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Opinion

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Project Ranger or Project Undercover?

December 12

Over the past few months, the Castelion Corporation has been quietly considering Sandoval County as the location for a new rocket motor manufacturing facility, which will contain several structures with the biggest one being over 200,000 square feet on more than 1,000 acres. Despite the scale of the project, the Californian company has kept its plans largely under wraps, only hosting a few meetings that were open to the public before the project was pushed forward by commissioners of Sandoval County, with backing from Senator Jay Block. 

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Culture

Mariachi Christmas celebrates over 25 years of tradition through Mexican song and dance

Leila Chapa | December 10

On Friday, Dec. 19, the sights and sounds of Christmas in Mexico come back to the Popejoy Hall stage, with colorful mariachi music and traditional ballet folklórico. This year marks Popejoy’s 25th celebration of New Mexico holiday traditions through Mariachi Christmas. Through music and dance, the show highlights the faith and traditions found across Mexico in a cheerful holiday performance for the whole family. Founded by Noberta Fresquez in Albuquerque, Mariachi Christmas tells the story of Christmas with regional and traditional folklore from several regions in Mexico.

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Opinion

OPINION: Kyle Lowry’s case for the Hall of Fame

Austin Bishop | December 9

Hall of Fame greatness comes in many forms, and Kyle Lowry’s story is one of metamorphosis. He transformed an overlooked city into a championship contender, becoming the heartbeat of the Toronto Raptors.  During that period, Lowry averaged 18 points per game while anchoring the team as a leader. Lowry’s combination of championship success and sustained excellence, with the ability to elevate those around him, makes him a compelling case to belong among basketball’s all-time greats, and is a future Hall of Fame candidate.

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News

REVIEW: The Long Walk (2025), an adaptation done right

Rodney Prunty | December 9

The plot of “The Long Walk” is simple: a group of boys volunteer to do a long walk. But on this walk, if they stop walking, they die.The last boy walking wins prize money and a wish. This movie is not a traditional horror movie with jumpscares and a big villain; instead it is a psychological horror thriller.  Despite the plot being simple, the movie itself is stellar — and a huge part of that is the cast. Most of this movie is characters walking and talking while trying to survive. This could be a very boring concept for a movie, but the cast of “The Long Walk” does a tremendous job connecting us with the characters and keeping the audience interested.

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News

United Gradworkers call on law school to reinstate working hours

Paloma Chapa | December 9

During the University of New Mexico’s annual “Hanging of the Greens” on Friday Dec. 5, members of United Graduate Workers of UNM spoke with visitors and handed out petitions outside the UNM Bookstore, calling on the UNM School of Law to reverse a decision cutting graduate student working hours, which would make some law students ineligible for health Insurance. The petition seeks to reinstate the working hours for UNM third-year law student Cam Rosenberg, who developed chronic illness while attending law school. Rosenberg is potentially facing their 10-hour work week being reduced to six hours, which would take away their health benefits, according to the petition.

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News

Most New Mexicans face barriers to local news, report finds

Alex Joe | December 8

Two-thirds of New Mexico residents say they do not have access to trustworthy local news, according to a new report by the New Mexico Local News Fund. On Saturday, Nov. 8, the NMLNF released their 2025 Local News Ecosystem Report, detailing choices that people around the state have for getting specialized or general news about their communities.  Along with access, there are issues with a lack of staff, as 90% of news outlets statewide were found to have fewer than 10 full-time staff members, and 75% of news outlets statewide have fewer than five full-time staff members, according to the report.

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News

A snapshot of graduating photo editor Liliana Esparza

Addison Fulton | December 8

Anyone who gets the chance to visit the Backshop in Marron Hall, the beating heart of the Daily Lobo, may wonder about the image of Sabrina Carpenter pasted on the door, and the one on the other side of the door, and the one above the door. It’s all the handiwork of Liliana Esparza, Daily Lobo photo editor and University of New Mexico Fall 2025 graduate. She graduates this week with a Bachelor in Business Administration degree and a minor in Spanish. When Esparza began at the Lobo in 2023, she’d already been working as a photographer with the New Mexico United soccer team. 

