By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. You don’t need to drive down the hill this weekend. Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Corrales and Placitas have enough going on to fill three days without leaving Sandoval County. The BLOCK carries the weekend The BLOCK food hall anchors the weekend with something different each night. Ukaladies open Friday at 7 […]
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 County lawmakers join statewide cybersecurity forum July 24
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Local businesses and nonprofits lose money to hackers every year, and three Sandoval County-area legislators want to talk about what state law should do about it. Reps. Kathleen Cates and Joshua Hernandez and Sen. Jay Block join a bipartisan panel of lawmakers July 24 for a forum examining cybersecurity’s grip […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho is 1,600 businesses short — and the Chamber wants a formal deal to fix that
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Part 4 of 4 in “Rio Rancho’s Economic Playbook,” a series on the city’s economic development strategy. Every day, 47,000 Sandoval County residents drive out of town for work — and take $3.1 billion in annual payroll with them. Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce President Jerry Schalow says that […]
Posted inPlacitas
Sandia Chill Concerts return to Placitas with three summer shows
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Music lovers in Placitas won’t have to drive far for a summer concert series that doubles as a fundraiser for local nonprofits, with three shows scheduled between July and September at Placitas Homestead Village. The series kicks off July 12 at 7 p.m. with an American Jazz Celebration featuring Jazz […]
Posted inSandoval County
Rio Rancho firefighters, food pantry team up for first-ever back-to-school drive
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 […]
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 […]