Cannabis appears to be on track to have another multi-million-dollar year in communities east of Albuquerque. According to data from the Cannabis Control Division, dispensaries serving the East Mountains, Edgewood and Estancia Valley sold more than $2.8 million worth of medical and adult-use cannabis over the first six months of 2024. New Mexico’s total cannabis […]
Housing & Homelessness
Use It or Lose It: Assessor Targets Agricultural Exemptions for Tax Rate Review
This story originally appeared in the Corrales Comment, our sister publication, covering the Village of Corrales.By Jesse Jones, Corrales Comment – For years, many rural Sandoval County residents have enjoyed their large agricultural lots and the tax breaks that come with it. But a new review of agricultural exemptions throughout the county could mean that […]
MRGCD’s Available Storage Water Could Be Depleted This Week
Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) water managers expect to run out of available storage water sometime during the first week of September, according to an update posted by the District last week. At the end of July, MRGCD began releasing water from San Juan- Chama Project (SJCP) storage to supplement low natural river flow […]
As temperatures rise, most vulnerable communities are often the hottest
Summer 2024 in Albuquerque is on track to be one of the hottest on record — adding to a string of high temps in recent years that have packed a punch. But heat in the metro isn’t evenly distributed — it tends to be most intense in historically underserved areas, in part due to an […]
Do you need a place to sleep? Here’s a map of shelters in Albuquerque
The question of how many beds are available for people experiencing homelessness has emerged as a sticking point as cities across the country grapple with how to tackle the issue. With this in mind, City Desk ABQ called around to 14 shelters identified by the City of Albuquerque and the New Mexico Coalition to End […]
Keller aims to expand homeless, recovery services
Mayor Tim Keller used the occasion of his State of the City address Aug. 17 to highlight a series of initiatives (some new, some in progress) that are designed to improve the lot of those experiencing homelessness — including adding or bolstering four city-run facilities to serve different populations. The Metro Homelessness Initiative (MHI) is […]
A dearth of public bathrooms is more than just an inconvenience
At Mayor Tim Keller’s State of the City address, he said there are an estimated 5,000 people living on the streets in Albuquerque. For those thousands — along with other city residents — locating a public restroom can be a challenge. While there’s no shortage of proposed solutions, city officials and advocates alike say none […]
Housing shortage could put brakes on new short-term rentals
The surge of short-term rentals and the rise of companies such as Airbnb has made it more difficult to find a home to rent or a house to buy in Albuquerque. The issue has spurred city councilors to propose a bill to limit the number of short-term rentals in certain areas, but others say it’s […]
International District could see $50 million boost from feds
The buzz has been building among city officials and International District residents about the prospect that up to $50 million in federal money could be funneled into an area that desperately needs it. The city and the Albuquerque Housing Authority (AHA) were recently awarded a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant through the U.S. Department of […]
Task force recommends universal basic income for at-risk families in NM
By Austin Fisher A task force created by the New Mexico Legislature to address children’s well-being has a simple suggestion for reducing child poverty: give families money. The Children’s Code Reform Task Force looked over New Mexico’s child and family welfare law, and came up with 25 different recommendations which represent “an evolving understanding of the […]
