Victor Onimole

Crime is a top concern for Albuquerque residents. Mayor Tim Keller announced Tuesday morning the situation is getting better. Crime rates are dropping, according to a city report looking at the first quarter of this year.

The National Rifle Association gave $61 million to schools and non-profit organizations in the U.S. between 2010 and 2016, according to an Associated Press analysis. Schools across the country got $7 million. 

The Albuquerque city council voted to raise gross receipts taxes by 0.375 percent Monday night and balance the city’s budget for the next year. The measure would generate around $50 million.

New Mexicans are reacting to President Trump’s suggestion that some teachers should carry weapons at school. Shootings here have changed the way some people think about public safety.

Social media was flooded with pictures of an unexpected snowfall that happened early Tuesday morning. Northern parts of New Mexico got up to 10 inches of snow, while the south and eastern parts got a light dusting.  

A majority of the state faces severe drought conditions, or high fire risk and frequent water shortages.

Supporters of early childhood education didn’t get the funding they were hoping for this legislative session.

Some House lawmakers wanted to use more money from the State’s Land Grant Permanent Fund for things like pre-K, childcare cssistance and other programs. But Democratic State Senator John Arthur Smith said that’s a bad idea.

The Native American Community Academy broke ground for their new high school Wednesday afternoon on the Central New Mexico Community College main campus in Albuquerque.

Kara Bobroff, the executive director and founder of NACA, said the new building will help promote exchange between CNM and the Academy.

New Mexico lawmakers unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that would help stop a sinkhole from forming in Carlsbad. The Motor Vehicle Tax to Road Fund measure would take a little over 4 percent of state vehicle tax money and put it toward filling Carlsbad’s brine well.

State representatives recently OK'd a budget that would give state workers a raise, the first since 2014.

Governor Susana Martinez proposed a 1 percent pay raise for state workers in January – but the House budget would make it 2 percent.

A coalition of conservation groups sued the federal government Tuesday over its new plan for recovery of the endangered Mexican grey wolf. The lawsuit says the plan won’t ensure that the animal thrives in the southwest.

State lawmakers put aside a set of proposals Thursday, Jan. 25, that were aimed at stopping a sinkhole from forming in Carlsbad.

The Senate Conservation Committee tabled five bills to remediate the Carlsbad brine well. The measures would have used $35 million from multiple state funds, including one to help plug up abandoned oil and gas wells.

We got some rain this week in New Mexico. It ended a 96-day dry streak in Albuquerque. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need a lot more rain and snow.

“We’re so far behind, that really all that we saw was not going to do much, really anything, to the state of the drought in NM,” said Royce Fontenot, a senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service.

By the end of this year, Albuquerque drivers will be able to head up and down Central Avenue without seeing bulldozers and cranes. Heavy construction on the Albuquerque Rapid Transit Project is scheduled to end this month. For over a year, about 10 miles of Central have been torn up and worked on. This sparked protests, discussion and anti-ART signs around the city. Construction workers said the hard work and unpleasant interactions they face are part of the job. KUNM visited the Cornell and San Pedro ART bus stations.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act on Wednesday and a local gun violence prevention group has some concerns. 

The measure would allow states to recognize concealed weapon carry licenses from all over the nation. It has received criticism because states with stricter guns laws would have to recognize licenses from states with fewer restrictions.

Republican Dan Lewis gathered in a Downtown ballroom with his supporters to make sense of what happened. “This has always been about a cause, that is, to make the city better, to make Albuquerque thrive, to make it safer, and you believe in that,” he said. “I know you believed in it, you still do, and I do also.”

Lewis congratulated Democrat Tim Keller on his win but said he’s not done trying to change the city.

The Albuquerque Rapid Transit project is looking to attract new riders. That means cameras: on buses, at ART stops, and at intersections.

The University of New Mexico’s Board of Regents announced Thursday, Nov. 2, the University’s first female president in its 128-year history. Groups around campus said they want to work with her to improve student success.

New Mexico’s Attorney General Hector Balderas weighed in this week against a proposed concealed carry bill that’s before Congress. But some local gun owners said the bill would make it easier for them to defend themselves while traveling.

The Congressional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would have states recognize out-of-state concealed carry permits as they do drivers licenses. A person with a concealed carry license traveling to another state would have to obey that state’s gun laws.

Comprehensive sex education helps address and prevent sexual assault. The University of New Mexico is hosting lectures, workshops, and discussions as part of the annual Sex Week. 

The World Gay Rodeo Finals will be hosted this Saturday and Sunday at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque.

With the event, the New Mexico Gay Rodeo Association aims to provide a safe space for people who identify as LGBTQ to compete and share their experiences.

Governor Susana Martinez called this week for lawmakers to repeal a bail bond amendment during next year’s legislative session and bail bondsmen are on board with her effort.

The Trump Administration announced this week that they’re going to pull the plug on the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era clean energy initiative. Local clean energy advocates are calling for state regulators to hurry up and take the lead on addressing climate change. 

Roswell city councilors are expected to decide on Oct. 12 if city employees should have the option to conceal carry a weapon on the job.

The youngest of Albuquerque’s mayoral hopefuls got only 6.8 percent of the vote on Tuesday. But Gus Pedrotty plans to have an impact on the city even without the title of mayor.

The 22-year-old candidate was surrounded by teachers, physicists, and doctors at his watch party at Boese Brother’s Brewery. Despite his loss, Gus Pedrotty was enthusiastic about his experience in the campaign. Will he run for office again?