Unusual rodent engine problem has suddenly become 'super ...

There was once a little mouse that caused a big problem.

The critter crawled up in the wheel well of a parked car, made his way over the brakes and up into the engine. Most rodents would stop there, it's a nice nesting spot. But this fella had other plans.

He kept going until he was inside the dashboard and couldn't get out. There, he died (I didn't say it would be a happy story). The rancid and revolting odor compelled the car owner to bring it to Avis Ford in Southfield, Michigan, where service technicians made the unsavory discovery.

"Usually you find a wiring harness for the engine or the fuel injection system that is all chewed up," said Avis Ford's Service Manager Larry Sirgany. "We’ll find a car that’s been sitting for a couple of weeks and it will have a big nasty nest in there, too."

Over the years, Sirgany has found plenty of flora and fauna in car engines. There are grass and twig nests and dead – sometimes alive – vermin and lots of chewed wires. The resulting damage is costly to fix.

But this spring, amid the stay home order during the coronavirus pandemic, the rodent ruination to engines has been exceptionally high in some places.

"I’ve seen a solid dozen to 15 cars with damage in the last six weeks," Sirgany said. "Typically, I would have two per month this time of year."

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Hundreds in repairs

In fact, an April 30 report in The New York Times said a dealership out East had five people call in one week to complain of rats living in their car engine. One couple got an alert of engine trouble while driving and remembered seeing a rat scurry across their driveway as they left. So the couple returned home, opened the hood to find animal feces and urine all over the engine, as well as sticks, leaves and small bones.

An employee at the couple's service center said such incidents have become “all of a sudden super common” within “the past two or three weeks," the Times reported.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of unusual or aggressive rat behavior caused, in part, by many restaurants shutting down during the pandemic. Rodents depend a lot on the tossed out food scraps from restaurants.

Now the varmints are searching elsewhere for food and your engine could be it. Some car brands, such as Toyota, use soy-coated wiring, which can be a delicious treat to a rodent.

Also, in cold weather, a car is a source of heat for mice, rats, squirrels, woodchucks and opossums. That's usually the time of year when Sirgany sees the most engine damage. The creatures crawl in the engine to keep warm and chew on the car's wiring while in there, wreaking havoc on the electrical system.

"Typically, they can get fairly time-consuming to do a repair – at least two-to-four hours putting it all back together," Sirgany said. "So it’s a $400 to $600 repair."

The cost typically does not exceed a person's deductible, so it's usually an out-of-pocket expense, he said.

There is also a possible danger. If a mouse makes a grass nest, typically the size of a baseball or a golf ball, it could possibly start on fire, some experts warn.

'Staring right at me'

The good news is usually by the time spring rolls around, rodents stay away from cars because there’s more activity with people outdoors.

"This year, with COVID, that’s not the case," Sirgany said. "The cars have been so quiet, they’re parked, they don’t smell like people and they become pretty attractive to a rodent.”

Most customers will be alerted to an issue from a warning light signaling an engine problem. The rodent's damage will interrupt the car's wiring system, but it does not usually paralyze the car, Sirgany said.

The customer will bring the car to the dealer and that's when Sirgany's team opens the hood to diagnose the problem. He will usually find the clues, maybe twigs or leaves, sometimes followed by a surprise.

"Every now and then you find the critter still living in the car," Sirgany said. "The last one was four years ago. It was a woodchuck staring right at me and he wasn’t even interested in leaving."

Sirgany gently shut the hood and called wildlife experts to safely remove the woodchuck, also called a groundhog.

Polish the pearly whites

But even in those vehicles that use petroleum-based wiring, cars attract rodents simply because they are dark, provide shelter and offer the chance for dental hygiene, said a rat expert at the University of Michigan.

"All rodents have these ever-growing teeth and they need to chew on things to keep them from getting long," said Ben Dantzer, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. He studies mice, squirrels and rats to learn how they make decisions.

In his years of studying rodents captured from the wild, Dantzer is certain of one thing: They have great smiles.

"Never once, do you find a wild squirrel that has teeth that are screwed up," Dantzer said. "But rats used in biomedical research, their teeth are long and out of control because they haven’t had anything hard to chew on."

In the wild, rodents consistently chew on rocks and trees to keep their teeth worn down and sharp, Dantzer said. If they did not do that, they could die from overgrown teeth locking their jaws.

"So underneath the hood of a car, it’s a nice place to sleep and you’ve got all these wires around and you need to chew and grind your teeth down so you chew on those," Dantzer said. "Then, it ends up shorting out the car's wiring."

He is not surprised at an increase of rodents nesting in car engines during the pandemic.

"It’s not a situation where we have this burgeoning population of squirrels and rats," Dantzer said. "It’s a crime of opportunity, you have all these stationary vehicles."

Dogs, cats and talk radio

Now that you know everything you ever (or never) wanted to know about the rodent lifestyle, there are many ways to pest-proof your car.

The most obvious is to drive it daily because unlike our mouse or Sirgany's woodchuck, most rodents will jump out of the engine and not return once the car is regularly in motion.

Also, leaving it outside makes it less appealing.

"If I’m a squirrel or a chipmonk and the car is out in the sun, it’s a less attractive object because the garage is dark and protected," Dantzer said. "I might park my car in the driveway because it’s lighter, in the open and there are dogs being walked all around."

Here are some other suggestions from the experts:

Spray commercially approved rodent repellent around the lower perimeter of the vehicle and wheel wells.

Peppermint oil sprayed around the car works, too.

Some automakers make a tape with chili oil on it. It wraps around wiring and has a repelling taste to rodents.

Keep bird feeders far away because, "Bird feeders aren’t just feeding birds; they’re feeding rats," Dantzer said.

There are moving fake owls or scarecrows that will scare away rodents.

Look at the car daily, open the door and the hood, shine lights on the engine.

Cats and dogs are predators, so you can leave them in the garage for a while if the temperature is safe for them.

Set traps near the front wheel well where rodents enter.

It also helps to think like a rodent, too. Sirgany keeps a classic car in storage and has a radio on at all times.

"The noise seems to work very well," Sirgany said. "I keep it on talk radio so, from a rodent's point of view, there’s always a human there.”

If you do happen to open the hood and see a rodent, don't flashback to the 1971 cult horror movie "Willard." They are not going to swarm and eat you alive.

“They’re not going to jump on you; they’re not going to attack you," Dantzer said. "But if squirrels ever figured out that we were as afraid of them as they are of us, they could inflict some serious damage.”

Contact Jamie L. LaReau at 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Sign up for our autos newsletter.

Taking on DuPont: Illnesses, deaths blamed on pollution from W. Va ...

Jeff Mordock

The News Journal

PARKERSBURG, W. Va. – No one in the Mid-Ohio Valley ever wanted to sue DuPont.

The company employs thousands in the region and supports charities and community organizations. In some families, multiple generations owe their livelihood to the Delaware-based chemical giant.

But as livestock started dying and thousands of residents contracted unexplained illnesses, evidence pointed to pollution from DuPont manufacturing as the cause – pitting the community's health against the area's already struggling economy.

"A guy called my wife and asked, 'If I lose my job are you going to pay for my wife and kids?'" said Joe Kiger, a Parkersburg, West Virginia, school teacher and the lead plaintiff in the 2001 class-action lawsuit against DuPont over high levels of the toxic chemical C8 in the region's water supplies.

C8 is the chemical behind DuPont's powerhouse product Teflon, used on nonstick cookware worldwide. Studies have shown that nearly every person on earth has at least traces of C8 in their bloodstream. But in 2005 around Parkersburg, about 2 miles from DuPont's Washington Works manufacturing plant, residents' blood levels registered far above Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for C8.

The company now faces 3,500 lawsuits filed in Federal Court by Mid-Ohio Valley residents in a 185-square-mile area around Parkersburg. They claim DuPont's release of C8 into the air, ground and water is responsible for their illnesses. Regulatory filings show DuPont's liability could exceed $1 billion.

Between 1951 and 2003, the Washington Works plant dumped, poured and released more than 1.7 million pounds of C8, according to a 2004 study by ChemRisk Inc., an industry risk assessor hired by DuPont to determine how much of the chemical had been released into the environment.

That study discovered 632,468 pounds of the chemical traveled through Washington Works outflow pipes into the Ohio River, where C8 moved upstream, downstream and found its way into tributaries.

Another 394,486 pounds was transported via truck to three unlined landfills, where it was buried in the ground. The material leeched into the soils, contaminating wells and groundwater.

The largest amount, 686,223 pounds, was forced through smokestacks into the air, where it was breathed in by area residents and settled on their skin. The powdery smoke also landed on crops and in water supplies.

ChemRisk President Dennis J. Paustenbach, who has won multiple awards for his research, and three of its scientists – Julie M. Panko, Paul K. Scott, and Kenneth M. Unice, who have a combined 61 years of health, risk and exposure study experience – conducted the DuPont-funded report.

Their work was later given to the C8 Science Panel, a team of researchers who performed health studies on Mid-Ohio Valley residents in the release zone around Parkersburg between 2005 and 2013. It was created as part of the settlement in a class-action lawsuit against DuPont.

DuPont doesn't deny that C8, or PFOA, is dangerous to humans. But the company points out, through spokesman Dan Turner, that industry knowledge of the chemical on the environment and worker health has slowly evolved over the past 60 years – and DuPont was a leader in creating guidelines to protect staff.

"While federal and state environmental authorities never established regulations on the use, handling, emissions or disposal of PFOA, DuPont set extremely conservative exposure guidelines to guard against harm," he said. "DuPont took more precautions in the use and handling of PFOA than any other company."

Early tests conducted on the chemical revealed health issues in animals, but humans were not included in the studies. Once DuPont understood C8's effects, Turner said, it completely phased out its use of the chemical, a process completed in 2013.

DuPont's statement on Parkersburg

By then, though, a lot of people were ill along the Ohio River, and battle lines had hardened over whether DuPont was culpable. And that fight continues today.

On one side are residents suffering from illnesses such as kidney and testicular cancer, liver disease, thyroid problems, high cholesterol and heart problems. On the other side are those who claim the issue has been overblown by plaintiffs' attorneys looking to make a fortune by attacking the deep-pocketed company.

Those fighting serious illnesses allege DuPont knowingly covered up the danger of C8, pointing to a November 1982 memo in which Bruce Karrh, the company's chief medical director, expressed concern over employees' exposure. The company barred women of child-bearing age from working in the laboratory where they would come in contact with the chemical.

"My ex-husband was told not to launder his clothes with my daughter's clothes," Kiger's wife, Darlene, said of her former spouse, who worked directly with C8. Darlene said her ex-husband received that warning from plant management as far back as the mid-1970s.

Those upset with neighbors suing DuPont contend that many plaintiffs were not exposed to C8 at levels high enough to develop cancer or other illnesses. Pollution from other chemical companies in the region also could have played an unknowing role in the illnesses.

"I believe in facts, and I believe that sometimes what the press lives and dies off of is headlines," said Parkersburg Mayor Jimmy Colombo, who owns a popular downtown Italian restaurant. "There are people who have cancer treatments every day who are not involved in the stuff (C8) you are talking about."

The region's economic viability is at the center of the debate. At its height, DuPont employed roughly 2,000 workers at its Washington Works plant, roughly 6 miles south of Parkersburg. That number was reduced to around 1,200 prior to DuPont transferring the facility's ownership to Chemours last July. For the first time in nearly 70 years, the iconic DuPont sign no longer greets workers and visitors.

Colombo says the C8 controversy has cost the region. In 2003, frozen foods company Luigino's proposed a $36 million plant at the Parkersburg Business Park that would have created 600 new jobs. Colombo and former Mayor Bob Newell said the company dropped out over fears that competitors would use the area's environmental issues to discourage consumers from buying food packaged in a polluted area. Minnesota-based Luigino's did not return calls seeking comment.

U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus, of the Southern District of Ohio, is the sole jurist assigned to handle the litigation. Under a scheduling order issued by Sargus, the court will hear 40 cases annually – meaning it will take 90 years to resolve all cases.

DuPont has settled three lawsuits, two for undisclosed amounts and a third, class-action lawsuit for $70 million. In another case, a woman who developed kidney cancer won a $1.6 million judgment that the company is appealing.

Now involved in a $130 billion merger with Dow Chemical Co., DuPont has an indemnification agreement with its performance chemical spinoff, Chemours, under which Chemours is responsible for any damages DuPont incurs in the C8 litigation.

However, Chemours, which occupies DuPont's former headquarters in downtown Wilmington, has shed jobs and seen its stock price plummet since becoming an independent company last summer. That has raised questions about whether it can absorb the liability.

The company first came to West Virginia in 1948, attracted by the region's industrious workforce and access the Ohio River would give it to ports throughout the country. A decade earlier, Roy J. Plunkett, a DuPont chemist based in the company's Salem, New Jersey, plant was experimenting with refrigerants and discovered an inert fluorocarbon that had nonstick and stain-resistant qualities. The company patented the substance in 1945 under the trademark "Teflon." It was used to coat cookware and quickly became a hit, with annual sales in 2007 reaching $1 billion.

Washington Works quickly became the world's largest producer of Teflon, manufacturing nearly 2 million pounds of the product in its first year of operation.

In 1951, DuPont also began purchasing C8, known as perfluoroctaonic acid, or PFOA, from Minnesota Manufacturing & Mining, which now operates as 3M. The chemical, which resembles laundry soap, possessed better nonstick qualities and flattened bulges that occurred during Teflon manufacturing. It soon became widely popular, used in hundreds of products including fast-food wrappers, waterproof clothing, microwaveable popcorn bags and pizza boxes.

DuPont began studying the health effects of C8 in the 1950s, but those tests were kept secret, according to documents released as part of the Environmental Protection Agency's investigation into DuPont. In the early 1960s, DuPont scientists found the chemical increased the size of livers in rats, rabbits and dogs. By the 1980s, a 3M study discovered C8 caused birth defects in rats. 3M shared the study with DuPont, and began to phase out the use of C8 by 2002.

Yet some of those involved in the lawsuits allege DuPont did not notify its workers or change its safety procedures.

"3M was making millions (of dollars) off this stuff, but DuPont was making billions," said Harry Deitzler, a Parkersburg attorney and local counsel suing DuPont.

The inspiration behind 'Harry's Project'

The company continued to secretly test its Washington Works employees over decades, often uncovering disturbing health issues found in blood samples. In Karrh's November 1982 memo, he wrote that worker exposure to the chemical should be limited, according to documents uncovered in a class action lawsuit, Leach v. DuPont.

To qualify as a member of the class action, an individual must have drank contaminated water for at least one year prior to Dec. 4, 2004, from one of the six named water districts or a specified private well contaminated with C8. DuPont spent $70 million to settle the case in 2005.

Shortly after the Leach settlement, the EPA fined DuPont $16.5 million for not reporting the health risks related to C8 exposure. At the time, it was the largest civil penalty ever levied by the agency.

Turner denied DuPont withheld information about health issues related to C8 from its employees.

"In the 1970s when DuPont first learned that PFOA was persistent in the bodies of the 3M workers, our leaders took reasonable actions to inform and protect employees, to understand the available science regarding potential health effects in animals and people, to seek guidance from knowledgeable third party experts and to engage regulators," the company spokesman said.

In 2006, DuPont became one of eight companies vowing to reduce PFOA manufacturing emissions by 95 percent within four years and eliminate its use completely in less than a decade.

Paul Brooks, a physician who oversaw the blood tests for thousands of Mid-Ohio Valley residents, said C8 is unique because it attaches itself to blood proteins and travels through, and attacks, every organ in the body. According to Brooks, it damages the thyroid in the endocrine system; harms the digestive system causing ulcerative colitis; impacts the reproductive system causing preeclampsic hypertension in women and testicular cancer in men; and attacks the urinary system causing kidney cancer.

"Scientifically, most of the time when you get something that effects the body, like asbestos, it only affects one or two things," he said.

Another series of secret DuPont tests conducted in 1984 found high levels of C8 in tap water of the Little Hocking Water Association just across the Ohio River from the Washington Works plant. DuPont continued the tests through 1989, but never informed the community or state regulators, according to internal corporate documents that came out as part of discovery during the Leach trial. DuPont assumed one part per billion was safe – but Little Hocking's PFOA levels were three times that number.

Dust containing C8 released from the facilities' chimney stacks was found well beyond the Washington Work's property, according to the C8 Science Panel created under the Leach settlement.

In Delaware, C8 contamination blamed on firefighting foam

Jim Tennant, a former construction worker at DuPont, said he has suffered from mysterious illnesses since the 1960s. Shortly after starting at DuPont in 1964, Tennant said, he would randomly get flu-like systems, including cold and clammy hands, and drops in blood pressure, respiration and temperature. Doctors were baffled.

In 1979, Tennant was hospitalized. Doctors couldn't identify the cause, and warned his wife Della that he might not make it through the night.

By the mid-1990s, Jim and Della began noticing dead birds and deer on their farm. Cattle developed large tumors, went blind or gave birth to deformed and stillborn calves. Jim Tennant said the normal mortality rate for newborn cattle was around 5 percent, but at times, 100 percent of the herd's newborn calves died. In total, Jim estimates the family lost roughly 250 cows.

And there was a strange silence on the property.

"You couldn't even hear a bird chirp," Della Tennant said. "Everything was dead."

The Tennants suspected the Dry Run landfill, a 66-acre DuPont dump site less than 250 feet from their back door.

In 1980, DuPont first approached the couple with an offer to buy their farm to turn it into a landfill. The family resisted, but as Jim's medical bills mounted the Tennants in 1983 finally relented, and sold a portion of their 600-acre farmstead to DuPont. Della said DuPont assured the couple it would create a Class II landfill on their former property, meaning it would not contain hazardous materials. At the time, the company provided a document assuring them only scrap metal, scrap lumber and cafeteria garbage would be sent to the landfill, Jim said.

But the dead and malformed animals kept piling up, and the Tennants wanted to sue DuPont for damages. Conditions got so bad the couple had to stop farming.

The Tennants' efforts to retain legal counsel in the Parkersburg area were unsuccessful. Local attorneys said they didn't have the clout to sue the Fortune 500 company. And as word spread about the Tennants' plans, neighbors began to fight back. When the family walked into restaurants, Della said, other citizens would walk out. Longtime friends stopped speaking with them at church, and the Tennants had to change their place of worship more than once.

"People accused us of trying to get DuPont to shut down," she said. "But we weren't trying to get DuPont to shut down. We were trying to get them to clean up their mess."

Things changed dramatically when attorney Rob Bilott, moved by their plight, agreed to take the case. Recommended by a family friend, Bilott, an environmental attorney with the Cincinnati firm of Taft Stettinius & Hollister, made his reputation as a corporate lawyer who defended companies against environmental charges brought by people like the Tennants.

But as soon as he heard their story, he signed on.

Earl Botkin lives in Evans, West Virginia, a small town about 45 miles downriver from the Washington Works plant. Botkin says he was a healthy man of 55 in 1997 when he began to experience thyroid problems, and soon contracted ulcerative colitis – a form of explosive diarrhea – and high cholesterol.

The C8 Health Panel, which tested 69,000 residents in the area, linked all three illnesses to exposure to the chemical. Botkin believes his health problems stemmed from consuming tap water tainted with C8, which allegedly found its way into the municipal water system of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, which at the time supplied water to Evans. Botkin's wife, Gwen, does not have any illnesses associated with C8 exposure.

DuPont has said it will not challenge the supposition that drinking water tainted with high levels of C8 can cause ulcerative colitis, thyroid problems and a host of other illnesses. But DuPont will challenge specific cases brought by plaintiffs like Botkin, who consumed water from a system that was not part of the $70 million settlement awarding sophisticated water filtration systems for six municipalities.

Botkin says his life is hell. His days begin at 4 a.m. with coffee and a piece of toast. He needs to eat early so he can digest his food, go to the bathroom and be at work by 8:00 a.m. Botkin eats only a small snack during the day to limit his trips to the bathroom. His big daily meal is dinnertime, and he takes it at home where he has immediate access to a bathroom.

He takes eight steroids a day to stop the bleeding, which makes his face and stomach puffy but does little to help him manage the disease.

The Botkins rarely leave home for fear of having an embarrassing episode outside the home. If he does go out, he must take precautions and scout ahead for a clean bathroom.

Botkin has kept his job as a home inspector because he needs the insurance to cover the cost of his medicine. He says the multiple diseases has made it impossible for him to visit his three children who have relocated to other parts of the country.

"They really ruined us," Botkin said. "We had nice jobs and were about to retire. We had plans."

James Peterson, of Glenville, West Virginia, was a DuPont contractor who welded parts on trucks that transported waste from the Washington Works plant to the company's two landfills, Dry Run and Letard. From 1983 until 1995, it was his job to fix broken axles and make other repairs. Often, the C8 waste would still be on the truck while he was fixing it.

