Mayor Tim Keller was one of the 200 Democratic mayors who met with President Joe Biden over a video call Tuesday, City Desk ABQ confirmed. Following his poor debate performance, Biden joined a call with the Democratic Mayors Association to discuss his vision for a second term and how they can support his campaign. The […]
Albuquerque
Increasing homelessness has Westsiders looking for answers
Those experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque often naturally congregate near areas where food, clothing, transit, medical care and addiction services are available. Two of the most highly trafficked areas are in Downtown and across the city’s International District. But on the city’s Westside, the stretch of Coors Boulevard from Central Avenue to I-40, has emerged as […]
New housing program offers quicker permits — without the additional fee
Those building new housing projects now have access to the Planning Department’s “Fast Housing” tool online to quickly find areas of town that qualify for expedited permits without additional fees. The Planning Department provides an optional, fee-based program called “FasTrax” — $1,000 minimum — to accelerate the plan review process and ensure completion by specific […]
Will ABQ get ‘Safe Haven Baby Boxes’?
Albuquerque may be on its way to getting baby boxes — usually installed in fire departments under the promise of giving parents a way to anonymously surrender their baby. City Councilors Renée Grout and Klarissa Peña want Albuquerque to become the next city to get Safe Haven Baby Boxes and plan to bring a resolution […]
How many hours of work does it take to afford an apartment?
A New Mexican earning the state’s minimum wage of $12 an hour would need to work 60 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom apartment at the fair market rate of $942 a month. In order to work a typical 40-hour workweek, the renter’s hourly wage would need to be $21.81. Albuquerque metro area renters, […]
Albuquerque to be home to a national cemetery
By next year, veterans will be able to be buried right here in Albuquerque at a newly constructed national cemetery. Albuquerque will be the new home to the third national cemetery in the state — joining the Santa Fe National Cemetery and Fort Bayard National Cemetery in providing a burial place for veterans. The U.S. […]
It’s official: New Albuquerque Community Safety director appointed
Fresh off moving into its new headquarters, the Albuquerque Community Safety Department has a new — yet familiar — director. Jodie Esquibel, who had been the department’s acting director since March, officially took the permanent position Friday. In a press release announcing Esquibel’s selection, Mayor Tim Keller said ACS is transforming public safety in the […]
How many fireworks complaints did the City receive this week?
Residents filed far fewer complaints about illegal fireworks on July 4th and the days leading up to it this year than they did last year — and there were significantly fewer outside fires. Lt. Jason Fejer, a spokesperson for Albuquerque Fire Rescue, said in a news release that all reports of illegal fireworks were routed […]
Here’s how much councilors, commissioners and school board members make
At the last City Council meeting, Councilor Klarissa Peña proposed an amendment to change the way salary increases work so all councilors receive a raise at the same time. Currently, some make more than others after the Citizens’ Independent Salary Commission — the commission that determines their salaries — decided last year that councilors needed […]
Battling loud cars with technology
Nick Ferenchak likes his quiet — whether sleeping at night or hiking in the Sandia Mountains — and he has a plan to preserve his quietude from noisy vehicles. Ferenchak, an assistant professor in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at the University of New Mexico, is the president of Not-A-Loud, […]