Albuquerque paid $8 million in lawsuits while Council oversight went dark for a year

By Jesse Jones — For nearly 12 months, the City of Albuquerque’s legal department failed to deliver required reports detailing how much the city paid in lawsuits to the City Council. Editor’s note: In researching this story, a Council spokesperson told City Desk that the last report received by the council was “in Q1 2025.” After […]

Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety, New Mexico Statewide News, NM Political Report

Supreme Court removes New Mexico judge from the bench

The New Mexico Supreme Court ordered a McKinley County magistrate judge off the bench this week, ending a months-long saga between the judge and the state’s Judicial Standards Commission which had sought his removal for abuses of authority in office. The commission’s recommendation for removal stems from what it described as a “pattern and practice” […]

Can ranked choice voting save Albuquerque a fortune? Supporters will try again for next city election

The Albuquerque City Council uses ranked choice voting (RCV) for its own internal seats. Now, Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Nichole Rogers and Stephanie Telles have introduced Ordinance O-26-13 to extend that same system to citywide elections by November 2027. Under RCV, voters rank candidates by preference. If no one secures a majority, the lowest vote-getter is […]

Albuquerque is making a new push to create more immigrant-friendly laws. Here’s what’s planned.

Albuquerque officials are launching a comprehensive strategy this spring to protect immigrants amid growing uncertainty about federal enforcement. Mayor Tim Keller and city councilors will introduce an ordinance in early March to permanently ban federal agents from using city resources. The move is part of the city’s Defend ABQ program. Alongside the new law, the city will […]

Posted inNM Political Report

Heinrich, Luján, Stansbury, Leger Fernández to boycott Trump’s State of the Union; Vasquez is lone New Mexican to attend

When President Donald Trump enters a joint session of Congress tonight to deliver his State of the Union, only one member of New Mexico’s elected federal delegation will be there to watch. Representative Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat representing most of southern and western New Mexico and Albuquerque’s Westside, told New Mexico Political Report today that […]

Posted inRoute 66 Independent

BCSO Sergeant fatally struck during traffic stop in East Mountains: Investigation underway

By Jesse Jones — A Bernalillo County sheriff’s sergeant was killed Monday evening after a tractor-trailer crashed into his patrol unit during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 near the East Mountains, Sheriff John Allen announced Monday night. Sgt. Michael Schlattman, a 13-year veteran of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, called in the stop just […]

Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety

Gary King campaigned on prosecuting child sex offenders – while courting Epstein at lunch and accepting donations through companies designed to avoid “press coverage” for King

By Pat Davis, Julian Paras, NM Political Report — The Epstein files revealed lots of new details about people and places connected to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — including former attorney general and candidate for governor, Gary King. When reporting from New Mexico Political Report and others showed that King used a jet arranged […]