Here’s a look at today’s local news:
The New Mexico Department of Health has reported that measles cases this year in the U.S have reached the highest number since the virus was eliminated almost 20 years ago, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. So far, 695 cases have been reported and the Academy of American Pediatrics is urging families to vaccinate their children. In addition, the AAP is encouraging lawmakers to make it harder to opt out of vaccine requirements for school entry. Cases have been reported in 22 states so far this year that include the following western states: Arizona; Colorado; Texas; and Nevada.
A computer error is the cause of New Mexico Motor Vehicle customers to be charged inaccurate fee totals on recently mailed notices. The error produced inaccurate fee totals on 91,780 registration renewal postcards mailed to customers. An additional “0” was included in the amount due. Customers who visit an MVD field office or go to mvd dot new mexico dot gov are able to view and pay the correct amount.
Cyclists from all over the world competed in the 33rd Tour of the Gila last week in Grant County. The teams included 18 UCI professional men’s and 10 UCI professional women’s teams in addition to around 250 amateurs, up 20% from last year. Participants competed in 5 days of racing that ended in Pinos Altos yesterday with the “Gila Monster Road Race” presented by SkyWest Media. The Overall Men’s winner was James Piccoli from Canada of Elevate-KHS Pro Cycling and the Overall men’s Team winner was Team Medellin from Columbia. In the UCI Women’s Category, the Overall UCI winner was Brodie Chapman from Australia, of Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank, and first place Overall Team went to Sho-Air Twenty20. The professional women’s race was one of the most exciting going into Sunday’s race, as Chloe Dygert, former Olympic Silver medalist and multi-time word champion, had a one second lead after Saturday’s downtown crit; yet, the climber from Australia was able to pull the overall win and the final day’s win. Saturday featured a Downtown Silver City Criterium and popular “Citizen’s Races” that provided competitive fun for local kids. Another highlight of the race was the HMS sponsored women’s team, which featured six professional women cyclists, two from Australia and four from the United States, who would not have been able to race here if it were not for HMS stepping in to help sponsor their trip. On the last day, HMS Sarah Gigante, the Australian National Road Race Champion, climbed her way into a third-place finish for the stage. The team placed 6th overall. The Tour of the Gila is known as one of the most challenging races on the North American continent with more than 10,000 feet of climbing and significant fast paced descents. Jack Brennan is thanked for all of his hard work to make this race possible this year, along with sponsors, and hundreds of volunteers.
