City study reveals housing crisis for Albuquerque’s Native American residents

Nearly three-quarters of Albuquerque’s 25,400 Native American residents cannot afford monthly housing payments of $1,500 or more, according to a groundbreaking three-year city study released Friday that marks the first comprehensive urban Native housing analysis led by a municipal government. The finding creates a stark affordability gap in a city where median home prices currently […]

Albuquerque activates ‘Operation Cooldown’ as triple-digit heat hits 

As temperatures soar into triple digits this week, the City of Albuquerque is offering families free ways to cool off through its “Operation Cooldown 2025” initiative, which includes activating park sprinklers and maintaining extended hours at spray pads throughout the city. The Parks & Recreation Department will turn on sprinklers at 10 different parks over […]

New Mexico senators secure nearly $400 million for military bases, rural communities

New Mexico’s U.S. senators have secured nearly $400 million in federal funding for projects spanning from military base construction to rural fire departments, as the Senate passed its first fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills before the August recess. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján announced a combined total of approximately $395 million for New […]

Heinrich bill targets New Mexico’s wildfire insurance crisis

New Mexico homeowners facing skyrocketing insurance premiums and policy cancellations could benefit from federal legislation aimed at understanding how wildfires drive the insurance crisis affecting one in eight properties in the state. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., introduced the Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act on July 25, legislation requiring the […]

Bernalillo County to accept millions in state housing funds at Monday meeting

Bernalillo County commissioners will vote Monday to accept millions in state legislative funding that could help address the county’s need for 28,000 additional housing units by 2035, potentially impacting thousands of residents struggling with housing costs. The Bernalillo County Commission will consider authorizing County Manager Cindy Chavez to accept and budget funding awarded from the […]

Opinion: New polling shows any candidate could beat Keller for mayor, but take it with a grain of salt

Pat Davis is the founder and publisher of City Desk ABQ and nm.new.s He is a recovering politician having served eight years as an Albuquerque City Councilor and, in another life, he served as a police officer and nonprofit organizer. Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the polling group did […]

Rep. Vasquez finds overcrowded ICE facility detaining mostly non-criminal immigrants

New Mexico’s largest immigration detention facility is over capacity and holding hundreds of people without criminal records, according to U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez. Vasquez found the Otero County Processing Center “bursting at the seams” with over 1,100 detainees in a facility designed for 1,089 people, with more than 80% having no criminal charges or convictions, […]

Sanchez calls for APD to cooperate with federal agents after voting to preserve anti-cooperation law

City Councilor Louie Sanchez says he will require Albuquerque police to cooperate with federal immigration officers if he is elected mayor, despite casting the deciding vote last year on legislation prohibiting police from doing just that. In May of last year, the former Albuquerque police officer turned city councilor surprised many city politics watchers when […]

Fire chief defends paramedic changes, disputes union claims

Albuquerque Fire Chief Emily Jaramillo is moving forward with her paramedic deployment plan, set to begin Aug. 23, and disputing union claims that firefighters have been shut out of the process. The changes come after a months-long tension between the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 244 and Mayor Tim Keller’s administration over how the […]

Governor plans special session to shield New Mexicans from federal budget cuts

More than 760,000 New Mexicans who rely on Medicaid and food assistance could face benefit cuts or stricter requirements under federal legislation, prompting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to consider calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe as early as late August. The governor is “likely to call a special session, possibly in late summer or early […]