Albuquerque Police: Man “picked out the Uber driver he wanted” before killing driver to let off steam

An 18-year-old Albuquerque man told police he deliberately chose his victim from available Uber drivers before fatally shooting the driver and stealing his car early Thursday morning. According to court documents reviewed by nm.news, police tracked the Uber driver’s vehicle to a home near off of Dennis Chavez Blvd. SW where they located Sheliky Sanchez […]

Posted inTown of Bernalillo

Jury awards Bernalillo family $1.8 million in school bullying, assault case

A Bernalillo High School student’s family received a $1.8 million jury verdict this week after proving school officials failed to prevent a violent assault despite receiving evidence of persistent bullying and threats. The verdict, delivered Wednesday in Sandoval County’s 13th Judicial District Court, found Bernalillo Public Schools liable for failing to follow New Mexico’s mandatory […]

Posted inNew Mexico State Gov., Pueblos

Governor plans special session to shield New Mexicans from federal budget cuts

More than 760,000 New Mexicans who rely on Medicaid and food assistance could face benefit cuts or stricter requirements under federal legislation, prompting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to consider calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe as early as late August. The governor is “likely to call a special session, possibly in late summer or early […]

Posted inLocal Government, Pueblos

Moriarty ignored repeated audit warnings before $5M budget overrun, financial chaos

By Connor Currier City Councilors seemed surprised last week when their newly-installed City Clerk and Treasurer, Deborah Liu, laid out tens of thousands of dollars in payroll errors and fines levied by the IRS in June against the city. However, independent auditors have been warning the city’s elected officials and fiscal managers for years that […]

Posted inPueblos

New lawsuits allege systemic abuse and concealment by Catholic Dioceses

This report is supported by NM Political Report, a nonprofit newsroom working to increase New Mexicans’ engagement in politics and public policy. Reported by: Josh Lee, Las Cruces, New Mexico This report is original reporting by a New Mexico-based independent journalist with support NMreports.org and its readers and sponsors. The Catholic Church’s handling of decades-old […]

Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Pueblos

University of New Mexico shooting leaves one dead, one injured with suspect still at large

Updates and Related Content Check back often for updates on this developing story. A shooting at the University of New Mexico’s central Albuquerque campus has left one person dead and another injured, prompting an emergency campus closure and a large-scale police response. In the early hours of Friday morning, UNM Police Department (UNMPD) responded to […]

Posted inEnvironment, Conservation & Climate, Pueblos

Video: Ruidoso avoids more tragedy as flash flood prompts 5 rescues

Emergency responders successfully rescued all five people trapped by Thursday’s flash flooding in Ruidoso, marking a far less severe event than the deadly flooding that killed three residents just 16 days ago. Heavy monsoon rainfall caused a major flash flood near the village of Ruidoso on Thursday afternoon, with the Rio Ruidoso cresting at 12.5 […]

Posted inLocal Government, Pueblos

Moriarty could owe employees $18,000 in backpay and thousands in IRS fines

By Connor Currier Moriarty City Clerk/Treasurer Deborah Liu told councilors and the mayor at Moriarty’s City Council meeting on Wednesday night that the city has failed to disclose thousands of dollars in fines from the IRS and has short-changed employees at least $18,000 in take-home pay because of lax internal controls going back years.  Liu, […]

Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, Westside Albuquerque

Sandoval County celebrates opening of dispatch center that can’t handle most 911 calls

Sandoval County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 24 to celebrate its new dispatch center, even as the facility remains unable to independently handle approximately 85% of 911 calls from the county’s estimated 42,000 non-Rio Rancho residents. The Public Safety Emergency Communications Center of Sandoval County can only directly receive approximately 15% of 911 calls—those from […]