Author: Scott Albright

Albuquerque Academy is the top-ranked private high school in New Mexico for 2023, according to Niche, a website with more than 100 million ratings and reviews and 200,000 school, company and neighborhood profiles. Niche ranks United World College USA in Montezuma as the second-best private school in New Mexico, followed by Santa Fe Preparatory School, Sandia Preparatory School and No. 5-ranked Menaul School. Albuquerque Academy is ranked No. 140 out of 4,323 for best private high schools in America. Phillips Academy Andover, located in Andover, Massachusetts, is ranked No. 1. Niche gives Academy an overall A+ and high grades in…

Heights First Church of the Nazarene is hosting its 17th annual Holiday Craft Fair Saturday, Nov. 19 at 8401 Paseo del Norte Ave. NE. This year’s fair is presented by Heights First Women’s Ministries. Each year there are typically 70-85 vendors at the fair, with plenty to offer shoppers looking for a unique holiday gift. The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hungry shoppers will be happy to know there will also be food to purchase as part of a church fundraiser, including breakfast, lunch and baked goods. Items on the menu include: Pulled pork sandwiches Nachos…

A large crack on the side of the South Domingo Baca Arroyo wall just east of Ventura Street is being repaired by a crew from Salls Brothers Construction and should be complete before the end of next week. The construction crew was busy prepping the arroyo wall and making sure water remained out of the workspace when approached on Monday. The foreman on the project gave the estimated timeline and stated they were using similar materials originally used to construct the arroyo. The crew is tasked with tearing out the damaged concrete and rebar. Once the damaged area is removed,…

Need help with repairs, maintenance, installation or assembly around the home? Angi, previously called Angie’s List, is a great place to start looking for handyman (or woman) services. A quick search for a general handyman ready to hire in the 87109 zip code found four different top-rated services. The first on the list is Angi Handyman Services, which helps customers connect with vetted professionals in their local area. Handymen and cleaning providers are screened by Angi through a pre-screening process, credential verification and background checks for individual professionals, as well as separate vetting for company providers. Angi Handyman Services Angi…

https://youtu.be/3hxN_60VOs0 North Star Elementary School counselor Kathleen Hager will be recognized for being named the 2022-23 New Mexico Counselor of the Year during the Wednesday, Nov. 16, School Board of Education meeting. The meeting is open to the public and starts at 5 p.m. at the John Milne Community Board Room. The meeting can also be attended virtually through the Albuquerque Public Schools website. In a YouTube video posted Oct. 30, 2022, Hager says she is honored to be named counselor of the year. In addition, she says, “I am a school counselor because I firmly believe that my students…

One thousand Thanksgiving packages to make a traditional holiday meal will be given away at Balloon Fiesta Park Wednesday, Nov. 16, from noon until supplies last. The giveaway, sponsored by law firm Lerner & Rowe, is a contactless, first-come, first-served event. Participants are asked to remain in their vehicles and the meal packages will be handed through the window or placed in the trunk. One meal package will be given away per vehicle. “With rising costs and a variety of food shortages, we hope that our carefully assembled meal packages will help local families enjoy a more bountiful Thanksgiving dinner…

The Hunger Games Escape Room at Cherry Hills Library is postponed until mid-December. Registration will open Dec. 5 and can be done online on the library’s website. The library website says the escape room is like the 74th Hunger Games conclusion where two members from the same district may leave the game together. Participants must find clues, keys and codes to unlock boxes and escape the arena. Players who are eliminated have to watch the other tributes as spectators and are not allowed to open locks or search for clues. The escape room is for adults and kids ages 12…

One hundred trees were planted in the Heritage East neighborhood last month, thanks in part to funding from District 4 City Councilor Brook Bassan, Tree New Mexico and the city-sponsored NeighborWoods program. On Saturday, Oct. 22, Heritage East Association of Residents President Daniel Martinez said the trees he helped secure through a grant were already planted. “Brook Bassan and I have secured a grant for Heritage East to have 100 trees (already) planted in the neighborhood and today we’re giving away an additional 100 starting at 9 @ Rotary Park,” Martinez wrote in a direct message. Martinez provided several photos…

Graffiti on the bathroom walls at North Domingo Baca Park and trash littering Ventura Street are a regular problem for residents living in the far Northeast Heights. Although the far Northeast Heights is known for having few crime problems, the area is far from being problem-free. From Oct. 13 to Nov. 14, there were 15 incidents reported in the Heritage East neighborhood on crimemapping.com, reaffirming there are few incidents in the area when compared to other parts of Albuquerque, but a good indicator trouble makers are still lingering about. A Nov. 14 Facebook post on the Albuquerque Crime Watch Community…

Temperatures are dropping and so are leaves. Raking, blowing, bagging and hauling green waste to one of the city’s three convenience centers is one option for getting rid of all those leaves. Having the city pick them up during regular collection days is another, but the best option is to mulch them into the ground. Mulching is easy and provides several benefits to lawns, gardens and soil. For those with kids, the first step is to rake all the leaves into a large pile and then let them jump into it for fun. As they launch themselves into the pile,…