News - The Daily Lobo

News

Mishap spurs new health clinic

Chelsea Erven | July 10

An anti-abortion group opened a pregnancy resource center across the street from the UNM Center for Reproductive Health on July 1, after an ambulance responded to the UNM Center for an abortion gone wrong. On Feb 15, a 911 call went out from the UNMCRH when a 35-year-old woman was “unresponsive” after surgical abortion complications. “We have a patient who is crashing right now,” a clinic worker can be heard saying in a recording of the 911 call.

News

Faculty’s per diem in regents’ crosshairs

Kevin Forte | July 10

The UNM Board of Regents is looking to amend the University’s per diem policies, which could mean traveling faculty would have to pay out-of-pocket for food.Regents Gene Gallegos and James Koch, members of the Regent Audit Committee, are concerned about following state law and making sure faculty have a clear per diem policy, UNM spokeswoman Susan McKinsey said. “Regent Gallegos and Regent Koch believe that our current policy is inaccurate or doesn’t exactly reflect what state law intends, and they want to look into that,” she said. The Board of Regents discussed changes to the policy at a June 27 meeting, but the issue was tabled until August.

News

Police raid office; find Garcia’s sex toys

Chelsea Erven | July 4

Former UNM president F. Chris Garcia’s office at the Social Sciences Building wasn’t just filled with academic documents. Albuquerque Police raided the office June 23 and found a briefcase and cabinet full of sex toys, 21 pornographic videos and nine sex books, according to an unsealed search warrant obtained by the Albuquerque Journal. Detectives confiscated a computer and other electronic storage devices, along with notebooks containing information related to prostitution and the alleged online prostitution ring, “Southwest Companions.” Detectives said Garcia was on the website while at UNM.

News

Committee seeks criteria for new president

Hunter Riley | July 4

The search to find UNM’s next president is on, and the regents, charged with the final decision, are working to figure out what students, staff and faculty want. President David Schmidly will vacate the post in May 2012, and a search committee, chaired by Regent President Jack Fortner, has been tasked with getting UNM constituents’ input on the new president.

News

Fire damages UNM facilities

Charlie Shipley | July 4

The largest wildfire in New Mexico history continues to burn, forcing evacuations and destroying homes and property, including a UNM facility.

News

Wood questions regents’ hire

Kevin Forte | July 4

Faculty President Richard Wood called for an internal review of the Board of Regent’s 2010 hire of Director of Internal Audit’s Manu Patel.

News

‘Let the one without sin cast the first stone’

Luke Holmen | June 27

In Rev. Scott Sharp’s Sunday sermon, he reminded the congregation of F. Chris Garcia’s dedication to the church, his family and his community. Sharp, senior pastor of Central United Methodist Church, where Garcia regularly attended services with his wife, said Garcia was eager to help others and engage in ministry.

News

‘Burque pops’ helped recruit talent, police say

Elizabeth Cleary , Chelsea Erven and Luke Holmen | June 27

Former UNM President F. Chris Garcia was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center June 23 on charges of promoting prostitution, tampering with evidence and conspiracy, according to Bernalillo County Detention Center records. Garcia, 71, was arrested for his alleged ties to a 1,400-member, multistate online prostitution ring called Southwest Companions.

News

‘Companions’ make bail

Chelsea Erven | June 27

Former UNM President F. Chris Garcia went before Metropolitan Court Judge Sharon Walton June 24 for a felony first appearance on the charges of promoting prostitution, conspiracy and evidence tampering related to an online prostitution ring know as Southwest Companions.

News

Adopt ‘till employees drop

Elizabeth Cleary | June 27

In a city where nothing save for the occasional convenience store stays open all night, at the end of last week it was never too late, or too early, to adopt a dog or cat from Animal Humane New Mexico. From June 22-24, Animal Humane NM hosted its 24/7 adoption event, the first event of its kind in New Mexico.

