City of Albuquerque makes changes to several ABQ Ride bus routes - Gregory R.C. Hasman, Albuquerque Journal
The city of Albuquerque will be updating nine of its bus routes this month as part of a 16-phase plan — increasing or decreasing frequency and adding or removing routes, among other changes.
The changes to ABQ Ride services will begin Dec. 13 and are “designed to make riding easier, with benefits such as increasing frequency and weekend service, reducing overlap for better coverage, and equitably increasing access for more community members,” according to the city’s Transit Department website.
“We ask for patience and open-mindedness as we roll out these improvements,” Transit Deputy Director Mike Davis said in a news release Wednesday. “Some beloved routes will change, and in turn new routes will be transformational. Every decision has been carefully analyzed and contributes to a better system for Albuquerque.”
Some Albuquerque bus riders say upcoming changes to its routes and schedules are a good thing, while others think they won’t make a big difference. But those who spoke with the Journal agreed on one thing: The bus service is a necessity in the city.
“I don’t have a vehicle and I have no way to get around,” resident Ann Johnson said as she rode the Route 66 bus, which traverses Central Avenue. “This is my only source of transportation.”
Other phases of the plan will take place over the next few years “to ensure ABQ Ride can meet staffing and fleet needs,” Transit Department spokesperson Madeline Skrak said.
A few of the changes that will take effect in the coming days include:
- Route 66 buses will arrive every 30 minutes instead of 25 minutes. Johnson said while the decrease won’t be a big deal, the bus route offers the quickest service, “especially for people who are sitting and waiting there when it’s cold.”
- Route 53 (Isleta Boulevard to Downtown) will run on Sundays. Riders taking the bus on the other days, will have to wait an hour instead of 45 minutes. Rider Steve Whittenberg said adding the Sunday route is good because there are many people in the area with no transportation who need the service.
- Route 36, which runs from 12th Street to the Rio Grande by Griegos Road, will be discontinued. It will be replaced by ABQ Ride Connect’s Rio Grande Service Zone, which will now feature Saturday service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Route 8 (Menaul Boulevard) will provide service on Indian School Road, west of 12th Street and Rio Grande. Riders can expect the bus to arrive every half-hour instead of 40 minutes. The route, however, will no longer go north on Fifth Street and south on Sixth Street.
The changes are part of the ABQ Ride Forward Network Plan, an initiative that began in 2022 to review the performance of the city’s bus network.
“ABQ Ride Forward refreshes Albuquerque’s antiquated bus system, which hasn’t been updated in over 25 years, to a plan that makes sense for how people live, work, and connect today,” Skrak said.
Whittenberg said while he appreciates being able to take the bus to run errands, the service has “gotten worse” since the City Council voted to adopt a pilot zero-fares program, which it voted to keep permanently in November 2023.
The free rides, he said, have resulted in buses becoming jam-packed with unhoused people. Along with an increase in riders, he sees many people who carry weapons on the bus, Whittenberg said.
In fiscal year 2024-25, there were about 7.48 million bus riders, an 11.5% increase from 2023-24, when there were 6.71 million riders.
In 2025-26, as of Sept. 30, there have been 1.98 million riders, Skrak said.
When asked for the number of criminal incidents reported on the buses, Skrak sent a link to the quarterly ABQ Ride security reports. The reports show incidents at bus stops and transit facilities but the data does not reflect incidents that happen on the bus and are responded to by Albuquerque Community Safety or the Albuquerque Police Department.
“Please note... that ACS and APD do not gather ‘on-the-bus’ or ‘by route’ data because they gather data based on geographic location instead,” she said.
Despite the imperfections with buses, resident John Hollingsworth said they are “not bad.”
“It’s the only way to get around,” he said.
NM U.S. Senators Heinrich, Luján call on Forest Service to account for wildfire prevention decline - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
United States senators from New Mexico joined Democratic colleagues this week in calling on the federal Forest Service to account for a reported steep decline in wildfire prevention measures, including forest thinning and prescribed burns, in New Mexico and other states during President Donald Trump’s first term.
U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich sent a letter Dec. 2 to Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz along with 10 other senators, calling on Schultz to “provide clear answers” about the Forest Service’s staffing to reduce wildfire risk across the West.
The letter cited an analysis of publicly available data from Grassroots Wildland Firefighters finding a 38% decrease in the removal of hazardous fuels as of September 2025 when compared with the same period over the last four years.
Between 2021 and 2024, the Forest Service completed hazardous fuel projects covering 3.6 million acres a year, according to the analysis. In the first nine months of 2025, the group found that the Forest Service treated less than 1.7 million acres.
“The steep decline in hazardous fuels reduction efforts on Forest Service lands poses a serious risk to public safety, public health, and the economy,” the senators wrote. “It is imperative that the Forest Service works closely with Congress to address shortfalls in wildfire mitigation and ensure staffing and budgetary resources are sufficient to fulfill the agency’s mission.”
The letter says Schultz previously provided misleading answers in response to criticism about his agency’s wildfire prevention efforts, including counting work done during President Joe Biden’s term as evidence that the agency was adequately staffed. But that data included staffing figures from before Trump’s “mass staff firings, forced retirements, and unnecessary pauses on projects,” the letter states.
In New Mexico, the analysis found wildfire prevention efforts are down by 53% since President Donald Trump took office in January.
The letter ends with a list of questions to Schultz about where staffing currently stands and what his plans are to address the “current wildfire risk environment.” It also asks for updated numbers on treated acres, how many such projects were delayed this year, and for quarterly updates on progress going forward.
It also asks for Schultz to respond to the letter by Dec. 12.
