Author: Rene Thompson

A jogger near Jerry Cline Park in Uptown was hit by a vehicle and the driver got out and shot at the jogger on Monday, Aug.1. Alfonso Gallegos said he was on his morning cardio-fasted walk when a man in a white four-door Dodge truck drove right into him. “While I was down he immediately got out with his firearm and began chasing me and fired at me,” Gallegos said. He ran after Gallegos shooting his gun and picked up his shell casings along the way, which was all caught on video. Gallegos explained he was able to run away…

It was a busy night for the Albuquerque City Council Monday night as members met via Zoom. Here’s a look at what happened. Redistricting • The redistricting committee provided eight different maps with committee and resident ratings for the council to consider along with the amendment for changes to each district. Committee members emphasized the five top principles of redistricting: equal population, minority voting rights, contiguity, compactness, and communities of interest, as well as the deadline for map adoption by the end of 2022. Law enforcement • An overall assessment of the Department of Justice ruling on July 26 observing…

New Mexico’s tax-free weekend is approaching, making it for back-to-school savings from Aug. 5-7.  The annual New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax Holiday started in 2005 for deduction of gross receipts tax toward retail sales.Online ordering is also included in the tax-free weekend, so if families don’t want to try to beat the crowds, it is a good alternative to shopping in person. There are pricing limits to the tax deduction, but below is a list of items and pricing to get some good deals this weekend. For shoes or clothing, qualifying items cannot exceed $100; for computers each item cannot exceed $1,000; or…

Albuquerque Community Safety is the newly made department that responds to mental health calls and is now hiring for first responders.  Their goal is to re-imagine how public safety calls are dealt with when a gun and badge are not required to help the community.  “People require individuals like social workers and community health workers who can assess a situation and connect someone to services that can potentially save their life,” the ACS site explains.  As an ACS responder, people have an opportunity to directly serve the folks in the Albuquerque community in a unique way. ACS is looking for…

BURGLARY COMM 8500 BLOCK MONTGOMERY BL NE 7/22/22 4:46 BURGLARY COMM 9500 BLOCK MONTGOMERY BL NE 7/22/22 5:30 BURGLARY COMM 8000 BLOCK ACADEMY RD NE 7/22/22 6:29 AUTO THEFT 5200 BLOCK WYOMING BL NE 7/22/22 7:50 TRAFF ACC NO INJ 9800 BLOCK MONTGOMERY BL NE 7/22/22 11:09 BURGLARY AUTO 12700 BLOCK MONTGOMERY BL NE 7/22/22 12:04 DISTURBANCE 5200 BLOCK WYOMING BL NE 7/22/22 13:19 STOLEN VEH FOUND MONTGOMERY BL NE / EUBANK BL NE 7/22/22 14:25 SUSP PERS/VEHS 9000 BLOCK GALAXIA WY NE 7/22/22 15:22 TRAFF ACC NO INJ MONTGOMERY BL NE / PIEDRA BLANCA ST NE 7/22/22 16:29 FAMILY…

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque has issued a flash flood warning for Bernalillo County, which is set to expire at 9 p.m. Just after 6 p.m. Friday, doppler radar indicated thunderstorms with heavy rain in the area. At the time, a quarter-inch to a half-inch of rain had already falling with an additional quarter-inch to 1 inch possible. Flooding is expected in small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas. Impacted areas include eastern Albuquerque, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, Sanida Heights, North Valley, South Valley, Canuel and Alameda. Interstate…

There is an open call for artists to submit their ideas for consideration to be featured on billboards throughout Albuquerque, due to be unveiled in late October.  Curator Jodie Herrera will consider art on the topic of social justice issues and encourage people to submit up to 10 pieces. Each submission is $10 per image and will go toward to cost of putting up at least five to six billboards throughout the city. The exhibition is open to all artists of any age, skill level or background. Save Art space initiative is a nonprofit organization founded in Brooklyn, New York,…

Eldorado High School Girls Soccer is teaming up with the Watermelon Mountain Ranch Animal Rescue, New Mexico’s largest no-kill animal shelter, to get donations for pet supplies and maybe get some pet adoptions along the way.  Donation drop-offs will be 3:30-4 p.m. Aug. 1, during the EHS camp check-in at the EHS soccer field. Another location and time for drop-off will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 3 at High Desert Park, where players will have a photo shoot wearing jerseys with Watermelon Mountain Ranch foster dogs.  Miskee Blatner, EHS girls soccer booster member, said every year sports teams have to participate…

Eldorado High School is having its volleyball tryouts for all athletes Monday, Aug. 8. Everyone who comes must have a completed physical for the 2022-23 school year to participate. The gym will be open from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, and Wednesday, Aug. 3.  For more information, contact Coach Pierce at robapierce@aol.com

A new study from Smart Growth America ranks Albuquerque second in the nation for most pedestrian fatalities while New Mexico ranks first in the U.S from 2016-20.  When it comes to the top 20 metros, the only place worse than Albuquerque is Daytona Beach, Florida. Older adults and people walking in low-income neighborhoods were also struck and killed at much higher rates than other populations in 2020 with black and Native Americans being killed at the highest rates. More than 6,500 people were struck and killed while walking in 2020, an average of nearly 18 per day, and a 4.5%…