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Albuquerque Pulse: Crime, Housing, Sports, and Community Updates for December 20th
Published 4 months ago
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Good morning, this is Albuquerque Local Pulse for Saturday, December twentieth, and we are catching up together on what is happening around our city right now.
We start with breaking news from city hall. According to the Albuquerque Journal, the governor is publicly criticizing our city leadership over how effective the recent National Guard deployment has been, even as Albuquerque police say crime has dipped during that period. At the same time, the city attorney is denying fresh allegations of a conflict of interest raised by the City Council president, so we are watching some real tension between the Mayor’s office and council that could shape how future public safety and legal decisions are made.
On the services front, KUNM reports that a city councilor is pushing for the Gateway Center near Gibson and San Mateo to offer more walk up services, not just referrals. That matters for how our unhoused neighbors can get shelter, medical help, and treatment without complicated intake steps.
Now to the streets. ABQ RAW reports an overnight shooting near Central and Jefferson marking the one hundred seventh homicide of the year, and earlier this week a man was stabbed to death at an ART bus platform. There was also a SWAT standoff at a southwest home tied to a toddler’s suspected fentanyl exposure, ending in two arrests. Police and Crime Stoppers continue to ask for tips in several older homicide and shooting cases, and we are urged to stay aware, especially along Central, San Mateo, and in parts of the Southeast Heights.
Weather wise, we are looking at a cold but mostly clear winter day across the valley, with chilly morning air along the Rio Grande bosque and a light breeze picking up by afternoon. We will want layers if we are out at the growers markets, the malls, or heading up Tramway toward the foothills, and roads remain dry for evening events.
In business news, the Journal reports that Range Cafe is closing its Downtown Albuquerque location near Central and 4th, a blow to that corridor’s restaurant scene. Bosque Brewing is also closing two Albuquerque locations after broader cuts, even as Sunday Service Motor Company expands operations on the West Side. Commercial real estate continues to shuffle, with a Sawmill area industrial property listed around five million dollars as availability opens near Old Town.
On housing, local agents say median home prices in the city are sitting in the mid three hundreds, with inventory still tight but better than last year, and rents for a typical two bedroom apartment hovering just under fourteen hundred dollars, especially around Uptown and the Northeast Heights. Job wise, employers along I 25, in Mesa del Sol, and around UNM Hospital continue posting hundreds of openings, particularly in health care, tech support, construction, and hospitality as holiday travel peaks.
Culturally, we have luminaria and farolito walks lighting up Old Town, the River of Lights drawing big crowds at the BioPark, and holiday flamenco performances and mariachi concerts filling venues from the KiMo on Central to smaller theaters near Gold Avenue. A community favorite, pet shelters are celebrating what the Journal calls “Santa paws,” with holiday adoptions surging and many dogs and cats leaving shelters for homes across the city.
In sports, the Lobos just opened Mountain West Conference play with a win over Boise State at the Pit, and New Mexico United has unveiled its 2026 schedule, giving supporters something to look forward to as we count down winter. High school basketball rankings are out, with several Albuquerque boys and girls teams near the top statewide, and the Ice Wolves are planning a night honoring first responders at Outpost Ice Arenas.
For schools, Rio Rancho Public Schools just named a new superintendent, which affects many families who commute between the West Side and Rio Rancho every day, and loc
We start with breaking news from city hall. According to the Albuquerque Journal, the governor is publicly criticizing our city leadership over how effective the recent National Guard deployment has been, even as Albuquerque police say crime has dipped during that period. At the same time, the city attorney is denying fresh allegations of a conflict of interest raised by the City Council president, so we are watching some real tension between the Mayor’s office and council that could shape how future public safety and legal decisions are made.
On the services front, KUNM reports that a city councilor is pushing for the Gateway Center near Gibson and San Mateo to offer more walk up services, not just referrals. That matters for how our unhoused neighbors can get shelter, medical help, and treatment without complicated intake steps.
Now to the streets. ABQ RAW reports an overnight shooting near Central and Jefferson marking the one hundred seventh homicide of the year, and earlier this week a man was stabbed to death at an ART bus platform. There was also a SWAT standoff at a southwest home tied to a toddler’s suspected fentanyl exposure, ending in two arrests. Police and Crime Stoppers continue to ask for tips in several older homicide and shooting cases, and we are urged to stay aware, especially along Central, San Mateo, and in parts of the Southeast Heights.
Weather wise, we are looking at a cold but mostly clear winter day across the valley, with chilly morning air along the Rio Grande bosque and a light breeze picking up by afternoon. We will want layers if we are out at the growers markets, the malls, or heading up Tramway toward the foothills, and roads remain dry for evening events.
In business news, the Journal reports that Range Cafe is closing its Downtown Albuquerque location near Central and 4th, a blow to that corridor’s restaurant scene. Bosque Brewing is also closing two Albuquerque locations after broader cuts, even as Sunday Service Motor Company expands operations on the West Side. Commercial real estate continues to shuffle, with a Sawmill area industrial property listed around five million dollars as availability opens near Old Town.
On housing, local agents say median home prices in the city are sitting in the mid three hundreds, with inventory still tight but better than last year, and rents for a typical two bedroom apartment hovering just under fourteen hundred dollars, especially around Uptown and the Northeast Heights. Job wise, employers along I 25, in Mesa del Sol, and around UNM Hospital continue posting hundreds of openings, particularly in health care, tech support, construction, and hospitality as holiday travel peaks.
Culturally, we have luminaria and farolito walks lighting up Old Town, the River of Lights drawing big crowds at the BioPark, and holiday flamenco performances and mariachi concerts filling venues from the KiMo on Central to smaller theaters near Gold Avenue. A community favorite, pet shelters are celebrating what the Journal calls “Santa paws,” with holiday adoptions surging and many dogs and cats leaving shelters for homes across the city.
In sports, the Lobos just opened Mountain West Conference play with a win over Boise State at the Pit, and New Mexico United has unveiled its 2026 schedule, giving supporters something to look forward to as we count down winter. High school basketball rankings are out, with several Albuquerque boys and girls teams near the top statewide, and the Ice Wolves are planning a night honoring first responders at Outpost Ice Arenas.
For schools, Rio Rancho Public Schools just named a new superintendent, which affects many families who commute between the West Side and Rio Rancho every day, and loc