Albuquerque Journal

BernCo approves $4.9 million for pet adoption and education center

Bernalillo County commissioners this week approved $4.9 million to renovate and operate a center in the Northeast Heights that would work paw-in-paw with the county’s main shelter to educate pet owners and find animals their forever homes. The Animal...

SOCORRO COUNTY APPROVES MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTER

SOCORRO — After more than two months of public opposition to the proposed Green Data Center project, the Socorro County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on data centers and related infrastructure. Green Data, a Canadian...

PRC examiners recommend reversing $400M TXNM stock sale to Blackstone

State Public Regulation Commission hearing examiners on Monday said commissioners should reverse a $400 million sale of TXNM Energy Inc. stock to Blackstone Inc., a move that could complicate the New York-based private equity firm’s $11.5 billion bid...

PUSH FOR THE PIT

Ryan Berryman wasn’t even born when a young Jim Valvano frantically sprinted around the court looking for someone, anyone, to hug on that April evening in 1983. But, like the 30-something former North Carolina State men’s basketball coach, the...

Prince Valiant

Embattled state GOP chairwoman loses party job, then bid for reelection

SANTA FE — Just days after a judge ordered her to step down as New Mexico Republican Party chairwoman, Amy Barela suffered a different kind of defeat. The incumbent was ousted this week from the Otero County Commission by primary election challenger...

Haaland, Hull quickly shift focus to November

A day after a dominating victory in her primary election race, Democrat Deb Haaland let her campaign staffers sleep in — at least for a few extra hours — as she began shifting her focus to November. For his part, Republican Gregg Hull said he only...

Epstein truth-finding panel hears testimony from victims

SANTA FE — A truth-finding commission probing sexual abuse allegations at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch issued 14 subpoenas Monday to a variety of institutions and heard testimony from victims and family members. Speakers on Monday included Rachel...

A ROUGH REMATCH FOR HOLM

Holly Holm was not happy. Neither were those in her corner. Not when the result of Saturday’s fight against Stephanie Han was announced in the boxing ring in El Paso, Texas. Not when Holm left for her post-fight press conference. It was Han, after...

US Supreme Court settles long-running dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court has approved a settlement package designed to rein in groundwater pumping along one of North America’s longest rivers and ensure enough water reliably makes it from New Mexico to Texas, ending a long-running dispute over...

Taos native leads Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute

SANTA FE — Growing up in Taos, Syri Mongiello learned the importance of providing central spaces for small communities to come together, a concept that’s at the heart of her new role as executive director of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market...

STARS, STRIPES AND STORIES

New Mexicans of all ages turned out Monday to pay respects to military members who died serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. A parade was held along Gibson Boulevard as participants made their way to the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, where a ceremony was...

Letters to Eva

Dec. 8, 1941: I stepped outside my quarter doors and looked to the north. They were pretty planes, flying high in the sky. One could tell at once they weren’t our pretty planes — two waves of them, 27 each, the second some distance from the first. The...

Judge calls on both sides to take ‘problem-solving approach’

SANTA FE — Though the case before him centered on the safety of young New Mexicans in the digital realm, Judge Bryan Biedscheid presided over the second phase of New Mexico’s landmark lawsuit against Meta this month from behind a wall of paperwork. A...

Cause of 3 deaths, exposures in Mountainair remain a mystery

MOUNTAINAIR — Federal authorities joined the investigation Thursday into what caused the deaths of three people and the hospitalization of more than a dozen first responders the day before. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug...

City Council passes $1.47B budget

Is the glass half-full? Or half-empty? Mayor Tim Keller’s office says he and the City Council have a difference of perspective over how much money the city of Albuquerque should spend next year. Keller said his proposed budget followed the...

Albuquerque homeless residents describe violence and threats

Kodiak was biking down the streets of Southeast Albuquerque near the Ramada hotel when he noticed a truck shift lanes. At first, he thought nothing of the vehicle as it veered from the far right lane of the road. “The next thing I knew, the truck was...

‘I FEEL LIKE THIS IS MY SECOND LIFE’

Dion’s Pizza never tasted so good. At least that’s how Mark Fratrick felt after a week without food and just a sip of fluids inside University of New Mexico’s Critical Care unit, having just narrowly survived one of the world’s deadliest...

