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 […]
Local Government
Posted inFederal Government & Congress, Local Government, 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 inCourts & Justice, Federal Government & Congress, Local Government
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, […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress, Local Government
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 inLocal Government
Bernalillo County’s Tiny Home Village hits a stride
Progress didn’t come easy, but Bernalillo County officials say the Tiny Home Village withstood a rocky start to emerge as a project with promise in an area of Albuquerque that desperately needs it. Now, three years in, the county is fielding questions from Albuquerque officials who are in the early stages of a similar undertaking […]
Posted inCourts & Justice, Federal Government & Congress, Local Government
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 […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress, Housing & Homelessness, Local Government
City Council wants to hear your thoughts on the mayor’s proposed budget
Have some opinions on how the city should budget its money? The public is invited to share its thoughts with Albuquerque city councilors at two upcoming meetings — one this Thursday and another next Thursday. The Committee of the Whole will meet May 2 and May 9 to hear resident input on the mayor’s proposed budget […]
Posted inFederal Government & Congress, Local Government
Library IT funds missing from mayor’s budget
The days of searching for a book using card catalogs and the Dewey Decimal System became obsolete at least a decade ago as libraries were computerized and digitized. This is one reason employees and supporters of the metro area’s 19 branches are concerned that the entire information technology (IT) budget — $400,000 — has been […]
Posted inLocal Government
State’s largest jail gets a new warden
After months with an interim warden overseeing the Metropolitan Detention Center, Bernalillo County has hired a new warden — from Florida — who will start his new position on June 17. Steven Kai Smith is currently a warden with the Volusia County Division of Corrections in Daytona Beach, Florida, according to a news release from […]
Posted inLocal Government
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 […]