At last Tuesday’s Bernalillo County Commission meeting, Commissioners Steven Michael Quezada and Walt Benson alleged they were not included in decisions regarding selecting a new county manager. These complaints reached the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government in the following days. City Desk ABQ asked Melanie Majors, executive director of the Foundation for Open Government […]
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Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Courts, Justice & Safety
Can former DWI officers under investigation still work as cops?
As news continues to unfold about the five officers suspected of working with a local defense attorney, Thomas Clear III, to get those accused of driving while intoxicated off the hook, many readers reached out with questions about what happens next. City Desk ABQ tracked down officials to get the answers. The five officers — […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico Statewide News
Oil and gas companies must pay more to drill on federal lands under new Biden administration rule
By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Oil and gas companies will have to pay more to drill on federal lands and satisfy stronger requirements to clean up old or abandoned wells under a final rule issued Friday by the Biden administration. The Interior Department’s rule raises royalty rates for oil drilling by more […]
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WHAT TO EXPECT: Council may debate spending $5M in opioid funding
City Councilors will debate whether to approve an expenditure of $5 million of opioid settlement dollars. According to the request, there is a lack of transitional recovery housing facilities in Albuquerque and these funds will allow Family and Community Services to coordinate the acquisition, renovation, or expansion of transitional recovery housing facilities. In other city […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Housing & Homelessness
New $12.8M site opens for families experiencing homelessness
An Albuquerque nonprofit using an uncommon model that provides two years of housing, education and support to families experiencing homelessness has expanded to the Westside. Saranam’s objective is to stabilize and make independent what are most often single mothers with children who have endured domestic violence and other trauma. The program helps narrow a gap […]
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Deaths at the Westside shelter are increasing
On Jan. 28, 2023, a 53-year-old woman was staying at the Westside Emergency Housing Center with her husband when she died. According to an incident report, Gina Kirwin’s husband told staff that she was not breathing and when they went to check on her she was already cold to the touch. Kirwin’s husband told police […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Housing & Homelessness
How many homeless die in Albuquerque each year? It’s complicated.
Although it’s hard to get an exact count, advocates say more people experiencing homelessness are dying each year. Neil Greene, a fellow at the University of New Mexico’s Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions and a scholar of homelessness, researched the issue for City Desk ABQ — using Office of the Medical Investigator records […]
Posted inEdgewood, Housing & Homelessness, Uncategorized, Westside Albuquerque
Nonprofit Plans Annual Woofstock Festival
Planning for the annual Woofstock pet expo and adoption event is already underway. The Friends of Estancia Valley Animals are working with the Town of Edgewood on the 13th Annual Woofstock Festival. Woofstock is a long-standing Edgewood tradition and one of the largest pet adoption events in the state. The event is scheduled to take […]
Posted inEdgewood, Housing & Homelessness, Uncategorized, Westside Albuquerque
Fined and Stripped of His Marijuana License, Dineh Benally Keeps on Growing
Three months ago, New Mexico issued a $1 million fine to embattled Navajo marijuana grower Dineh Benally and — citing him for “egregious” violations — ordered him to shut down his Torrance County cannabis farm. Benally has done anything but. Instead of closing up shop, he has expanded his operation along a rural highway near […]
Posted inNew Mexico Statewide News
Studies Find ‘Forever’ Chemicals in Rio Grande
By TIERNA UNRUH-ENOS Two statewide studies released findings that PFAS — which stands for poly-fluoroalkyl substances — chemicals have been detected in groundwater and surface water resources across New Mexico. The study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) found urban areas — like Albuquerque — are the most […]