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‘Wishful recycling’ leads to trash taking long, expensive route to the landfill

Maddie Pukite | January 19

The ubiquitous blue recycling bins seen around Albuquerque are being filled improperly, and city and community leaders are trying to correct course to a more sustainable future. According to the City of Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Department, 32% percent of what residents currently attempt to recycle is trash. This is worse than prior audits, where only 20% of the items placed into recycle bins was unrecyclable. The contamination of trash in United States recycling caused China — a major importer of recyclables — to completely stop accepting recyclables from the U.S. in 2018. The decision had a direct impact on how much recyclables are worth, according to Sarah Pierpont, the executive director of the New Mexico Recycling Coalition.

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UNM files to block graduate student union’s right to organize

Ana Straight | January 18

On Dec. 9, graduate student employees at the University of New Mexico officially filed for union recognition with the state Public Employees Labor Relations Board (PELRB). The grad student employees submitted signed cards from a supermajority (60%) of all UNM fall 2020 graduate student workers, and on Dec. 11 the executive director of the PELRB issued a letter finding the petition was “facially valid” and was “supported by a sufficient showing of interest.” In response, UNM filed a petition blocking the unionization request on two grounds: 1) that teaching, research and other graduate “assistants” are not actually employees and 2) if they are in fact employees, then their individual job descriptions are so vastly different that they cannot function as one bargaining unit.

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State Police, National Guard troops patrol Roundhouse in response to FBI warnings

Liam Debonis | January 18

New Mexico State Police and National Guard troops stood watch over the seat of New Mexico’s government in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Jan. 16. The increased security came in response to warnings of potential violence from the FBI ahead of the presidential inauguration on Wednesday. Following the deadly insurrection at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, the FBI cautioned that state capitols across the nation could see “armed protests'' in the days leading up to President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s swearing in, according to an internal bulletin obtained by ABC News.

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Alabama selected over New Mexico for Space Command HQ

Adam Evarts | January 15

ALBUQUERQUE — On Wednesday afternoon, Air Force officials announced the location of the permanent headquarters for the United States Space Command. Unfortunately, New Mexico’s Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) was not chosen. Sherman McCorkle, board member of the Kirtland Partnership Committee, told the Daily Lobo that Alabama’s Redstone Army Airfield was chosen as the site for the headquarters. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller isn’t giving up on the project, however. “By showcasing our space technology expertise and long history of government contracting, Albuquerque made it into the small group of finalists, but it’s no surprise the outgoing administration would make a politically-motivated decision on their way out the door,’ Keller said.

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More stimulus money for students, but timing remains uncertain

Liam Debonis | January 12

College students are set to receive a second round of direct payments through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) following the passage of a coronavirus stimulus package in December. In April of 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided $8.6 million to the University of New Mexico to be distributed as emergency relief grants for students. Undergraduate students were awarded a sum of either $465 or $779, depending on their expected family contribution. The recent stimulus package included renewed funding for the HEERF and once again directed that a portion of the funding be set aside by higher education institutions for grants to be paid directly to students to aid with pandemic-related hardships.

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State film office announces training program for intimacy coordinators

Dylan Haworth | January 12

The New Mexico Film Office has announced a new training program for intimacy coordinators, who serve as on-set mediators focused on decreasing sexual violence and maintaining a safe and supportive work environment for all actors and staff involved in simulated sex scenes. The new role on film crews emerged in the wake of the fight against workplace discrimination and exploitation in the entertainment industry. In a historically male-dominated field, there have been many cases of men committing sexual assault and using the industry’s toxic power structures to exploit talent and crew on set. The training program will take place over 16 weeks and cover topics ranging from consent, power dynamics, LGBTQ+ allyship, gender and sexuality literacy.

