A top New Mexico health official says the state is prepared to deal with Ebola although no cases have been reported in the state. State Epidemiologist Dr. Michael Landen of the Department of Health sought Wednesday to ally public worries about the disease, saying the risk of an Ebola case in New Mexico is very low. In testimony to the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee, Landen said the department is provided information on people coming to New Mexico from the West African nations of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea where Ebola has killed more than 4,500 people. Under new federal requirements, air travelers from those countries must enter the United States through one of five airports that will perform special screenings and fever checks for Ebola.
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney plans a campaign stop in New Mexico to help Governor Susana Martinez's re-election. Martinez campaign spokesman Chris Sanchez said Romney will appear Thursday at a fundraiser at a private residence in Albuquerque and at a public event mid-afternoon at the governor's campaign headquarters in the city. Martinez is running against Democratic challenger Gary King in the general election. The governor has a large fundraising advantage over King. Early voting continues through November first at locations across the state, and Oct. 31st is the last day to request an absentee ballot from a county clerk.
A candidate for president of the Navajo Nation has lost another round in a language fluency dispute, all but ending his bid for office. The tribe's high court on Wednesday upheld a ruling from a lower court that said Chris Deschene (des-CHEE'-nee) is not qualified to seek the top elected post because he doesn't speak fluent Navajo. But the high court didn't rule on the merits of the case. Instead, the justices dismissed it over lack of jurisdiction because Deschene did not include a copy of his disqualification order with his notice of appeal. Deschene has said he's proficient in the language. The Supreme Court says election officials must move up the third-place finisher from the primary election. It's unclear whether Navajos will choose a new tribal president on November fourth, or if a run-off election will be required.
An elderly Albuquerque woman is on a personal and unique protest over the amount of money in politics. And, as KSFR’s Joe Day reports, the protestor is on her way to the State Capitol.
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Oklahoma State University is suing New Mexico State University, claiming the Aggies have plagiarized its pistol-packing mascot. The federal lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Western Oklahoma says the NMSU's mascot is "confusingly similar" to OSU's Pistol Pete Marks. The Oklahoma school wants NMSU to stop using the mascot known in Las Cruces as "Classic Aggie." OSU says it trademarked the mascot first and has used the image since 1930. In a statement, NMSU says officials are confident that the two schools can come to an agreement. Pistol Pete is based on a real cowboy from the 1800s named Frank Eaton. He got his nickname practicing his shooting skills in Oklahoma and is said to have won a legendary Albuquerque gunfight.
Santa Fe Weather: Sunny today, with the high, 69. Tonight, expect clear skies with, the overnight low, 45. Tomorrow: Sunny with a high of 72.