Elise Kaplan, Author at City Desk ABQ

Push for more Albuquerque duplexes falls short

Those hoping the city would allow more duplexes to be built in Albuquerque were disappointed Wednesday night when a proposed zoning amendment was voted down 3-2. The consideration before the land use, planning and zoning (LUPZ) committee would have allowed duplexes, once authorized under city zoning, to be constructed from single-family homes located in certain […]

Anatomy of an encampment

A private dirt lot located one block north of East Central Avenue in Albuquerque’s International District recently saw a swell of activity from an illegal encampment. About 50 people experiencing homelessness were living on the site that functioned as a makeshift community. There was considerable trash on the street and reports of burglary, vandalism, public […]

Who sued the city and how much did they settle for?

In the fall of 2023 — from October through December — the city paid out more than $3 million in settlements for various lawsuits. Residents sued after they tripped and fell on sidewalks, for discrimination and for civil rights violations. Two people were in crashes with solid waste employees and two were in crashes with […]

Woman shot, injured inside convention center

A woman was shot and seriously injured inside the Albuquerque Convention Center Wednesday evening while a gradutation ceremony was taking place. It was not immediately clear if the victim or suspect were involved in the graduation ceremony, which police say was for the Southwest Secondary Learning Center charter school. The suspect has been taken into […]

Another officer — the 9th — put on leave amidst internal investigation of DWI unit

The Albuquerque Police Department has expanded its internal investigation into corruption in the DWI unit to yet another officer — bringing the total to nine. Matthew Trahan was put on leave Wednesday, APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos confirmed. He said Trahan was hired in 2006 and served in the DWI unit from 2014 to 2016. Of […]

Heading Home will no longer run Westside shelter; city hasn’t found new operator

The embattled Westside Emergency Housing Center (WEHC) took another hit this month after the city was unable to find an operator to run it starting July 1. Two organizations applied for a $4.1 million annual contract, but officials said their proposals were “unsatisfactory, incomplete and ineligible.” Operator Albuquerque Heading Home, whose current three-year contract expires […]

Council moves Westside mixed-use development forward

Albuquerque city councilors rejected an appeal from neighborhood groups opposed to a Westside development, paving the way for the mixed-use project to move forward. Tierra West LLC is planning townhouses, office space, a cannabis retailer and a restaurant at Coors Boulevard and 7 Bar Loop Road. Representatives of the Bosque del Acres Neighborhood Association have […]

A Westside roundabout is on the way

Get ready to go round and round at one Westside intersection Albuquerque city workers will begin installing a roundabout at Tierra Pintada Boulevard and Mirehaven Parkway in the Tierra Oeste neighborhood on the city’s far Westside. Construction is expected to last through the rest of the year. “This is a major project that will bring […]

Last chance to speak out on proposed $1.4 billion city budget

Want to weigh in on how the city should budget its money? The public is invited to share its thoughts with Albuquerque city councilors at a committee meeting Thursday. The Committee of the Whole (COW) will meet May 9 to hear resident input on the mayor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025. HOW TO PARTICIPATE: […]

City councilors seek to reverse immigrant friendly policy

Councilors Brook Bassan and Renée Grout are co-sponsoring a bill that would reverse the city’s Immigrant Friendly Policy to allow police to contact federal authorities if an undocumented immigrant is charged with certain violent crimes or drug offenses. The bill to amend the current policy, introduced at the Albuquerque City Council meeting Monday night, was […]