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Bugs and backyard refuge

On Saturday, March 21, the Gutiérrez-Hubbell House put on their annual Backyard Refuge Day fair in tandem with Bernalillo County where at least 20 organizations and groups came together with one common goal in mind: Make Albuquerque a safer place for pollinators. New Mexico is home to around 1,000 of the 3,600 bee species native to the U.S. and over 300 species of butterflies, according to New Mexico Soil Working Group.As bee populations worldwide dwindle, the event sought to bring attention to strategies for taking care of and nurturing environments in our backyards for not only the bees, but also butterflies, bats and hummingbirds.

ASUNM Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates: Hope Montoya and Owen Salinas

ASUNM Vice President Hope Montoya (ballot #2) is launching a campaign for ASUNM President and joining her ticket, running for Vice President, is ASUNM President Pro-Tempore Owen Salinas (ballot #3). Montoya said she has a three-pillar plan for their campaign: stronger for every Lobo, student life for every Lobo and a voice for every Lobo. She said stronger for every Lobo refers to expanding student support throughout campus, particularly around mental health, food insecurity and financial challenges.  “(The second pillar) student life for every Lobo is about building a campus that works for students by expanding academic opportunities, improving essential campus systems, strengthening student safety and transportation,” Montoya said. 

ASUNM Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates: Bailey Rutherford and Zoe Baca

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico’s elections will take place from April 1, 9:00 a.m. to April 2, 5:00 p.m. There are three candidates for President, three candidates for Vice President and 11 candidates for ASUNM Senate. To view all the candidates and cast your ballot, go to vote.unm.edu  ASUNM Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Bailey Rutherford is running for ASUNM President (ballot #3) alongside Office of Communications Director of Web Design Zoe Baca, running for ASUNM Vice President (ballot #2). One of the main topics of their campaign is resisting actions by President Donald Trump’s administration, specifically policies meant to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion, they said.

OPINION: Bobbleheads of the week

Where there’s a victor, there’s a loser, and sometimes, certain athletes contribute to their team’s shortcomings. These athletes are favorably called bobbleheads. Miami Dolphins NFL free agency officially started on March 11, and ever since it began the Miami Dolphins have made some Bobblehead-esque moves. To Miami’s credit they cut quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was arguably one of the key contributors to the team's lack of success in recent years. To replace Tagovailoa, Miami decided to go out and sign quarterback Malik Willis from the Green Bay Packers, signing him to a three year, $67.5 million contract with $45 million guaranteed. 

Men’s Basketball: Lobos trap the Bearkats in NIT

After missing out on March Madness, the Lobo men’s basketball team has shifted their focus to the National Invitation Tournament, looking to end their season on a better note. To kick off the action, the University of New Mexico hosted the Sam Houston State University Bearkats in the first round at The Pit on Wednesday, March 18. By the end, the Bearkats most likely were wishing their invitation got lost in the mail, as the Lobos dismantled Sam Houston 107-83. The game started off fast and furious. The Lobos came out with a purpose, scoring 16 points to take an early nine-point lead less than 4 minutes into the first half, though the Bearkats did not go away; they went on a 12-4 run to cut the deficit down to 8 points. 

Popejoy highlights roots in early folk and country music

Vocalists and instrumentalists Cristina Vane and Brennen Leigh will take the stage at Popejoy Hall on Sunday, March 22 with an acoustic performance showcasing the expansive music genre with their show “Women of Americana.”   Leigh is one of the lead musicians for the show, playing acoustic guitar and mandolin. Vane is a singer-songwriter; she also plays slide guitar and clawhammer banjo.  Leigh said that Americana as a genre has a deep but sometimes overlooked history.

Men’s Basketball: The Lobos sent home by San Diego State

In a game where both teams needed to win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, the University of New Mexico Lobos men's basketball went head-to-head against the San Diego State University Aztecs in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament on March 13 in Las Vegas. The Lobos could not win big, losing 64-62 and missing the NCAA Tournament after making it the previous two years.

Baseball: Texans sweep the Lobos for a second straight year

After their first loss of the season on the road against the New Mexico State University Aggies, the University of New Mexico baseball team returned to Santa Ana Star field and got swept in a four-game series against the Tarleton State Texans for a second year in a row. In game one, the Texans gambled with a double steal to try and bring home a run while Texans left fielder Kendyl Johnson was at the plate. It failed and the Lobos promptly responded with a 5- run inning. The Lobos used that momentum and built an 11-3 lead; however,Tarleton State went on to score 10 unanswered runs. Including two in the ninth inning that proved to be the dagger in the 13-11 game one loss.

Lawsuit alleges UNM failed to maintain public records

Thomas Newsome, a retired journalist and University of New Mexico alum, is suing the University alleging that they’ve failed to meet their obligation to document their activities involving public business resulting in the denial or obstruction of Newsome’s right to access these records. The lawsuit, which was filed on Feb. 26, claims UNM violated the Inspection of Public Records Act. The lawsuit alleges a pattern of poor records management on the part of UNM in denying the public access to records they have a legal right to see. Examples of poor management outlined include failure to locate documents, identify which records exist and if requested records exist at all. 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: No American Heroes Died In Kuwait

It is reported that 1,332 people have been killed so far in the joint U.S. and Israeli act of war against Iran. I could not help but think of them when I saw the U.S. flag lowered to half mast in honor of the six U.S. soldiers who died in Kuwait, and the seventh killed in the UAE. Fallen U.S. soldiers are often called heroes, including these soldiers by the president himself.  My nation has dropped bombs on Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen since I was born in the year 2000. In that time I have come to see the U.S. imperial force as invaders and corporate plunderers, not heroes. 

