As temperatures drop, city workers are trying to make sure everyone has a warm place to go or at least some warm clothes.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Temperatures are cold across New Mexico and are expected to drop even lower. For many, that means layering up and putting the heat on in your house. But for thousands of New Mexicans, they don’t have that luxury. So leaders with the City of Albuquerque are trying to help out.
Right now, the city’s cold weather sheltering plan is in place. Meaning, more beds and shelters are available to anyone who needs it. But according to the city’s shelter bed tracker, Gateway Center, Gateway West and Family Gateway are all full.
Gateway West is even over capacity, with the site saying -83 beds are available. But some Gateway services are being converted to make more beds available, like the first responder receiving area.
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City leaders also explained they work with partners to make sure they can fulfill their promise of providing a warm place and bed for every person who needs it.
“Anyone that asks for a bed, either we’re asking them, or if they’re calling us, we’ll make a warm bed available,” CABQ Director of Communications Staci Drangmeister said.
As temperatures drop, city workers are trying to make sure everyone has a warm place to go or at least some warm clothes.
“First responders are out handing out coats, socks, warm clothing to people that need them. Anyone that would like to donate, we would love your support,” Drangmeister said.
Drangmeister explained some of the top priorities right now are things like coats, sweatpants, gloves, beanies and more. But as first responders hand items out, they’re also trying to encourage people to go to shelters as temperatures become life-threatening.
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“It’s important for everyone to know that the cold, and when it’s wet especially, can be really dangerous. Look out for your community, both housed and unhoused,” Drangmeister said.
Under the cold weather sheltering plan, the city works to free up even more beds than it currently has.
“The Gateway Center is one of the places within our emergency sheltering plan that we can add additional capacity so we can add temporary beds as the need might expand,” she explained.
As the city’s shelters fill up, Drangmeister said they’ll tap into their network of partners to add beds.
“Gateway West is closing in on capacity, but there are partner organizations, and then the city has plans in place and is committed,” Drangmeister said.
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The shelters and beds are also open to anyone who is cold, not only people facing homelessness.
“By law, your landlord has to give you adequate heating. So, if you’re a renter and that’s not the case. [We] encourage you to call 311, and report it, because everyone should absolutely have access to a heater that’s going to work and keep you warm,” she said.
According to the city’s website, 1,199 beds are in use and 85 available. But if those run out. Drangmeister says they’ll continue to find more beds or set up cots in the shelters.
If you need a place to warm up during the day or if you lose power, you can go to any of the city’s facilities like a community center. Drangmeister says they’ll open up warming centers as needed.
You can call ACS at (505) 768-4227. For transportation to a shelter between 8:00p.m. and 7:00a.m., call the ACS emergency after-hours transportation service at (505) 418-6178. You can also call 311 for help.
New Mexico state leaders know the best way to get more kids to graduate is to get more of them to go to school every day, and that means giving students a reason to show up.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico state leaders know the best way to get more kids to graduate is to get more of them to go to school every day, and that means giving students a reason to show up.
State lawmakers are hoping to do just that with a new, modernized set of high school graduation requirements focused on teaching kids the skills they need to thrive in the real world.
“I think it could have a huge impact, and I hope that it will,” said Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Gabriella Blakey.
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Blakey says the state’s new high school graduation requirements are not a one-size-fits all approach, and that’s the point.
“It’s really connecting students to like why they go to school, and really finding what their own passions and interests are, and not making every student’s career path in high school look the same,” said Blakey.
Students will still be required to earn 24 total credits, including four units of English, and four units of math. Although, Algebra 2 will no longer be required to graduate.
“We have opened up opportunities for students to make wise choices about their career and make wise choices about their interests and strengths in order to support a really strong mathematics pathway through their four years of high school,” said Amanda Debell, deputy secretary of the Public Education Department.
Students will still need three units of science, and four units of social studies, which must include some type of financial literacy coursework.
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“So students are learning when it’s appropriate time about money and their financial lives, post and during high school, because many of them are earning money now,” said Debell.
There are still PE and health class requirements, but the biggest change is coming to the electives. Individual school districts will get to decide on two credit requirements for their students based on local input.
“For example, we see districts offering more agricultural type electives because they are in an agricultural area, or we see additional language courses being added as a requirement,” Debell said.
Giving New Mexico’s students more power over their future.
“By being able to open up these credits in this way, we’re really able to tailor a more personalized environment for our students. And our students really tell us that that’s what they want,” said Blakey.
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The incoming freshman class, the Class of 2029, will be the first class to graduate under these new requirements.
PED leaders say districts will have to decide on those extra two credits in the next few weeks.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM – May 19, 2025 – The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands will implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions on all National Forest System (NFS) lands in the Magdalena Ranger District as described per order 03-03-03-25-08 and as shown on the attached map.
This Order shall be in effect from Thursday May 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM through Thursday July 31, 2025 at 2359, unless rescinded.
The purpose of this Order for Stage 1 Fire Restrictions is to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during periods of high fire danger and severe fire weather conditions.
