The Biden administration’s decision this week to withdraw thousands of acres of federal public lands from development came as a welcome surprise to residents of Placitas, Bernalillo and local communities who have advocated White House or congressional action to protect the historic Buffalo Tract area from mining. The administration’s announcement was important enough to earn […]
Federal Government & Congress
Posted inFederal Government & Congress, Local Government
Business licenses, permit fees would rise under mayor’s proposed budget
Under Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s proposed $1.37 billion budget, the cost of a business license and some building permits would increase. The proposed increases are estimated to generate about $6 million in revenue from the city’s Planning Department, which oversees permitting, development reviews, code enforcement and more. The proposed fiscal year 2025 budget for the […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress, Housing & Homelessness, Local Government
What to know: ABQ’s first pallet home campus
The city unveiled plans Monday to develop a transitional recovery housing campus with 50 pallet homes, but with just a handful of specifics. Since then, we’ve heard from City Desk ABQ readers wanting to know more so we tracked down some answers. The project — the first of its kind in Albuquerque — was allocated […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress
A Better Way to Run a Railroad
There’s nothing like a road trip to make you appreciate another mode of transportation – trains. They keep motorists company along many a New Mexico highway. Before we left the federal Department of Transportation unveiled a new railroad rule, so I was paying more attention to trains. On April 2 DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration began […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress
A Medical Cost You Didn’t Know About
Most of us have never heard of independent medical examinations. We might need to know a little more about them. An independent medical examination (IME) is an exam performed when there is litigation related to a sick or injured person’s medical condition that requires more than the opinion of the treating physician. A doctor is […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress
American Global Resolve is Shaky
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, trying to simultaneously do the right thing, not trigger former President/current GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, and keep Congressional howler monkey Marjorie Taylor Greene from formally moving to remove him as Speaker (a “motion to vacate”), announced on April 15 his intent to split the Senate foreign aid package […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress, Local Government
Councilor wants to expand successful gun violence intervention program to county
The City of Albuquerque is hoping to soon partner with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office to create a Violence Intervention Program for the unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County. City Councilor Nichole Rogers will introduce legislation at the next meeting to allow the city to apply for a $1,392,698 grant from the New Mexico Department of […]
Posted inLocal Government
Albuquerque residents may soon see water rate hike
Your water rates may soon be going up. Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority will be asking for a 12% rate increase. The water utility staff presented their Fiscal Year 2025 budget to the governing board asking for a water and sewage rate increase at their meeting held Wednesday What does this mean for you? […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress, Housing & Homelessness, Local Government
The mayor said the city needs new 5,000 homes. His budget proposes less than 200.
In 2022, Mayor Tim Keller announced his goal to have 5,000 housing units across the city by 2025 to help with the city’s affordable “housing crisis.” So far 165 affordable units have been built and the next fiscal year’s budget includes funding for 195 housing units — still far short of the goal. Katie Simon, […]
Posted inCourts & Justice, Federal Government & Congress
Whistleblowers outline allegations of nepotism and retaliation within Albuquerque’s police academy
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press Several members of the Albuquerque police academy’s training staff who were dismissed from their duties last summer filed a lawsuit Wednesday outlining allegations of nepotism and retaliation by leadership within the force. The whistleblower complaint centers on a requirement that male cadets shave their heads with a razor daily. […]