New Mexico

What’s happening around New Mexico November 29-December 5

Published

3 hours ago

November 29, 2024

Press Room

What’s happening around New Mexico November 29-December 5

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Check out community events around New Mexico from November 29-December 5.

Albuquerque

November 29 Family Friday Shop and Stroll – Bring your friends and family to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center for a holiday shop and stroll event with games for kids, Pueblo Santa, photos with Santa, artists, ornament making, s’mores, hot chocolate, Pueblo pies, and more treats for everyone. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
November 29 Wreath Making Workshop – Using dried berries, gorgeous greenery, and other natural elements foraged from around Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, learn how to make a beautiful wreath infused with New Mexican touches. This event runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and costs $150 per person (or $100 for inn guests).
November 29-December 1 New Mexico Artisan Market – Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town hosts New Mexico’s premier boutique holiday shopping experience. Shop locally curated, handcrafted, artisan goods from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $15.
November 29-December 1 24th Annual Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Holiday Festival – Kick off holiday shopping while supporting artists at the largest holiday art festival in New Mexico. Shoppers can find memorable and original gifts at this three-day event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10.
November 30 Winrock Wonderland Holiday Market – From 2 to 6 p.m., visit Winrock Town Center Park for a showcase of over 80 local artisans, makers, food trucks, and live entertainment, including a special Nutcracker performance by the New Mexico Ballet.
November 30-December 30 River of Lights – New Mexico’s largest original walk-through holiday light show runs until Dec. 30th from 5 to 10 p.m. daily.
November 30-December 8 The Nutcracker Ballet – Kick off your holidays and experience the magic of The Nutcracker Ballet, presented in Popejoy Hall on Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 7 and 8. This timeless tale of wonder features stars from the New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet plus a full live orchestra from the New Mexico Philharmonic. Showtimes and ticket prices vary.
December 2 A Drag Queen Christmas – The longest-running drag tour in America, this 10th Anniversary Tour hosted by Nina West starts at 8 p.m. with a VIP Meet & Greet starting at 6 p.m. This event is for ages 18+, with tickets starting at $45.
December 5 Nob Hill Shop and Stroll – Started in 1995 by local Nob Hill Merchants, Shop & Stroll is intended to highlight local retailers in the Nob Hill neighborhood during the holiday season. This free event runs from 5 to 10 p.m.
December 5-29 Winter Wonderland NM – A New Mexico favorite, Winter Wonderland NM at EXPO NM returns for the 2024 season. This event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Dates vary. Tickets start at $30.

New Mexico

November 29 2024 Santa Fe Plaza Holiday Lighting – The City of Santa Fe’s annual Holiday Plaza Lighting ceremony will be held from 4:15-8 p.m. on The Plaza.
November 30 MarketMusic – Listen to Baroque Christmas music from around the world from 12 to 1 p.m. Guest soprano Jennifer Perez sings works reflecting Germanic, French, Italian, and Peruvian holiday traditions at the New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe.
November 30 Holiday Lighted Bike Ride – Join a guided, lighted bike ride through old Mesilla and Mesilla Park and get into the Christmas spirit. Enjoy refreshments and listen to holiday music along the 4.72-mile ride through Las Cruces from 6 to 8 p.m. Bring your own bike and save $10.
November 30 Holiday Market/Holly Day Magic Art & Craft Show – Support Roswell and small businesses to find the best goods for your holiday shopping from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a $5 entry fee.
November 30 Christmas Light Parade – Tucumcari’s Annual Christmas Light Parade will be held on Small Business Saturday at 6 p.m. starting at Del’s Restaurant.
November 30 Small Business Saturday and Holiday Craft Show – Visit the Eagles Club in Espanola starting at 10 a.m. Enjoy discounted breakfast from The Beast Food Truck with early bird registration.
November 30 Stargazing/Meteor Shower Watch Party in the Caldera – Take in the majesty of the celestial sky and the Leonids meteor shower at Valles Caldera National Preserve, an International Dark Sky Park. Bring water, snacks, a red light, telescope (if you have one), and your own seating. The event starts at 7 p.m.
November 30 101st Battle of I-10 – Watch the NMSU Aggies play the UTEP Miners in the 101st football rivalry game in Las Cruces. Tickets start at $12 and the game starts at 2 p.m.
December 4 2024 Native Arts & Crafts Christmas Bazaar – From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the entire community is invited to attend and enjoy a day filled with beautiful artistry and cultural celebration. Get into the holiday spirit with unique, handcrafted gifts at this Farmington event.
December 5 Adulti-Verse: Bizarre Bazaar with ArtWalk Santa Fe – Enjoy holiday shopping, crafting, and festive beverages at Meow Wolf. Tickets start at $25 for New Mexico residents. This event is for ages 21+ and starts at 6 p.m.

