About Us
The Rio Rancho Observer is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving the city of Rio Rancho and Southern Sandoval County through the highest professional business and journalistic standards. The RRO is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays – and online at rrobserver.com.
We are politically independent and welcome community submissions from all points of view. The Rio Rancho Observer is a member of the Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce, the New Mexico Press Association, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and the National Newspaper Association, and a supporter of the Sandoval Economic Alliance.
Each week, our dedicated professional staff pours an enormous amount of creativity, passion and hard work into the creation of your community newspaper. But ultimately it is our advertisers that make the Rio Rancho Observer and rrobserver.com possible. So, please tell them you saw them in the RRO!
Tracy Goldizen
Editor
Tracy Goldizen is the editor of the Rio Rancho Observer. She has nearly 20 years of experience in journalism, including writing and photography as well as serving as the editor of several magazine publications before joining the Rio Rancho Observer staff. Her work has won several awards in Iowa and New Mexico.
Michaela Helean
Staff Writer
Michaela started at the Observer as an intern and is now a full-time staff writer. She primarily covers the Sandoval County, courts and crime and business. She grew up in Rio Rancho and recently moved to Albuquerque with her husband. For fun she likes to go to car events in the area. She also does some landscape photography on her days off. She graduated from UNM in 2022 with a B.A. in multimedia journalism.
Kevin Opsahl
Staff Writer
Kevin Opsahl is a general assignment reporter for the Rio Rancho Observer with emphasis on covering City Hall and education. He previously worked for the Albuquerque Journal, where he covered education. He also reported remotely for The Gallup Sun during the pandemic. Before moving to New Mexico, Kevin worked for two separate newspapers in Oregon, where he covered education and crime. Kevin also enjoyed a brief stint as editor of a weekly newspaper in his adopted home of Washington state. Kevin's first journalism jobs included contributing writer at a weekly newspaper in his adopted hometown of Kirkland, Washington, and a daily newspaper in northern Utah. When Kevin is not writing, he loves eating out, reading history or autobiographies, and catching up with family and friends.
Susan Saunier
Ad Consultant
Susan Saunier moved to Rio Rancho in 1973 and has watched the city’s incredible growth since then. She started working with the Observer as a contract paper carrier in 1989 and became a regular employee in 1992. She has worked in multiple company departments and has been an ad executive since 2009. She strives to make her clients feel they’re in a partnership with their community newspaper.
Daniel Zuniga
Correspondent
Daniel Zuniga is a long-time Observer correspondent that writes the popular food column, "Danny Dines." He is currently working to help fill the gaps in general news and sports coverage until a reporter vacancy is filled.