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Biden administration announces protection restoration of 3 national monuments

Natalie Jude | October 18

President Joe Biden announced an executive order to restore protections to three national monuments on Oct. 8 that were previously downsized or completely stripped of protections by former President Donald Trump. This order came with the support of U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland as well as an intention to restore ties with the wronged Indigenous tribes whose land and consequently cultures were previously cut down. During his presidency, Trump issued presidential proclamations downsizing two of Utah’s national monuments: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante protections were cut from approximately 1.3 million acres to 228,000 acres and approximately 1.9 million acres to 1 million acres, respectively.

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Community members rally against $50 million sports stadium bond

Maddie Pukite | October 17

In light of an upcoming vote on bond R-21-187 on Nov. 2, which would allocate $50 million to construct a multi-purpose sports stadium that would primarily be used by the NM United soccer team, a rally gathered in Albuquerque on Oct. 13 in protest. Organized by the grassroot campaign Stop the Stadium, workers and residents spoke out about the issues of gentrification with the stadium that would heavily impact the Barelas and South Broadway neighborhoods. While many that support that bond speak about the positive economic situation it will bring to Albuquerque, there is major contention is the fact that a majority of the funding is publicly financed.

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The evolution of language within the LGBTQ+ community

Emma Trevino | October 11

Language is ever-changing, and this is especially true in the LGBTQ+ community. Words, phrases and acronyms have been evolving for decades in response to the call for more inclusive language and taking back a once persecuted identity. In the past decade or so, there’s been a noticeable addition of the word ‘queer’ as an identifier for many in the LGBTQ+ community. The addition of the “Q” (queer) has different implications than the addition of the “B” (bisexual) or the “T” (transgender) because, according to sociolinguistic researcher Remy Attig, who holds a doctorate in Spanish, the word ‘queer’ means two things: an umbrella term for sexuality and an anti-establishment group.

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Crowd rallies for missing and murdered Indigenous women

Hevyn Heckes | October 5

Dozens of Indigenous families, individuals and allies gathered on Sunday, Oct. 3 at Tiguex Park to march for awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The rally featured stories and testimonies from a broad range of people affected by the staggering number of missing and murdered Indigenous people whose cases remain unsolved. Speakers highlighted the apathetic attitudes of law enforcement and the structural ineptitudes of federal, state and tribal agencies to cooperate and share investigative responsibility. In addition, attendees brought up victim-blaming and shaming as barriers to achieving justice for missing Indigenous people.

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Dual credit high school students exempted from UNM vaccination requirement

Zara Roy | October 4

With the COVID-19 vaccination deadline now behind University of New Mexico students, staff and faculty, an additional exception to the medical and religion exemptions remains: dual-credit high school students. These students will be allowed to continue at UNM and on its campuses regardless of vaccination status, and they will not be subject to the same disciplinary action as full-time UNM students. “(High school) students should follow the vaccination policies of their school districts,” Provost James Holloway wrote in an email to the UNM branch chancellors on Aug. 16.

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Women's March calls for reproductive justice

Maddie Pukite and Elizabeth Secor | October 3

On Saturday, Oct. 2, New Mexico affiliates of the Women's March organization held a rally and march for reproductive justice in Tiguex Park. This was part of a wave of marches hosted by the Women's March across the nation to protest the restrictive abortion bill that went into effect in Texas in August. The Women’s March has been hosting marches every January since Trump’s inauguration. However, this year's march was held several months early because of recent legislation in Texas concerning Senate Bill 8, which places a ban on abortions after six weeks and allows citizens to sue those who have an illegal abortion and those affiliated with the abortion.

