Latest news with #BernalilloCounty
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
2nd St./Rio Bravo intersection to close for construction on June 18
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Construction is gearing up for a big road construction project this summer on an extremely busy Albuquerque intersection. Starting on June 18 and going through June 22, road crews will get started on roadwork at 2nd Street and Rio Bravo Blvd. Elite U.S. Army parachuting team performs at Kirtland AFB for 2025 Air Fiesta Construction began about a year ago, just down the street at the nearby Princeton Dr. and Rio Bravo Blvd. intersection and stretching all the way to I-25. This upcoming project will bring several improvements to this intersection of roads, walking trails, and train tracks. 'The road is being widened to 6 lanes. Three lanes in each direction. And we're installing a sidewalk on the north side of the road, where there previously wasn't one. And the southside has a trail that we'll also be improved….the railroad will be widened to match the road section, which is six lanes,' said Rodrigo Eichwald, Engineering Program Manager, Bernalillo County. During the closure, traffic will be diverted further down 2nd Street, towards Woodward Rd. Even though full closures will be sporadic, the full construction project is not expected to be complete until December. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Officials ID woman who died 48 hours after being booked into Bernalillo County jail
May 31—In November 2020, Estelle Quintero was cited for trying to steal $27 worth of shampoo from an Albertsons grocery store. When she missed a scheduled court appearance days later, a warrant was issued for her arrest. The 45-year-old woman died Wednesday morning at the Metropolitan Detention Center, 48 hours after being arrested on two warrants, both for missing court, tied to the petty misdemeanor and child support hearings. MDC spokeswoman Candace Hopkins on Saturday identified Quintero as the person who had died, her family having been notified. She said an autopsy will determine a cause of death. The incident is being investigated by MDC and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office. Hopkins said Quintero was booked into jail Monday at 6 a.m. She was "discovered unresponsive" Wednesday morning at 5:30 a.m. "MDC staff, alongside the (University of New Mexico) Hospital medical team, swiftly responded and began administering life-saving measures," Hopkins said. "Despite these efforts, Quintero was pronounced deceased at 5:48 a.m." Hopkins gave no other details. Katherine Loewe, who represents incarcerated people in MDC's reform settlement, said she was told by inmates that Quintero had been banging on her cell "asking for help" through the night. Loewe said the inmates told her an MDC corrections officer told Quintero to "be quiet and go to sleep." Court records show Quintero has been in and out of jail for decades on property and drug-related crimes. Loewe said she was placed on detox watch when she was booked into MDC on Monday, having been arrested by Albuquerque police. Quintero was the seventh person to die at MDC or die after being injured or falling ill at the facility in the past six months and the 36th such death since 2020. The majority of those who have died were detoxing at the time. The jail's daily population has been on the rise in recent months as several agencies — including Albuquerque police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and New Mexico State Police — conduct simultaneous crime operations, mainly focused on East Central, targeting people with warrants and open-air drug use. In January, 1,840 people were booked into MDC, and in April, there were 2,062 bookings, according to a dashboard on the MDC population. Currently, almost half of those behind bars at the jail are considered "transient." "We're in this time when the city is touting that they're rounding up everyone with warrants and making the city safer," Loewe said. "And in this case... they rounded up somebody with a five-year-old shoplifting warrant for less than $30 worth of soap, and took her to jail, where she died within 48 hours."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Smoke descends on Albuquerque, where is it coming from?
