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Frijoles Fire prompts health alerts and evacuation orders

Leila Chapa | August 11

The Frijoles Fire burning north of Santa Fe has grown to cover over 3000 acres in the Pecos Wilderness area and remains 0 percent contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire originated from a lightning strike on August 4 and has expanded at a rate of hundreds of acres per day.  Santa Fe County issued a mandatory evacuation order on Monday evening, placing residents  on Camino de Cañon Street in Cundiyó under “GO status,” meaning residents should evacuate immediately with an emergency supply kit, according to a Santa Fe County press release.  Santa Fe County Communications Coordinator Shawna Graves   shared an update on the fire’s status with the Daily Lobo after the evacuation order went into effect. 

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Blackstone acquisition of PNM faces opposition, gains labor union support

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | August 10

During a July 28 Public Regulation Commission hearing regarding Blackstone’s acquisition of PNM, New Mexico residents filled the UNM Student Union Building ballroom and staged a “mic check” protest, calling the 6-hour hearing a “mockery of the democratic process.”  The PRC determined in June that TXNM — PNM’s parent company — and the private equity firm Blackstone violated state law in 2025 when they conducted a $400 million stock sale connected to the acquisition, according to Source NM.  

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Religious leaders address anti-Islamic rhetoric after attack at North Valley church

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | August 7

Leaders from multiple faiths gathered for a press conference on July 29 at the St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Catholic Church to address recent attacks toward the church’s pastor, Father Vincent Paul Chavez, who had previously shown his public support for a proposed mosque in Albuquerque’s North Valley. 

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What New Mexicans should know about nationwide lettuce parasite

Paloma Chapa | July 24

The phrase “explosive diarrhea” has recently been making national headlines since the cyclospora parasite outbreak began in May, with no confirmed link to any one specific food or supplier.   The parasite causes a corresponding gastrointestinal disease, cyclosporiasis, which has seen an increase in cases since the cyclospora surveillance period began on May 1, with 4,173 confirmed cases and 308 hospitalizations across 41 states, according to July 20 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

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School of Law Dean Camille Carey to serve second term

Paloma Chapa | July 12

On Monday, July 6, University of New Mexico Provost Barbara Rodriguez announced the reappointment of School of Law Dean Camille Carey, who will be serving her second term as dean of the school. Carey’s current term will conclude on June 30, 2027, and her second term will last for three years, beginning July 1, 2027, and ending on June 30, 2030, according to a statement from Rodriquez. 

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Zimmerman Library to host new local coffee spot as Starbucks departs for SUB

Leila Chapa | July 11

The coffee scene on campus will be seeing major changes this fall as Starbucks — which has lived in Zimmerman Library for over 10 years — will be moving to the Student Union Building, and a new local coffee spot, named Cà Phê Culture, will be opening its doors in its place. 

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Governor, DEA demand investigations amid claims federal agency allowed fentanyl trafficking

Elliott Wood | June 26

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has asked Attorney General Raúl Torrez   to investigate allegations by a former Drug Enforcement Agency agent that the DEA allowed tens of thousands of fentanyl pills to be trafficked into New Mexico in the name of tracing the drugs’ path to make more major arrests from 2023 to 2025, according to a statement the govorner released on Wednesday, June 24.  “If the justification for letting these pills flood our communities was that it would somehow make New Mexico safer down the road through bigger eventual busts, the results say otherwise,” the governor’s statement reads. 

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UNM Law community continues push for new dean over multiple concerns

Paloma Chapa | June 23

The University of New Mexico School of Law community is continuing to call for new leadership at the school after pressure for such change peaked this spring when students, faculty and alumni sent letters to UNM leadership, urging them to not recommend the renewal of Dean Camille Carey’s contract.  During a press conference at the UNM School of Law on June 22, alumni spoke about their concerns, including admissions being primarily based on LSAT scores, low numbers of New Mexican and Indigenous students, inability to retain law school faculty and loss of confidence in the school's ability to support students with multiple grievances.    The press conference was held to “demand Provost Barbara Rodriguez reject UNM School of Law Dean Camille Carey's contract renewal,” according to a press release from a representative for the Center for Civic Policy in Albuquerque.  

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50 years of Pride tradition, legacy and community in Albuquerque

Lexis Lovato | June 22

Albuquerque kicked off  Pride Month with a double event on Saturday, June 13, starting with a morning parade in Nob Hill followed by Pride Fest at Civic Plaza, marking a 50-year legacy of celebrating Pride annually in the city. Starting at 10 a.m. and lasting two hours, an intergenerational crowd of around a few thousand people gathered along Central Avenue between Wellesley Drive and San Mateo Boulevard and cheered on the several parade floats representing local businesses, organizations, schools and community members. 

