In a close vote, the Albuquerque City Council agreed to allocate about a fifth of the opioid settlement funds the city has received so far toward developing a transitional recovery housing campus featuring pallet homes. The $5 million allocation passed in a 5-4 vote at an April 15 meeting. Councilors Joaquín Baca, Klarissa Peña, Brook […]
Bernalillo County
Posted inLocal Gov.
Could County Commissioners face fines for violating the Open Meetings Act?
At last Tuesday’s Bernalillo County Commission meeting, Commissioners Steven Michael Quezada and Walt Benson alleged they were not included in decisions regarding selecting a new county manager. These complaints reached the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government in the following days. City Desk ABQ asked Melanie Majors, executive director of the Foundation for Open Government […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety
Can former DWI officers under investigation still work as cops?
As news continues to unfold about the five officers suspected of working with a local defense attorney, Thomas Clear III, to get those accused of driving while intoxicated off the hook, many readers reached out with questions about what happens next. City Desk ABQ tracked down officials to get the answers. The five officers — […]
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WHAT TO EXPECT: Council may debate spending $5M in opioid funding
City Councilors will debate whether to approve an expenditure of $5 million of opioid settlement dollars. According to the request, there is a lack of transitional recovery housing facilities in Albuquerque and these funds will allow Family and Community Services to coordinate the acquisition, renovation, or expansion of transitional recovery housing facilities. In other city […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Housing & Homelessness
New $12.8M site opens for families experiencing homelessness
An Albuquerque nonprofit using an uncommon model that provides two years of housing, education and support to families experiencing homelessness has expanded to the Westside. Saranam’s objective is to stabilize and make independent what are most often single mothers with children who have endured domestic violence and other trauma. The program helps narrow a gap […]
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Deaths at the Westside shelter are increasing
On Jan. 28, 2023, a 53-year-old woman was staying at the Westside Emergency Housing Center with her husband when she died. According to an incident report, Gina Kirwin’s husband told staff that she was not breathing and when they went to check on her she was already cold to the touch. Kirwin’s husband told police […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Housing & Homelessness
How many homeless die in Albuquerque each year? It’s complicated.
Although it’s hard to get an exact count, advocates say more people experiencing homelessness are dying each year. Neil Greene, a fellow at the University of New Mexico’s Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions and a scholar of homelessness, researched the issue for City Desk ABQ — using Office of the Medical Investigator records […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
Commissioners accused of violating the Open Meetings Act
Did Bernalillo County Commissioners violate state law? The Foundation for Open Government (FOG) — an advocate for transparency in government — has asked the New Mexico Department of Justice to investigate whether the Bernalillo County Commission violated the Open Meetings Act by engaging in a rolling quorum before it met this week. A rolling quorum […]
Posted inBernalillo County, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Gov.
Former corrections officer shot himself outside MDC on Tuesday
The man who shot himself outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center on Tuesday was a former corrections officer, according to a county spokesperson. He was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where he later died. Candace Hopkins, a spokesperson for the county jail, said the man worked for MDC “for several different stints […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Education
New Superintendent achieves life goal and sets some for students
Dr. Gabriella Durán Blakey has found what she intends to be her last job. “There’s a lot of work ahead, and there’s nothing I have as a goal other than the work that I am committed to doing here in Albuquerque,” Blakey said. “So it’s the last stop.” A product of Albuquerque Public Schools, she […]