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 […]
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 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 […]
Posted inSandoval County
From parades to fireworks: Where to celebrate Independence Day in Sandoval County
By Rodd Cayton Sandoval County residents looking for ways to celebrate the Fourth of July will have options throughout the day. The festivities will begin at 10 a.m. in Corrales, with the village’s annual parade along Corrales Road, from Corrales K-8 School to the Rec Center. Parks and recreation director Lynn Siverts told The Paper. […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho firefighters launch month-long food, school supply drive
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue kick off a monthlong Food and Back-to-School Drive July 7 through August 7, collecting non-perishable food for St. Felix Food Pantry and school supplies for local students, the department announced in a press release. “We invite everyone to join us in helping ensure that no […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Governor, AG accuse DEA of letting fentanyl flood NM streets, demand investigation
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. New Mexico’s overdose crisis just got a new villain, according to the governor: the federal agency that’s supposed to be fighting it. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says reporting from the Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal revealed the Drug Enforcement Administration knowingly let hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills reach New […]
Posted inJemez & Jemez Spring
Sierra de los Pinos residents head home as McCauley Springs fire holds at 43% containment
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. After six days of evacuation, residents of Sierra de los Pinos can finally sleep in their own beds again. Sandoval County and fire officials began a phased return to the community Tuesday morning, even as crews continue battling the 712-acre McCauley Springs Fire east of Battleship Rock. The fire, burning […]