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State legislature poised to pass police reform bills

Nikita Jaiswal | January 11

After nearly a year of national uproar and calls for action sparked by the murder of George Floyd’s at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, law enforcement reform is on New Mexico’s spring legislative agenda for the 60-day session. “I anticipate at least six or eight bills dealing with police reform this session,” Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque and co-chair of the criminal justice reform subcommittee, said. Enraged by excessive police shootings and violence, hundreds of New Mexicans took to the streets last year calling attention to the reinvigorated Black Lives Matter movement and the need for change within police forces in the state, particularly the Albuquerque Police Department.

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Will NM legislators abolish qualified immunity?

Nikita Jaiswal | January 10

In the majority of police brutality cases, officers are not criminally prosecuted, and reform advocates contend that is in part because of something called “qualified immunity.” According to Merriam Webster, qualified immunity is “immunity from lawsuits that is granted to public officials (such as police officers) for acts that violate someone's civil rights if it can be shown that the acts do not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would be aware.”

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Trump loyalists decry election results at Roundhouse on Insurrection Day

Nicholas Romero | January 10

On the day the votes from the Electoral College were scheduled to be certified, recognizing Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election, New Mexican supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump took their cars, trucks and horses to the Roundhouse in Santa Fe to protest unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. The Jan. 6 protest came on the heels of a pro-Trump insurrection by far-right radicals at the U.S. Capitol building on the same day. Extremists stormed the halls of Congress and halted the Electoral College vote count with little resistance from Capitol police. The protests in Washington left five dead, and arrests continue to be made with a litany of federal charges facing the rioters.

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Natural hair gets thumbs up with passage of Albuquerque anti-hair discrimination amendment

Maddie Pukite | January 7

At the first Albuquerque City Council meeting of the calendar year, the governing body unanimously passed the CROWN Act, an amendment to the Albuquerque Human Rights Ordinance that will explicitly prohibit race-based hair discrimination. The amendment protects against the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or culturally-specific hairstyles, including braids, locs, twists or bantu knots. The CROWN Act, short for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, started with a national campaign created by Dove and the CROWN Coalition, which includes the National Urban League, Color of Change and the Western Center of Law and Poverty.

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Native American voters help flip the vote: UNM students weigh in

Hannah John | December 4

During the November election, Native American voters helped turn states like Arizona and Wisconsin blue with a record turnout. For some Native American students at UNM, this was their first time exercising their right to have a voice in the democratic process. “Yes, this was my first time voting,” Orion Martinez, a Navajo student and psychology major, said. “I am going to vote again because I realized how much power we have in contributing to our future, as well as for all younger generations who are not yet able to vote.”

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Tiny Home Village to have first five residents by end of the year

Beatrice Nisoli | December 2

Tiny Home Village — a transitional housing complex in Bernalillo County’s Albuquerque Indian Center — is scheduled to complete construction next month. The village is made up of 120 square foot micro-homes that aim to address the unhoused population’s need for affordable housing. According to the project’s website, the criteria for residence is “living at or below the 30% of Area Median Income (AMI) level and (agreeing) to pay no more than 30% of their income or a flat rate of $30 towards village maintenance.”

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Netflix to make Albuquerque production hub of North America

Dominic Banghart | November 24

The Albuquerque Development Commission (ADC) approved a request Monday from Netflix for an additional $24 million in Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) funds and a $500 million Industrial Revenue Bond (IRB). If approved by the Albuquerque City Council in early December, this would expand the Mesa del Sol campus by 300 acres and establish Albuquerque as the primary Netflix production site in North America.

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Mobile morgues serve as grim reminder as virus slams New Mexico health system

Nick Romero / @nicromerophoto / Daily Lobo | November 20

The “third wave” of COVID-19 has left New Mexico hospitals at maximum capacity as cases have grown at an exponential rate across the state. As of Thursday morning, five refrigerated trailers or “mobile morgues” were parked and operating in one of the parking lots of the University of New Mexico Hospital. These trailers were recently moved back to a parking lot near Camino De Salud and University and have been in operation since March. “As part of (UNMH’s influenza plan), the Office of the Medical Investigator has been provided with climate controlled storage options,” according to Mark Rudi, a UNM Health Sciences spokesperson. “These storage options have been utilized since the spring and are managed in a collaborative effort between OMI and the New Mexico Department of Health.”