Medical plane crashes in Capitan Mountains, killing all four aboard

Four people died Thursday morning in a medical plane crash near Ruidoso, authorities said, and a wildfire that ignited shortly after had grown to 35 acres by the afternoon. Lincoln County officials said the aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air 90, was...

City details plan for safe outdoor space

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller on Wednesday announced a new initiative to address homelessness: providing a place to sleep outside the West Side shelter for those not ready to step inside. The proposed Gateway Safe Outdoor Space will provide showers,...

Missed opportunity?

Did the University of New Mexico let a golden opportunity fly by when choosing the five finalists who will compete to run the state’s flagship university? Albuquerque’s business community seems to think so. Some business leaders said they were...

UNM, OLEN INK NEW 5-YEAR CONTRACT

The University of New Mexico and men's basketball coach Eric Olen have agreed to a new contract, one that will pay him $7.25 million over the next five years and includes measures intended to entice the coach to stick around. Olen led the Lobos to a...

ROUND & ROUND with Mom

Mothers and their children made sweet memories together during Mother's Day celebrations around Albuquerque on Sunday. The Journal caught glimpses of mothers and children riding the carousel and enjoying snow cones at the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo....

A half-century of growth at Los Poblanos

When Penny Rembe and her husband set their sights on a 25-acre farm in the North Valley, they never envisioned what would stand on the property a half-century later. Rembe said, like the lavender bushes that buffer Los Poblanos or the varietal roses...

GOP gubernatorial candidates talk policy in Journal debate

The three gubernatorial candidates in the Republican primary race often parroted each other’s policy plans while touting their records in business and government during a debate Friday at the Albuquerque Journal. Gregg Hull, former Rio Rancho mayor,...

‘MY GROWING SEASON ... IS OVER’

CORRALES — Corrales farmers experiencing a dry start to the year now have less water to use for the foreseeable future. The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) has suspended irrigation deliveries to the village. The deliveries rely on...

‘EXTRAORDINARY LEGACY’

Storied media mogul and conservationist Ted Turner died at age 87 on Wednesday, leaving behind a legacy that spanned both airwaves and over 2 million acres across the U.S., more than half of which he purchased in New Mexico. Until recently, Turner was...

Ready. Set. Elect.

Election season got underway across New Mexico on Tuesday, the first day of early voting ahead of the June 2 primary election. Absentee ballots also started to be mailed out Tuesday. This will be the first election that independent voters — who make up...

LOW& SLOW

The Cinco de Mayo Lowrider Fiesta rolled into the Duke City on Saturday. The fiesta was held at the Albuquerque Rail Yards and aimed to celebrate Route 66's 100th anniversary, which is this year. Lowriders, classic cars and viclas were all displayed.

NAVAJO LAWMAKERS ADVANCE TALLGRASS GAS PIPELINE PLAN

A 234-mile pipeline that could carry natural gas or natural gas-hydrogen blends across the Navajo Nation is a step closer to reality. The Resources and Development Committee of the Navajo Nation Council voted at the end of March to conditionally allow...

A refuge for transgender care

As some conservative states restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender people, New Mexico is increasingly positioning itself as a safe haven. In the past six months, Planned Parenthood clinics in New Mexico have seen a 50% increase in...

Locals rally for better wages on International Workers’ Day

Hundreds of workers and labor union representatives gathered at Civic Plaza on Friday to call for better working conditions and higher wages on International Workers’ Day. Also known as May Day, the holiday is similar to Labor Day, when unions...

Mike Smith looks to set record at Kentucky Derby

Mike Smith talks about it in a way that invokes a sort of magical quality. A jockey and his horse. The New Mexico native can’t help it. It’s natural. It’s more than the excitement or the adrenaline of a race, or the calmness needed or the nerves that...

Annual Jane’s Walk highlights the heart of ABQ’s historic neighborhoods

In the Raynolds Addition neighborhood south of Downtown, you can see both tree-lined boulevards and towering urban high-rises. Meanwhile, people flock to the crowded farmers market at Robinson Park or take contemplative sips of black coffee at Java...

Audit faults Mora County over handling of wildfire funds

SANTA FE — A special audit into Mora County’s handling of more than $40 million in state wildfire response funds found county officials routinely skirted New Mexico’s procurement code, were late on payments for leased equipment and misused roughly $3...

