As the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) struggles with less than 70% staffing, Bernalillo County commissioners this month accepted $3 million in grant funding to help the jail hire nearly two dozen corrections officers. Commissioners accepted the grant from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration during their Sept. 10 meeting. The funding can be […]
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Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
Buy a piece of history
If you love historic hotels, and I do, it was a punch in the gut to read that the St. James Hotel in Cimarron has closed. The storied St. James not only has a big place in New Mexico history — punctuated by 26 bullet holes in the barroom ceiling — it’s a major employer […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Local Gov., Uncategorized
Are fluoride levels in ABQ’s water safe?
According to new research, extreme levels of fluoride in drinking water could be associated with lower IQ in children, but according to local water officials, Albuquerque and Bernalillo County’s fluoride levels are still safe for residents. In its “Monograph on the State of Science Concerning Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopment and Cognition,” the National Toxicology Program, […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
A million here, a million there
Imagine this: You are a legislator in the state House of Representatives and are told that you have $2.5 million to distribute in your House district or $4.2 million in your Senate district. Wow! You would no doubt feel like Santa Claus. This is what happened in the 2024 legislative session and it’s what happens […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., Local Gov., Uncategorized
Bernalillo County breaks ground on Los Vecinos Community Center
Bernalillo County broke ground Sept. 19 on the next phase of renovations at Los Vecinos Community Center in Tijeras. According to a press release from the county, the event celebrated the start of several improvements, including a new multisport court, new playing fields, a new stage and other special events amenities, a new skate park, […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
BernCo Commissioner Seeks Pot Parity
A Bernalillo County commissioner is looking to make things more fair for county employees who use cannabis outside work hours. Commissioner Eric Olivas said he plans to introduce legislation that would treat off-duty use of recreational cannabis in the same way as off-duty alcohol use. He called it a basic rights issue. Olivas said he’s been […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico Statewide News
School calendar lawsuit back to court room
A hearing in the civil court case over a change in the mandatory school calendar is set for Sept. 30 in Roswell. In March, the New Mexico School Superintendents Association and dozens of rural school districts sued the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) over its mandate that every school calendar contain at least 180 […]
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Businesses impacted by vandalism line up for city grant money
Almost two dozen businesses around Albuquerque have applied for a grant program the city launched two weeks ago aimed at helping small businesses that have been vandalized. The Albuquerque Police Department and the city Economic Development Department’s Small Business Office on Sept. 3 initiated a $200,000 “Window to Opportunity” grant to help offset the costs […]
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New life comes to shuttered North Fourth Art Center
After months of negotiations, the Albuquerque Sign Language Academy (ASLA) has finalized a three-year lease agreement with the city to expand into the former North Fourth Art Center. The city-owned space, located at 4904 4th St. NW, has been shuttered since January. A $1,000-a-month lease had the support of Mayor Tim Keller and was recently […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico Statewide News, Westside Albuquerque
The politics of immigration play differently along the US-Mexico border
By Morgan Lee, Associated Press SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) — The politics of immigration look different from the back patio of Ardovino’s Desert Crossing restaurant. That’s where Robert Ardovino sees a Border Patrol horse trailer rumbling across his property on a sweltering summer morning. It’s where a surveillance helicopter traces a line in the sky, […]