Wednesday’s Top Stories
- Truth or Consequences mayor investigated for animal cruelty
- NMSU bringing in 3rd party to investigate shooting
- Former Albuquerque mayoral candidate sentenced to probation after DWI
- KRQE Weather Academy visits Barcelona Elementary
- 5-year-old girl found safe after Amber Alert, dad facing other charges
- Bernalillo County hosts ‘Cuts for Kids’ event Sunday
- UNM Lobos improve to 8-0 with dominating victory
- Zelensky named Time magazine ‘Person of the Year’
- China eases anti-COVID measures following protests
Wednesday’s Five Facts
[1] City’s plan would convert old Albuquerque hotels into affordable housing – The city of Albuquerque has outlined one way it hopes to add thousands of new housing units. The plan is to buy and convert old hotels and motels into permanent homes. The city says they would be creating basic apartments, some without stoves, due to zoning requirements that do not allow full kitchens. The Department of Family and Community Services says these are not shelters and some residents will pay rent, while other apartments will be subsidized. They hope to house at least 1,000 lower-income individuals by 2025.
[2] PED asks for money to fill teacher vacancies in New Mexico school districts – With nearly 700 open positions in New Mexico’s Public Education Department, the PED Secretary is asking for money to fill them. PED Secretary Kurt Steinhaus told the legislative education study committee they would need $100 million to fill the vacancies. Steinhaus is also asking lawmakers for more than $56 million to address ‘hard to fill’ positions, including bus drivers and school counselors.
[3] Rain and snow arrives in New Mexico – Snow will fall in the San Juan Mountains all day, and will spread east into the northern mountains this afternoon. The heaviest snow in the northern mountains will fall tonight, and a light dusting to a few inches of accumulation will be possible in the mountain towns. Winds will be breezy, especially on the east side of the state, gusting up to around 35-40 mph. Temperatures will stay mild, but a cold front will cool temperatures down for Thursday.
[4] Video: Two women use dog door to break into a Rio Rancho home – A Rio Rancho homeowner is asking for help identifying two women who break into a Rio Rancho home by squeezing through a doggy door. Security video shows them getting in and then ransacking the place. The homeowner says the women took anything they could find, including bathroom supplies, frozen food and jewelry that belonged to his mother and grandmother.
[5] State offers nurse home visits for newborns, families – The New Mexico Department of Health and the Early Childhood Education and Care Department have collaborated with the University of New Mexico Hospital to provide home visits three weeks after a baby is born. Nurses will focus on supportive health and infant care, providing parents with a safe home life and support. Initially, the program will focus on Bernalillo County residents who receive care at UNM Eubank Women’s Health Clinic and deliver at UNM Hospital, but there are plans to possibly expand the program to other locations.