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News

Valeria Brenes shares passion for photography, movement and individualism

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | December 8

Valeria Brenes will be graduating this fall with a Bachelor of Arts degree, having majored in dance and psychology while at the University of New Mexico. Brenes is a freelance photographer for The Daily Lobo, and said that it was one of her favorite jobs she had while in college. Some of the other jobs she held while working towards her degree were as a lifeguard and as a Spanish-language interpreter, though she said she did not feel like either of those jobs made an “impact,” and she hopes to go into a job in which she can help vulnerable communities. Brenes also said she wants to continue her studies related to art and therapy, perhaps by applying to a master’s program in the future, though she hasn’t applied to any just yet.

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News

Lobo cartoonist ends a college career slinging paper, be it zine or news

Elliott Wood | December 8

For a year and half, X E Oaks has worked in two roles rarely acknowledged when the topic of newspapers comes up: cartoonist and paper delivery. On the latter, the soon-to-be graduate had nothing but praise. “(It’s) actually really so lovely and meditative,” Oaks said. “It’s like, wake up on Monday at 4:30, get ready, and then go and you have like two hours just completely alone, blasting tunes and driving around campus, and no one’s awake yet.” Oaks will be graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree this Fall.

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Culture

Inside the wonderful tradition, hanging of the greens

Alex Joe | December 8

As the calendar turns to December and the temperature drops,  it’s officially time to decorate for the holidays and for Christmas songs and carols — the reasons as to why Hanging of the Greens is one of the University of New Mexico’s best traditions.  After a long week of work and studying, on Dec. 5, people were able to unwind and bring their holiday cheer with Hanging of the Greens. The festivities started with some cocoa and biscochitos served at the UNM bookstore.

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Sports

Lobos unleashed at the Pit, send Broncos back to Santa Clara

Alex Joe | December 8

The Lobos came into the contest on a wave of momentum after vanquishing New Mexico Highlands University, which they looked to build upon against a talented Santa Clara University team on Saturday, Dec. 6 at The Pit. They secured a decisive performance in a 98-71 home victory. The Lobos started out with an aggressive approach, as forward Tomislav Buljan was fouled twice in the first two minutes of the game, leading to four free throws. The defense forced four quick turnovers, giving the Lobos an early 11-6 lead. Tomislav Buljan finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. 

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Sports

Daniel Hughes, a punter from the land down under

Elizabeth Bolke | December 8

University of New Mexico punter Daniel Hughes has become one of the main faces of the program through his social media platforms and his unique journey.  Coming to the United States from Australia last season to play football at City College of San Francisco, he’s since moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to continue his career for the Lobos. Hughes was one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award, which honors the best punter in college football, presented by the Augusta Sports Council. Hughes is the third Lobo punter to become a semifinalist for the award. Some highlights from Hughes’ 2025 season include a 51-yard punt to the one-yard line against Utah State, which set up a safety, and a 36-yard punt to the two-yard line against UNLV that helped secure a win.

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Culture

‘Build-a-Bo’ builds community (and plushes)

Addison Fulton | December 8

During a chilly but bright New Mexican afternoon, cuddly plush animals spread holiday cheer as students lined up through the University of New Mexico Student Union Building to take part in this year’s “Build-a-Bo” event. A pun on “Build-a-Bear,” the “Build-a-Bo” event provided free empty plushies, cotton stuffing and an animal sized New Mexico themed t-shirt to students, turning the SUB into a whimsical workshop. To design their plush, students picked from snow leopards, reindeer, snow men, arctic foxes, penguins, snowy owls and, of course, the titular wolf: “Bo.” Participation was free while supplies lasted for those with student ID. The Dec. 2 event is the second year the event has been hosted by the SUB.

