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Bill blocking health care for LGTBQ+ population dies in committee

Sarah Bodkin | March 12

New Mexico state Senator Gregg Schmedes, R- Tijeras, introduced the “Health Care Workers Protection Act” (SB 323) as a way to give health care professionals the power to discriminate against their patients, although the bill died soon after its proposal. The bill was heard in the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee on March 10, and was tabled. The only motion to oppose the move to table the bill was by the bill’s sponsor, Schmedes. The bill would have allowed healthcare workers and institutions to refuse any health care service that violates their “ethical, philosophical, moral or religious beliefs or principles.”

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Discriminatory bill targeting trans women athletes dies in committee

Shelby Kleinhans | March 12

Across the country, states continue to take action to ban trans girls from participating in women’s sports. Earlier this week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem confirmed she will sign such a bill, while New Mexico’s version of the bill, “Women’s Sports Protection Act” (House Bill 304), died in committee just a few weeks ago. HB 304 failed in the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee (HCPAC) on Feb. 26 after it was introduced eight days earlier. The bill was sponsored by a cadre of Republicans: Zachary Cook, R- Ruidoso, Rod Montoya, R- Velarde, James Townsend, R- Artesia, Rachel Black, R- Alamogordo and Stefani Lord, R- Sandia Park.

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Romero, Regalado take ASUNM election in decisive win

Hevyn Heckes | March 10

On Wednesday, Greg Romero and Ryan Regalado were elected ASUNM president and vice president for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. The election marked another abysmally low voter turnout for the University of New Mexico, with only 874 voters (5.2%) out of a total of 16,662 eligible undergraduates participating in the election. Romero received 341 votes, beating his closest opponent by more than seven percentage points: an impressive margin, given the four-way race. Regalado garnered almost the same number at 329, taking 37% of the vote.

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ABQ alt-weekly publishes controversial tobacco ad in Black History Month issue

Maddie Pukite | March 9

On Feb. 18, Albuquerque’s newly minted alt-weekly The Paper published a “Being Black in NM'' special issue for Black History Month. The issue was intended to be a space to highlight Black voices, but featured a full-page advertisement from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. “This week, we asked our regular journalists and contributors to take a step back and give their space to Black writers, organizers and businesses to share their perspective on being Black in New Mexico,” the introduction to the special edition said. However, the issue featured a full page ad for R.J. Reynold’s Lucky Cigarettes, which has a legacy of being sued for participating in mass genocide because of the company’s historic involvement with the slave trade.

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UNM women’s golf team continues to score on and off the course

Gino Gutierrez | March 9

The University of New Mexico women’s golf team has been one of the most successful athletic and academic programs the university has seen over the past 10 years. With this past semester taken into consideration, the team has achieved a 3.9 GPA or higher for four consecutive semesters, 18 semesters of a 3.5 or higher GPA and 36 semesters of a 3.0 GPA or higher. The only thing more consistent than the academic success is head coach Jill Trujillo. Trujillo has led the women’s golf program for the past 14 years, and in that time, she has transformed it into a model of athletic and academic excellence.

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Albuquerque invests in electric buses, and calls for transit equity

Maddie Pukite | March 9

Albuquerque Ride introduced its first electric bus on Jan. 30. This was a part of Mayor Tim Keller’s pre-pandemic plan to move Albuquerque to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. Rick De Reyes, a public information officer at ABQ Ride said, “This is part of Mayor Keller and the city’s overall plan to make Albuquerque a 100 percent renewable energy city by 2030. The city had already planned before the pandemic to lease one electric bus before the purchase, in order to test it out on Albuquerque’s roadways.” Nathen Begay is an advanced public lands transportation fellow at the Valle de Oro national wildlife refuge. Begay has advocated for improvements in public transit in Albuquerque in the past and looks forward to an eco-friendly transit system.

