By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Thank you, Rio Rancho! The Paper. threw a party Thursday and the City of Vision showed up in full force. To the friends, family, elected officials and local leaders who danced, noshed and networked with us at The BLOCK — thank you. The turnout crossed party lines and government levels. […]
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
Tribal nations, Democratic Party win major redistricting ruling in Sandoval County
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. A state judge has ordered Sandoval County to redraw its commission district boundaries, ruling the county’s 2021 map failed to consult tribal nations and didn’t give Native American and Hispanic voters an equal say. A judge ruled for the Democratic Party of Sandoval County, the Pueblo of San Felipe, the […]
Posted inSandoval County
Defiant to the end: Assessor Linda Gallegos resigns, criticizes commissioners
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County Assessor Linda Gallegos has resigned, closing out a two-term tenure that became a countywide controversy after she kept collecting her county paycheck while working a second, higher-paying state job. Her resignation, effective July 10, comes five weeks after commissioners voted to formally demand it. In a resignation letter […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho woman brings nearly entire GOP ticket to tiny Roy for candidate forum
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Roy, New Mexico has a population smaller than most Rio Rancho neighborhoods. On July 26, it’s set to host nearly the entire Republican statewide ticket. Rio Rancho resident Nancy Jinks organized the “Meet Your Candidates” forum, securing commitments from: State Sen. and Rio Rancho resident Jay Block will moderate. Jinks […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Summer BLOCK Party and beyond: What to do in and around Rio Rancho this weekend
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Before the weekend even starts, Rio Rancho has a reason to celebrate. The Paper. throws open the doors Thursday night for a free Summer BLOCK Party marking its expansion into the City of Vision — and everyone’s invited. The open house runs 7-9 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at The BLOCK, […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
WATCH: Heinrich presses Trump’s spy pick on Epstein cover-up, victim data leak
New Mexico’s Zorro Ranch sits at the heart of a Senate showdown over who’s protecting Jeffrey Epstein’s paper trail — and whether Trump’s pick to run U.S. intelligence will keep stonewalling the state’s own investigation. At Wednesday’s confirmation hearing for Director of National Intelligence, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., pressed nominee Jay Clayton on why the […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
The battle for the ballot: New Mexico Forward Party challenges state law
The New Mexico Forward Party sued the state Tuesday, arguing New Mexico’s ballot access law punishes a newly qualified minor party by forcing its candidates to gather far more signatures than Democrats or Republicans ever have to touch. Party Chairman Bob Perls filed the federal suit in Albuquerque after the Secretary of State’s office disqualified […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Goatheads land their first-ever player and he’s got hockey in his blood
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Before the Goatheads have played a single shift, they’ve already made history: forward Grant Ahcan is officially the O.G. (Original Goathead) and the first player ever signed by the new franchise, inking an ECHL deal for the 2026-27 season. “Grant Ahcan embodies everything we want the New Mexico Goatheads to […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho’s tap water meets all federal safety standards, new report shows
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho residents can keep drinking straight from the tap — the city’s water met every federal and state safety standard in 2025 — but a paperwork slip means one well is still waiting on a minor fix that was due back in March, according to the city’s newly released […]
Posted inRio Rancho
DEA, grieving mom bring fentanyl awareness walk to Rio Rancho
By Kevin Hendricks and Julian Paras, The Paper. Rio Rancho families who’ve lost someone to fentanyl got a chance to walk, grieve and organize together Saturday, as the second annual Walk for Lives came to Haynes Community Center and Park. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Field Division and the Rio Rancho chapter of […]