As temperatures soar into triple digits this week, the City of Albuquerque is offering families free ways to cool off through its “Operation Cooldown 2025” initiative, which includes activating park sprinklers and maintaining extended hours at spray pads throughout the city. The Parks & Recreation Department will turn on sprinklers at 10 different parks over […]
Communities
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
New Mexico senators secure nearly $400 million for military bases, rural communities
New Mexico’s U.S. senators have secured nearly $400 million in federal funding for projects spanning from military base construction to rural fire departments, as the Senate passed its first fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills before the August recess. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján announced a combined total of approximately $395 million for New […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
Heinrich bill targets New Mexico’s wildfire insurance crisis
New Mexico homeowners facing skyrocketing insurance premiums and policy cancellations could benefit from federal legislation aimed at understanding how wildfires drive the insurance crisis affecting one in eight properties in the state. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., introduced the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act on July 25, legislation requiring the […]
Posted inBernalillo County
Bernalillo County to accept millions in state housing funds at Monday meeting
Bernalillo County commissioners will vote Monday to accept millions in state legislative funding that could help address the county’s need for 28,000 additional housing units by 2035, potentially impacting thousands of residents struggling with housing costs. The Bernalillo County Commission will consider authorizing County Manager Cindy Chavez to accept and budget funding awarded from the […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
Rep. Vasquez finds overcrowded ICE facility detaining mostly non-criminal immigrants
New Mexico’s largest immigration detention facility is over capacity and holding hundreds of people without criminal records, according to U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez. Vasquez found the Otero County Processing Center “bursting at the seams” with over 1,100 detainees in a facility designed for 1,089 people, with more than 80% having no criminal charges or convictions, […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
Fire chief defends paramedic changes, disputes union claims
Albuquerque Fire Chief Emily Jaramillo is moving forward with her paramedic deployment plan, set to begin Aug. 23, and disputing union claims that firefighters have been shut out of the process. The changes come after a months-long tension between the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 244 and Mayor Tim Keller’s administration over how the […]
Posted inNew Mexico, NM State Gov.
Governor plans special session to shield New Mexicans from federal budget cuts
More than 760,000 New Mexicans who rely on Medicaid and food assistance could face benefit cuts or stricter requirements under federal legislation, prompting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to consider calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe as early as late August. The governor is “likely to call a special session, possibly in late summer or early […]
Posted inGeneral Interest
ART security calls skyrocket, but actual violence plummets
Less than three weeks after a city bus driver fatally stabbed a passenger near Coors Boulevard, new data shows security calls to Albuquerque’s transit system have jumped 81% over the past year. The July 9 stabbing followed an argument on board that spilled onto the street. Surveillance video shows the 41-year-old driver pursuing the passenger, described as […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov., New Mexico
Sen. Luján leads Democratic push to reverse health care cuts affecting 89,000 New Mexicans
Up to 89,000 New Mexicans could lose their Medicaid coverage and six to eight rural hospitals could close within 18 months under Republican health care cuts that Sen. Ben Ray Luján and Senate Democrats are now trying to reverse through new legislation. Luján led Senate Democratic leadership Wednesday in introducing the “Protecting Health Care And […]
Posted inEducation, New Mexico
New Mexico schools receive $44 million in released federal funds
This report is supported by NM Political Report, a nonprofit newsroom working to increase New Mexicans’ engagement in politics and public policy. Reported by: Rodd Cayton This report is original reporting by a New Mexico-based independent journalist with support NMreports.org and its readers and sponsors. The Trump Administration’s decision to reinstate nearly $7 billion in […]