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Sports

OPINION: Bobbleheads of the week

Marley Herndon | December 7

When there’s a winner there’s a loser. Sometimes a player can do everything in their power to win a game and still lose. Just as often, a player’s performance can cost their team the game. These players are favorably called bobbleheads. Minnesota Vikings: quarterback Max Brosmer After the recent poor performances from J.J. McCarthy and his recent concussion, it was going to take a lot for fans in Minnesota to be excited for McCarthy to return. Unfortunately, that resulted in giving undrafted rookie Max Brosmer his first NFL start.

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Sports

Eck signs extension, Lobo fans give high praise

Rodney Prunty | December 5

On Sunday, Nov. 30, the University of New Mexico announced that football Head Coach Jason Eck signed a new five-year deal that will keep him under contract through 2030. The deal includes $400,000 in guaranteed base pay, $575,000 for media participation and another $575,000 for program promotion, totaling $1.55 million for the first year of the contract and increasing $100,000 each following year. The deal also adds incentives for total wins, wins over Power 4 schools and ranked opponents, along with increasing incentives tied to conference championship wins and appearances. 

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Sports

Lobos buck Cowboys back to the highlands

Wyatt S. Padilla | December 4

After last week’s turkey trot race in The Pit, the University of New Mexico Lobos men’s basketball team found itself in a more comfortable game against their northern New Mexican cousin, the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys.   The Lobos would take care of business and walk out having more than doubled NMHU’s total scoring, winning 97-47 on Monday, Dec. 1.

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News

‘Dispatch’ revived a genre and changed my heart in a big way

Marley Herndon | December 2

Telltale Games was a once beloved studio that brought the “choose your own adventure” genre to the forefront of the gaming world with beloved titles like “The Walking Dead,” “The Wolf Among Us” and “Batman: The Telltale Series.”  In their ashes rose AdHoc Studio, a small group of former Telltale and Ubisoft developers whose initial assignment, “The Wolf Among Us 2,” fell through. So, they announced “Dispatch,” an episodic superhero workplace comedy starring Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad” fame, featuring player choice and a lovable cast of characters.

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News

Bernalillo County participates in routine elections audit

Elliott Wood | December 1

On Monday, Nov. 24, election officials from Bernalillo County began their voting system check after last month's general election. A post-election audit is required by law for every county in the state and carried out in association with a third-party auditor. Zlotnik and Sandoval, the auditor hired by the state this year, assigned a set number of precincts to each county for review by hand-count.  Due to the size of its population, Bernalillo County is typically assigned "the lion's share" of those precincts, Bernalillo County Bureau of Elections Administrator Nathan Jaramillo said. This year, 22 of 70 total precincts were selected from Bernalillo.

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Sports

Lobo men’s basketball mounts 15-point comeback against Hornets

Wyatt S. Padilla | December 1

Thanksgiving may have been on the mind for the rest of New Mexico, but on the eve of Turkey Day, the University of New Mexico Men’s basketball team had one more thing on its plate as the Lobos faced the Alabama State University Hornets. On Wednesday, Nov. 26, the Lobos overcame the odds and won a 93-87 victory, recovering from a 15-point deficit near the end of the first half. UNM has faced Alabama State in two previous matchups in The Pit, with the Lobos beating the Hornets on both occasions. The last matchup between the two was in 1999 at the Lobo Invitational, with UNM beating Alabama State 68-47. 

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Sports

Lobos win overtime thriller over San Diego State Aztecs

Edge Garcia | December 1

With an opportunity to advance to their first Mountain West title game in school history, the University of New Mexico Lobos had their largest November home crowd since 2008, with over 30,000 fans in attendance — a game they won’t forget.  On Friday, Nov. 28, UNM pulled off a 23-17 win over the San Diego State University Aztecs to advance to 9-3 overall, and 6-2 in conference play. From explosive touchdowns, turnovers and big defensive stops, the game had a little bit of everything in it.