Wall of historic Lindy's Diner collapses just days after closure

A wall that city officials warned was in danger of collapsing fell Monday at Lindy's Diner, sending part of the building onto a Downtown Albuquerque sidewalk and narrowly missing a passing vehicle. The incident happened days after the restaurant was...

Students read aloud. AI scores them

Lilly Garcia is learning to read. Her tutor is a robot. On a Friday morning in her combination second- and third-grade class at Matheson Park Elementary School, Garcia reads a story about a rabbit and a fox traveling to a tropical island. She's...

The last Gathering of Nations

The dancers streamed in from the southwest corner, filling Tingley Coliseum with beautiful, bright regalia and a deafening chorus of chants, drums and clanging bells. It marked the “Last Dance” of the Gathering of Nations Powwow, the largest powwow in...

BernCo officials spar, property owners decry short-term rental tax policy

This weekend, Albuquerque resident and property manager Shane Dolinski is renting out one of his short-term rental properties in the Foothills to a couple of families who came from across the country for the city’s last Gathering of Nations Pow...

CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD

More than a dozen Indigenous people and supporters gathered on the banks of the Rio Grande on Thursday afternoon for the ninth year, drawn together by the Two Spirit Water Ceremony led by Sharon M. Day. The ceremony celebrates the vital spirit of...

Gov. issues order creating state energy council to study cost, reliability issues

SANTA FE — With New Mexicans facing rising electricity rates and hotter weather, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday ordered the creation of a new energy affordability council to provide policy recommendations by later this year. The 13-member...

Bliss Building owner calls city’s closure of Lindy’s Diner ‘unfortunate’

For years, Steve Vatoseow knew his historic Bliss Building needed work. He explored every avenue he could think of to address the issues — from applying for Route 66 preservation grants to pitching developers and attempting to sell the property. But it...

HISTORY IN MOTION

Members of the the Hopi Eagle Dance Group from First Mesa, Arizona, donned regalia and performed cultural dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to kick off American Indian Week on Monday. The week-long celebration runs through Sunday. Kids days...

Pedestrian deaths in ABQ area, state fall for second straight year

Seven fewer people were fatally struck by drivers on Albuquerque's streets last year — the second straight annual decrease in pedestrian deaths since a post-pandemic spike. Driven to some degree by the decrease, New Mexico — for the first time in eight...

Independents’ ranks swell after new voter registration system enacted

SANTA FE — For the last three decades, the ranks of New Mexico independent voters have been growing at a more rapid rate than registered Democrats or Republicans. But that trend has accelerated in advance of the state’s first semi-open primary...

Supreme Court won’t intervene in Otero County ICE detentions

The New Mexico Supreme Court declined to intervene in a dispute over Otero County’s new service agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which means the use of a county-owned facility in Chaparral for federal immigration detention will...

NM runners chase glory in 2026 Boston Marathon

On Monday morning, approximately 30,000 invited competitors will congregate in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, for the kickoff to the 130th running of the Boston Marathon, widely considered the most prestigious annual running event in the world. The number...

BETTER COVER UP YOUR BUTTERCUPS

Rachel Carstens arranges succulents at the Alameda Greenhouse on Wednesday. The National Weather Service predicts strong winds will blow a cold front into Albuquerque on Friday, ushering in a late freeze.

NM governor candidates have already spent $10M on race

SANTA FE — With less than two months left until New Mexico’s primary election, Democrat Deb Haaland is continuing to outraise — and outspend — her rivals in the state’s open race for governor. The former U.S. Interior secretary reported raising...

Oil companies accused of massive accounting fraud in New Mexico

Oil companies ExxonMobil, Empire Petroleum and their subsidiaries engaged in accounting fraud that could cost the state nearly $200 million, a lawsuit filed in New Mexico District Court alleges. If successful, plaintiffs say the case could change how...

ABQ mayor proposed $35 million in cuts to the city budget, but will it be enough?

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller is tightening the city budget for the next fiscal year ahead of an expected economic downturn. But even with $35 million in cuts, the city is projected to spend more from its largest account than is being replenished by...

LUNAR COMEBACK

HOUSTON — Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy. It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed...

Remembering the fall

SANTA FE — More than 150 people — many of them from the New Mexico Army National Guard — came together in Santa Fe on Thursday to commemorate the 84th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan. The annual event, held outside the Bataan Memorial Building, marks...

