Tomato Fiesta is an enduring offshoot of Master Gardeners

Bernalillo County organization anticipated trend toward home-grown food

UP. CRISTIANO, BACK TO YOU. THIS MORNING’S TOP STORIES. ALBUQUERQUE POLICE SAY A DISPUTE OVER A PARKING SPOT LED TO A DEADLY SHOOTING FRIDAY NIGHT ON THE WEST SIDE. POLICE SAY A DAVID CACERES SHOT AND KILLED CARLOS OCHOA OUTSIDE THE EFFING BAR AND GRILL ON SEQUOIA ROAD. WITNESSES TOLD POLICE THAT THE ARGUMENT STARTED WHEN OCHOA’S PARKED IN A SPOT THAT CACERES WAS WAITING FOR. THEN CACERES GRABBED A GUN AND STRUCK HIS GIRLFRIEND AND SHOT SEVERAL TIMES. CACERES CLAIMS HE FIRED IN SELF-DEFENSE, BUT DETECTIVES SAY EVIDENCE DIDN’T MATCH HIS STORY. HE IS NOW BEING CHARGED WITH MURDER AND MULTIPLE COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED BATTERY AND ASSAULT. ALBUQUERQUE MAYOR TIM KELLER, DELIVERING HIS ANNUAL STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS LAST NIGHT AT THE BIOPARK. HE TOUCHED ON A RANGE OF ISSUES, INCLUDING CRIME, SAYING THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN A DECADE ALL MAJOR CRIME CATEGORIES ARE ACTUALLY DOWN. HE ANNOUNCED PLANS TO FREEZE FEES ON FAMILY PROGRAMS AND EXPAND ACCESS TO PUBLIC SERVICES. HE ALSO OUTLINED A GOAL TO MAKE ALBUQUERQUE A LEADER IN QUANTUM COMPUTING. MEANWHILE, THE CITY OF GALLUP, MAKING AN ANNOUNCEMENT WHEN IT COMES TO MARIJUANA SALES AND AVAILABILITY. THE PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD VOTING TO MOVE FORWARD ON A REQUEST ALLOWING CANNABIS DELIVERY IN THE CITY. MCKINLEY COUNTY SCHOOLS RELEASING A STATEMENT, THOUGH WITH CONCERNS ABOUT THAT MOVE, SAYING IN PART, QUOTE, AS THE GALLUP CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS THIS CHANGE, WE ENCOURAGE OUR PARENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO VOICE THEIR OPINIONS ON HOW WE CAN PREVENT STUDENTS FROM BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THESE PRODUCTS, WHICH ARE HARMFUL TO THEIR HEALTH AND DETRIMENTAL TO THEIR FUTURE, AND, QUOTE, THE GALLUP CITY COUNCIL IS SET TO MAKE FINAL DECISIONS. AND ON THIS PROPOSAL, THIS COMING WEEK. CONFUSION OVER A NEW U.S. TARIFF POLICY THAT KICKS IN LATER THIS WEEK IS CAUSING MULTIPLE INTERNATIONAL POSTAL SERVICES TO PAUSE SHIPPING AS THEY AWAIT CLARITY ON THE RULE. WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT JACKIE DEFUSCO JOINS US THIS MORNING. JACKIE, WHAT EXACTLY IS CHANGING? WELL, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS ENDING A TRADE EXEMPTION THAT HAS ALLOWED PACKAGES WORTH LESS THAN $800 TO COME INTO THE UNITED STATES DUTY FREE. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ELIMINATED WHAT’S CALLED THE DE MINIMIS RULE FOR CHINA AND HONG KONG EARLIER THIS YEAR. NOW, THOUGH, THAT IS BEING SUSPENDED FOR ALL COUNTRIES. EFFECTIVE AUGUST 29TH. THE WHITE HOUSE CALLS IT A CATASTROPHIC LOOPHOLE USED TO DODGE TARIFFS AND SNEAK DRUGS INTO THE COUNTRY BY EXPLOITING LOWER INSPECTION STANDARDS. REMOVING THE TRADE EXEMPTION IS EXPECTED TO RAISE COSTS FOR IMPORTED GOODS AND HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY OF LOW VALUE PACKAGES ENTERING THE U.S., BUT UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW PROCESS IS PROMPTING POSTAL SERVICES IN GERMANY, DENMARK, SWEDEN AND ITALY TO SUSPEND SHIPPING OF MOST MERCHANDISE INTO THE U.S., EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. FRANCE AND AUSTRIA ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW ON MONDAY, AND THE UK’S ROYAL MAIL SAYS THAT IT WILL HALT SHIPMENTS TO THE U.S. ON TUESDAY. REPORTING IN WASHINGTON. I’M JACKIE DEFUSCO. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RAMPING UP SCRUTINY OF THE SMITHSONIAN. THE PRESIDENT HAS CRITICIZED THE INSTITUTION AS TOO WOKE. NOW, WHILE THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS ITS REVIEW WILL REMOVE DIVISIVE NARRATIVES AND PROMOTE AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM, HISTORIANS ARGUE THAT THE MOVE CROSSES A LINE, CALLING IT POLITICAL CENSORSHIP THAT THREATENS THE SMITHSONIAN’S INDEPENDENCE. A MASSIVE FIRE IN SERIES OF EXPLOSIONS AT AN OIL AND LUBRICANTS FACILITY FORCED HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS TO EVACUATE THE LOUISIANA TOWN OF ROSELAND. DRONE VIDEO SHOWS THICK BLACK SMOKE STILL POURING FROM CITY SUPPLY MORE THAN A DAY LATER. EVERYONE WITHIN A MILE WAS ORDERED OUT. OFFICIALS WARN ABOUT OILY RESIDUE AND BLACK SOOT COATING HOMES AND CARS, URGING PEOPLE TO STAY INDOORS AND AVOID CONTACT WITH THAT SOOT. THE EPA IS NOW TESTING AIR QUALITY, AS WELL AS INVESTIGATORS. WORK TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THIS EXPLOSION. VERY CRAZY VIDEO THERE, BUT THANKFULLY EVERYONE IS SAFE. THAT’S THE GOOD NEWS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. ACTION SEVEN NEWS WILL BE BACK HERE AT 5:00 WITH SASHA. AND REMEMBER, YOU CAN GET THE LATEST NEWSCAST ANYTIME ON THE FREE, VERY LOCAL APP. WE HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL SUNDAY E

