Jesse Jones is a reporter covering local government and news for The Paper. through a local journalism fellowship from NM Reports. He is a graduate of UNM.
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For more than a year, City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn has pushed for stronger renter protections, one city ordinance at a time. In June, two of her measures became law: the Rental Unit Habitability Enforcement Ordinance and a resolution requiring the city to prioritize safety violations. Now those protections are […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Bernalillo County is looking to make businesses seeking tax breaks from residents give more back through public benefits for taxpayers who fund it. In a first for Bernalillo County, commissioners approved a $1.2 billion industrial revenue bond for DESRI, a renewable energy developer, to build a 400-megawatt solar and […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For 70 years, Burqueños have celebrated Christmas Eve aboard the Luminaria Bus Tour, riding city buses through the Old Town and Huning Castle neighborhoods to see glowing luminarias and neighbors gathered around bonfires. Now, the city has ended the tradition, saying the tour is no longer cost-effective. At Monday’s […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Years after the largest wildfire in New Mexico history, the National Guard is still helping northern New Mexico communities respond to flooding across the burn scar. Now, the state wants FEMA to pay millions for that work. The New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management sued the […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque city councilors on Monday will address development projects, city spending and the future of a controversial overnight shelter during a meeting that also includes a slate of routine appointments and contract approvals. During the Sept. 21 meeting, councilors are expected to formally adopt findings from the last meeting’s […]
by Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Edgewood has a new mayor, and Devon Taylor got the job in a way he never saw coming. The 33-year-old Army veteran and real estate developer said he was sitting in a commission meeting this summer when former Mayor Mike Rariden suddenly nominated him to take over. Taylor said […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — New Mexico’s data center boom could drive up electricity rates for residents while putting more pressure on the state’s water supply. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland announced her support for a statewide moratorium on new large-scale data centers as electricity demand grows and drought persists. Speaking Thursday at the […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — The Albuquerque City Council rejected a conditional use permit for an overnight shelter near the Sunport last week that originally opened under incorrect city advice. But the shelter’s doors remain open while the council prepares to approve its findings. Councilors voted 6-3 during a Sept. 9 council meeting to […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Housing projects can raise concerns in a neighborhood long before the doors open. Bernalillo County wants to start those conversations on day one, bringing developers, property managers and nearby communities to the table through a new Good Neighbor Policy. Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution establishing the BernCo Builds Communities […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Residents in the Duke City will soon be able to track the artificial intelligence tools used by city government, voice concerns to a new advisory board and see new AI rules for city tech vendors after the City Council approved a trio of ordinances targeting AI in city government. […]
