#Front Page - Rio Rancho Archives - Page 3 of 13

Sandoval County Admin Building. (Julian Paras)

Pay raise: Citizen panel bumps salaries 12.11% for Sandoval County’s next class of elected officials

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. The next Sandoval County sheriff, assessor, probate judge and two county commissioners will start their terms with a 12.11% raise. For the first time, residents, not politicians, picked the number. The county’s new Elected Officials Salary Commission approved the increase 4-1 at its Sept. 30 meeting. District 2 member Romie […]

■ Local Government

Rewrite the rules: Rio Rancho wants residents for a truly once-in-a-lifetime gig

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho residents who think City Hall needs a few edits can now pick up the red pen. Mayor Paul Wymer wants seven residents to serve on the city’s Charter Review Committee, which will decide whether the city’s governing document needs changes. Applications are due at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. […]

The New Mexico Goatheads begin practice in their inaugural season Tuesday morning in Rio Rancho. Their first game will be on October 16th at the Rio Rancho Events Center. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales for the Paper

■ Sports

Goatheads lock horns at first training camp ahead of Oct. 16 opener

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Twenty-six players have 10 days to carve their names into New Mexico Goatheads history before the franchise drops its first puck Oct. 16 in Rio Rancho. Training camp opened Monday, Oct. 5, and players hit the ice Tuesday. Head Coach Zack Stortini and his staff will trim a group of […]

Several dozen folks held a vote early rally Tuesday morning outside the Sandoval County Administration building in Rio Rancho to get the word out early for voting. (Roberto E. Rosales)

■ Politics & Elections

Signs of the times: No Kings rally points first-day early voters toward the polls

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. The No Kings crowd brought arrows instead of anger Tuesday. Dozens of members of Sandoval County Indivisible lined Idalia Road at N.M. 528 from 10 a.m. to noon, waving “VOTE EARLY” and “VOTE HERE TODAY” signs as early voting opened at the Sandoval County clerk’s office. The rally marked a […]

Democrat John Paul Trujillo, a former county sheriff, and Republican Victor Rodriguez, a lieutenant with the Pueblo of Zia police, laid out their plans during a Sept. 29 forum hosted by the Rio Rancho Observer and the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce. Early voting started Tuesday, Oct. 6.

■ Politics & Elections

Badge battle: Trujillo, Rodriguez clash over public safety in Sandoval County sheriff’s race

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County voters will choose a sheriff Nov. 3 from two candidates who agree the county needs more cops in more places. They disagree on whether anyone can pay for it. Democrat John Paul Trujillo, a former county sheriff, and Republican Victor Rodriguez, a lieutenant with the Pueblo of Zia […]

■ Politics & Elections

Your ballot, your move: Early voting starts Oct. 6

by Kevin Hendricks, Editor October 5, 2026October 5, 2026

By Kevin Hendricks, nm.news — New Mexico voters can start casting ballots Oct. 6 for the Nov. 3 general election. There’s no reason to wait in line on Election Day, or to walk into the booth guessing. Early voting opens Oct. 6 at county clerk offices. On Oct. 17 it expands to more locations across […]

Deb Haaland, left, and Gregg Hull talk before a forum for gubernatorial candidates on April 28 in Rio Rancho. (Kevin Hendricks)

■ Politics & Elections

From the Roundhouse to the courthouse: Your Sandoval County ballot

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Sandoval County voters will help pick New Mexico’s next governor on Nov. 3, and one of the two names at the top of the ballot belongs to a hometown guy. Former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, the Republican nominee, faces Democrat Deb Haaland in a race that will shape state […]

Aerial photos taken on June 26, 2026, show the construction site for Project Jupiter, the Oracle and OpenAI data center project planned for southern New Mexico. (Courtesy of Alexa Reynaud, Food & Water Watch, with aerial support provided by LightHawk)

■ Local Government

Bernalillo councilors hit pause on data center permitting

By Rodd Cayton Wanna build a data center in Bernalillo? That’s on hold. At their Sept. 28 meeting, town councilors approved a resolution establishing an immediate three-month moratorium on development approvals and development permits for data centers within the town limits. Planning and zoning director Rebecca Bolen told councilors data centers have potential for far-reaching […]

Along 10th Street SE just south of Unser Boulevard, runoff gouged channels several feet deep beside the roadway, chewing away the shoulder. (Roberto E. Rosales)

■ Environment, Conservation & Climate

Storms leave Rio Rancho roads in a rut, and the city wants your help finding them

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Recent storms carved trenches through roads across Rio Rancho, and the city needs residents’ help tracking down every one. Public Works crews are assessing reported damage and repairing the worst sites first, the city said in a Sept. 30 announcement. Crews rank each location by severity, public safety risk, accessibility […]

■ Local Government

Midterm review: Rio Rancho weighs future of untouched city goals

By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. Rio Rancho has crossed 19 items off its five-year to-do list. Six more are still “on deck,” including a rewrite of the map that guides where new homes and businesses can grow. City staff want councilors to decide whether those goals stay in the lineup or head for the dugout. […]