Some big buck property expenditures are on the table for Bernalillo County commissioners to debate at their May 15 meeting. Also up for consideration is an amended resolution to establish a process for hiring a county manager, extending a tax to support the University of New Mexico Hospital and increasing money for public art. Tax […]
Albuquerque
Reader-supported
Anatomy of an encampment
A private dirt lot located one block north of East Central Avenue in Albuquerque’s International District recently saw a swell of activity from an illegal encampment. About 50 people experiencing homelessness were living on the site that functioned as a makeshift community. There was considerable trash on the street and reports of burglary, vandalism, public […]
Reader-supported
City Council committee listens to budget concerns from residents
Housing, community safety services, Explora and funding for disc golf topped the list of public comments at a meeting of city leaders to hear city budget concerns. What’s COW? The Albuquerque City Council’s Committee of the Whole (COW) met Thursday to hear resident input on the mayor’s proposed $1.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2025. […]
Reader-supported
Who sued the city and how much did they settle for?
In the fall of 2023 — from October through December — the city paid out more than $3 million in settlements for various lawsuits. Residents sued after they tripped and fell on sidewalks, for discrimination and for civil rights violations. Two people were in crashes with solid waste employees and two were in crashes with […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
‘There was no real security.’ Witness describes scene at convention center graduation shooting
A mother is recovering after being shot by her stepson during a graduation ceremony for Southwest Secondary Learning Center, at the Albuquerque Convention Center, on Wednesday, according to court documents. Cristian Joshua Bencomo, 21, was taken into custody directly following the incident and is charged with aggravated battery of a household member, use of a […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Housing & Homelessness
International District has become an urban ‘pharmacy desert’
Not that long ago there were three large commercial pharmacies located within the boundaries of Albuquerque’s International District — Walmart, CVS and Walgreens — including a small independent one, Phil’s Pills. Today, only Phil’s Pills remains. The effect for residents seeking to fill prescriptions has become a problem with potentially dire consequences. “For some folks, […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Woman shot, injured inside convention center
A woman was shot and seriously injured inside the Albuquerque Convention Center Wednesday evening while a gradutation ceremony was taking place. It was not immediately clear if the victim or suspect were involved in the graduation ceremony, which police say was for the Southwest Secondary Learning Center charter school. The suspect has been taken into […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Another officer — the 9th — put on leave amidst internal investigation of DWI unit
The Albuquerque Police Department has expanded its internal investigation into corruption in the DWI unit to yet another officer — bringing the total to nine. Matthew Trahan was put on leave Wednesday, APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos confirmed. He said Trahan was hired in 2006 and served in the DWI unit from 2014 to 2016. Of […]
Reader-supported
Heading Home will no longer run Westside shelter; city hasn’t found new operator
The embattled Westside Emergency Housing Center (WEHC) took another hit this month after the city was unable to find an operator to run it starting July 1. Two organizations applied for a $4.1 million annual contract, but officials said their proposals were “unsatisfactory, incomplete and ineligible.” Operator Albuquerque Heading Home, whose current three-year contract expires […]
Reader-supported
Council moves Westside mixed-use development forward
Albuquerque city councilors rejected an appeal from neighborhood groups opposed to a Westside development, paving the way for the mixed-use project to move forward. Tierra West LLC is planning townhouses, office space, a cannabis retailer and a restaurant at Coors Boulevard and 7 Bar Loop Road. Representatives of the Bosque del Acres Neighborhood Association have […]