By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. The Pentagon has signed a first-of-its-kind production deal with Castelion Corporation to manufacture its Blackbeard hypersonic strike missile — and Sandoval County’s Project Ranger facility will be where those weapons get built. The Defense Department — which the Trump administration refers to as the Department of War — announced […]
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
National Labor Leader praises RioTECH as a blueprint for collaborative CTE education
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. All 20 seniors at RioTECH are graduating this week — every one of them holding an industry-recognized credential, and some leaving with an associate’s degree before finishing high school. It is the school’s first graduating class. RioTECH — an acronym for Technical Education Career Hub — opened in fall […]
Posted in+Arts & Culture
Placitas gallery to showcase oil paintings inspired by New Mexico and Colorado landscapes
A Placitas art gallery opens a new exhibit next month celebrating New Mexico landscapes and the stories behind them — rendered in oil paint rather than words. Wild Hearts Gallery presents Joan Fenicle: In the Spirit of Haiku from June 2–28, with an artist reception Saturday, June 13 from 1–3 p.m. at the gallery at […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Sandoval County Democrats launch voter outreach, fight childhood hunger in Rio Rancho
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. Rio Rancho may have a reputation as a Republican stronghold, but the Democratic Party of Sandoval County is betting the city is closer to purple — and it’s fighting childhood hunger to make the case. Party chair Greg Bennett sat down with The Paper. to lay out two parallel […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho council takes first step towards approving $18M bond sale, names new deputy mayor
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. Rio Rancho residents who voted in March to fund road repairs, public safety upgrades and quality-of-life improvements moved a step closer to seeing that money put to work Thursday night, as the city council approved the first reading of an ordinance to issue $18 million in general obligation bonds. […]
Posted inSandoval County
Early voting expands Saturday as unaffiliated voters make first moves in Sandoval County primary
Early voting in Sandoval County expands Saturday to 11 community locations across the county — and the first 10 days of balloting have already shown how a new state law is reshaping who participates in the June 2 primary. As of May 14, 2,197 Sandoval County voters had cast ballots through absentee mail and early […]
Posted inPlacitas
Free tech help coming to Placitas, Bernalillo seniors this month
Sandoval County seniors can get free, face-to-face tech help this month when Teeniors — a program pairing tech-savvy teens with older adults — brings classes and one-on-one coaching to Placitas and Bernalillo. The Placitas session, “Loneliness & Connection in the Digital Age,” runs Friday, May 15 at 10 a.m. at the Placitas Senior Center. Presenter […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Bargains, books and blooms: Your Weekend Guide for May 15-17
Rio Rancho residents looking for weekend plans in and around the City of Vision this weekend can expect a heavy dose of outdoor markets, community fundraisers and historical showcases. From the return of the Corrales Garden Tour to a massive community yard sale in Rio Rancho, here is your guide to what’s happening in and […]
Posted inRio Rancho
‘A bridge too far:’ Stoddard loses key endorsements following reports of history with guns, domestic violence
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Two Republican state legislators withdrew their endorsements of Sandoval County Commission District 3 candidate Daniel Stoddard after The Paper. reported on a May 1 incident in which a hotel manager said Stoddard drew a revolver and threatened to shoot him — and a December 2024 domestic battery arrest at […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho honors fallen officers at annual memorial ceremony
A large crowd gathered Thursday morning at Veterans Memorial Park in Rio Rancho to honor three police officers killed in the line of duty, with city and state officials calling on newer officers to learn the names and stories of those who came before them. The Rio Rancho Police Department’s annual Fallen Officer Memorial ceremony […]