By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. A motorcyclist died early on the morning of May 13 on NM Highway 528, the second fatal crash on the corridor in six weeks — and the latest blow to a community already demanding action on a road state data shows has claimed seven lives in 18 months. Rio Rancho […]
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Posted in■ Courts & Justice
Rio Rancho honors fallen military at Memorial Day ceremony
By Kevin Hendricks — The Paper. Dozens of Rio Rancho residents, veterans and elected officials gathered Monday morning at Veterans Memorial/Monument Park to honor the men and women who died in military service — marking Memorial Day with music, prayer and community ceremony organized by local veterans groups. Mayor Paul Wymer read a formal proclamation […]
Posted in■ Courts & Justice
Beyond the badge: How ‘Steele Got Your Six’ is mobilizing the Rio Rancho community to support police families
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. A Rio Rancho woman who spent decades watching law enforcement families quietly struggle in crisis launched a nonprofit to change that — and in less than two years, it has already reached nearly 400 people. Laci Steele founded Steele Got Your Six in December 2024 after years of funding […]
Posted in■ Education
National Labor Leader praises RioTECH as a blueprint for collaborative CTE education
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. All 20 seniors at RioTECH are graduating this week — every one of them holding an industry-recognized credential, and some leaving with an associate’s degree before finishing high school. It is the school’s first graduating class. RioTECH — an acronym for Technical Education Career Hub — opened in fall […]
Posted in■ Politics & Elections
Sandoval County Democrats launch voter outreach, fight childhood hunger in Rio Rancho
By Kevin Hendricks – The Paper. Rio Rancho may have a reputation as a Republican stronghold, but the Democratic Party of Sandoval County is betting the city is closer to purple — and it’s fighting childhood hunger to make the case. Party chair Greg Bennett sat down with The Paper. to lay out two parallel […]
Posted in■ Politics & Elections
Early voting expands Saturday as unaffiliated voters make first moves in Sandoval County primary
Early voting in Sandoval County expands Saturday to 11 community locations across the county — and the first 10 days of balloting have already shown how a new state law is reshaping who participates in the June 2 primary. As of May 14, 2,197 Sandoval County voters had cast ballots through absentee mail and early […]
Posted in■ Courts & Justice
Rio Rancho honors fallen officers at annual memorial ceremony
A large crowd gathered Thursday morning at Veterans Memorial Park in Rio Rancho to honor three police officers killed in the line of duty, with city and state officials calling on newer officers to learn the names and stories of those who came before them. The Rio Rancho Police Department’s annual Fallen Officer Memorial ceremony […]
Posted in■ Local Government
Rio Rancho residents get first chance to weigh in on $452M city budget
Rio Rancho residents have two opportunities this month to weigh in before the city adopts a $452 million spending plan for the coming fiscal year — and the first public hearing is Thursday night. The Governing Body opens public comment on the Recommended Fiscal Year 2027 Budget at its 6 p.m. regular meeting May 14 […]
Posted in■ Jobs, Workers & Economy
STEM Educator Shelly Gruenig and her robots are a ‘force for good’
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – Shelly Gruenig did not set out to build one of New Mexico’s most impactful STEM organizations. Twenty-one years ago, she was simply a homeschool mom looking for something fun for her son to do. “I stumbled across this robotics competition, and I was like, ‘Oh, we could do that. […]
Posted in■ Courts & Justice
‘Nothing burger’ vs. legal pattern: Stoddard’s gun dispute and dismissed domestic battery case
A former Rio Rancho councilor now running for Sandoval County Commission pulled a revolver and threatened to shoot a hotel manager during a dispute over hot tub water temperature, according to a Truth or Consequences police report. Daniel Stoddard called the incident a “nothing burger.” Court and police records show it was not his first […]