K9 Protection Dogs in Albuquerque, NM

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Dust off those paddles, lace up your sneakers and grab a few friends because more pickleball courts are opening in the Albuquerque metro Tuesday.

The metro’s first indoor pickleball facility will open to the public Tuesday. The 18 indoor courts at Defined Fitness in Rio Rancho will be an addition to over a hundred outdoor courts already in the metro.

“We have the cushion X system, which is really good for the body and the joints. It’s easier to play, longer longevity,” said Leigh Ann Blanchard, the co-owner of Defined Pickleball. “Some people have them, but we have 18. We’ve dedicated the whole facility to that product.”

Defined Pickleball has a café, pro shop and other amenities.

“We also have our clinics, our tournaments. We’re going to be offering lessons from our pros,” Blanchard said, “but it’s going to be a social event, so everyone will be able to make new friends, meet new players, make new groups to play.”

That sporty-social atmosphere is exactly what Calvin Shrader is bringing to Albuquerque’s East Side. Shrader is leading the conversion of an old furniture warehouse into a new indoor pickleball, golf simulator and batting cage facility. They’re calling it “Swing-N-Pickle.”

“Everything you’re gonna do in here has some sort of a swing, either a golf, a bat or a pickleball,” Shrader said.

There is still plenty of work to be done before they open in August. When it does open, he’s pitching it as a one-stop shop for families and anyone who wants to have fun.

“It’s gonna be addicting, because it’s gonna be so much to do. You know, we want them to stay and, of course, we’ll take competitors over here, but we’re definitely more for family,” Shrader said.

The Picklr, the world’s largest indoor pickleball chain, is also setting its sights on the metro.

“We’re very excited to bring a new franchise to Albuquerque and 12 indoor pickleball courts,” said Marty Garcia, the COO of Premiere Pickleball.

The Picklr is converting the old Conn’s furniture store, near Eubank and Interstate 40, into an indoor facility. It is geared toward more ambitious players.

“We will absolutely have a competitive environment. It is full professional style courts that will attract everyone from a social player to a very high level pro player,” Garcia said.

They expect to open the new location in November. Developers say they’re already looking at Albuquerque’s West Side, Santa Fe and Las Cruces.

“It is the fastest growing sports in America, and we believe that it will continue to grow,” Garcia said. “We want to be part of the growth of the pickleball community.”

Defined Pickleball is now open. They’re offering $25 day passes for anyone. Their grand opening is next week.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A woman testified in court Monday, nearly two years after she says three former Albuquerque Fire Rescue firefighters raped her.

“I just remember feeling scared and uncomfortable in general, and just panicked.”

Anthony Martin and Aden Heyman sat in court for hours, watching and hearing their alleged victim recount what happened July 2023. A third firefighter, Angel Portillo, is also charged but not on trial yet.

The victim says it started with a golf event. Then, two of the men invited her to their pool complex. That’s when the third firefighter came over. The woman testified they were all drinking.

“I was connected to my body enough to have memory, pieces of memory. So I was connected to my body, but I also was still not fully sober.”

In court, prosecutors played body camera footage. KOB 4 cameras weren’t allowed to film it to keep her identity anonymous. But, in it, she says two of them taught the third “how to rape.”

“He was, like, coaching him on how to rape me. It was almost like he was trying to make love to me, and he was holding me down while the other guys were watching.”

The body camera also revealed before the alleged rape, the victim said she “hooked up” with one of the men.

As the defense questioned the victim, they showed a photo of her kissing Heyman, and went back to her definition of hooking up, which she previously said could include penetration.

The trial will pick up Tuesday, and is scheduled to last through Wednesday.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

Firefighters with Albuquerque Fire Rescue are responding to a fire near Eubank Boulevard and Menaul Boulevard in northeast Albuquerque.

According to Albuquerque Fire Rescue, crews responded to an explosion in the 9400 block of Woodland Avenue NE.

AFR crews say two people were taken to the hospital with burn injuries.

Fire crews say the home where the explosion happened was destroyed, and a second home was damaged in the fire. No firefighter injuries were reported.

Fire officials tell KOAT a "large amount" of fireworks was involved in the fire, and those fireworks may have been commercial grade. A cause for the fire has not been determined.

Neighbors told KOAT they heard a loud explosion and ran outside to find the garage door of a home in the middle of the street. They also said two people came out of the home with their clothing on fire.

According to one neighbor, the man who lives in the home sets up firework displays for a living and allegedly had plenty of fireworks in the garage.

KOAT has also learned that the ATF Phoenix Field Division is now the lead agency investigating the explosion.

"ATF is responsible for regulating explosives, including display fireworks, to prevent the mishandling and illegal use of explosive materials. ATF’s regulatory enforcement and investigative programs work closely with industry members to ensure the proper storage and safeguarding of these items," said ATF spokesperson Crystal McCoy in a statement.

The agency has deployed a special agent who is a certified fire investigator and explosives expert.

This is a developing story. Stay with KOAT for the latest information.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A northeast Albuquerque home exploded Wednesday. Local investigators believe fireworks could be to blame.

