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Democracy Dollars failed in ABQ but money continues to be heavy influence in elections

Alyssa Martinez and Lissa Knudsen | November 11

Albuquerque voters weighed in on a ballot initiative designed to allow every Albuquerque resident a $25 “coupon” to donate to a local candidate of during 2019 municipal elections. The proposition ultimately failed by just 2,039 votes — approximately 2.5%.  The goal of the “Democracy Dollars” proposition was straightforward — to increase minority electoral participation, to incentivize candidates to connect with the communities they serve, to pave the way for a more diverse candidate pool and to limit the influence of private funding in politics. The path to attaining these goals, however, was a bit more convoluted. 

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News

Photo Story: The cars rusting on the West Mesa

Kristina Tanberg | November 11

For years, the Albuquerque West Mesa area has been an illegal dumpsite for unwanted items. These items range anywhere from bags of trash to furniture to old car skeletons. Stretching from just south of Albuquerque to Bernalillo, and located west of the Rio Grande, the West Mesa spans dozens of miles. Residents from surrounding areas have been issuing complaints about the trash buildup for years. "You cannot drive a single mile without seeing old beds, sofas or even car parts. It’s like there is no respect for this land," said local resident Jennifer Walters.

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News

Paul Roth announces retirement

Bianca Hoops | November 11

Paul Roth is planning to retire from the University of New Mexico after serving for 14 years as Chancellor for the UNM Health Sciences Center. Roth has also been the Dean for the School of Medicine for the past 26 years and the CEO of the UNM Health System. Roth has made several achievements during his time with UNMH, including helping set UNM’s emergency medicine residency program in motion. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Roth created a disaster relief team for the attacks on 9/11 and natural disasters. Roth is a board member of the Association of Academic Health Centers and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. He also served as chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans. Roth is the highest-paid employee at UNM with a salary of $676,127 for this year, according to the UNM sunshine portal. 

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Culture

New Downtown mural dedicated to United

Alex Hiett | November 11

A new mural in Downtown Albuquerque showcases the enthusiasm, spirit and spectator lifestyles of New Mexico United fans. Hundreds of photos taken at United games mesh together to create a huge black-and-white collage, completely covering a wall on the corner of 2nd Street and Coal Avenue.  Noé Barnett is the artist behind the piece, an Albuquerque native and graduate of Volcano Vista. He told the Daily Lobo he worked at the Albuquerque Police Department for a couple of years before leaving to follow a career in the arts, which included attending art school at the University of New Mexico (UNM). 

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News

UNM Hospital expansion gains traction

Lissa Knudsen | November 10

Although it has been the works for over a decade, a University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) expansion may finally have the momentum it needs to become a reality. HDR Architects and FBT Architects, the firms selected to design the project, posted an announcement on their website which stated the "Replacement Hospital Master Development Plan" is "part of a multi-phase, multi-year project to design, construct and operate a new Modern Medical Facility."

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News

ART buses to begin service on November 30

Justin Garcia | November 10

The Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) bus system will begin running on Nov. 30, according to a City of Albuquerque announcement made on Friday. The controversial ART bus lines — which Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller previously called a “lemon” — runs from Unser Boulevard on the west side of the city to Tramway Boulevard near the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. The bus line is set to run buses seven to eight minutes apart from stations placed a half mile apart, according to the City of Albuquerque.

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Sports

Lobo offense looks strong despite defensive concerns in opening night victory

Joe Rull | November 7

The University of New Mexico Lobos came away with a 92-71 opening night victory against Eastern New Mexico University at Dreamstyle Arena on Wednesday . UNM’s (1-0, 0-0 MWC) highly touted offensive talent made its presence known as the Lobos geared up for what many project to be a successful season.  UNM’s offense featured double-digit scoring efforts from five players as the Lobos flaunted a pass-first approach that produced an impressive 22 assists on 33 made shots. 