On three occasions, Peterson contracted what is locally referred to as "the Teflon flu" – fever, chills, headaches and coughs that comes from breathing fumes released from C8.

"I was sicker than a dog," he said. "I just shook like I had the DTs (delirium tremens normally associated with alcoholism.)"

When Peterson turned 59, he began to suffer heart attacks, which plaintiffs attorneys say is normal for people exposed to C8 because it triggers extraordinarily high levels of cholesterol. In 2001, he had a quintuple bypass and a stent inserted. Six years later, he underwent a sextuple bypass.

Although Peterson has insurance, he says his medical bills were so high he had to sell his two-story house to pay for his care. Today he lives in a trailer, and one of his bedrooms is consumed by medical supplies.

Arteries that flow blood to his kidneys have closed, causing renal damage. Peterson also has a dialysis machine at home, which he is tethered to daily.

"I would not be in this shape had I not breathed in that stuff and worked at the landfill," he said.

On Halloween of 2000, school teacher Joe Kiger received a disturbing notice from the Lubeck Water System with his monthly bill, explaining PFOA had been discovered in the municipal drinking water pumped to homeowners in the tiny town of Lubeck, a few miles from DuPont's Washington Works plant. The letter said PFOA levels were "low concentrations," and "DuPont reports that it has toxicological and epidemiological data to support confidence that exposure to guidelines established by DuPont are protective of human health."

At first, Kiger dismissed it as "just another form letter." Now he believes the contaminated tap water – confirmed by the Environmental Protection Agency to be eight times higher than federal guidelines before filtration equipment was installed –– likely caused him to contract a very high level of cholesterol, and ultimately a heart attack.

Shortly after receiving the letter about PFOA in the water, Kiger began hearing about neighbors contracting strange illnesses. A friend told him about her seven-year old granddaughter's teeth turning black. Three young boys came down with testicular cancer. Friends said their dogs developed tumors.

Kiger went back to the Lubeck Water System letter, then started questioning the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources. Officials there treated him as if he had the plague, he recalled.

He received a similar reaction from DuPont's Environmental Health Department in Parkersburg, although he was referred to someone in DuPont's Wilmington headquarters.

His wife, Darlene, asked how that went.

"I told her, I was just fed the biggest line of BS in my life," he said. "He told me there was nothing to worry about, which immediately told me I better start worrying."

Seven months later, Kiger connected with the EPA's Philadelphia office, where someone said, "What in the hell is that (C8) doing in your water?"

The EPA scientist sent Kiger information about the Tennant case. Kiger noticed attorney Bilott's name as the lead attorney and called him. Bilott had frequently run across the unfamiliar acronym PFOA while researching the Tennants' case, and realized there was potential for a class-action lawsuit against DuPont on behalf of Mid-Ohio Valley residents struggling with illnesses.

But he didn't have a lead plaintiff until Kiger called. There were only 60 days remaining before the 12-month statute of limitations associated with notice of contaminated drinking water expired, and Bilott quickly filed a class-action suit. But finding other people to sign on proved to be difficult.

"You are talking livelihood around here," Kiger said. "Everyone in this valley is either somehow related to, has association with someone who works for the company, or works for DuPont themselves."

A meeting held to recruit people at downtown Parkersburg's venerable Blennerhasset Hotel became heated. As people stormed out, Kiger followed his friend Jack Leach to the elevator. As Leach tried to leave, Kiger jammed his foot in the elevator door to hold it open, grabbed Leach by the arm and said, "If this stuff is this bad, we've got to get something done."

Leach, a retired DuPont truck driver, was the named plaintiff in the class-action suit. He died later of cancer.

Kiger and his wife faced the same harassment levied against the Tennants. Crank calls, things thrown at their house, curses hurled at them as they walked the streets.

Slowly, though, Bilott and Kiger won converts as they made their case at meeting after meeting. More than 70,000 have joined, but a decade after the class action settlement, with nearly 3,500 additional cases stacked up, anger still seethes in the valley.

Allan Ellis, a contractor who has resided in Parkersburg all his life, said residents are trying to put C8 behind them because they need to put food on the table.

"This valley has been at the top of the cancer chain for years and years, but they (residents) are still here," he said. "As long as jobs are here, it's not going to be you [who contracts cancer]. That's the way people look at it."

Former Mayor Newell says people are not angry at DuPont because of C8. They're angry because DuPont slashed staff and shifted the plant to Chemours.

Some DuPont workers who have lost their jobs have joined other companies, but the salaries, benefits and retirement packages are not as strong, Newell said.

"There was a lot of pride in working for DuPont," he said.

Mayor Colombo said he hasn't sensed any outrage in the community over the C8 exposure. He doesn't follow the C8 trials because they won't impact Parkersburg, Colombo said.

Dr. Brooks, who conducted the health panel tests, noted that C8 contamination has spread from the Mid-Ohio Valley to drinking water as far south as New Orleans and as far north as Pittsburgh. One of the few places on the planet where C8 pollution has not been detected is Tibet, nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, Brooks said.

"DuPont has poisoned the world," Brooks said.

Contact Jeff Mordock at (302) 324-2786, on Twitter @JeffMordockTNJ or jmordock@delawareonline.com.

Karrh Memo on C8 and pregnancy

Memo by DuPont Chief Medical Officer Bruce Karrh, detailing concerns about pregnant women being exposed to C8.

1981 DuPont internal birth defect memo

An April 1981 DuPont internal document by JW Raines detailing studies that found birth defects in rats exposed to C8.

Chemrisk Report

A 2004 report by ChemRisk Inc., a chemical industry risk assessor hired by DuPont to determine how much C8 had been released into the environment. DuPont funded the study, conducted by four researchers, which determined the company dumped, poured and released more than 1.7 million pounds of C8 in the Mid-Ohio Valley between 1951 and 2003.

Tennant lawsuit information

Information submitted to the EPA as part of the investigation into C8 contamination near Parkersburg, West Virginia. Report contains detailed information on the Tennant lawsuit.

Shin-Paper-2

Study on PFOA exposure near Parkersburg, West Virginia and subsequent health risks.

On the trail of the dreaded plague

Shaun McKinnon

The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX -- On a construction site in the Bavarian town of Aschheim, a suburb of Munich known mostly as the location of a BMW test track, work crews on a housing project in the 1990s unearthed an ancient cemetery and, with it, clues to a mystery.

The clues were locked away in rows of 1,500-year-old teeth.

Archaeologists concluded that many of the people buried at the cemetery had died of the plague. Further testing revealed that the bodies were interred sometime in the sixth century, probably around the year 543.

That would make them victims of the Justinian plague, an outbreak named for a Roman emperor who succumbed to it, a plague that killed almost half the world's population.

Many questions lingered about that ancient plague, but one that intrigued scientists was this: Was the strain of disease from that plague the same one that struck Europe in the Black Death, the same one that is still alive in rodents today? Had the Justinian plague, after ravaging half the world, died out, gone extinct — or could it happen again?

The search for those answers would lead halfway around the globe, to a laboratory with tight surveillance in the pine trees of northern Arizona.

The investigation by experts there would be wrapped up with other investigations, of human victims, of rats from Madagascar, of native prairie dogs on the Colorado plateau. And it would depend on those teeth.

"It turns out the teeth are almost like a time capsule for DNA," said Dave Wagner, a biologist at Northern Arizona University. "And the teeth stay intact in skeletons."

Wagner and fellow scientist Paul Keim have devoted their professional lives to understanding a disease most people think of as an ancient memory. But they know the plague is alive and well, across the Southwestern United States. And research could be what stands between the bacteria and another outbreak.

That's why an international team of scientists called in the NAU experts and put them in a room with samples from the teeth from Germany to try to unravel the mystery. What caused the Justinian plague?

"Because plague is a blood-borne pathogen, there would be plague in the teeth of victims," Wagner said. "But it was still like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Tracking a killer

Wagner never set out to become a plague hunter, never imagined himself searching for infected fleas in dying prairie-dog colonies across northern Arizona or tracking rats through the back alleys of Madagascar.

He wanted to study wildlife — emphasis on life — and trained as a wildlife biologist. He was tracking prairie dogs in 1999 when he started seeing more dead rodents than expected and more live fleas. The prairie dogs, he realized, were dying of the plague, a not-uncommon cause of death in colonies across the Southwest.

Wagner's fascination with what was killing prairie dogs led him to Paul Keim, a biologist and researcher at NAU.

Keim had earned the nickname "bioterrorism warrior" in 2001, when he analyzed samples of anthrax sent to government offices in Washington in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks and helped find the man believed responsible for sending the spores.

His detective work grew out of his scientific work studying infectious diseases and understanding how their origins and molecular makeup could help protect public health. Much as an anthropologist might test the DNA of a person to find he had ancestors from ancient Europe or Africa, Keim could analyze a bacteria's molecular structure and figure out where — or, in the case of a bioterrorist, from whom — it came.

Working together at NAU's Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Keim, the center's director, and Wagner, the associate director, have become two of the world's leading experts on the plague. They pick through the pathogen's DNA to learn more about why it has persisted through the centuries and how it could yet kill millions more people.

By charting the genome of the plague bacterium mostly found in animals, breaking its genetic code, researchers can track outbreaks and identify strains particular to a region or to a point in time, however long ago.

"There is fascination with the plague," Wagner said. "It has that history. But the strains we have today are equally capable of causing disease. The difference is how we react to it."

Rodents and fleas

Plague is an infection caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It is most often spread to humans through flea bites. Bacteria carried by the fleas spreads into the bloodstream and attacks the lymph system. As the bubonic plague, it causes fever, headache and swelling — akin to a particularly bad case of the flu, Wagner said.

Left untreated, bubonic plague can develop into the far-worse septicemic plague. Skin and tissues can turn black and die, a grisly hallmark that helped create the term Black Death.

When that infection attacks the respiratory system, the disease becomes pneumonic plague. From there, it can spread directly from one human to another, as scientists suspect it did in the ancient plagues.

Scientists have long believed rodents and fleas helped spark those plagues. Improved hygiene and changes in rodent populations quelled the spread of the fleas, and the disease.

Modern medicine has since turned the plague into a curable disease

"Plague is a dangerous disease," said Keim. "But there are lots of drugs that can work on plague. It's very treatable."

Fewer people realize the same bacteria live on, even today.

The Southwest grew into a hot spot for the plague in this country, Keim said, because the pathogen became endemic among prairie dogs, the native rodents whose colonies dot the high plateaus.

That's where NAU researchers find the plague today.

When the researchers and students plan field trips to a potentially infected prairie-dog colony, they undergo training about how to protect themselves from flea bites or dead rodents. They are examined before the trip and their health monitored after.

"We've never had a single person come down with the plague," Keim said.

Real-time help

In a lab on the third floor of NAU's Applied Research and Development Building, behind a series of three doors secured with electronic locks and monitored by video cameras, Keim, Wagner and student researchers study the plague, analyzing samples of bacteria from hunting expeditions as near as Lake Mary Road outside Flagstaff and as far-flung as Madagascar, off the coast of southeast Africa.

"Plague is a word sometimes used generally, but what we're studying here is 'The Plague,'" Keim said. "It is still of historical importance. These are events that affected who we are and what we are today."

NAU scientists work with other research institutions and government agencies to better understand the plague pathogen. The campus center is closely aligned with the Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research Institute.

Cedar Mitchell, an NAU junior in microbiology, spends part of her time in the lab sequencing the DNA of plague samples. She has helped devise a computer program that would help doctors in Madagascar identify plague strains and perhaps anticipate new outbreaks.

"If they find an outbreak in, say, the highlands and one in a port city, they can see if they are from the same sources," she said. Knowing that could help treat victims or warn people who could be at risk.

"Once you fingerprint everything, you can see what strains are active," Wagner said. "The hope is they can do it in real time. We want to take our existing research somewhere that it can be used."

There is another part of NAU's plague work that Keim and Wagner talk about in less detail. It is part of the reason the lab is so secure and is inspected and tested frequently by federal agencies.

"Plague can be used as a biological weapon," Keim said. "It has been, even back in the time of the Justinian plague."

U.S. authorities believe the Soviet Union was trying to develop an aerosol version of the plague bacteria that could be dispersed as a weapon. It could still be used by terrorists. If scientists could extract and identify DNA fingerprints from 1,500-year-old plague strains locked away in a Bavarian cemetery, perhaps they could do the same with a bioterrorism weapon. That could help point authorities to the source, just as Keim did with the anthrax spores — another infectious bacterium — in 2001.

What scientists hoped to discover in the 1,500-year-old teeth was whether the plague that killed more than 100 million during the Justinian outbreak was a strain from the Yersinia pestis bacterium that caused the Black Death and continues to spread today.

The teeth never actually made it to Flagstaff, in part because the NAU lab has built such a reputation in plague research. To satisfy the standards set in the field of ancient DNA about avoiding contamination with modern-day DNA, the teeth from the Aschheim cemetery were taken to McMaster University in Ontario.

Samples from two individuals were ground into molecules from which DNA could be extracted. Wagner and NAU's genomics center provided the expertise to analyze the DNA and help construct the genome.

"This is the oldest bacterial genome ever produced," Wagner said. "We were able to go back in time and find something that went extinct."

The map of the genome offered an answer, but left some of the mystery intact.

The NAU scientists helped conclude that the strain of plague was separate from the one that caused the Black Death and still exists today. The Justinian bacteria had died and left no descendants. It was, as the scientists say, an evolutionary dead end.

For plague sleuths, questions remain. Why did the Justinian strain die out? Why did the next outbreak not occur for another 600 years? And if the plague is just as dangerous as it ever was, could it explode across the globe once more?

Keim and Wagner say the world is a far different place now. Cities are cleaner. Rats are better controlled. Antibiotics are readily available. And research is helping public-health agencies contain the disease.

"We don't think we're going to see new large-scale plague pandemics," Wagner said. "Not because the organism has changed. It's just as deadly as it always was. But humans have changed."

America's heroin and opioid epidemic has deep roots in Kentucky

Jerry Mitchell and Laura Ungar

USA TODAY Network

Editor’s note: More Americans die each year now from drug overdoses than from car crashes and gun homicides combined. Most of the overdoses come from opioids, which since ancient days have been relieving pain, providing pleasure and destroying lives. Today, opioid addiction has become the new American plague, one seemingly born of greed that affects millions each year and kills hundreds each day.

Dr. Bill Fannin found his son unconscious in his bedroom. Medical training and a father’s love told him what to do.

Give him breath. Start his heart.

The Pikeville, Kentucky, physician cupped his son’s face and tried to resuscitate him on this October evening in 2011. He pushed down on his son’s chest.

Sean Fannin laid there, still unmoving.

“It was,” Fannin recalled, his voice fading as he spoke, “too late.”

He soon learned Sean had overdosed on a drug derived from the opium poppy.

It was a drug the doctor knew all too well, one he had prescribed to many patients to ease their pain.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: More on the science of opioids

'God's own medicine'

In Greek myth, when the goddess Aphrodite wept at the death of her lover, Adonis, her tears gave birth to a new plant. The colorful poppy contained a milky substance that promised to wash away sorrows.

The Greeks worshipped the opium poppy, and so did the Egyptians. Doctors, including Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine,” discovered that opium seemed effective in fighting certain diseases.

But dangers followed. The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder recorded fatal opium overdoses, and the Greek physician Erasistratus condemned the drug as a deadly poison.

Still, opium spread around the world.

Hoping to turn opium into a better medicine, German scientist Friedrich Serturner extracted a substance from the poppy in the early 1800s. He named the new drug “morphine” after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, dubbing it “God’s own medicine.”

Hospitals welcomed the painkiller and so did the battlefield, but by the end of the Civil War, so many soldiers were suffering from addiction that it became known as the “Army Disease.”

In response to that problem, Heinrich Dreser and others working for Bayer in Germany tried to develop a drug that would keep the medicine’s positive properties while removing its deadly and addictive nature.

Dreser tried the new drug out on animals. Then he tried it on himself and others, who reported the substance made them feel better. Even heroic.

He found that the new drug worked better than another opium-derived drug, codeine, on respiratory diseases. After trying the drug out on a number of people, he promised doctors it wasn’t addictive.

“It possesses many advantages over morphine,” he wrote in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. “There’s no danger of acquiring a habit.”

In 1898, Bayer began selling this supposed wonder drug, marketing it as a cough suppressant. Doctors also used the drug to treat pneumonia, tuberculosis, menstrual pain and even morphine addiction.

The new drug’s name? Heroin.

Within a year, Bayer was producing a ton of heroin, marketing it as a cough syrup for children and a medicine to fight pneumonia and bronchitis.

“With Bayer’s Heroin Syrup one manages to have a restful sleep,” promised one advertisement featuring children.

In reality, heroin turned out to be even more potent, addictive and deadly than morphine.

Some addicts crushed heroin pills and snorted the substance. Others injected the drug directly into their veins for a quicker high.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans became addicted to these opium-derived drugs, said David T. Courtwright, author of “Dark Paradise: A History of Opiate Addiction in America.”

The average addict was a middle- or upper-class white woman suffering from chronic pain, often introduced to the drug by her physician, he said.

In response to the epidemic, Congress gave the responsibility for protecting the nation’s food and medicine to a scientific bureau stuck in a basement of the Department of Agriculture building. The bureau became known as the Food and Drug Administration.

In 1914, Congress backed the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, which regulated and taxed products derived from the opium plant and the coca leaves (used to produce cocaine). Patients now needed prescriptions from doctors to obtain powerful narcotics.

In the decades that followed, federal officials continued their crackdowns. They prohibited heroin from medical use and limited other opium-derived painkillers to patients recovering from surgery or other injuries or suffering from cancer or other terminal diseases.

Categories of pain

Growing up in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, Fannin spent lots of time in the woods and figured he would be a game biologist.

His father wanted him to practice medicine, but becoming a doctor seemed impossible.

After spending time in martial arts, he realized that by setting goals and working hard, he could achieve anything.

Looking back, he recalled, “God had plans for me, it seems.”

A cousin who was a physician offered Fannin a job and soon became a role model. Fannin attended the University of Kentucky’s medical school and trained under a pain specialist.

He learned that pain fell into three categories: acute, cancer-related and chronic.

Doctors typically treated patients who suffered acute pain (for instance, after surgery or an accident) with a short-term prescription of opioids mixed with less powerful painkillers, such as aspirin or acetaminophen (coming under brand names such as Percodan, Vicodin, Percocet and Lortab).

Doctors typically treated patients suffering from cancer-related pain with opioids such as morphine. For patients with serious or terminal diseases, addiction was much less a concern.

Doctors hesitated to prescribe these powerful opioids to patients suffering from chronic pain (pain that lasts more than three months, such as lower back pain) because doctors feared these patients might become addicted after taking these opioids for so long.

Fannin understood some pain patients responded to physical therapy. Some could reduce their pain through biofeedback as patients began to learn from their bodies. Some could get help from chiropractors.

Pain, he realized, didn’t always need pills.

‘New class of addicts’

German scientists took another swing at the morphine molecule, and they came up with oxycodone. The opioid seemed to have fewer side effects, but it was no less addictive.

In 1950, the FDA approved Percodan, which combined oxycodone with aspirin. Nearly a quarter-century later, Percocet — a combination of oxycodone and acetaminophen — followed.

Those opioids began to be abused. By 1962, doctors had prescribed nearly 36 million Percodan in California, with the chief narcotics enforcement official complaining that people were “eating Percodan as though it were popcorn,” and the state’s attorney general concluding that the drug was creating a “new class of addicts composed of otherwise honest, not criminally inclined persons.”

Addicts eventually included singer Elvis Presley, who died of a drug overdose in 1977, and comedian Jerry Lewis, who received the opioid after a spinal injury and became addicted for 13 years.

In the 1980s, some doctors, including pain specialist Dr. Russell Portenoy, called attention to millions of Americans suffering from “untreated pain,” saying opioids offered the solution. He became the first president of the American Pain Society, which drugmakers helped fund.

The society campaigned for health care providers to make pain the “fifth vital sign,” joining blood pressure, temperature, heartbeat and breathing.

“We had to destigmatize these (opioids),” Portenoy told The Wall Street Journal. “We had to bring them out of the cold into the mainstream medical practice. We had to have doctors think in terms of risk and benefit instead of thinking of these consequences that are so scary — like addiction and death.”

In 1989, the Texas Medical Board adopted language to support wider use of painkillers by doctors. Other states followed.

The Federation of State Medical Boards, which received up to $2 million from drugmakers, recommended doctors not face punishment for prescribing large amounts of opioids and called on those boards to punish doctors who “undertreated” pain.

By the 1990s, juries awarded more than $16 million to patients and families whose loved ones suffered from pain, concluding that the nursing homes, nurses and doctors that failed to give opioids were guilty of negligence.

Addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky said this development made doctors wary about failing to prescribe opioids to any patient who complained of pain. From that point forward, he said he began to refer pain patients to pain clinics.

