By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho firefighters and St. Felix Pantry are teaming up for the first time ever, launching a monthlong food and school supply drive that runs through Aug. 7. The partnership came together fast. Pantry president and CEO Tim Sheehan said he reached out to Fire Chief James Wenzel after watching […]
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
Sandoval Economic Alliance claims nearly 1,500 jobs and $2 billion in output — and its biggest 2026 win isn’t counted yet
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Part 3 of 4 in “Rio Rancho’s Economic Playbook,” a series on the city’s economic development strategy. The Sandoval Economic Alliance has assisted 20 economic development projects since 2020, helped generate nearly 1,500 jobs and produced what it calculates as a nearly 400% return on the city’s investment. And its […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho man faces 9 felony counts in Flock camera vandalism spree
A Rio Rancho man is facing nine felony charges after police say he ripped out and destroyed city-owned license plate reader cameras and solar equipment along NM 528, leaving handmade “Republic of New Mexico” flags in their place. The man is charged with three counts each of larceny over $2,500, criminal damage to property over […]
Posted inRio Rancho
City Center’s big bet: Rio Rancho pitches 43 acres as the region’s next employment hub
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Part 2 of 4 in “Rio Rancho’s Economic Playbook,” a series on the city’s economic development strategy. For years, City Center was the punchline — a mostly empty stretch of land off King Boulevard that even boosters struggled to defend. Economic Development Manager Alberto Solis says that’s about to change. […]
Posted inCorrales
Rabid bat found in Corrales home marks ninth case this year
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.A bat found inside a Corrales home tested positive for rabies, marking the state’s ninth confirmed animal case of 2026 and prompting health officials to renew warnings about handling wildlife. The New Mexico Department of Health euthanized the bat and confirmed the diagnosis through its Scientific Laboratory Division. Everyone and every […]
Posted inElections & Politics
Should voters fund campaigns for county officials? Voters will get to decide this November
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Bernalillo County residents will get to decide in November whether their tax dollars should help fund county campaigns — a move commissioners say is aimed squarely at kneecapping the influence of big donors and corporate PACs. The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously June 23, to advance a package […]
Posted inCorrales
Corrales park to get a tractor tribute for the councilor who loved them
Corrales kids may soon get a new reason to play pretend farmer, and it’s all thanks to a councilor who never met a tractor parade he didn’t like. The family of former Village Councilor John Alsobrook II is raising money for a tractor-themed play structure at La Entrada Park, honoring his fifth-term legacy on the […]
Posted inSandoval County
Sandoval County takes over Cuba’s 911 calls
Cuba residents dialing 911 will now get Sandoval County paramedics and firefighters on scene, not a local ambulance crew, after the county took over emergency response for the area July 1. Sandoval County Fire and Rescue (SCFR) confirmed the change covers the Village of Cuba and northwestern Sandoval County, including parts of the Navajo Nation […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rethinking growth: Is Rio Rancho’s 30-year economic playbook due for an upgrade?
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Part 1 of 4 in “Rio Rancho’s Economic Playbook,” a series on the city’s economic development strategy. Rio Rancho has reorganized its economic development strategy at least three times since the late 1990s — and City Manager Matt Geisel thinks it’s time for the Governing Body to decide what the […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho library marks 250 years of the Declaration of Independence
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho readers can walk through 250 years of democratic history without leaving Loma Colorado Main Library, as a new exhibition tracing the global ripple effects of the Declaration of Independence is now open. “Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy” runs July 1 through September 12 at the […]