By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Neighbors who spent weeks circulating petitions and distributing flyers against a proposed Maverik gas station near Enchanted Hills Elementary School got a reprieve Thursday night when the Rio Rancho Governing Body voted 4-2 to postpone the site plan vote until September 10. The vote delayed — but did not kill […]
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Posted inAlbuquerque
Do You Believe in Magic?
By Skye Rivers, Santa Fe Reporter & The Paper.— Somewhere between medicine and controversy sits a mushroom. For decades, psilocybin lived in the shadows. The naturally occurring psychedelic compound, found in certain species of fungi, was better known by its street name: magic mushrooms. The mushroom itself is just the organism that produces it. Revered […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Top New Mexico Republican official charged in fatal hit and run, months after being charged with street racing and speeding
Investigators in Doña Ana County used traffic cameras, GPS and old fashioned detective work to track down the vehicle and driver witnesses photographed leaving the scene of a deadly midday hit-and-run earlier this week. The investigation led them to the door of Kimberly Skaggs, 54, a high-profile New Mexico Republican Party official who was already […]
Posted inElections & Politics, Environment, Conservation & Climate, New Mexico Legislature #nmleg, Opinion & Analysis
Defending our public lands, from Teddy Roosevelt to Martin Heinrich
Commentary by New Mexico State Senator Carrie Hamblen — More than a century ago, Theodore Roosevelt pioneered the American conservation movement. Using the Antiquities Act of 1906, he declared vast tracts of land as national monuments, notably the El Chaco, Morro, and Gila Cliffs National Monuments in New Mexico (subsequent presidents would later add Bandelier, […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
Albuquerque adds four new speed cameras, bringing citywide total to 34
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Albuquerque’s speed camera network just got bigger — and if you’re still lead-footing it across town, the odds of getting caught just went up. The city activated four new Automated Speed Enforcement cameras this week on Fourth Street near Griegos, Central at 61st Street eastbound and westbound, and Unser near […]
Posted inCorrales
Corrales parking compromise follows long debate
By Rodd Cayton A meandering discussion about parking availability in Corrales ended with a compromise that saved the village thousands of dollars in grants. The Village Council has for months been engaged in an effort to craft a parking ordinance update that would curtail illegal parking by patrons of local businesses while not penalizing Corraleños […]
Posted inEdgewood
Edgewood, Santa Fe County finalize new fire service deal just in the nick of time
By Rodd Cayton, Route 66 Independent — After months of uncertainty, false starts and conflicting ordinances, town commissioners in Edgewood gave in and approved a new ordinance to fund a new fire service agreement with Santa Fe County in June. The Route 66 Independent previously reported that the county rejected town commissioners’ changes to an […]
Posted inJobs, Workers & Economy
Should Edgewood raise taxes to subsidize business growth?
Amidst months of discussion and debates over budget gaps and fire service costs, town commissioners asked the town’s Economic Development Advisory Board to evaluate a proposal to raise local taxes to incentivize new growth in Edgewood. Grant Taylor, a local economic development specialist who works with PNM and other large industries in the state, pitched […]
Posted inJemez & Jemez Spring
Wildfire near Battleship Rock forces evacuations in Sandoval County’s Jemez Mountains
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Residents in two Sandoval County mountain communities must leave their homes immediately as firefighters battle a growing wildland blaze near Battleship Rock in the Jemez Mountains. Sandoval County Fire Rescue confirmed an evacuation GO order — meaning leave now — is in effect for Sierra Los Pinos and Vallecitos. The […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho council takes up 350-home development, water rights purchase Thursday
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho’s Governing Body meets Thursday with decisions on the table that will shape the city’s growth for years — including a 350-home subdivision, a water rights purchase and a cluster of zoning changes that range from a new fitness center to a Maverik gas station. The council returns to […]