Posted inAlbuquerque, State Government

NM students may have new requirements to get that diploma

By Margaret O’Hara/The Santa Fe New Mexican A new set of high school graduation requirements won approval Monday from the Senate Education Committee — but not without disagreement over whether the state should require students to take financial literacy courses. Sponsored by Rep. Andrés Romero, D-Albuquerque, and Rep. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, House Bill 171 is designed to […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, Education

After months of searching, APS school board hires a familiar face to lead the district

School board members have selected Dr. Gabriella Durán Blakey as the next superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools. Her selection, by a unanimous vote, was announced at a press conference this morning, concluding a search that began in October. Board of Education President Danielle Gonzales noted that the search included numerous meetings and listening sessions, as […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, crime-courts

Father of co-defendant of Solomon Peña pleads guilty to interfering in electoral process

The second of three defendants facing federal charges for his part in a series of shootings targeting the homes of local lawmakers last year pleaded guilty Friday afternoon to conspiracy, interfering with federally protected activities, and using a firearm during those crimes. Demetrio Trujillo, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy, two counts of interference with federally […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, City Hall, Housing & Homelessness

Who will be APD’s new watchdog?

Tackling the problem of revamping the city’s housing voucher program is set to be debated at Monday’s Albuquerque City Council meeting. Also on the government table is taking a look at selecting a director of the struggling Civilian Police Oversight Agency. CPOA Leader Albuquerque’s police oversight agency has been without a permanent executive director since […]

Posted inNew Mexico, State Government

House panel OKs ban on book bans

By Nathan Brown/The Santa Fe New Mexican A bill before the state Legislature to make it harder to remove books from public libraries based on objections to their content took a step forward Thursday evening. House Bill 123 made it out of the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on a 4-2 party-line vote. Sponsored […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, City Hall, Downtown, Housing & Homelessness

With smiles and surveys, volunteers count city’s homeless

Car trunks were packed with goodie bags filled with granola bars, gummy bears, crackers and bottles of water as teams of volunteers carpooled to different areas of the city this week. On day and night shifts, they walked sidewalks, cul-de-sacs, alleys, bike trails, arroyos and busy intersections. They looked under bridges, scanned perimeters of vacant […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, crime-courts

5 years, 29 cases, just 1 conviction

Since 2017, nearly every DWI case where Albuquerque Police Officer Honorio Alba made the arrest and Thomas Clear was the defense attorney ended up getting dismissed. A City Desk ABQ review of court records in the 29 cases revealed that only one case resulted in a defendant being sentenced. Over and over the cases were […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, City Hall

What do you think of the city’s Rail Trail idea? The city wants to know.

The City’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (MRA) published the public comment draft of the comprehensive report “Advancing Inclusive Growth through the Albuquerque Rail Trail,” with the idea of creating a more inclusive and vibrant urban environment in Albuquerque. Now the City is asking the community to read the report and give feedback via a survey at cabq.gov/railtrailequity. […]