Albuquerque News

Albuquerque officials want whoever stole a giant fiberglass cactus to return it.

KOB-TV reports the art piece, worth $50,000, was stolen Monday night from behind a public library in northeast Albuquerque.

City officials say thieves probably unbolted the cactus from the ground and used a pickup truck or van to cart it off.

The city says the bright green fiberglass statue doesn’t weigh much and was likely easy to carry off into the night.

The Albuquerque City Council is considering a measure that would make it illegal to feed pigeons to cut down on droppings, but not everyone is on board.

City Council Member Brad Winter proposed the bill with the aim of reducing pigeon droppings. The city’s health department said the droppings are messy and potentially hazardous to residents’ health.

Right now, there is no ordinance about feeding pigeon, but city staff members said that needs to change because they get so many calls about pigeon droppings.

Police are investigating a stabbing in a Southeast Albuquerque apartment complex that injured a man Monday afternoon.

Albuquerque Police Department officials said the incident happened near an elementary school on Zuni Road and Georgia Street.

Police said a man called them around noon, saying that his brother had been stabbed. Police found the victim with severe cuts on his arm and chest.

Felicia Williams, who lives across the street, said she saw the victim on a stretcher before he was taken to a hospital.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says former astronaut Harrison Schmitt has withdrawn his nomination to serve as secretary of the state’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.

The announcement comes just hours after a state senator called out Schmitt for refusing to comply with all the rules of a required background check.

The background check is required as part of the Senate confirmation process.

Just days after the death of a giraffe at a Clovis zoo, officials at the Albuquerque BioPark say a 3-year-old female giraffe, Renna, has been euthanized.

Renna was eating her morning diet when she collapsed Wednesday. Veterinarians were called in immediately and cared for the giraffe until she was put down Thursday.

Veterinarians are performing blood tests and a necropsy to investigate her death.

Zookeeper Paul Huang says Renna was a gentle giant and a favorite of visitors during summer feedings.

An Albuquerque mom said she lost her son to heroin in a way she never thought was possible.

Georgia Martinez said her son, 19-year-old Patrick Martinez, was loved. He had lots of friends at El Dorado High School, but not long after he graduated, he started running with a different crowd and became withdrawn.

“It was like we just got kicked in the face, not knowing what we were dealing with. And then Patrick got sick. He had lost his ability to feed himself, to go to the bathroom, to get up,” Martinez said.

Three days after flames devoured an Albuquerque apartment complex crews were called out again to deal with more flare-ups. Fire inspectors also say they know why the blaze spread so fast.

There were at least two flare-ups on Monday at the Royal Crown Apartments on Gibson Boulevard SE near San Mateo.

Friday’s massive fire displaced tenants of 43 apartments. Residents wanted to know how could a fire that a witness said started in a laundry room end up consuming the entire apartment complex in just a few hours.

Thousands of New Mexicans remain without natural gas and heat and it may be a few days before they all have it back.

How could the New Mexico Gas Company run out of natural gas, when New Mexico is one of the largest producing states in the nation? More >