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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.

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Keller vetoes alterations to Air Quality Control Board

Nate Bernard | December 13

On Nov. 22, Mayor Tim Keller vetoed legislation which sought to abolish and recreate the Albuquerque-Bernalillo Air Quality Control Board with substantial changes. This stops the implementation of the legislation by City Council unless they override the veto with two-thirds of their membership, according to Albuquerque ordinance. Keller listed three reasons why he vetoed the legislation in his veto message delivered to City Council. Neither the Mayor nor his office were contacted in regards to the legislation; the legislation itself will not fix any criticisms and could lead to a loss of city and county involvement in air quality regulation, he wrote.

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ASUNM puts deposit in Quasi Endowment Fund

Jaymes Boe | December 8

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico made their first deposit to the ASUNM Quasi Endowment Fund at the most recent full Senate meeting on Nov. 29. Student Regent Randy Ko appeared as guest speaker, discussing student access to basic needs throughout his appearance. Recently established this fall semester through Bill 6F during ASUNM’s Sept. 13 full Senate meeting, the ASUNM Quasi Endowment Fund will be a source of funding for the ASUNM senate. “Hopefully we will get to a point where the interest accrues to create scholarships and set ASUNM up for financial success,” President Krystah Pacheco said during ASUNM’s Sept. 13 Full Senate meeting.

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United Graduate Workers ratify tentative wage agreement

Nate Bernard | December 6

United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico ratified a wage agreement with the University’s administration on Nov. 28. As previously reported, the agreement includes a 6% raise and a 6% increase of the minimum stipend a grad worker can be paid, along with standardization of contracts to 18 weeks for teaching assistants/associates, research assistants and graduate assistants. Graduate students affected by the agreement should expect to see a raise on their spring 2024 contracts, according to Dominic Oddo – UGW Bargaining Committee member and Chief Steward for the College of Arts and Sciences.

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Possible fentanyl pill left in student apartment after break-in

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | December 6

An unidentified suspect broke into a Student Residence Center apartment Nov. 23, leaving behind a possible fentanyl pill and miscellaneous items, according to a State of New Mexico Uniform Incident Report. The suspect returned to the scene while a University of New Mexico police officer was present, but fled and was not caught, according to the report. No Lobo Advisory or LoboAlert was issued. "We have the LoboAlert system which – if it works as it is meant to work – there would have been a notice about this happening," Juan Camilo Gómez said – the resident who reported the burglary.

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New Mexico drives to make transition to electric vehicles

Nate Bernard | November 27

On Nov. 16, the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board and the Environmental Improvement Board adopted clean vehicles rules after a joint public hearing. The rules align New Mexico’s air quality emissions standards with those of other states and promotes the transition to zero-emission vehicles without an in-state rebate program available to purchasers of electric vehicles. The rules require manufacturers to ship an increasing percentage of zero-emission vehicles to New Mexico dealerships to have for sale starting in 2026.

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Climate Assessment highlights a need for immediate action

Detroit Kallunki | November 27

The Fifth National Climate Assessment was released on Nov. 14 by the U.S. Government. The report contains updates on the state of climate change, basic risk assessments and ideas for communities to lower their emissions and live a more environmentally conscious life. The National Climate Assessment was mandated by the 1990 Global Change Research Act — a law requiring research on climate change — and is supposed to occur every four years with the submission of the president’s budget. In the past 33 years, only five assessments have been released. The NCA5 details current environmental problems and projections for the immediate future. The report covers issues like flooding, droughts, food insecurity, health challenges and region-specific issues.

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United Graduate Workers of UNM reach tentative compensation agreement

Nate Bernard | November 20

United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico and the UNM Administration have developed a tentative agreement for compensation negotiations. If approved by the Union, raises would go into effect in January. The tentative agreement includes a 6% raise, a 6% increase of the minimum stipend a grad worker can be paid, along with standardization of contracts to 18 weeks for teaching assistants/associates, research assistants and graduate assistants, according to the Union’s website and union member Anna Rose. This allows all graduate students in teaching positions to have a week of paid prep-work for a 17-week semester.

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No body-cam footage from UNMPD

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | November 20

A 2020 New Mexico statute – which requires most law enforcement agencies to use and have policies on body-worn cameras – may exempt the University of New Mexico Police Department. The statute says officers who regularly interact with the public and are employed by law enforcement agencies should wear body-worn cameras while on duty. It defines a “law enforcement agency” as “the police department of a municipality, the sheriff's office of a county, the New Mexico state police or the department of public safety,” not explicitly including university police departments. UNMPD officers undergo training at the New Mexico Department of Public Safety Police Academy, according to UNMPD’s website.