By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Part 3 of 4 in “Rio Rancho’s Economic Playbook,” a series on the city’s economic development strategy. The Sandoval Economic Alliance has assisted 20 economic development projects since 2020, helped generate nearly 1,500 jobs and produced what it calculates as a nearly 400% return on the city’s investment. And its […]
#Front Page – Rio Rancho
Posted inRio Rancho
City Center’s big bet: Rio Rancho pitches 43 acres as the region’s next employment hub
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Part 2 of 4 in “Rio Rancho’s Economic Playbook,” a series on the city’s economic development strategy. For years, City Center was the punchline — a mostly empty stretch of land off King Boulevard that even boosters struggled to defend. Economic Development Manager Alberto Solis says that’s about to change. […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rethinking growth: Is Rio Rancho’s 30-year economic playbook due for an upgrade?
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Part 1 of 4 in “Rio Rancho’s Economic Playbook,” a series on the city’s economic development strategy. Rio Rancho has reorganized its economic development strategy at least three times since the late 1990s — and City Manager Matt Geisel thinks it’s time for the Governing Body to decide what the […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Governor, AG accuse DEA of letting fentanyl flood NM streets, demand investigation
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. New Mexico’s overdose crisis just got a new villain, according to the governor: the federal agency that’s supposed to be fighting it. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says reporting from the Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal revealed the Drug Enforcement Administration knowingly let hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills reach New […]
Posted inSandoval County
Sandoval County deploys mist truck to zap mosquitoes before they hatch
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County is rolling out a new weapon in its war on mosquitoes this summer — a specialized truck that shoots a bacteria-laced mist 100 feet into the air to kill larvae before they ever become adults. The Public Health Road Runner 54564 truck goes into service in July, starting […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Rio Rancho pumps the brakes on Maverik gas station
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Neighbors who spent weeks circulating petitions and distributing flyers against a proposed Maverik gas station near Enchanted Hills Elementary School got a reprieve Thursday night when the Rio Rancho Governing Body voted 4-2 to postpone the site plan vote until September 10. The vote delayed — but did not kill […]
Posted inRio Rancho
The science of suds: How an environmental engineer built a brewery empire
By Tristen Critchfield It all started during a transitory phase in life, a new hobby acquired to alleviate boredom. An engineer by day, Scott Salvas used to blow off steam in his down time by playing gigs with various local bands. After he and his wife moved into a new home, Salvas decided to let […]
Posted inRio Rancho
Showdown at City Hall: Residents prepare for June 25 vote on gas station
By Tristen Critchfield A proposed gas station in Rio Rancho has been met with strong opposition from residents of a nearby neighborhood. Now, many of those residents are distributing flyers and gathering signatures on a petition to stop a proposed Maverik convenience store ahead of a Governing Body vote on June 25. Neighbors filed the […]
Posted inRio Rancho
From NHL ice to New Mexico: Zack Stortini named Goatheads’ first head coach
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. The New Mexico Goatheads answered the question fans have been asking since day one: Zack Stortini will be the first head coach in franchise history, the team announced Saturday at a packed reveal party at The Block in Rio Rancho. Stortini, 40, played 257 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers […]
Posted inElections & Politics
Toulouse Oliver steps back from Lt. Governor race, citing health and family
By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is stepping back from her campaign for Lieutenant Governor, citing recent changes to her health. Toulouse Oliver announced the decision Thursday morning in a statement posted to social media, saying she’ll take the step “in the coming days.” She said the choice […]