KRQE NEWS 13 – Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos
by: Alyssa Bitsie, Brittany Bade
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Evictions will be allowed to resume in New Mexico in just a few months following a nearly two-year pause during the pandemic. The state Supreme Court is launching a new program designed to keep people in their homes and also pay landlords. In March 2020, the New Mexico Supreme Court implemented an eviction moratorium preventing landlords from evicting tenants based on inability to pay as COVID-19 cases spiked and businesses were forced to shut down.
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Justice C. Shannon Bacon says it’s time to lift that blanket eviction protection. “It’s a lot of things that we know a lot more about the virus, we know what to do; vaccines are available. Businesses are open so the job market has expanded. All of those things coming together told me and my colleagues at the Supreme Court that the protections weren’t as necessary as they were — even four months ago,” Bacon said.
Now, the Supreme Court is getting ready to launch the Eviction Prevention and Diversion program. “The goal is to help facilitate people staying in their homes but also making landlords whole because they’ve had to wait so long for rent payments during the pandemic,” Bacon said.
The program is designed for all renters and to help tenants access hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds given to the state for rent assistance. “So the federal government is providing the money as opposed to the tenant trying to figure out how to scrap together many thousands of dollars at this point,” said Bacon.
The federal money will let tenants settle up with their landlords as well as pay for the next three months of rent. “If at the end of that time the tenant isn’t able to keep up with their rent, the landlord then has their normal legal rights to go into court and seek an eviction,” Bacon said.
She says the program benefits everyone. “There’s so much money available that people should really be eager and interested in getting this funding,” Bacon said. It will be piloted in Roosevelt and Curry counties starting February 1. Bacon expects the program to go statewide starting in March. “I’m hopeful that the leg up this federal funding will give people so they can plan for how they’re going to pay their rent long term, will be a game-changer that really keeps people housed and not homeless,” Bacon said.
All the federal money is available now and Bacon encourages tenants to apply, allowing them to avoid court altogether. Money can also be used to help people move and pay for a temporary hotel stay. For more information on rental assistance, visit, renthelpnm.org.
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BERNALILLO, N.M. (KRQE) – A suspect has been taken into custody after reports of shots fired at the 13th Judicial Complex in Bernalillo on Tuesday. The Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office reports that deputies responded to a shots fired call at the complex around 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 4.
Details are limited at this time however, authorities state that an armed suspect was taken into custody on the premises and no injuries were reported. The suspect’s identity is currently unknown.
(The Hill) — Over half of Americans surveyed for a new poll said they think that an event similar to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will likely occur in the next few years.
The poll from Axios-Momentive showed that 57% of respondents said that they thought an attack like Jan. 6 would happen again in the next few years. A total of 70% of Democrats said they held this belief, compared to 47% of Republicans, the survey found.
(The Hill) — Walmart is set to hire over 3,000 new employees in order to expand its home delivery service. The retailer made the announcement on Tuesday, detailing its hopes to employ more delivery drivers and build out a fleet of electric delivery vans, according to Reuters.
Walmart said it now has about 100 drivers and services about 6 million homes. It is aiming to service nearly 30 million homes by the year’s end, the news outlet noted.
