Author and beloved local leader Ben Steinlage died Sept. 23, leaving a huge hole in the Mountainair community. A Celebration of Life potluck for Steinlage is set for Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. at the Dr. Saul Community Center, 109 N. Roosevelt Ave., in Mountainair. Attendees are asked to bring their favorite dish. Cards can […]

Kevin Hendricks, nm.news
Kevin Hendricks is a local news editor with nm.news. He is a two-decade veteran of local news as a sportswriter and assistant editor with the ABQ Journal and Rio Rancho Observer.
East Mountains residents rail against proposed Diamond Tail Solar
Residents of the East Mountains area outside of Albuquerque packed into the Vista Grande Community Center in Sandia Park on Oct. 29 to express opposition for a proposed solar farm with battery storage. The Diamond Tail Solar Project would be built on private land that has been used for cattle ranching and filming movies. Before […]
America is stable but we have serious problems
I have been letting my moderate-ness show more in recent months and especially in recent weeks in pointing out the disappointments of the two presidential platforms and the relative insignificance of the occupant of the White House against the might of the powerful American economy. This election matters. A collective gasp was heard Oct. 25 […]
Report: Gaps in Detention Data from Torrance County Detention Facility Show Racial Disparities
By the American Immigration Council The Torrance County Detention Facility is one of approximately 200 facilities across the United States where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains immigrants with pending removal proceedings. A report from the American Immigration Council says “this detention facility holds a notorious reputation for its inhumane living conditions and for the […]
Torrance County Clerk apologizes for return address mishap on estimated 140 ballots
The lead elections official in Torrance County is apologizing and assuring voters that their ballots will be counted after workers mistakenly mailed about 140 absentee ballots without return address labels. Republican Torrance County Clerk Linda Jaramillo said the clerks’ office had received more than 100 of those now-completed ballots back as of Friday. “This was […]
Spine-Tingling Tales from Tijeras Canyon
By Rick Holben, East Mountain Historical Society In late December 1941, the Albuquerque Journal reported that three men – F.C. McDoughall, John Goostree and Jimmy Galvanado, all from the Tijeras Canyon area – were exploring old mines south of Linda Vista, in Coyote Canyon, when something caught their eyes at the bottom of one particular […]
Smooth Operator
Folks are lined up to ride the tram to Sandia Peak at 9 a.m. on a windy Wednesday in October. If riders are lucky, they might get the operator sporting an infectious smile, long black hair with bleached blond tips pulled back by his Sandia Peak Tramway bandana. “So you folks are gonna get ready […]
Torrance County commissioner responds to public comments from immigration nonprofit groups
During the Oct. 9 Torrance County Commission meeting, Commissioner Sam Schropp read a statement venting his frustration with some immigration nonprofit groups that had provided statements during public comment regarding the contract between the Torrance County Detention Facility (TCDF) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Torrance County Commission voted unanimously Sept. 25 to […]
Election 2024: The United States can survive a lot
If one were to take their news solely from the presidential candidates, it could be believed that the U.S. economy is on the brink of collapse. New home buyers will require a $25,000 down payment from the government. Restaurant waitstaff must be freed from the burden of taxes on their tips. American workers and companies […]
Mountainair man accused in Monument Headquarters burglaries
A Mountainair man is accused of burglarizing the Salinas Pueblo Monument Headquarters Visitor Center three times on three different days in October. According to a criminal complaint, 28-year-old Isaac Padilla Jr. of Mountainair is suspected in a string of burglaries in early October around the property at 105 S. Ripley Ave. in Mountainair where the […]