The classic 1942 drama, “Casablanca,” featured a 16-year age gap between its romantic leads. The iconic dinosaur adventure film, “Jurassic Park,” had a 20-year age gap between love interests Alan Grant and Ellie Satler. The continued success of these beloved films suggests there’s a viable market for them, but what does that say about us?
The 2024 New Mexico State Fair has officially kicked off in Albuquerque. From Sept. 5-15, the fair features familiar staples like live music in the rodeos and around the grounds, petting zoos, carnival rides and an assortment of food and drink options. Over the days, the rodeos will feature live entertainment from Brad Paisley, Cole Swindell and Josh Turner, according to the New Mexico State Fair website.
On the early morning of Aug. 23, University of New Mexico police arrested a woman at the Student Residence Center for trespassing and possession of meth. The suspect had a felony warrant, according to the police report of the incident.
On Aug. 27, police arrested a man who had broken into a student’s room at the Redondo Village Apartments. The suspect broke the window screen, entered the apartment and took a student’s keys and wallet. He had a pipe and torch consistent with those used to smoke narcotics, according to the police report of the incident. At about 9:30 p.m. the day of the report, a University of New Mexico Police Department officer was notified of an unknown suspect inside a student’s RVA room. The officer arrived on the scene to find the victim — a sophomore who lived in the room — restraining a suspect, who police then arrested.
You’re all probably going to be sick of me by the time the robot revolution comes, but until then, I will have bone after bone to pick with the machine. In August, CBS reported that Aaron Pelczar, a journalist for Wyoming news outlet the Cody Enterprise, was caught using generative artificial intelligence to write and publish news articles. One of the stories Pelczar generated was a piece on a shooting in Yellowstone National Park, which featured the line, “This incident serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of human behavior, even in the most serene settings,” according to the Associated Press. Following the incident, Pelczar resigned.
A cyber attack on University of New Mexico Libraries that began on July 31 resulted in no compromised data for students or employees, according to Mark Emmons, associate dean of the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences. Publicly accessible resources were mostly available by the start of the semester, according to Emmons, while issues accessing library resources from off campus continued.
New Mexico United took down Miami FC 1-0 on Friday, Sept. 6. The win stretches United’s lead of the western conference to 10 points. The team is just four points away from clinching a playoff spot with eight matches left in the season. Jacobo Reyes scored the lone goal of the game at the 45-minute mark. Miami FC’s goalie Khadim Ndiaye blocked a shot but was unable to secure the ball, which led to Reyes charging the ball and placing it in the back of the net.
On Aug. 31, the University of New Mexico Men’s Rugby club kicked off the 2024 season with its first alumni match since 2015. The Men’s Rugby club team, which currently boasts a 31-man roster, is led by head coach Deavon Tabish-Moran, an Anderson School of Management graduate. He started volunteering with the rugby club team in 2022 as an assistant coach before receiving his World Rugby Level 1 certification and becoming head coach.
The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico appointed a new senator and passed two appropriation requests and a bill on Wednesday, Aug. 28 during the first full senate meeting since the start of fall classes.
Editor’s note: The crimes listed were entered into the daily crime log during the week. The list includes crimes that police entered last week but allegedly occurred before that. It does not include crimes that may have occurred but weren’t entered into the log. From Monday, Aug. 26 through Sunday, Sept. 1, there were 26 crimes reported on or near the University of New Mexico campus that were entered into its daily crime log. There were also two LoboAlerts issued to the community involving incidents that occurred on or near campus since Aug. 25.
The Albuquerque Isotopes started a series on Tuesday, Aug. 27 against the Reno Aces. The 6-2 win followed a game during which the stadium held its breath. Left fielder Jimmy Herron had a homerun in the bottom of the fifth inning. Later in the seventh inning, first baseman Elehuris Montero — who was named Pacific Coast League player of the month for July — doubled. Herron then sent Montero home with a line drive single to put the Isotopes up 2-0.