Albuquerque Notices

🔶 City of Albuquerque hosting series of community meetings on homelessness – The city of Albuquerque is looking to hear from the community about housing and homelessness in the metro. The city is hosting a series of community meetings called “Constructive Conversations.”

🔶 Albuquerque Environmental Health Dept. shares Thanksgiving food safety tips – With Thanksgiving this week, the City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department is reminding residents to prioritize food safety. The department shared the following tips to consider when buying, preparing, and cooking Thanksgiving food.

🔶 Boots In The Park festival returning to Albuquerque with headliners Luke Combs, Cody Johnson – Country musical festival Boots In The Park is returning to Albuquerque with a new format and performers in 2025. The festival will now take place over two days, May 17 and 18, at Balloon Fiesta Park.

🔶 LIST: Free Thanksgiving meal giveaways in Albuquerque – Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and several Albuquerque community organizations have events set up to help make sure everyone has access to a holiday meal. Here, you will find a list of free meals and food giveaways happening in November 2024.

🔶 Thanksgving 2024: Which Albuquerque, Santa Fe operations are impacted? – This year, Thanksgiving falls on November 28, which means Black Friday is on November 29. Both Albuquerque and Santa Fe will have closures to observe the holiday.

🔶 Albuquerque Luminaria Tour returns for 59th year – The annual Luminaria Tour is returning for its 59th year. The popular tour takes guests through some of the most festive neighborhoods in Albuquerque, including Old Town and the Albuquerque Country Club.

🔶 Albuquerque holding annual crossing guard food drive – The annual City of Albuquerque Crossing Guard Food Drive is coming up December 2 – 10. Crossing guards at locations throughout the city will be collecting non-perishable items.

🔶 Albuquerque department sheds light on object attached to some parking meters – A recent video circulating on social media has people wondering what the devices mounted on Downtown parking meters are. As it turns out, they are nothing new.

🔶 City completes medical sobering facility at Gateway Center – The City of Albuquerque celebrated a milestone on Monday as they are preparing to open a sobering center. They hope it will address a crisis in the community while easing the burden on emergency rooms.

🔶 Prepare for busy airports and roads, Sunport says – The Albuquerque Sunport is prepping for a busy holiday week as they expect hundreds of thousands of flyers. According to airport officials, more than 170,000 people will be traveling through the airport over the next few days.

New Mexico Notices

🔶 Experts say it’s time to increase the 911 surcharge in New Mexico by 99 cents – Every New Mexican with a phone bill has been paying the same rate for 911 fees since 1989. However, on Monday, officials from the New Mexico Association of Counties say it’s time for a fee increase.

🔶 Corrales leaders warn residents about a rise in coyote attacks – A growing number of coyote attacks has Corrales city leaders warning neighbors. Additionally, some think the village needs to bolster its efforts in addressing the problem.

🔶 New Mexico receives $18.6M to help residents heat their homes during winter – The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) received $18.6 million of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds to help New Mexicans stay warm and safe during this winter season. LIHEAP is a federal program administered by the Health Care Authority and currently provides utility assistance to 30,219 lower-income households across the state.

🔶 Fees waived on Black Friday at New Mexico state parks – Those looking for an outdoor activity during the Thanksgiving break have a cheap option with state parks here in New Mexico. The State Energy and Mineral Department said Black Friday will be a free-use day for all 35 parks in the Land of Enchantment. However, some parks may be closed due to seasonal hours.

🔶 New Mexico providing emergency SNAP support to people impacted by flooding – The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) is providing emergency support to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) customers impacted by severe flooding in Chaves County and other affected areas. This assistance includes replacing lost food benefits, reissuing EBT cards, and temporarily allowing hot food purchases.

🔶 When do New Mexico, Southern Colorado ski resorts open? – Ski season is upon us and New Mexico and southern Colorado ski resorts are getting ready to welcome the public. Here is a list of area ski resorts and when they’re scheduled to open.

🔶 PODCAST: Why Are New Mexico’s Children At Risk? – When it comes to overall child well-being in New Mexico, the state ranks 50th in the nation according to a ‘Kids Count’ report. But that ranking doesn’t even include child abuse and neglect data. What sort of indicators are used to measure child welfare? And how can New Mexico move out of last place?

🔶 New Mexico Game and Fish releases video about turkey conservation – New Mexico Game and Fish is highlighting their turkey conservation efforts ahead of Turkey Day. The department said that in the 1930s, there were only about 30,000 wild turkeys left in the US. Thanks to conservation efforts, that number grew to more than 7 million by 2010, and officials hope to continue the trend.

🔶 New Mexico representative steps down to focus on health after re-election – A state representative from Milan has retired from the legislature to focus on his health. Eliseo “Lee” Alcon, a Democrat was elected to the state house in 2009, where he advocated for New Mexico veterans, the economy, and the environment.