May 31—Albuquerque and much of the Rio Grande Valley were blanketed in a haze of smoke on Saturday from south of the border. Meteorologists say an outflow boundary, described as a kind of "shockwave," from thunderstorms in Mexico on Friday carried the smoke 500 miles from wildfires in northwestern Chihuahua. Belen and Socorro felt some of the worst effects, with less than two miles of visibility, and health alerts were issued for Bernalillo County through Saturday. The National Weather Service expected the smoke to be gone by Sunday and said a lack of wind in the metro area was causing it to hang around longer than expected.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Officials ID woman who died 48 hours after being booked into Bernalillo County jail
May 31—In November 2020, Estelle Quintero was cited for trying to steal $27 worth of shampoo from an Albertsons grocery store. When she missed a scheduled court appearance days later, a warrant was issued for her arrest. The 45-year-old woman died Wednesday morning at the Metropolitan Detention Center, 48 hours after being arrested on two warrants, both for missing court, tied to the petty misdemeanor and child support hearings. MDC spokeswoman Candace Hopkins on Saturday identified Quintero as the person who had died, her family having been notified. She said an autopsy will determine a cause of death. The incident is being investigated by MDC and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office. Hopkins said Quintero was booked into jail Monday at 6 a.m. She was "discovered unresponsive" Wednesday morning at 5:30 a.m. "MDC staff, alongside the (University of New Mexico) Hospital medical team, swiftly responded and began administering life-saving measures," Hopkins said. "Despite these efforts, Quintero was pronounced deceased at 5:48 a.m." Hopkins gave no other details. Katherine Loewe, who represents incarcerated people in MDC's reform settlement, said she was told by inmates that Quintero had been banging on her cell "asking for help" through the night. Loewe said the inmates told her an MDC corrections officer told Quintero to "be quiet and go to sleep." Court records show Quintero has been in and out of jail for decades on property and drug-related crimes. Loewe said she was placed on detox watch when she was booked into MDC on Monday, having been arrested by Albuquerque police. Quintero was the seventh person to die at MDC or die after being injured or falling ill at the facility in the past six months and the 36th such death since 2020. The majority of those who have died were detoxing at the time. The jail's daily population has been on the rise in recent months as several agencies — including Albuquerque police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and New Mexico State Police — conduct simultaneous crime operations, mainly focused on East Central, targeting people with warrants and open-air drug use. In January, 1,840 people were booked into MDC, and in April, there were 2,062 bookings, according to a dashboard on the MDC population. Currently, almost half of those behind bars at the jail are considered "transient." "We're in this time when the city is touting that they're rounding up everyone with warrants and making the city safer," Loewe said. "And in this case... they rounded up somebody with a five-year-old shoplifting warrant for less than $30 worth of soap, and took her to jail, where she died within 48 hours."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
What's causing Albuquerque's hazy skyline?
Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional information from the National Weather Service. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – If you've stepped outside your house in Albuquerque on Saturday, you probably noticed the Sandia Mountains covered in haze. The City of Albuquerque published a health alert Saturday morning, warning residents in the city and Bernalillo County of dust and smoke in the area through 3 p.m. So what's causing the smoky air? According to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, outflows from a thunderstorm in northern Mexico pushed wildfire smoke and dirt up along the Rio Grande Valley, causing hazy skies. A satellite photo from the National Weather Service showed the smoke moving through New Mexico: State officials offered the following tips to stay safe when there is smoke in the air: Staying indoors during smoky days is one of the best things you can do. When you don't have a monitor in your area, use the 5-3-1 Visibility Method created in New Mexico to estimate the air quality and the actions you should take based on your health circumstances and age. Pay attention to local air quality alerts to plan your day and travel. Keep your indoor air clean by closing windows and doors. Create a 'clean room' in your home. Keep windows and doors closed. Stop use of all fragrances such as spray air fresheners, candles, wax melts, and chemically scented household products. Don't use a vacuum cleaner during a smoke event because it can stir up particles already inside your home. Turn off electric fragrance dispensers or scented wax melting devices. Stop use of anything that burns, such as candles, fireplaces, or gas stoves. Avoid use of sprays including cleaning and grooming products. Try an air purifier. Several hardware stores sell air purifiers of varying features and price ranges. You can also make a temporary air filter with a box fan and a furnace filter. There are many online videos that demonstrate how to do this. The 5-3-1 Visibility Method: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