This summer, four friends — the “Future Cowboys” team made up of Connor Donovan, Lars Larsen, Ezra Duree and Francis Packard — set out on a trip that would take them from Seattle, Washington to Coney Island, New York over the course of 56 days, all on bicycles. Three of them are University of New Mexico students. “We knew that we wanted to do coast-to-coast,” Larsen said. “The first day, (we) dipped our back tire (in the west coast) and then the last day, dipped our front tire in the east coast.”
On Aug. 20, during the Democratic National Convention, three accredited journalists were arrested while documenting pro-Palestine protests in Chicago — a similarity to the arrest of two journalists at the University of New Mexico earlier this year. The three photojournalists working at the protests in Chicago faced misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct after spending hours in jail, according to the Intercept. In May, Bryant Furlow and Tara Armijo-Prewitt were arrested on the UNM campus during their coverage of the UNM Police Department and New Mexico State Police dismantling the pro-Palestine encampment. Furlow is a freelance journalist who regularly contributes to New Mexico In Depth.
This year, Zozobra — “Old Man Gloom” — turns 100. Zozobra has grown to be a 50-foot marionette, one of the largest functioning marionettes in the world, according to the Zozobra website. He represents the anxiety, hardships and regrets of the people. Every year, slips of paper with the “glooms” of attendees are stuffed into the towering effigy and Zozobra’s arch enemy, the Fire Spirit, sets it alight. Zozobra’s website refers to the burning as “an annual cleansing ritual for the entire community, offering a fresh start and a renewed hope for the coming year.”
Many remember when Pluto, the dwarf planet recognized by its heart-shaped feature, was demoted from its planetary status. On Aug. 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to downgrade Pluto to a dwarf planet after it was discovered to be much smaller than originally thought, according to History. Now, Aug. 24 is recognized as Pluto Demoted Day. Despite Pluto’s demotion, the state of New Mexico recognizes Pluto’s existence as a planet.
Some University of New Mexico students who voted “uncommitted” during the 2024 primary elections continue to decline support for the Democratic nominee. During the 2024 primary elections, 10% of Democratic voters in New Mexico checked the uncommitted box — about double the number of those who voted uncommitted in the 2020 primary elections. President Joe Biden won the primary elections but later dropped out, with Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the new Democratic nominee. Since the primary elections, Vote Uncommitted New Mexico, an organization advocating for progressive policies, has held rallies in Albuquerque that criticize Harris for her role in the Biden administration’s support for Israel.
From Aug. 23 to Aug. 25, the Albuquerque Marriott Uptown hosted the 55th annual Bubonicon, New Mexico’s longest-running sci-fi and fantasy convention. The name is a play-on-words on the bubonic plague, and the convention’s mascot is a rat in various larger-than-life scenarios, like battling dragons and aliens. The event featured an art gallery, a vendor’s hall where local makers showcased and sold their wares, panels featuring local authors and sci-fi juggernauts, and a mass autographing event with featured guests.
The Department of Communication and Journalism has a new revamped live streaming studio that can be used by students and faculty alike at the University of New Mexico. The studio has been available for booking since Aug. 19. Santi Colmenero, audio-visual technician for the communication and journalism department, said they wanted to make use of old dormant equipment lying around. They aimed to create a studio that met modern and contemporary needs, according to UNM Newsroom, and began working on developing the studio space in September 2023.
Have you ever thought about robbing graves and sewing body parts together until you have the perfect human form? Maybe not, but why would you when Victor Frankenstein already set an example for why that’s a terrible idea? Mary Shelley’s infamous mad scientist and his creature are a beloved aspect of pop culture around the world. The novel’s lasting impact and popularity even led to the creation of National Frankenstein Day, an annual celebration of Shelley and her novel that takes place on August 30, which is also Shelley’s birthday.
On Friday, Aug. 23, the University of New Mexico Art Museum celebrated the new semester with a reopening reception for their new exhibit, “Hindsight Insight 5.0.” The exhibit features art that investigates human relationships with nature, history and the future. Curators selected one piece in the museum’s permanent collection to showcase: a book of microphotographs, according to Joseph McKee, coordinator of student engagement and technology at UNMAM. The exhibit also features work by four contemporary artists who are responding to the microphotographs or conversing with them, McKee said. “We’re re-looking at our collection and looking at it through a new lens,” McKee said.
Solutions by The State News
