Albuquerque’s push for more budget transparency collapsed Monday night as the City Council voted 1-8 against overriding Mayor Tim Keller’s veto of an ordinance that had passed 8-1 just three weeks earlier. The failed override leaves the city’s $1.5 billion budget process largely unchanged. The administration will not have to share detailed vacancy data, drop […]
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Posted inLocal Government
Women now hold the majority of Albuquerque City Council seats as Peña takes presidency
A month after nearly losing her Albuquerque City Council seat, Klarissa Peña is back at the helm. The council elected Peña president in a 5-4 vote over Joaquín Baca. The same five councilors — Peña, Dan Champine, Renée Grout, Dan Lewis and outgoing President Brook Bassan — voted to install the new leadership. In separate […]
Posted inCity Desk ABQ
Health officials warn of possible measles exposure at Albuquerque hotel
Health officials are warning of possible measles exposure after a traveler diagnosed with the disease spent several hours at an Albuquerque hotel late last month. The New Mexico Department of Health said Tuesday that a traveler from South Carolina who was diagnosed with measles stayed at the Quality Inn at 450 Paisano St. NE from […]
Posted inLocal Government
District 1’s new councilor is breaking from tradition before she even takes her first vote
Albuquerque’s newest city councilor is starting with a simple idea: setting up an office in the district she represents. Stephanie Telles, the new councilor for the city’s Westside District 1, said she asked for office space in her district to make herself more accessible to constituents who struggle to get downtown to City Hall. When […]
Posted inBernalillo County
Firefighters agreed to the Sheriff’s drug testing demands but still can’t fly
Sheriff John Allen said he removed Bernalillo County firefighters from the Metro Air Support Unit because they refused to meet his drug testing standards, but county records show firefighters agreed to those same standards in July and the sheriff still has not allowed them back on the unit. Allen quietly pulled firefighters from the helicopter […]
Posted inCity Desk ABQ, Education
Six Albuquerque schools to require clear backpacks in safety push
Six Albuquerque Public Schools will require students to use only clear backpacks starting Tuesday, the latest measure in the district’s efforts to address weapons on campus. Del Norte High School and five middle schools — Wilson, Kennedy, Hayes, Washington and Cleveland — will implement the policy, joining Taylor Middle School, which already mandated clear backpacks. […]
Posted inCorporate Responsibility
Family of injured newborn sues Presbyterian
A New Mexico family has filed a medical negligence lawsuit against Presbyterian Healthcare Services and Pediatrix Medical Group after their premature infant suffered permanent brain damage at a Presbyterian hospital in Albuquerque. The complaint, filed on Dec. 5, claims that a neonatal nurse practitioner at Presbyterian’s downtown hospital incorrectly inserted a central catheter into the […]
Posted inCorporate Responsibility
New Mexico vet files lawsuit over alleged VA pharmacy error
A local veteran has filed a new federal lawsuit in New Mexico against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, alleging that a prescription error at a VA pharmacy caused permanent internal injuries. According to the complaint, the VA issued a medication in September 2022 with incorrect instructions that indicated a topical gel should be ingested […]
Posted inNew Mexico Statewide News
Federal THCA ban could change hemp farming in New Mexico
Congress has redefined what counts as “hemp” and effectively banned hemp-derived intoxicants in a move that could have big effects for New Mexico’s hemp sector. The new language measures “total THC”—including THCA and other THC-isomers—rather than only Delta-9 THC when determining whether plant material or finished goods qualify as legal hemp. It also establishes a […]
Posted inNew Mexico Statewide News
New Mexico secures $211M for rural hospitals
New Mexico will receive about $211 million over five years to expand rural health care access under a new $50 billion federal program, though state officials have not yet said which hospitals or communities will benefit when funding begins in 2026. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Jan. 5 that New Mexico secured […]