DWI cases filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court reached a multiyear high in 2025 and APD arrests are on the rise following a decades-long corruption scandal that has decimated its specialized DWI unit, a City Desk investigation found. The court recorded 2,404 total DWI filings in 2025, consisting of 2,360 misdemeanor and 44 felony cases, […]
Category: Local Government
Bernalillo County moves to regulate AI data center expansion
With Project Jupiter, a controversial campus of data centers slated for Doña Ana County, in the works, the Bernalillo County Commission took a first step Tuesday toward imposing some of the state’s strictest regulations on data center development, introducing a resolution that would tie taxpayer-funded incentives to aggressive hiring, wage and environmental standards. Sponsored by […]
Albuquerque’s Gateway Center hits a turning point in homelessness response
The City of Albuquerque announced Tuesday that the Gateway Center reached full capacity for the first time since its late-2025 expansion, placing nearly 200 people on a path toward stable housing through intensive support services. The Gibson location now serves 192 residents — 100 women and 92 men — who commit to behavioral intervention and […]
New leadership takes the gavel in Bernalillo County
The Bernalillo County Commission elected the new chair and vice chair of the commission in its first meeting of the 2026 calendar year, where Adriann Barboa took over as the commission chair with Frank Baca as her vice chair. The commission voted 5-0 for Barboa to take over the gavel from outgoing chair Eric Olivas. […]
Albuquerque’s nightly outreach hits record as winter temperatures plunge
Albuquerque Community Safety transported a record 1,230 people experiencing homelessness to shelter in December, helping protect lives during extreme winter temperatures. The total is the highest since the service relaunched in November 2025, a 136% increase from the previous month and a 92% jump from December 2024. The surge reflects rising community need and an […]
Bernalillo County Commission to consider data center regulations
The Bernalillo County Commission is set to tackle a landmark proposal to regulate data center incentives and a final vote on a revision of the county’s ethics code on Jan. 13. Commissioner Eric Olivas said he will introduce a resolution establishing strict criteria for data center projects that seek taxpayer-funded incentives. “If we are to […]
Bernalillo County joins Campbell Ranch lawsuit legal battle in Edgewood
Bernalillo County joined a longstanding lawsuit with the Town of Edgewood as an interested party last month, filing a petition to intervene after the Campbell Ranch development appealed the Town of Edgewood’s decision in July to deny its subdivision applications. The Edgewood Town Commission denied subdivision applications for an area known as Village 2, which […]
ABQ’s new interim police chief follows a familiar path. Will it lead to the same destination?
Cecily Barker, named Albuquerque’s first woman interim police chief on New Year’s Eve, follows a familiar pattern: Her two predecessors served as interim chief for about six months before being permanently appointed. The pattern is clear: Michael Geier served 6.5 months as interim chief before the City Council confirmed him 9-0 in June 2018. Harold […]
Baca interviews for Gov. cabinet post
Albuquerque City Councilor Joaquín Baca has two more years left to serve in his council term, but he could be leaving sooner than that, City Desk has learned. Baca has interviewed with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for consideration to fill the governor’s vacant cabinet position for secretary overseeing the state’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources […]
Keller blasts federal policy after deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller calling federal immigration policies “dangerous” following a fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis. “This incident raises serious questions and reflects a dangerous pattern that we are seeing across the country because of the president’s divisive policies,” Keller said in the statement posted on social media. “My […]

