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City Council passes housing reform ordinances

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | February 3

On Jan. 6, the Albuquerque City Council approved two ordinances targeted at improving housing availability through home development and reducing the amount of vacant property Downtown. The first bill, O-24-69, amended the existing Integrated Development Ordinance to allow for the development of multifamily homes in areas that are within a quarter-mile of Main Street and Premium Transit Station (ART) areas. The bill was sponsored by Council President Dan Lewis and Councilor Joaquín Baca, and passed by a vote of 7-2. The bill also made changes to the appeal process against city projects. To file an appeal opposing a city project, a majority of property owners or tenants who live within 660 feet of the project site must now sign a petition in support of the appeal.

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Small bird, big energy: UNM research could help with land conservation causes

Marcela Johnson | January 27

Research from the University of New Mexico biology department could help show how climate and land use change might affect hummingbirds that migrate through New Mexico. Authored by Shayne Halter, Blair Wolf and Carlos Martinez del Rio, the Jan. 15 study looked at why hummingbirds use torpor — a hibernation-like state. Hummingbirds usually go into torpor at night when it is colder, and this can help them survive, Halter said. “They live at a sort of metabolic knife edge where if they don’t get enough food, they don’t get enough energy day to day, they don’t survive,” Halter said. “They have certain mechanisms they can use to ensure they make it, especially when they migrate.”

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Governor nominates two new UNM regents

Addison Fulton | January 27

On Jan. 3, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham made 11 regent nominations for eight different New Mexico higher learning institutions. Among these were two new appointments to the University of New Mexico Board of Regents: health care executive Christina Campos and civil litigator Patricia Williams. The nomination process is rigorous, according to Higher Education Department Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez. "I know each of these nominees has the quality to earn the trust of the public and the communities they have been nominated to serve,” Rodriguez wrote to the Daily Lobo.

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How the Trump presidency could affect reproductive rights in New Mexico

Dylan Anthony | January 27

During the Sept. 10, 2024 presidential debate, Trump praised himself and the Supreme Court for the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. “The states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land,” Trump said in a video he posted to Truth Social post in April 2024. On Oct. 1, 2024, Trump reinforced his stance again, posting on X that he would veto any national abortion ban put through Congress in favor of allowing every state to decide for itself how to regulate abortion.

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How the Trump presidency could affect immigration in New Mexico

Elliott Wood | January 27

President Donald Trump’s campaign was headlined by promises to carry out the largest deportation operation of immigrants who lack permanent legal status in American history. To carry out the deportations, the Trump administration plans to work with local police, targeting those who have criminal records first, according to the 2024 Republican Party Platform. Working with state and local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws would require a Memorandum of Agreement — or MOA — between the law enforcement agency and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to authorize and train employees on enforcement techniques, according to the American Immigration Council. Though there was previously an MOA between ICE and the New Mexico Corrections Department, there are no such active MOAs in the state of New Mexico.

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People’s March held in Albuquerque in response to Trump presidency

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | January 24

Sunday, Jan. 19 On Jan. 19, hundreds of protesters rallied and marched at Civic Plaza during the People’s March in response to President Donald Trump’s return to office. Protesters chanted and carried signs highlighting areas another Trump presidency may impact, including reproductive rights, immigrant rights, environmental justice, affordable healthcare and Palestinian rights. Politicians and community members spoke to the crowd during the rally, including former United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D), Albuquerque City Councilor Nichole Rogers, poet Hakim Bellamy and Albuquerque First Lady Elizabeth Kistin Keller.

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UNM Board of Regents votes to amend free speech policies

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | January 20

During a governance committee meeting on Dec. 5, 2024, members of the University of New Mexico Board of Regents passed amendments to UNM’s free speech policies, which will allow groups to rent spaces at UNM regardless of the nature of their speech. Robert Schwartz and Paula Tackett, the committee meeting’s two Regent attendees, voted on amendments to the Regents' Policy Manual Section 2.1: Free Expression and Advocacy, Section 2.2: Speakers from Off Campus and Section 2.8: Visitors to the University. The amendments went into effect Dec. 19.

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Anti-algorithmic discrimination bill introduced to New Mexico Legislature

Addison Fulton | January 20

Ahead of the 2025 New Mexico legislative session, Rep. Christine Chandler (D) sponsored House Bill 60, the Artificial Intelligence Act, which seeks to mitigate algorithmic discrimination. Algorithmic discrimination is any condition in which the use of an artificial intelligence system results in unlawful differential treatment of a person based on their ethnicity, gender, disability and other groups legally protected from discrimination, according to the bill. The legislative session begins Tuesday, Jan. 21 and ends March 22. Examples of algorithmic discrimination have been found in algorithms like COMPAS, or Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions, which is meant to calculate the odds that a defendant will reoffend. COMPAS flagged almost twice as many false positives for Black people than white people, according to a 2016 ProPublica investigation.

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New Mexico legislative session begins

Addison Fulton | January 20

The 2025 New Mexico legislative session begins Tuesday, Jan. 21 and ends March 22. This session marks New Mexico’s 57th legislative session. Legislative sessions occur in New Mexico annually. Sessions last 60 days in odd-numbered years and 30 days in even-numbered years. During legislative sessions, New Mexico lawmakers meet to discuss and rule on various proposed bills. In order for a bill to make it to the docket, it must be sponsored by a member of Congress, then referred to and discussed by a committee. Each piece of legislation is typically referred to two or three committees, according to the State Legislature handbook.

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How the Trump presidency might affect UNM

Dylan Anthony | January 20

In October 2023, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would close the Department of Education during his administration. It is unlikely that this idea will gain traction, according to NPR. The DOE provides funding for public schools and higher education. It also awards funding, such as federal Pell Grants, to undergraduate students with financial need, according to the DOE. Any defunding of the DOE could result in changes for New Mexican education through less federal funding and less oversight of educational systems, according to Bailey Rutherford, senate president pro tempore of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico.