‘The fifth vital sign’

By the mid-1990s, Fannin, who served in the Army in Vietnam, was working part time at a Veterans Affairs clinic in Prestonsburg, treating war veterans.

That was where he first heard doctors call pain “the fifth vital sign.”

It seemed odd to equate pain with something like breathing, but he understood the need to “dignify” and take care of pain.

He noticed that doctors seemed too willing to prescribe these opioid pills for chronic pain, patients seemed too willing to take them, and insurers seemed too willing to pay.

“Pain as the fifth vital sign” became policy at the VA clinic where he worked as well as VA hospitals across the U.S.

The Joint Commission began requiring hospitals to assess all patients for pain on a scale of 1 to 10, which some claimed caused more doctors to prescribe opioids.

Purdue gave the commission a grant to produce a pain assessment and management manual.

Officials from the commission and Purdue denied the company had anything to do with the content of the manual, co-written by Dr. June Dahl, who served on the speakers bureau for Purdue.

The manual told health care facilities the side effects of opioids had been exaggerated and that physical dependence had been wrongly confused with addiction. “There is no evidence that addiction is a significant issue when persons are given opioids for pain control,” the manual said.

Purdue officials explained that studies on opioid addiction depended on many factors, including mental health. They cited a 2008 article by Dr. David Fishbain of the University of Miami, who analyzed 79 published studies, saying he concluded the prevalence of abuse or addiction was 3.27 percent, or 0.19 percent for those with no past addiction.

Fishbain responded that his study was misinterpreted and that addiction could be anywhere between 3.27 and 20.4 percent.

Commission officials denied its new standards encouraged doctors to prescribe more opioids, blaming drug trafficking as well as diversion and abuse by individuals.

At that time, the “evidence was broadly supported by experts across the spectrum that pain was undertreated and a serious problem leading to poor clinical outcomes,” the commission said.

The commission concluded that “millions of people in the United States suffer from pain, and failure to treat their pain is inhumane.”

The painkiller market

Since 1987, Purdue Pharma had been selling a timed-release drug named MS Contin, the company’s version of morphine. Seven years later, annual sales topped $88 million — the best performing painkiller Purdue officials had — but they faced problems.

Doctors knew how addictive morphine could be, and most were reluctant to prescribe MS Contin to patients suffering from chronic pain.

The even bigger problem? MS Contin’s patent would expire soon.

That meant generic drug manufacturers could make their own versions of MS Contin and eat into Purdue’s share of the painkiller market.

A generation earlier, Arthur Sackler, the brother of Purdue’s owners, had marketed Valium and other tranquilizers to women experiencing anxiety, tension or countless other symptoms. The drug broke all sales records, turning many women into addicts and Sackler into a multimillionaire.

The Sackler family planned to repeat that success with a timed-release version of OxyContin, the company’s version of oxycodone.

In internal Purdue documents obtained by the USA TODAY NETWORK, company officials gushed that OxyContin could become a hit in “the $462 million Class II opioid marketplace.”

These documents detail their strategy: They would first market OxyContin strictly for cancer pain, where doctors were familiar with oxycodone.

Then the company would pivot to the lucrative market of chronic pain, which afflicted at least 25 million Americans.

Purdue’s plan included targeting primary care physicians, surgeons, obstetricians and dentists. The company even targeted home care and hospice care nurses who would “rate the patients’ pain and make a recommendation on the type of opioid and dosage for pain control.”

The plan also included targeting patients and caregivers through Purdue’s “Partners Against Pain” program. “You are the pain authority,” the website reassured patients. “You are the expert on your own pain.”

The website declared that “there are 75 million Americans living with pain, although pain management experts say they don’t have to,” reassuring patients that doctors could control their pain “through the relatively simple means of pain medications” and that the risk of addiction to opioids “very rarely occurs when under medical supervision to relieve pain.”

To ensure that OxyContin became a hit, Purdue sponsored more than 20,000 educational programs to encourage health care providers to prescribe the new drug and sent videos to 15,000 doctors.

The company also hosted dozens of all-expenses-paid national pain management conferences, where more than 5,000 physicians, pharmacists and nurses were trained for the company’s national speakers bureau.

By 2001, Purdue was spending $200 million on marketing and promotion and had doubled its sales force to 671. Before the year ended, sales bonuses reached $40 million.

Addiction knowledge: ‘zip’

Fannin remembers sales reps from Purdue flooding doctors’ offices in Appalachia, where poverty and pain are constant realities.

The reps gave away fishing hats, stuffed toys and music CDs titled “Get in the Swing with OxyContin.”

“Every time you turned around, you saw their faces,” Fannin said. “We had a population of doctors with very little grounding in pain, and I think Purdue took advantage of that.”

Many doctors knew about oxycodone from Percocet, which combined a small dosage of the potent opioid with 325 mg of acetaminophen.

What many of those doctors didn’t realize was that oxycodone was nearly twice as powerful as morphine, delivering a powerful high to those who use the drug.

“It’s more like heroin,” explained Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University. “It crosses the blood-brain barrier more quickly.”

But the sales reps never mentioned that. Instead, they said OxyContin didn’t create highs like other opioids and was less likely to get people addicted.

Fannin recalled sales reps calling OxyContin “a revolution in pain care” and “much more effective” than the old drugs.

They also talked of studies, citing one that found only four of 11,882 patients — less than 1 percent — became addicted after using opioids. Portenoy and others repeatedly cited this research, with some calling it a “landmark study.”

The truth is it wasn’t even a study. It was a five-sentence letter to the editor that a doctor wrote the New England Journal of Medicine.

For the most part, Fannin believed what the sales reps were telling him, and so did other doctors in the region.

“Our knowledge about addiction,” he said, “was about zip.”

So they spread the opioid with their prescription pads, and it settled into the Appalachian mountains like the ever-present morning fog.

OxyContin, which some hailed as a “miracle drug,” became the blockbuster in 2001 that Purdue officials dreamed of, with more than 7 million in prescriptions and nearly $3 billion in revenue.

By 2015, the Sackler family, who owned Purdue, had made $14 billion, joining Forbes’ 2015 list of America’s richest families, edging out the Rockefellers.

‘It was a setup’

Believing he was easing pain, Fannin turned increasingly to OxyContin.

He typically prescribed it for people suffering for more than a year from chronic, non-cancer pain. He considered it “a good tool” for patients with serious back injuries, estimating that 150 or more of his patients took OxyContin back then.

“Some doctors were more conservative” about prescribing the pills, he said. “Some prescribed them more freely.”

Fannin believes doctors bore part of the blame for overprescribing OxyContin, but he believes Purdue bore blame, too.

“From the get-go, it was a setup,” he said. “This drug got turned loose in eastern Kentucky.”

A nation addicted

The trickle of OxyContin turned into a flood across the U.S. In five years, the drug’s prescriptions for chronic, non-cancer pain shot up almost tenfold from about 670,000 in 1997 to 6.2 million in 2002.

At a conference sponsored by Purdue, Dr. Jeffrey Summers, a pain specialist in Flowood, Mississippi, recalled a law enforcement officer insisting that OxyContin couldn’t be abused, and that was why it had almost no street value.

When the doctor asked one of Purdue’s experts about this, he said the expert replied that OxyContin couldn’t be abused by crushing or chewing because “the oxycodone would be released all at once.”

Summers said that instant release “became the primary reason OxyContin was abused,” producing a heroin-like high for abusers.

Admitted abusers of OxyContin jumped from 400,000 in 1999 to nearly 3 million in 2003. By 2009, abuse of prescription painkillers had played a role in the nation’s record 1.2 million emergency room visits.

Former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore, who led the litigation against tobacco companies and is now involved in the litigation against opioids makers, said a Purdue salesman told him that each morning he would look at reports detailing doctors in his territory who had prescribed OxyContin or other opioids.

Moore said the salesman told these doctors that OxyContin was less addictive, that it lasted 12 hours and that it was OK to increase the dosage to 40 mg to ensure that pain was controlled.

“Sales skyrocketed,” Moore said, “and a nation became addicted.”

Getting hooked

It didn’t take long for Fannin to realize something was wrong. Instead of reporting less pain over time and needing less OxyContin, patients complained of worse pain and asked for more pills as their bodies grew more tolerant to the drug.

They were getting hooked.

Scientific studies countered Purdue’s claim of a “less than 1 percent” addiction rate, showing that as many as 1 in 4 who took prescription opioids long term for non-cancer pain struggled with addiction.

In the years that followed, more than 2 million Americans began to abuse prescription opioids or become dependent on them, including some of Fannin’s patients.

“I would’ve put a lot fewer people on that medicine if I knew then what I know now,” Fannin said. “I created problems and I didn’t know it. I created problems for people because of my ignorance.”

Many other area doctors did the same. And a small percentage actually pushed the drug for profit, opening so-called “pill mills” where people could get OxyContin for cash just by asking, even with no medical need.

Though these physicians were “looked down upon,” Fannin said, “we didn’t police our own ranks.”

Gradually, pills spilled onto the streets. Addicts sold them to fuel their habits. Poor patients in real pain sold some to stay afloat. Children and teens raided medicine cabinets and sold them at school.

‘Unleashed … dangerous drug’

Soon America was awash in OxyContin, and other opioids followed.

Those prescriptions had consequences. By 2001, the number of deaths related to oxycodone had risen fivefold.

In 2007, Purdue’s holding company pleaded guilty to “misbranding” OxyContin, admitting that sales reps “with intent to defraud or mislead” had promoted the drug as less addictive and less likely to be abused than other opioid painkillers.

“With its OxyContin, Purdue unleashed a highly abusable, addictive and potentially dangerous drug on an unsuspecting and unknowing public,” U.S. Attorney John Brownlee of Virginia announced.

Purdue, a privately held company in Stamford, Connecticut, paid a $600 million fine, and three executives pleaded guilty to misbranding, paying nearly $35 million in fines.

Despite their pleas, Purdue insisted the executives had not been guilty of misleading anybody. “To the contrary,” the company’s statement said, “they took steps to prevent any misstatements in the marketing or promotion of OxyContin.”

At the sentencings, the judge gave the executives probation and community service.

Some present praised OxyContin for killing their pain. Others said the drug had killed their teenage children. One mother held up a jar that contained the ashes of her late son.

Treatment, sobriety, relapse

By then pills were everywhere — and easy for Fannin’s son to find.

Sean Fannin, the younger of two boys, was a smart kid who preferred skilled trades to medicine, telling his dad he wanted to be a welder. He would grow up to work in the coal mines for a time, like his grandfather.

As he came of age, Fannin later learned, Sean was smoking pot, drinking and eventually abusing pills. Fannin and his wife thought he had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or a mood problem until a University of Kentucky doctor diagnosed his addiction. A psychotherapist advised residential care.

“It made me angry that I missed it,” Fannin said, “especially being a doctor.”

On the long drive to a teen recovery center in the Tennessee woods, Sean confessed his drug use to his parents. He was around 14 at the time, and this stint in recovery was the first of many.

The family filled the next several years with periods of treatment, sobriety and relapses.

The ordeal gave Fannin a new perspective on addiction.

For much of his life he hadn’t believed it was a disease. But watching his son suffer made him realize he needed to fight it like any other malady. And not just on a personal level.

While supporting Sean’s recovery, Fannin began helping others trapped by addiction — first by covering shifts for another doctor doing recovery work at a Pikeville hospital. Eventually, he became one of the few board-certified addiction specialists in eastern Kentucky.

In his family practice, meanwhile, Fannin prescribed far less OxyContin and required any patients on opioids to undergo urine screens and pill counts. He also checked their prescription history through the state’s electronic prescription drug monitoring system.

He was determined not to fuel any more addiction in his community, but he was unable to pry his son from addiction’s grip.

‘Healers become dealers’

Opioids kill first by slowing down breathing, then by depriving the brain and body of oxygen, the very stuff of life.

By 2009, drug overdose deaths had become the leading cause of accidental deaths in the U.S., surpassing traffic fatalities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that the nation faced an opioid epidemic.

Overprescribing has fueled much of this epidemic, said Dr. Anna Lembke, an associate professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences and anesthesiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

“So how did healers become dealers?” she asked.

It happened as medicine became an industry, she said, with doctors practicing “assembly-line medicine” in “health care factories.”

Factories do well with things like knee replacements, but the system breaks down when it comes to addiction, said the psychiatrist, who runs Stanford’s Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. “I can make more money spending five minutes with a patient and prescribing a pill than I can spending an hour with the patient in psychotherapy.”

Two centuries ago, pain was considered beneficial, boosting the immune system, she said. “Now we consider pain dangerous — something that if left untreated will leave people with psychic scars.”

The new thinking is that a patient in pain is an aggrieved party that doctors are supposed to fix, she said. “And if they don’t, they are not only lacking in knowledge and compassion, they are amoral.”

She said physicians are taught to “first, do no harm,” and automatically prescribing opioids over the long term not only exposes these pain patients to the risk of addiction, but she said the drugs may also exacerbate their pain and slow their healing.

With millions of Americans abusing prescription opioids, Mexican cartels found a new market for their cheap heroin. In 2001, fewer than 1,800 Americans died of a heroin overdose. By 2016, those deaths had topped 15,000.

And that heroin has often been laced with synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, which is 50 times more powerful than morphine, and carfentanyl, which is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine.

Fentanyl is used to treat breakthrough cancer pain. Carfentanyl is an elephant tranquilizer, and just a few grains can kill humans. In 2016, overdoses from these synthetic opioids surpassed 20,000 deaths.

Lembke said the U.S. faces a “modern plague” with addiction, which affects more than 40 million Americans if tobacco and alcohol are included. Addiction costs the nation $442 billion in a single year, according to the surgeon general.

“Karl Marx said religion is the opium of the masses,” she said. “We are at a point in history where opium has become the religion of the masses.”

‘It honors him’

Sean Fannin’s Pikeville funeral was standing room only.

Fannin finds it tough to talk about the loss of his child, about the overdose of OxyContin and the anti-anxiety medicine Xanax that killed him at just 28.

But he’ll share his experiences with addicted patients and their families.

“Still to this day, he’ll use Sean’s story to get through to somebody,” said his longtime office manager, Amy Hunt. “And he’ll cry at the drop of a hat when he talks about it.”

The pain of his death continues to haunt Fannin and his wife, an artist and quilter. But they also treasure their son’s living legacy — a 6-year-old daughter, born shortly before his death.

Fannin, who turns 70 in February, recently retired from family practice to devote more time to hospice work and addiction treatment.

At East Kentucky Rehabilitation Center in downtown Prestonsburg, he treats patients recovering with the help of medication such as Suboxone and Vivitrol. Before he sees them, he prays with Hunt. Not only have they worked together for years, but Fannin treated her late husband’s opioid addiction, which began after he took painkillers following a mine accident.

On a recent afternoon, patients gathered in a downstairs waiting room with family members. One sidled over to another to ask what he had been doing lately. A preschool girl played near an older relative, and Hunt stopped over, bent down and cheerfully remarked on how she had gotten bigger.

There are no strangers here. Fannin has been known to spend at least 45 minutes with each patient, even if that means staying late.

Sometimes, Fannin gets a glimpse of the difference he’s making. At a local Walmart last year, a former patient walked up to Fannin with her baby, asking if he remembered her. He did.

She pointed to her husband, another former patient, who was checking out fishing poles nearby. She told the doctor they were both staying clean and doing great. She’d been pregnant when he treated her, and now had two healthy kids.

Tears flowed as she spoke to the doctor. “I just wanted to thank you.”

Fannin knew that couple was among the lucky ones. Studies show that only 1 in 10 Americans are able to get treatment for addiction.

David Gearheart, the certified alcohol and drug counselor who owns the recovery center, said, “It’s getting to the point where we could be open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. People drive two to three hours to come here. There’s just not enough treatment out there.”

Fannin knows his job is far from over. The Vietnam veteran has lived long enough to see the drug scourge claim more lives in a single year than the entire Vietnam War.

He stared out the window over downtown Prestonsburg, aching, as he always does, for his own loss. But the memory of Sean infuses his work.

“The way I figure,” Fannin said, “it honors him.”

The doctor finished off the last of his sandwich and made his way downstairs to see another patient.

He wasn’t done. He would never be done, as long as there was someone else he might save.

Jerry Mitchell is an investigative reporter for Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, and Laura Ungar is an investigative reporter for Courier Journal in Louisville, Kentucky.

Coronavirus in Southern New Mexico: What you need to know about ...

The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is upending all of our lives. It's affecting our work and our play. News changes by the hour and it's hard to get a handle on it. In this space, we'll be posting the latest information about coronavirus and how it's affecting life in Las Cruces and southern New Mexico.

Here is a list of cancellations.

Here is a list of restaurants offering curbside and/or delivery.

Here is a list of resources if you're been laid off or your hours have been cut.

Here are some ideas to fight boredom while self-distancing. And here are reporter Jackie Devine's Top 5 shows to binge watch on Netflix and 5 online games to play.

Don't forget to exercise! Here are five exercise ideas to consider and three trails that are open for hiking.

You might also find the coronavirus information you're looking for at the CDC website or the New Mexico Department of Health website.

Sunday, April 12

4:16 PM: Doña Ana County records first death from COVID-19

State health officials say the death is a man in his 50s who had been hospitalized.

2:41 PM: Inside New Mexico's COVID-19 command center, medical experts make critical decisions

Welcome to the command center for the Medical Advisory Team, a group of more than 100 officials and experts set up by the New Mexico Department of Health to stretch the capacity of the state's health care system as far as it can go during the COVID-19 crisis.

1:52 PM: New Mexico celebrates Easter at home under COVID-19 restrictions

Archbishop John Wester has been supportive of social distancing initiatives and directives, noting that the virus “doesn’t take a day off for Good Friday or Easter Sunday.” | GALLERY: A look inside Holy Cross Catholic Church on Easter

8 AM: Easter marks anniversary of asylum-seeker crisis in Las Cruces

This time last year the city was dealing with a different kind of crisis. Some of the lessons learned then are being employed now.

7 AM: What our columnists are saying

Saturday, April 11

5:19 PM: New Mexico's mass gathering ban now includes houses of worship amid coronavirus fears

Many New Mexico congregations had already canceled in-person services.

4:44 PM: COVID-19 numbers in New Mexico: 1,174 cases, 235 recoveries, 20 deaths

Here are Saturday's numbers.

4:02 PM: AD discusses COVID-19's potential financial impact on New Mexico State athletics

New Mexico State athletics director Mario Moccia doesn't claim to have all the answers, but like any administrator across the country, he has been busy planning for a certain budget hit in Fiscal Year 2021 and what a delayed or cancelled football season would mean to an already tight budget.

1:53 AM: Diocese of Las Cruces celebrates Easter at a distance

Keeping faith alive in the COVID-19 age.

10:54 AM: Be mindful of access to alcohol in the home during COVID-19 pandemic

It is important to consider how to help your family make healthy decisions.

10:19 AM: NMSU mental health counselor gives advice to cope with COVID-19 pandemic

Prolonged social isolation can have adverse effects on mental health, especially for people already grappling with mental conditions like depression and anxiety, said New Mexico State University counselor Louie Atencio

9:48 AM: Aggie Innovation Space creating face shields for hospitals

Using a laser cutter, a thermal press, a sheet metal pneumatic shear and multiple 3D printers, NMSU engineering students and staff have made more than 70 face shields, with plans to make more.

9:25 AM: Funding allows Las Cruces Utilities to extend help to small businesses

For the first time LCU can help commercial customers in addition to residents.

9 AM: Food trucks now allowed to set up at New Mexico rest areas

In a news release, the NMDOT stated that it recognizes some commercial truck drivers and travelers may appreciate the convenience of food service at rest areas

Friday, April 10

8:08 PM: Las Cruces police to enforce closed city parks this Easter weekend

Stay home. Don't gather.

7:47 PM: NMSU researcher studying how viruses jump from wildlife to humans

New Mexico State University post-doctoral fellow Katie Young spent a year in the tropical rainforests of Malaysian Borneo studying the mosquito-borne virus Dengue, to better understand the cross talk between viruses and hosts.

4:55 PM: New Mexico passes 1,000 coronavirus cases, reports 19 deaths and 235 recoveries

Here are Friday's numbers.

3:39 PM: Internal email: La Clinica de Familia staffer diagnosed with COVID-19

An internal email reports that a staff member of nonprofit community health organization La Clinica de Familia has tested positive for COVID-19

2:31 PM: New Mexico lawmakers fight for federal relief for rural cities amid coronavirus pandemic

U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM) talks about ensuring federal funding comes to rural communities.

1:10 PM: Toucan Market to provide free lunch to those in need

Here's what you need to know about Saturday's giveaway.

12:48 PM: City approves $684,000 in additional aid, extends mayor's emergency proclamation

The city council met in a special meeting Friday to take action.

