🌱 City Council Votes Virtual Attendance + Pocket Of Poverty Funding

Hi all! Michelle Paul here with your fresh copy of the Albuquerque Daily, filled with all the community news you need to know right now.

But first, today's weather:

Windy; a bit of p.m. snow. High: 37 Low: 25.

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Here are the top three stories in Albuquerque today:

1. The Albuquerque City Council voted to approve a rule change that would allow each councilor to virtually attend up to five council meetings per year as opposed to needing to be there live and in person. The rule update comes from the councilors' concerns over potential health reasons and other issues like the number of meetings. (Albuquerque Journal)
2. The City of Albuquerque is working on plans on how to spend more than $6 million in funds to improve low-income neighborhoods in a federally-recognized pocket of poverty in the city. The current plan for the federal funding is to use it to improve housing and economic development over the next ten years. (KRQE News 13)
3. Several New Mexico lawmakers are proposing harsher sentences for fentanyl possession. The new proposed bill would add multiple years to a prison sentence received by someone found with a certain number of fentanyl pills: three additional years for possessing 50 pills, five years for more than 50 pills, and seven years for more than 75 pills. (KRQE News 13)

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Today in Albuquerque:

• Family Art Workshops At Albuquerque Museum (1:00 PM)
• Journal Writing At Taylor Ranch Branch Library (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• If you're looking to keep an eye on the housing market or you're on the hunt for a new home, this roundup is for you. Here's a list of five properties to recently hit the market in the Albuquerque area, including a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house and a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house. (Albuquerque Patch)
• Did you know that if you shop at Smith's Food and Drug Stores, you can help our neighbors at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter every time you shop there? Enroll your Smith's reward card online and select the Santa Fe Animal Shelter as your charity of choice. Then, whenever you shop at Smith's and use your rewards card, Smith's will donate to the shelter. (Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society via Facebook)
• Registration is open for the Youth Job & Volunteer Fair! If you're between the ages of 14 to 25, come down to the Berna Facio Professional Development Center on Feb. 4 to find out more about hundreds of employment and volunteer opportunities. (City of Albuquerque via Instagram)

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Events:

• Shop Small Sunday Vendor Fair (January 29)
• Add your event

You're officially in the loop for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update.

— Michelle Paul