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New graduation requirements give high school students increased flexibility

Nate Bernard | February 19

Next year’s high school freshmen will see different graduation requirements due to a bill signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Feb. 9. The new requirements seek to increase school attendance and graduation rates by giving students more choices in the classes they take, according to Lujan Grisham’s press release. “High school should be about preparing students for the real world while providing more opportunities to pursue their unique interests and future careers,” Lujan Grisham said in the press release.

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College affirmative consent bill heads to governor’s desk

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 19

The New Mexico Senate passed an amended bill Tuesday, Feb. 13 that would require state-funded colleges to include affirmative consent in their policies and procedures on sexual activity. House Bill 151, sponsored by Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D) and four other House Democrats, defines affirmative consent as “affirmative, conscious and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity.” Affirmative consent cannot be given by a party who is unconscious or incapacitated, cannot be implied or assumed and can be revoked at any time, according to the bill. “With this, I’m hoping that particularly women – but everyone – realizes that their body belongs to them. They don’t owe anybody anything. Taking you out for dinner doesn’t mean you owe them sex. Being their girlfriend doesn’t mean you owe them sex,” Thomson said.

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Taylor Swift incident draws attention to AI-generated pornography

Lauren Lifke | February 12

Since the rise of Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT’s release in 2022, victims have been targeted by pornographic AI-generated images that have, in some cases, circulated on social media websites like X, formerly Twitter. Deepfakes are videos or images in which a person’s “face or body has been digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else, typically used maliciously or to spread false information,” according to Oxford Languages. Recently, these have risen in the form of pornographic images. In late January, pornographic AI-generated images of Taylor Swift started to circulate the internet and gained thousands of views on X, according to the Associated Press. Mary Rice, associate professor of literacy at the University of New Mexico, specializes in AI’s role in education. The Swift incident was not a random act that sprung up on its own, Rice said.

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Syphilis rates rise in New Mexico

Nate Bernard | February 12

New Mexico had the second highest syphilis rate in the United States in 2022 and ranked highest in the nation for congenital syphilis – an infection that occurs when a mother passes syphilis on to their fetus through pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacteria that produces sores on the infected person. If left untreated, the bacteria can invade the nervous system, according to the CDC. Syphilis cases are rare but increasing, as seen in CDC data.

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Legislation similar to unconstitutional ordinance proposed in Santa Fe

Karina Bolaños | February 5

A New Mexico senator has proposed a bill that would make the act of seeking or providing roadside donations illegal. Similar City legislation was previously struck down in a court of appeals. In 2017, the City of Albuquerque tried to instate an ordinance that would ban the same. Courts later deemed the legislation a violation of Freedom of Speech in Martin v. City of Albuquerque. The current legislation, Senate Bill 248, is sponsored by Senator Leo Jaramillo (D). The Bill is scheduled to be heard on Monday, Feb. 5 by the Senate Health Public Affairs Committee and was deemed appropriate for the short legislative session on Thursday, Feb. 1. This bill is supported by the Governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham.

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UNM researchers send tomatoes to space

Nate Bernard | February 5

University of New Mexico researchers sent tomatoes to space in an endeavor called the Trichoderma Associated Space Tomato Inoculation Experiment (TASTIE). On Tuesday, Jan. 30, the tomato seedlings were launched in a partially reusable Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket into space and joined the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, Feb. 1, according to Everyday Astronaut. The purpose of TASTIE is to analyze how these tomatoes will grow in space compared to how they grow on Earth. The fungus, Trichoderma – common in all types of soils on Earth – will be utilized to study how the stress-resistant properties of the fungus impact the growth of tomatoes in space, according to UNM Newsroom.