News

Fireworks not worth the heat

Hunter Riley | June 27

With five wildfires burning in New Mexico, the Albuquerque Fire Department and Albuquerque Police Department are especially concerned about blazes during this year’s Independence Day celebrations.

News

Texting while driving: GTFO

June 27

On June 16, Gov. Susana Martinez kicked off W82TXT, a new campaign against texting while driving. W82TXT encourages New Mexico residents to take a pledge against distracted driving. “I pledge to never text and drive,” the pledge reads.

News

Update: F. Chris Garcia's first court apperance, bond set at $35,000

Staff Report | June 24

UPDATE: June 24 at 6:15 p.m. Garcia went before Metropolitan Court Judge Sharon Walton this afternoon for a felony first appearance on the charges of promoting prostitution, conspiracy, and evidence tampering.

News

APD: Former UNM President was high-ranking organizer of prostitution ring

Luke Holmen | June 23

Former UNM President F. Chris Garcia was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center this morning on charges of promoting prostitution, tampering with evidence and conspiracy, according to Bernalillo County Detention Center records. Garcia, 71, was arrested for his alleged ties to a 1400-member, multistate, online prostitution ring called Southwest Companions.

News

Shortage may up standards

Christine Romero | June 20

The state’s Higher Education Department is pushing to impose stricter requirements on the Lottery Scholarship to increase student accountability. Only 14 percent of New Mexico students maintain the Lottery Success Scholarship for four years, and the Higher Education Department Director of Financial Aid, Karen Kennedy, said more stringent requirements could change that statistic. “We want to make sure access isn’t restricted for any student, but we also want to make sure New Mexico sees successful outcomes,” she said. Proposed changes include requiring university students to take 15 credit hours per semester instead of 12 and maintain a higher GPA.

News

Less unsatisfied than before

Chelsea Erven | June 20

A recent survey of UNM faculty and staff showed a slight increase in satisfaction with University administration, but there’s still room for improvement. The number of faculty and staff “dissatisfied” with University governance dropped by almost 6 percent, and UNM President David Schmidly said the change is a step in the right direction. “I am pleased that the survey shows incremental progress has been made, even though there is still a long way to go,” he said in a June 6 email.

News

Catron County’s endangered economy chosen over wolves

Chelsea Erven and Victoria Cardenas | June 20

On June 12, the New Mexico State Game Commission severed its ties to The Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Program. Residents of Catron County pushed the decision, Glyn Griffin, District 2 Catron County Commissioner said. “Much of the Game Commission’s decision was based on the hardships endured in this county,” she said in a press release. “Our biggest industry, logging, has been taken away by the spotted owl.

News

Former Michigan professor to become new Pharmacy dean

June 20

Earlier this month, UNM’s College of Pharmacy named Dr. Lynda Welage its new dean. Welage will assume the position in mid-October, and said she hopes to push the College of Pharmacy and its students toward national recognition. “I think numbers of opportunities for students are growing every day,” Welage said.

News

Wildfires advance into NM

Luke Holmen | June 13

Ash and smoke from wildfires in the east continues to cloud the horizon and turn Albuquerque’s normally blue sky a dull gray. Arizona wildfires spread to western New Mexico June 11, as more than 700 square miles of brush and forest continued to burn largely uncontained in eastern Arizona. Fire officials believe an unattended campfire may have sparked the Wallow fire, the largest burning in the area. The fire has consumed thousands of acres and is expected to cost more than $10 million in fire damage and containment fees. The New Mexico Department of Health issued a warning to residents on Saturday to avoid the outdoors, using swamp coolers and exercising during periods when smoke is visible.

News

‘Juárez and El Paso is one community’

Andrew Beale | June 13

Nearly 60 people marched Friday from El Paso, across the bridge, and into one of the most dangerous cities in the world to join a several-hundred-strong protest against violence in Ciudad Juárez. Over 3,000 people were killed in Juárez last year, which means it has one of the highest murder rates of any city across the globe, according to CNN.