SANDOVAL COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – As a rocket manufacturing company considers Sandoval County for its newest facility, the Rio Rancho City Council approved funding to sweeten the deal. But councilors laid down some conditions that the company needs to meet.

During a meeting this week, some city councilors said they were left out of the loop during discussions with the California-based company, Castelion, on their potential plans. The concerns they brought up include water pollution, increased traffic, and the use of city resources like emergency responders. “I don’t really have the words for my frustration in that our public safety have not been at the forefront. I think a seat at the table is not enough,” said Nicole List, Rio Rancho City Councilor.

Castelion is considering Sandoval County as a site for a facility to make rockets and missiles, and a county in Arizona is also in the running.

So far, Sandoval County and state leaders have set aside financial incentives to encourage Castelion to pick New Mexico. “When they’re ready to make a final decision and make a final announcement for the project, the state, the county, the City of Rio Rancho now, everybody has done their part,” said Wayne John, Sandoval County manager.

Thursday night, it was Rio Rancho’s turn to vote on LEDA grant funding, as well as water use for the facility.

Councilors heard from those in favor of the facility and residents who worried about potential safety hazards. “Today, our country is severely significantly falling behind the Chinese and the Russians in the hypersonic race,” said Senator Jay Block (R-Rio Rancho).

“They want the Rio Rancho taxpayers, they’re asking us to build a road, send the water, and shoulder the long-term risks to our aquifer, our safety, our health, and possibly declining home values,” said Michael Farrell, a concerned resident.

City councilors said they were disappointed that they were not able to raise their concerns about the project earlier. They feared that once the facility is open, traffic will go through nearby neighborhoods, saying Paseo del Volcan needs to be extended to accommodate the increased flow. They also want more information on emergency planning, as Rio Rancho Fire Rescue would be responding to calls for the center.

After the discussion, councilors approved the resolution to provide LEDA funding to Castelion for the project. They amended the resolution to include a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) where the county, city, and State Fire Marshall would have an agreement on which agency is responsible for the facility emergency calls. They also wanted an agreement with Sandoval County on the construction of Paseo Del Volcan to accommodate Castelion traffic.

Another resolution was passed authorizing the city manager to negotiate water and possibly wastewater service with the company. Castelion has yet to make a final decision on the location for the facility.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 2025 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta drew 851,994 guest visits, inching the event back toward pre-pandemic numbers.

Attendance for the 2025 Balloon Fiesta was up from three of the last four post-pandemic editions of Balloon Fiesta (2021-22, 2024) and is not far off of the four editions before the pandemic (2016-19).

In all, there were 537 registered balloons, including 103 special shape balloons (11 new) and 90 remote control balloons. There were 651 pilots – from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

• Pilots came from 41 of 50 U.S. states:
  • Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

MORE: Balloon Fiesta: 838,337 guest visits during 2024 festivities

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico is turning to artificial intelligence to help firefighters get to wildfires quicker. Firefighters have relied on sightings of wildfire, 911 calls, and even people in lookout towers who see smoke or flames. Now, they are turning to new technology. “Our firefighters no longer waste critical time trying to locate the fire based on a vague description or chasing smoke, and incident commanders receive real-time visual intelligence during active fires, which helps them make better tactical decisions and resource deployment, and public safety decisions,” said Laura McCarthy, New Mexico State Forester.

The AI-enabled wildfire detection technology provides continuous monitoring of the highest-risk areas. The state is deploying 11 stations in Albuquerque, the East Mountains, and the Santa Fe area, with more stations around the state planned.

Director of Government Development for Pano AI and former wildland firefighter Kat Williams, explained how the tech works. “So the way that Pano works is we deploy high-definition cameras that have AI running on those images. And when the AI detects a wildfire, then it goes to a fully-staffed intelligence center, where a pano analyst will confirm that it is a wildfire. And then that visual intelligence is sent to all fire agencies within a jurisdiction so that,” said Williams.

She said that the visual intelligence from the pano cameras can allow firefighters to send the right resources the first time so that they can extinguish those fires right away. Five stations are already operational and monitoring 24 hours a day, seven days a week with six additional stations expected to come online by early 2026.

Each station costs about $50,000 a year to operate. The quicker information about a fire starting could also lead to quicker evacuation orders for people affected by the blazes.