We love local news – especially when readers use it to effect change for the better.
Here are just a few examples of how expanding coverage to serve former rural news deserts is helping to our communities understand and address local issues that matter to readers.
2024 City Voting Guide
The Town of Bernalillo hasn’t had a local newspaper in print for more than 50 years.
In 2023, the Sandoval Signpost expanded to add Bernalillo and for the 2024 election, the Signpost produced a citywide voter guide and mailed it to all 7,000 households for free as a community service to increase voter participation.
Did it work? Yep! Just ask the town clerk who oversaw the election.
Candidate’s Tragic Passing Rocks Cuba Before Election Day
The Village of Cuba is grieving the loss of a community leader and candidate for Village Council. Tonya Sanchez, 44, a mother of four, tragically lost her life in a car accident on Feb. 19. Her 18 year-old daughter, Oceanus, was in the car and is currently hospitalized, undergoing recovery from multiple surgeries. Sanchez was…
Wild dogs threaten livestock in Sandoval County
The Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a pack of aggressive dogs active around the area of Hidalgo Rd and Sandia Blvd in Rio Rancho. The group of 4-5 dogs is likely domestic, possibly Shepard-mix and Pitbull-mix breeds. The dogs have attacked livestock in the areas and have been “aggressive toward humans”according to…
Lawsuit Filed Against RRPS Alleges Inappropriate Touching by Middle School Teacher
The parent of a student enrolled at Lincoln Middle School in 2022, filed a civil lawsuit in April against Rio Rancho Public Schools, the superintendent and principal of the school, alleging his daughter was sexually harassed by a teacher. The lawsuit alleges that on April 4, 2022, a female student was in Todd Ganger’s classroom…
How Green is Too Green?
The Bernalillo Town Council reversed the planning commission’s approval of a dispensary painted bright green, citing community concerns regarding historic preservation. Dispensary Near Me, a cannabis dispensary located at 413 South Camino Del Pueblo in Bernalillo, has been ordered to repaint its building following public complaints. At the May 28 meeting, the town council overturned…
47 Dogs Rescued From Placitas Home
Sandoval County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a house in Placitas on Monday, Feb. 26 where they found 47 dogs and five horses living on a property with a three-bedroom house. Almost all of the dogs rescued from the property appear to be Australian Shepherd breeds. Sandoval County Manager Dwayne Johnson told the Signpost about the…
Sheriff: $500,000 in Drugs Seized In Sandoval Co. Operations
According to the sheriff’s department: On August 18, 2022, a Joint Task Force operation was put into effect working closely with other agencies. During this operation, they were able to intercept the illegal drugs and took Laura Whittenburger of Rio Rancho into custody. During the operation, Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office intercepted the shipment of 22,000…
Heinrich grills Feds over delays in protecting Valles Caldera from stray cattle
Washington – Fences make good neighbors, the old saying goes. The Valles Caldera, it seems, needs a new one to keep some messy neighbors out and U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) is tired of waiting on federal agencies to get to it . More than 100 cattle from neighboring forest service grazing allotments are routinely…
Bernalillo Declines Federal Loan for Lead Pipe Survey
The Town of Bernalillo has declined a $250,000 federal loan intended to fund lead and copper water pipe surveys in communities around New Mexico. Town leaders decided not to accept the money because officials initially applied for what they believed to be grant-funded assistance but when the contract arrived, it was structured as a loan-grant…