By TAMMY WEBBER / Associated Press As Texas wildfires burned toward the nation’s primary nuclear weapons facility, workers hurried to ensure nothing flammable was around buildings and storage areas. When the fires showed no sign of slowing, Pantex Plant officials urgently called on local contractors, who arrived within minutes with bulldozers to dig trenches and […]
Jordan Bourne
Spain, Ireland and Norway say they will recognize a Palestinian state. Why does that matter?
By The Associated Press Spain, Ireland and Norway said Wednesday that they would recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, a step toward a long-held Palestinian aspiration that came amid international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following Israel’s offensive. The almost simultaneous decisions by two European Union countries, and Norway, […]
Timeline: The investigation into corruption in APD’s DWI unit
Since news broke that several members of the Albuquerque Police Department’s DWI unit were being investigated for allegations that they worked with a local attorney to make DWI cases go away, City Desk ABQ has been tracking each development in the case. The federal investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed, but the […]
Top U.S. drug agency a notable holdout in Biden’s push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions
By JOSHUA GOODMAN and JIM MUSTIAN / Associated Press In an isolated part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters known as the 12th-floor “bubble,” chief Anne Milgram made an unusual request of top deputies summoned in March for what she called the “Marijuana Meeting”: Nobody could take notes. Over the next half hour, she […]
The Hot Ticket Seat
By Tierna Unruh-Enos / The Paper. In Senate District 9, four candidates are looking to replace the current-sitting Democratic state Senator Brenda McKenna. Democrats Heather Balas and Cindy Nava filed to run, as did Republicans Frida “Susana” Vasquez and Audrey Trujillo. District 9 encompasses two counties and part of the Sandia Pueblo. The district spans […]
Battle for the Westside
By Andy Lyman / The Paper. It wouldn’t be primary election season without barbs, jabs and accusations within one political party. That’s the case in one state Senate district on the Westside. The triangular-shaped Senate District 26 hugs a southern section of the Bosque and stretches west to Atrisco Vista Boulevard. The district’s Democratic incumbent […]
US border arrests fall in April, bucking usual spring increase as Mexico steps up enforcement
ASSOCIATED PRESS Arrests for illegally crossing the U.S. border from Mexico fell more than 6% in April to the fourth lowest month of the Biden administration, authorities said Wednesday, bucking the usual spring increase. U.S. officials have largely attributed the decline to more enforcement in Mexico, including in yards where migrants are known to board […]
Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy
This story is published in partnership with ProPublica as a part of our commitment to bringing you the best in independent news coverage that matters to Albuquerque. By Nicole Santa Cruz | ProPublica ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power, co-published this story with New Mexico in Depth. On a recent morning, Christian Smith ran […]
Once Friendly, Now Foes
By GWYNNE ANN UNRUH / The Paper. Democratic Sen. Bill O’Neill is facing his first primary opponent after representing Senate District 13 for more than a decade — and it’s someone he’s worked with closely before. His opponent, former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley, says she decided to go up against O’Neill because he hasn’t […]
Next in Line
By Andy Lyman / The Paper. Democratic primary voters in a progressive enclave of Albuquerque will need to comb through the policy differences of four candidates with very similar ideals to determine who’s taking the reins from a long time state representative. Democratic Rep. Gail Chasey — the longest serving member of the House — […]