Residents blast Edgewood for terminating fire, EMS contract

EDGEWOOD — Over 100 people — including several Santa Fe County firefighters — filled the Edgewood Town Hall Commission Chambers on Tuesday. Some listened intently while others voiced their displeasure over the upcoming split between Edgewood and the...

ALBUQUERQUE’S ‘SKYLINE’

Not all heroes wear capes — this one carries Narcan. Recently, an Albuquerque local, known by the superhero moniker Skyline, went viral online for his civic powers rather than his super ones. Skyline sits in on City Council meetings, attends protests...

VASQUEZ CALLS FOR CLOSURE OF FORT BLISS ICE DETENTION CAMP

EL PASO — Southern New Mexico Congressman Gabe Vasquez paid a visit to a neighboring House district Monday for a tour of the nation's largest immigration detention facility on the grounds of U.S. Army installation Fort Bliss. Spring winds kicked up...

`There are some students that have straight up disappeared'

Teachers at Highland High School in Albuquerque's International District say the school has always been a “revolving door” of students coming and going from around the world. “We used to get kids all throughout the year,” said Rachael Sonia, who...

Rio Grande could dry up in the metro for the third time in 40 years

New Mexicans could face a water shortage and increased costs for fruits and vegetables, if the Rio Grande does not receive a lot more precipitation this year. “The amount of water in the river is not sufficient to meet irrigation demands while...

New Mexicans make Good Friday pilgrimages amid surge in Catholicism

CHIMAYÓ — Taos resident Jose Gonzales is finding his faith again, and he’s not alone. On Good Friday, Gonzales was trekking south in a bucket hat and neon vest along the High Road to Taos Scenic Byway. His destination? One of the most sacred sites for...

Corrales resident reflects on historic 1966 NCAA title run with Texas Western

In the early to mid-1960s, during the heart of racial unrest in America, many college teams never recruited Black athletes. That was especially true in the powerhouse Southeastern and Southwest conferences. But what transpired during the NCAA...

A NEW SPACE AGE

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Four astronauts embarked on a high-stakes flight around the moon Wednesday, humanity's first lunar voyage in more than half a century and the thrilling leadoff in NASA's push toward a landing in two years. Carrying three...

‘We love what we’re doing’

Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. President and CEO Shyla Sheppard was tending to some yardwork on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday when a f lurry of Instagram notifications interrupted her clipping and pruning. It was a welcome distraction, as dozens of Bow &...

BioPark works to make elephant habitat `Alice-proof' after escape

Alice the Asian elephant was standing inside her ABQ BioPark habitat on Monday afternoon when Calli Hamlin told her to “come here.” As the 52-year-old walked over toward Hamlin, BioPark's assistant curator of elephants told her, “good girl.” When...

Keyshawn Whitehorse wins PBR Ty Murray

For three days, the Land of Enchantment treated Keyshawn Whitehorse like one of its own. The Navajo Nation athlete from McCracken Spring, Utah, enjoyed a near-perfect weekend, successfully completing all four of his eight-second rides — including two...

Thousands rally against Trump in ‘No Kings’ protests statewide

A cacophony of megaphones and raised voices mingled with the honking of horns and billowing exhaust as several thousand people marched up two of Albuquerque’s busiest thoroughfares to protest the Trump administration on immigration enforcement, the...

Texas House speaker wants lawmakers to look into annexing part of New Mexico

Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better, it seems. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows directed lawmakers to explore the possibility of adding part of New Mexico to the Lone Star State in his list of 2027 legislative priorities. The Lubbock...

ABQ sees 9 days above heat record, cooler weather may lie ahead

Like a meteorological high jumper, New Mexico has continued raising the bar for highest temperatures ever recorded in the month of March, but forecasts show cooler days may lie ahead. Thursday marked the ninth consecutive day that Albuquerque exceeded...

Cecily Barker named APD chief

After spending $55,000 on a national search and months of taking input from the community and public officials, the Albuquerque Police Department has announced its next chief. Mayor Tim Keller said Cecily Barker, a former deputy chief with over 20...

Jurors begin deliberations in state's lawsuit against Meta

SANTA FE — New Mexico asked jurors Monday to impose a penalty of more than $2 billion against digital giant Meta, arguing the company failed to protect teenage users from sexual predators and harmful content on its online platforms. Jurors began...