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Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.

Heinrich, Luján stand firm for health insurance cost fix as Senate moves forward with deal to reopen government

New Mexicans anxious about missing SNAP benefits or federal paychecks may get soon get some relief after a handful of Senate Democrats joined Republicans over the weekend in a deal to reopen the government, though New Mexico’s two U.S. senators did not go along, saying the deal abandons hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans facing […]

Posted inNew Mexico Legislature #nmleg

State DOT will seek 25-35% hikes on vehicle registration, new EV car fee to fund road repairs

New Mexico motorists could pay more to keep their vehicles registered and on the road under a proposal from the state Transportation Department, part of a plan to boost its revenue amid rising construction costs and projected declines in annual revenue.  Ricky Serna, the New Mexico Transportation Secretary, told lawmakers on the Transportation Revenue and […]

Posted inLocal Gov.

A mom’s mission: After losing her daughter in a cycling crash, ABQ mom convinced city council to make traffic laws better for bikes, pedestrians

Days after 19-year-old Kayla Vanlandingham was struck and killed while cycling across Carlisle Boulevard in July, her mother, Melinda Montoya, met with District 7 City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn to ask, “How do we make things better for others?” That question sparked a four-month push that ended Wednesday, Nov. 5, when the Albuquerque City Council unanimously […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections

The runoff strategy: Keller plans bipartisan outreach in runoff — while linking White to Trump

Editor’s note: As the dust settled on Tuesday night’s election, City Desk reached out to both mayoral candidates headed to the Dec. 9 runoff election to ask how they plan to forge a path to a majority following a deeply divisive general election. On Thursday, we shared responses from Darren White. Today, we feature Mayor […]

Posted inAlbuquerque

Albuquerque pilot among three killed in Louisville UPS plane crash

An Albuquerque pilot was among three crew members killed when a UPS cargo plane crashed at Louisville International Airport on Tuesday. UPS identified the crew of Flight 2976 as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond. Truitt was a resident of Albuquerque who previously worked at Bode Aviation […]

Posted inNM State Gov.

New Mexico lawmakers call for commission to probe alleged Epstein crimes at Zorro Ranch 

New Mexicans may soon learn more about the alleged crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, even as efforts to get additional information about the disgraced financier and convicted sex abuser have stalled at the federal level.  On Thursday, state lawmakers presented a proposal to the Courts, Corrections and Justice Interim Committee to create a commission to probe […]

Posted inPolitics & Elections

Aztec state senator joins gubernatorial race, focuses on education, rural New Mexico

Sen. Steve Lainier (R-Aztec) on Thursday became the second Republican to officially declare his candidacy for governor.  Lanier, a retired educator and coach, and a first-term state senator from Aztec, announced his candidacy in a press release posted on Facebook.  “As someone who spent my life serving this community – in the classroom, on the […]

Posted inNM Legislature

Governor calls special session to extend food benefits amid federal shutdown

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday she will call the New Mexico Legislature into special session Monday to extend state-funded food benefits as a federal government shutdown continues, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The one-day session comes 10 days after Lujan Grisham released $30 million in emergency state funds to provide benefits […]

Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety

APD officer dies by suicide after domestic violence investigation in Cedar Crest

A sworn Albuquerque Police Department officer died in custody early Wednesday after Bernalillo County sheriff’s deputies discovered him with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound while executing an arrest warrant on domestic violence charges, authorities said. The incident began Wednesday morning when a woman and her juvenile child fled to an East Mountains school to report […]