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Albuquerque mayoral forum highlights candidates’ political stances

Maddie Pukite | September 28

On Monday, the New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative hosted a forum in a non-debate setting for the current Albuquerque mayoral candidates where they shared their stances on current issues facing the city. Three of the four candidates running for the position were present, including current Mayor Tim Keller (D), Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III (D) and conservative talk show host Eddy Aragon (R). Write-in candidate Patrick Ben Sais (R) was not present at the event. A major point of discussion for the night was policing; candidates were asked about their stances on the Black Lives Matter movement, improvements they would make to the Albuquerque Police Department and what they saw as the source of the city’s “challenges to safety.”

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Refugee and Immigrant Well-being Project to accept more participants in spring

Megan Gleason | September 27

The Refugee and Immigrant Well-being Project (RIWP) at the University of New Mexico is a nine-month program that pairs undergraduate students with immigrant and refugee families that typically starts in August at the beginning of the fall semester. However, due to the current need of so many incoming families to New Mexico, the project will accept another cohort of students in January at the start of the spring semester as well, which will go into the summer semester. “We work with refugees and immigrants and we bring them together with UNM students to learn from each other — because there’s a lot that they can really learn from each other — and also work together to mobilize resources to help newcomers meet their goals,” Jessica Goodkind, founder of RIWP, said.

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Camping protesters call for continuation of national eviction moratorium

Dylan Haworth | September 26

As part of the nationwide movement to cancel rent and stop evictions, local protestors camped overnight outside of the Bernalillo Metropolitan Court from Friday, Sept. 24 to Saturday, Sept. 25 as part of the national days of protest by Cancel the Rents. The campout comes in reaction to the recent decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the national eviction moratorium that was enacted during the coronavirus pandemic. At the campout, organized in large part by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, around 20 activists were set up with tents, food and signs for the protest.

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Free entrance to national parks on Saturday, Sept. 25

Rebecca Hobart | September 23

In celebration of National Public Lands Day (NPLD) and to promote conservation efforts, the National Park Service is forgoing entry fees to sites across the country on Saturday, Sept. 25. For New Mexicans, this means you can take the day to visit any number of the highly-regarded public institutions in the state without cost, including Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, the beloved White Sands National Park and many others, according to the park service. Beyond New Mexico, there are more than 400 parks total in the park service's catalog, all of which are “fee-free” this Saturday.

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COVID-19 cases spur a series of shutdowns of in-person operations across campus

Zara Roy | September 22

The University of New Mexico’s Student Activities Center and their Student Government Accounting Office have made the decision to suspend in-person operations until Sunday, Sept. 26; similarly, UNM’s Greek life has placed a restriction on in-person activities until Friday, Sept. 24. These decisions came after confirmed COVID-19 cases within SAC, the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico and Greek life. Though these organizations have struggled to pinpoint a source for the recent cases, the two confirmed positive cases in ASUNM are believed to have resulted from students who tested positive then failed to follow up with Student Health and Counseling, according to ASUNM President Greg Romero.

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Albuquerque City Council eliminates bus fares city-wide

Maddie Pukite | September 21

On Monday, the Albuquerque City Council passed a pilot zero-fare bus program that will remove fares on all city buses for every passenger for the duration of a calendar year starting on January 1, 2022. To address concerns brought up in the three previous deferrals of the program, the Metro Security Division within the Department of Municipal Development gave a presentation regarding the program’s safety. They said there would be additional security measures implemented, including funding to add 10 more security officers to the transit department.

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New Mexico Green Amendment to enter next legislative session

Maddie Pukite | September 19

Environmental advocates in New Mexico are gearing up for the next legislative session in January, where they will aim to pass the Green Amendment for the second time in the New Mexico Senate. The amendment would establish a constitutional right to clean air and water, as well as preservation of the land for the state. The amendment as presented in the previous session said it would aim to protect “environmental rights, including the right to a clean and healthy environment and the right to the preservation of the environment, and directs the state to protect environmental resources for the benefit of all the people.” The idea for this amendment was first proposed by Maya K. Van Rossum.

