■ Albuquerque Archives

The Albuquerque City Council meets at City Hall in this August file photo. The Council narrowly approved a charter review task force on Nov. 2. (Jesse Jones)

Fiery debate precedes approval of Albuquerque charter review

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — A heated City Council debate over mayoral power and legislative control erupted into personal sparring Nov. 2 before councilors narrowly approved a permanent task force to review Albuquerque’s city charter. During its Nov. 2 meeting, the City Council narrowly approved Ordinance O-26-66 on a 5–4 vote, with Vice President […]

Volcanic cinder cones on Albuquerque’s West Mesa are a defining feature of District 1’s landscape near Petroglyph National Monument. (Courtesy of CABQ)

Albuquerque, Local Government

Have an idea for District 1? Help decide how Albuquerque spends $1.7 million

by Jesse Jones November 2, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueños can help decide how to spend $1.7 million in public funds on projects in District 1. The initiative builds on Albuquerque’s first participatory budgeting pilot in District 6. Albuquerque City Councilor Stephanie Telles is inviting residents to submit ideas for projects funded through District 1’s $1.7 million participatory […]

Civic Plaza in downtown Albuquerque with the City Hall building pictured in the background. (Roberto Rosales)

Albuquerque, Local Government

Before voters head to the polls, the City Council has business to handle

by Jesse Jones November 2, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — What will be a shorter-than-usual Albuquerque City Council meeting Monday, the day before Election Day, will still decide the city’s future, from who reviews its charter to how zoning rules change and what can be built near the Sawmill neighborhood. Councilors will take final action on a proposal to […]

Albuquerque International Sunport, where a federal grant of up to $18.5 million will help fund upgrades to the Sunport Rail Spur to improve freight service and give local businesses another way to move goods. (CABQ)

Jobs, Workers & Economy

Albuquerque’s Sunport rail spur is getting a multimillion-dollar federal boost

by Jesse Jones October 27, 2026

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — From construction materials to industrial supplies, businesses could have an easier way to move goods in and out of the Duke City after the city was selected for a multimillion-dollar federal grant to upgrade six miles of the Sunport Rail Spur. The city was selected to receive up to […]

Albuquerque City Councilor Nichole Rogers speaks at a District 6 participatory budgeting meeting where residents helped shape proposals for neighborhood improvements. Courtesy of Nichole Rogers.

District 6 voted on $1.7 million in improvements. Three are guaranteed, but Councilor Rogers wants more.

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — District 6 residents have chosen how Albuquerque should spend $1.7 million on neighborhood improvements. With 11 projects on the ballot and funding set aside for the top three, Councilor Nichole Rogers hopes to fund more of the community’s ideas. District 6 residents cast 1,866 votes in the second annual […]

Want to challenge a development project in your neighborhood? It just got more expensive

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueños looking to challenge neighborhood development will face steeper costs after the Albuquerque City Council narrowly approved higher fees to appeal project decisions. The Council voted 5-4 at its Monday night meeting to approve Ordinance O-26-60, sponsored by Councilor Dan Lewis, which creates a new fee schedule for development […]

Shelter beds are seen inside Gateway West in Albuquerque. The city allocated $2 million in opioid settlement funds to launch a treatment navigation and assessment program through the Gateway system. Photo by Roberto E. Rosales/City Desk ABQ.

Albuquerque approves millions in opioid settlement funds: Here’s where the money is going

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — For Duke City residents facing addiction and students struggling with mental health, getting connected to treatment can be a critical step toward recovery. Newly approved city funding will expand access to addiction treatment navigation, sobering beds and school counseling for Albuquerque residents and students. The Albuquerque City Council unanimously […]

Politics & Elections

Warren stumps for Haaland in ABQ as both pitch New Mexico as affordability solution for Dems

by Jesse Jones and roberto-rosales October 19, 2026October 19, 2026

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined Deb Haaland’s campaign in Albuquerque on Monday to talk about New Mexico’s universal childcare program. The program launched last November and is the first of its kind in the country to offer free statewide childcare for working families without income limits or copayments. As Americans are becoming more and more […]

Time for fine-tuning: APS to host series of community meetings on ‘right-sizing’

By Rodd Cayton, The Paper. — As enrollment at Albuquerque Public Schools continues to decline, tough decisions need to be made, and the district is asking for community input to guide the process. APS has scheduled a series of community meetings over the next few months to hear from the public. According to an APS […]

The seal of the Albuquerque City Council

Albuquerque City Council picks up where last meeting left off

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Tonight’s Albuquerque City Council meeting will feel like a continuation of the last one, with councilors revisiting a controversial zoning appeal fee proposal and other issues they left unresolved at the Oct. 5 meeting. Councilors postponed the zoning proposal and ran out of time to consider another item on […]