Posted inRio Rancho

Rio Rancho’s longest-serving mayor passes the gavel, sets sights on governor’s race

The tributes ran long and the tears came easy as Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull gaveled out of office April 23 as the city’s longest-serving mayor. Hull addressed the Governing Body for the final time, citing road reconstruction, the city’s aquifer recharge facility, a new permanent fund and a strengthened partnership with Intel Corporation among […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Government, NM.news

The next time you dial 911 in ABQ, a drone might be the first responder

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Seconds after a gunshot is heard across Albuquerque, police launch a drone from a rooftop hive and speed toward the sound. The goal is to arrive before officers, with its camera already rolling, as part of the cityโ€™s โ€œdrone as a first responderโ€ program. The Albuquerque Police Departmentโ€™s (APD) […]

Posted inPlacitas

Sandoval County seeks state funding to study water system regionalization in Placitas, Algodones

Dozens of small private water associations in the Placitas and Algodones areas could gain more reliable, sustainable water service under a regionalization effort Sandoval County commissioners unanimously backed Wednesday. Commissioners adopted Resolution No. 4-22-26.11B, authorizing county staff to apply to the New Mexico Finance Authority’s Technical Assistance Program to fund a consultant-led feasibility study. The […]

Posted inLocal Government, Rio Rancho

Rio Rancho road construction picks up this summer as city maps out projects through 2028

Rio Rancho drivers will see road construction ramp up this summer and into 2028 as the city launches six road projects using state grants and voter-approved bond funds. City Public Works Department Director BJ Gottlieb told the Rio Rancho Governing Body during a work session Tuesday that two state Transportation Project Fund grant projects are […]

Posted inAlbuquerque, City Desk ABQ, Local Government

History made: ABQ confirms the first female police chief and new safety director

The Duke City just made history by shattering the glass ceiling as City Councilors confirmed Cecily Barker as the cityโ€™s first female police chief and approved a public safety overhaul that created a new public safety director role and filled it with former FBI official Raul Bujanda. On Monday, the City Council unanimously approved Barker […]

Posted inLocal Government

โ€˜It would be a lot cooler if you didโ€™: ABQ council passes cooling rules โ€” but not the ones the sponsor wanted

Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For thousands of Burqueรฑos struggling to keep their homes cool as temperatures climb earlier each year, a common landlord workaround is now off the table โ€” but the stronger protections one councilor fought for didn’t make it through. City councilors voted 5-4 Monday night to approve O-26-22, an amendment to […]

Posted inSandoval County

Sandoval County commissioners to tackle bonds, water, bridges and landfill staffing

Sandoval County residents from Placitas to Cuba will see decisions affecting their water supply, road safety and emergency services when commissioners gather Wednesday night in Bernalillo. The Board of County Commissioners meets at 6 p.m. at the Administrative Building Commission Chambers, 1500 Idalia Road, Building D. County Financial Advisor Rob Burpo of First American Financial […]

Posted inFood & Drink

City orders Downtown Lindy’s Diner closed over fear the building will collapse

City officials ordered an emergency closure of Lindy’s restaurant, a Downtown staple, on Monday after public complaints about the building’s bulging exterior prompted city officials to order a structural inspection. Owners say that the location is one of the longest continually-operated restaurant locations on Route 66. For 97-years, restaurants operating out of the the Bliss […]