News-Sun Staff Report The COVID-19 variant of 0micron has arrived in Lea County, hospital leaders said on Monday. With that, they expect the county’s case to rapidly increase over the coming weeks, and predicting a peak happening somewhere around Jan. 24. If the variant follows its pattern like it has in other places, hospital leaders expect the numbers to rapidly …

News-Sun Staff Report The COVID-19 variant of 0micron has arrived in Lea County, hospital leaders said on Monday. With that, they expect the county’s case to rapidly increase over the coming weeks, and predicting a peak happening somewhere around Jan. 24. If the variant follows its pattern like it has in other places, hospital leaders expect the numbers to rapidly …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Health officials in New Mexico have fined two churches in Albuquerque for violating the state’s public health orders aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 after both venues held large gatherings for Christmas. The state Department of Health fined Legacy Church and Calvary Church $5,000 each on Monday after photos and video showed both churches violated …

The first report cards of the school year are arriving with many more Fs than usual in a dismal sign of the struggles students are experiencing with distance learning. School districts from coast to coast have reported the number of students failing classes has risen by as many as two or three times — with English language learners and disabled …

Editor’s Note: The daily reports from Santa Fe of the number of positive COVID-19 cases and deaths can be somewhat overwhelming and depressing, so we found five people who were diagnosed as positive with the COVID-19 virus and would share their stories of survival with our readers. These are those stories. 40 days in isolation In the Bible, Jesus fasted …

Editor’s Note: The daily reports from Santa Fe of the number of positive COVID-19 cases and deaths can be somewhat overwhelming and depressing, so we found five people who were diagnosed as positive with the COVID-19 virus and would share their stories of survival with our readers. These are those stories. 40 days in isolation In the Bible, Jesus fasted …

WASHINGTON (AP) — As coronavirus cases surge again nationwide the Supreme Court late Wednesday barred New York from enforcing certain limits on attendance at churches and synagogues in areas designated as hard hit by the virus. The justices split 5-4 with new Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the majority. It was the conservative’s first publicly discernible vote as a justice. …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Efforts to open more of New Mexico’s economy are on hold because of an uptick in cases in recent days, a trend that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday called troubling and blamed on lax social behaviors. The governor said during a briefing that a false sense of security has developed among Americans in general and …

The state announced on Monday Lea County added three new cases. The total brings the county to 32 cases since the coronavirus began being tracked by the N.M. Department of Health. In nearby Eddy County, it now has 38 cases. To the north of Lea County, Roosevelt county has 45 cases and Curry has 64. Northwest of Lea County, Chaves …

Lea County has two new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, according to the state. In Lea County, there has been tests on 2,629 people with only 26 testing positive for COVID-19. Of those positive tests, 18 were for the 88240 or Hobbs zip code, 6 were for the 88260 or Lovington zip code and one case for the the 88242 …