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Grad worker’s union pickets for better health insurance, higher wages

Maddie Pukite | November 16

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico held a picket starting at the intersection of Las Lomas Road and Yale Boulevard in front of Dane Smith Hall at UNM and then marched to spread petitions across Scholes Hall. The Union called for the University to come to an agreement by their last scheduled bargaining meeting on Dec. 7 so they can finalize a contract. The Union has been at the bargaining table with the University since early May 2022. After recent bargaining sessions, the Union is working toward better healthcare coverage, raises and coverage of parking costs, among other topics.

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City Council: Tensions high over deferred proposal to end zero fare

Zara Roy | November 14

On Monday, Nov. 7, the Albuquerque City Council unanimously deferred an ordinance which would end the current zero-fare bus program and replace it with a bus pass model. The ordinance will be heard again on Monday, Dec. 5. The proposed free bus pass model would require those who wish to ride on Albuquerque transit to present a photo ID or free bus pass with tracking information on it. Application for the free pass would also require photo ID, with a nonrenewable 30-day pass available to those without a photo ID. The new fare would be set at $1 for buses and $2 for the Sun Van Paratransit Service for those who do not or cannot obtain the bus pass.

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Raúl Torrez wins attorney general for New Mexico

Gabriel Saiz and Elizabeth Secor | November 10

Raúl Torrez will serve as the 32nd attorney general of New Mexico. Torrez defeated opponent Jermey Micheal Gay during the 2022 midterm elections. The attorney general is in charge of “enforcement of consumer protection and antitrust laws, prosecution of criminal appeals and some complex white-collar crimes, training, and certification of peace officers, and most natural resource and environmental matters,” according to the New Mexico attorney general website. Torrez was absent from the New Mexico Democratic Watch Party due to illness, but Taylor Bui, his campaign manager, was there representing him.

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Michelle Lujan Grisham reelected as NM governor

Cyrrene Giaccardo | November 9

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Michelle Lujan Grisham was elected for her second term as governor of New Mexico, beating out Republican opponent Mark Ronchetti with 52% of the vote. “We never forget who we are and we don’t turn our backs on people who are different from us. Tonight, I am so proud of New Mexico,” Lujan Grisham said. The governor race pitted incumbent Lujan Grisham against former network television meteorologist Ronchetti; he ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2020, coming within six percentage points against Democratic candidate Ben Ray Lujan. 

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Maggie Toulouse Oliver reelected as secretary of state

Gabriel Saiz and Elizabeth Secor | November 9

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, midterms dawned on New Mexico, and Democratic candidate Maggie Toulouse Oliver emerged victorious in the 2022 secretary of state race over Republican opponent Audrey Mendonca-Trujillo. Toulouse Oliver has served as the secretary of state since 2016; this will be her second term. Toulouse Oliver was unable to be in person at the event due to her duties as the current secretary of state. However, her campaign manager Dylan McArthur was there to represent her.

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Melanie Stansbury wins race for New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District

Annya Loya | November 9

On Nov. 8, Democratic candidate Melanie Stansbury was reelected to serve in New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, beating her opponent, Republican Michelle Garcia Holmes. The 1st District serves the central area of New Mexico, including most of Bernalillo County, all of Torrance County, parts of Sandoval, Santa Fe and Valencia counties, and most of Albuquerque. This makes it the largest congressional district in New Mexico. At the New Mexican Democratic watch party at The Clyde Hotel, Stansbury celebrated her win and gave a speech for her supporters and fellow Democrats.

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Stephanie Garcia Richard to continue on as NM public lands commissioner

Thomas Bulger | November 9

Democratic incumbent Stephanie Garcia Richard was reelected as New Mexico's commissioner of public lands. Garcia Richard was up against Republican Jefferson Bryd and Independent write-in Larry Marker. Garcia Richard was the first woman to hold the position and oversaw the growth of the budget during her last term, acording to Garcia Richard’s website. She pushed for the use of solar and wind for energy, and she has served in the New Mexico House of Representatives for District 43, before becoming the public lands commissioner. At the Democratic watch party in Albuquerque, Garcia Richard addressed the crowd before her race was called. She spoke about the public lands office's achievements and her excitement for Democrats in the state.

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GO bond 3 passes, securing $89.2 million for capital projects at UNM

Zara Roy | November 8

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, general obligations bond 3, providing $215,986,000 toward higher education in New Mexico, passed with 61% of the vote. This money will be distributed among colleges, universities, specialty schools and tribal institutions across the state, with $89.2 million going to the University of New Mexico. With the money, UNM’s two main projects are the creation of a new children’s psychiatric center at the UNM Health Sciences Center and a new center for the arts — dubbed the Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology — on main campus. They also plan to make infrastructural improvements to the four branch campuses in Valencia, Gallup, Taos and Los Alamos, according to UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair.

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PREVIEW: District 18 state house candidates on upcoming elections

Maddie Pukite | November 7

The state House of Representatives seat for District 18, in which the University of New Mexico resides, is up for election this November. The two candidates vying for the seat are incumbent Gill Chasey (D), and opponent Scott Cannon (R). The Daily Lobo reached out to both candidates: Chasey agreed to an interview, but Cannon refused to comment after multiple attempts to contact him. Cannon is a small business owner in the fire sprinkler systems trade and according to his campaign website, he supports lower government spending and support for small business owners.

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Environmentalists vote for a cleaner future

Maddie Pukite | November 7

After a summer of wildfires — one of which was the largest in New Mexico’s state history, burning 341,735 acres of land — and the Rio Grande becoming dry for the first time in 40 years, the environment remains a point of conversation amongst candidates as election day approaches. Mona Blaber, the communications coordinator for the Sierra Club, a nonpartisan environmental advocacy group, and Kineo Memmer, the director of communications and outreach for the University of New Mexico’s Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight, both emphasized the importance of these environmental issues and how they are showing up on the ballot on Tuesday, Nov. 8th.

