By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burque municipal workers exposing government fraud could soon face fresh ground rules, as could the taxpayers who rely on City Hall’s watchdog agency. The City Council votes Aug. 3 on two companion ordinances born from a feud between city investigators and municipal leaders. The measures mark the first full […]
Category: City Desk ABQ
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One City Councilor’s plan to rid ABQ of crypto kiosks
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — A panic-inducing phone call, an alleged arrest warrant and a frantic drive to a neighborhood gas station: For many victims, that’s how cryptocurrency ATM scams begin. Callers posing as law enforcement, government officials or utility workers pressure people to withdraw thousands of dollars in cash and feed it into […]
APS receives grant to connect coordinators to instructional teams
Albuquerque Public Schools has been awarded a grant connected to enhancing its community schools program. The $50,000 National Moonshot Grant is for “Extending the Educator Team: Embedding Community in the Future of Learning,” an initiative of Remake Learning, a Pennsylvania-based network “that works to bring together a diverse network of stakeholders to imagine a more […]
City Launches “Operation Cooldown” as triple digits hit ABQ
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – With triple digit temperatures expected across Albuquerque this week, the City is once again rolling out Operation Cooldown, an initiative designed to help residents cool off by activating sprinklers at neighborhood parks. The Parks and Recreation Department will turn on park sprinklers from 1 to 1:30 p.m. each day […]
How Albuquerque is turning city medians into wildflower havens for bees
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Across the Duke City, medians, parks and other green spaces are buzzing with more than people. Thanks to conservation efforts, bees, butterflies and other pollinators are finding more places to thrive. Albuquerque is doubling down on its status as the first Bee City USA in the Southwest, according to […]
No notice, damaged sidewalks: How City Hall plans to hold broadband providers accountable
by Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Homeowners in Burque tired of unannounced fiber internet crews tearing up lawns and sidewalks or blocking driveways can look to a new proposal putting neighborhood protections front and center. Sponsored by Councilor Dan Champine, the ordinance includes several new requirements for internet providers, including notifying residents 30 days before […]
City Hall doesn’t have to recycle. One councilor wants to fix that and make all landlords provide recycling, too.
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — A proposed City Council ordinance tackles two recycling gaps at once: expanding recycling access to renters in smaller apartment buildings and requiring city-owned buildings to provide recycling services. Current city code only requires apartment buildings with 25 or more units to provide recycling, leaving many renters without guaranteed service. […]
How Bernalillo County plans to add $10 million to infrastructure without raising taxes
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Bernalillo County faces a $400 million backlog of capital projects but plans to ask voters to approve just $45 million in bonds. At that rate, Commissioners Barbara Baca and Eric Olivas said the county will never catch up. To speed up the process, they gained support from the rest […]
Affluent neighborhoods that blocked PNM substation now face summer power outage warnings
By Pat Davis, The Paper. — For seven years, residents of some of Albuquerque’s most affluent neighborhoods have successfully fought to stop PNM from building a substation the utility said would eventually be needed to meet increased demand on a local part of the grid those expanding neighborhoods created. This week, ongoing development and higher […]
Could NIMBY neighbors derail city’s rail trail plans?
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — A small group of West Old Town residents is challenging the City of Albuquerque over a segment of the ABQ Rail Trail, a multimillion-dollar marquee project. Although the group wants to halt the planned extension through their neighborhood, the city owns the property, forcing residents to navigate municipal bureaucracy […]
