Multimedia

UNM gallops into year of the fire horse

Tuesday, Feb. 17 marked the Chinese New Year, ushering in the year of the fire horse. To celebrate and share good wishes for the coming year, University of New Mexico students gathered to make red paper crafts in the Language Learning Center. Peng Yu, a professor of Chinese at UNM, led the workshop. Chinese Lunar New Year is a celebration of the new year as well as the coming of spring, and in many Asian nations, one of their biggest celebrations, he said.  “It’s like Christmas in the Western world. People get together with their family; a lot of people travel thousands of miles to be back home and get together with their elders and their family members to celebrate this cultural event,” Peng said. “It’s very, very important for them. The spring festival is not only celebrated in mainland China. Taiwan also celebrates, and in Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and many East Asian countries.”

Lobo baseball sweeps Fordham Rams in season opener

Like the weather at the Santa Ana Star Field during the game, The University of New Mexico baseball team opened its first week of the new season with a turbulent but eventual sweep of the Fordham University Rams. Held on Friday, Feb. 13, game one of the series was a back and forth affair that started very promisingly for UNM, as Lobo pitcher Cristian Mogen began his season by striking out Fordham designated hitter Ernie Little and went on to retire his first six batters. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Lobo designated hitter Aidan Kuni grounded into a fielder’s choice and drove in the first run of the season to give them an early lead.

Men’s Basketball: Lobos ground Falcons in blowout win

With an NCAA tournament berth on the line in the closing final stretch of Mountain West play, the Lobos, who are on the bubble of getting an at-large bid into the tournament, were able to avoid a stain on their resume on Tuesday, Feb. 17, as the University of New Mexico put up a dominant performance against the Air Force Falcons, winning 98-61.  The win completed the season sweep against the Falcons and gave the Lobos their 20th win of the season, which allowed Lobo Head Coach Eric Olen to join Norm Ellenberg, Dave Bliss, Steve Alford and Craig Neal as the fifth Lobo head coach to win 20 games in their first season with the program.  “It is important in situations like this to play good basketball throughout the game. I thought we did that tonight for the most part,” Olen said. 

Trisha Paytas brings amusement and advice to students

“A Conversation with Trisha Paytas,” featuring the American internet personality, podcaster and singer known for her long-running presence on YouTube was an event of kindness, love and authenticity. Paytas rose to prominence in the late 2000s with lifestyle, beauty and personal vlog content, later expanding into music, podcasting and reality television appearances. The conversation, held on Thursday, Feb. 12, at Popejoy Hall, featured topics including living your 20s rather than fearing them and being your true self. The event was organized by The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico Student Special Events team.

Comic, Feb. 16, 2026

Comic, Feb. 9, 2026

Tajavis Miller: born to be an athlete

Tajavis Miller comes from a family of athletes; his mother played softball at the University of Iowa and his father played football at Iowa Wesleyan University. Miller grew up in different places. He was born in Georgia and lived there until he was six, when he moved to North Dakota, then Iowa, then California and finally to Texas when he was a sophomore and finished high school there.  Miller moved around a lot due to his mother coaching softball for different schools including North Dakota State University, Iowa State University, Loyola Marymount University and Texas Tech University. His mother currently coaches at East Texas A&M University.

State legislature celebrates local Black history

Black community leaders and lawmakers opened African American Day at the State Legislature with a group performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on the House floor.   Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) led the House floor celebration on Friday, Feb. 13, recognizing the “vital contributions of African Americans to the state’s history, culture and progress,” and honoring ten outstanding African American women in New Mexico for their contributions to communities across the state. The NM State Capitol featured a resource fair in the rotunda with Black-led organizations, including the NAACP, New Mexico Black Leadership Council, Juneteenth Renaissance Institute and the University of New Mexico African American Student Services. 

Women’s Basketball: Rams show no love to the Lobos on Valentine’s Day

For the Lobos women’s basketball team, it turned out to be anything but flowers and chocolates on Saturday, Feb. 14, as Colorado State University pulverized the University of New Mexico 66-46 following a huge third quarter. After an early 4-2 deficit, the Lobos would respond with an 8-0 run in the first quarter. However, Colorado State would finish strong, going on an 11-0 run to close out the opening period and take a 19-12 lead. The Rams led by as much as 11 points in the second quarter,  but the Lobos found some momentum late to take to the locker room as they went on an 8-2 run to close out the half only trailing 31-27.

Heritage of hair: AFRO brings braiding services to campus

For generations, students have done hair for other students on campus — in dorm rooms, lounges, staff offices or anywhere else they could set up. The University of  New Mexico African American Student Services, also known as AFRO, recently unveiled a new addition to their building: a hair shop that will serve as a designated safe space for students to get their hair done by fellow students who perform cosmetic services on campus. The space adds a sense of security for both stylists and clients, said Kaelyn Moon, a Student Success Specialist at AASS.

REVIEW: ‘BlacKkKlansman,’ a Black History Month must watch

Of all the Black and African American directors there are, none stand out in history as much as Spike Lee. Lee’s 2018 film “BlacKkKlansmen,” starring John David Washington as Ron Stallworth and Adam Driver as Flip Zimmerman, is a movie based on the story of Colorado Springs’ first African-American detective and his infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan in 1979. Stallworth begins as a filing officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department, filing evidence and paper work until one day, he is moved straight into intelligence. With the movie being set in the 1970s, you can see the stark differences between how detectives gathered information and intelligence then and now. Newspapers were a great way to find things out and were considered more central to the general population.

