New Mexico
City councilors introduce new proposal to require A/C in housing units
An Albuquerque city councilor is sponsoring a new proposal to require all housing units to be equipped with a cooling device that can keep temperatures at or below 80 degrees.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Albuquerque City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn knows requiring cooling devices inside every housing unit in Albuquerque will require some upgrades. But she wants to make sure landlords have enough time to help their tenant beat the summer heat.
“Everyone deserves to be safe and comfortable in their own homes,” said City Councilor Tammy Fieblekorn.
Fiebelkorn believes that means keeping the thermostat at a reasonable temperature all year round.
“We have vulnerable populations, seniors, young people, children, people with medical problems. They just cannot afford to sit in 90 plus degree temperatures in their own homes,” said Fieblekorn.
Fiebelkorn is sponsoring a new proposal to require all housing units in Albuquerque be equipped with a cooling device that can keep temperatures at or below 80 degrees.
“And I’ll point out that 80 degrees is still pretty warm, but that is just the baseline that everyone in our community should expect, no matter how much or how little they can afford to pay for rent,” Fiebelkorn said.
According to National Weather Service data, the average summer temperatures in Albuquerque are nearly 3 degrees higher than in 1970.
After a record heat wave in 2023, Fieblekorn says it’s time government leaders step in to keep Burqueños cool.
“We’re looking at older, older buildings that were built under old building codes under old requirements when it wasn’t so hot before climate change started really impacting Albuquerque. We didn’t need this, but we do now,” said Fiebelkorn.
Fiebelkorn says it’s hard to know how many housing units do not currently have some type of cooling device.
“More than 43% of Albuquerque’s apartment buildings were constructed before 1980, and many of these units have not been retrofitted with central air conditioning,” said Alan Laseck with the Apartment Association of New Mexico.
He suggests that the 80-degree threshold will essentially ban the use of swamp coolers, and A/C conversions typically range between $5,000 to $15,000 per unit.
“We absolutely agree that cooling is very important in Albuquerque, but the language in this ordinance is too restrictive,” said Laseck.
Fiebelkorn believes cooling is just something that can’t be negotiated.
“I’m sorry if there’s anyone that has that concern, but this is really just a baseline requirement for humans to be able to stay in a unit,” said Fieblekorn.
Fiebelkorn’s proposal would change the city’s uniform building code, which Laseck says would also impact single-family homes.
Fiebelkorn’s proposal is still in the committee process, and likely won’t reach the full council for a vote until December.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico plans to build new gates at four campus entrances along Central that will close nightly.
The gates will replace manual barriers in a project expected to cost about $1.5 million.
The Board of Regents approved the security upgrades for the UNM campus.
University officials said the gates will automatically close nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The gates will go in near Princeton Drive, Stanford Drive, Yale Boulevard and Terrace Street on the south end of campus.
A current rendering shows the gate completely blocking the road. Officials said the change will reduce unauthorized traffic and allow police officers to focus more effectively on prevention and response.
Construction will start in May. University officials hope to finish the project by September.
A 9-year-old boy who begged to be released from an immigration detention center so he could attend his state spelling bee has been freed with his family, their lawyer said Wednesday.
Deiver Henao Jimenez made the plea during a video call this month with children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Accurso.
“I don’t want to be here anymore,” Deiver said on the call, which was later shared on Accurso’s social media pages. “Nothing is good here.”
He and his parents, asylum-seekers from Colombia, had been held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas since early March, when they were detained during a routine immigration check-in in New Mexico, according to their lawyer, Corey Sullivan Martin.
ICE freed the family on humanitarian parole Wednesday, about a week after Martin filed a request for their release and days after NBC News reported on their case.
His elementary school principal wrote a letter in mid-March supporting the family’s release, which was later delivered to immigration officials, describing Deiver as “a dedicated student with excellent attendance and high marks.”
Sullivan Martin said Deiver is eager to return to school, rejoin his gifted and talented classes and get back to practicing his spelling words.
“I don’t see how it was necessary at all to detain a child who was doing exactly what we want children to do,” Sullivan Martin said.
The family planned to return to New Mexico, she said, where they will continue checking in with immigration officials while their case proceeds.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Deiver was released a day after ICE freed another child whose case drew widespread attention following a video call with Accurso. Gael, a 5-year-old boy with developmental disabilities, had experienced worsening medical issues while he was detained at Dilley, his parents said.
The facility has faced growing scrutiny from immigration lawyers and advocates, who say children there have struggled to access adequate medical care and education in an environment where lights remain on around the clock and officers stand guard. Some families have described poor food and long waits for medical attention.
DHS has disputed those accounts, saying families are provided appropriate care in a facility designed for their needs.
After her video meetings with the children, Accurso — known for her signature pink headband and singsong delivery — called for Dilley to be shut down and for families to be returned to their communities.
During their conversation, Deiver told Accurso he missed his friends and said the food at Dilley made his stomach hurt. But he was most worried about getting out in time to compete in New Mexico’s state spelling bee in May after he earned a spot by placing third at a regional competition.
“We’re trying to get a child out of a jail to do a spelling bee,” Accurso said last week. “I just never thought those words would go together.”
A surprise resignation could open the door for an independent to win a Montana Senate seat
Metro Detroit weather forecast, March 26, 2026 — 11 p.m. Update
Man convicted in the deadly 2021 assault of a Thai grandfather in San Francisco avoids prison
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is confident about cost estimates to repair, rehab City Hall and insists the process has been transparent
Miami Gardens community rallies to help retired teacher rebuild after a fire tore through his home
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
A surprise resignation could open the door for an independent to win a Montana Senate seat
Video: Savannah Guthrie Says She Believes Her Mother Was Taken for Ransom
Stefanik grills University of Michigan leader on lack of audit after string of Chinese national arrests
Photos: More than one million displaced by Israel’s evacuations in Lebanon
DHS shutdown live updates as Senate holds test vote on funding bill
-
Detroit, MI1 week agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Science1 week agoHow a Melting Glacier in Antarctica Could Affect Tens of Millions Around the Globe
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
Science1 week agoI had to man up and get a mammogram
-
Sports5 days agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico4 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Texas7 days agoHow to buy Houston vs. Texas A&M 2026 March Madness tickets
-
Tennessee3 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson