By Kevin Hendricks — The Paper. Professional hockey returns to New Mexico this fall when the Goatheads drop the puck on their inaugural ECHL season Oct. 16 at the Rio Rancho Events Center — bringing the state its first pro hockey team since the New Mexico Scorpions folded in 2009. The team released its full […]
Rio Rancho
Posted in+Arts & Culture
Memorial Day weekend brings ceremonies, music and festivals to Rio Rancho area
By Kevin Hendricks — The Paper. Rio Rancho and neighboring communities mark Memorial Day weekend with a full schedule of events — from solemn military tributes to live music, outdoor markets and regional festivals — running Friday through Monday, May 22–25. The weekend’s anchor event is Rio Rancho’s annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Beyond the badge: How ‘Steele Got Your Six’ is mobilizing the Rio Rancho community to support police families
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. A Rio Rancho woman who spent decades watching law enforcement families quietly struggle in crisis launched a nonprofit to change that — and in less than two years, it has already reached nearly 400 people. Laci Steele founded Steele Got Your Six in December 2024 after years of funding […]
Posted inSandoval County
Pentagon taps Sandoval County missile maker for hypersonic weapon contract
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. The Pentagon has signed a first-of-its-kind production deal with Castelion Corporation to manufacture its Blackbeard hypersonic strike missile — and Sandoval County’s Project Ranger facility will be where those weapons get built. The Defense Department — which the Trump administration refers to as the Department of War — announced […]
Posted inRio Rancho
National Labor Leader praises RioTECH as a blueprint for collaborative CTE education
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. All 20 seniors at RioTECH are graduating this week — every one of them holding an industry-recognized credential, and some leaving with an associate’s degree before finishing high school. It is the school’s first graduating class. RioTECH — an acronym for Technical Education Career Hub — opened in fall […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Sandoval County Democrats launch voter outreach, fight childhood hunger in Rio Rancho
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. Rio Rancho may have a reputation as a Republican stronghold, but the Democratic Party of Sandoval County is betting the city is closer to purple — and it’s fighting childhood hunger to make the case. Party chair Greg Bennett sat down with The Paper. to lay out two parallel […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho council takes first step towards approving $18M bond sale, names new deputy mayor
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. Rio Rancho residents who voted in March to fund road repairs, public safety upgrades and quality-of-life improvements moved a step closer to seeing that money put to work Thursday night, as the city council approved the first reading of an ordinance to issue $18 million in general obligation bonds. […]
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Bargains, books and blooms: Your Weekend Guide for May 15-17
Rio Rancho residents looking for weekend plans in and around the City of Vision this weekend can expect a heavy dose of outdoor markets, community fundraisers and historical showcases. From the return of the Corrales Garden Tour to a massive community yard sale in Rio Rancho, here is your guide to what’s happening in and […]
Posted inRio Rancho
‘A bridge too far:’ Stoddard loses key endorsements following reports of history with guns, domestic violence
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Two Republican state legislators withdrew their endorsements of Sandoval County Commission District 3 candidate Daniel Stoddard after The Paper. reported on a May 1 incident in which a hotel manager said Stoddard drew a revolver and threatened to shoot him — and a December 2024 domestic battery arrest at […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho honors fallen officers at annual memorial ceremony
A large crowd gathered Thursday morning at Veterans Memorial Park in Rio Rancho to honor three police officers killed in the line of duty, with city and state officials calling on newer officers to learn the names and stories of those who came before them. The Rio Rancho Police Department’s annual Fallen Officer Memorial ceremony […]