Rio Rancho residents have two opportunities this month to weigh in before the city adopts a $452 million spending plan for the coming fiscal year — and the first public hearing is Thursday night. The Governing Body opens public comment on the Recommended Fiscal Year 2027 Budget at its 6 p.m. regular meeting May 14 […]
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Posted inLocal Government
City Council considers stricter repair timelines for ‘Bad Actor’ landlords
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — City councilors and landlords all agree that a handful of “bad actors” are giving landlords citywide a bad image, but a proposal before the city council to increase fines and require faster repairs by the worst offenders faced challenges in it’s first hearing. The city received more than 2,111 […]
Posted inJobs, Workers & Economy
STEM Educator Shelly Gruenig and her robots are a ‘force for good’
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – Shelly Gruenig did not set out to build one of New Mexico’s most impactful STEM organizations. Twenty-one years ago, she was simply a homeschool mom looking for something fun for her son to do. “I stumbled across this robotics competition, and I was like, ‘Oh, we could do that. […]
Posted inJemez & Jemez Spring
Indigenous astronomy program looks to the skies at Jemez Historic Site
Visitors to Jemez Historic Site can explore the skies through the eyes of Southwestern Indigenous people at a free astronomy presentation this Saturday. An instructional coordinator leads the program May 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., covering how Indigenous peoples of the Southwest observed and interpreted the world above them — and how they […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho seeks residents for nine boards and commissions
Rio Rancho residents who want a direct role in shaping city policy on everything from parks to public infrastructure now have a chance to serve — the city is accepting applications for open seats on nine boards and commissions. Seats are vacant or soon to expire on the Arts Commission, Capital Improvements Plan Citizen’s Advisory […]
Posted inEdgewood
Rariden welcomed back to commission, for now, as efforts to restore fire service move forward
By Pat Davis, Route 66 Independent, Edgewood — Mike Rariden started and ended the Edgewood Town Commission meeting as a commissioner and mayor. That is not normally a newsworthy event but Tuesday’s meeting was not an ordinary meeting. After announcing in April that he would resign “during the week of May 4-8,” he rescinded his […]
Posted inEdgewood
Edgewood adopts fireworks ban, punts on criminalizing some activities during fire restrictions
By Pat Davis, Route 66 Indepdent, Edgewood — Heading into a long, hot and dry summer with regular Edgewood windy days and uncertain fire department coverage, town commissioners passed a new 30-day fireworks ban but postponed a decision on giving the town’s police officers powers to criminally charge residents for violating a long list of […]
Posted inRio Rancho
‘Nothing burger’ vs. legal pattern: Stoddard’s gun dispute and dismissed domestic battery case
A former Rio Rancho councilor now running for Sandoval County Commission pulled a revolver and threatened to shoot a hotel manager during a dispute over hot tub water temperature, according to a Truth or Consequences police report. Daniel Stoddard called the incident a “nothing burger.” Court and police records show it was not his first […]
Posted inEdgewood
Edgewood mayor withdraws resignation, but commission schedules replacement vote anyway
Edgewood — Mike Raridan says he is still Edgewood’s mayor after announcing, then withdrawing, his resignation from his commission seat and the appointed office of mayor last month. The town’s commissioners, however, have scheduled a vote on Tuesday night’s agenda to appoint a new commissioner and elect a new mayor anyway. On April 29, Raridan […]
Posted inSandoval County
Sandoval County ethics ordinance change to streamline process, remove anonymity
Sandoval County Commissioners have ethics on their minds. At Wednesday’s meeting, the commission will consider updating the county’s ethics ordinance. Ethics board Chair Nancy Jinks will present the board’s first-quarter report later in the meeting. New language in the ordinance would change the route taken by ethics complaints and do away with one layer of […]