Steven B. Chavez is the principal at Mesa del Sol, SC3 International, SC3 Development and SC3 Mechanical and Electrical. Originally from Grants, he now lives in Albuquerque. New Mexico stands at a crossroads. We have the natural resources, creative talent, and geographic advantages to thrive in the 21st-century economy—but for too long, we’ve struggled to […]
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Posted inLocal Government
District 1’s new councilor is breaking from tradition before she even takes her first vote
Albuquerque’s newest city councilor is starting with a simple idea: setting up an office in the district she represents. Stephanie Telles, the new councilor for the city’s Westside District 1, said she asked for office space in her district to make herself more accessible to constituents who struggle to get downtown to City Hall. When […]
Posted inBernalillo County
Firefighters agreed to the Sheriff’s drug testing demands but still can’t fly
Sheriff John Allen said he removed Bernalillo County firefighters from the Metro Air Support Unit because they refused to meet his drug testing standards, but county records show firefighters agreed to those same standards in July and the sheriff still has not allowed them back on the unit. Allen quietly pulled firefighters from the helicopter […]
Posted inNew Mexico Statewide News
Federal THCA ban could change hemp farming in New Mexico
Congress has redefined what counts as “hemp” and effectively banned hemp-derived intoxicants in a move that could have big effects for New Mexico’s hemp sector. The new language measures “total THC”—including THCA and other THC-isomers—rather than only Delta-9 THC when determining whether plant material or finished goods qualify as legal hemp. It also establishes a […]
Posted inColumns & Columnists
What did 2025 leave us?
It seems apt, with the sweeping and nearly constant change effected by the White House in the last 11 months, to look at a few key areas of impact for Americans and the world in 2025. Federal spending, debt, and budget The new administration came in hot on this topic, establishing the Department of Government […]
Posted inEstancia, Opinion
Letter to the editor: Accountability demanded at Estancia Valley Classical Academy
Submitted by David C. Nuckols, EVCA teacher, and Craig Springer, parent. Enrollment at Estancia Valley Classical Academy in Edgewood, a public charter school, has drastically declined. So has state funding. Five teachers were recently put out of a job and two went part-time. All seven volunteered for the personnel action. Slapdash signs in front of […]
Posted inEdgewood, Local Government
Commissioner Filandro Anaya finishes term
Edgewood community members and officials gathered Dec. 23 to honor outgoing Commissioner Filandro Anaya for his leadership during the town’s transition to a new form of government. While his four-year term officially ended on Dec. 31 after he was overtaken by Stephen Murillo in the District 2 race, the community used the final commission meeting […]
Posted inEdgewood, Local Government
Records reveal details of Santa Fe County lawsuit against Edgewood
A recent Inspection of Public Records request revealed more information about the complaint Santa Fe County filed against the Town of Edgewood in November. According to records in response to an Inspection of Public Records request from The Independent filed in October, Manager Greg Shaffer notified the Town of Edgewood in April 2025 of an […]
Posted inLocal Government
New female-majority council to pick president, consider veto override in first 2026 meeting
The Albuquerque City Council is scheduled to choose a new council president and vice-president at its first meeting of the year tonight, a day after Mayor Tim Keller’s historic third consecutive inauguration and swearing in five councilors, including one newcomer. Stephanie Telles, who won the December runoff in District 1, joins returning councilors Klarissa Peña […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress, Pueblos
Seeking storytellers
Unlike most Americans, and most humans, I read newspapers – three to five a day, albeit online. Fewer than one out of four Americans reads a daily newspaper in any format and less than one out of three people worldwide do. The world is crowded with information sources just a click away and all of […]
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