filing claimed.

Matthew is one of many who have sued Baldwin over the fatal incident, saying he “recklessly shot and killed Halyna Hutchins on the set.”

But his “lawsuit contains numerous false allegations against Baldwin,” the “30 Rock” actor’s lawyer stated.

“Plans to complete Rust and to channel its proceeds into a fund for Hutchins’s and his son’s benefit have unfortunately broken down as a result of the lawsuit and these public statements,” the filing said.

Some of the others suing him were also initially supportive, according to the filing.

That included script supervisor Mamie Mitchell, who now blames Baldwin for not checking the gun — but immediately after the shooting told him, “You realize you’re not responsible for any of what happened in there, don’t you?,” the filing alleged.

The filing listed a series of mishaps possibly to blame for the fatal accident, none of which were Baldwin’s responsibility, according to his lawyer.

“He didn’t announce that the gun was ‘cold’ when it really contained a live round; he didn’t load the gun; he didn’t check the bullets in the gun; he didn’t purchase the bullets; he didn’t make the bullets and represent that they were dummies; he wasn’t in charge of firearm safety on the set; he didn’t hire the people who supplied the bullets or checked the gun; and he played no role in managing the movie’s props,” the filing said.

“At this point, two things are clear: someone is culpable for cambering the live round that led to this horrific tragedy, and it is someone other than Baldwin,” the filing said. “Baldwin is an actor.”

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Health

COVID Omicron Updates: CDC releases new guidance for some Americans to get additional vaccine booster shot

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NEW YORK (WABC) — The CDC has shortened the amount of time people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised need to wait before getting a fourth COVID vaccine booster dose.

They now recommend that the severely immunocompromised can get an additional Pfizer or Moderna shot three months after their third dose instead of five months.

The CDC also encourages people with weakened immune systems who originally got a Johnson & Johnson vaccine to take two additional doses, instead of just one.

RELATED: What are the symptoms of the COVID omicron variant?

Here are more of today’s COVID-19 headlines:

US death toll hits 900,000, sped by omicron
Propelled in part by the wildly contagious omicron variant, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 900,000 on Friday, less than two months after eclipsing 800,000. The two-year total, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is greater than the population of Indianapolis, San Francisco, or Charlotte, North Carolina. The milestone comes more than 13 months into a vaccination drive that has been beset by misinformation and political and legal strife, though the shots have proved safe and highly effective at preventing serious illness and death.

Scientists study why some never catch coronavirus
Scientists are trying to unlock the mystery of why some people seem never to catch COVID. While there is no clear-cut answer, one factor may lie in our DNA, giving people with certain genetic traits more pre-existing protection. Researchers in London have also found that people with higher levels of T-cells generated from other previous coronavirus infections like a common cold were less likely to get COVID. “If there are overlapping sequences that are shared between the common cold coronaviruses and the sarscov2, that T-cell can react very quickly to mount a defense against sarscov2,” said Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, professor of immunology, Yale University.

More vaccinations will lead to lifting mask rules: Hochul
Records show 80% of 12-to 17-year-olds in New York State have gotten their first dose of the COVID vaccine, and Gov. Kathy Hochul says more vaccinations will lead to the lifting of mask mandates in schools. “The more children we have vaccinated, the safer they will be in school,” she said, explaining vaccination rate will be a factor in decisions on mask rules. “And they wont need a mask anymore,” Hochul promised. “But we are just not there yet. It is all based on data.” Data shows 40% of 5-to 11-year-olds have gotten their first dose.

COVID falling in 49 of 50 states as deaths near 900,000
With omicron easing, new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. are falling in 49 of the 50 states, even as the nation’s death toll closes in on another bleak round number: 900,000. The number of lives lost to the pandemic in the U.S. stood at about 899,000 as of Friday afternoon, with deaths running at an average of more than 2,400 a day, back up to where they were last winter, when the vaccine drive was still getting started. But new cases per day have tanked by almost a half-million nationwide since mid-January, the curve trending downward in every state but Maine.

CT crosses grim milestone
Connecticut reported an additional 175 COVID deaths since last week, bringing the state’s total across the 10,000 threshold to 10,083. The state’s positivity rate is currently 6.57%, with 869 current hospitalizations.

Palin resumes court battle with NY Times after COVID illness

Sarah Palin’s libel suit against The New York Times went to trial Thursday in a case over the former Alaska governor’s claims the newspaper damaged her reputation with an editorial linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting. The trial is a rare example of a jury deciding the validity of a persistent refrain from Palin and other Republicans: That a biased news media is willing to bend the truth to make conservatives look bad. Palin, a one-time Republican vice presidential nominee, told journalists as she arrived at the courthouse that she was looking for “Justice for people who expect truth in the media.” Opening statements to the jury were initially scheduled for last week, but were postponed when Palin tested positive for COVID-19.
“We come to this case with our eyes wide open and keenly aware of the fact we’re fighting an uphill battle,” Palin attorney Shane Vogt said. “Give us a fair shot. We’re not here trying to win your votes for Governor Palin or any of her policies.”

Medicare opens up access to free at-home COVID-19 tests
The Biden administration says people with Medicare will be able to get up to eight free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month, starting in early spring. It’s seeking to fill a frustrating gap in coverage for coronavirus tests. Last month, the administration directed private insurers to cover rapid COVID-19 tests for people on their plans. But until now officials were trying to figure out what to do about Medicare, which covers older people particularly vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19. Laws and regulations that govern the program stood in the way. Free tests will be available through participating pharmacies and other locations. AARP has praised Medicare’s decision.

Russia mulls loosening restrictions amid record virus surge
The Russian president says his government is considering loosening some coronavirus restrictions, even as the country is facing a record-breaking surge of infections because of the highly contagious omicron variant. Vladimir Putin on Thursday insisted that authorities are not planning any lockdowns or other additional restrictions because of the surge. Moreover, the government is considering lifting restrictions for those who come into contact with COVID-19 patients, “to give people the opportunity to continue working in peace.” Existing regulations mandate that people who come in contact with someone with COVID-19 must self-isolate for seven days. On Thursday, the country’s state coronavirus task force reported 155,768 new infections, a daily tally 10 times higher than a month ago.

How many times can I reuse my N95 mask?
How many times can I reuse my N95 mask? It depends, but you should be able to use N95s and KN95s a few times. The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention says health care workers can wear an N95 mask up to five times. But experts say how often the average person can safely wear one will vary depending on how it’s used. Using the same mask to run to the grocery store, for example, is very different than wearing it all day at work.
When am I contagious if infected with omicron?

When am I contagious if infected with omicron? It’s not yet clear, but some early data suggests people might become contagious sooner than with earlier variants – possibly within a day after infection. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people with the coronavirus are most infectious in the few days before and after symptoms develop. But that window of time might happen earlier with omicron, according to some outside experts. That’s because omicron appears to cause symptoms faster than previous variants – about three days after infection, on average, according to preliminary studies. Based on previous data, that means people with omicron could start becoming contagious as soon as a day after infection.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE

Omicron variant symptoms: what to know even if you are vaccinated
New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus

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