Posted inThe Paper.

Albuquerqueโ€™s Mayor said arrests were โ€œNot the solutionโ€ to homelessness. Yet jail bookings have skyrocketed.

By Nicole Santa Cruz and Ruth Talbot, ProPublica, photography by Ramsay de Give for ProPublica — During his reelection campaign last fall, the mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, criticized his challenger for suggesting the city should get tougher on the homeless population. Such an approach would be cruel, Tim Keller said during a televised debate […]

Posted inLocal Government

Albuquerque councilors propose tax hike to raise over $100 million for new projects, staff pay

By Jesse Jones — A new proposed City Council ordinance, O-26-16, known as the Community Enhancement Municipal Gross Receipts Tax and sponsored by Councilors Joaquรญn Baca and Brook Bassan and Mayor Tim Kellerโ€™s administration, would raise the cityโ€™s gross receipts tax (GRT), a local sales tax on goods and services, by .4875% — generating an […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, City Desk ABQ, Local Government

Council eyes new African American board, aims to quell fire rescue staffing conflict

By Jesse Jones — Tonight, the Albuquerque City Council will consider a new African American Advisory Board and a measure revising staffing rules for Albuquerque Fire Rescue. Sponsored by Councilor Nichole Rogers, ordinance O-26-11 would create an African American Advisory Board to advise the mayor on issues affecting African Americans. The board would focus on economic mobility, […]

Posted in+Arts & Culture, Albuquerque, The Paper.

In an age of curated feeds and filtered moments, Burque gets personal at Duke City Story Slam

On a Tuesday night at Canteen Brewhouse, the lights dim just enough to shift the mood. Conversations taper off, glasses settle onto wooden tables and all eyes turn toward a single microphone at the front of the room. There is no band warming up, no punchlines being tested. Instead, there is anticipation, the quiet kind […]

Posted inLocal Government

Albuquerque paid $8 million in lawsuits while Council oversight went dark for a year

By Jesse Jones — For nearly 12 months, the City of Albuquerque’s legal department failed to deliver required reports detailing how much the city paid in lawsuitsย to the City Council. Editor’s note: In researching this story, a Council spokesperson told City Desk that the last report received by the council was “in Q1 2025.” After […]