Bernalillo County residents are invited to meet the final candidates for county manager Tuesday evening. Marcos Gonzales, Joseph Lessard and Cindy Chavez are vying to replace County Manager Julie Morgas Baca, who is retiring June 30. HOW TO PARTICIPATE – CANDIDATE FORUM WHEN: 5 p.m. June 18WHERE: Ken Sanchez Commission Chambers in BernalilloCounty@Alvarado Square, 415 […]
Congress & Federal Gov.
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Courts, Justice & Safety
Hot town, summer in the city: APD expands resources Downtown
The Albuquerque Police Department will start increasing its presence Downtown this summer with specialty units, including horse mounted, tactical and traffic officers and those who are assigned to the Targeted Enforcement Active Monitoring (TEAMS) overtime program. According to APD, at the beginning of summer, they noticed an increase in people gathering Downtown. Officers since then […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Study links pollution to low birth weight in New Mexico
The authors of a new study say they have found a link between industrial air pollution in New Mexico and the state’s higher-than-average rates of babies with low birth weight. The study, conducted by a team that includes members from the University of New Mexico, found that the relevant emissions were largely concentrated in the […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Westside Albuquerque
New Mexico Democrats vote against the National Defense Authorization Act due to wedge-issue amendments
This story is republished from NM Political Report, a nonprofit news outlet, as a part of our commitment to bringing you the best in independent news coverage that matters to Albuquerque. By Susan Dunlap The bill passed by a 217-to-199 vote, on Friday, largely along party lines with Republicans introducing over 300 amendments to the […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Westside Albuquerque
Tobacco-like warning label for social media sought by US surgeon general who asks Congress to act
By MICHELLE CHAPMAN The U.S. surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes. In a Monday opinion piece in the The New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Housing & Homelessness
Rage rooms, escape rooms as addiction treatment
A nonprofit that operates intensive outpatient counseling and a methadone clinic for people experiencing homelessness and those with addiction and mental health disorders is expanding in Albuquerque’s International District. On July 1, State of the Heart Recovery is set to add a barber school and rooms for “experiential experiences” — like an escape room, paint […]
Posted inLocal Government
Bernalillo County commission broke transparency law
State investigators determined Bernalillo County commissioners violated the open meetings law when they established a process for choosing a new county manager. This means the commission will have to meet again to re-do their deliberations in public. The New Mexico Department of Justice notified county officials in a letter Thursday that it found the commission […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Westside Albuquerque
New Mexico a leader in chronic absenteeism in public schools according to state reports
By LEAH ROMERO Public school students in New Mexico experienced the highest increase in chronic absenteeism between 2019 and 2023 in the country, according to a recent Legislative Finance Committee report. State lawmakers were clued in on student attendance this week by LFC analysts and New Mexico Public Education Department representatives. The major takeaway: New Mexico […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Local Government
What to expect: councilors expected to vote on city charter, zoning changes
Controversial city charter amendments, zoning changes and legislation to create a commission for the Route 66 Visitors Center — which was built in 2022 but has yet to open — will be debated at the Albuquerque City Council meeting on Monday. City charter changes After postponing them twice, city councilors are expected to vote on […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Westside Albuquerque
Supreme Court strikes down Trump-era ban on rapid-fire rifle bump stocks, reopening political fight
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, the rapid-fire gun accessories used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, in a ruling that threw firearms back into the nation’s political spotlight. The high court’s conservative majority found that the Trump administration overstepped when it changed course from predecessors and banned bump […]