21 Good News Stories That Came Out of New Mexico this year

Two heroes came to the rescue of two Albuquerque Police Department officers in August after they were shot.

An Albuquerque girl is proving just how resilient she is after a life-changing accident that happened earlier this year.

Virgin Galactic made space history with its successful flight in July.

Following Virgin Galactic’s launch, a week later, Jeff Bezo’s Blue Origin launched into space. Wally Funk, a New Mexico native was the four-passenger crew.

It was almost two years in the making. After hundreds of hours of work and a lot of community evolvement, the Albuquerque Police Department finally showed off their brand new low-rider cruiser in May.

An Albuquerque woman’s trip to the car wash turned into a search for a needle in a haystack. Leanne Van Amburg lost her wedding ring at

Nearly 50% of children born with down syndrome are in urgent need of life-saving surgery. The surgery is expensive and not all parents know of the dangers. Some New Mexicans are working to change that.

From bagging fresh tortillas to plating popular menu items, Frontier Restaurant General Manager Pete Villegas has done it all. However, earlier this year he hung up his hat.

How far would you travel for good food? A Seattle couple flew all the way to New Mexico for some Dion’s pizza.

A New Mexico man is making quite a name for himself in New York City. He’s brought his family’s New Mexican recipes to Brooklyn.

A happy ending to what could have been a very bad one. A suspect stole a car and a baby. Lapel video from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Department shows how deputies were able to get the child to safety.

Usually, Albuquerque firefighters are busy racing around because people are in need. Earlier this year, AFR recused a dog that was trapped underground at a park.

Local search and rescue crews have an extra set of eyes during their mountain rescues, thanks to some volunteers from Sandia National Laboratory.

A CNM student is hoping to simplify the search and rescue mission. He has developed a new device in one of his classes.

In southeast New Mexico, one man is inspiring the community around him by honoring those who have served. A Roswell veteran, who has been honoring other vets for 20 years, was honored by the city for his service. Jake Trujillo learned how to play Taps at the age of 12 and for the past 20 years, he has been playing it at the South Park Cemetery.

In just nine days, a hot air balloon was created at Balloon Fiesta Park in anticipation of next year’s 50th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

A New Mexico teen is helping out her community in a big way. She’s clocked 524 hours of community service since the summer.

A 10-year-old sprung into action when she realized Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare was in need of supplies.

Two Santa Fe female football players received some national recognition from Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A new docuseries that explores the Rio Grande that runs through the heart of New Mexico premiered this past spring.

In September, a New Mexico State graduate celebrated a big win when she was awarded an Emmy.