UNM considering increasing paid parental leave for staff

A resolution to extend the paid parental leave period from four to 12 weeks paid was passed by the Staff Council, a body representing University of New Mexico Staff. On Friday, March 6, the University Policy Office released a policy update for internal review that would increase allotted paid leave for UNM staff to eight weeks. According to the policy update, UNM is looking to offer eight weeks of paid leave for staff. It will take approximately two weeks to hear if it will be officially adopted after the initial 30-day comment period. It is also possible for the updated policy to go into a second round of internal review, or become available for public comment. 

REVIEW: ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert’ is a love letter to the King

“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” is a documentary with never - before seen - footage of Elvis Presley’s time and performances in Las Vegas. Released on Feb. 27, the documentary is directed by Baz Luhrmann who also directed Elvis, the biopic of Presley in 2022. Luhrmann once again delivers in his showcasing of the King of Rock and Roll, creating an immersive theater experience. This documentary briefly explores Presley’s earlier years to get straight to the action of how he would go about his performances.The documentary reveals Presley's first practices, then the second practices and finally the live shows he performed in front of sold - out crowds in Las Vegas. Oftentimes in the documentary, I found myself getting sucked into the performances and feeling like I was really one of the audience.

REVIEW: Wild, dark and beautiful: ‘Wuthering Heights’ adaptation is captivating

“Wuthering Heights” is one of the first books to combine gothic themes with romantic ones, showcasing intense emotional violence and toxic obsession, that broke social norms of polite love stories during Victorian times. On Feb. 13, the film adaptation of the novel, directed by Emerald Fennell, was released in theatres resurfacing the book’s complex themes in a masterful way. For those who have not read the book, or like me, have attempted to read it, the story follows Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff from childhood to adulthood around Earnshaw’s estate: Wuthering Heights. When Heathcliff was a boy, his father abandoned him, with Catherine’s father taking him in to be Catherine’s “pet.” At the time, Heathcliff refused to talk but they soon became fast friends and were inseparable as kids.

Lobolition destroys students’ anger and stress

To take their minds off the stress of the semester, University of New Mexico students wreaked havoc with sledgehammers on a white junkyard car near the Student Union Building. The event was hosted by the UNM Student Activities Center in anticipation of the finale of college basketball season. In solidarity with the Lobo women’s basketball team’s March 8 Mountain West Conference Tournament game, and the men’s game soon after, the junkyard car was spray painted with logos of Mountain West foes. Britten Ratcliff said he had a lot of fun at the event.

‘The Mighty Colorado’ river flows to Zimmerman

The Colorado River is the sixth longest river in the United States and one of very few “wild” rivers in the lower 48 states. Running through New Mexico, it is one of the most important natural features to maintain in the West for conservation photographer Dave Showalter. On Friday, March 6, University of New Mexico’s Zimmerman Library hosted Showalter with a panel discussion and presented works from his new book “Living River: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado.” Showalter doesn’t refer to the river as a resource, but rather a life force. 

Men’s Basketball: Aggies sweep Lobos to close out regular season

The Lobos men’s basketball team headed to Logan, Utah to wrap up their regular season in a crucial contest against the Utah State University Aggies where they had the opportunity to share the Mountain West regular season title and claim the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. After a high-scoring first half, they were unable to maintain their game as they got cold down the stretch, losing 94-90 on Saturday, March 7.

REVIEW: ‘Nothing’s About to Happen to Me’ wanders into whimsical melancholy

Fan-favorite sad girl Mitsuki Laycock, known as Mitski, released her eighth studio album “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me,” marking a musical shift with a strong emotional core. Dropped on Feb. 27, the album is different from Mitski’s earlier, grungier work, but still an excellent listen.  For most of her career, listeners and critics had pigeon-holed Mitski into a role as the ultimate sad girl. For a while, the reputation was deserved — her lyrics were full of pain, her vocals darkly melodic and her instrumentation featuring almost discordant bass and heavy percussion. It was her sad songs that got the biggest hype. Mitski filled a need, she was a voice for the pain a lot of young women carried. That pain screeched on the guitar, wailed through the lyrics, slammed against the drums and it spoke to people.

Men’s Basketball: Rams spoil senior night at The Pit

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team hosted their final game at The Pit for the 2026 season and lost 82-74 to the Colorado State University Rams.  This was also the final game at The Pit for seniors Milos Vicentic, Chris Howell, Tomislav Buljan, Tajavis Miller, Deyton Albury and Luke Haupt, but it won't be their final game this year wearing silver and cherry. The game began with Colorado State forward Carey Booth getting the Rams on the board first. The Rams built an early lead, but the Lobos answered and the game became a back and forth affair early. Miller sent The Pit into a frenzy with a three-pointer that tied the game at 10.

Ryan Berryman named athletics director

University of New Mexico alum and former Lobo basketball student manager Ryan Berryman has been named as the new Vice President and Director of Athletics. Berryman has been serving as the interim athletics director since Jan. 1, after former Athletics Director Fernando Lovo left to fill the same role at the University of Colorado Boulder after only one year at UNM.

Comic, March 5, 2026