By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County residents who want a say in how the county spends more than $60 million next year — or who want to weigh in on who sets commissioners’ own salaries — have a chance to speak Wednesday night when the Board of County Commissioners holds its regular meeting at […]
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 inRio Rancho
Motorcyclist dies on NM 528 six weeks after fatal street racing crash
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. A motorcyclist died early on the morning of May 13 on NM Highway 528, the second fatal crash on the corridor in six weeks — and the latest blow to a community already demanding action on a road state data shows has claimed seven lives in 18 months. Rio Rancho […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho honors fallen military at Memorial Day ceremony
By Kevin Hendricks — The Paper. Dozens of Rio Rancho residents, veterans and elected officials gathered Monday morning at Veterans Memorial/Monument Park to honor the men and women who died in military service — marking Memorial Day with music, prayer and community ceremony organized by local veterans groups. Mayor Paul Wymer read a formal proclamation […]
Posted inRio Rancho
New Mexico Goatheads drop full schedule for inaugural hockey season
By Kevin Hendricks — The Paper. Professional hockey returns to New Mexico this fall when the Goatheads drop the puck on their inaugural ECHL season Oct. 16 at the Rio Rancho Events Center — bringing the state its first pro hockey team since the New Mexico Scorpions folded in 2009. The team released its full […]
Posted in+Arts & Culture
Memorial Day weekend brings ceremonies, music and festivals to Rio Rancho area
By Kevin Hendricks — The Paper. Rio Rancho and neighboring communities mark Memorial Day weekend with a full schedule of events — from solemn military tributes to live music, outdoor markets and regional festivals — running Friday through Monday, May 22–25. The weekend’s anchor event is Rio Rancho’s annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May […]
Posted inMountainair
Three dead, 18 first responders hospitalized after hazmat incident at Mountainair home
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 […]
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 […]