Slideshows

New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society

UNM Lobos Women's Basketball vs Fresno State at the Pit

UNM Lobos lose 75-73 to the Fresno State Bulldogs January 18 at the Pit.

UNM Lobos Take on the San Jose State Spartans

New Mexico Lobos’ beat San Jose Spartans in an 80-68 victory over Saturday afternoon in The Pit.

UNM Women's Lobos vs Wyoming Cowgirls

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State rallies past Washington State

Colorado State scored 18 points in the final minute and a half of Saturday’s Gildan New Mexico Bowl, rallying to a 48-45 win over Washington State. The Rams’ late-game heroics started with 4:17 left on the clock. Down 45-30, CSU capped a 72-yard drive with quarterback Garret Grayson’s 12-yard pass to Jordon Vaden. Cougar quarterback Connor Halliday appeared to fumble the ball but he was ruled down after an official’s review. On the next play, running back Jeremiah Laufasa fumbled and Colorado State linebacker Shaquil Barrett recovered it at the Cougar 33-yard line. CSU then used a eight-play drive capped by a 1-yard score from running back Kapri Bibbs to cut the margin to 45-43. A successful two-point conversion from running back Donn Alexander, coming on a trick Statue of Liberty play, tied the game. WSU’s Teondray Caldwell fumbled the ball again on the ensuing kickoff, once again recovered by Colorado State’s Jake Schlager. Kicker Jared Roberts sealed the game with a 41-yard field goal, and the Colorado State players and fans stormed the field. The Rams overcame a 21-10 first-quarter deficit and trailed 35-23 at halftime, outscoring the Cougars 25-10 in the second half. Though Grayson was the game’s winning quarterback, Halliday earnedthe offensive player of the game award after passing for 410 yards and six touchdowns. He found receiver River Cracraft nine times for 125 yards. Grayson countered with a 369-yard performance with two touchdowns. Bibbs rushed for a game-high 169 yards and three touchdowns. No Washington State ballcarrier ran for more than 17 yards. Barrett received the defensive player of the game honors. In addition to his key fumble recovery, Barrett made six tackles. ~J.R. Oppenheim/assistantsports@dailylobo.com/@JROppenheim

New Mexico Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

New Mexico became the 17th state in the nation to allow same-sex marriages on Dec. 19. http://www.dailylobo.com/article/2013/12/state-supreme-court-approve-same-sex-marriage

New Mexico Women's Basketball Vs NMSU

The New Mexico women’s basketball team continued its domination of in-state rival New Mexico State with a 65-55 victory on Dec. 7 at The Pit. UNM has won 34 of the last 35 battles between the two rival schools, including 12 straight overall.

Threading the needle by Aaron Sweet

Erlinda Alvarez was born in 1930 in a rock house in a small eastern New Mexico town that no longer exists.  Over the past 83 years, Alvarez has seen changes in the world most of us only read about in history books. In that time, Alvarez has had a family member serve in every major American conflict. These include her grandfather in WWI, her father in WWII, her husband in Korea, three sons in Vietnam and a son and a grandson in the Gulf War and Iraq. With twelve children to care for, Alvarez said she felt the desire to support those defending the country and those who have come back, especially those who have sustained injuries. Thomas Alvarez, Erlinda’s husband, lost his legs in the Korean War, leaving him in a wheelchair. Erlinda Alvarez said that she learned what it meant to someone in a wheelchair to be comfortable. She said she had found her calling and began quilting blankets. Putting thread to needle, Alvarez quilted, crocheted and sewed blankets for her husband, her children and for veterans coming back from war. When Thomas passed away in 1966, Alvarez joined the Military Order of the Purple Heart Bataan Chapter, an organization dedicated to providing service to all veterans and their families. Alvarez began donating her blankets to veterans coming back from the Iraq War in early 2004. On January 13, 2012, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry commended Alvarez during a ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Alvarez was recognized for her support of the troops, and the creation of a quilt she made for the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. Toys for Tots collects donations of Christmas gifts for needy children in the community. Alvarez has continued to quilt blankets for returning veterans, and anyone else she finds who is need of a comfortable and warm blanket. “Sewing blankets keeps me young, although I need my glasses to thread the needle now, I will always make blankets as long as I am able,” Alvarez said.

Before the curtain rises by Sergio Jiménez

Performances exist in the moment. These moments are meant to create a memorable performance and that is the key goal for performers. However, there are moments that are not showcased on the center stage. These moments occur backstage, away from the limelight. They are more intimate and personal, creating a very different experience for the performers as they prepare to exhibit their craft to the world. The New Mexico Ballet Company was founded in 1972 with the intent “to provide a means of study and an opportunity for advancement for dancers throughout New Mexico,” according to its website. It was also during this year that NMBC staged the first Nutcracker production in the state accompanied by a live full orchestra. It has continued to this day with the company presenting “The Nutcracker Ballet” annually. NMBC Executive Director Emily Fine said that “The Nutcracker Ballet” is one of the largest productions in the state of New Mexico. “It is a huge cast, a huge crew, and in the biggest theater as well,” Fine said. “Technically speaking, it is a very, very difficult and complex production so we have over 30 crew members just to handle props, scene changes, everything. There are also over 200 artists in the show when you add in the musicians.” The artists also include the ballet dancers who prepare for weeks, if not months, in advance to put together “The Nutcracker Ballet.” The final preparations can only be witnessed backstage as the dancers anticipate the big reveal to the audience. It is backstage where the dedication of the ballet dancers shines through. “[As a ballet dancer] you have to be completely devoted and it takes an enormous amount of time,” Fine said. “You can’t dabble in ballet. You have to be disciplined, but you will gain so many life skills like self-esteem, teamwork, cooperation, independence. It is wonderful.” The backstage moments of “The Nutcracker Ballet” may not be visible to many people who attend the production, but they are the precursors to the onstage moments and are just as important. They are translated onto the stage, being carried throughout the performance with the sole intention to put on a show. “Our primary focus is entertainment. We always take that into consideration that we want to entertain the audience and when you do that you usually can’t go wrong,” Fine said.

