Are more tax dollars needed to provide housing for those experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque? There were no simple solutions during a Saturday debate at the International District Library — and no shouting matches either — which was the point. The debate was the first for the North-Central New Mexico Alliance of the national nonprofit Braver […]
New Mexico Statewide News
MDC leadership, labor union hopeful grant money will lead to new hires
As the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) struggles with less than 70% staffing, Bernalillo County commissioners this month accepted $3 million in grant funding to help the jail hire nearly two dozen corrections officers. Commissioners accepted the grant from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration during their Sept. 10 meeting. The funding can be […]
School calendar lawsuit back to court room
A hearing in the civil court case over a change in the mandatory school calendar is set for Sept. 30 in Roswell. In March, the New Mexico School Superintendents Association and dozens of rural school districts sued the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) over its mandate that every school calendar contain at least 180 […]
The politics of immigration play differently along the US-Mexico border
By Morgan Lee, Associated Press SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) — The politics of immigration look different from the back patio of Ardovino’s Desert Crossing restaurant. That’s where Robert Ardovino sees a Border Patrol horse trailer rumbling across his property on a sweltering summer morning. It’s where a surveillance helicopter traces a line in the sky, […]
Positive STD test lead to investigation of now incarcerated MDC guard
The investigation into an alleged relationship between a Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) corrections officer and an inmate started after the inmate tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection, according to a criminal complaint. The officer, Chevonne Culbreath, was arrested Tuesday after she was accused of having a relationship with an inmate and attempting to bring […]
Advocates who’ve lost someone to overdose gather in NM to create change
By Daniel Montano, KUNM About 50 people from across the country met at Albuquerque’s Uptown Sheraton hotel over the weekend with one common thing uniting them: All had lost a loved one to overdose. Something else they shared was a passion to fight the opioid crisis. The smell of fresh brewed coffee and breakfast pastries […]
Advocates denounce ‘criminalization’ of city’s unhoused population
Two consistent issues of concern among city officials, residents and business owners in Albuquerque are crime and homelessness. But conflating the two is a mistake and leads to the baseless stigmatization and criminalization of the unhoused, say advocates for those living on the streets and in shelters. Dozens of advocates and activists gathered at Robinson […]
MDC officer arrested after alleged relationship with inmate
A Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) corrections officer found herself behind bars after she was accused of having a relationship with an inmate. According to a Bernalillo County news release, MDC officials found out about the allegations Tuesday and reported them to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO). The officer, Chevonne Culbreath — a probationary employee […]
APS: Information sharing led to campus gun seizure
School officials say efforts to get students to report suspicious activity were instrumental in recovering two firearms at Volcano Vista High School this week. A junior at the school faces felony charges after the weapons were reportedly found in his backpack and vehicle Tuesday. Another person on campus reported behavior that led school staff to […]
City, Human Rights Board clash on homelessness
A rift formed this summer between the city and its Human Rights Board over an analysis of the state of those experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque.The result is that a final report to be issued to the city won’t be submitted. Even though the all-volunteer board has no legal jurisdiction, it is empowered by city ordinance […]