City Desk ABQ Archives - The New Mexico News

Albuquerque City Councilor Nichole Rogers speaks at a District 6 participatory budgeting meeting where residents helped shape proposals for neighborhood improvements. Courtesy of Nichole Rogers.

District 6 voted on $1.7 million in improvements. Three are guaranteed, but Councilor Rogers wants more.

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — District 6 residents have chosen how Albuquerque should spend $1.7 million on neighborhood improvements. With 11 projects on the ballot and funding set aside for the top three, Councilor Nichole Rogers hopes to fund more of the community’s ideas. District 6 residents cast 1,866 votes in the second annual […]

Bernalillo County plans expanded fentanyl response as commissioners weigh emergency declaration

by Jesse Jones October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — About six people a week died from opioid-related causes in Bernalillo County last year. Now, county commissioners are considering an emergency declaration to help fund a more robust response, including expanded street medicine and addiction treatment, real-time overdose tracking and a new sheriff’s operation targeting drug traffickers. Bernalillo County […]

District 5 Bernalillo County Commission candidate Thomas Riley.

City Desk ABQ

BernCo candidate defends wearing Confederate flag as symbol of ‘open rebellion’ against the government as he pushes ‘America only’ agenda in campaigns

By Kevin Hendricks, Route 66 Independent & NM Political Report — District 5 Bernalillo County Commission candidate Thomas Riley says he wears a ring bearing the Confederate flag as an act of “open rebellion” against the federal government, and he wants the county’s Sheriff’s Office to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to […]

ABQ RIDE’s five electric buses sit among other buses at the Ken Sanchez Transit Facility in Albuquerque. The electric buses have not been in service since December because of mechanical problems and difficulty obtaining parts. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales for the Paper

City Desk ABQ

Five electric buses, zero passengers: ABQ electric buses not used since last December

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque’s first electric buses were supposed to be the start of a shift toward cleaner public transportation. Four years later, all five are still in the city’s fleet but have not carried passengers since December because of mechanical problems and difficulty getting parts. The city rolled out the fleet […]

A blue recycling bin sits at the curb in Albuquerque. Starting Sept. 28, some city households will have their recycling collected every other week as part of a new pilot program. (Jesse Jones)

NM.news

City’s recycling test could mean fewer pickups for some residents

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For some Burqueños, trash day will soon mean one less bin to take to the curb each week. The city is starting a pilot program that will switch blue recycling bin pickup from weekly to every other week. Starting today, the city’s Solid Waste Management Department will test the […]

City Desk ABQ

Six months of lawsuits left Albuquerque with a $4.38 million tab

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Mayor Tim Keller sent two overdue quarterly litigation reports to the City Council last month, revealing $4.38 million in lawsuit settlements over six months, including a case in which a police SWAT operation burned down a family’s home and killed a teenage boy hiding inside. At its Sept. 21 […]

Planning Director Alan Varela speaks Wednesday at a press conference downtown about an apartment complex where tenants banded together and asked the city to step in. (Jesse Jones)

City Desk ABQ

Fed up Albuquerque renters put new city protections to the test

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For more than a year, City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn has pushed for stronger renter protections, one city ordinance at a time. In June, two of her measures became law: the Rental Unit Habitability Enforcement Ordinance and a resolution requiring the city to prioritize safety violations. Now those protections are […]

City Desk ABQ

‘Is the City the Grinch?’ Councilor slams decision to cancel Luminaria Bus Tour

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For 70 years, Burqueños have celebrated Christmas Eve aboard the Luminaria Bus Tour, riding city buses through the Old Town and Huning Castle neighborhoods to see glowing luminarias and neighbors gathered around bonfires. Now, the city has ended the tradition, saying the tour is no longer cost-effective. At Monday’s […]

The seal of the Albuquerque City Council

City Desk ABQ

Council Preview: City Council faces decisions on shelter and multiple appeals

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque city councilors on Monday will address development projects, city spending and the future of a controversial overnight shelter during a meeting that also includes a slate of routine appointments and contract approvals. During the Sept. 21 meeting, councilors are expected to formally adopt findings from the last meeting’s […]

Empower Health Service’s overnight shelter operates out of the former Ramada by Wyndham Albuquerque Airport at 2300 Yale Blvd. SE. The shelter opened in November 2025 without a required permit. (Jesse Jones)

City Desk ABQ

Planning mistake puts Sunport overnight shelter’s future in limbo

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — The Albuquerque City Council rejected a conditional use permit for an overnight shelter near the Sunport last week that originally opened under incorrect city advice. But the shelter’s doors remain open while the council prepares to approve its findings. Councilors voted 6-3 during a Sept. 9 council meeting to […]