A lawsuit by Federal officials to block New Mexico’s new law forcing the closure of ICE detention centers scored its first victory Wednesday afternoon when New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a stipulated motion agreeing to stop pursuing enforcement of the law against the sprawling Otero County Detention Center while the federal suit continues. […]
Courts, Justice & Safety
Posted inCity Desk ABQ
ABQ moves to permanently fund new safety branches without a rate hike
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque voters may soon decide whether to modernize how the city’s Public Safety Tax is spent, all without seeing any increase in their actual tax rate. We all already pay the Public Safety Tax – 1/4 of 1%, or 25-cents on each $100 transaction – as a part of […]
Posted inRio Rancho
‘Nothing burger’ vs. legal pattern: Stoddard’s gun dispute and dismissed domestic battery case
A former Rio Rancho councilor now running for Sandoval County Commission pulled a revolver and threatened to shoot a hotel manager during a dispute over hot tub water temperature, according to a Truth or Consequences police report. Daniel Stoddard called the incident a “nothing burger.” Court and police records show it was not his first […]
Posted inPlacitas
Man charged with strangling wife four times, kicking puppy during domestic dispute
A Sandoval County woman survived four separate strangulation attacks — losing vision and nearly losing consciousness — before escaping a Placitas home and flagging down help on May 3, according to a criminal complaint filed in Bernalillo Magistrate Court. Sandoval County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the address at approximately 8:24 p.m. and arrested a 40-year-old […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho honors fallen officers Thursday at Veterans Monument Park
Rio Rancho will honor law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty at the department’s annual Fallen Officer Memorial on Thursday morning. The Rio Rancho Police Department hosts the public ceremony at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 14, at Veterans Memorial/Monument Park, 950 Pinetree Road. Last year’s ceremony drew uniformed officers from RRPD, New […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Feds. sue New Mexico, Albuquerque to block anti-ICE laws
Albuquerque — The U.S. Department of Justice late Friday sued the state and City of Albuquerque to pause enforcement of local legislation the federal government says would impede federal immigration enforcement in the state. Federal officials asked a federal judge for an injunction prohibiting the state from enforcing House Bill 9, the “Immigrant Safety Ordinance” […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Speeding, racing and fatal crashes: Inside the effort to tame deadly NM 528
A street racing crash that killed a Rio Rancho man and left two others with severe injuries on NM Highway 528 has accelerated safety improvements that area residents have demanded for years — but the corridor’s most significant fixes remain years away. Rio Rancho police have assigned overtime enforcement details on NM 528 since the […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho breaks ground on Fire Station 8: Here’s why it matters to your safety and wallet
Rio Rancho broke ground Monday on Fire Station 8 — the city’s first new fire station since 2011 — and city leaders say the $14.4 million project could do more than speed up emergency response: it may lower homeowners insurance rates across the city. The new station at 1930 14th Ave. SE — at the […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Man loses home, two dogs and truck in early morning house fire
A man lost his home, two dogs and his truck in a devastating early Saturday morning fire that left him starting over from nothing on the city’s rural west side. Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue crews responded at approximately 3:55 a.m. May 2 to reports of a fully engulfed residential structure in an automatic aid […]
Posted inCorrales
Fire chief says water is still the top priority
Corrales Fire Chief Anthony Martinez says his department still considers water for fire suppression the top priority, but the time has come to address other needs. At Tuesday’s Village Council meeting, Martinez said those needs include a new substation, a remodel of Fire Station No. 1 and a new training site. Much of the meeting […]