Mayor Tim Keller vetoed four parts of Albuquerque’s newly approved $1.5 billion budget, saying the changes are needed to stay within the law and treat nonprofits more fairly and setting up a potential council override fight. The mayor’s line‑item veto strikes funding for an independent permitting office, shuffles economic‑development dollars back to cultural partners and […]
Author Archives: Jesse Jones
Jesse Jones is a reporter covering local government and news for nm.news
Posted inGeneral Interest, Housing & Homelessness
Downtown Albuquerque Rail Trail construction starts June 16
Construction will begin Monday, June 16, on the Central Crossing Bridge at Central Avenue and First Street, part of the planned seven-mile Albuquerque Rail Trail that will affect downtown travel for nearly a year. The 10-month project will reshape a key downtown intersection, shifting bus routes, limiting vehicle turns and closing parts of the sidewalk […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Local Gov.
Mayor’s rent plan fizzles in council committee
Mayor Tim Keller’s push for a local renters’ bill of rights hit a wall Wednesday as a City Council committee voted against advancing the plan without recommendation. The Albuquerque City Council’s Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee rejected Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn’s motion 3–2 to send the proposed Renters’ Bill of Rights to the full Council […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Local Gov.
Mayor, City Council spar over paramedic staffing
A strife over paramedic staffing is testing the balance of power at the Albuquerque City Hall, which could reshape how the city responds to emergencies. At the center of the dispute is a City Council rule requiring two paramedics on every rescue unit — a move the Keller administration says hurts emergency response and crosses […]
Posted inGeneral Interest, Housing & Homelessness
Albuquerque boosts animal shelter services for summer surge
Starting June 9, Albuquerque’s Westside animal shelter will open seven days a week to ease overcrowding and make pet adoptions and services more accessible during the busy summer season. The City of Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare Department is expanding its Westside shelter hours to match its Eastside location, now open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Local Gov.
Fixing the fiber fiasco
Frustrated Albuquerque residents called for action at a public hearing on new fiber rules aimed at curbing damage from broadband work, part of a formal process to collect community feedback and testimony. Frustrated Burqueños packed a June 5 virtual meeting with stories of broken water lines, sinking trenches and weeks of no response after broadband […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Local Gov.
ABQ looks to end THC-lookalike sales
The Albuquerque City Council voted 7–2 to ban the sale of synthetic THC-lookalike products, calling them a health risk and saying there’s no solid oversight. Albuquerque would become the first city in New Mexico to ban the production and sale of hemp-based cannabinoids like Delta-8 and THC-A if the mayor doesn’t veto the June 2 […]