By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
New Mexico health officials on Wednesday reported more progress in getting residents vaccinated as the state continues to lead the U.S. in the vaccine rollout.
State Health Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins said 50% of residents 16 and older have received their first shot and 31% are fully vaccinated. The latest figures come as other states look to expand distribution beyond health care workers and other priority groups to meet an April 19 deadline from the Biden administration.
While New Mexico opened up eligibility Monday, Collins said priority will still be given to those who are 75 and older and other senior citizens who have chronic conditions that put them at greater risk.
Tourists and looters descend on Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument as Biden mulls protections Published 3 hours ago
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Print article BLUFF, Utah - In the sandstone canyon where Vaughn Hadenfeldt once saw the bloody tracks of a mountain lion hauling off a mule deer, there are 1,000-year-old cliff dwellings decorated by rock paintings of bighorn sheep where one can still see the ancient footprint of an infant pressed into the wall. A renowned wilderness guide with decades of experience exploring the Bears Ears area, Hadenfeldt has long argued that this austere landscape teeming with archaeological and cultural treasure in southeastern Utah should be viewed as an outdoor museum. And each time he visits, more of that treasure has been looted.
Sophia Eppolito
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox takes a selfie with Rep. Blake Moore, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and Sen. Mitt Romney during a tour by ancient dwellings along the Butler Wash trail at the Bears Ears National Monument Thursday, April 8, 2021, near Blanding, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool) April 08, 2021 - 4:51 PM
SALT LAKE CITY - For decades, a public lands tug-of-war has played out over a vast expanse of southern Utah where red rocks reveal petroglyphs and cliff dwellings and distinctive twin buttes bulge from a grassy valley.
A string of U.S. officials has heard from those who advocate for broadening national monuments to protect the area s many archaeological and cultural sites, considered sacred to surrounding tribes, and those who fiercely oppose what they see as federal overreach.
Haaland Trip Highlights Renewed Focus on Conservation, Climate Change By Rachel Tillman and Associated Press Nationwide PUBLISHED 3:49 PM ET Apr. 08, 2021 PUBLISHED 3:49 PM EDT Apr. 08, 2021
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Interior secretary Deb Haaland has hit the ground running since her confirmation in mid-March, focusing on wide-ranging issues from improving infrastructure in tribal territories to moving towards a green economy.
What You Need To Know
Interior secretary Deb Haaland traveled to New Mexico and Utah this week, meeting with tribal leaders and local lawmakers to discuss a range of issues
On Tuesday, Haaland traveled to her home state to visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque