NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Check out community events around New Mexico from January 3–9. Albuquerque January 3 ABQ Artwalk – Kick off the new year with a series of new exhibits, performances, and markets. The event is from 5 to 9 p.m. January 3 First Fridays Comedy Contest – Ten of ABQ's hottest up-and-coming comedians duke it out to see who is crowned this month's funniest comedian. This event is from 8 to 10 p.m. January 3 Winter Break Activities – Join Creativity Warehouse for a variety of engaging arts and crafts classes designed for all ages and skill levels. Classes run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. January 3-4 The Show – Albuquerque's longest-running comedy show happens every Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12. January 3-5 Annual Pueblo Gingerbread House Contest – Contest entries are displayed in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center east lobby, with People's Choice judging open to visitors. Winners will be announced on January 7. January 4 New Year 2025 Sand Volleyball Tournament – Starting at 4 p.m., co-ed teams of 2-6 players can compete for prizes at Charlie's Sandbox. Price is $20 per person. January 4-5 Expo New Mexico Flea Market – Come check out the food, vendors and live entertainment at New Mexico's largest open-air market. The market runs from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is $2 for walk-ups and $10 per car for parking. January 4, 5, & 7 Immersive Yoga – Visit Electric Playhouse for a cutting-edge experience with 360-degree projections ranging from beautiful environments to surreal and imagined spaces. Classes reoccur every Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Price is $15 per person. January 5 Sunday Funday Karaoke – Join VFW Post 6216 for an evening filled with music, laughter, and unforgettable performances aided by "Music by Moonlight" starting at 4 p.m.  January 7 Enroll-A-Palooza! – From 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., CNM's entire staff will be on hand to help students register and answer any questions. This event will also feature a special 'FAFSA-Palooza' with bookstore gift card giveaways. New Mexico January 3 Fine Art Flea Market – Starting at 5 p.m., visit the Plaza de Las Cruces for a market featuring local artists, live music, Arrowsoul Art, indigenous free ways, and more. January 3 Mountain Majesty (Canvas Class) – In this Clovis class, explore blending techniques to create a gradient sky and learn how to use layers to build depth in mountains and trees. This scene is perfect for practicing how to bring a winter wonderland to life! Tickets are $28 per person and the event starts at 6 p.m. January 3 Friday Blues Swing Fusion Dance – The class will learn some fundamentals of movement in a blues fusion style. This Santa Fe event features a lesson from 7 to 8 p.m. and DJ'd music from 8 to 10 p.m. January 4 Country Dance Night with The Detours – Kick off 2025 with a country dance night with The Detours at The Liberty in Roswell. Doors open at 6 p.m., and showtime is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. January 4 Alamogordo's Cars & Coffee – Bring a ride and a friend from 9 to 11 a.m. Coffee & donuts will be available in the Desert Suds Car Wash & Detail lobby. January 5 January First Sunday Market – Join Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery in Santa Fe for a monthly art market featuring hand-forged knives, locally brewed kombucha, handwoven plushies, permanent jewelry, handmade pottery, live music, and much more. The event starts at 4 p.m. January 5 Sunday Chess Club – Meet at Popolo's Games in Taos beginning at 1:00 p.m. This free event is for all ages. January 6 Bird Walk at Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park – Join a bird walk leader for a tour of the birds at Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park in Las Cruces. Each leader will lead the group on a walk of approximately 2 miles over mostly flat terrain and identify all of the birds that are seen along the way. The event begins at 8 a.m., and the price is $5 for a single-day pass. January 7 BABY & ME - Baby Care Group – Visit the Grants Public Library weekly support group for moms and moms-to-be who are breastfeeding, formula feeding, or planning to do a little bit of both. This event occurs every Tuesday from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. January 8 Women in Leadership Luncheon – From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce, enjoy this month's theme, "Setting Goals for Impact," with guest speaker Jennifer Jaciw from The Entrepreneur's Source. Seating is limited, so be sure to register ahead of time. The cost is $12 for members and $17 for non-members. Albuquerque Notices 🔶 Nonprofit in Nob Hill could face closure, asking for help – A Nob Hill nonprofit could be shutting down after facing financial hardship. The issues started when they opened their location four years ago. 