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ASUNM presidential election kicks off

Lissa Knudsen and Hevyn Heckes | March 7

This year’s ASUNM election is anything but business as usual. Presidential and vice-presidential candidates have presented diverse and comprehensive platforms that moved beyond empty platitudes. With the events of the past year fresh in their minds, the candidates outlined their strategies for tackling the biggest issues still plaguing the UNM community. Undergraduates can vote online beginning on Monday March 8 by going to their myUNM student portal and selecting two of eight candidates — four running for president and four running for vice president. Each position is elected separately as opposed to one united slate.

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Lobos lock up No. 1 seed in MW tournament after sweep

Jesus Mata | March 6

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team completed the sweep against Colorado State to not only clinch the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament, but also secure their first regular season title since 2005. The team held on to win with a final score of 71-62. New Mexico held a 38-32 advantage at halftime, with guard Ahlise Hurst leading the Lobos in scoring with 12 points. The team then came out the gates strong in the second half, scoring 10 points in the first two minutes of the third quarter. However, Colorado State tied the game at 58-58 with just over five minutes left in the game. UNM responded by outscoring the Rams 13-4 down the stretch, securing the win.

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‘Enough APD terror:’ Protesters call for abolition over reform

Gabriel Biadora | March 5

On Friday, Feb. 26, local activists and community members gathered at the Albuquerque Police Department’s downtown headquarters to march for the abolishment of the heavily scrutinized force. They stood on the police department’s steps as they delivered their speeches to a crowd of about 70 people. The demonstration took place nine years to the day after Trayvon Martin was killed by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman and was organized by Fight For Our Lives Albuquerque (FFOL) — a local youth-led organization — All African People’s Revolutionary Party, Power Through Peace, Save the Kids from Incarceration and Allied People's Coalition. Jennifer Marley, of the Indigenous liberation organization Red Nation, recounted the 2014 police killing of James Boyd and castigated APD’s consistent brutalization of people of color and marginalized populations.

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Lobos romp 68-55 in first ABQ game in over a year

Jesus Mata | March 5

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team beat Colorado State 68-55 in the Lobos’ first official home game of the season at the Pit on Thursday, March 4. The team can clinch the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Conference tournament with a win against CSU on March 5 in the final game of the regular season. The Lobos took sole possession of first place in the conference with the victory. The Lobos had five players that scored in double figures, contributing all but four of the team’s total 68 points. Junior forward Shaiquel McGruder led UNM with 16 points, while senior guard Antonia Anderson brought down 11 rebounds.

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New Mexico film industry works to eradicate sexism

Hannah John | March 4

Sexism in the film industry has been ubiquitous since its inception. The #MeToo movement helped shed light on the experiences of actors and other women in the film industry who have been taken advantage of by men or not given the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Amber Dodson, the director of the New Mexico Film Office, has been working toward making the New Mexico film industry more inclusive for women. "After more research and talking to intimacy coordinators and directors and producers who have worked with (them), it became crystal clear that this was something we need to have in New Mexico," Dodson said in an interview with Southwest Contemporary. "(It's) something that we should put our Workforce Development Funds behind, something that we should get New Mexicans trained up to participate in and to help foster this new role, and to help New Mexico be a leader in the next era."

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Four students vying for ASUNM president

Lissa Knudsen | March 2

On March 8, undergraduate students can log onto their myUNM account to vote for one of four candidates running to lead the University of New Mexico’s undergraduate student government. The voting period will end at 5 p.m. on March 10. Noah Dowling-Lujan, Ricardo Hill, Jacob Olaguir and Greg Romero are the four candidates vying for the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico presidency this year, alongside their respective vice presidential running mates. Although the pairs are running coordinated campaigns — known as slates — students can vote for any combination of candidates. Earlier this week, the candidates held an online debate where they introduced themselves and described their platforms. A recording of that debate is available on the UNM Student Activities Center Youtube account.

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Return to the Pit: UNM women’s basketball comes home

Jesus Mata | March 2

For the first time this season, the UNM women’s basketball team will take the floor at the Pit for two home games as they welcome Colorado State on March 4-5 for the final two-game series of the season. Both games will be played at 5 p.m. and broadcast on the Mountain West Network, according to UNM Athletics. Sitting at a 12-3 record, a sweep of the series would catapult UNM into the top seed for the upcoming Mountain West Conference tournament — a favorable position for the team if they hope to take home the championship.