🔶 Teen arrested for Roswell-area school threats – Roswell Independent Schools said the teenager has been arrested after they made threats against schools in the area. According to the district, they were alerted by the FBI early Friday morning of potential threats made against the schools on social media.

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New Mexico

Need a gift wrapped? Bernalillo County Animal Care Services can help

Published

10 hours ago

November 29, 2024

Press Room

Need a gift wrapped? Bernalillo County Animal Care Services can help

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – If you have a hard time wrapping gifts, the county’s Animal Care Services is here to help.

Starting December 2, they will be hosting their annual holiday gift-wrapping fundraiser.

All proceeds will help the Quality Life Fund which supports crucial initiatives such as free microchip and vaccine clinics, emergency medical expenses, and much more. Gift wrapping services will be available at different prices depending on the size and complexity of the item.

For more information on appointment availability and prices, click here.

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New Mexico

New Mexico’s winter forecast: What New Mexicans can expect this season

Published

18 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

New Mexico’s winter forecast: What New Mexicans can expect this season

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Winter started off strong in New Mexico this year with an early season snowstorm in November. That storm dropped several inches of snow around the Albuquerque Metro with record-breaking snowfall in Las Vegas and feet of snow in the mountains. Another storm brought heavy snowfall to the Sacramento Mountains and rain to southern New Mexico in the middle of November. So how does the rest of this winter look?

Usually, the mountains in northern New Mexico see their first average snowfall as early as the middle of October, with the rest of northern New Mexico usually seeing it around the middle of November. For Albuquerque, the average first snowfall is usually towards the end of November. While parts of southern New Mexico see their first snowfall in December, except for the Sacramento Mountains where it usually comes in November.

Average snowfall amounts vary widely across the state thanks to our varying geography. Average snowfall varies anywhere from about an inch in Las Cruces, to around 8″ in Roswell and Albuquerque, to as much as nearly two feet of snow in Santa Fe and 300″ in the Taos Ski Valley!

La Niña

This year, our winter forecast has relied heavily on climate forecast models, along with the influence of a weak La Niña, and previous winters that have similar La Niña conditions. Typically, La Niña means drier than average conditions across the southwest United States, with near average to slightly warmer than average temperatures.

A typical La Niña winter weather pattern across the United States.

The Climate Prediction Center’s winter outlook for December, January, and February follows this winter La Niña pattern. They are forecasting likely drier than average conditions across New Mexico, with a higher confidence in the southern half of the state. They are also forecasting for likely warmer than average temperatures across New Mexico, again with higher confidence in southern and southwestern parts of the state.

Our Winter Forecast

Looking at long-range forecasts, considering the effect La Niña and other climate patterns may have, and comparing the current climate conditions to a previously similar winter, the KRQE News 13 team of meteorologists have put together this outlook for the 2023-2024 winter in New Mexico:

We are forecasting below-average precipitation across most of the state from December through February. Parts of far northern and northeastern New Mexico, along with southern Colorado will likely see around average precipitation this winter. Most of the state will also see above-average temperatures overall, with warmer temperatures across southern and western New Mexico. Parts of eastern New Mexico and far northern New Mexico along with southern Colorado could see temperatures that are closer to average thanks to backdoor cold fronts and an overall winter pattern that may favor Colorado for snow and colder temperatures.

The KRQE News 13 team of meteorologists also took our best guesses at just how much snow Albuquerque is going to see this winter. Below you will find each meteorologist’s forecast. On average, Albuquerque usually sees 7.9″ of snow each winter.

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New Mexico

No new detections of avian flu in New Mexico cows, poultry, people despite rising U.S. cases • Source New Mexico

Published

1 day ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

No new detections of avian flu in New Mexico cows, poultry, people despite rising U.S. cases • Source New Mexico

Bird flu is increasing the cost of what’s on people’s table this Thanksgiving, as deaths of millions of poultry in recent weeks have driven up egg prices and dropped turkey populations to the lowest level in nearly 40 years.

More than 90 million poultry – mostly chickens and turkeys – have been euthanized or infected with avian influenza in the United States. The deaths sharply drove up prices of poultry meat in 2022, which have only slightly abated this year.

Much of California, including some of the country’s largest egg layers, has seen increased infections from the migration of wild birds.Egg prices in California have nearly doubled in a month, as flocks get smaller and can’t keep up with demand.

New Mexico health and veterinary officials said avian influenza has not been detected in state dairy herds or poultry farms since August. Nor has anyone in the state tested positive, even as cases and concerns rise amid the ongoing outbreak elsewhere.

