After weeks of public hearings, Committee of the Whole Chairperson Renée Grout introduced the City Council’s substitute budget for the 2027 fiscal year, and opening the process for final council-sponsored amendments to finalize the budget before a June 1 deadline. Grout’s version follows Mayor Tim Keller’s budget proposal from earlier this year, but includes changes […]
Jesse Jones
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
NMDOJ agrees to stop enforcement of HB9 in response to USDOJ lawsuit against New Mexico anti-ICE laws
A lawsuit by Federal officials to block New Mexico’s new law forcing the closure of ICE detention centers scored its first victory Wednesday afternoon when New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a stipulated motion agreeing to stop pursuing enforcement of the law against the sprawling Otero County Detention Center while the federal suit continues. […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, City Desk ABQ, Local Government
History made: ABQ confirms the first female police chief and new safety director
The Duke City just made history by shattering the glass ceiling as City Councilors confirmed Cecily Barker as the city’s first female police chief and approved a public safety overhaul that created a new public safety director role and filled it with former FBI official Raul Bujanda. On Monday, the City Council unanimously approved Barker […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Local Government
Burque’s policing pivot: How the mayor proposes to put more cops on the street without new hires
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueños looking for a fresh hiring surge to put more police on the streets will find a different strategy in Mayor Tim Keller’s $1.47 billion budget proposal. The city isn’t adding a single new sworn officer position; instead, it’s betting on a massive internal shakeup to put more officers […]
Posted inLocal Government
From curbside to containers: Why Albuquerque is rethinking how it recycles glass
It looked like the glass would finally be picked up with the rest of our trash and recycling we all hoped for, but the reality was that it was not to be, at least not yet. Editor’s note: For years, the city has fielded requests to add glass to “blue bin” curbside recycling, so when […]
Posted inBernalillo County, City Desk ABQ, Energy, Local Government, The Paper., Westside Albuquerque
Inside the Oso Negro project: Bernalillo County’s newest weapon against power outages
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — With an uncertain future for power rates and unreliable power grids, Bernalillo County residents may see more stable electricity rates and a stronger power grid, following the approval of a $175 million battery storage project on Albuquerque’s Westside. Bernalillo County commissioners approved an industrial revenue bond, 4-1, March 11, […]
Posted inLocal Government
Keller nominates Cecily Barker to permanently lead APD, pending City Council confirmation
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — After 22 years of climbing the ranks from patrol officer to the Albuquerque Police Department’s top-ranking officer, Cecily Barker stands one vote away from making history as Albuquerque’s first female police chief. Mayor Tim Keller announced Barker as his official nominee for chief of police on Tuesday, choosing the […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, City Desk ABQ, Local Government, The Paper., Westside Albuquerque
Pueblos and neighbors lose final appeal to block 238-unit development next to Petroglyphs Monument
By Jesse Jones, City Desk ABQ in The Paper. — Bulldozers are officially cleared to start building new housing in Albuquerque. The only problem, say neighbors and pueblos, is that the development will sit next to the Petroglyph National Monument. The Pueblos of Santa Clara and Laguna and the Westside Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (WSCONA) […]
Posted inThe Paper.
Gov, Board give final OK to $114M State Fair redevelopment with a stadium option
Burqueños and the International District moved a step closer to a major Fairgrounds transformation Monday after the state board approved the first phase of a $200 million redevelopment plan that includes a new multipurpose stadium and hundreds of housing units. The New Mexico State Fairgrounds District Board, chaired by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, approved the […]
Posted inCity Desk ABQ
All city businesses now have to say where ICE can, can’t enter. How exactly will that work under new city ICE law?
From local restaurants to construction crews, tens of thousands of Duke City businesses will soon have new requirements added to their annual business license renewal after the Albuquerque City Council approved the Safer Community Places Ordinance on Monday, March 16. Once enacted into law, the city has 90 days to determine how businesses will set […]