12:21 PM: Get to know Annie Ersinghaus: 'Uncharted Waters' filmmaker

Annie Ersinghaus, an NMSU student, produced a documentary on the COVID-19 crisis.

10:04 AM: Volunteer fair and giving day cancelled

The 9th annual Volunteer Far and Giving Day, planned for April 25 in Las Cruces, has been canceled.

9:59 AM: Las Cruces Utilities offering additional Green Grappler curbside pickup

Here's what you need to know before calling the Green Grappler.

9:43 AM: Advocates: Two cases of coronavirus detected at Otero County Processing Center

An employee and a detained migrant there have contracted the novel coronavirus, according to Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso.

8:45 AM: How to visit Carlsbad Caverns, other national parks while in quarantine

You’ll have to enjoy the sights and sounds of Carlsbad Caverns from your home for the time being.

7:30 AM: Cruces Creatives network of 80 volunteers crafting PPE for hospitals

Cruces Creatives has been in the process of making cloth masks, respirator masks and face shields for local Las Cruces hospital workers. About 80 or so volunteers are working on the projects from home and the organization is using designs available online.

Thursday, April 9

7:02 PM: Silver City makerspace produces protective medical gear to offset shortages

Future Forge Makerspace, a nonprofit based in an industrial building near downtown Silver City, says it has already produced 300 plastic face shields for local healthcare facilities and, with increased production, has begun reaching out beyond Grant County.

6:06 PM: Revolution 120 champions fundraiser to provide 2,000 face masks to La Clinica de Familia

The Mask Angels fundraiser delivered 1,000 face masks on Thursday and will deliver 1,000 more masks as soon as next week.

5:44 PM: New Mexico reaches 989 cases, 217 recoveries from COVID-19 disease

The daily numbers report includes data provided during a state press conference.

4:43 PM: New Mexico gets 3rd surge in a row on unemployment claims

Nearly 73,000 people in New Mexico have lost their jobs over that last three weeks.

3:07 PM: 'Man camp' for border wall workers in Columbus, N.M. moving amid concerns over COVID-19

The trailers — expected to house 20 to 60 people for up to two years as the construction of steel bollard structures on the border begins — will now be located south of Columbus and another site in Hidalgo County.

1:23 PM: World of Outlaws cancel Vado Speedway Park event due to COVID-19

The racing showcase had been scheduled for April 24-25.

10:05 AM: UTEP researchers are working to develop a COVID-19 vaccine with the help of a supercomputer

Dr. Suman Sirimulla is working to develop the molecular structure of a drug that would target the novel coronavirus, which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19

7 AM: Jackie's Top 5: Las Cruces heroes amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Look for the helpers.

Wednesday, April 8

6:23 PM: Mayor Ken Miyagishima declares citywide emergency due to coronavirus

Here's what it means.

5:45 PM: Casa de Peregrinos extends hours of operation

Casa de Peregrinos, the flagship food pantry in Las Cruces, is extending its hours of operation amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

4:55 PM: New Mexico authorities: Scammers keeping busy during COVID-19 crisis

Here are some tips to ensure you don't fall victim.

4:51 PM: COVID-19 testing center in Sunland Park first in southern Doña Ana County

First day of testing in southern Doña Ana County went smoothly.

4:46 PM: Three more dead in New Mexico: 865 cases of COVID-19 now confirmed

Wednesday's numbers.

4:18 PM: State offers stimulus to self-employed workers on first come, first serve basis

Here's some unemployment information for self-employed workers.

2:30 PM: 'If I got it, you got it.' Some hold gatherings in defiance of COVID-19 orders

Be smart. Stay at home and don't gather with a lot of people.

10:49 AM: Vitalant Blood Bank continues to seek blood donations for southern New Mexico

This week, Vitalant is working with MountainView Regional Medical Center and Memorial Medical Center on blood drives.

7 AM: Uninvited guest COVID-19 wreaks havoc on Las Cruces wedding season

The wedding crasher no one wanted.

Tuesday, April 7

9:40 PM: New Mexico waives waiting week for unemployment, extends call hours

Here's what you need to know if you're trying to collect unemployment benefits.

8:20 PM: Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino donates $2 million to coronavirus relief efforts

The donation is on behalf of the Stanley E. Fulton Foundation and will go to the All Together New Mexico Fund.

5:23 PM: COVID-19 testing begins Wednesday in Sunland Park, Anthony, Chaparral

Testing appointments must be prescheduled.

4:50 PM: New Mexico coronavirus cases at 794; clusters identified at San Felipe and Zia pueblos

That's an increase of nearly 16 percent from the previous day.

1:35 PM: Animal Services Center utilizing website for adoptions, missing pets

The Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley is making some operational changes after the state extended stay at home order and social distancing guidelines through April 30. Here's the new plan..

1:19 PM: Pilot program to start collecting plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients

People who have recovered from COVID-19 may have an outlet to help those ill with the disease caused by the new coronavirus: Donating their plasma.

12:16 PM: NMSU gathers protective gear to donate to local hospitals

As healthcare providers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic face shortages of personal protective equipment, New Mexico State University is pitching in to help local hospitals in Las Cruces.

12 PM: How to make a mask

New Mexico state government is sharing this video on how to make a mask based on CDC guidelines recommending that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings like grocery stores and pharmacies where it could be difficult to maintain social distancing.

Wearing a non-medical mask is an additional and voluntary public health measure that could keep people who have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others, according to the CDC. The state reports It is not a replacement for other important steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 like staying home, physical distancing and hand-washing.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators, which the state reports should be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders.

11:56 AM: RoadRUNNER buses install banners to help mitigate COVID-19 spread

The public health messages displayed on the city's fixed-route buses and Dial-A-Ride vehicles encourage everyone to wash their hands, cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and stay home when sick.

7AM: School bus drivers begin delivering meals to remote parts of Las Cruces

Marcos Torres, a bus driver who also heads the Las Cruces Transportation Federation, the union representing bus drivers, expressed concern for drivers' safety.

7 AM: Sen. Heinrich seeks Hometown Heroes amid coronavirus pandemic

Individuals can nominate a New Mexico Hometown Hero at https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/hometown-heroes.

Monday, April 6

6:37 PM: Have PPE to donate? Burrell students are collecting supplies for local healthcare workers

A group of medical students at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine has joined the Medical Supply Drive movement to collect personal protective equipment for those on the front lines in the fight against the COVID-19 coronavirus.

6:24 PM: State restricts customers inside businesses and extends public health order to April 30

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Monday an extension of public health measures meant to combat the virus through April 30, plus announced further restrictions on hardware stores and supermarkets.

5:47 PM: New Mexico State University employee hospitalized with COVID-19

New Mexico State University announced Monday evening that an employee has been hospitalized with COVID-19 disease. Here's what we know.

4:18 PM: San Juan County accounts for 25 of New Mexico's 62 new COVID-19 cases

Here are the daily numbers.

1:11 PM: New Mexico health investigators hunt for COVID-19 sources

How did an Artesia man — the state's first COVID-19 casualty — acquire the virus in a city at least 40 miles from the nearest big population center and who else he might have unintentionally exposed? Those are among the questions under investigation by a state Department of Health team.

10:03 AM: Normal hours resume at 8 Doña Ana County trash collection centers

Though some Doña Ana County collection centers are open, the Las Cruces transfer station and recycling drop-off centers remain closed.

9:52 AM: City: No mass gatherings at parks on Easter Sunday

Reminder: Stay home and avoid large gatherings. And, yes, city parks are technically closed.

6 AM: Columbus residents, NM delegation question 'man camp' for border wall amid coronavirus fears

Some residents of this border community and New Mexico's federal delegation, all Democrats, are concerned about a trailer community popping up in the middle of town to house about 40 border wall workers, especially in the wake of the public health emergency.

Sunday, April 5

4:35 PM: New Mexico's COVID-19 count increases 15 percent to 624 cases

New Mexico state health officials on Sunday announced 81 additional positive tests for COVID-19, as well as one additional death. Here are the latest numbers.

10:27 AM: New Mexico small businesses urged to apply quickly for federal stimulus loans

The stimulus bill, or Cares Act, allocates $349 billion for loans to small businesses. Here's what you need to know.

8:39 AM: Organ Mountain Outfitters adjusts to life during COVID-19 outbreak

Chris Lang, a "non-essential" business owner, talks to the Sun-News about having to lay off employees, shifting business online and what's next.

6 AM: This is what local columnists have to say:

Saturday, April 4

6:01 PM: Las Cruces stores tighten restrictions to promote social distancing

Amid large crowds, Lowe's received a visit from New Mexico State Police on Saturday and voluntarily begin staggering the intake of shoppers following the lead of several other big-box stores in town.

5:29 PM: Las Cruces religious services go online until COVID-19 is contained

Though New Mexico's stay-at-home order has closed church doors, it's opened services to the connected world as religious leaders take sermons online.

4:53 PM: Health officials announce 51 new COVID-19 cases in New Mexico, one new death

Here's the latest from New Mexico state health officials.

2:11 PM: New Mexico State moved all its instruction online this week

How'd it go?

Friday, April 3

11:05 PM: NMSU sociologist says COVID-19 pandemic may erode gains of women’s movement

With schools closed and many people unemployed or working from home, this situation is likely to create a negative impact on women, even those with well-meaning partners who support gender equity and 50/50 division of labor in household responsibilities.

10:13 PM: Your tap water is safe — it cannot carry COVID-19

Las Cruces Utilities reports every drop of city tap water goes through rigorous monitoring.

9:17 PM: NMSU Art Museum to host online series of programs, “ALONE/TOGETHER”

The New Mexico State University Art Museum has created a series of online Saturday programs in response to closing their doors for public health reasons..

6:20 PM: Got kids to feed? Here's the latest on free breakfasts, lunches and dinners for children

Officials have announced changes to the free breakfast and lunch programs for children in the Las Cruces area amid a statewide school shutdown.

FYI has stopped serving breakfast, but has added a dinner site.

LCPS will use buses to deliver meals to relatively remote areas of town.

3:24 PM: New Mexico announces 92 new cases of COVID-19; death total reaches 10

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the new totals while she and other state officials provided updates on the COVID-19 response.

12:09 PM: City approves $1 million in coronavirus community aid

In a unanimous vote, the Las Cruces City Council approved $1,072,500 in money from the Telshor Fund to fund programs administered by a number of nonprofit partners, as well as to fund several city programs. Here's a breakdown of the funding.

Thursday, April 2

6:32 PM: Benefits for self-employed workers still a few weeks away

More than 28,000 New Mexicans applied for unemployment benefits last week.

And while criteria have been loosened to include workers in a wider swath of situations, such as the state temporarily waiving its work-search requirement for assistance, self-employed workers are still waiting for help.

5:17 PM: New Mexico plans for surge in COVID-19 patients and supply shortages

As nationwide demand for health protection equipment surges, New Mexico's health care system has a limited statewide stock of about 44,000 snug-fitting N95 face masks that protect medical workers from the coronavirus by filtering out small airborne particles, state officials said.

New Mexico also has about 2.4 million exam gloves, 70,500 medical gowns and 234,000 surgical masks that offer less protection from virus infection than N95 masks.

4:50 PM: New Mexico now at 403 cases and 7 deaths

The state Department of Health announced Thursday that 40 additional tests for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease had been confirmed positive, and that a Bernalillo County woman was the state's seventh casualty related to the disease.

The 40 additional positive tests include a new case — but no deaths, yet — in Doña Ana County, which stands at 21 cases. It also reported that 31 COVID-19 cases were designated as having "recovered."

3:43 PM: Lujan Grisham says 'face masks and coverings' are encouraged; Stay-at-home order likely to be extended

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday afternoon participated in a nationwide #AskTheGov Twitter Q&A. During the online event, Lujan Grisham indicated that the state's "stay-at-home" order is likely to be extended.

"The horrible reality is that this pandemic is going to get worse before it gets better," Lujan Grisham tweeted.

The governor also signaled the administration may be shifting toward advising the use of masks and face coverings when out in public.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. government has said masks were not needed for the general public. But in an interview Wednesday on "Good Morning America," Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was asked to review its guidance on wearing masks.

The CDC is still advising against the use of medical-grade (N95) masks — which are in short supply — by the general public.

"Even if you do wear a mask, it can't be at the expense of social distancing," Adams said Wednesday, noting a mask such as an N95 would not be necessary because it could come at the expense of health care workers who needed one.

3:22 PM: Mesilla Valley Hospital provides COVID-19 update

Anna Laliotis, CEO of Mesilla Valley Hospital, on Thursday provided an update on how the COVID-19 coronavirus was impacting hospital operations. Laliotis stated that the hospital is making every effort "to avoid inciting unnecessary panic or anxiety among our clients and families, and we are taking every measure to protect them – along with our employees – during this dynamic situation." Hospital administrators are closely monitoring information provided by key government, regulatory and local entities.

MVH urges its community to follow the guidance: If individuals develop a fever or cough or have difficulty breathing, or have had close contact with someone who has had a confirmed positive COVID-19 test result, please seek medical attention by calling your provider’s office. For information regarding COVID-19, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

In the interest of protecting the health and safety of the hospital's patients, staff and community, the following actions have been implemented at MVH.

Services and Programs

The facility remains fully operational and serving the needs of its community. It is taking proactive steps to keep patients and team members safe, including screening all individuals upon entering the facility.

For those in need of non-emergency behavioral healthcare, contact MVH rather than the local Emergency Department.

MVH is actively monitoring and responding to all recommendations made by the CDC and local regulatory and health authorities.

In an effort to reduce the likelihood of community spread, all in-person visitation has been suspended (with limited, critical exceptions). MVH strongly encourages the use of electronic methods to stay connected with loved ones — including telemedicine, Zoom and extended phone time.

MVH has implemented additional training for all employees on handwashing and hand sanitization, and strict employee and client compliance with washing/sanitizing hands thoroughly and often.

The hospital has increased the frequency of the required cleaning and sanitization of its facility, including intake rooms, surfaces and common areas.

The facility’s community education programs may be canceled/postponed; it asks the community to follow Mesilla Valley Hospital on Facebook for updates.

"We thank our community for everyone’s cooperation and for being an advocate for the health of your loved ones and all patients in our care," Laliotis stated in the written release.

2:55 PM: Class of 2020 senior photos

The Class of 2020 is missing out some important milestones, including prom and graduation ceremonies in May. However, local districts are working on a plan for a commencement after the COVID-19 crisis subsides.

We're asking the Class of 2020 to send us their senior photos and we'll add them to the extensive gallery above. Send your photo and information to jdevine@lcsun-news.com.

VIEW GALLERY:Class of 2020 senior photos

1:58 PM: Las Cruces City Council to weigh approving $1 million for community relief programs

The Las Cruces City Council will hold a special meeting Friday morning, during which it could act on a number of economic relief measures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The meeting will be streamed live on YouTube, at lascruces.civicweb.net and on television on CLC-TV Channel 20. It starts at 9:30 a.m. Friday morning.

1:25 PM: New coronavirus safety precautions for Walmart employees include temperature checks

Walmart announced new safety precautions for employees including temperature checks, masks, gloves and a "6-20-100 Guidance."

The new safety precautions were announced on March 31 as a way to “continue to deal with the spread of COVID-19.”

12:28 PM: Taxpayers warned about increase in scam activity

Taxpayers and tax practitioners should be especially alert to phishing and other scam activity related to tax extensions and federal stimulus payments, the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department announced Thursday.

The deadline for filing New Mexico and federal income taxes has been extended to July 15 in recognition of the financial difficulties many people face because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal government has also announced it will be making direct payments to taxpayers as part of its relief efforts.

Criminals target taxpayers as well as tax preparers because of the opportunity that presents to steal information on multiple taxpayers all at once, the department stated.

Potential targets may receive phone calls or emails with messaging such as “in order to receive your/your client’s stimulus payment via direct deposit, we need you to confirm the banking information,” according to the Federation of Tax Administrators.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, most people will not need to take any action to receive their stimulus payments, as the payments will be distributed automatically. The IRS will not call, text or email people to verify their banking information for stimulus payments.

Taxpayers and preparers should always beware of phishing scams by email and unsolicited phone calls seeking social security numbers or credit card and banking information

Anyone unsure about an inquiry from the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department may call 1-866-285-2996 and ask for confirmation on the status of their return. Taxpayers can also use the Taxpayer Access Point system at tax.newmexico.gov to check on the status of their returns and review other information about their accounts. More information also is available at irs.gov.

12:10 PM: Doña Ana County leaders release COVID-19 public service announcement

Leaders and representatives from the City of Las Cruces, Doña Ana County, Las Cruces Public Schools and the New Mexico Department of Health on Wednesday released a public service announcement, detailing some of the ways residents can stay healthy and mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The PSA features Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima, Doña Ana County Manager Fernando Macias, LCPS Superintendent Karen Trujillo and NMDOH Spokesman David Morgan. The video was produced by the COVID-19 Joint Information Center, in partnership with the City of Las Cruces.

11:33 AM: Second half property tax notices unaffected by COVID-19

Doña Ana County Treasurer Eric Rodriguez announced that the second half property tax deadline of Monday, May 11, is not affected by COVID-19.

“We made every effort to get relief for taxpayers, but ultimately that was not within our legal authority,” Rodriguez said.

The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department decided against extending the payment deadline on a call with several counties Wednesday, April 1, citing that it would hurt cash flows for local taxing entities such as school districts and municipalities, county officials stated in a Thursday news release.

“We want to avoid burdening taxpayers who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rodriguez said. “That is why we will continue to work with the state and our legislators for subsequent relief options.”

To avoid penalty and interest accruals, property second half taxes are due Monday, May 11. Since in-person payment services are closed, the Treasurer’s Office encourages taxpayers to use one of the following payment options:

By phone: 575-647-7433, Toll Free 1-877-827-7200 ext. 7433

575-647-7433, Toll Free 1-877-827-7200 ext. 7433 Online: www.donaanacounty.org/treasurer/payments

www.donaanacounty.org/treasurer/payments By mail: P.O. Box 1179 Las Cruces, NM 88004

P.O. Box 1179 Las Cruces, NM 88004 24-Hour dropbox: Located in front of the County Government Center

Located in front of the County Government Center Bill pay: This is a service provided by most banks

For questions or service requests, contact the Treasurer’s Office:

Phone: 575-647-7433, Toll Free 1-877-827-7200 ext. 7433

575-647-7433, Toll Free 1-877-827-7200 ext. 7433 Email: taxbill@donaanacounty.org

taxbill@donaanacounty.org Mail: 845 N Motel Blvd. Las Cruces, NM 88007

For information on the Treasurer’s COVID-19 response plan, visit www.donaanacounty.org/treasurer.

Wednesday, April 1

8:47 PM: Doña Ana County Detention Center reports no COVID-19 cases, initiates detainee quarantine

County officials stated that all new detainees will be held in a quarantined area of the center for 14 days, to mitigate the potential spread of the novel coronavirus within the facility. Here's the latest.

6:29 PM: Want to go hiking? Here are some trails near Las Cruces that are still open

Developed recreation spots Dripping Springs, Soledad Canyon and Aguirre Spring are closed until further notice. But residents may continue to enjoy BLM trails and open space areas. Here are three nearby hiking trails to try.

4:33 PM: New Mexico cases now at 363, one additional death

State health officials said the number of positive coronavirus, or COVID-19, cases in New Mexico had jumped by 48 to bring the state total up to 363. The state also reported one more death due to the virus, a woman in her 90s who lived in Sandoval County.

3:44 PM: District court won't impanel grand juries amid COVID-19 pandemic

The order directs charging documents must now be filed under an alternate method of prosecution, such as a preliminary examination through the magistrate court.

3:07 PM: COVID-19 redefining the recruiting game for both coaches and prospects

Here's how college coaches and the prospects they are recruiting are adapting in the age of physical distancing.

3:05 PM: Las Cruces school district working on plan for bus drivers to deliver some meals

STS of New Mexico, the contractor providing bus transportation for the Las Cruces Public Schools said drivers will begin delivering meals to some district children next week.

The head of the bus drivers' union, however, says employees have not been told about those plans, and they have a number of concerns related to potential exposure to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

2:48 PM: Website encourages New Mexico residents to 'Buy for Tomorrow Today'

The New Mexico Economic Development Department has launched a website that pairs shoppers with products and services in a “Buy for Tomorrow Today” campaign to help sustain businesses through the COVID-19 health emergency.

The “Buy for Tomorrow Today” website (www.BuyNMLocal.com) is another way for people to support New Mexico businesses during the emergency closures. The site offers direct access to individual websites where purchases can be finalized for products or services now, by delivery or take-out, or when the business reopens.

“We know New Mexicans have loyalty to local businesses and those businesses need our support now more than ever. We hope this website becomes one of many tools that can help businesses through this crisis,” Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes said.

