Imagine waiting in line for public records at the Office of the City Clerk, only to find most of the requests ahead of you come from out-of-state data scrapers or suspected artificial intelligence bots overseas. Inside the city clerk’s office, that’s the reality. Record requests keep climbing, driven by out-of-state and overseas requests that strain […]
Category: +News
Posted inThe Paper.
Albuquerque’s Mayor said arrests were “Not the solution” to homelessness. Yet jail bookings have skyrocketed.
By Nicole Santa Cruz and Ruth Talbot, ProPublica, photography by Ramsay de Give for ProPublica — During his reelection campaign last fall, the mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, criticized his challenger for suggesting the city should get tougher on the homeless population. Such an approach would be cruel, Tim Keller said during a televised debate […]
Posted inLocal Government
Albuquerque councilors propose tax hike to raise over $100 million for new projects, staff pay
By Jesse Jones — A new proposed City Council ordinance, O-26-16, known as the Community Enhancement Municipal Gross Receipts Tax and sponsored by Councilors Joaquín Baca and Brook Bassan and Mayor Tim Keller’s administration, would raise the city’s gross receipts tax (GRT), a local sales tax on goods and services, by .4875% — generating an […]
Posted inLocal Government
Photos: On his birthday, hundreds honor a life of service for BCSO sergeant
Hundreds gathered Monday, March 2, on what would have been his birthday at the Rio Rancho Events Center to honor Sgt. Michael Barrett Schlattman, a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputy, died in the line of duty on Feb. 23 at age 52. Schlattman joined BCSO in 2012 and was promoted to sergeant in July […]
Posted inOpinion & Analysis
New Mexico Chief Justice: Supreme Court offers a civics program for students
By Chief Justice David K. Thomson, New Mexico Supreme Court — The Supreme Court of New Mexico launched a program in 2021 to help young people learn about our system of justice and the role of courts in resolving legal disputes. The concept of the Rule of Law Program was straightforward: We learn by observation. […]
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Council eyes new African American board, aims to quell fire rescue staffing conflict
By Jesse Jones — Tonight, the Albuquerque City Council will consider a new African American Advisory Board and a measure revising staffing rules for Albuquerque Fire Rescue. Sponsored by Councilor Nichole Rogers, ordinance O-26-11 would create an African American Advisory Board to advise the mayor on issues affecting African Americans. The board would focus on economic mobility, […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
New Mexicans in Congress condemn Trump’s Iran actions without Congressional approval
The United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran Saturday morning, prompting near universal condemnation from New Mexico’s elected members of Congress for President Trump’s action without Congressional approval, as is required by the Constitution. Here’s what they had to say in their first comments following the news: Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat: […]
Posted inCongress & Federal Gov.
“Bye, Felicia,” “You won’t be missed”: Reactions to Noem’s ouster from New Mexico’s Senators, Reps in Congress
President Donald Trump’s embattled Homeland Security secretary has been removed, the White House announced earlier today, following a rocky tenure culminating in the killing of two American citizens in Minneapolis, questions about her extravagant spending on a new luxury jet and a $200 million advertising campaign featuring her riding a horse at Mount Rushmore, and […]
Posted inLocal Government
Want a corporate tax handout? BernCo to make corps show community benefit to receive public subsidies
Companies that want tax breaks in Bernalillo County must now show how those corporate subsidies will turn into community benefits for taxpayers who fund them. The Bernalillo County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a first-of-its-kind resolution that requires businesses seeking public subsidies, including Industrial Revenue Bonds, to commit to local hiring, support for […]
Posted inElections & Politics, NM Political Report
The rise of New Mexico’s purple voters
New Mexico voters are not shifting left or right — they are walking away from the two major parties, giving rise to “purple voters.” These residents, who are not affiliated with either party, now make up more than a quarter of the state’s electorate a new analysis by New Mexico Political Report found. City Desk […]