Destinee Hooks: Lobo and leader

Since joining the team in 2024, Lobo guard Destinee Hooks has been an impactful starter for the University of New Mexico.  Hooks grew up in Indiana in a predominantly white neighborhood with two older brothers. Hooks was very active as a child, wanting to do everything her older brothers did, and because of that she was able to find her passion for the game of basketball.  “My family has always inspired me since I was little, my mom has the best work ethic that I’ve seen, she wakes up early, goes to work, comes back home and does everything she needs to do at home, takes care of us, and supports us and it’s really inspiring,” Hooks said. “My brothers also have a crazy work ethic as well, so if I can get (an) opportunity to make it to the league in a couple of years and retire my family that would be a big blessing.” 

New BioPark CT scanner progresses animal care

In December, the ABQ BioPark Zoo became one of a dozen zoos in the U.S. to add an on-site CT scanner to its veterinary care system.  CT scanners provide advanced imaging through a series of X-rays, generating a more detailed, 3D rendition of the 2D X-ray information, Carol Bradford, the senior veterinarian at the BioPark, said. “In the past, we would take X-rays or ultrasound here at the zoo, and then if there was something we felt we were not able to diagnose or diagnose properly, we would take the animal off grounds to a veterinary specialty hospital,” Bradford said. 

Sprinter and student Kahari Wilbon perseveres toward goals

Coming off back-to-back personal bests for 400 meters and entering seventh place on the University of New Mexico’s all time indoor track list, Kahari Wilbon has had a running start to the year.  As a sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing, his studies and athletic endeavors cross-pollinate, allowing him to achieve successes in both, Wilbon said. “The principles that come within marketing are perseverance, being able to do more than one thing and keep yourself oriented while multi-tasking and making sure you have a strategic and proven plan to make sure you are the most successful you can be,” Wilbon said. 

Black Student Union to create community newspaper

The University of New Mexico Black Student Union will soon publish its own newspaper designed to bring attention to Black history and contributions and resist efforts to erase the impact of Black Americans. The newspaper is part of BSU’s mission to create a community for Black students and preserve and share their history. The President of BSU, Cindy-Esthern Ntolla, said the paper will include reporting on current events and pieces on Black history.  “I think as of recent, we’ve struggled with learning from history, and I think utilizing a past event and applying it to a current event is really helpful to identify where we come from and where we’re going,” Ntolla said. 

Women’s Hockey: Lobos close out first season with a sweep weekend

The Lobo women’s ice hockey team finished out their first season with a doubleheader win against the Los Alamos Atomics. UNM left Los Alamos frozen on the ice with a score of 5-1 on Saturday. The next night, Sunday, UNM put up 3 points against Los Alamos’ 1 point. After Sunday night's game ended, the announcer closed out the game with a thank-you to the fans and supporters, along with congratulations to the first of many female athletes who will carve up the ice on the UNM women’s ice hockey team.

Women’s Basketball: Spartan spears narrowly avoid the Lobo’s hearts

The Lobos women’s basketball team came back to The Pit looking to get back in the win column after their dismantling at the hands of Boise State over the weekend. The University of New Mexico did just that with a 66-61 win over the San Jose State University Spartans on Wednesday, Feb. 11. This game had all the makings of a trap game as San Jose State entered this one with just three wins on the season and kept it close with the Lobos from start to finish, but the Lobos held on and won a close one.

UNMPD attempts to rein in vehicle theft

The University of New Mexico Police Department is working to reduce car, bicycle and scooter theft by patrolling the Central Campus more thoroughly, monitoring bike racks and promoting proper security practices. While statistics around bike thefts on campus are not widely available, in 2024, reported 81 instances of motor vehicle theft, a category that includes theft of electric scooters and electric bikes. Recently, UNMPD has been distributing flyers around campus that detail which bike locks to use and how to use them, in addition to increasing patrols covering bike racks around campus. 

Bill aiming to eliminate green house gas emissions faces questions

One bill making its way through the 2026 legislative session is the Clear Horizons Act — SB 18 — that aims to codify restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions, require greenhouse gas emission reporting and expand the duties of the Environmental Improvement Board.  The bill creates limits on CO2 that can be met either by direct reductions or through carbon offsets that remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. The bill’s goals for statewide gas emission limits include at least a 45% reduction by 2030, at least 75% reduction by 2040 and by 2050, 100% less than 2005 levels.

Albuquerque nominated for ‘Best City for Street Art’

In Albuquerque, street art covers public buildings, highway underpasses, restaurants, hotels and more, depicting New Mexico’s diverse cultures, political and social issues and history. With its diverse and stunning illustrations has come national recognition that could earn the city the title of being the nation’s very best for street art. In late January, Albuquerque was nominated for USA Today’s “Best City for Street Art” competition, vying for the most votes against cities including Atlanta, Austin, Texas and Chicago. The competition examines street art beyond its eye-catching features and colors, looking instead into the cultural significance that each city’s street art represents.