The website includes a registration link for businesses who want to participate. Shoppers can sort retailers by region to find a store near them. The state of New Mexico is not a party to the transactions.

Some of the participating businesses include Iconik Coffee (Santa Fe); TJ’s Diner (Farmington); Gila Bike and Hike and Bluebird Running Co. (Las Cruces).

Many businesses on the site are also offering discounts or additional value-added services with a purchase on the Buy Tomorrow website. New businesses are being added to the site daily, so check back often to find your favorite local retailer.

Business can enroll by going to the site an clicking on the upper tab, "Register Your Business."

New Mexico MainStreet is also offering a free webinar (registration required) at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday April 2 for businesses to learn about PayPal setup and other e-commerce resources. This webinar aims to help businesses in NM by promoting e-commerce on the Buy for Tomorrow Today website. Learn more.

2:09 PM: Why is some COVID-19 data not being released in New Mexico?

How many people are recovering from COVID-19 in your area? What is known about how they were exposed? How many people have been tested for it in your county?

All are questions of interest to the public, but public interest sometimes must give way to legally protected privacy for individuals' medical information.

10:39 AM: New Mexico relaxes COVID-19 testing guidelines

“If we can keep more asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients at home and not out in public, the more effective we will be at flattening the curve," said New Mexico Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel. Here are the new guidelines for getting tested.

7 AM: Film Las Cruces launches movie contest for residents at home

Film Las Cruces is launching the “At Home! Movie Contest” to help residents have some fun and create some entertaining and educational videos for the city and state. The contest will start on April 1 and run through April 20.

Tuesday, March 31

7 PM: Las Cruces City Council discusses economic relief measures.

See what's being proposed. The council is set to potentially take action on economic relief measures again at a special meeting Friday, April 3.

4:58 PM: New Mexico marks 5th death to COVID-19; total cases is now 315

At a news conference Tuesday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and other state officials announced new statewide numbers related to COVID-19, plus a host of other information, including:

Criteria for testing for the virus has expanded beyond people showing symptoms of the disease.

Testing is coming to more sites in Doña Ana County including Sunland Park, Santa Teresa, La Union, Anthony and Chaparral.

President Donald Trump had approved a U.S. Army field hospital for New Mexico, though it was not yet clear how many beds, and how many intensive care beds in particular, it would offer.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working the state on how to expand hospital capacity in different parts of the state, with Las Cruces on a list of locations of interest.

New Mexico's "doubling rate," as measured in the number of days it takes for confirmed cases of COVID-19 to double in number, has, happily, receded from two to three days and is continuing to slow down even as testing increases.

Under current modeling, New Mexico is expecting a peak in cases early in May, including a strain on hospital beds that the state is racing to meet.

Efforts are underway, involving private sector partnerships with government, to produce more ventilators and needed medical supplies.

The governor said New Mexicans could anticipate the current public health orders to be expanded through April, and perhaps even into the middle of May, but did not announce tougher restrictions Tuesday.

“Social distancing is the most meaningful tool we have," Lujan Grisham said. "The less transmission, the more lives we’ll save. The less transmission, the fewer people that will go to the hospital. The less transmission, the more control we have over hospitalization and surges.”

4:21 PM: LCPS launches K-12 enrichment channel on YouTube

The online portal is a work in progress, and one of many options students have to stay engaged until the end of the school year. To view activities on the LCPS YouTube channel, search LCPS Enrichment on YouTube. Find your grade level from schedules on the information and instructions. Follow the school videos for some fun and engaging activities.

3:02 PM: SCSWA further restricts public access to waste/recycling facilities

In order to comply with the state's public health order, the general public will see restricted hours and closures at solid waste/recycling facilities during the COVID-19 outbreak in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County.

Until further notice, only essential businesses are allowed to dispose of trash at the

Amador Avenue Transfer Station, 2865 Amador Ave., Las Cruces

Chaparral Collection and Recycling Center, 180 McCombs Road, Chaparral

A list of businesses deemed essential can be found at https://cv.nmhealth.org/stay-at-home-essential-businesses/.

Businesses wanting to dispose of trash at the above locations must provide a letter documenting that they are an essential business – with the name of business, the type of business, name of employee and contact information (address and phone numbers) for the business and the employee.

Adhering to the guidelines set forth by the Governor’s Office, some collection sites are currently closed to the public, including both recycling centers:

Las Cruces Recycling Center Dropoff, 2855 Amador Ave.

Sonoma Ranch Recycling Drop Off Center, 555 S. Sonoma Ranch Blvd.

Please find information at the state’s COVID-19 website at https://cv.nmhealth.org/. The South Central Solid Waste Authority can be reached at 575-528-3800 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

2:50 PM: NMDOT uses message boards to discourage shopping in groups

The New Mexico Department of Transportation is advising people to shop alone to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“This is not a time for a social outing. Leave family members at home where they are safe,” said Transportation Secretary Mike Sandoval in a Tuesday release. “Please shop alone. Every time you leave your house you put your family and community at risk.”

The department also advises New Mexicans to follow COVID-19 precautions while shopping.

Practice social distancing. Stay at least 6 feet away from those around you.

Cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow or tissue.

If possible, wipe down your shopping cart and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after unloading your groceries.

You can learn more about the state's public health order and find other information related to COVID-19 at NewMexico.gov

The NMDOT is using electronic message boards to remind communities to follow COVID-19 precautions.

1:09 PM: NMSU offers online series on financially navigating the COVID-19 outbreak

New Mexico State University Quay County Cooperative Extension Service will host a free virtual workshop series, “Financially Navigating the COVID-19 Outbreak” each Thursday in April. The workshop will be available via Zoom, at https://nmsu.zoom.us/j/335743117.

11:48 AM: New Mexico BLM closes developed recreation spots

Three popular outdoor spots near Las Cruces have been closed due to coronavirus — Dripping Springs, Soledad Canyon and Aguirre Springs. Other sites remain open.

10:12 AM: Heartbroken high school seniors talk about losing last months of school

High school seniors throughout New Mexico are lamenting over their last year being thrown into turmoil to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. That means no prom and likely no commencement ceremony before summer. For the Class of 2020, these rites of passage are being pushed aside to preserve public health.

Monday, March 30

11:09 PM: Authorities encouraged not to issue citations for expired vehicle registrations, licenses

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an order Monday waiving most late fees and other penalties assessed by the Motor Vehicle Division since March 11, when she first issued a state of emergency for New Mexico due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

5:56 PM Las Cruces woman shares cupboard with community amid COVID-19 pandemic

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a Las Cruces resident has built a community cupboard at the edge of her yard as a way to help out her neighbors in need. Inside the wooden cupboard Monday was bottled water, diapers, toilet paper, a book and some canned goods. Anyone can take and/or leave an item in the cupboard.

5 PM: NCAA grants spring-sport athletes extra year of eligibility

The NCAA Division I Council granted spring-sport athletes an extra year of eligibility on Monday to make up for the cancellation of their respective seasons. At NMSU, the ruling affects baseball, softball, golf, tennis and outdoor track

4:45 PM: New Mexico reports 44 new positive cases, 2 more deaths

The state Department of Health announced 44 new positive tests for the COVID-19 coronavirus Monday, bringing the state's total to 281. Two female COVID-19 patients in Bernalillo County were reported to have died on March 30, bringing the state's number of deaths from two to four.

4:08 PM: El Paso Electric donates $30,000 for COVID-19 response, relief

El Paso Electric has announced a $30,000 donation to the COVID-19 response funds created by the El Paso Community Foundation, the Paso Del Norte Community Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico. Each foundation will receive $10,000.

“While COVID-19 continues to alter our daily lives, our dedicated and hardworking employees remain committed to providing safe and reliable energy as our region comes together to mitigate the impacts of this virus,” shares EPE Interim CEO Adrian J. Rodriguez. “As the provider of electricity for West Texas and southern New Mexico that powers hospitals and health care facilities, government entities, emergency response centers and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, we fully recognize the philanthropic role in supporting crisis response efforts for the communities we serve.”

In response to the growing financial need throughout southern New Mexico, the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico and United Way of Southwest New Mexico have initiated an inaugural joint fund that will support nonprofit organizations within this region.

“Our community — locally and abroad — is facing a level of adversity that is nearly unmeasured by any previous world-wide event, which is why our response as a people needs to be united and powerful,” shares Amanda Morales, executive director for United Way of Southwest New Mexico.

“For the first time in each of our organizations’ history, we have partnered to create the ‘not-for-profit emergency fund’ to amplify our support across southern New Mexico,” said Terra V. Winter, president and CEO for the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico. “El Paso Electric’s donation to the fund provides the philanthropic leadership our community needs to help overcome this adversity.”

EPE will also be matching 50% of all monetary contributions made by the utility’s employees to the community foundation of their choice.

4 PM: Taxation and Revenue modifies compliance enforcement efforts

In recognition of the financial difficulties facing many New Mexico residents and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taxation and Revenue Department is temporarily modifying some of its enforcement activities.

The department already has extended personal and corporate income tax deadlines and payroll tax payments.

“We understand that businesses and individuals are facing unprecedented uncertainty and financial disruption during this emergency. The Taxation and Revenue Department is committed to helping taxpayers get through this difficult time,” said Department Secretary Stephanie Schardin Clarke.

Among the steps being taken by the Department are:

The most severe collection activities, including new liens, seizures and injunctions, will cease for 90 days.

A program that automatically garnishes state tax refunds for payment of federal tax debts is suspended.

Additional resources are being devoted to quickly clear identity verification questions on income tax refunds to ensure they are legitimate.

Staff is prioritizing review and approval of refund requests, business credits and abatements of taxes due.

Potentially noncompliant taxpayers will be offered managed audits, a voluntary program that can result in a waiver of penalty and interest for 180 days.

Additional staff will be assigned to help resolve tax protests.

Taxpayers on payment plans will be offered deadline extensions of up to 60 days, and taxpayers will be encouraged to make good faith payments to prevent defaults.

Taxpayers undergoing audits will be offered the opportunity to request a 60-day suspension or a waiver giving them more time to produce records.

11:11 AM: Governor issues new rules for automobile sales

On Monday, Gov.Michelle Lujan Grisham authorized automobile sales by small dealers on an appointment basis utilizing strict social distancing practices during the COVID-19 stay at home order. Additionally, online/Internet sales by all licensed New Mexico motor vehicle dealers are also allowed.

The new rules are:

The customer and licensed automobile dealer must communicate about the vehicle over Internet, phone or text;

No more than one appointment at the dealership at a time, with no more than two clients at each appointment;

All parties must follow strict 10-foot social distancing;

At the agreed time the dealer alone will greet clients. Clients may not enter the dealership alone or come into contact with any other dealership employees;

Vehicles must be thoroughly disinfected before and after any test drive;

Each appointment allows for test drives of two vehicles;

All paperwork including closing will take place outside, with clients either in vehicle or outside

9:22 AM: How to apply for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, small business owners in all U.S. states and territories are eligible to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance of up to $10,000. Apply at https://covid19relief.sba.gov/

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million. Funds will be made available within three days of a successful application, and this loan advance will not have to be repaid.

8:28 AM: 'Operation Maskup' sets up shop in historic Doña Ana County Courthouse

A local group intent on making face masks for health care professionals and the community has set up shop in the historic Doña Ana County Courthouse.

Saturday was the first full production day in the courthouse with a goal to make 600 reusable masks by the end of the day.

6 AM: Game II giving away free box of potatoes Tuesday in Las Cruces

Residents are invited to the Game II on Tuesday to pick up a free box of potatoes. The giveaway begins at 10:30 a.m., but vehicles can start lining up as early as 7 a.m. Each carload will get about 8 to 10 pounds of potatoes.

Sunday, March 29

2:57 PM: New Mexico COVID-19 positive tests increase to 237

New Mexico state health officials on Sunday announced 29 additional positive tests for COVID-19, though no new cases in Doña Ana County.

11:37 AM: This is what local columnists have to say

In his weekly Desert Sage column, Algernon D'Ammassa explores how physical distancing may be leading to new ideas about the American labor force. "What becomes possible if this time of physical distancing becomes a time of political imagination and organization?" he asks.

Speaking of economics, Paul J. Gessing notes tough times are ahead for New Mexico. The 1-2 punch of the novel coronavirus and dropping oil prices have left the state with lots of financial obligations and a dwindling source of income. "Hopefully this crisis finally spurs long-overdue efforts to diversify New Mexico’s economy," he writes.

Pamela Angell, the CEO of Amador Health Center, reminds residents that their actions give us a fighting chance against COVID-19. She observes: "Support the businesses that are open, reach out to those who are isolated, and remember to take care of yourself. Do more of the things that benefit you, and less of the things that don’t."

What's next in this new corona-reality? "I don't know," notes Peter Goodman. And that's a phrase that's OK in these uncertain times.

Saturday, March 28

4:03 PM: New Mexico now at 208 coronavirus cases, with one new death reported

New Mexico state health officials announced 17 additional positive tests for COVID-19, bringing the statewide total cases to 208. Officials also announced the second death due to the novel coronavirus.

2:23 PM: Here's what we know about coronavirus testing in New Mexico

As of March 28, nearly 11,000 tests have been administered in the state. Here's what we know about those tests.

2:08 PM: NMSU Aggie Cupboard works to meet demand during COVID-19 pandemic

Aggie Cupboard, founded in 2012 on a mission to provide free supplementary food assistance to community members attending or working at NMSU and Doña Ana Community College, has experienced a two-fold increase in clientele since concerns over COVID-19 started escalating earlier this month. The food pantry could use your help.

1:33 PM: COVID-19 outbreak threatens important New Mexico Community Survey

Community members are strongly encouraged to take the New Mexico Community Survey online to help support local efforts to prevent drug and alcohol abuse.

12:42 PM: Coronavirus and Las Cruces: A roundup of (almost) everything that's happened since March 11

It’s been less than three weeks since Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced New Mexico’s first confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus. That was on March 11 — the day Lujan Grisham declared a statewide public health emergency and recommended the cancellation of large events.

The following two weeks brought a series of rapid changes, impacting nearly every aspect of daily life.

12:30 PM: NMSU Extension offers 4-H members special project during COVID-19 closures

New Mexico State University’s 4-H Youth Development department is offering daily video-conferencing sessions to 4-H members where they learn the basics of creating digital presentations, graphic design, digital illustration, sound design, animation and game design.

10:49 AM: Las Cruces Utilities responds to COVID-19: Keep services going

Las Cruces Utilities assures residents there will be no shutoffs of any utilities during the current coronavirus crisis.

Friday, March 27

7:17 PM: Police aren't stopping motorists to enforce stay-at-home order

New Mexico State Police and the Las Cruces Police Department want to let the public know that patrol officers are not stopping motorists to enforce the state's stay-at-home order. What are they doing?

4:33 PM: New Mexico orders air travelers to self-isolate; 55 new coronavirus cases announced

The New Mexico Department of Health announced 55 new confirmed cases of coronavirus COVID-19 in the state Friday, bringing the state's total to 191, while Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a new executive order directing all air travelers landing in New Mexico to self-isolate for 14 days.

2:16 PM: NMAA cancels spring sports

The NMAA Board of Directors held an emergency meeting on Friday in place of its April 1 meeting and announced spring high school sports in New Mexico have been canceled. Spring sports consist of baseball, softball, track and field, boys and girls golf and boys and girls tennis.

1:45 PM: Council gives mayor authority to declare state of emergency

The Las Cruces City Council voted 7-0 at a Friday special meeting to let Mayor Ken Miyagishima declare a state of emergency in Las Cruces, giving him expanded powers during the emergency, a mechanism that the city did not have.

12:37 PM: Together Las Cruces fund to help residents laid off or furloughed

Doña Ana county residents who have experienced a significant loss of income amid the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for relief through the Together Las Cruces fund.

To launch the fund, local businesses and donors have committed $125,000. Funds will be awarded in the amount of $100 to $500, based on the applicants' needs.

How to apply.

12:06 PM: Stay-at-home order a ‘perfect recipe for a nightmare’ of domestic violence

“This is probably an abuser’s dream,” said Jessica Fierro, a victim advocacy unit director for the Domestic Violence Resource Center in Albuquerque. “It’s the perfect recipe for a nightmare.”

Here are some resources. If you need immediate help, call 911.

11:30 AM: Schools closed for remainder of academic year due

New Mexico's public K-12 schools will remain closed through the 2019-20 academic year but will continue to instruct students online or through other home-learning models.

See how teachers at Sonoma Elementary are communicating with students during the extended break.

7:57 AM: New Mexico State University planning virtual commencement

New Mexico State University President John Floros made a couple of announcements during a virtual town hall Thursday afternoon. He joined by Chancellor Dan Arvizu and top-level administrators, to provide updates on the university's response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The biggest takeaway is that May commencement exercises will take place on an online platform this year.

The university had previously put all course instruction on a three-week break until March 30, asked students who had traveled for spring break not to return to residence halls and prepared to move most instruction online.

Also, Floros disclosed that one NMSU student has tested positive, but said the student had been traveling and has not returned to campus.

7 AM: New Mexico sees major jump in unemployment claims amid coronavirus

More than 17,000 New Mexico residents have applied for unemployment benefits — more than 19 times the amount filed the previous week — amid the widespread economic shutdown caused by the coronavirus, officials said Thursday.

Thursday, March 26

8:43 PM: Lujan Grisham seeks deployment of 248-bed Army hospital to New Mexico

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday formally requested the U.S. Defense Department deploy a staffed 248-bed U.S. Army combat support hospital to Albuquerque as a proactive measure intended to enhance the state’s treatment capacity.

7:45 PM: White Sands Missile Range declares health emergency, says COVID-19 case isolated

In a daily video update for the installation, White Sands Missile Range commander Col. David Trybula announced Wednesday that he had declared a public health emergency for the U.S. Army installation.

Trybula also said an employee at the range who tested positive for COVID-19 and contacts have been quarantined. Responding to submitted questions, he stated that there was no community spread of the virus at the installation.

7:15 PM: Luna County official posts complaint about 'Asians' and COVID-19

Luna County's new emergency management director posted a video complaint on the Snapchat social media platform last week casting blame for the novel coronavirus pandemic on an ethnic group.

Luna County Attorney Charles Kretek verified Monday that Tyler Massey remained a county employee and said county manager Chris Brice "addressed the matter internally."

6:47 PM: New Mexico State Police launches coloring book drawing contest

New Mexico State Police on Thursday announced the agency is looking for the help of New Mexico children — to create a coloring book.

In an effort to provide New Mexico’s children a creative outlet during school closures, NMSP is launching a coloring book drawing contest. The agency is challenging New Mexico children to draw and color a picture showing what they think of when picturing the New Mexico State Police.

Drawings can be anything a child imagines — including the agency's officers, K-9’s or special equipment like its helicopter, motorcycles or drones.

Submissions will be accepted from children of all ages. Prizes will be awarded for the best pictures. Some of those pictures will also appear in an upcoming NMSP coloring book.

Parents can print a blank coloring sheet at the agency's website to get the project started. Please include the child’s name, grade, school and phone number. Personal information will be used to contact the winners and will not be made public.

The deadline for submissions is at 5 p.m. on April 17. Submissions can be sent to Public.relations@state.nm.us or, by mail, to:

New Mexico State Police

Attn: Community Engagement

2501 Carlisle Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87107

4:57 PM: U.S. passes Italy, China as nation with the most confirmed cases of COVID-19

The U.S. surged past China and Italy to become the planet's most infected nation Thursday, a stark milestone in the coronavirus era — and a reminder of its deadly, culture-changing effects on American life.

The Johns Hopkins University dash board showed the U.S. with 82,404 COVID-19 infections as of 6 p.m., ET, moving past Italy (80,589) and China (81,782). More than 1,100 people have died in the U.S.

4:39 PM: New Mexico now has 136 cases, Doña Ana County up to 16

The number of positive cases for the novel coronavirus in New Mexico jumped by 24, state health officials said Thursday afternoon, bringing the total number of cases up to 136 statewide.

The state still has only one known death from COVID-19, according to the news release from the New Mexico Department of Health.

3:16 PM: I-25/University Avenue construction update to be broadcast

In consideration of statewide efforts to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, the I-25/University Avenue construction team will not host an in-person meeting to provide its planned April update. Instead, the team will hold a virtual public meeting, which will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 2, on the Las Cruces Channel (Comcast Channel 98).

The public is encouraged to submit comments, questions or suggestions at www.i25-university.com.

The construction team will provide an update on the project and will review:

Continuing construction for Phase 1

Current and planned traffic impacts

Construction plans and anticipated traffic impacts for April 2020

2:56 PM: New statewide fund to respond to COVID-19 launches with more than $1.1 million

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office announced Thursday the creation of the All Together NM Fund, a $1.1 million fund by the New Mexico Coalition of Community Foundations to help New Mexico residents respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a news release, the fund will provide a "phased response" to the pandemic.

