By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho’s speed cameras issued 7,095 citations in May — nearly triple April’s total — as camera deployment shifted heavily onto Unser Boulevard, the city’s busiest north-south corridor. Data from vendor Verra Mobility shows the Safe Traffic Operations Program monitored more than 1 million vehicle passes in May, flagging 12,996 […]
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 commissioners face full agenda: assessor ouster, $15M in bonds, labor contracts
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County commissioners will call on the county assessor to resign her elected office, vote on more than $15 million in proposed bond financing, and ratify new labor contracts for firefighters and detention staff when they convene Wednesday night in Bernalillo. The most politically charged item on the agenda asks […]
Posted inSandoval County
20-year-old faces felony charges after 112 mph chase on US 550, crash in Bernalillo
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. A 20-year-old man faces five criminal charges — including a felony — after a Sandoval County Sheriff’s deputy clocked his vehicle at 112 mph on northbound US 550 Monday morning and pursued him through a crash that ended on a dirt road near the Bernalillo border. According to a criminal […]
Posted inPueblos
Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico’s largest winery forge grape-growing partnership
A Sandoval County pueblo and New Mexico’s largest winery are joining forces to grow premium wine grapes on tribal land — a deal both parties say will strengthen local agriculture and tribal economic independence. The Pueblo of Santa Ana and Lescombes Family Vineyards of Deming announced the partnership June 1, covering cultivation of chardonnay, pinot […]
Posted inSandoval County
Ancient remains close 23-year cold case in Sandoval County
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Human remains found near Cochiti 23 years ago are not the bones of a missing person — they belong to a man who walked the region roughly 1,000 years ago, the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office announced June 5. Detective Don Chewning said forensic family genealogy testing, funded by the Bureau […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Thousands pack Rio Rancho park for Sandoval County’s first-ever Pride festival
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County held its first-ever Pride festival June 6 at Haynes Park in Rio Rancho, drawing an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people to a free, family-friendly event that organizers said exceeded every expectation. Tiffany Gravelle, CEO of THE BLOCK — the festival’s presenting sponsor — said partnering with Sandoval County […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho adding 3 speed cameras to N.M. 528, a road that has killed 7 in 18 months
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Three new speed cameras are headed to N.M. 528 — the Rio Rancho corridor that has seen two fatal crashes in six weeks and claimed seven lives in 18 months — as state and city officials escalate automated enforcement on the highway. Rio Rancho police will deploy the units June […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
New Mexico A.G. sues Kalshi, says popular prediction market app is illegal sportsbook
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — New Mexico residents who bet on sports, elections, or pop culture through the Kalshi app may be doing so illegally — and the state wants it stopped. Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed suit Thursday in Santa Fe against Kalshi, Inc. and KalshiEX LLC, alleging the New York-based prediction market […]
Posted inOpinion & Analysis
Opinion: Protecting our right to read, a call to support librarians
Submitted by Rep. Kathleen Cates Imagine walking into a library filled with thousands of books and never finding one with a character who looks like you. Out of all the books in a public library, not one featured a character who shared your lived experience. Banning books is harmful because everyone should be able to […]
Posted inPlacitas
Las Placitas Association Update: Drought watch, live music and Lesbian Lizards
Submitted by the Las Placitas Association. NEW MEXICO’S DROUGHT WATCH: “For nearly 100 years, from 1927 to 2025, the average daily flow on May 17 along this reach of the Rio Grande was about 3,385 cfs. We all thought last year’s NM mountain snow drought was an anomaly, yet the river maintained about 600 cfs […]