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City Council passes resolution to prohibit overnight camping in public spaces

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | January 13

Last month, the Albuquerque City Council voted to pass ordinances O-24-56 and O-24-58, which prohibit camping in tents or any other structure intended for spending the night in parks and public spaces. During a city council meeting on Dec. 16, 2024, O-24-56 passed on a 6-3 vote and O-24-58 passed on a 5-4 vote. Some public commenters expressed concerns about how the ordinances would impact Albuquerque’s unhoused population. Both bills were sponsored by city councilor Renée Grout, who represents District 9. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller did not sign either bill but did not exercise his veto power, meaning both bills went into effect.

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Outgoing regent pushes for neutral position on divestment from Israel

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | January 13

On Dec. 19, after public comment during the final University of New Mexico Board of Regents meeting of 2024, Robert Schwartz became the first regent to formally speak publicly about University divestment from Israel. Students, faculty members and community members in support of Palestine have been speaking about the topic at Regents meetings since February. The agenda for the Dec. 19 Regents meeting initially listed “Consideration of Administration Analysis of Recommendations Regarding Divestment from Israel and Certain Companies” as an action item, but it was later removed, according to an email from the Board of Regents’ office provided to the Daily Lobo. During the meeting, Schwartz said that the decision to remove divestment from the agenda was “cowardly,” and that UNM should take a neutral position regarding divestment.

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100 years of Jimmy Carter

Elizabeth Bolke | January 13

On Dec. 29, 2024, former President Jimmy Carter died in Plains, Georgia in the home that he shared with his wife Rosalynn Carter. During Carter’s 100 years of life, he impacted the United States with his political and nonprofit work. Carter was the 39th president of the U.S., serving from 1977-81. In 1979, Carter established the U.S. Department of Education with the purpose of strengthening the federal commitment to ensuring equal access to education, improving education quality and making federal education programs more accountable to the president, Congress and the public, according to the ED.

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About 85 students in Coronado Hall to be relocated for spring 2025

Maria Fernandez and Elizabeth Secor | December 11

By Dec. 14, about 85 students in the 200 wings of Coronado Hall will be relocated for the entirety of the spring 2025 semester due to construction to update the bathrooms on each floor to a pod-style layout, according to an email from University of New Mexico Resident Life and Student Housing. Once the construction project’s timeline was confirmed, RLSH provided Coronado Hall residents who had to relocate “as much advance notice as possible,” according to Megan Chibanga, director of Resident Life and Student Housing at UNM.

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UNM Palestine solidarity encampment protesters reflect after final dismissed charges

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | December 11

Last month, the final criminal charges were dismissed against protesters who were arrested during the April occupation of the University of New Mexico Student Union Building in support of Palestine. Months after the event, protesters are reflecting on its impact. UNM alum and community organizer Siihasin Hope was the only protester who had damages attached to their criminal trespass charge. Hope’s attorney’s office confirmed via email on Nov. 13 that all their charges were dismissed with prejudice.

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UNM Bookstore to begin charging flat rate for textbooks

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | December 11

Starting in the fall 2025 semester, the University of New Mexico Bookstore will implement a model that will charge undergraduate students the same flat rate for all textbooks, regardless of degree type or the number of credits they are taking. According to a UNM Bookstore proposal presentation shared with the Daily Lobo, all students will be automatically opted into the new textbook model — called the Equitable Access model — but can choose to opt out.

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New Mexico certifies election results

Shin Thant Hlaing | December 11

On Nov. 27, the results of the 2024 election were certified in New Mexico, according to Source New Mexico. Below is a look at the final results for various races. Presidential Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris won New Mexico's five electoral votes. She surpassed Republican President-elect Donald Trump with 52% of the votes, or about 55,000 more votes — a 6% lead over Trump, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State website.

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UNM researchers explore efficient synchronization

Arly Garcia | December 10

Biology and technology converged in research published in October by a team in the University of New Mexico’s mechanical engineering department. Researchers found potential pathways for technological systems to increase efficiency. UNM Professor Francesco Sorrentino and doctoral student Amir Nazerian partnered with researchers at the United States Naval Research Laboratory and the University of Genoa to investigate synchronization efficiency. Synchronization is the process of coordinating multiple parts to operate in unison or in sequence. Something is efficient when it achieves the desired result without wasting resources. Living systems naturally optimize efficiency, Sorrentino said.

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Family of Matthew ‘Solo’ Garcia speaks at city council meeting

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | December 9

During an Albuquerque City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 2, the family of Matthew “Solo” Garcia was joined by community members and activists to request accountability from the Albuquerque Police Department after officers fatally shot Garcia while he was handcuffed in the back of a police car during a code enforcement on Oct. 18. About two weeks before the meeting, Albuquerque Police Department Commander Kyle Hartsock revealed in a public briefing the names of the two officers who shot Matthew Garcia: Precious Cadena and Zachary Earles. A total of 11 shots were fired, 10 of which struck Garcia, Hartsock said during the briefing.

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Four UNM Departments to host departmental convocations

Nate Bernard | December 9

Throughout the week of Monday, Dec. 9, graduating students at the University of New Mexico will celebrate their accomplishments. About 1,600 students from the Albuquerque campus will receive their degrees, according to UNM Newsroom. In addition to the main commencement ceremonies held on Thursday, Dec. 12 and Friday, Dec. 13 at The Pit, some UNM departments are holding convocation ceremonies for their graduating students. Convocations are generally smaller and give departments the opportunity to celebrate graduates in a more personal atmosphere, according to the UNM Departmental Convocations website.