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SHAC helps students cope with loss

Prestin Nikolai | November 19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students at the University of New Mexico have experienced a great deal of loss, whether the loss of a loved one, a relationship, loss of social life or activities, or even the loss of university life when they graduate and move on. In order to help students cope with these losses, Dr. Stephanie McIver, a clinical psychologist and counseling director at UNM’s Student Health and Counseling, recently hosted a workshop called “Coping With Endings.” The workshop aimed to help students understand the myriad of losses and endings they may experience and teach coping strategies to make a healthy transition to the next phase of their lives.

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As war on drugs winds down, New Mexico at a crossroads

Gabriel Biadora | November 18

Following the recent legislation in Oregon to decriminalize all drugs and other states like neighboring Arizona voting to legalize recreational marijuana, the focus in New Mexico has turned once again to the state’s policies in regard to illicit substances. Some are hopeful for a future with a harm-reduction approach as the beginning of the end of the war on drugs. “It’s the start of a new era,” a University of New Mexico student familiar with illicit substances, who requested to be referred to as AJ to protect his privacy, said. As psychoactive substances — like cannabis and psychedelics — are decriminalized at the state level, legalization advocates and some medical experts are hopeful more clinical research on the potential benefits these substances have will follow.

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Medication assisted treatment faces roadblocks in opioid addiction fight

Shelby Kleinhans | November 16

In light of the decriminalization of hard drugs in Oregon, New Mexicans may finally warm up to medication assisted treatment for substance abuse disorders. A recent study published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment found that “buprenorphine and methadone in particular reduce fatal opioid overdose rates by 50–70%, reduce illicit drug use, increase treatment retention and improve psychosocial outcomes.” While the D.A.R.E. campaign enthusiastically warned students about the dangers of drug use in the late 90’s, “pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers,” according to the National Institutes of Health.

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Agora Crisis Center celebrates 50th anniversary

Hannah John | November 16

The Agora Crisis Center, opened on the University of New Mexico’s campus in the 1970s, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. According to the Agora website, the crisis center was “one of the first crisis centers of its kind,” formed in response to a student who took their own life after unsuccessfully seeking help. The organization’s goal from its inception has been to provide an outlet for anyone who needs to talk to someone, with a focus on providing support to UNM students.

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KUNM news director and reporter Hannah Colton dies at 29

Andrew Gunn | November 11

The tight-knit journalism community in New Mexico lost a luminescent figure on Tuesday. Hannah Colton, the news director at KUNM and a pillar of the press corps in the state, died at the age of 29 on Nov. 10. The sense of loss was tremendous as the news of Colton’s passing was announced on KUNM on Wednesday night. “The KUNM community is heartbroken to say that news director Hannah Colton died earlier this week at age 29,” KUNM reporter and producer Marisa Demarco said. “She has been a brilliant news leader during the pandemic, guiding the team and editing stories about the virus, the calls to stop racist policing and the 2020 election.”

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City introduces pawnbroker ordinance in attempt to deter property crime

Maddie Pukite | November 11

On Monday Nov. 2, the Albuquerque City Council approved the Pawnbroker Ordinance — sponsored by Councillor Diane Gibson — in an attempt to crack down on the resale of stolen goods. As recently as 2017, the FBI listed Albuquerque as the city with the highest rate of property crime in the nation. Though rates have come down in recent years, the City of Albuquerque still reported 10,271 larceny or theft offenses in 2020 at the mid-year point. Albuquerque Police Department representatives said that the ordinance would address property crime rates by increasing the number of cases that are eligible for prosecution, increasing the conviction rates of cases sent to the District Attorney's Office and helping to recover stolen firearms.