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UNM students highlight vote-determining issues in midterm elections

Cyrrene Giaccardo | November 7

Students at the University of New Mexico shared their opinions on the upcoming New Mexico elections and what they expect from electing officials and the legislature, many agreed that it is important to hold officials to a high standard and expect transparency from those in the state legislature. Concerns over how city and state policies don’t always benefit the public as much as politicians claim were felt by Zee Winningham. They also expressed that subsidized housing for people struggling with homelessness should take precedence over standard institutionalized facilities. “What substance abuse programs are going to be funded, and how exactly are the funds going to be used for the homeless population?” Winningham said.

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GO bond 3 puts $215 million in higher education funding up for vote

Zara Roy | November 7

With early voting already started and the upcoming Nov. 8 election day rapidly approaching, the University of New Mexico anticipates the results of general obligation bond 3, which would allocate $89.2 million to UNM and a total $125 million to higher education across the state for capital projects if passed. A general obligation bond is money borrowed by the government to fund capital projects such as new facilities and improvements to old buildings and infrastructure. Bonds are paid for by the state and its property owners through property taxes — however, G.O. bonds do not cause an increase in property taxes.

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President Joe Biden visits Albuquerque in support of Michelle Lujan Grisham

Elizabeth Secor | November 3

On Thursday, Nov. 3, five days before election day, U.S. President Joe Biden visited Albuquerque to support New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in the upcoming election against Republican candidate Mark Ronchetti as part of one of his last stops on the midterm campaign trail. The event had several speakers including Albuquerque citizens, representatives and Biden himself, all showing support to keep New Mexico a Democratic state and encouraging New Mexicans to go out to the polls. One of the speakers included Deb Haaland, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, who urged those at the event to encourage others to vote.

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UNM student publication Scribendi awarded Pacemaker Award

Maddie Pukite | November 3

On Friday, Oct. 28, Scribendi magazine’s 2022 edition was honored as one of 19 winners of the 2022 Pacemaker Award by the Associated Collegiate Press out of 45 finalists. Student magazines nationwide apply for this award, with 45 being named as finalists, according to the ACP. Scribendi is a literary arts magazine published out of the University of New Mexico’s Honors College. It is designed and created by honors students and accepts submissions from honors programs across the U.S.

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Vigil held to honor former GPSA president Muhammad Afzaal Hussain

Cyrrene Giaccardo | October 31

Mentors, colleagues and friends honored the life of graduate student Muhammad Afzaal Hussain at a vigil on Friday Oct. 28 in Kiva Hall at the University of New Mexico. The vigil comes after Hussain was killed in August of this year. On the night of Aug. 1, 2022, while taking his evening walk, Afzaal Hussain was shot near his apartment in Albuquerque by Cornell and Garfield Avenues. This event happened five days after the passing of Aftab Hussein, 41, by the hand of Muhammed Syed, 51, who the Albuquerque Police Department has since charged for the murder of both men.

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ASUNM senate honors retiring professor, approves new senator

Gabriel Saiz | October 27

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico commended retiring professor Peter Kierst during their full senate meeting on Wednesday, Oct 26. The senate also filled a vacant seat, approving Kareem Al Bayraqdar as the newest senator. The senate unanimously passed a commendation officially honoring Kierst, a political science professor, for his accomplishments at UNM and in New Mexico. Kierst will retire at the end of this semester after 17 years of being a full-time faculty member, according to the commendation. Kierst is known on campus for his law-focused political science courses and known statewide as the lead counsel in the litigation that saw same-sex marriage legalized in New Mexico, according to senator Jesus Sanchez.

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on reproductive health and justice at UNM

Elizabeth Secor and Marcela Johnson | October 25

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Keller Hall at the University of New Mexico  about protecting reproductive rights. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and chair of UNM’s department of obstetrics & gynecology, Dr. Eve Espey, also participated in the conversation. The talk at UNM comes as part of a series Harris has given around the United States about reproductive justice as the Biden-Harris administration began to speak out more heavily on reproductive rights after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case was decided on June 24.

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2022 Ballot Breakdown: bond measures and amendments

Maddie Pukite | October 24

Early voting in the state of New Mexico is now in full swing ahead of Election Day on Nov. 8. This year, the ballot includes three state bonds and three constitutional amendments that voters will decide whether to approve or not approve.

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Protesters injured after riot police arrive at nonviolent protest

Maddie Pukite | October 23

On Thursday, Oct. 20th, non-violent protesters gathered outside the Student Union Building at The University of New Mexico to protest the Turning Point USA-sponsored speaking event “How Men Can Fight Fight For Life.” Riot police affiliated with the New Mexico State Police were eventually called in despite the gathering remaining nonviolent. Protesters faced physical force from police that resulted in bruising for some. Julie Bettencourt said she was bruised in the eye by the riot police while protesting that night. Anthony Wallace, acting president of Affordable Student Housing UNM, also told the Daily Lobo that multiple students present that night reported bruising to him and shared an image of bruising on the Instagram account he runs for ASHUNM.

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Non-violent protesters met with riot police at Turning Point USA-sponsored event

Maddie Pukite | October 21

Protesters gathered outside the Student Union Building at the University of New Mexico on Oct. 20 to protest “How Men Can Fight For Life,” a speaking event held jointly between conservative political organization Turning Point USA and UNM organization Students for Life. The event featured speaker Ian Haworth, a conservative and anti-abortion personality. Protesters were met by New Mexico State Police in riot gear, despite the protest remaining nonviolent throughout the night.