First Responder Spotlight: Khelen Howard 

First Responder Spotlight is a monthly column submitted by the Bernalillo Optimist Club Khalen Howard has been a firefighter/EMT for nearly six years  in the Town of Bernalillo Fire Department. He lives in Bernalillo, but has roots in Corrales where both his parents served in the Corrales Fire Department.  Howard’s attachment to firefighting goes back to his grandfather who was a […]

County secures money for roads and sheriff’s department

A last-minute dash to Santa Fe by Torrance County Commissioner Kevin McCall and Janice Barela, county manager, turned into $360,000 for the sheriff’s department and local roads. McCall and Barela were able to secure $200,000 for the county road department, the commissioner reported at its meeting Jan. 29, with another $160,000 earmarked for the sheriff’s […]

Study: Torrance County has highest rate of fatal crashes in NM

New research has revealed which New Mexico counties have the highest fatal crash rates. The researchers, Las Vegas personal injury lawyers H&P Law, looked at the most recent statistics on motor vehicle crashes in each county, scaling the total crashes per 10,000 county population. Counties with a population of less than 5,000 people were removed […]

Tijeras Pueblo wins federal grant to create digital exhibits

The Friends of Tijeras Pueblo recently won a $61,366.50 funding grant from the Library of Congress supporting their project “The Ancestral Tiwa World Connected to the Present: Tijeras Pueblo in Context”. When completed it will include interactive exhibits and educational programs at the museum, located at Sandia Ranger Station in Tijeras, near the Tijeras Pueblo […]

Family of Oñate statue shooting victim sues gunman

Last Tuesday, a civil lawsuit was filed naming Ryan Martinez and his parents, Bryan and Adelita Martinez. Martinez faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault. Martinez was arrested Sept. 28 following a shooting at the site where local officials had planned to re-install a statue of conquistador Juan de Oñate. Before the demonstration, […]

Cedar Crest woman charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty

On January 30, 19 charges of animal cruelty were filed against 74-year-old Deborah Battaglino in connection with a welfare check and search warrant executed last week on a Cedar Crest home by the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation and search of the residence found numerous dangerous health conditions and several dead animals, leading to […]