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LoboAlert issued for traffic following stabbing

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 5

On Friday, Jan. 26, a stabbing occurred inside the Golden Pride restaurant on Lomas Blvd. N.E. near the University of New Mexico campus. The UNM Police Department issued a LoboAlert for traffic following the incident. Employee Ethan Sheppard reportedly stabbed his coworker, an adult male, at about 1:45 p.m. while they were both working. The victim was transported to UNM Hospital and later died from his injuries, according to an Albuquerque Police Department news release. UNM Police Department issued a LoboAlert at 6:25 p.m. advising the campus community of police presence in the area. A second alert was issued at 10:45 p.m. advising that APD had cleared the area.

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Mexican gray wolf compensation proposals move in Santa Fe

Emma Mincks | January 29

Two identical proposals to pay New Mexico ranchers for damages from incidents involving Mexican gray wolves cleared their first committee hurdles. Senate Bill 26 and House Bill 164 share identical language and bipartisan support between each chamber. The bills seek a $9 million appropriation that would direct the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to form partnerships with livestock loss authorities in Catron, Sierra and Socorro counties that would give direct payments to ranchers who lose livestock due to Mexican gray wolves in the areas. If approved, the money would go to the Board of Regents at New Mexico State University. It seeks an appropriation starting in 2025 through 2027.

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New bill hopes to protect renters and buyers from income discrimination

Danielle Knox | January 29

A new bill, introduced in New Mexico’s 2024 Regular Legislative Session, is targeting the issue of housing discrimination based on a renter or buyer’s source of income. House Bill 25 – presented by Representative Kathleen Cates (D), Andrea Romero (D), Patricia Roybal Caballero (D) and Cristina Parajón (D) – would amend the state’s Human Rights Act to prohibit the refusal to sell or rent property to someone based on their income source, defined in the bill as “a lawful and verifiable source of money used to pay for housing.”

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ASUNM back to business

Jaymes Boe | January 29

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico held their opening full Senate meeting for the spring semester on Wednesday, Jan. 24 where appropriations, new senator appointments and a bill introduction took place. ASUNM welcomed two new faces to the Senate floor. Sen. Sierra Dedmon and Sen. Nathan Nail. They were both granted their seats via a roll call vote of Senators that were present prior to any other business taking place. Dedmon and Nail were able to vote on all business during the meeting.

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The Air Board sticks to the status quo

Maddie Pukite | January 26

The First Judicial District Court has granted the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board a preliminary injunction until the legality of the case is decided at the next scheduled hearing. A preliminary injunction will allow the Air Board to revert to the status quo and continue to operate as it had before the Albuquerque City Council approved an ordinance and resolution that substantially changed the Air Board in November. “I so find that the Air Board is likely to prevail ultimately on this, and I do have concerns about allowing a situation to proceed that may be unlawful,” District Court Judge Francis Mathew said in the ruling.

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UNM law school educates high schoolers on constitutional rights

Maddie Pukite | January 26

Each year, the University of New Mexico School of Law students go to local high schools to teach constitutional law through the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. After observing a national decline in civic education, the program was conceptualized by professors at American University 25 years ago in Washington, D.C., Maryam Ahranjan said, director of the UNM chapter of the project and School of Law professor. Currently, only seven U.S. states require a full year of civics education, not including New Mexico, according to the Institute for Citizens and Scholars.

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Air Quality Control Board v. City of Albuquerque

Nate Bernard | January 22

The Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board is taking the City of Albuquerque to court per a lawsuit filed on Dec. 5. In November, the Albuquerque City Council abolished and recreated the Air Quality Control Board which removed city-appointed members and suspended the board's actions till Feb. 1. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, the Board's attorney, is calling the legality of these actions into question. The hearing is set for Jan. 25. If the Board is successful, there will be a pause on the City Council’s changes and the terminated Board members will be reinstated until the court makes a final judgment on the legality of the legislation. If the Board loses the lawsuit, the City’s changes would go into effect.

