What’s up, Rio Rancho?
I am writing to you today not just as the editor of The 528, but as a neighbor who cares deeply about Rio Rancho.
When I moved here from Albuquerque in 2019 to give my children a safe place to live and go to school, I noticed a gap in our community: We lacked a dedicated, high-quality news source that was both free and focused exclusively on the issues hitting our doorsteps. I founded The 528 as an experimental project leading up to the municipal elections to see if there was a true demand for better local reporting.
I’ve been covering local news, including here in Rio Rancho, for almost twenty years, but I never gave much thought to what difference it was making until I moved my family to Rio Rancho.
We have other options, but their shrinking newsrooms are hidden behind paywalls and usually report on what already happened – if they report it at all.
When we realized that this was the year that Rio Rancho would elect a new mayor, I asked our publisher to give me 60 days to see if better, hyper-local reporting could really get more people involved in our city.
The response has been overwhelming. It is clear that our city wants—and needs—a news outlet that keeps us informed, accountable and connected. From our deep-dive coverage of the Rio Rancho mayoral election to our reporting on City Hall, public safety, roads, arts & culture and everything else that impacts Rio Rancho residents, we are proving that local journalism matters.
So, here’s the question: is this worth continuing? #LocalNewsDay is coming up this week, April 9. It’s the one day a year when news outlets ask residents to show their support for local news, and I’m hoping to get a head start.
To keep The 528 free and sustainable, I am looking for partners who believe in the power of local news.
If you are able to support The 528, you can donate here.
Thank you, Rio Rancho.
— Kevin Hendricks, Editor & Co-Founder of The 528