Nearly 400 teachers working in New Mexico classrooms will receive student loan forgiveness this year through the state’s Teacher Loan Repayment Program, officials announced. The state awarded funding to 387 new teachers, adding to the 529 educators already receiving benefits through the program, which launched in 2013 to attract more teachers to the state. The […]
Category: +Sections
Posted inLocal Gov.
What happened to ABQ’s transit security dashboard?
Albuquerque residents looking for ABQ RIDE real-time transit security data now find only a broken link where the city’s Metro Security dashboard used to be. The dashboard previously showed security call data that City Desk used to report on transit safety trends. Officials said the agency isn’t cutting transparency. Instead, it’s preparing a full data […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Pig leads APD on wild foot chase along I-40
Albuquerque Police officers found themselves on a wild foot chase Tuesday. “Yesterday, APD officers responded to a call unlike any other… a suspect on the run… with four legs, a snout, and a surprisingly good set of wheels,” police said in a Facebook post. “Yes, folks, a wild pig decided to take a joy run […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
What’s behind ABQ’s declining homicide numbers?
Albuquerque has investigated 59 homicides this year through Nov. 11 — a 32% plunge from the same period last year and the city’s third straight year of declining homicides. City officials touted the decline Nov. 10 at a press conference where Mayor Tim Keller and Police Chief Harold Medina released third-quarter crime statistics showing decreases […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
What’s in a name? City Council blocks administration from rebranding Juniper Flats apartments as “Gateway”
The Albuquerque City Council unanimously approved Resolution R-25-201 Nov. 5, preserving the “Juniper Flats” name for the 204-unit, 55-and-older senior apartment complex under renovation at 25 Hotel Circle NE in District 9. Though part of the city’s Gateway Network, the measure ensures Juniper Flats remains distinct from the Gateway shelter system, providing permanent, affordable housing […]
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 inLocal Gov.
Drivers beware: City’s new traffic code gives bikes, pedestrians more safe space
This week, Albuquerque’s City Council passed the first major bicycle and pedestrian safety updates to the city’s traffic safety code since 1974. The change came after an Albuquerque mother began asking councilors to write better laws after her daughter, Kayla Vanlandingham, 19, was killed in a bicycling accident in July. According to a summary of […]
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 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 […]
Posted inPolitics & Elections
Union-backed candidates win 2 of 4 APS board seats, shifting board balance
Teacher union-backed candidates won two of four Albuquerque Public Schools board races Tuesday, with Rebecca Betzen defeating board president Danielle Gonzales and Warigia Bowman winning in District 6. Business-backed candidates held onto seats in Districts 5 and 7, capping the most expensive school board election in district history. The results shift the balance of power […]