The cost of taking out the trash is going up for residents of unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County. County commissioners on Tuesday voted to approve a 6.5% increase in residential solid waste user fees. Basic trash service — which includes one trash receptacle and one cart for recyclables — is going from $18.72 a month […]
Government
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Raising your voice: The importance of public comment
Go to any Albuquerque City Council meeting and it may seem like the public comment period is a waste of time. Councilors often use that time to grab a drink of water and eyes in the audience gloss over. Despite optics, councilors said they do listen and sometimes take specific action based on what they […]
Posted inBernalillo County, Local Gov.
Will your trash pick-up get more expensive?
Residents of unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County may see the cost of trash pickup increase. County commissioners on Tuesday will consider a slate of increases to reflect inflation in the last year. In the meeting agenda, county staff wrote that costs for the service provider — Waste Management of New Mexico — have risen, which […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico Statewide News
Heinrich named among most influential on AI
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has been recognized as an influencer in the field of artificial intelligence by Time magazine, alongside anti-deepfake activist Francesca Mani, actress Scarlett Johansson, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and others. “I’m honored to be listed as one of Time’s 100 most influential leaders in AI,” Heinrich said Monday. “As AI […]
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What would you like to see built on the corner of Kathryn and San Mateo?
It’s known as a dilapidated part of the city, but it wasn’t always so. Today the stretch of San Mateo Boulevard near Gibson Boulevard to Copper Avenue — like much of the International District — seems to feature as many shuttered storefronts as open ones. Few nearby services are available to neighborhood residents, resulting in […]
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From patrolling the streets to trolling tweets: City Council blasts APD’s social media account
City councilors across the political spectrum blasted responses the Albuquerque Police Department’s (APD) official social media account made to private citizens — calling them “embarrassing” and “never acceptable.” It’s not the first time this has come up. Last year, councilors criticized Mayor Tim Keller’s administration for letting APD make similar posts. “Here we are, a […]
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After pushback, city reduced food truck permit fees
Albuquerque food truck owners can breathe a sigh of relief now that they will not have to pay hundreds more in permit fees. After receiving pushback from multiple food truck operators about the sudden increase in annual permit fees from around $150 to $900, city officials are dropping the fees back down and issuing refunds. […]
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ABQ City Council shoots down short-term rental restrictions
The Albuquerque City Council for a second time voted against a proposal to limit the number of short-term rentals in the city. At their meeting Wednesday night, city councilors voted down on a 3-6 vote a bill that proposed restrictions on short-term rentals in certain parts of the city — specifically in the Downtown, University […]
Posted inBernalillo County, Local Gov.
Citing costs, technical problems, jail ditches health monitoring bracelets
After a notable spike in deaths at the state’s largest jail, in April 2023 the former warden reached out to a company that promised a solution — biosensor wristbands that monitor an at-risk inmate’s vital signs and alert authorities if anything is wrong. A year later, six more people had died in custody of the […]
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Calls for ‘poop patrol’ increase as city tackles human waste disposal
Hundreds of calls to the city’s 311 system with complaints about human feces on public and private property motivated officials to fund a cleanup effort earlier this year. The City Council unanimously passed an ordinance in February with $100,000 in start-up funds for a so-called “poop patrol.” But knowing the funds would quickly be depleted […]