By Kevin Hendricks — The Paper. Three people are dead and 19 others are hospitalized — including 18 first responders — after an unidentified substance was discovered at a Mountainair residence Wednesday, triggering a major hazmat response from state and county agencies. New Mexico State Police responded around 11 a.m. to an address on Hanlon […]
Kevin Hendricks
Kevin Hendricks is an editor with nm.news where he oversees Sandoval County newsrooms. A native of Southeast ABQ, he reported for the ABQ Journal and Rio Rancho Observer before joining nm.news in 2024.
Posted inSandoval County
‘Sandoval Star’ identified: Woman found dead in 2023 named Victoria De La Rosa
The woman whose body was found in the Cibola National Forest three years ago and known only as “Sandoval Star” has been identified as Victoria De La Rosa, a Mexican national who lived and worked in the Albuquerque area before her disappearance, Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office announced at a press conference May 20. Sandoval County […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Beyond the badge: How ‘Steele Got Your Six’ is mobilizing the Rio Rancho community to support police families
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. A Rio Rancho woman who spent decades watching law enforcement families quietly struggle in crisis launched a nonprofit to change that — and in less than two years, it has already reached nearly 400 people. Laci Steele founded Steele Got Your Six in December 2024 after years of funding […]
Posted inSandoval County
Pentagon taps Sandoval County missile maker for hypersonic weapon contract
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. The Pentagon has signed a first-of-its-kind production deal with Castelion Corporation to manufacture its Blackbeard hypersonic strike missile — and Sandoval County’s Project Ranger facility will be where those weapons get built. The Defense Department — which the Trump administration refers to as the Department of War — announced […]
Posted inRio Rancho
National Labor Leader praises RioTECH as a blueprint for collaborative CTE education
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. All 20 seniors at RioTECH are graduating this week — every one of them holding an industry-recognized credential, and some leaving with an associate’s degree before finishing high school. It is the school’s first graduating class. RioTECH — an acronym for Technical Education Career Hub — opened in fall […]
Posted in+Arts & Culture
Placitas gallery to showcase oil paintings inspired by New Mexico and Colorado landscapes
A Placitas art gallery opens a new exhibit next month celebrating New Mexico landscapes and the stories behind them — rendered in oil paint rather than words. Wild Hearts Gallery presents Joan Fenicle: In the Spirit of Haiku from June 2–28, with an artist reception Saturday, June 13 from 1–3 p.m. at the gallery at […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Sandoval County Democrats launch voter outreach, fight childhood hunger in Rio Rancho
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. Rio Rancho may have a reputation as a Republican stronghold, but the Democratic Party of Sandoval County is betting the city is closer to purple — and it’s fighting childhood hunger to make the case. Party chair Greg Bennett sat down with The Paper. to lay out two parallel […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho council takes first step towards approving $18M bond sale, names new deputy mayor
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. Rio Rancho residents who voted in March to fund road repairs, public safety upgrades and quality-of-life improvements moved a step closer to seeing that money put to work Thursday night, as the city council approved the first reading of an ordinance to issue $18 million in general obligation bonds. […]
Posted inSandoval County
Early voting expands Saturday as unaffiliated voters make first moves in Sandoval County primary
Early voting in Sandoval County expands Saturday to 11 community locations across the county — and the first 10 days of balloting have already shown how a new state law is reshaping who participates in the June 2 primary. As of May 14, 2,197 Sandoval County voters had cast ballots through absentee mail and early […]
Posted inPlacitas
Free tech help coming to Placitas, Bernalillo seniors this month
Sandoval County seniors can get free, face-to-face tech help this month when Teeniors — a program pairing tech-savvy teens with older adults — brings classes and one-on-one coaching to Placitas and Bernalillo. The Placitas session, “Loneliness & Connection in the Digital Age,” runs Friday, May 15 at 10 a.m. at the Placitas Senior Center. Presenter […]