Budget bumps, popsicles and postponed charter changes dominated the lengthy Albuquerque City Council meeting May 20. In the end, a $1.4 billion budget was approved for fiscal year 2025. Budget Ups and Downs A big chunk of the five-plus hour meeting was spent working out the dollar details. After a couple of hours of discussion […]
Category: Communities
KAFB Receives Tanker Upgrade to Help Fight Fires
Firefighters who put out blazes from the air across the Southwest will be able to do their jobs more efficiently during the busy 2024 fire season thanks to upgrades at Kirtland Air Force Base. The U.S. Forest Service hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 17 for recently completed upgrades to the Cibola National Forest and National […]
KAFB Receives Tanker Upgrade to Help Fight Fires
Firefighters who put out blazes from the air across the Southwest will be able to do their jobs more efficiently during the busy 2024 fire season thanks to upgrades at Kirtland Air Force Base. The U.S. Forest Service hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 17 for recently completed upgrades to the Cibola National Forest and National […]
Lawsuit: City leaders attempted to use Risk Management as a ‘slush fund’
A former city manager within the Risk Management Division filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the City of Albuquerque on May 17 citing intimidation, false accusations and disregard for workplace safety laws concerning asbestos at the Gateway Center. The lawsuit was filed by Jeanette Chavez, an official within Risk Management who was one of the first […]
Two seats open on APS audit committee
Albuquerque Public Schools is looking for two community members to serve on the district’s audit committee. They will serve alongside board members, the superintendent and the district’s chief financial officer. One of the community representatives must have experience in accounting or financial matters. The other seat is for the parent of a student currently attending […]
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 […]
Controversial former sheriff, undersheriff set sights on Roundhouse
Two of Bernalillo County’s former top cops are seeking seats at the Roundhouse in November, despite being named in a federal indictment as key players in a gunrunning scheme that allowed gun store owners to buy illegal weapons. Manny Gonzales, a former Democrat and former Bernalillo County Sheriff, is running in the primaries for a […]
Officials who flagged asbestos dangers at Gateway Center told to stay home, given sick leave as city fined by state
At least two senior officials who raised concerns about the city’s mishandling of asbestos exposure during the construction of the Gibson Health Hub were threatened with reassignment and then quietly placed on sick leave. Both officials were made unavailable to answer questions from the city council and others about the administration’s actions that resulted in […]
City charter changes could create chaos
Proposed changes to the city’s charter have stirred up an old-time controversy. Several Albuquerque city councilors are asking for a slew of changes to the city’s charter that would go to the voters. The stack of charter amendment proposals will be debated at their May 20 regular meeting. If approved, the changes will go to […]
Fees for fun things in ABQ won’t be raised
Albuquerque City Councilors have dropped proposed fee increases from Mayor Tim Keller’s draft budget for fiscal year 2024-2025. At the May 16 Committee of the Whole meeting, members voted to make a few changes to Keller’s $1.4 billion budget. Among the amendments was allocating an additional $250,000 for the ABQ BioPark, eliminating the need for […]