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UNM ranks 99 in top public schools

Rebecca Hobart | September 16

The University of New Mexico was ranked in the top 100 public universities for the second consecutive year in a 2022 best colleges rankings report by U.S. News and World Report. This accomplishment, ranking 99 out of 100 schools, comes after a series of critical transitions for the University over the past few years, including the installment of President Garnett Stokes in 2018 as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Parents and students still look at and consider college rankings,” Vice President of Enrollment Management Dan García said. “A student who may not have considered UNM is going to see us listed (in the top 100 public universities) and dig in further, and that’s important.”

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UNM Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology sees patient increase after Texas abortion ban

Maddie Pukite | September 13

In light of the recent abortion ban in Texas, abortion providers in New Mexico have seen an influx of patients as many individuals travel across state lines to receive safe healthcare. The ban in Texas prohibits all abortions six weeks after the individual’s last menstrual cycle, which is before many people even know they are pregnant at all. The law also allows anyone in the state to enforce it; individuals can sue anyone aiding in the abortion process for up to $10,000. Eve Espey, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynocolgy at the University of New Mexico, spoke to the Daily Lobo about what the neighboring state’s ban means for abortion providers in New Mexico.

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City council defers zero bus fare and speed camera decisions

Maddie Pukite | September 13

At the Albuquerque city council meeting on Sept. 8, councilors voted to defer two key issues that would have individually eliminated local bus fares and placed traffic cameras to fine speeders in the city. The deferral of the zero bus fares amendment is the second time this specific action has been deferred; the first deferment happened on Aug. 2. The amendment would be a year-long pilot program that the city has already budgeted for and funded, allowing everyone who wishes to ride a city bus to do so free for a year. The deferral came after lots of debate in the meeting over the safety of the program and anti-homeless rhetoric.

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Injured turtle at Duck Pond dies after animal bite

Shelby Kleinhans | September 13

Freshman ReElle Snyder came across an injured turtle at the Duck Pond at the University of New Mexico on Aug. 27 who had a mangled hind leg that was actively bleeding. This wound, which was caused by an animal bite, eventually led to his death, and sparked questions about how the wildlife on campus is being taken care of. When Snyder found the turtle during a class scavenger hunt, the red-eared slider affectionately named ‘Ed’ continued suffering while she struggled to quickly find someone on campus who could provide care. Two hours after calling Bernalillo County Animal Services, an animal control officer arrived and carried Ed away in his makeshift home, a cardboard box.

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Grad worker union marches to president’s house

Maddie Pukite | September 7

The United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico held “Rally for Recognition” on Sept. 3 to call on the University to begin bargaining with them for their union rights. The event, which started near the Student Union Building, culminated in a march to UNM President Garnett Stokes’ house on campus to deliver a petition demanding that the University begin bargaining with the Union. The petition, which had approximately 2,000 signatures, was presented to office staff instead of Stokes, whom staff said was at a meeting and unavailable.

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New Mexico drought hinders agriculture industry

Rebecca Hobart | August 30

As increased greenhouse gases force warming and greater atmospheric retention of water in arid New Mexico, severe droughts follow. Farmers along the Rio Grande have felt the implications of less water and largely criticize regional laws and decisions that regulate state water usage for limiting access to irrigation. The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District board, which manages the water through dams, voted on Aug. 20 to curtail irrigation along the Rio Grande on Oct. 1. This was enacted even though the law honors Native American pueblo water rights and protects them from the shut-off, according to John Fleck, professor and director of the UNM Water Resources Program.

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Resident physicians continue to bargain with UNM for better benefits

Megan Gleason | August 29

Bargaining for fair work conditions is ongoing between the Committee of Interns and Residents and the University of New Mexico. This union, representing all intern and resident physicians who work for UNM, is entering its third month of contract negotiations with the University. CIR is an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union and has had a collective bargaining agreement with the University since 2007. These contract negotiations take place every three years to determine agreements on working conditions, including stipulations on salaries, benefits, supplies and more. The current agreement, which began on August 1, 2019, will expire on Aug. 31 this year.