First, according to the release, it will address immediate needs in the state's communities, including:

Procurement of food and medical and cleaning supplies for at-risk communities

Support for childcare workers who are supporting our front-line employees

Grants to address income insecurity among smaller businesses and employees affected by COVID-19 disruptions

According to the release, the grantmaking process will later shift to address income insecurity among affected workers and businesses and to fill gaps left by the government response. Finally, when the time comes, the fund will support recovery efforts.

Donors may contribute tax-deductible gifts of stock, property and electronic fund transfers by calling the Santa Fe Community Foundation at 505-988-9715. Visit AllTogetherNM.org for more information.

2:30 PM: NMPED: Statewide school closures to be extended

The statewide closure of all New Mexico schools is expected to be extended on Friday, according to a Thursday afternoon tweet from the New Mexico Public Education Department.

Friday morning, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Education Secretary Ryan Stewart and public health officials "will announce an extension to the school closure period," the tweet stated.

The Sun-News will monitor the situation and update our readers as information is made available.

1:39 PM: Chalk drawings and messages bring joy to Las Cruces neighborhood

Kaitlyn Sponseller's art project, inspired by her teacher, is bringing joy to her neighborhood.

Kaitlyn, her teacher Mrs. Sandoval and others are using sidewalk chalk to leave inspirational messages and pictures for their neighbors off Roadrunner Parkway while the community deals with the effects of a public health emergency, including school closures and orders for residents to stay home.

12:30 PM: Public access to solid waste facilities restricted

In an effort to ensure the continued functionality of the solid waste system, the South Central Solid Waste Authority and Las Cruces Utilities announced Thursday the following restrictions will be instituted at solid waste facilities in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County beginning at noon on Friday, March 27.

Amador Avenue Transfer Station, 2865 Amador Ave.: Essential businesses only/closed to the general public. The Amador Avenue Transfer Station will be closed on Sundays for cleaning and disinfection.

Las Cruces Recycling Center Dropoff, 2855 Amador Ave.: Closed to the general public.

Sonoma Ranch Recycling Drop Off Center, 555 S. Sonoma Ranch Blvd.: Closed to the general public.

Corralitos Regional Landfill, 14535 Robert Larson Blvd. (Corralitos Exit off I-10): Closed to the general public.

County Collection Centers: Punch card system is being suspended, hours for the general public are limited to Saturdays and Sundays 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Only four bags of waste allowed per vehicle. No yard waste or construction and demolition waste (C&D waste) accepted at this time.

Chaparral Collection and Recycling Center, 180 McCombs Rd.: Remains open to essential businesses only; residential fees are suspended. The general public is restricted to dropping off four bags of trash per vehicle on weekends only.

Old Foothills Landfill Clean Fill, Green Waste, and Compost, 555 S. Sonoma Ranch Blvd.: Essential businesses only/closed to the general public. Open Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday

Residential green waste can be picked up at your curb by the Green Grappler on your scheduled pick-up date. Your schedule may be accessed online at https://externalforms.las-cruces.org/Grappler/Grappler.

Essential businesses should supply written documentation of their “essential” status. This may be required for access to local Solid Waste facilities.

All facilities remain open to regional commercial trash haulers to drop off solid waste during normal business hours.

The SCSWA and LCU will reopen to normal business as soon as possible. The SCSWA can be reached at 575-528-3800 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

1:58 AM: Good Samaritans deliver essentials to Doña Ana County's most vulnerable

Las Cruces residents are helping the community's most vulnerable by delivering groceries and other essential items to the elderly and disabled during the public health emergency.

Zooey Sophia Pook and Jeremiah Richardson are two of many concerned residents, each starting a campaign to find and deliver essential items to people in need.

11:44 AM: Some New Mexicans still find bare shelves after new COVID-19 shopping restrictions

As state and federal officials have enacted social distancing measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, shoppers have flooded stores and overstocked on basic necessities like food, hand sanitizer, paper towels and toilet paper.

Many shoppers are still struggling to find the groceries they need.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has expressed dismay over the hoarding, often telling New Mexicans during regular news conferences that panic doesn't help the state manage the crisis.

GALLERY:Albertsons holds senior shopping hours amid coronavirus concerns

Wednesday, March 25

7:37 PM: NMSP offers updated guidance on reporting "stay-at-home" violations

The New Mexico State Police on Wednesday provided updated information on how to report non-compliance within a business, a violation of the mass gatherings ban, or other violations of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's "stay-at-home" public health order, in effect through April 10,

If you wish to report non-compliance within a business, a violation of the mass gatherings ban, or other violations of the public order, you may report them via email to NMSP.COVID19@state.nm.us or contact your local police or sheriff’s department on their non-emergency phone lines. When submitting a non-compliance complaint, please provide the following: date and time of observed violation, city, county, business name and business address, if applicable.

7:14 PM: LCPS counselors, teachers work to help Class of 2020

Las Cruces Public Schools administrators, counselors and teachers are working to assure Class of 2020 seniors they will have the same opportunities to earn credits toward graduation as they did before a state mandate closed all New Mexico public schools because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re still waiting on guidance from the state about commencement ceremonies,” said Wendi Miller-Tomlinson, LCPS deputy superintendent of teaching, learning and research. “Those traditions are very important to us, but our priority right now is working with our students to get them every available resource to earn the credits they need.”

Miller-Tomlinson said leadership at all high schools has been working remotely to address technology needs, current grade status and identifying students who need credit recovery assistance in the fourth quarter of the school year to earn the minimum credits required for graduation. Counselors will be reaching out to those students to determine the best alternative for credit recovery.

“Our schools will establish schedules to check out technology, if it’s needed, or to provide take-home materials to earn credits. Learning coaches will also be working to support students as they navigate online coursework.”

If a senior student believes he or she will need assistance recovering credits and has not been contacted by a counselor, they are asked to email their principal directly. A list of addresses can be found online at www.lcps.net.

4:43 PM: New Mexico now at 112 positive coronavirus tests, including 1 death

New Mexico state health officials on Monday announced 13 additional positive tests for coronavirus COVID-19, including the state's first death.

No new cases were reported in Doña Ana County, which remains at 13 positive tests.

An Eddy County man is the state's first death due to COVID-19. The male in his late 70s was admitted to Artesia General Hospital on Sunday. The hospital, in a conference call on Wednesday, said the man died Monday.

3:29 PM: City website displays community resources, including map for meals for kids

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on the community, the City of Las Cruces has compiled a list of resources for residents affected by the health emergency on its website, www.las-cruces.org. COVID-19 related news and information is being shared in the COVID-19 Alerts section at http://www.las-cruces.org/AlertCenter.aspx, which you can link to at the top of the homepage.

Coronavirus in Las Cruces:Las Cruces Mayor crafts $4.3 million plan for COVID-19 economic assistance

One of the resources in the "Resources for Family and Youth" section includes a map to help families locate meal distribution sites for children in our community. The map, created by one of the City's Geographic Information System analysts, displays a star for each meal distribution site provided by Las Cruces Public Schools & Family and Youth Inc. The map is located at http://www.las-cruces.org/2121/Resources-for-Families-Youth. Meals are provided for youth, 18 years of age or younger who are enrolled in public, private or charter schools. Meals are designed for pick up only through April 6.

3:02 PM: DASO: Sex offenders must still comply with in-person registration

Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office wishes to remind all sex offenders who have to register that they must report in person to the sex offender registration office. This applies to those required to register or re-register.

New Mexico state statute requires offenders to report in person to register. The registration office, located at 1851 Copper Loop, is taking necessary precautions to maintain social distancing and will limit capacity to fewer than five people at a time, the department stated.

2:52 PM: As unemployment claims rise amid coronavirus, Las Cruces-area workers face uncertain pay

Businesses statewide have been forced to close to stem the spread of COVID-19. Some have had to lay off workers to stay afloat.

Last week, unemployment claims in New Mexico jumped by 10,000 from March 15 to 19. That can be attributed to people who have lost their jobs or who have had hours cut due to COVID-19 shutdowns under expanded qualification for unemployment benefits.

Business:Bill aims to boost New Mexico's farm labor supply and give some immigrants legal status

Workers laid off or now making less face uncertainty over food, rent and utility money.

2:13 PM: Las Cruces mother and friends sew over 120 face masks for healthcare workers

People around the country are sewing handmade masks for health care workers facing shortages amid the coronavirus pandemic — including one Las Cruces mother who sewed more than 120 face masks for her daughter who is a doctor on the front line in Chicago.

Liz Gonzales told the Sun-News she immediately stepped into action when her daughter, Dr. Janae Gonzales Gilpin, told her she was worried about the lack of N95 masks to keep her and her colleagues safe.

2:02 PM: First coronavirus death in New Mexico reported in Eddy County

An Eddy County man is the state's first death due to COVID-19, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

The man, whose name was not released, was in his late 70s and died Sunday at Artesia General Hospital after seeking treatment. He died the same day, read a New Mexico Department of Health news release.

1:35 PM: State Police spearheading enforcement of coronavirus social distancing order

New Mexico State Police are spearheading the state's charge of staying at home amid coronavirus COVID-19 mitigation protocols, and other law enforcement agencies will work closely with them to ensure the public's health and safety.

Education:NMSU researcher continues efforts to make NM’s Interstate 10 safer for drivers

Since the state issued a social distancing directive March 19, calling for New Mexicans to stay home, there have been 27 calls for enforcement in Las Cruces and 169 calls throughout the state, according to NMSP Spokesperson Dusty Francisco.

1:05 PM: State clamps down on protective medical gear

Having previously emphasized that supplies of protective medical gear are tight, on Wednesday Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced two new public health orders to take inventory and preserve supplies for medical personnel.

Health care providers and wholesale medical suppliers are required to report their inventories to the state Department of Health within three days under the new guidance.

11:34 AM: State to use emergency alert system for important communications

In light of the current public health crisis and the need to communicate critical information directly to as many New Mexicans as possible, the state of New Mexico will use an emergency alert system, disseminated from the state’s Emergency Operations Center, when conditions warrant. The announcement was made by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office Wednesday.

This system is similar to Amber Alerts, which are used to notify the public about missing children. Alerts will be sent through text messages, television, and radio. The system is intended to disseminate important information widely and as quickly as possible and is not a cause for alarm. The first alert is expected to be sent at roughly 12:30 P.M. Wednesday.

Messages will state essential public information from the Department of Health, Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and Governor's Office regarding important public health guidance and instruction, such as the recent instruction to remain at home except for outings essential to health, safety and welfare.

Coronavirus in Las Cruces:New Mexico State Police spearheading enforcement of social distancing order

More information about the state of New Mexico's response to COVID-19 is available at newmexico.gov and cv.nmhealth.org.

10:56 AM: State: Income tax extensions won't trigger interest charges

The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department announced Wednesday that, due to recent IRS action, it will not have to impose interest charges on taxpayers who take advantage of the 90-day extensions announced last week for filing and paying New Mexico personal and corporate income taxes. However, interest will need to accrue on withholding tax extensions.

“The due date for filing New Mexico income tax returns and payment is tied to the federal filing deadline, which was postponed by the IRS on March 20. This IRS action enables us to forgo imposing interest charges normally required under New Mexico law for extensions,” said Taxation and Revenue Secretary Stephanie Schardin Clarke.

The department on Wednesday also clarified that the extensions apply to the quarterly personal income tax estimated payments required of some taxpayers on April 15, which includes many self-employed New Mexicans, as well as to trusts, estates, and fiduciaries. All of these will now be due no later than July 15, 2020.

New Mexico personal and corporate income taxes normally due on April 15 will now be due on July 15. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Department announced the extensions taxes in recognition of the economic hardships many face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tuesday, March 24

4:55 PM: New Mexico hits 100 cases of coronavirus

The New Mexico Department of Health announced 17 new positive results of testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus, bringing the statewide total of confirmed cases to 100.

Coronavirus in New Mexico:New Mexico hits 100 cases of COVID-19

Three new cases were identified in Doña Ana County, bringing the county's total to 13. The new cases were all males, described as in their 20s, 30s and 60s.

4:08 PM: 2020 Spaceport America Cup canceled

Spaceport America and the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the fourth annual Spaceport America Cup that was scheduled for June 16-20 at Spaceport America.

The decision was made based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for canceling large events in order to keep the students, spectators and sponsors safe and healthy, the agency stated. The event was set to engage more than 1,700 college students from 17 countries on a week-long rocket design and launch competition.

“We are aware that this is incredibly disappointing news for the students, the universities, the communities of Sierra and Doña Ana Counties and our sponsors,” said Dan Hicks, CEO of Spaceport America. “It is important that the students respect and abide by their state and country guidelines for the health and safety of all."

3:53 PM: Mesilla Valley MPO Metropolitan Transportation Plan Mobility 2045 cancels open house meetings

The Las Cruces City Manager's Office announced Tuesday the Mesilla Valley MPO has canceled all March and April Metropolitan Transportation Plan Mobility 2045 open house meetings. The affected meetings are:

March 17: Sage Cafe, 6121 Reynolds Dr., Las Cruces, 5 - 6:30 p.m.

March 23: Doña Ana Community Center, 5745 Ledesma Dr., Doña Ana, 5 - 6:30 p.m.

March 24: Vado/Del Cerro Community Center, 180 La Fe Ave, Mesquite/Vado, 6:30 - 8 p.m.

March 30: Munson Senior Center, 975 S. Mesquite St., Las Cruces, 5 - 6:30 p.m.

April 2: Radium Springs Community Center, 12060 Lindbeck Rd., Radium Springs, 5 - 6:30 p.m.

April 7: Mesilla Community Center, 2251 Calle De Santiago, Mesilla, 5 - 7 p.m.

Coronavirus:Here is a list of Las Cruces-area events, organizations affected

The Mesilla Valley MPO intends to have public engagement meetings before the adoption of Mobility 2045 and will announce new dates when the events are rescheduled.

3:37 PM: Disaster Distress Helpline provides immediate crisis counseling to those affected by the coronavirus pandemic

Natural disasters – including such pandemics as the coronavirus outbreak – can be overwhelming and also can seriously affect emotional health. The Disaster Distress Helpline, at 1-800-985-5990, can provide immediate counseling to anyone seeking help in coping with the mental or emotional effects caused by developments related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The helpline is a free resource, available 24/7, that responds to people who need crisis counseling and support in dealing with the traumatic effects of a natural or human-caused disaster. The helpline is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Helpline specialists are trained to assist callers who have a range of symptoms.

“People who have been through a traumatic event can experience anxiety, worry or insomnia,” said Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz, the assistant secretary for mental health and substance use and head of SAMHSA. “People seeking emotional help during an ongoing disaster such as a pandemic can call 1-800-985-5990 or can text ‘TalkWithUs’ to 66746 – and can find recovery and coping strategies.”

The helpline immediately connects callers to trained and caring professionals from the closest crisis counseling centers in the nationwide network of centers. The helpline staff provides confidential counseling, referrals and other needed support services.

More on the helpline is at http://disasterdistress.samhsa.gov/.

Coronavirus:Things you can do to fight boredom while self-distancing at home for COVID-19

3:23 PM: Las Cruces parks and rec closes some facilities, discourages large gatherings at parks

The city of Las Cruces Parks and Recreation Department has suspended all services, which include medians, rights of way, alleys, parks, trails, restrooms and fountains are suspended until further notice. Recreation facilities, pools, and the administrative office are closed as well.

3:07 PM: KRWG Public Media to broadcast weekly radio show on coronavirus

What effect is COVID-19 having on our local community? To help answer that question, KRWG Public Media has launched a weekly radio program that will address questions on how the coronavirus is impacting the local community, the station announced Tuesday.

Voice of the Public: Coronavirus Update will air from 1 to 2 p.m. each Friday on 90.7 FM and krwg.org. The show will feature guests who have an insight on what is happening locally with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"KRWG Public Media is pleased to offer this weekly program as a chance for listeners to ask questions regarding this important story," said KRWG Director of Content Fred Martino. "For those who don't want to call in, we have the opportunity to participate on Facebook with questions and comments. In advance of the broadcast, listeners may also email questions to feedback@nmsu.edu."

This Friday, Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima will be the featured guest. The mayor will take your calls and questions about the city's response to the pandemic, as well as other questions and concerns you may have.

Coronavirus in New Mexico:State courts suspend new criminal jury trials amid COVID-19 concerns

Next week, New Mexico Mexico State University President John Floros will be the guest. That program will air from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, April 3.

2:48 PM: New Mexico courts halt evictions for inability to pay during coronavirus emergency

The state Supreme Court, which administers the court system in New Mexico, ordered a temporary moratorium on evictions for inability to pay rent during the coronavirus COVID-19 public health emergency.

2:33 PM: White Sands Missile Range confirms COVID-19 case

U.S. Army Colonel David C. Trybula announced Monday night that an employee at White Sands Missile Range has tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease.

In a video update posted to WSMR's official Facebook page, the WSMR commander said the employee has been working from home for more than a week but provided no further information about their symptoms or prior contacts with others at the installation.

1:55 PM: FBI warns of potential for increased risk of child exploitation

Due to school closings as a result of COVID-19, children will potentially have an increased online presence and/or be in a position that puts them at an inadvertent risk, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI is seeking to warn parents, educators, caregivers, and children about the dangers of online sexual exploitation and signs of child abuse.

Crime:Authorities seek Las Cruces-area couple accused of child abuse

Online sexual exploitation comes in many forms, the release stated. Individuals may coerce victims into providing sexually explicit images or videos of themselves, often in compliance with offenders’ threats to post the images publicly or send the images to victims’ friends and family.

Other offenders may make casual contact with children online, gain their trust, and introduce sexual conversation that increases in egregiousness over time. Ultimately this activity may result in maintaining an online relationship that includes sexual conversation and the exchange of illicit images, to eventually physically meeting the child in-person.

In order for the victimization to stop, children typically have to come forward to someone they trust — typically a parent, teacher, caregiver or law enforcement, the agency stated. The embarrassment of being enticed and/or coerced to engage in unwanted behavior is what often prevents children from coming forward. Offenders may have hundreds of victims around the world, so coming forward to help law enforcement identify offenders may prevent countless other incidents of sexual exploitation.

Abuse can occur offline through direct contact with another individual. During these uncertain conditions, where time with other adults and caregivers has increased immensely, parents/guardians should communicate with their children about appropriate contact with adults and watch for any changes in behavior, including an increase in nightmares, withdrawn behavior, angry outbursts, anxiety, depression, not wanting to be left alone with an individual, and sexual knowledge.

Parents and guardians are urged to take the following measures to help educate and prevent children from becoming victims of child predators and sexual exploitation during this time of national emergency:

Discuss Internet safety with children of all ages when they engage in online activity.

Review and approve games and apps before they are downloaded.

Make sure privacy settings are set to the strictest level possible for online gaming systems and electronic devices.

Monitor your children’s use of the Internet; keep electronic devices in an open, common room of the house.

Check your children’s profiles and what they post online.

Explain to your children that images posted online will be permanently on the Internet.

Make sure children know that anyone who asks a child to engage in sexually explicit activity online should be reported to a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult and law enforcement.

Crime:Sunland Park mother charged after 4 children, including newborn, test positive for drugs

More information about the FBI’s guidance on protecting children from sexual exploitation is available at https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/protecting-your-kids.

1:40 PM: MountainView Regional Medical Center tightens restrictions on visitors

MountainView Regional Medical Center on Tuesday announced tighter restrictions on all visitors in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in New Mexico, and continuing efforts to slow community spread of the disease.

Beginning Wednesday morning, the private hospital said it will bar all visitors, vendors and contractors with a few, specific exceptions. Read about them here.

1:36 PM: New Mexico creates coronavirus business recovery fund

New Mexico’s State Investment Council on Tuesday approved the creation of a $100 million business recovery fund to help medium-sized businesses meet payroll obligations and avoid layoffs amid the economic turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic.

Laid off or hours cut because of coronavirus? Here are some resources to help

10:19 AM: State Libertarian Party calls for an extension on concealed-carry licenses

The Libertarian Party of New Mexico is calling on state officials to grant a six-month extension for residents who have a concealed-carry license set to expire.

"Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety should extend the expiration date of currently issued concealed handgun licenses for 6 months, to September 16, 2020," the party stated in a Tuesday news release.

"Citizens with a concealed carry license expiring in the next few months have no way to comply with the in-person training requirements of the Department without violating the social isolation (dictates) of the Governor, and the Department of Public Safety," the release stated.

Currently, a post on the DPS website states the department's offices are "now locked to the public."

To limit exposure to you and our staff, we strongly encourage applicants who have questions to email (nmcc.questions@state.nm.us) or call (505-841-8053) the Concealed Carry Unit and mail applications and instructor forms (6301 Indian School Rd NE Suite 310 Albuquerque, NM 87110). If your needs cannot be addressed via the aforementioned process, we will gladly schedule an in-person appointment to assist you. To sign up for an appointment, please email using the form below. Or call 505-841-8053.

