By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Two battery farms planned for the mesa west of Rio Rancho could pump about $560,000 a year into Sandoval County and its five school districts, with Rio Rancho and Jemez Valley schools getting the biggest charge. County commissioners voted Sept. 23 to begin the process of issuing up to $510 […]
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
Midterm review: Rio Rancho weighs future of untouched city goals
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho has crossed 19 items off its five-year to-do list. Six more are still “on deck,” including a rewrite of the map that guides where new homes and businesses can grow. City staff want councilors to decide whether those goals stay in the lineup or head for the dugout. […]
Posted inNew Mexico State Gov.
Shocked by ‘extreme’ PNM bills, Alamogordo residents demand answers
By Kevin Hendricks Alamogordo residents came to Tuesday’s town hall carrying their PNM bills. Some were double their usual amount, some triple, and one topped $1,900. They wanted state regulators to explain how the utility arrived at those numbers. The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission hosted the two-hour town hall at the Sgt. Willie Estrada […]
Posted inSandoval County
Quantum leap: Future Jobs Summit brings AI, space and tech employers to Bernalillo
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. New Mexicans wondering whether tomorrow’s jobs will need them — or a robot — can ask the employers directly Thursday in Bernalillo. State Rep. Alan Martinez will host the free New Mexico Future Jobs Summit from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Sandoval County Administration Building, joined by […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Caregiver gets 30 years in abuse death of Rio Rancho woman with developmental disabilities
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. A caregiver paid roughly $5,000 a month to look after a Rio Rancho woman with developmental disabilities will spend the next 30 years in prison for the abuse and neglect that led to the woman’s death in 2023. A 13th Judicial District Court judge handed down the sentence Monday, the […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Vibes or value? RRPS board expands UFO archive deal, calls for student impact metrics
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho students will get a UFO club at RioTech and twice as many UFO lectures after the school board expanded its partnership with the National UFO Historical Records Center. The board also wants proof the deal helps kids learn. The Rio Rancho Public Schools board voted 4-1 to amend […]
Posted inEnvironment, Conservation & Climate
Rain check: State forester lifts fire restrictions after soggy September
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper A soggy September just bought New Mexicans a rain check. The state forester lifted restrictions on campfires, smoking, fireworks and open burning Monday morning after late-season storms knocked down the wildfire threat. State Forester Laura McCarthy’s order ends restrictions in place since April 6 on state and private land outside […]
Posted inCorrales
Rick Clemente, 79
Rick Clemente died on Friday, August 28, 2026, at the age of 79. He passed peacefully in Albuquerque with his wife Debbie by his side. Debbie says, “Rick lived life to the fullest and there wasn’t a thing he wanted to do that he didn’t end up doing.” His career in the film and entertainment […]
Posted inEnvironment, Conservation & Climate
Polo match: Hurricane leftovers square off with an already-soaked New Mexico
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper New Mexicans who spent last week wringing out their socks should keep the towels handy. Moisture from Hurricane Polo is rolling north this week, and it’s bringing flash flood risk to nearly every corner of the state. Polo is forecast to hit Baja California Sur Monday night as a Category […]
Posted inEstancia
State agents uproot 10-ton illegal cannabis grow near Estancia
By Kevin Hendricks Twenty-one greenhouses near Estancia went from green to gone Thursday after state agents seized an estimated 6,300 illegal cannabis plants, about 10.5 tons of weed, from a large-scale grow on Howell Road. The Regulation and Licensing Department’s Enforcement Bureau and the New Mexico Organized Crime Commission served a search warrant at 102 […]