By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque is suing some of the biggest names in tobacco to make them pay for the cleanup of cigarette butts that clog city storm drains, litter public parks and reach the Rio Grande. The city alleges the companies have known for decades that their plastic filters create pollution and […]
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho police will roll out 25 new body-worn cameras, automatic evidence tagging and virtual reality training after the Governing Body voted Aug. 27 to consolidate three separate Axon contracts into one 90-month agreement. Lt. Brandon McKinney told the council the deal bundles existing TASER, body-worn camera and Fusus real-time […]
By Rodd Cayton Community members who may have been forgotten in life will be remembered Sept. 3 with a special ceremony at Fairview Memorial Park. Bernalillo County each year invites the public to honor those who recently died. “This program is important because it ensures that every unclaimed or indigent resident receives a dignified memorial, […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Parents across the Duke City pushed back against Albuquerque Public Schools’ use of artificial intelligence to record, analyze and store elementary students’ voices without explicit parental consent. The district listened and is now changing how it handles those recordings. At the center of the debate is Amira AI, an […]
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County property values keep climbing — up nearly $1 billion on residential improvements alone in the past year — but the office pricing them out says staffing hasn’t kept pace with growth. New Assessor Ed Olona, appointed by commissioners in July after his predecessor resigned amid a dual-paycheck scandal, […]
By Rodd Cayton On the advice of an attorney — and against the wishes of dozens of residents who packed their chamber — Sandoval County Commissioners approved an application from parties seeking to erect a communications tower in Placitas. The planning and zoning commission in May denied the conditional use permit that would have allowed […]
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho’s Governing Body will decide Thursday whether to expand its Axon technology contract to nearly $4.4 million over 90 months, adding 25 more body cameras, AI-assisted translation and virtual reality use-of-force training to the police department’s toolkit. The council meets at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Council Chambers, with […]
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. District 2 has a vacancy on the horizon. Councilor Jeremy Lenentine announced Aug. 19 he’s resigning for family considerations, with his last day in office set for Nov. 12 — handing Mayor Paul Wymer the job of finding a replacement under the same fast-track process that seated Councilor David Mann […]
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — On the streets of Burque, it’s a tale of two financial realities: Automated speed cameras are bringing the city millions in revenue, while increasing police and fire costs are continuing to outpace the city budget’s projections. According to the city’s third quarter fiscal year 2026 revenue and expense report […]
By Rodd Cayton In a decision free of fanfare, the Bernalillo Town Council has named Bryan Picchione as the next fire chief. The unanimous vote makes permanent the position for Picchione, a lieutenant who had been serving as interim chief since the spring, when Chief AJ Bonnett’s term wasn’t extended. The 12-year department veteran has […]