10:02 AM: South Central Regional Transit District eliminates fares

Effective immediately, the South Central Regional Transit District will operate all services fare-free, officials announced Tuesday.

Coronavirus in New Mexico:State clamps down on protective medical gear amid COVID-19 outbreak

This action is being taken to support social-distancing on each bus. The first two rows behind the bus driver are now closed to give more space between the riders and bus operators. Riders are encouraged to leave empty seats between themselves and others.

The District has further expanded its efforts to keep buses clean. This includes increased cleaning and sanitation on all buses every day and the use of a fogger to clean the buses after the buses return to the facility each day.

The District continues to provide essential transit services to the community with trips for health care, doctor's office, hospital and to grocery stores and work.

For up-to-date notices of these and future service changes and bus schedules, visit http://scrtd.org/ or call 575-323-1620.

Monday, March 23

6:26 PM: LCPS playground and sports fields closed

Effective immediately, playgrounds and all outdoor facilities on Las Cruces Public School campuses will close to the public. The move comes after a new public health directive from state officials that restricts gatherings of more than five people and implores residents to stay home unless “for outings necessary for health, safety and welfare,” according to a news release from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Karen Trujillo, superintendent for Las Cruces Public Schools, ordered all school district playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts and sports fields to close to the public in compliance with the order. Intensive cleaning efforts already underway inside buildings will extend to include those outdoor spaces, according to Trujillo. Security personnel will patrol all school campuses 24 hours a day, and additional frequent patrols will be conducted by Las Cruces Police.

Coronavirus in Las Cruces:School playgrounds closed as district tries to plan ahead

“The safety and well-being of our children, families and community remains our top priority through this crisis,” said Trujillo. School administration, according to Trujillo, were working remotely on Monday to ensure meal distribution services continued in compliance with the new social distancing directive.

Plus: The district is trying to plan ahead, but that's no easy task.

4:45 PM: New Mexico orders residents to stay home. What does that mean?

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced tighter restrictions on public and private business as the state added 18 new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The 18 new cases bring the total of COVID-19 cases to 83.

2:10 PM: Social distance and save

Restaurants that have been directed to switch to takeout and delivery only amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic are dishing out special deals to help residents save money during these hard times.

1:46 PM: New Mexico soon to have COVID-19 testing sites in all 33 counties

State Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel said she received the order to expand testing facilities on Sunday to counties with as few as 700 residents, as positive tests for COVID-19 mounted in the Albuquerque area and extended for the first time to Lea County in the oil-producing southeast corner of the state.

Coronavirus in New Mexico:NMSU economist addresses economic impact of COVID-19

Sunday, March 22

3:45 PM: New Mexico at 65, Doña Ana County at 4 positive tests.

New Mexico state health officials on Sunday announced eight additional positive tests for COVID-19, including two new cases in Doña Ana County, bringing the state total up to 65. The county has four positive tests: a male in his 20s, two females in their 20s and a female in her 50s.

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1:11 PM: Where can I eat?

Here's a list of restaurants offering delivery, curbside takeaway and carry-out options during the statewide public health emergency order.

You may also want to take a look at food-delivery services.

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11:54 AM: From the Opinion pages

Sun-News columnists Algernon D'Ammassa and Peter Goodman each penned responses to the coronavirus pandemic.

D'Ammassa encourages those stuck at home to pick up a pen (or pencil) and write a letter by hand: "Whether we are fortunate enough to have a home stocked with jigsaw puzzles, games and books, privileged enough to have collections of DVDs or subscriptions for streaming movies, there is likely time now to write some letters. Their value is more than many estimate."

Goodman explores the potential benefits to come: "I wonder if we might even benefit from the spirit of unity that should mark what’s in effect a war. Perhaps battling COVID-19 together will dwarf our political differences, and perhaps that spirit will linger a while after we pull through."

In an extended letters to the editor column, readers thank community leaders, offer advice on making it through the pandemic, express concern and more.

Coronavirus:Soap works miracles, and other thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic

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11:41 AM: Torres Small virtual town hall

US Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., is hosting a virtual town hall with public health experts, state officials, small business and unemployment advisors regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

The event begins at 6 p.m. Mountain on Sunday. You can listen in and/or participate here: torressmall.house.gov/live

Saturday, March 21

6:13 PM: Stimulus check: What we know (and don't)

Senate Republicans on Thursday released a $1-trillion economic stimulus plan, which details a proposal to distribute a $1,200 payment for each individual or $2,400 for joint returns.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed early Thursday that "the second major pillar of our legislation will be even more straightforward: Direct financial help for Americans." A lot of the details of this proposal, titled the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or CARES, could still change as the bill goes through the approval process.

Here's what we know – and don't. Details are subject to change. We will update, as needed.

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6:09 PM: Laid off or hours cut because of coronavirus? Here are some resources to help

Businesses and life are grinding to a halt due to the social distancing measures meant to combat the coronavirus, COVID-19.

Many are working from home. But many workers are being laid off, and American jobless claims jumped by 70,000 during the week that ended with March 14, according to U.S. Labor Department numbers — the largest one-week jump since 2012.

In New Mexico, the Associated Press reported more than 10,000 workers statewide have filed for unemployment benefits between March 15 and 19.

Here are some local resources for New Mexico workers who have lost their jobs or have had hours cut because of the coronavirus.

Coronavirus:New Mexico creates coronavirus business recovery fund

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5:37 PM: Las Cruces agencies serving homeless tighten polices amid COVID-19 pandemic

Concerns about the spread of coronavirus among the homeless population in Las Cruces aren't being taken lightly. Here's how Las Cruces Community of Hope and the Gospel Rescue MIssion are responding.

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5:26 PM: Should I get tested for COVID-19, and if yes, where do I go?

It has been another busy week here in New Mexico tracking COVID-19 cases and we are promoting social distancing everywhere. The Lujan Grisham administration is doing everything we can to protect New Mexicans in every possible way. But the majority of questions that get emailed, phoned and texted to us (day and night) are not technical questions about social distancing (“Are we supposed to stay 6 feet or 6 meters apart?”) but rather, “Should I get tested?” and “Where can I get tested?”

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4:31 PM: SBA disaster assistance now available to all New Mexico small businesses economically impacted by COVID-19 outbreak

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to all New Mexico small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza announced Saturday.

SBA disaster assistance is now available to all counties within the state of New Mexico and the following neighboring counties:

Neighboring Arizona counties: Apache, Cochise and Greenlee;

Neighboring Colorado counties: Archuleta, Baca, Conejos, Costilla, La Plata, Las Animas and Montezuma;

Neighboring Oklahoma county: Cimarron;

Neighboring Texas counties: Andrews, Bailey, Cochran, Culberson, Dallam, Deaf Smith, El Paso, Gaines, Hartley, Hudspeth, Loving, Oldham, Parmer, Reeves, Winkler and Yoakum;

Neighboring Utah county: San Juan.

Business:Small Business Administration provides resources to military and veterans

“SBA is strongly committed to providing the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist New Mexico small businesses with federal disaster loans. We will be swift in our efforts to help these small businesses recover from the financial impacts of (COVID-19),” Carranza stated in a Saturday news release.

SBA customer service representatives will be available to answer questions about SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and explain the application process.

“Small businesses, private non-profit organizations of any size, small agricultural cooperatives and small aquaculture enterprises that have been financially impacted as a direct result of (COVID-19) since Jan. 31, 2020, may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred,” Carranza stated.

“These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Disaster loans can provide vital economic assistance to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing,” Carranza added.

Eligibility for Economic Injury Disaster Loans is based on the financial impact of COVID-19. The interest rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses. The interest rate for private, nonprofit organizations is 2.75 percent. SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years and are available to entities without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship.

Food news:Bags of beans, chile to be given away; pantries need donations, volunteers

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call 800-877-8339. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The deadline to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan is Dec. 17, 2020.

For more information about coronavirus, please visit www.Coronavirus.gov. For information about available SBA resources and services, visit SBA.gov/coronavirus.

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Coronavirus in New Mexico:State courts halt evictions for inability to pay during coronavirus emergency

3:48 PM: Holloman AFB declares public health emergency

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE - Taking further action in the evolving COVID-19 situation, the 49th Wing commander has declared a public health emergency and has enacted additional base access guidelines at Holloman Air Force Base, as of Friday, March 20.

There are currently no known cases of COVID-19 at Holloman AFB or in the immediate local area, base officials announced Friday. Base leadership continues to collaborate with city, county and state officials to actively monitor the situation.

Colonel Joseph Campo’s declaration of the public health emergency elevates the safety and security measures to help protect the base populace and surrounding community. A number of precautionary measures have already been in place including minimal staffing, social distancing, and closing or limiting services at certain businesses. The base has also enhanced its childcare screening to protect childcare providers and children.

Effective Friday, March 20, access to the base is limited to Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard personnel, and their dependents. Additionally, contractor and civilian personnel executing or supporting their units’ mission and all residents of Holloman AFB will be permitted access.

Retired personnel will be permitted on base, but only to access the medical clinic. Current visitor passes will be honored, but no new passes will be issued. New Family Camp mobile lodging residents are restricted to Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard personnel.

Base officials say these are temporary measures to ensure Holloman’s mission will continue by protecting the health of Holloman’s military members, civilians, contractors, and their families.

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Military:Airman runs own marathon to honor Bataan Memorial Death March

3:27 PM: Comcast suspends data restrictions, disconnections and late fees

Comcast on Saturday announced several changes in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These include a suspension of service disconnections and late fees until further notice, as well as the opening of all public WiFi hotspots — which will become free for everyone.

The company has increased speeds for its low-income Internet Essentials customers, and new customers who apply by April 30 will receive two months of free service with no obligation to continue the service after that.

Comcast will also eliminate data limits for the next 60 days, the company announced. X1 users can access educational content on the service. Just say “education” into the voice remote. The latest COVID-19 news can be accessed by speaking “Coronavirus” into the voice remote.

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3:17 PM: Stay calm, reassuring when talking to kids about COVID-19, NMSU professor suggests

Parents are faced with the difficult task of talking to their children about the COVID-19 pandemic, but should remain calm and reassuring in these uncertain times, said Lisa Peterson, a New Mexico State University assistant professor and director of the School Psychology Doctoral Program in

Andy Warhol, sudden oak death, Kingda Ka coaster: News from ...

From staff and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: The state Senate has passed legislation prohibiting drivers from staying in the leftmost lane on interstate highways for more than a mile and a half without passing another vehicle. The sponsor of the bill, Republican Rep. Phillip Pettus, calls it the “Anti-Road Rage Act.” He says it’s aimed at reducing the risk of violence from drivers becoming angry at slow drivers in the left lane. The bill allows for some exemptions, such as during inclement weather or particularly bad traffic conditions. The legislation now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed.

Alaska

Juneau: State lawmakers have endorsed an Alaska Native tribe’s effort to change the name of Saginaw Bay to Skanax Bay. CoastAlaska reports tribal leaders are pushing the change because the body of water off Kuiu Island was named for a U.S. warship that laid waste in 1869 to three Tlingit villages near present-day Kake. The Alaska House passed a resolution 37-0 endorsing the name change to Skanax, the Tlingit word for security. The executive director of the Organized Village of Kake told a House committee considering the resolution that the tribe “never relinquished to the rights to this bay.” Democratic state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins says the name is “an affront” to the Tlingit community and discomforting to many residents of the community east of Sitka.

Arizona

Phoenix: The state Supreme Court has ruled that medical marijuana cardholders are protected from arrest for possessing hashish and other cannabis extracts as long as they don’t have more of the drug than allowed. In making the ruling, the court concluded the state’s medical pot law covers products made with resin extracted from pot plants. The unanimous ruling Tuesday reversed a lower-court decision that found patients faced arrest for hashish possession because the drug isn’t mentioned or included by name in the law. The state Supreme Court said Arizona’s 2010 voter-approved medical marijuana law includes dried cannabis flowers and resin extracted from pot plants. The ruling points out that, under the law, marijuana means “all parts of any plant of the genus cannabis whether growing or not.”

Arkansas

Hot Springs: Arkansas Rehabilitation Services says it is ending its residential program in the city and laying off 120 employees. The Arkansas Career Training Institute is a state-owned facility that provides young disabled adults with vocational training. ARS says switching to a non-residential model will allow it to “use taxpayer dollars more efficiently.” ARS Commissioner Alan McClain tells The Sentinel-Record that a third of the current budget is used to support the facility in Hot Springs. By ending the residential program, McClain says, the savings will be used to support other programs across the state. McClain says the layoffs include housekeeping staff, maintenance workers and food-service employees. He says about 40 to 50 vocational counselors and instructors will likely be retained.

California

San Francisco: A retrospective of Andy Warhol’s work on display in the city captures his use of artwork to create public personas for his subjects the way people do now using social media. “Andy Warhol – From A to B and Back Again” opened this past week at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It runs through Sept. 2. Organizers say the exhibit illustrates how Warhol embraced personal branding decades ago and foreshadowed the digital age. It includes more than 300 works spanning Warhol’s 40-year career. The show features some of the artist’s most iconic creations – depictions of Campbell’s soup cans and Brillo boxes, for instance, and silkscreen portraits of Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and others – along with lesser-known pieces from his early and later years.

Colorado

Denver: A heavy mountain snowpack has helped the Centennial State shake free of drought that covered much of the state just months ago. The Department of Agriculture’s latest update of drought conditions shows a fraction of 1% of Colorado is still experiencing drought. In February, more than two-thirds of the state was experiencing drought. Mountain snowpack levels are high statewide and particularly in the southwest. As the snow melts, more water will be available for agriculture and for cities and towns to store in reservoirs.

Connecticut

Hartford: Officials say they’re temporarily closing two offshore islands to the public to prevent disturbances to nesting birds. The state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says Charles Island in Milford and Duck Island in Westbrook are closed through Sept. 9. The islands are closed annually during nesting season to protect various bird species. Both islands have been designated by the state as natural area preserves because of their importance as nesting habitats for snowy egrets, great egrets, glossy ibis and little blue herons. The department also asked beachgoers and boaters along the Connecticut shoreline to respect the fencing and yellow signs warning of piping plover and least tern nesting sites. DEEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Whalen says these are simple, effective ways to protect the birds.

Delaware

Dover: Delaware Pride Festival now belongs to LGBT Pride Month. The annual Delaware Pride Festival has been moved from late summer to June, coinciding with the national commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots. And that’s not the only big change at this year’s fest, to be held Saturday in Dover. The annual Delaware Pride Festival – the largest annual LGBT gathering in the state – has added an hourlong parade, which will kick things off at 9 a.m. Saturday at Legislative Hall. Then at 10 a.m., the seven-hour festival starts with New York comedian Robb Coles as host. This year’s entertainment includes Wilmington’s own Aunt Mary Pat DiSabatino, Julia Scotti of “America’s Got Talent,” local music acts and an array of local drag queens. The event is free, and more details are available on Facebook.

District of Columbia

Washington: A Catholic girls school in the city says it’s getting overwhelmingly positive responses to its decision to include same-sex union announcements in its alumnae magazine. But the pastor of a nearby Catholic parish calls the move by Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School a “dagger to the heart.” The Washington Post reported on the criticism by Monsignor Edward J. Filardi of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Bethesda, Maryland. He wrote in Sunday’s parish bulletin that Visitation’s president emerita, Sister Mary Berchmans, has betrayed her faith and succumbed to lobbying. Berchmans says the move at the 220-year-old girl’s school follows “the Gospel commandment of love.” She said the church’s stance on same-sex marriage is clear, but the church also teaches that all people are God’s children.

Florida

Jacksonville: Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is welcoming the birth of four critically endangered black and white ruffled lemurs. Zoo spokeswoman JJ Vitale said in a news release that the lemurs were born Sunday. They are the third litter for parents Hawk and Potter. All four lemurs are male, which may allow them stay longer at the zoo. Female lemur offspring become incompatible with their mothers around age 2. Black and white ruffled lemur mothers don’t carry their offspring around. Instead, Vitale says, they build a nest and leave the litter there, returning to nurse. She says the family will bond behind the scenes for the immediate future. All lemurs are native only to Madagascar and are critically endangered.

Georgia

Atlanta: Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos says the streaming giant will “rethink our entire investment” in the state if the recently passed abortion law goes into effect. Sarandos made his remarks in a statement Tuesday, first reported by Variety. They constitute the strongest language yet from any leading Hollywood studio since Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a ban on virtually all abortions. Sarandos said that Netflix has many women working on productions in Georgia whose rights “will be severely restricted” by the law. He said the company will help the American Civil Liberties Union contest the law in court. Netflix productions in the state will continue before the legislation is implemented. Atlanta has in recent years become a major hub of TV and film production.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A record number of racial minority medical students have graduated from the University of Hawaii. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports 12 Native Hawaiians and 12 Filipinos were among this year’s 73 graduates from the university’s John A. Burns School of Medicine. Officials say there were six Native Hawaiian and four Filipino medical school graduates in 2018. A school official says Native Hawaiians make up 23% of the state population but only 3.4% of Hawaii physicians. The school says it is increasing efforts to close the gap for racial minority students who wish to pursue medical careers through the yearlong Imi Hoola program. Officials say Queen’s Health Systems provides a stipend directly to students so they do not have to find employment while in the program.

Idaho

Boise: The Idaho Department of Fish and Game will not recognize as a state record a bighorn sheep that was killed nearly three years ago by a Nez Perce Tribe member because the agency said the ram was shot in violation of state hunting regulations, even though those regulations do not apply to tribe members hunting on ancestral lands. But the Boone and Crockett Club hunting group has recognized the kill by hunter Gary Sublett in September 2016 as being within his tribe’s 1855 rights and has invited him to its Big Game Awards banquet in early August in Springfield, Missouri, where the bighorn’s head will go on display. The animal’s massive horns rank No. 1 for Idaho and No. 26 for the U.S. and Canada on Boone and Crockett’s list of largest Rocky Mountain bighorns.

Illinois

Springfield: The state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has awarded $1.8 million in grants to increase Prairie State tourism. The Office of Tourism announced the 17 recipients of two different grants, saying tourism produced more than $3 billion in tax revenue for the state and local communities last year. The Tourism Attraction Grant program helps develop or enhance tourism attractions to boost visitation and overnight stays in Illinois. There were 13 recipients sharing $1.4 million. Officials say there were four times as many applications for this grant as there was available funding. Just over $400,000 went to four applicants for the Tourism Private Sector Grant program. The money helps attract major new events to the state or helps enhance existing ones.

Indiana

Indianapolis: State officials say the problem with an invasive, tree-killing disease called sudden oak death is worse than initially suspected. The state Department of Natural Resources said last week that the fungal pathogen was detected in rhododendrons at about 30 stores. The number has since tripled, and affected material was sent to more than 70 Walmart stores and 18 Rural King stores in Indiana. Megan Abraham, director of the DNR’s Division of Entomology & Plant Pathology, says the plants were delivered to several other states, but she didn’t specify which ones. Abraham says Indiana has the most locations with infested plants. The DNR has said that it’s the first time in about 10 years that sudden oak death has been detected in Indiana.

Iowa

Grinnell: Two larger-than-life statues now stand in memory of a University of Iowa student whose life captivated the country as news spread of her disappearance and death. The statues of Mollie Tibbetts were dedicated May 18 during a private ceremony with family and friends, according to a news release from UnityPoint Health issued on behalf of Tibbetts’ family. Chad Nath, director of Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s youth day camp where Tibbetts spent two summers working with children, called the bronze statues by Dubuque artist Gail Chavenelle “breathtaking and absolutely amazing.” One statue featuring Tibbetts running with her dog was unveiled at the Grinnell hospital’s healing garden. A second statue, which depicts Tibbetts surrounded by children, was placed in Ahrens Park. Inspired by her role as a camp counselor, the statue sits on a raised concrete base so children visiting the park can sit beside her, Nath said.

Kansas

Wichita: A new culinary arts program could be in the works for downtown Wichita in a partnership among three centers of higher education. The Wichita Eagle reports Wichita State University, WSU Tech and Butler Community College are in talks but have yet to reach agreement on the proposal. The culinary arts school would be established in a new downtown complex that will also host a private school of osteopathic medicine, student apartments and a hotel. Developer Sudha Tokala says there’s a need for individuals with a broad spectrum of skills who can cater to all dietary requirements, including vegan and gluten free. Tokala says her vision is for a place where students can “eat, study, play, work and live.”

