Local Government Archives

Pictured is the crime scene at the Adam Food Market on the corner of Central Avenue and Pennsylvania where a woman was shot to death in the parking lot of the store Wednesday evening January 17th, 2024. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales/The City Desk

Is Albuquerque settling for slow 911 response times?

By Jesse Jones, City Desk ABQ in The Paper. — When a crisis strikes, every second counts. On a ringing 911 line, those seconds can feel like an eternity. Even as call volume drops and the city rolls out new technology, dispatchers are falling further behind national standards, leaving more callers waiting longer for someone […]

Pictured is Albuquerque city hall in Downtown

Albuquerque, Local Government

Albuquerque budget hearings kick off: Here’s how you can weigh in on how the city spends $1.47 billion

by Jesse Jones April 28, 2026April 28, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Over the next two weeks, Burqueños will have a chance to weigh in on Mayor Tim Keller’s $1.47 billion budget proposal before the City Council votes to approve or amend it. Whether it’s police response times, city parks or how the city addresses homelessness, councilors are opening the floor […]

Albuquerque, Courts, Justice & Safety, Local Government, NM.news

The next time you dial 911 in ABQ, a drone might be the first responder

by Pat Davis April 23, 2026April 24, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Seconds after a gunshot is heard across Albuquerque, police launch a drone from a rooftop hive and speed toward the sound. The goal is to arrive before officers, with its camera already rolling, as part of the city’s “drone as a first responder” program. The Albuquerque Police Department’s (APD) […]

History made: ABQ confirms the first female police chief and new safety director

The Duke City just made history by shattering the glass ceiling as City Councilors confirmed Cecily Barker as the city’s first female police chief and approved a public safety overhaul that created a new public safety director role and filled it with former FBI official Raul Bujanda. On Monday, the City Council unanimously approved Barker […]

‘It would be a lot cooler if you did’: ABQ council passes cooling rules — but not the ones the sponsor wanted

Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For thousands of Burqueños struggling to keep their homes cool as temperatures climb earlier each year, a common landlord workaround is now off the table — but the stronger protections one councilor fought for didn’t make it through. City councilors voted 5-4 Monday night to approve O-26-22, an amendment to […]

Albuquerque, Food & Drink, Local Government

City orders Downtown Lindy’s Diner closed over fear the building will collapse

by Pat Davis April 20, 2026April 21, 2026

City officials ordered an emergency closure of Lindy’s restaurant, a Downtown staple, on Monday after public complaints about the building’s bulging exterior prompted city officials to order a structural inspection. Owners say that the location is one of the longest continually-operated restaurant locations on Route 66. For 97-years, restaurants operating out of the the Bliss […]

Albuquerque, Local Government

Burque’s policing pivot: How the mayor proposes to put more cops on the street without new hires

by Jesse Jones April 20, 2026April 21, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueños looking for a fresh hiring surge to put more police on the streets will find a different strategy in Mayor Tim Keller’s $1.47 billion budget proposal. The city isn’t adding a single new sworn officer position; instead, it’s betting on a massive internal shakeup to put more officers […]

Several dozen homeless folks currently camp under interstate I-40 and first street. Many express frustration of authorities coming by everyday and kicking them out but decide to return an hour later. This has been their daily routine for months now. Pictured is a fentanyl pill about to be consumed. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales / City Desk Abq

Mayor’s budget pitch doubles treatment spending but lowers targets, but city says there’s a reason

By Jesse Jones, City Desk in The Paper. –– While reviewing Mayor Tim Keller’s $1.47 billion budget proposal, a counterintuitive number jumped out in the city’s Health, Housing and Homelessness Department budget: despite contracts for substance use treatment more than doubling to $5.5 million,the city expects to serve fewer people, lowering its target from 650 […]

Albuquerque approves $3M deal to land space energy startup

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Most people do not notice the thunderbird on Albuquerque’s flag in the top left corner, but its late-’60s design reflected the city’s role in the nuclear and Space Age. Nearly 60 years later, that vision is still unfolding, and could mean almost 200 high-paying jobs for Albuquerque residents. On […]

Fed cuts prompt Keller to pitch budget with $35 million hole and 272 job cuts

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Albuquerque is tightening its belt for the first time in years, and Burqueños may soon feel the shift. Mayor Tim Keller sent his $1.47 billion budget proposal to the City Council on Wednesday. The budget is $35 million less than last year. After a record budget year approved last […]