Transitioning to the new economy

A course on how to

During this time of economic change, many New Mexico small businesses need to build or increase their online presence to offset a decline in retail in-person traffic, as well as grow businesses beyond New Mexico borders.

University of New Mexico is offering an online course for the community funded in part by a grant that will teach businesses e-commerce techniques including developing storefronts and online presence. The course is open to anyone in the community and available completely online.

Course access, materials and updates will be available via Slack starting Nov. 2 and conclude Dec. 18. Once you register, you will receive an introductory email from szar@unm.edu with an invitation to the Slack workspace for the course. The course can be done on your own time and there is no set meeting time other than as scheduled throughout the program. The fee is $17 for the course.

Register at transitioningtotheneweconomycourse.eventbrite.com.

Need for contact tracers

The New Mexico Department of Health and the State Personnel Office are seeking applicants with education or experience in health care fields to fill contact-tracing positions statewide as the fight against COVID intensifies.

As COVID cases rise and testing demand increases, the need for contact-tracers is imperative to identify, isolate, monitor and support COVID positive cases through their period of isolation.

Contact-tracing not only supports someone who has tested positive for COVID, they also alert those who have come into close contact with the COVID positive person so that they can immediately get tested and isolate. This process of case investigation is critical to virus containment and stopping the spread of the disease.

Applicants can apply by logging onto the State Personnel Office website ( spo.state.nm.us) and navigate to “View Job Opportunities and Apply” at the top right of the page. The contact-tracing positions are listed there. Hiring is virtual, and work will be remote.

Transit district wins financial reporting award again

The North Central Regional Transit District has received the

Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for fiscal year 2019 from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.

This marks the third of the GFOA’s top national awards that have been bestowed upon the NCRTD this year and follows the Distinguished Budget Award for the FY 2020 annual budget and the award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting.

This makes the district – which operates the Blue Buses – one of only five governmental entities in the state of New Mexico to have garnered each of the three GFOA awards this year.

“This award significantly reflects the commitment of the NCRTD to meet the highest principles of governmental accounting, financial reporting and standards of communication and accountability to the constituents of Northern New Mexico,” said NCRTD Executive Director Anthony Mortillaro in a statement. “We were graded proficient in each category and this is the highest rating available in government accounting. It marks a significant achievement for the district.”

The North Central Regional Transit District provides fare-free and premium fare public transit service to a service area that encompasses over 10,000 square miles of north-central New Mexico including the counties of Taos, Los Alamos, Río Arriba and Santa Fe; as well as the Pueblos of Pojoaque, Ohkay Owingeh, Nambé, San Ildefonso, Santa Clara, Tesuque, Taos, Picuris and the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

The agency’s signature RTD Blue Buses provide additional transit connections to New Mexico Rail Runner, Santa Fe Trails, New Mexico Park and Ride, Los Alamos Atomic City Transit and Red River Miner’s Transit.

Find out more about the services at