Who’s behind the city’s public records backlog? Hint: It’s not New Mexicans

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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