🔶 Albuquerque residents can recycle real Christmas trees starting on Thursday – The City of Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Department along with the Parks and Recreation Department and PNM are teaming up for their annual treecycling event. Starting Thursday, Albuquerque residents can drop off their real Christmas trees at three locations free of charge. 🔶 Upcoming January events at Expo New Mexico – The new year has arrived and to kick off 2025, Expo New Mexico has events planned throughout January. Expo New Mexico General Manager Dan Mourning spoke about the upcoming events. 🔶 Bernalillo County Animal Care entering 2025 on a high note – Over the weekend, Bernalillo County Animal Care saw over 30 strays enter their shelter. While that number may seem high, the shelter says that number is actually lower than their daily average. So, how are they making that happen? 🔶 New Bernco civil division judge appointed in Metropolitan Court – Bernalillo County’s Metropolitan Court has a new presiding Civil Division Judge. Effective Wednesday, Judge Jason M. Jaramillo is taking over the role after the recent retirement of Judge Frank A. Sedillo. 🔶 Albuquerque city councilor works to revamp housing voucher program – Albuquerque has a huge housing problem but one city councilor said there’s an even bigger issue getting critical city-funded housing help to those who need it.  🔶 See which Albuquerque restaurants closed in 2024 – The year 2024 marked the end of an era for some of Albuquerque’s popular restaurants. Here is a look at some of the eateries that closed this year. 🔶 Deadline approaching to submit opinions on I-25 ‘S-Curve’ plans – The New Mexico Department of Transportation is moving closer toward big plans to revamp one of the oldest and busiest I-25 interchanges in Albuquerque and the latest ideas to fix the “S-Curve” are getting pushback from some residents.  🔶 New Albuquerque bikeway and trail facilities plan – With the new year approaching, one major change coming in 2025 will be new bike paths. The Albuquerque City Council recently unanimously approved a bikeway and trail facilities plan. 🔶 Bernalillo County looking for public input on South Coors Blvd project – Some big changes could be coming to Coors Blvd, and Bernalillo County wants the community’s input on what those developments could look like. The entire project would encompass South Coors from I-40 to Gun Club Rd, making improvements to sidewalks, traffic flow, and bike lanes. New Mexico Notices 🔶 Voting is open for New Mexico DOT 2025 snow plow naming contest – The New Mexico Department of Transportation has opened voting for its “Name a Snowplow Contest.” 🔶 How Ski Santa Fe is managing with low snowfall – The big November snowstorm led to record-breaking snowfall and an early start to ski season across New Mexico, but after nearly two months the snowfall has been sparse. 🔶 New Mexico’s big 2024 news headlines & what’s ahead in 2025 – From historic wildfires and flooding, to one of the most watched criminal trials of the year, 2024 has been another big news year for New Mexico. 🔶 What New Mexico laws go into effect in 2025? – With the start of a new year comes a series of new laws that will go into effect in 2025. In New Mexico, some of the laws will go into place on Jan. 1, 2025, while some others will become active mid-year. 🔶 NM residents getting free day-use access to State Parks – The New Mexico State Parks are rolling out new fee and boating regulations. State residents will get free day-use access from October all the way through April. 🔶 Belen Police Department seeks help in locating suspects accused of child abuse – The Belen Police Department needs help tracking down two people. Jamie Armando Rodriguez Perez and his girlfriend Ann Berlin Marquez Armendariz have felony warrants out of their arrest for first and third-degree child abuse. 🔶 CDC: Norovirus cases on the rise in New Mexico – Cases of norovirus, a contagious and unpleasant stomach bug, are on the rise; that’s according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from 14 states across the U.S., including New Mexico.  🔶 $50 million awarded to protect northern New Mexico watershed – The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Forestry Division received a $50 million grant for purchase and conservation of 32,580 acres in the Vermejo watershed. 🔶 Santa Fe Jewish Community Center opens up New Mexico’s only kosher Jewish deli – There’s a new deli on the block, in downtown, Santa Fe, but it’s not your typical one-stop shop for deli meats. This shop is the only kosher restaurant in the state of New Mexico. 🔶 City of Las Cruces to increase minimum wage on Jan. 1 – The City of Las Cruces will increase its minimum hourly wage from $12.36 to $12.65, effective Jan. 1.