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Opinion

REVIEW: ‘Twisters’ is a disaster film in all the right ways

Maria Fernandez | July 26

Have you heard about the newest tornado movie? Here’s a spoiler: There’s a big twist at the end. “Twisters” — a sequel to director Jan de Bont’s 1996 film “Twister,” starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt — hit theaters on Friday, July 19. The new “Twisters” has been popping up on screens and its soundtrack has been playing nonstop on radios for the last couple of months. And while I admittedly had not seen the original “Twister” film before making my way to the theater on the sequel’s opening night, I knew it was a film I couldn’t miss.

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News

‘I was number 11 of the people that were bayoneted’

Lily Alexander and Nate Bernard | July 22

On May 8, 1970, 11 individuals at the University of New Mexico were injured by National Guard members armed with bayonets during a Vietnam War protest. One of these individuals was Daily Lobo photographer and reporter Stephen Part, who was stabbed with a bayonet in his back as he leaned over to help a fellow student. Now a retired history and government teacher, Part said he was carrying his press badge and wearing a helmet labeled “press” when he was stabbed. “I felt something like pressure — it wasn't immediate pain. I stood up and my belt slid up over the puncture … I put my hand back there and there was blood,” Part said.

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News

The history of paleontology in New Mexico

Leila Chapa | July 22

New Mexico, once a place of flood plains and swamps, has been home to many dinosaur discoveries. This is largely due to the state’s geographical history, according to three experts. One dinosaur was identified in January as a new subspecies of Tyrannosaurus that predates the T. Rex by up to 7 million years. The discovery of T. mcraeensis resulted from a study of a jaw and partial skull fossil that were found in the 1980s-90s by boaters and museum staff in southern New Mexico, according to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.

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News

The history of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis

Paloma Chapa | July 22

The crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People has gained attention in recent years. However, it is not new. Violence against Indigenous women dates back 500 years to the start of European colonization, according to a study by A. Skylar Joseph published in the “Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine.” European colonists with patriarchal views took Indigenous women as slaves to men, leading to rape, violence and submission, according to Native Hope. As of 2021, Albuquerque and Gallup had among the highest numbers of MMIP in the United States, according to a report by the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department. Native American women in New Mexico experienced the highest rate of homicide among all racial and ethnic groups at the time of the report.

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Sports

OPINION: The 5 greatest Lobo men’s basketball players

Rodney Prunty | July 22

Since the University of New Mexico basketball program began in 1899, many great players have graced The Pit’s court to put on a gameday performance. However, five stand out from the rest. An honorable mention goes to Jaelen House who had an incredible career with the Lobos, winning multiple accolades and leading his team to an NCAA tournament appearance. 5. Kenny Thomas Thomas played all four years with the Lobos and showed out each season, always averaging double-digit points. In his senior season, he averaged a double-double. But in the whole of his career, Thomas averaged 15.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

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News

Unpacking UNM’s divestment from South Africa in 1985

Lily Alexander and Nate Bernard | July 22

On June 11, 1985, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents unanimously voted to divest from gold mines and other investments in apartheid South Africa. This move has been referenced regularly in current pro-Palestine protesters’ calls for University divestment from Israel. Prior to 1994, South Africa held long-standing policies of racial segregation and the exclusion of all non-white South Africans, according to the African Union. This included forcefully removing Black citizens from their homes and illegalizing interracial marriage, according to South African History Online. Throughout the 1980s, internal and external pressures to end apartheid in South Africa mounted — as well as the nation’s brutal tactics to suppress the movement, according to the AU.

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Culture

‘Return to Reason’ returns to the silver screen

Addison Fulton | July 22

From July 13-15, the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque showed newly remastered and restored versions of four films by 1920s avant-garde filmmaker Man Ray. Ray – or Emmanuel Radnitzky – was a Dadaist-Surrealist filmmaker, painter and photographer, according to manray.net. He was born in Philadelphia but preferred to live and make his art in Paris, where he moved in 1921, according to the website. Ray was initially best known for his photography. He developed art pieces known as Rayogrammes. Ray created Rayogrammes without a camera by exposing an image that was placed directly on photo paper then exposed to light, according to manray.net.

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News

The history of presidential assassination attempts

Shin Thant Hlaing and Addison Fulton | July 22

The history of successful and unsuccessful presidential assassination attempts is tied together by threads of lone gunmen and conspiracy theories. The phenomenon, though highlighted by the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, isn’t new. Donald Trump On July 13, gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a Trump rally, killing Pennsylvania resident Corey Comperatore and clipping the former president in the ear. Crooks fired from the top of a nearby building, which was allegedly outside of the security perimeter set up by the Secret Service, according to a statement the Secret Service gave NBC. The building was meant to be guarded by local police.

