The 17-story skyscraper at the corner of San Mateo and Central Avenue and the 10-story “mini version” next door are clad with 23-karat gold tiles and once served as the symbol of Albuquerque and New Mexico’s booming extraction and atomic economy. Today, it stands vacant and its lots are filled with the remnants of overnight […]
Category: City Desk ABQ

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Here’s where you can find National Night Out events in your neighborhood tonight
Once a year, neighborhoods across the country — including many right here in Albuquerque — spruce up, make snacks, and get together to celebrate their neighborhood and reconnect with neighbors. It’s called National Night Out and this year it happens tonight, Tuesday August 5th. What is National Night Out? National Night Out started in 1984 […]
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 […]
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 […]
AFR rescues a person from an underground storm drain downtown. How did they get in there?
A midday call for help outside a Downtown high-rise office building led Albuquerque firefighters to an unusual rescue Tuesday morning. At about 10:40 a.m., rescue personnel were summoned to 5th Street and Marquette Avenue for reports of a person “stuck in a storm drain.” They soon found a person “below grade” (aka below the street […]
Albuquerque’s Cooling Ordinance: A Good Start That Needs Strengthening
Nathaniel Matthews-Trigg, MPH, CEM is a founding board member of Healthy Climate New Mexico and a heat-health technical expert. He is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On August 1st, Mayor Tim Keller will participate in “Hotter Days, Smarter Ways: Innovative Strategies for Heat Resilience” at the Mayors’ Innovation Project 2025 conference. As mayors from across […]
Judge in Florida denies Justice Dept. request to release Epstein transcripts
By Jeremy Roebuck, Washington Post — A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts from investigations of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in Florida, a setback for the Trump administration amid growing calls for transparency from the president’s base. The department petitioned the court last week to release […]
Hegseth Signal messages came from email classified ‘SECRET,’ watchdog told
By Dan Lamothe, John Hudson, Washington Post — The Pentagon’s independent watchdog has received evidence that messages from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Signal account previewing a U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen derived from a classified email labeled “SECRET/NOFORN,” people familiar with the matter said. The revelation appears to contradict long-standing claims by the Trump administration […]
Rio Grande becomes ‘puddle grande’ through Albuquerque
Officially, the Rio Grande gauge at the Central Avenue crossing in Albuquerque’s Barelas neighborhood says the state’s most important river has water. But dog walkers and kids seen making mud castles in the center of the main channel (this is not safe, by the way), Wednesday afternoon may beg to differ. At 3 p.m. Thursday […]
Tenants Lose Their Cool
This report was co-published with The Paper., Albuquerque’s weekly home for arts, culture, news and events. After weeks without air conditioning during extreme heat, tenants at The Retreat at Candelaria say repairs are finally in motion, weeks into triple-digit temperatures and days after city inspectors ordered repairs. Despite a city ordinance requiring landlords to provide […]