Two victims are in a hospital with extremely serious burns. Now, one of the victim’s friends is trying to provide some answers.

“He was not making fireworks and that they were not illegal fireworks,” said Aaron Greenwald, a victim’s friend.

Greenwald says he wants to set the record straight after a house explosion turned into a disastrous fire Wednesday afternoon in northeast Albuquerque.

“It does appear at this time that fireworks were the culprit of this explosion,” said Albuquerque Fire Rescue Lt. Jason Fejer.

The explosion hurt two people inside the home along Woodland near Eubank and Menaul. One of those victims, who are getting treated for serious burns in a Texas hospital, is Greenwald’s friend.

“We’re really concerned about him, and we just want people to send their prayers out to him,” Greenwald said.

Fejer says the size of the explosion and fire indicates commercial grade fireworks were involved.

“Whatever was in there it was a large amount that the garage is completely collapsed, the garage doors across the street,” said Fejer.

We learned Greenwald’s friend, who owns the home that exploded, is a props stage worker with the Local 423 IATSE Union.

A union rep confirmed his membership and says the victim was scheduled to set off at least two local public firework displays for the Fourth of July.

“They are the fireworks that are used in these public displays, and I would imagine that you can’t just go buy them anywhere,” Greenwald said. “That is what exploded, was the fireworks that he took pride in and displaying for everybody in the city for their enjoyment. The whole city was going to enjoy these fireworks that this man is setting up for everybody’s enjoyment, it’s not, it wasn’t some nefarious thing.”

We asked Greenwald why his friend would have been storing all those fireworks in his home, in a neighborhood. He didn’t have an answer.

“From what I can gather from the people that knew him, it was an accident. I don’t know how it happened, but it’s horrible,” said Greenwald. “We just want everybody to please pray for him and whoever else was in this explosion.”

That explosion set off a fire that spread to a neighbor’s home. No one in that home was hurt, and it is still standing.

For some homeowners, they lost their pets in all the chaos.

Too Long; Didn't Read:

Albuquerque's tech sector is surging with $2 billion Meta data center expansion, DOE's fast-tracked AI data centers at Los Alamos and Sandia, a $4M Clear Current AI energy startup raise, national Microsoft spotlight, local AI-powered pedestrian safety systems, and advanced federal supercomputing - all positioning the city as a major U.S. AI and innovation hub.

Albuquerque's tech boom is accelerating as major public and private investments fuel the region's growing influence in artificial intelligence and data center infrastructure.

This month, the Department of Energy (DOE) designated 16 federal sites - including Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories - for rapid AI data center construction, leveraging substantial in-place energy assets and fast-tracked permitting to support AI innovation and national security.

A DOE report highlights that U.S. data center electricity use has tripled over the last decade and could comprise up to 12% of the nation's total electricity by 2028, driven largely by AI applications and big tech expansions.

Notably, Meta continues its $2 billion Los Lunas campus build-out, which will add 3.8 million square feet of data center space and further establish the region as a national tech hub.

As policy debates continue over preferred energy sources for these facilities - ranging from nuclear and renewables to gas turbines - federal leadership remains committed to keeping the U.S. at the forefront of AI and infrastructure.

As President Trump remarked in January,

“I'd like to see federal lands opened up for data centers. I think they're going to be very important.”

For an overview of DOE's site plans and the potential impact on New Mexico, see the official DOE Request for Information on Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure on DOE Lands.

Understand how these developments fit into the broader U.S. energy and policy landscape in the Associated Press coverage of DOE data center expansion, and read about Meta's ongoing campus innovations in Los Lunas in this Meta Los Lunas data center expansion report.

US Department of Energy Opens Los Alamos and Sandia Labs to AI Data Centers

(Up)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is opening new avenues for artificial intelligence (AI) innovation by identifying 16 federal sites - including Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico - as candidates for rapid development of AI data centers and co-located power generation.

This initiative, sparked by a January 2025 executive order, aims to accelerate AI infrastructure while leveraging existing energy assets and fast-tracking clean power options, such as nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal energy.

With data center electricity use having tripled in the last decade and expected to double or triple again by 2028 - potentially consuming up to 12% of U.S. electricity - these lab sites offer critical resources like secure energy infrastructure, skilled research ecosystems, and favorable permitting conditions.

The DOE's recently published Request for Information seeks broad industry and community input on every aspect of development, power needs, collaboration, and environmental considerations, with a goal to have new AI data centers operational by 2027.

As the agency underscores, co-locating data centers with DOE research facilities could drive both AI progress and sustainable energy design. For further details on the DOE's site selection and policy, see the comprehensive analysis at US News: DOE's Invitation for AI Data Centers at Federal Labs, Renewable Energy World: DOE's Federal Land Initiative for AI Data Centers, and Data Center Frontier: U.S. Advances AI Data Center Push.

Below is a summary table of select DOE sites, their states, and energy focus:

“The United States has long been at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation. Maintaining that leadership is a key national and economic security priority.”