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Community, NM United bring World Cup matches to neighborhood parks

Paloma Chapa | June 17

Approximately 400 Albuquerque community members gathered at Montgomery Park on Friday evening to watch the United States and Paraguayan men’s national soccer teams battle in their World Cup opener in Los Angeles. The game was projected on a large viewing screen with a quality sound system, and the park offered space for pick-up games and soccer activities during commercial breaks.  The event was the second of multiple watch parties that are scheduled at local parks throughout the month of June, which are a collaboration between the City of Albuquerque and New Mexico United, according to a press release. 

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Multiple officer-involved shootings in one week spark protest, questions

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | June 10

On Friday, June 5, protesters and relatives of Jose Armas and Robert Salas — who were both fatally shot by Albuquerque Police Department officers the week prior — gathered and marched from Robinson Park to APD’s headquarters.  Protesters called for “justice” for Salas and Armas, along with others who have been killed by APD officers in recent years. The march concluded with a vigil on the staircase of the APD headquarters, during which family members spoke to participants, calling for the release of all body camera footage and for police to handle mental health crises differently.

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2026 New Mexico primary election results

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | June 5

On Tuesday, June 2, voters in New Mexico decided who would be the nominees for U.S. Senate, governor and lieutenant governor, among other local races during the state’s primary election day.   Here are the election results of the 2026 New Mexico primary elections, according to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State. 

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2026 primary Election Day voting guide

Paloma Chapa | June 2

Election Day for New Mexico’s primary elections is on June 2, when voters will have the opportunity to vote at 74 voting center locations across Bernalillo County from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to Bernalillo County.  The University of New Mexico’s Student Union Building will also serve as a voting center on Tuesday, with same-day voter registration available.  Here are some of the major races in which Democratic and Republican candidates are running to be on the ballot during the general election in November. 

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UNM to launch campus-wide guidelines on ethical AI use

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | May 18

This fall, the University of New Mexico AI Steering Committee will be launching campus-wide guidelines and best practices to address aspects of artificial intelligence use that are considered “urgent,” including ethics and academic integrity, according to College of University Libraries & Learning Sciences Dean and AI Steering Committee Chair Mark Emmons.  The AI Steering Committee is made up of students, staff and faculty from across campus with a variety of expertise in artificial intelligence, and formed because of the large amount of AI use on campus without a coordinated set of policies or strategies to follow, Emmons said.   The committee was charged in late February by Interim Provost Barbara Rodriguez and will integrate AI efforts around campus with both a long-term and a short-term path, according to Emmons, who said the long-term path will involve a town hall that gathers students, faculty, staff and any interested stakeholders to supply guidance that may ultimately end up in policies.  

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Steve Goldstein chosen as 24th UNM president

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | May 18

On Friday, May 15, the University of New Mexico announced that Steve Goldstein would be the next president of the University, succeeding outgoing president Garnett S. Stokes, who retires in July.  The announcement came after the UNM Board of Regents unanimously agreed to select Goldstein as the next president, and all five candidates had spoken at public forums between April 20 and May 13.  “I am delighted to welcome Steve Goldstein to the Lobo family,” Stokes told UNM Newsroom. “He inherits a university that is stronger, more innovative and more consequential to the people of New Mexico than ever before, and I have every confidence that he will build on that momentum in ways that will continue to benefit our students and our state for years to come.”

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UNM needs more healthy food options, students say

Paloma Chapa | May 18

Some students eating lunch at the Student Union Building during finals week this spring said that the University of New Mexico needs more healthy food and fresh fruit options available on campus.  The Student Union Building has multiple food vendors, including Chick-fil-A, Blake’s Lotaburger, Mandalay Express, Subway, Dion’s Pizza and Freshens, as well as a rotating local food vendor that switches each semester and a “grab-and-go” market downstairs. Junior Kieren Sanchez said that while UNM has a lot of food offerings, she doesn’t think that there are a lot of healthy options. 

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Newsroom leader, Managing Editor Nate Bernard turns the page

Addison Fulton | May 11

If you know the Daily Lobo, then you know the work of our departing  Managing Editor Nate Bernard. As managing editor, Bernard is responsible for ensuring that everything published in the Daily Lobo is correct and clear. If you trust us, you trust him.  Bernard began his career three years ago at the Lobo like many, he said, as a freelance reporter for the news desk. As a political science and psychology double major, Bernard said his work as a journalist allowed him a new perspective on what it means to make change and do good work. “Oftentimes, we’re told that the only change we can make is the big sweeping changes to the federal government, but in actuality, the biggest changes that we can make are right here at home,” Bernard said. “The Daily Lobo is how I sought to make those changes and hold powerful people accountable.”