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Air Quality Board adopts variation of HEEI rule

Nate Bernard | January 22

The Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board adopted a Health, Environment, and Equity Impacts rule on Dec. 19, 2023. The rule is different and less aggressive than the original version introduced by Mountain View Coalition – a community group of residents concerned with the impacts of air pollution in the South Valley. The rule enforces the use of additional measures through the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) to reduce pollution in and within a mile of overburdened areas, along with any facility in Bernalillo County that emits common hazardous air pollutants.

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New dinosaur unlocked

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | January 22

Researchers have put a name to a dinosaur fossil discovered in New Mexico in the 1980s, identifying a new species of Tyrannosaurus that pre-dates the T. rex. The findings were published Jan. 11 in the Scientific Reports journal. New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Curator of Paleontology, Spencer Lewis, and the museum’s executive director, Anthony Fiorillo, both are co-authors on the study. The identification of Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis changes what paleontologists previously understood about the geographical origin of the T. rex. The standing idea, Lucas said, is the T. rex originated in Asia and immigrated over a land bridge to get to North America.

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South Valley wildlife refuge receives over $250,000

BillyJack Davidson | January 15

The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division (ORD) awarded the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge $256,962 this past December for a project called “Bosque Bridges.” The project aims to connect Valle De Oro’s perimeter trail and the Paseo del Bosque bike path together, giving people a new way to experience the bosque. The money for Valle De Oro’s project is granted by the ORD of the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD). Of over 100 applications, Bosque Bridges was one of 12 different projects falling under the Outdoor Recreation Trails+ Grant initiative by the ORD, according to the Los Alamos Daily Post.

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Legislators propose amendments to New Mexico red flag law

Lily Alexander | January 15

Two New Mexico legislators are proposing amendments to a state law that allows district courts to issue yearlong orders to prohibit individuals from possessing, purchasing or receiving firearms if they are found to pose a threat of injury to themselves or others. The Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act was enacted in 2020. The proposed amendments would specifically allow law enforcement and health care professionals to report potentially harmful behavior and expedite the order-issuing process.

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‘They scrapped us’: The Trinity downwinders and New Mexico mine workers who remain unrecognized

Marisa Demarco and Danielle Prokop | January 15

Those living nearest to the first nuclear blast in history have suffered for generations. In New Mexico, Trinity Test site neighbors weren’t warned or evacuated before the U.S. government detonated the atomic bomb in 1945. The light was so bright, it could be seen hundreds of miles away. Nearly half a million people resided within a 150-mile radius of the blast. Witnesses said ash rained down for days. Cancers, diseases, early deaths, infant mortality and more have plagued people in New Mexico ever since the United States government set off the bomb in the Jornada del Muerto. But despite organizing and advocacy for well over a decade, they were neither recognized nor compensated.

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Biking collectives ride in support of Palestine

Maddie Pukite | January 8

With Palestinian flags attached to bikes and watermelon bandanas, a few dozen cyclists gathered in Robinson Park in support of a cease-fire in Gaza on Saturday, Jan. 6. The group rode five miles to stand in solidarity with Palestine and to fundraise for the Gaza Sunbirds and the Middle East Children's Alliance. The Gaza Sunbirds are a para-athletic cycling team that, since the war with Israel, has transitioned from cycling to providing aid and distributing resources to their community. Tannia Esparza, a co-organizer, said the ride in Albuquerque was in response to a call by Native Women Ride for people across the nation to ride in solidarity with the Gaza Sunbirds.

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HRC 100 for LGBTQ+ inclusivity reflects policies not experience

Lily Alexander | January 8

Albuquerque received a score of 100 on LGBTQ+ inclusivity in laws, policies and services from the Human Rights Campaign, however the rating does not entirely reflect the experiences of Queer people in Albuquerque. The annual HRC Municipal Equality Index (MEI) Scorecard evaluates non-discrimination laws, city employers, city services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. It equally accounts for inclusivity related to sexual orientation and gender identity. For the second year, the HRC gave Albuquerque maximum points in each category for 2023.