In the meantime, New Mexico’s five national forests have announced prescribed burns beginning this week or last. That includes pile burns in the Carson, Lincoln and Santa Fe national forests, as well as other prescribed burns in the Gila and Cibola.
Democrats plan push to increase oversight of New Mexico firearms dealers - Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal
Two New Mexico Democratic lawmakers say they plan to push for legislation increasing oversight of firearm dealers in the state, after a national group released a report that found most guns used in crimes were originally purchased from in-state sellers.
But the proposal could face opposition during the 30-day session that begins next month — if it’s even added to the session’s agenda.
A spokesman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Thursday the governor has not yet decided whether to include such legislation on the session agenda, but indicated she is open to the idea.
“The governor is committed to ending gun violence in New Mexico and would take a close look at any legislation that could help make that happen,” Lujan Grisham spokesman Michael Coleman said in a statement.
Under the New Mexico Constitution, the 30-day sessions that take place in even-numbered years are limited to budgetary matters and other issues the governor approves for legislative debate.
The report released this week cited 2023 data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that 4,847 guns used in crimes in New Mexico were recovered and traced by law enforcement officials. Of that amount, about 78% of the guns were originally purchased from licensed firearm dealers, primarily in New Mexico.
The report also found that most of the firearms in question were sold by a small number of dealers, and nearly 90% were found in the possession of someone other than the initial buyer.
It was released by Everytown for Gun Safety, a New York-based group that advocates for gun safety and has given hefty campaign contributions to some New Mexico Democrats.
Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, said the findings indicate some firearms dealers might be selling guns to traffickers.
“There are bad actors that have repeatedly sold these weapons to folks in the community, and they are still currently operating in the state without any sort of accountability whatsoever,” Romero said during a virtual news conference.
She also said the legislation she and Sen. Heather Berghmans, D-Albuquerque, are planning to file could include employee training requirements and mandatory firearm inventory tracking.
However, Zach Fort, the president of the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, said placing more requirements on federal firearm licensees, or FFLs, will not address the issue of gun theft.
“Once they hand that firearm over, they have no visibility into what happens with it,” Fort told the Journal.
He also said firearms dealers already must comply with strict federal tracking requirements for all guns, while citing federal and state laws targeting “straw purchases” of firearms. Such purchases occur when someone is paid to buy guns for another person.
Eric Rasmussen, the owner of Right to Bear Arms gun shop in Albuquerque, said local gun store owners have a system of alerting one another when they suspect straw purchases.
“There’s not one gun store owner I know of who wants to sell guns to criminals,” said Rasmussen, who is also the president of the New Mexico Firearms Industry Association.
Since Lujan Grisham took office, New Mexico lawmakers have approved several new laws dealing with firearms restrictions. Those measures include a 2019 law expanding required background checks and a 2021 law allowing guns to be temporarily seized from individuals deemed to pose a threat to themselves or others.
Legislators also passed a 2024 bill establishing a seven-day waiting period to purchase a firearm, though that law is currently in limbo after being challenged in federal court.
Meanwhile, attempts to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, with certain exceptions, and to raise the buying age for purchasing AR-15-style rifles have stalled at the Roundhouse.
New Mexico in recent years has had one of the nation’s highest firearm mortality rates, with roughly 25 gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents in 2023, according to federal data. The only states with higher per capita firearm mortality rates were Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
But Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, said legislation targeting firearms dealers will not reduce violent crime rates in New Mexico.
“This session should focus on getting the worst repeat offenders off our streets, not targeting the very New Mexicans who follow the law,” said Brantley.
New Mexico rural libraries receive grant funding for youth programming and services - Leah Romero, Source New Mexico
Six of New Mexico’s rural public libraries recently received grant funding to expand programming and services offered to children.
The New Mexico libraries were six of the 39 small libraries that received a combined total of $220,050 in grant funds through the Ohio-based John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation.
Awardees are located in states across the country.
The New Mexico libraries include the Magdalena Public Library; Truchas Library; Silver City Public Library; Moise Memorial Library in Santa Rosa; the Lordsburg Hidalgo Library; and Socorro Public Library.
According to a news release from the foundation, grant requests ranged from books and educational tools to expanded access to technology and opportunities to engage with youth.
“Rural libraries are more than buildings with books. They are lifelines for their communities,” Mike Deetsch, executive director of the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation, said in a statement. “We are proud to invest in the innovative ways these libraries foster belonging, literacy, and opportunity.”
Grant awards were between $1,500 to $10,000, based on the scope of each library’s project description. The Magdalena Public Library received $5,500, Director Jerri Hurd told Source New Mexico. She said the funding will go toward expanding the library’s juvenile, youth and young adult collection; expanding the section of Navajo-English publications; partnering with the local public school district to promote early literacy through story time; and launching gardening programs to help meet nutrition needs in the community.
“By applying for the grant, it really helps you focus on what you want to do and get really specific about it,” Hurd said. “Most of our budget goes towards just keeping things going. You know, building the collection, bringing in a few authors. So this [grant] lets us really help expand our programming.”
Lisa Shepard, treasurer for the Truchas Services Center, which includes the community’s library, told Source that the Rio Arriba County library received more than $5,000 through the grant. She explained that the funds will be used to create the capacity to offer e-books for youth and adults.
“Because we’re a rural library, we’re totally reliant on grants and some funding [from the state],” Shepard said, adding that the board wants to grow other aspects of the library’s programming as well. “We kind of want to expand our youth section of our library a little bit. And we also are…trying to figure out how we can maybe get some ability to do 3D printing here and have that available for our youth to learn how.”