Sandoval County Archives

Darren Vaughan of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish told the Corrales Comment that as of Oct. 20, authorities have opened 34 complaints related to bears in Sandoval County and 51 in Bernalillo County. This bear was found in Rio Rancho's Cabezon neighborhood this summer. (RRPD)

Be bear aware: Ursine spotting in Corrales means humans should take caution

by Rodd Cayton 17 hours agoOctober 22, 2026

By Rodd Cayton — Here, a bear! There, a bear! Is 2026 the year of the bear in Corrales? The police department earlier this week reported a bear sighting on El Dorado Road. That’s at least the fourth in the area since spring. In an August message to the community, Mayor Fred Hashimoto wrote of […]

Rio Rancho’s Fall Festival is still happening Saturday — just not where you might expect. Due to weather concerns, the city moved the annual autumn celebration from Campus Park to the Rio Rancho Events Center, spreading activities between the arena floor and the front parking lot. It’s the biggest local anchor of a weekend that also brings professional hockey watch parties for three straight nights, two free community lectures in Bernalillo, a prescription drug take-back event and a Goosebumps sequel on The BLOCK’s outdoor screen.

Events

Fall Festival moves indoors, Goatheads watch parties and free movies round out a packed weekend

by Kevin Hendricks, Editor 20 hours agoOctober 22, 2026

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Rio Rancho’s Fall Festival is still happening Saturday — just not where you might expect. Due to weather concerns, the city moved the annual autumn celebration from Campus Park to the Rio Rancho Events Center, spreading activities between the arena floor and the front parking lot. It’s the biggest […]

An automated license plate reader. (Roberto E. Rosales)

Local Government

Plate expectations: Sandoval County now requires permits for license plate cameras

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Want to put up a license plate reader camera on a Sandoval County road? You’ll need permission from Planning and Zoning first, or you could face criminal charges. Sandoval County commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance at their Oct. 14 meeting. It bans automated license plate readers on county property […]

Sandoval County voters head to the polls Tuesday for the June 2 primary — and more than 16,300 ballots are already in the books after early and absentee voting closed Saturday, May 30.

Politics & Elections

Meth, fentanyl found on Sandoval County absentee ballots; clerk says no workers exposed

by Kevin Hendricks, Editor October 16, 2026October 16, 2026

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Sandoval County election workers found methamphetamine and fentanyl on multiple absentee ballots Friday morning. County officials say no one was exposed, and every affected vote will still count. Initial tests flagged the drugs in election mail at the county’s Bureau of Elections warehouse, County Clerk Anne Brady-Romero reported. Local, […]

Politics & Elections

Early returns: Nearly 5,000 Sandoval County ballots cast as voting expands Saturday

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Nearly 5,000 Sandoval County voters have already cast ballots for the Nov. 3 election. Starting Saturday, everyone else gets a lot more places to do the same. Early voting expands to 21 more sites across the county on Oct. 17, including five in Rio Rancho. Until now, the only […]

Jemez Historic Site offers a full day and evening of astronomy Saturday. In “Looking to the Skies” (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Albuquerque photographer Joey Sandoval leads a workshop on DSLR and cellphone nighttime photography, followed by safe solar viewing through a special telescope. That evening, “Star Gazing at Gisewa” (8 to 11 p.m.) brings Sandoval back for guided night-sky photography alongside telescope viewing of stars, the moon and Saturn.

Events

From the ice rink to stargazing: The best things to do in Sandoval County this weekend

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Professional hockey is back in New Mexico. That alone would make this a noteworthy weekend, but Rio Rancho and the surrounding region add an R&B arena show, a free Halloween movie night, an astrophotography workshop, a pet shot clinic and a comedian who got fired from Trader Joe’s for […]

Sandoval County

Sandoval County commissioners to consider criminalizing illegal license plate readers, call for safety fixes on U.S. 550

by Kevin Hendricks October 13, 2026October 13, 2026

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Anyone running a license plate reader camera on Sandoval County roads or property without a permit could face criminal charges under an ordinance county commissioners vote on Wednesday night. The ordinance bans automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, on county rights-of-way and county-owned property unless the Planning and Zoning Commission […]

Hot air balloons fill the sky over Albuquerque during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The annual event draws hundreds of thousands of guest visits and generates millions of dollars in economic activity for the city. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales/City Desk ABQ.

Sandoval County

Your weekend lineup: Stand-up comedy, All Hallows Fest, and the Balloon Fiesta’s final send-off

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. The Balloon Fiesta enters its final stretch this weekend as Rio Rancho and Sandoval County serve up a proper fall weekend — pumpkins, stained glass, fire extinguisher demos, a live turkey and a comedian who played Sabrina’s aunt for nine seasons. Friday: The Fiesta continues and Hilda Spellman comes to […]

Sandoval County

Pay raise: Citizen panel bumps salaries 12.11% for Sandoval County’s next class of elected officials

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. The next Sandoval County sheriff, assessor, probate judge and two county commissioners will start their terms with a 12.11% raise. For the first time, residents, not politicians, picked the number. The county’s new Elected Officials Salary Commission approved the increase 4-1 at its Sept. 30 meeting. District 2 member Romie […]

Democrat Frank Smith Jr., left, and Republican Edwin Paul Linson, right, faced off during a Sept. 29 forum hosted by the Rio Rancho Observer and the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce. Smith is a Marine veteran with a law degree who chairs the New Mexico Veterans and Military Families Caucus. Linson is a 24-year law enforcement veteran and former police chief who runs a real estate business with his wife. The Rio Rancho-centered seat is on the Nov. 3 ballot, and early voting started Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Sandoval County

Pass the bill? District 3 commission hopefuls split on who pays for growth

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County’s District 3 commission candidates agree Rio Rancho needs better roads and better-paying jobs. They split on whether Washington should pick up the tab. Democrat Frank Smith Jr. and Republican Edwin Paul Linson faced off during a Sept. 29 forum hosted by the Rio Rancho Observer and the Rio […]