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UNM alum helps connect the New Mexico aerospace industry

Adam Evarts | March 2

Casey DeRaad sits at her desk. Behind her are pictures of her family and a company plaque that reads "NewSpace New Mexico," and in front of her is her laptop with Zoom loaded up. It's time for DeRaad's "Third Thursday Tech Talk," where NewSpace connects with representatives from other aerospace companies to share insights and new developments in the burgeoning industry. This is the idea behind NewSpace New Mexico: to connect New Mexico aerospace companies with one another in order to facilitate mutually beneficial relationships.

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UNM women’s soccer coach scores big with national role

Shelby Kleinhans | March 2

Heather Dyche has lived and breathed soccer for as long as she can remember, and after years of dedication to the field she was elected to the Board of Directors for the United Soccer Coaches, creating another avenue for her to share her passion with others. According to the United Soccer Coaches' website, the organization's goals are "to promote the game of soccer, generate greater publicity for the sport and improve teaching of the game through soccer clinics as well as research and evaluation of coaching of the sport." Dyche said the group oversees collegiate soccer, youth soccer and soccer for people with disabilities, but their focus on advocacy and trying to help people sets them apart from other organizations.

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Jennifer King: Breaking barriers in the NFL

Jesus Mata | March 2

The Washington Football Team made history on Jan. 26 when they announced that Jennifer King was promoted to assistant running backs coach, making her the first Black woman to hold a full-time coaching position in the NFL. Prior to her stint in Washington, King was an offensive assistant at Dartmouth College, interned during multiple offseasons with the Carolina Panthers and was a seven-time All-American quarterback and wide receiver playing for the Carolina Phoenix, a women's tackle football team, from 2006-17. During the 2020 season, King worked as a full-year coaching intern and is credited with helping develop the team's running back corps with the offensive staff and running backs coach Randy Jordan. Under King and Jordan, Washington's running backs totaled 423 rushing attempts for 1,697 yards and 20 touchdowns.

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UNM advocacy group fights for lower campus sexual assault rate

Lissa Knudsen | February 28

Reports of sexual violence in on-campus housing at the University of New Mexico — including rape, dating violence and stalking — increased dramatically in 2019, according to the 2020 UNM main campus Clery Act report released last November. According to the data, there were 17 reported rapes in on-campus housing out of 23 campus-wide in 2019, marking a 21% increase from the year before. During the same period, reports of dating violence increased from 16 to 30, and stalking cases increased from 36 to 45.

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New Mexico abortion ban repealed

Sarah Bodkin | February 28

The bill to repeal New Mexico's 1969 abortion ban (Senate Bill 10) was signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday, Feb. 26. The repeal adds an extra layer of protection for abortion health care in the state in case Roe v. Wade is overturned by the right-leaning Supreme Court. "Anyone who seeks to violate bodily integrity, or to criminalize womanhood, is in the business of dehumanization. New Mexico is not in that business — not any more," Lujan Grisham said in a press release announcing the repeal. Many supporters of the bill, including Lujan Grisham, believe that ensuring protections for abortion rights in New Mexico will save the lives of people seeking abortion care.

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UNM plans fall return to campus

Spencer Butler | February 27

A faculty-wide memo released by the University of New Mexico provost’s office on Feb. 26 said that while the University can’t predict the future status of the public health crisis in the U.S., fall semester classes will likely be held in person. “The fall 2021 face-to-face experience might still involve some ongoing precautions such as mask wearing, directional signage, symptom checking and continued disinfection in classrooms and other University spaces such as research laboratories, offices and libraries,” the office of provost James Holloway wrote.

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Rural, small K-12 schools begin in-person instruction while urban institutions remain remote

Jasmine Casillas | February 25

On Feb. 17, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education voted “no” on a voluntary re-entry plan that would allow students and teachers the choice to return to in-person learning. Had the plan passed, Albuquerque teachers would have been expected to be back in the classroom by Feb. 22. Elementary students would have been allowed to return on March 1, and secondary education students March 8. The motion failed on a tight 4 to 3 vote.