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News

All general obligation bonds pass in city election

Colin Peña | November 7

During the Nov. 5 Albuquerque municipal election earlier this week, 12 general obligation bonds and two propositions on the ballot.  In unofficial results — with all precincts reporting — all of the bonds passed by a 58% or greater margin. The results keep with past Albuquerque election trends that pass most General Obligation bonds. The bonds total $128.5 million towards services provided by the city.  The bonds go towards various city maintenance and improvement projects for public transportation, parks, libraries and public safety buildings.

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Culture

BioPark volunteers explain traditional healing plants

Lissa Knudsen | November 7

It was a sunny autumn morning, just a few hours after the second freeze of the season. The leaves had started to change color but hadn’t yet fallen, and the ABQ Botanic Garden was especially quiet — the summer tourists had subsided for the season, and the mid-morning hour catered mostly to retirees and parents with small children. Some days, the docents explained, they have to go out into the park to cajole people into listening to their talk but, on this day, that wasn’t the case. Nine people, including a couple of cooing toddlers with their parents, a collection of retirees and a UNM graduate student listened to the docents as they made their way around the looped curandera garden path. The Spanish word curandera refers to a traditional healer that practices a combination of traditional Indigenous and Catholic remedies. Curanderas are called on to provide treatments for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual illnesses.

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Music

A contemporary spin on Henry V: The King movie review

Daniel Ward | November 7

David Michôd and Joel Edgerton’s “The King” breaks free from the poetic iambic pentameter Shakespearian style it’s based on and recreates the plot with more detail than many past cinematical versions of the play.  “The King” is a historical drama based on Shakespeare’s play, “Henry V,” and was released Nov. 1, 2019, on Netflix. Set in 15th century England, King Henry IV (played by Ben Mendelsohn) is dying from sickness and must choose one of his sons to succeed his throne. He is left with two choices: Prince Hal (Timothee Chalamet,) the firstborn with a reputation of avoiding his responsibilities, or Prince Thomas (Dean-Charles Chapman,) who is eager to be king, but is soft and thirsty for war. 

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News

Life along the Rio Grande

Amanda Britt and Alex Hiett | November 7

Over the last century, human development and water diversion from the Rio Grande bosque to the Albuquerque community has greatly changed and diminished its natural ecosystem. Historically, the bosque has been a vast riparian forest of cottonwoods and wetlands — an oasis in the arid climate of New Mexico. The ecosystem was in a constant state of flux, and riverbanks could shift or separate within a single season. Periodic flooding reshaped and reinvigorated the environment, creating a dynamic and unique habitat for the plants and animals that called it home, according to National Geographic. The bosque used to stretch as far up as Old Town in Albuquerque, but human development in the river valley during the 20th century thinned the ecosystem. Water diversion projects in the post-war period, like the Cochiti and Abiquiú dams, further decimated the bosque’s vitality, the National Geographic article continued.

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News

ASUNM elects 10 new senators

Alyssa Martinez and Alex Hiett | November 7

1,053 students cast their votes during the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s (ASUNM) fall Senate election. Of the 20 candidates that ran, 10 first-time senators and one incumbent senator will take their seats in the Senate next semester. Constitutional Amendment 1 — which clarifies senate vacancy appointments — also passed. ASUNM President Adam Biederwolf said the highlight of the night was that they “diversified ASUNM.” “This incoming group of senators is going to be a lot different from the senators we’ve seen from years past,” Biederwolf said. “So many people talk about how ASUNM is so greek-oriented, and I think the numbers show for themselves that this incoming group really does impact every population on campus — and that’s all I really wanted going into this year (as President).”

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Culture

Nuts about Piñon

Alanie Rael and Andrea Solis | November 7

As the autumn days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, a number of New Mexicans indulge in the picking of pine nuts — commonly known as piñon in the Southwest and pinyon in the rest of the U.S.. Many families across the state take time out of their days to harvest the tree nut between the months of September and November.  Bernadette Jaramillo, a youth minister at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, said she usually takes her family out to collect piñon during the years when the tree nut is being harvested.

