New Mexico
4 Investigates: Hot APS classrooms
We are finally starting to cool off a little as we head into October. But some Albuquerque Public Schools are still struggling with hot classrooms.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – We are finally starting to cool off a little as we head into October. But some Albuquerque Public Schools are still struggling with hot classrooms.
We’re talking hundreds of open work orders, some in schools the district has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to upgrade.
“The problem with this is year is it was just so much hotter,” said APS Assistant Deputy of Operations John Dufay.
Dufay said, in a classroom full of students, even temps in the upper 70’s can feel sweaty and stuffy.
When cool air stops blowing, it’s more than just an APS emergency. At the start of this school year KOB heard from parents of APS students.
“I went in there right before 10 a.m. and it was already 86 degrees in his classroom,” said one parent.
Many were angry.
“Knowing that my baby, my child, is in a classroom for eight hours a day in the heat is not OK,” said another parent.
School staff secretly snapped pictures of thermostats for us. Even students themselves complained.
“Being in the classroom was pretty hard because I was sweating a lot,” said an APS student earlier this year.
APS should have seen it coming. From May to the start of school in August, KOB 4 discovered more than 3,500 work orders at almost every single APS facility.
Even schools that were part of a recent $26 million upgrade.
Despite spending more than a $1 million at Manzano High School, in the last four months, there were 59 work orders. Another $1 million at La Cueva, still 33 work orders.
Even schools that were part of a recent $26 million upgrade.
Despite spending more than a $1 million at Manzano High School, in the last four months, there were 59 work orders. Another $1 million at La Cueva, still 33 work orders.
We found 114 work orders at West Mesa after the district spent close to a million bucks there. Often, money is spent reviving old systems.
For example, Double Eagle Elementary School runs on more than 30 Air Wash systems. Old technology that’s like a large evaporative cooler. It uses water to cool air on its way to the classroom.
“A unit is not foolproof,” said APS Maintenance and Operations Technician Rupert Abeita. “Anything could go wrong with all that technology. Anything could go wrong at any time.”
Abeita is one of only eight in-house HVAC techs at APS. That’s down 44 from more than a decade ago, covering a district now twice the size.
Most APS buildings run on some type of evaporative cooler.
“I would say, probably 40% of the calls, everything is working it’s just not cool enough,” said Dufay.
We know the efficiency drops if there’s humidity and temps are above 95. But these systems live and pull air from rooftops that are much hotter. APS says its recorded temps of around 140 degrees.
It’s why many, like the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, are looking for a more reliable solution for the future.
“There was unanimous agreement that we have to start addressing this problem now,” said Ellen Bernstein, president of the Albuquerque Teacher’s Federation. “Every year it’s a little hotter and a little hotter, and we have more classrooms that are just inadequate to keep teaching and learning comfortably.”
We asked APS why they can’t overhaul current systems.
“A couple of things, cost, obviously is one, but when you do it, what are you going to do with the students?” said Dufay.
Dufay said overhauls routinely take six months, and sometimes much longer.
“Everything is going to come down to time and money, and the cost is so exorbitant to do it. So really there’s not one solution,” said Dufay.
For those schools, new roofing, new duct work, new technology, a total cost, the district said, of half a billion dollars.
CHAMA, N.M. – The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad will begin its summer season on Tuesday, June 9, after the railroad delayed its opening due to drought and wildfire danger.
The season was initially set to begin on May 23. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Commission said it would conduct a review on June 2 to determine if it was safe enough to begin operations.
“A sincere thank you to all our passengers and the communities in Chama and Antonito who have been so patient as we waited for conditions to improve,” said Eric Mason, CEO of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. “We are excited to welcome guests back aboard and hear the opening whistle signal the start of another memorable season.”
The railroad will hold a Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, June 13, in Chama. The celebration will coincide with Chama Western Heritage Days, a community festival that weekend with live music, vendors, and rodeo competitions.
The railroad recently won USA TODAY’S poll for the best scenic train ride in the country. In celebration of the win, the railroad said passengers who book by June 7 ca receive a 25% discount on coach tickets for trips through August. Guests must redeem the offer by calling the railroad at 888-286-2737 using promo code USATODAY#1.
Tickets are also available for the first Dark Sky Train departures on June 12 from Chama and June 13 from Antonito. The dark sky trains include evening excursions led by international dark sky guides, and take passengers to secluded spots with minimal light pollution.
Native Vote 2026
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Laguna Pueblo woman is the front runner to be New Mexico’s next governor.
Shortly after polls closed Tuesday night, Deb Haaland was declared the winner over Bernalillo County district attorney Sam Bregman in the state’s semi-open Democratic Party primary. As of 11:00 p.m., Haaland carried support from 72% of the Democratic primary voters to Bregman’s 28%, according to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State.
“We’re showing everyone that a better future in New Mexico is possible,” she told supporters gathered in Albuquerque’s historic Old Town Plaza. “New Mexicans want a leader who will stand up for working people, and who is ready to take on Donald Trump. I proudly accept your nomination as a Democratic nominee.”
Haaland spoke for 13 minutes, at times through a scratchy throat that required her to pause for water breaks. “Excuse me, I’ve been talking with voters all day,” she said while grabbing a water bottle before hitting her campaign stump notes on affordability, health care and public safety.
She will face Republican Gregg Hull, a former mayor from suburban Rio Rancho that won his party’s three-way primary with 47% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State.
Haaland will be the Democratic Party nominee in a state dominated at every level by Democrats, and is expected to be heavily favored in the general election. With that insight she said her campaign message does translate to Republicans and Independent voters.
“We want our kids to thrive. We want our kids to have a quality, public education. We want every New Mexican to have health care. Everybody wants to feel safe in their neighborhoods, and everybody wants to be able to afford to put a hot meal on their table every night and have a roof over their children’s heads,” she said. “Those issues transcend whatever political spectrum we’re trying to slice and dice people into.”
Shortly after the race was called, Haaland campaign staff, major donors, surrogates, and their families walked from a building on the west side of Albuquerque’s Old Town Plaza to the historic plaza core, where the Haaland campaign had set up a stage and reserved the entire plaza for its victory celebration.
“We are now witnessing history in the making,” New Mexico state Rep. Derrick Lente (Sandia Pueblo) said to supporters immediately after Haaland was declared the winner.
Denise Wilie (Dine) also joined the celebration of Haaland’s victory. Wilie said she worked on get-out-the-vote efforts with the Native American Voters Alliance in McKinley County.
“It just is so exhilarating to even think about, a woman and a Pueblo woman,” she said. “Indigenous all the way, is how I feel. I’m like, yes, let’s get more of our voices.”
Haaland was introduced by her two sisters and walked to the stage escorted by a mariachi band.
Speaking to reporters after the event Haaland reflected on voting for a Pueblo woman (herself) for governor.
“I got emotional, quite frankly, when I went to vote for myself because you do that when you’re a candidate,” she said. “We’ve never had a Native American governor in New Mexico. We’re a multicultural state. I think representation matters, especially in a political era such as this one. So, I’m really proud and honored to carry on the legacy of my ancestors, who worked so incredibly hard to make sure that I had a place here today.”
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