Clearing the hurdles by Di Linh Hoang

Mustafa Mudada is a freshman athlete at UNM, majoring in criminal justice. His usual day consists of waking up at 5:45 a.m., eating a little snack, getting ready, taking the bus, going to the locker room and changing into his workout clothes and arriving at the training room to stretch around 7 a.m. Some students believe that athletes get benefits and don’t work hard, Mudada said. “Well, most people see being an athlete as being lazy, school isn’t hard, and we get by with all kinds of stuff. But realistically, being an athlete is like work, reporting to our practice is like going to a job, but we like it though, and there is so much more pressure added to it,” Mudada said. Mudada gets home around 10 p.m., with only about seven hours to sleep before it is time to get up again and start over. He hopes to run and represent his mother’s country, Sierra Leone, in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Mudada said he will continue to strive toward his goal and enjoy each day.

Snapshots in sports by Rachel Toraño-Mark

For a photographer, the most important thing is to be able to capture moments. In sports, these are the little things that may not be part of the action, but are still part of the game. I’ve learned that the lack of newsworthiness in certain photos doesn’t have to mean that those photos lack importance. Sometimes, it’s necessary to step back and appreciate a frame — not for what it adds to the article, but for what feelings and emotions it projects on its own.

The Conjuring by William Aranda

Skyler Watkins said his love of metal came from his parents. He said his mother bought him his first guitar when he was in eighth grade. “I started learning early Metallica songs,” Watkins said, “I learned “Kill ‘Em All” and that’s what taught me the guitar.” Skyler Watkins is the lead guitarist of local thrash metal band the Conjuring, a group that has been together for less than a year The quartet includes 33-year-old bassist/vocalist Nick Linke, 21-year-old lead guitarist Watkins, 21-year-old rhythm/lead guitarist Jerry Parras and his younger brother 16-year-old drummer John Parras. All band members are influenced by old school thrash, death and traditional heavy metal bands such as Metallica, Kreator, Death and Pantera. ”That’s what made me want to play bass really was Cliff Burton,” Linke said, referring to Metallica’s late bassist, “I thought that shit was awesome.” Jerry Parras said he got his start while playing in his middle school orchestra. “One day I wanted to play guitar, so I bought a guitar and taught myself what I learned on the violin,” Parras said. His younger brother, John, said he got his start in music at home. “I think I got my first drum set when I was about 9 maybe,” John Parras said, “Ever since then I just self-taught myself how to play.” Watkins said the group’s name comes from the fact that all band members are from different towns in states including New Mexico, Arizona and California. The band is currently working on its first album, which Linke said should be out sometime in 2014. Linke said he hopes to get an EP out before that. “Right now we’re trying to get our recording studio finished, up and running pretty much,” he said. Linke also said after their debut album is done next year, the Conjuring will go on tour for the next couple of years and hopefully end up in California. The band says that the best show in their time together was when they opened for Overkill at the Sunshine Theater in February of this year. “We weren’t even a band for a year yet and then they called us for that show,” Watkins said. Even though the members of the Conjuring haven’t been together for too long, they still have some advice for newer bands. “Do it for the right reasons,” Watkins said, “because if you’re in it for … just to get laid or just to be cool or because you want to fit in or something like that, this isn’t your thing.”

Men's Soccer NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

UNM advanced to the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight after capturing a 2-0 victory over Penn State during the Sweet Sixteen round at the UNM Soccer Complex on Dec. 1

New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament 2013 at the Pit comes to an end with a Lobo Win

The last day of the New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament ends with the Lobos beating the Southeast Missouri Red Hawks 73-55.

New Mexico 73, San Diego 66

Craig Neal is now 5-1 as a head coach with New Mexico after defeating San Diego Saturday in the Pit.

New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament 2013 at the Pit

The Thanksgiving Tournament started Friday at the Pit. The Lobos battled the Binghamton Bearcats ending in a loss 58-53. The Lobos and the Redhawks will battle Saturday at 7 p.m., for third place in New Mexico’s Thanksgiving Tournament.

Men's Soccer NCAA Tournament Second Round

UNM advanced to the NCAA tournament’s third round, capturing a 1-0 victory over George Mason University at the UNM Soccer Complex on Nov. 24. The win puts the Lobos into the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16 for the third straight year, and its fifth trip since 2005.

City Votes on late-term abortion ban today

The proposed abortion ban was rejected by the majority with most of the votes counted, about 55 percent were against the ban, in favor of the ban were 45 percent.

New Mexico Football vs. Air Force

New Mexico defeated Air Force 45-37 during Heroes Day which paid tribute to military veterans at University Stadium on Nov. 8. Brian Urlacher’s jersey number 44 was officially retired by UNM during a halftime ceremony. He became the first Lobo football player to have his number formally retired by UNM.

Men's Basketball Season Opener 2013 at the Pit

The Lobo’s went up against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs Saturday night at the Pit in the season opener. Craig Neal won his first game as head coach with the Lobos 88 – 52. The Lobos wore camouflage jerseys on Saturday and will auctioned them off after the game. The proceeds from the auction will go to the Wounded Warrior Project.