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Sports

UNM Football Player Nahje Flowers dead at 21

Alanie Rael and Justin Garcia | November 5

Nahje Flowers, a defensive lineman and Junior at the University of New Mexico, died this week, according to Assistant Athletic Director Frank Mercogliano. The details of Flowers’ passing are unknown at the time this article published. In a statement, head coach Bob Davie acknowledged the loss for his players and all who knew Flowers. “Nahje was a wonderful person and a great teammate. Our entire Lobo Football family mourns his passing, and our prayers go out to his family.” Davie said.

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Sports

Wolf Pack hands Lobos sixth consecutive loss

Spencer Butler | November 4

The University of New Mexico football team continued to freefall as they lost to the University of Nevada over the weekend. The loss added their losing streak which has now reached a six-game streak.  The loss also knocked the Lobos out of bowl contention for the third consecutive season. The game kicked off with UNM winning the coin toss and chose to punt the ball to Nevada. Nevada’s possession lasted only for a few minutes when the Lobo defense forced a punt. 

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News

Groping on Central; Daily Lobo newsroom burglarized

Makayla Grijalva | November 4

The weekly crime briefs are to give the students, faculty and staff at the University of New Mexico a quick look into the crimes reported on campus. They do not provide all perspectives of the incident. All of the information is retrieved through UNM police department incident reports. 

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News

Innovation Academy allows students to share app ideas

Bianca Hoops | November 4

The Lobo Rainforest Innovation Academy hosted student entrepreneurs who had the opportunity to pitch ideas in the hopes of winning money towards their creation. A total of $1,000 dollars was granted that day to the best 90-second pitch which was determined by the audience.  The event took place In Bow and Arrow Brewing Co. and was filled with about 80 patrons supporting the ten pitch ideas. 

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News

The name is bond, G/O bond

Andrew Gunn and Colin Peña | November 4

If past bond election performance is indicative of future results, the City of Albuquerque should rest easy come election day on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Put up to a vote every two years, general obligation (G/O) bonds are part of this year’s consolidated local election. School and college bonds for Albuquerque Public Schools and Central New Mexico Community College will be put to voters, and a measure to continue a property tax for APS building renovation and upkeep appears on the ballot. There is also a proposition  that would drastically alter campaign finance, among other ballot items.

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News

ASUNM Senate election this week

Alex Heitt | November 4

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s fall election is here with twenty candidates vying for ten open seats on the undergraduate-student government senate.  Voting takes place over the course of three days — Monday at 9 a.m. until Wednesday at 5 p.m. Voting can be cast through the myUNM website, however physical polling locations will be in the Student Union Building (SUB) on Tuesday and Wednesday. The most recent ASUNM senate election saw a relatively low turnout. The 2018 fall election had 1,048 students participate, or 6% of the fall 2018 undergraduates population. Additionally, only 961 students voted in the spring election earlier this year. Each of these elections had the lowest voter turnouts of the past seven years.

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News

Masvidal v. Diaz: A lose-lose-lose-lose ending to an otherwise tremendous UFC 244

November 4

UFC 244’s main event bout between a resurgent Jorge Masvidal (35-13-0) and the enigmatic Nate Diaz (21-12-0) didn’t disappoint, for three rounds, that is. A doctor’s stoppage before the fourth round gave Masvidal a rather anticlimactic TKO victory — a lackluster end to what was, for what it’s worth, a terrific fight night.  Ultimately, a New York State Athletic Commission’s ringside physician urged referee Dan Miragliotta to stop the fight. Diaz’s reputation as a bloody fighter showed itself once again, as a laceration above his right eye effectively tabled the remainder of the fight. He’s noted bleeder, especially over that right eye where the scar tissue has burst in most of his memorable bouts.