Bernalillo County organization anticipated trend toward home-grown food

Updated: 8:57 PM MDT Aug 24, 2025

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For more than 50 years, Bernalillo County Master Gardeners have educated and shared their expertise and passed it on to the next gardening generation. The 15th annual Albuquerque Tomato Fiesta, held this past weekend at the Albuquerque Gardening Center, is the biggest event for the Bernalillo County group, one of 15 counties with a master gardener. Teresa Edens is chair of the Tomato Fiesta.”What people don’t know is there are over 5,000 varieties of tomatoes,” Edens said. “Now we don’t have that many tomatoes here, but we decided about in 2007 that we needed to be out in the community, so we decided to do this, so we have tomato tastings of all our exotic tomatoes.”Edens said the Master Gardeners were ahead of their time, anticipating the growing interest in fresh, unprocessed food.”We have everything from pluots and plums to green beans to onions,” Edens said. “People want fresh vegetables. They’d rather not buy it at a grocery store if they don’t have to. I think it helps everybody to know where their fruits and vegetables come from, not out of a can.”

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

For more than 50 years, Bernalillo County Master Gardeners have educated and shared their expertise and passed it on to the next gardening generation.

The 15th annual Albuquerque Tomato Fiesta, held this past weekend at the Albuquerque Gardening Center, is the biggest event for the Bernalillo County group, one of 15 counties with a master gardener. Teresa Edens is chair of the Tomato Fiesta.

“What people don’t know is there are over 5,000 varieties of tomatoes,” Edens said. “Now we don’t have that many tomatoes here, but we decided about in 2007 that we needed to be out in the community, so we decided to do this, so we have tomato tastings of all our exotic tomatoes.”

Edens said the Master Gardeners were ahead of their time, anticipating the growing interest in fresh, unprocessed food.

“We have everything from pluots and plums to green beans to onions,” Edens said. “People want fresh vegetables. They’d rather not buy it at a grocery store if they don’t have to. I think it helps everybody to know where their fruits and vegetables come from, not out of a can.”