Legislators OK $162,500,000 for state SNAP aid in quick 4-hour session

Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, in his capacity as acting governor, has signed legislation that will provide full benefits for 459,500 New Mexicans who depend on SNAP for food assistance, even if the federal government does not supply the funding.  Morales signed House Bill 1 on Monday evening after the Legislature adjourned following a four-hour-long special […]

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 […]

Counties nominate state rep., current and former county commisioners to fill vacant senate seat in Southeast NM

Mark Fischer, chair of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, has been recommended by his colleagues to fill an open New Mexico Senate seat.  During a special meeting on Monday, Lincoln County Commissioners Samantha Serna, Timothy Prather, and MP Chavez voted to send Fisher’s name to the governor for consideration as their choice to fill […]

Special session bill would add $192 million to fund fed SNAP gap

Federal cuts to SNAP benefits that 459,500 New Mexicans depend on for food assistance could soon be offset by $192 million in state dollars, under the bill that will be taken up during Monday’s special legislative session.  The announcement came on Monday during a press conference held by New Mexico House Democrats and came just […]

Everything Albuquerque voters need to know about the December runoff

Albuquerque voters will head back to the polls Dec. 9 to decide the mayoral race between the incumbent Democrat Tim Keller and the Republican challenger Darren White and two city council races in Districts 1 and 3.  The city charter required a runoff because no candidate got more than 50% of the vote in the […]

Heinrich, Luján stand firm for health insurance cost fix as Senate moves forward with deal to reopen government

New Mexicans anxious about missing SNAP benefits or federal paychecks may get soon get some relief after a handful of Senate Democrats joined Republicans over the weekend in a deal to reopen the government, though New Mexico’s two U.S. senators did not go along, saying the deal abandons hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans facing […]

State DOT will seek 25-35% hikes on vehicle registration, new EV car fee to fund road repairs

New Mexico motorists could pay more to keep their vehicles registered and on the road under a proposal from the state Transportation Department, part of a plan to boost its revenue amid rising construction costs and projected declines in annual revenue.  Ricky Serna, the New Mexico Transportation Secretary, told lawmakers on the Transportation Revenue and […]

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 […]

The runoff strategy: Keller plans bipartisan outreach in runoff — while linking White to Trump

Editor’s note: As the dust settled on Tuesday night’s election, City Desk reached out to both mayoral candidates headed to the Dec. 9 runoff election to ask how they plan to forge a path to a majority following a deeply divisive general election. On Thursday, we shared responses from Darren White. Today, we feature Mayor […]

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 […]