City record keepers are bringing the clerk’s office into the digital age

Last year, the Albuquerque City Clerk’s Office digitized over a million public records in order to make them more accessible to citizens who file Inspection of Public Records Act requests, as well as city departments that need access to records. And they’re still going. “Currently we have 9,000 boxes and we also have 58 pallets […]

AFR ambulance gets a new home — in Ukraine

The city of Albuquerque is sending one of the fire department’s decommissioned ambulances to its sister city of Kharkiv in Ukraine as the country continues to face Russian attacks.  The 2011 Ford F6G ambulance is in good working condition, said Sara Mannal, a city spokesperson. She said city leaders and community members wrote messages of […]

New fire rigs hit the streets

Three new fire engines are now patrolling the streets of Albuquerque.  Albuquerque Fire Rescue marked the start of the engines’ service Tuesday with traditional “push-in ceremonies.” As the name implies, crews lent elbow grease to guide the trucks to their new apparatus bays. The new trucks replaced a trio of 12-year-old units that have responded […]

Budget planning in full swing as council fields concerns about libraries, museums

On Thursday, Albuquerque City Councilors held their first meeting to discuss and hear from constituents about the mayor’s $1.4 billion proposed budget for the next fiscal year.  Budget Input Concerns about funding for the public library and the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum drew the top comments from the handful of residents who attended […]

Posted inEast Mountains, Local Gov., Uncategorized

NMDOJ Investigates Complaints About County Commissioners

The New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) is investigating claims that some members of the Bernalillo County Commission have violated meeting rules.  In a letter dated April 24, and addressed to County Manager Julie Morgas Baca and Attorney Ken Martinez, the NMDOJ said, “Based on the materials reviewed, there are indications that deliberations on public […]

Posted inBernalillo County, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Gov.

BCSO arrests ‘Al Capone’ of retail theft

A man who sheriff’s deputies say was at the center of Albuquerque’s largest organized retail crime operation was arrested earlier this month.  Raul Fernando Garcia, 42 — dubbed the “Al Capone” of retail theft by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office — was arrested on April 15. He is facing multiple charges including organized retail crime, […]

City investigated for undisclosed special ‘payouts’ to top officials who resigned

Exclusive in City Desk ABQ High-level city officials have been awarded thousands of dollars in extra compensation after announcing their resignations thanks to a special, and mostly unknown, leave program, City Desk ABQ has learned.  The most high-profile recipient of the “special leave” was Sarita Nair, Mayor Tim Keller’s top aide and the city’s chief […]

Posted inBernalillo County, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Gov.

Lawsuit alleges woman overdosed in jail while guard watched YouTube, played games

The mother of a woman who died of a drug overdose at the Metropolitan Detention Center filed a lawsuit against Bernalillo County last week alleging a corrections officer failed to complete required checks and also broke the jail’s computer use policy by watching videos and playing games during his shift.  “This case is about MDC […]