Jesse Jones, Author at City Desk ABQ

Six months of lawsuits left Albuquerque with a $4.38 million tab

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Mayor Tim Keller sent two overdue quarterly litigation reports to the City Council last month, revealing $4.38 million in lawsuit settlements over six months, including a case in which a police SWAT operation burned down a family’s home and killed a teenage boy hiding inside. At its Sept. 21 […]

Luminarias glow outside San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town Plaza in Albuquerque. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales for the Paper Credit: The Paper.

Albuquerque, Events

Keller: The Luminaria Bus Tour is back on

by Jesse Jones September 23, 2026October 22, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Days after the City of Albuquerque’s Transit Department announced that its Christmas Eve Luminaria Bus Tour had been canceled this year, Mayor Tim Keller announced Wednesday that the popular holiday tradition is back on. In a news release, the administration said Keller directed the city to continue the annual […]

Planning Director Alan Varela speaks Wednesday at a press conference downtown about an apartment complex where tenants banded together and asked the city to step in. (Jesse Jones)

Fed up Albuquerque renters put new city protections to the test

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For more than a year, City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn has pushed for stronger renter protections, one city ordinance at a time. In June, two of her measures became law: the Rental Unit Habitability Enforcement Ordinance and a resolution requiring the city to prioritize safety violations. Now those protections are […]

NM.news

Big tax breaks in Bernalillo County now come with big strings attached

by Jesse Jones September 22, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Bernalillo County is looking to make businesses seeking tax breaks from residents give more back through public benefits for taxpayers who fund it. In a first for Bernalillo County, commissioners approved a $1.2 billion industrial revenue bond for DESRI, a renewable energy developer, to build a 400-megawatt solar and […]

‘Is the City the Grinch?’ Councilor slams decision to cancel Luminaria Bus Tour

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For 70 years, Burqueños have celebrated Christmas Eve aboard the Luminaria Bus Tour, riding city buses through the Old Town and Huning Castle neighborhoods to see glowing luminarias and neighbors gathered around bonfires. Now, the city has ended the tradition, saying the tour is no longer cost-effective. At Monday’s […]

The seal of the Albuquerque City Council

Council Preview: City Council faces decisions on shelter and multiple appeals

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque city councilors on Monday will address development projects, city spending and the future of a controversial overnight shelter during a meeting that also includes a slate of routine appointments and contract approvals. During the Sept. 21 meeting, councilors are expected to formally adopt findings from the last meeting’s […]

Empower Health Service’s overnight shelter operates out of the former Ramada by Wyndham Albuquerque Airport at 2300 Yale Blvd. SE. The shelter opened in November 2025 without a required permit. (Jesse Jones)

Planning mistake puts Sunport overnight shelter’s future in limbo

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — The Albuquerque City Council rejected a conditional use permit for an overnight shelter near the Sunport last week that originally opened under incorrect city advice. But the shelter’s doors remain open while the council prepares to approve its findings. Councilors voted 6-3 during a Sept. 9 council meeting to […]

Bernalillo County @ Alvarado Square, Downtown Albuquerque. (Jesse Jones, The Paper.)

Bernalillo County wants to be a good neighbor when it builds housing

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Housing projects can raise concerns in a neighborhood long before the doors open. Bernalillo County wants to start those conversations on day one, bringing developers, property managers and nearby communities to the table through a new Good Neighbor Policy. Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution establishing the BernCo Builds Communities […]

Photo illustration on Artificial intelligence Photo by Roberto E. Rosales for the Paper

Albuquerque gets serious about AI with new citywide rules

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Residents in the Duke City will soon be able to track the artificial intelligence tools used by city government, voice concerns to a new advisory board and see new AI rules for city tech vendors after the City Council approved a trio of ordinances targeting AI in city government. […]

Albuquerque, Local Government

Scammers lose a tool as ABQ bans crypto ATMs

by Jesse Jones September 14, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Scammers have one fewer tool in their toolbox after the Albuquerque City Council approved a citywide ban on cryptocurrency ATMs. On Sept. 9, councilors voted 6-3 to pass the Virtual Currency Ordinance, sponsored by Councilor Stephanie Telles, banning cryptocurrency ATMs, also known as bitcoin teller machines, and cashier-assisted cryptocurrency […]