Kentucky

Jamestown: The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky is funding a program in Russell County and nine surrounding counties to help children and youth dealing with violence, addiction and other trauma. According to a news release, the foundation awarded $200,000 to the Louisville-based Bounce Coalition. The group is already showing progress with a similar program in Jefferson County Public Schools. Accomplishments include fewer out-of-school suspensions, an improved school climate and increased parent engagement. The foundation and Bounce hope similar results can be achieved in a rural setting. Bounce will work with Russell County Schools and the Lake Cumberland District Health Department. Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the foundation, says the program will help children build resilience to “toxic stressors” that keep them from thriving throughout their lives.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: The state’s welcome signs along Interstate 10 could soon celebrate the New Orleans Saints. Lawmakers agreed I-10 welcome signs at the Texas and Mississippi state lines should declare people have entered the “Home of the Who Dat Nation,” referencing the nickname for Saints fans. A 35-0 state Senate vote Tuesday gave final passage to the bill by New Orleans Sen. Wesley Bishop. It also calls for the Saints appreciation language to be included on the Superdome exit sign on I-10 in downtown New Orleans. The House added an extra provision to the bill, designating Highway 90 from Lafayette to Raceland as the “Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Highway,” in honor of Louisiana’s former governor. The signs must be paid with local or private dollars to be installed.

Maine

Portland: Fishing regulators are considering some small changes to the rules that govern the state’s fishery for sea urchins. Urchins are harvested in coastal Maine for use as food. The roe of urchins is commonly used in Japanese dishes. The Maine Department of Marine Resources says it’s considering reducing the daily tote limits along the state’s southern coast. The marine department says the state is considering options that would allow for a deeper limit cut and more fishing opportunity days. It’s also considering less of a cut and keeping the opportunity days the same. There could also be a slight limit reduction along the northern coast. The state is holding public hearings on the changes in June. They’d apply to the 2019-20 fishing season. Maine urchins were worth more than $6 million last year.

Maryland

Baltimore: Several journalists and community organizers in the city have sued to challenge a state law’s ban on broadcasting digital recordings of criminal court proceedings. The federal suit filed Tuesday asks the court to declare that the law violates the plaintiffs’ First Amendment free speech rights. Audio recordings of criminal trial proceedings are publicly available in Maryland, but a 1981 state law banned the broadcasting of any court proceedings for criminal trials. Anyone who violates the law can be held in contempt of court. The ban doesn’t apply to civil cases or criminal appeals. Maryland Judiciary spokeswoman Terri Charles says she can’t comment on pending litigation. Plaintiffs include journalists Brandon Soderberg and Baynard Woods, who are working on a book about the Baltimore Police Department’s scandal-plagued Gun Trace Task Force.

Massachusetts

Cape Cod: A local company has proposed building a sonic barrier around the region’s beaches to chase away seals and prevent shark attacks. Deep Blue LLC presented the idea Wednesday at a public meeting in Barnstable. It sparked a broader debate about addressing the region’s massive seal population. The company envisions a system of underwater audio devices that will emit a sound unpleasant to seals. Owners Willy Planinshek and Kevin McCarthy say that if the seals leave the area, the great white sharks that eat them will follow. Commission members and some residents voiced support for the idea. But marine biologists said that sharks eat more than just seals and that acoustic deterrent systems have failed elsewhere.

Michigan

Ann Arbor: For those who believe everything is better with bacon, an event this week in the city beckons. Zingerman’s kicked off its annual Camp Bacon event Wednesday. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Camp Bacon spans five days, with events running through Sunday. It’s a bacon lover’s dream with events including lunches with guest chefs, a film festival, bacon ball and street fair. Camp Bacon events take place at several Zingerman’s venues in the Ann Arbor area. The main draw is an all-day symposium on pork Friday on the grounds of Zingerman’s Cornman Farms. Attendees will hear from an array of speakers, including Matt Romine of Ferndale’s Farm Field Table. A full list of events is available online.

Minnesota

St. Paul: Abortion rights supporters are seeking to overturn the state’s restrictions on abortion, including its 24-hour waiting period and parental notification requirements. A lawsuit filed in state court by Gender Justice and the Lawyering Project argues the restrictions violate Minnesota’s constitution. A 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court decision affirmed abortion rights. But the lawsuit contends opponents have chipped away at those rights over time. The lawsuit runs counter to the trend of states imposing stricter restrictions on access to abortion with the goal of getting the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its 1973 ruling that legalized abortion. Amanda Allen of the Lawyering Project says those efforts make the legal challenge to Minnesota’s restrictions essential.

Mississippi

Starkville: Some cities in the Magnolia State are putting up cameras that let police remotely watch what’s happening on the streets. Starkville and Greenville are among the places installing eyes in the sky. The Starkville Daily News reports that cameras in the city do not include facial recognition software. Mayor Lynn Spruill says some residents have asked her about that. She also says the cameras will not be used to issue traffic tickets because that practice is banned by state law. The Delta Democrat-Times reports that in Greenville, city officials have approved a test run of sky cameras. Minutes from a City Council meeting say the cameras have audio and video that can “help track perpetrators” and identify “crime hot spots.” The camera company is giving Greenville one month of free use.

Missouri

St. Louis: Former Gov. Eric Greitens will return to the Navy – but not as one of the elite Navy SEAL team. The Kansas City Star reports Greitens will return to service as an officer assigned to the Navy Operation Support Center in St. Louis. He will be designated as a general unrestricted line officer. Navy Personnel Command spokeswoman Cmdr. Karin Burzynski said people in that designation usually perform general office jobs. Greitens made a request to the Navy in April to transfer from inactive standby reserve status to active status in the selected reserves. Greitens resigned as governor in June 2018 amid allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations. He mentioned his service as a Navy SEAL frequently throughout his campaign and tenure as governor.

Montana

Great Falls: Wildlife officials say the prairie dog population at a wildlife refuge has been gutted by a bacterial disease, causing the number of black-footed ferrets at the site to plummet. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Randy Matchett says 70% of prairie dogs at the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge have died since a sylvatic plague event in the winter of 2017 and 2018. Researchers counted only one black-footed ferret on the refuge this spring. The ferrets are considered an endangered species and depend on the prairie dog population for food. The central Montana refuge is not the only place where ferrets have been reintroduced to the wild. Researchers say there are a total of 24 reintroduction sites in the western U.S.

Nebraska

Belmar: Officials say Cedar View Campground at Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area is closed so construction crews can complete upgrades to campground amenities. The campground, situated about 15 miles west of Kingsley Dam on Nebraska Highway 92 near Otter Creek Bay, is scheduled to reopen June 13. Some of the work might not be finished until fall. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says the upgrades will include new electrical and water utilities leading to 85 camping sites. Eight campsites will be updated with accessible features along with renovations to the existing shower facility.

Nevada

Las Vegas: It’s not cheap to be a swing state. That’s what officials are learning as the state’s rising political prominence attracts more visits from the president, vice president and other high-profile figures that are driving up costs for state troopers assigned to help protect them. In the past year, Nevada has had seven visits from either President Donald Trump or Vice President Mike Pence, in addition to visits from members of the first family and a Cabinet secretary. The Nevada Highway Patrol, at the request of the U.S. Secret Service, provided protection at a combined cost of more than $110,000. That’s seven times what lawmakers had set aside for protecting “visiting dignitaries.” The state doesn’t get reimbursed by the federal government or campaigns, and the protection is expected to be even more costly moving forward.

New Hampshire

Concord: The state has sued eight companies including 3M and Dupont for damage it says has been caused statewide by a class of potentially toxic chemicals found in everything from pizza boxes to fast-food wrappers. The state becomes the second in the nation to go after the makers and distributors of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and the first to target statewide contamination. The lawsuit also names Chemours Company, Chemguard Inc., Tyco Fire Products, Buckeye Fire Equipment, Kidde-Fenwal Inc. and National Fire Foam Inc. New York state has sued six companies that made firefighting foam containing PFOS and/or PFOA chemicals that it says have contaminated drinking water in two communities and groundwater in another.

New Jersey

Camden: A popular roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure exposes some patrons to the risk of “whiplash type injuries,” says a lawsuit for a physician who claims his ride led to spinal surgery. Dr. Christopher Fabricant, of Red Bank, contends he suffered “severe and permanent damage to his neck and spine” during a painful ride on Kingda Ka, which the park describes as the “fastest roller coaster in North America.” The lawsuit in Camden federal court contends park employees did not warn the 6-foot-2 doctor that a person of his body size “was not a candidate for safely riding (Kingda Ka).” It claims a rider on Kingda Ka risks whiplash from the coaster’s “extreme speed and torqueing forces” if most or all of the person’s head extends above the rear of the seat. And the suit alleges the seat’s safety harness can cause “crushing injuries” for taller patrons.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has agreed to put a yearlong hold on oil and gas leasing within 10 miles of Chaco Canyon National Historical Park. Officials say that will allow for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to finish drafting an updated management plan that will guide energy development across the region. The decision comes after Bernhardt visited the ancient site Tuesday. The area has been central to an ongoing dispute over drilling in the San Juan Basin. Native American tribes and others are pushing for a formal buffer to protect sacred and culturally significant sites outside the park’s boundaries. The draft will include an alternative that reflects the views of Native American leaders as well as provisions of pending federal legislation.

New York

Albany: The Legislature could soon repeal a long-standing ban on paid surrogacy contracts, in which a woman is compensated for carrying the child of another person or couple. New York and Michigan are now the only two states that expressly forbid surrogacy contracts, forcing many prospective parents to go to other states to start a family. A measure sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat, would permit surrogacy contracts and impose rules intended to protect surrogates, intended parents and babies. Hoylman has two daughters born to a surrogate in California. He says state law hasn’t kept up with medical advances that make surrogacy a good option for many couples and single people. Lawmakers held a hearing on the legislation Wednesday, a critical step before a possible vote.

North Carolina

Charlotte: A barber shop owner has raised enough money to erase the debts of more than a dozen high school seniors who risked not graduating if they didn’t pay them off. WBTV reports Season Bennett learned 14 seniors at East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte wouldn’t get their diplomas with the rest of their class if the overdue school fees weren’t paid. So Bennett asked the community for help eliminating the $4,500 debt. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools prohibits students from graduating if the overdue fees go unpaid. Between donations from the public and help from former Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis, Bennett raised the money. Bennett said she was inspired by billionaire technology investor Robert F. Smith, who announced he’d pay off the student loans for graduating seniors at Morehouse College.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Oil drillers are falling far short of the state’s goals to limit the burning of excess natural gas at well heads, five years after the state adopted the rules to reduce the wasteful and environmentally harmful practice. The industry has spent billions of dollars on infrastructure but is at least two years from catching up, and regulators are projecting that the state’s increasing gas production will still outstrip that new capacity. Environmentalists and even a key Republican say the problem will persist as long as the state doesn’t take a tougher approach with the industry, which has largely avoided financial penalties. “We need to find an excess flared gas solution immediately,” said Republican Rep. Vicky Steiner, whose hometown of Dickinson is in the heart of the state’s oil patch. “It’s a shame. I’d like to see us find a use for this.”

Ohio

Columbus: A legislative proposal would allow parents in the state to avoid an often heartbreaking decision: giving up custody of troubled children so they can receive desperately needed and expensive services. The amendment to Ohio’s two-year budget is aimed at so-called multisystem youths, those needing help from service agencies that cover disabilities, child welfare and mental health. Under the current system, parents sometimes must relinquish custody to the state to obtain help for their child because they don’t have the money and insurance coverage. The goal of the state should always be to maintain families, state Sen. Jay Hottinger, a Newark Republican, told The Columbus Dispatch. He is backing a budget proposal that would provide $20 million over two years to give parents other options than giving up custody.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Agriculture officials say the state’s canola and wheat harvests could be smaller and come later than planned due to recent severe weather. The Oklahoman reports that agriculture experts Josh Lofton and Mike Schulte say growers will need another week to assess the damage, and the harvests likely won’t start before then. Canola generates seed pods that are crushed for oil. They’re especially vulnerable to hail storms and high winds because dried-out pods are delicate and can shatter. Schulte says Oklahoma wheat farmers are warning that the number of bushels harvested this year could be reduced by 15% or more. Two people died in Oklahoma after a rash of tornadoes hit the state Saturday, and flooding along the Arkansas River last week submerged communities and prompted forced evacuations.

Oregon

Salem: Republicans have forced a clerk in the Legislature to read aloud every word in nearly every piece of legislation as the minority party uses the stalling tactic to try to gain leverage. Democrats have supermajorities in both the state Senate and House, and Republicans are using the strategy to push their own initiatives and weaken Democratic ones. Other statehouses and Congress have seen similar delay tactics, such as Colorado, where minority Republicans wanted a 2,000-page bill read aloud this year, so Democrats brought in computers to read it at hyperspeed. A judge knocked down the trick. Oregon House Republicans have insisted on full readings since April 30, instead of summaries. It’s put House reading clerk Lacy Ramirez Gruss in the spotlight as she reads bills hour after hour.

Pennsylvania

Scranton: Everyone complains that City Hall is for sale, but it might soon be the case here. City Hall in Scranton needs a renovation, and the mayor’s administration is considering putting the 130-year-old structure up for sale rather than footing the nearly $11 million bill to fix it up. The Times-Tribune reports Mayor Bill Courtright’s administration recently issued a formal “request for qualifications” from entities interested in acquiring and renovating the building. The mayor says if the city government ends up moving to another smaller location, he’d like the new owners of the City Hall building to restore the limestone Victorian Gothic Revival building to its former glory. Scranton was once a thriving center of the anthracite coal business, and architectural remnants of its glory days are dotted throughout downtown.

Rhode Island

Westerly: The state and the town of Westerly are teaming up to address the trash problem at Misquamicut State Beach. WJAR-TV reports the town has loaned the state two solar-powered compacting trash cans – one for garbage, the other for recycling. Caswell Cooke, a town councilor and executive director of the Misquamicut Business Association, says they fit a lot more trash than a normal trash can, and when they need to be emptied, they emit a signal. The state Department of Environmental Management has spent more than $100,000 to try to get beach trash under control, including hiring four summer employees to pick up garbage. The state has added more trash receptacles near beach entrances and in parking lots. People caught littering can be fined up to $500.

South Carolina

Columbia: Gov. Henry McMaster’s promise to cooperate with state lawmakers if they worked in good faith with him is continuing through his budget vetoes. The governor on Wednesday rejected just 28 items worth $41 million from South Carolina’s $9 billion budget. In his veto message, McMaster said most of the items were requests lawmakers made without saying exactly where the money was going. The previous two governors often clashed with the Legislature and used their budget vetoes to admonish their spending priorities. But McMaster and his staff reached out to key lawmakers and collaborated. One big veto rejected $11 million for the Judicial Department for a case management system. McMaster says money needs to be spent on a system that can work with all parts of the criminal justice system.

South Dakota

Rapid City: The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the state says a project has uncovered dozens of people and organizations that collectively stole millions of dollars from nine Native American reservations. The office’s spokeswoman, Aileen Crawford, tells the Rapid City Journal that the Guardians Project has led to 42 convictions on federal charges including fraud, theft and embezzlement from tribes and tribal organizations. The project, which launched in 2015, brings together local and federal agencies to investigate allegations of corruption and financial crimes against the state’s Native American communities. Many of the convictions have involved tribal employees, tribal executives and out-of-state business owners.

Tennessee

Nashville: A fort built by African Americans during the Civil War has received an international designation for its significance to the history of slavery. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has named Fort Negley a “Site of Memory,” as part of its Slave Route Project. The Union forces that occupied Nashville in 1862 forced more than 2,700 free blacks and escaped slaves to build the fort in miserable conditions. About 600 to 800 died. Vanderbilt University history professor Jane Landers has helped lead the charge to recognize and preserve Fort Negley. Developers dropped plans for a housing and entertainment complex near the site after archaeologists found it likely still contains the buried remains of the African American laborers who were pressed into service to build it.

Texas

Irving: The most recognized landmark in this city is the Towers at Williams Square, the Las Colinas area’s high-rise complex with a sculpture of wild mustangs out front. Any time of the day or night, visitors can be found taking Facebook photos or selfies on the stone plaza that surrounds the horses, The Dallas Morning News reports. Soon they’ll be romping through a park, not a field of granite, at the site about 10 miles northwest of downtown Dallas. Built as the centerpiece for Las Colinas, the 1.4 million-square-foot high-rise complex sold for $330 million in 2015. The city of Irving is working with the new owners on a complete revamp of the mustang plaza that will make it more like a park than a hot granite landing field. The redo will add trees, plantings and lounging spaces around the beloved mustang fountain.

Utah

Coalville: More than 30 deer have turned up dead near a landfill in Utah, prompting an investigation by state officials and new measures meant in part to keep the animals from the site. The deaths came to light earlier this week after hikers shared photos on social media of dead deer strewn across a road near Three Mile Canyon Landfill in Coalville, about 45 miles northeast of Salt Lake City. One photo shows dozens of decaying deer carcasses mixed with trash on the edges of nearby Rockport State Park. Residents chimed in on Facebook, calling the photos “an eye-opener” and “insane.” Deer come to the landfill each winter seeking food, then fall ill after ingesting plastic and other toxins, Summit County Solid Waste Division superintendent Tim Loveday says, and a recent spike in the state’s deer population and the brutal winter have meant more deer are dying of starvation and cold.

Vermont

Vernon: The now-unused cooling towers from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant are going to be coming down. The Brattleboro Reformer reports that Corey Daniels of Northstar, the company that recently bought the closed plant in Vernon to demolish it, told members of the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel that the cooling towers would be likely gone before September. He said asbestos abatement at the cooling towers was in process, and once completed, the demolition would begin. NorthStar bought Vermont Yankee in January. It has plans to complete the demolition of the plant by 2026, decades ahead of a long-term schedule endorsed by the plant’s former owner, Entergy Nuclear. Daniels says the demolition of the reactor core is starting, with components being cut up into smaller pieces.

Virginia

Roanoke: Visitors to the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway had an estimated $1.3 billion economic impact last year in the park’s various communities. The National Park Service’s annual survey gauged the impact of visitor spending in the Virginia prize as well in as the other U.S. parks. The winding roadway has been one of the United States’ most-visited national park sites, and last year’s total was roughly on par with economic impact figures gauged since 2012. The $1.3

billion in estimated impact was down some $100 million from 2017. The parkway has become an integral part of the mountains and the communities that lie along its 469-mile route. It connects Shenandoah National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Washington

Spokane: As the Seattle area becomes more crowded and more expensive, Spokane Mayor David Condon sees an opportunity to grow the state’s second-largest city. Condon has been visiting the Seattle area recently, selling Spokane as a place with an educated workforce, cheap housing, shorter commutes and lots of amenities. “We’re talking about the value you get in Spokane and the access to talent in Spokane,” Condon said recently in a call from Denver, where he was also pitching the merits of the Lilac City. Condon focuses on contacting alumni of the five universities that operate in the Spokane region, in hopes they might move jobs to the city of 219,000 residents. Spokane is the nation’s 100th largest city, according to the Census Bureau. Seattle is not giving up easily. Mayor Jenny Durkan issued a recent statement in which she called Seattle the city that “invents the future.”

West Virginia

Martinsburg: Organizers of the Miss West Virginia Scholarship Pageant say this year’s event will relocate to Martinsburg. Miss West Virginia Organization producer Candy Reid tells The Journal of Martinsburg that the state competition will be held in Martinsburg on June 28-29. The pageant typically takes place in Morgantown. Twenty contestants from around the state will compete in the two-night competition. The Miss West Virginia Scholarship Pageant is a volunteer organization and part of the Miss America Program. The Miss America Organization recently named new leadership for the Miss West Virginia Program. Shelley Nichols Franklin has been a local volunteer since 1995 and the local director since 2000. This year, the 75th anniversary of the pageant will be led by Franklin and a team of volunteers.

Wisconsin

Superior: The University of Wisconsin-Superior is running the only Great Lakes land-based facility that tests the success of technologies designed to prevent the spread of invasive species through ships’ ballast water. Matt TenEyck, director of the university’s Lake Superior Research Institute, told Wisconsin Public Radio that the treatments that show promise in the lab on Montreal Pier in Superior are then tested in the harbor to see how they perform in Great Lakes water conditions. Superior Mayor Jim Paine says the facility is vital for the protection of the health of the Great Lakes. Researcher Kelsey Prihoda says three treatment technologies are currently being tested in the lab. Prihoda says vessel owners and operators are more likely to have confidence in technologies that have undergone large-scale controlled land testing.

Wyoming

Laramie: A wild horse sanctuary that was the first such facility to be sponsored by the government is holding a horse auction next month. The Bureau of Land Management says the adoption event will be June 7-8 at Deerwood Ranch west of Laramie. Home to about 350 wild horses, Deerwood Ranch is a public pasture for excess wild horses removed from overpopulated herds. The adoption will include horses trained by the Mantle family in Wheatland and up to a dozen untrained yearlings from the Rock Springs Wild Horse Holding Facility. The untrained horses will be adopted on a first-come, first-served basis for a $25 fee, and their adopters are eligible for cash incentives. During the adoption, Deerwood will offer public tractor rides to view the horses.

From staff and wire reports