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News

‘It’s Joever’: Biden drops out of the presidential race

Lauren Lifke , Lily Alexander and Addison Fulton | July 22

On Sunday, July 21, President Joe Biden stepped down from his position as the 2024 presidential Democratic nominee. Shortly after the announcement, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the new nominee. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a statement posted to X.

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News

The history of incumbent presidents dropping out of the race

Lauren Lifke | July 22

On Sunday, July 21, President Joe Biden announced that he will not seek reelection in November. This is the closest to an election that a United States incumbent president has ever dropped out of a race for reelection, and the first time it has happened since 1968. Only six other U.S. presidents have not sought a second term, according to Britannica. Out of those, two dropped out of the race within a year of the end of their terms, according to the Kansas City Star.

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News

‘A purloined possession’: The history of the Smith Family Totem Pole

Marcela Johnson | July 22

The Smith Family Totem Pole, located at the Hibben Center on the University of New Mexico campus, has not always been represented or respected as the sacred item that it is. In 1941, then-assistant anthropology professor Frank Hibben took the pole from the Smith family of the Tlowitsis Nation in British Columbia, but said that he had bought it for two cases of whiskey, according to the UNM Department of Anthropology. Hibben took the pole after he was told he could not have it, according to Lea McChesney, curator of ethnology at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology.

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Opinion

OPINION: Crybabies and candles

Addison Fulton | July 19

On June 18, singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez released a line of 13 scented candles, each corresponding with a song from her most recent album, “Portals.” Each candle cost a whopping $75 before taxes, shipping and handling, and are now all sold out. The candles come in 4.3-ounce, roughly palm-sized, cracked egg-shaped jars with matching lids to complete the eggs. The scents are relatively unique, with candles featuring smells such as peach skin and marshmallow; yuzu and caramel; and fig with toasted coconut. Many fans questioned or complained about the high price tag, while some defended Martinez’s pricing. Some purchased the candles and were happy with them.

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News

79 years since Trinity: The chain-reaction isn’t over

Shin Thant Hlaing | July 17

The shockwaves from the Trinity Test detonation 79 years ago are still felt by the world today. The present-day effects of the test in New Mexico include disproportionate disease and death for those who live near the test site, with no recognition or compensation from the United States government, according to Source New Mexico. Additional effects include “brain drain” – which occurs when educated or professional people leave an area for better conditions – and financial drain from civilian causes, according to Greg Mello, the executive director of the Los Alamos Study Group, an organization that pursues nuclear disarmament and environmental protection.

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News

UNM to implement new Title IX regulations

Lily Alexander | July 17

New Title IX regulations require the University of New Mexico to make changes to the way it addresses sex discrimination and sexual misconduct by August 1. The regulations – released by the U.S. Department of Education on April 19 – broaden the University’s jurisdiction to respond to Title IX complaints; expand mandated reporting of sex discrimination and sexual misconduct; and clarify language and definitions around sexual harassment, sexual orientation, gender identity and sex stereotypes. The regulations also increase protections for pregnant individuals at UNM. Title IX is a federal law passed in 1972 that protects people from sex-based discrimination in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

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News

LETTER: Delaying action is denying protection

May Ling Roberts | July 15

As an intern for Defenders of Wildlife’s New Mexico program, I have learned how critical this species is to the landscape of the West. The uncertain future of the beloved pinyon jay rests upon the health and survival of the piñon-juniper woodlands. In the face of severe tree-cutting and climate change, viable piñon-juniper habitat is becoming scarce and continues to shrink at a concerning rate. Consequently, over the past 50 years pinyon jay populations have dropped by 85%, warranting protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has delayed any further decisions until 2028, despite substantial data of pinyon jay endangerment.

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Sports

United can’t get it done against LAFC in the U.S. Open

Rodney Prunty | July 15

New Mexico United went head-to-head against Los Angeles Football Club in the United States Open Cup quarter-final on Wednesday, July 10, ultimately losing 3-1. Going into the game, United was seen as the underdog because LAFC plays in Major League Soccer — a league above United. On top of that, LAFC is touted as the potential winner of the U.S. open. United had a tough challenge ahead, but one thing in their favor was the large number of fans that traveled to California to support the team.

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News

UNM students and alumni receive sanctions following pro-Palestine demonstration

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | July 12

One University of New Mexico alumni and two students received different sanctions from the University following a June 6 pro-Palestine protest that took place during New Student Orientation. Over the course of the summer, pro-Palestine protesters have held three demonstrations during NSO. Protesters have rallied and marched on campus, displayed painted fabric banners and distributed flyers to incoming students about their goals — including divestment from Israel and dropping the criminal charges against protesters arrested during the April 29-30 Student Union Building occupation.