New Mexico was among the first of 15 states currently experiencing the avian flu crossover infections in dairy cows. Infections have spread to nearly 500 dairy herds this year, including top milk producers in California, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But national experts said the U.S. is failing to keep track of the spread of the disease, because it has a less robust effort to track public health compared to other developed countries.

Instead, the U.S. relies on a patchwork of local health systems that don’t always have the funding for tracking emerging diseases, said Amira Roess, a professor of global health at George Mason University.

“It is hard to comment on whether or not (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) infections are truly rare, given that we do not have active surveillance programs,” Roess said.

What is avian influenza?

Avian influenza is a family of viruses that usually impacts wild and domestic birds. Previously, people and other animals would only be sickened by coming into direct contact with sickened birds or carcasses.

In recent years, the H5N1 variant has “spilled” over into other species and has been devastating for marine mammal populations. Infectious disease researchers said the virus’ ability to adapt to different hosts and change its genetic code increases its pandemic potential.

Currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that person-to-person transmission of avian flu is not occurring, and that the risk to the general population is low but much higher for people in contact with poultry or other animals.

Dr. Samantha Holeck, the state veterinarian, said there have been no presumptive cases in New Mexico cows since August, keeping the number of infected New Mexico herds to 9.

Avian flu infections have been limited to Curry and Roosevelt counties, and include a poultry facility in addition to the dairies. There’s no further information about the number of animals impacted, state officials said.

In an emailed statement, Holeck said no deaths in New Mexico dairy herds have been “directly attributed to H5N1.”

It’s a different story for dairy herds in California. Instead of about a 2% mortality rate seen in other states from avian influenza, infected California herds had death rates of 15-20% preventing farmers’ ability to remove the carcasses and fueling further infection concerns.

Infections in humans are increasing

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 55 people have been infected, including 28 cases in California. People experiencing avian flu reported eye infections – officially called conjunctivitis – and others had flu-like symptoms including chills, coughing, fever, sore throat and runny nose.

Here’s what to watch for avian flu symptoms in backyard flocks and other domestic animals

In New Mexico, only seven people have been tested for avian flu though November. All were negative, said David Morgan, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Health.

New Mexico health officials have only tested symptomatic people, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines released in April when the outbreak started. Only in early November did the CDC update its policies to test all farmworkers who come into contact with animals with bird flu, regardless if they’re showing symptoms or not.

Roess said one of the concerns of testing only symptomatic workers is that it can give health experts an inaccurate picture of infection rates. That testing strategy can miss people who carry the disease and quietly transmit it.

Without tests of symptomatic and asymptomatic people, it’s hard to assess how big the risk of an outbreak is or if enough preventative measures are in place.

She also said testing workers in dairies and poultry farms has specific challenges.

“A lot of food production workers are low-wage workers who do not have meaningful healthcare access,” Roess said. “It is extremely difficult to convince someone to take time away from work to go get tested when they are sick if that means they will lose income.”

Federal health officials are publishing data from wastewater monitoring, but independent public health experts have asked states and cities to do more testing for avian flu.

State officials not planning to test wastewater in New Mexico for avian flu

New Mexico officials are submitting results from H5 influenza tests in Santa Fe and Albuquerque to the national dashboard, but are not testing in Curry and Roosevelt counties – where the outbreaks in dairies and a poultry facility have been located.

Morgan didn’t say what would trigger increased surveillance, only saying the department “would pursue wastewater testing if the results would inform public health actions.”

State health officials previously gave sets of masks and gloves to two dairies for their employees and distributed 3,000 sets of personal protective equipment to community groups.

Morgan urged dairy workers and their families to get the seasonal flu vaccine, saying that, while it will not protect against the avian flu H5N1 strain, it will reduce infection from a common flu strain at the same time.

“Being vaccinated against flu also gives the H5N1 virus fewer chances to combine with seasonal influenza strains, which could enable it to transmit person-to-person,” Morgan said.

There is no vaccine widely available for H5N1. TheU.S. has only 5 million of the vaccines against the strain spreading right now.

Migration season sees a spike in cases in other states

As billions of birds are migrating, health officials in other states are raising the alarm about increased cases of bird flu in wild populations.

Contact with infected wild birds caused recent backyard farm animal infections in Washington including pigs.

Pigs plus avian influenza has been a deadly combination before. In 2009, the H1N1 variant (nicknamed the “swine flu”) was a new combination of genes from influenza viruses that infected pigs, people and birds. It infected 20% of the global population.

New Mexico has recorded only 41 cases of avian influenza in wild birds, which pales in comparison to the several hundred cases detected in surrounding states such as Colorado and Utah, according to the USDA’s tracker.

The last date of a wild bird with H5N1 was recorded May 24 in Roosevelt county, according to the USDA data.

Darren Vaughn, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, said he could not provide answers by deadline to questions about the agency’s efforts to catalog avian influenza cases, or make anyone available for comment.

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