News - The Daily Lobo

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ASUNM, PATS launch long-awaited nighttime ‘LoboLift’ escort program

Elizabeth Bolke | January 26

LoboLift will run Monday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the last pickup at 10:45 p.m. When calling LoboLift, the dispatcher must verify the rider’s LoboID before a vehicle is sent to the pickup location, to ensure safety. Each LoboLift vehicle has a camera to provide security, and if there is suspicious activity, the LoboLift driver can relay that information directly to UNMPD via the vehicle’s radio. Each cart is driven by trained student employees with no services being provided across city streets.

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Protesters pressure lawmakers during NM legislature opening day

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | January 26

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, over 1,000 protesters marched throughout the chilly morning from Santa Fe Plaza to the New Mexico State Capitol on the opening day of this year’s legislative session and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s State of the State address. The march was organized by Youth United for Climate Crisis Action and sponsored by 25 organizations, including University of New Mexico Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight, New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition, New Energy Economy and Tewa Women United, according to a YUCCA press release. The protest was part of the “We Got Us” mass mobilization that aimed to “put forward a people-centered vision for the future, show up for one another in the face of systemic failure and make our movements’ collective power impossible to ignore,” the press release reads.

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Elected officials condemn Trump administration in Albuquerque ‘Free America Rally’

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | January 19

Hundreds gathered at Civic Plaza on Sunday, Jan. 18 to express their disapproval of President Donald Trump’s administration, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions, the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Trump’s “fascism,” according to the event flyer. Among those who spoke at the rally were New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D), New Mexico Women’s March Founder and Chair Samia Assed and community organizer Selinda Guerrero. Haaland was one of many rally speakers who encouraged attendees to vote in this year’s midterm elections.

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KUNM programming to increase focus on local news

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | January 19

New Mexico’s largest nonprofit newsroom and National Public Radio affiliate, KUNM, is proposing a new program schedule to shift more local news segments into primetime listening slots. The changes could go into effect this spring, pending a review by the KUNM Radio Board on Feb. 3. “The top line for us is more local news for the most people, that’s why we’re making a program change,” KUNM’s General Manager Jeff Pope said.

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Homeless shelter organizers speak on cold fighting $820k state grant

Penelope Loyd Sment | January 19

In a first for the New Mexico Office of Housing, a new grant program to prepare for winter emergencies was announced earlier this month, with $820,000 distributed to shelters across the state, giving a maximum amount of $20,000 to each homeless shelter. The funding seeks to help shelters prepare for the needs of people with unstable housing conditions during the winter by increasing the holding capacity of shelters and other living facilities and distributing greater amounts of warm food and drink, hygiene supplies including pads and tampons, and warm clothing, according to a New Mexico Department of Workplace Solutions press release.

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NM AG announces legislation to protect victims of AI deepfakes

Addison Fulton | January 19

On Thursday, Jan. 15, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and State Representative Linda Serrato (D-Santa Fe) announced legislation meant to curb the spread of harmful images generated by artificial intelligence. The legislation will be voted on during the upcoming legislative session, which begins on Jan. 20. The “Artificial Intelligence Accountability Act” would establish requirements that generative AI servers and social media platforms embed markers or “signatures” into images, allowing law enforcement to trace illegal AI generated content back to its source, as well as allow the New Mexico Department of Justice to investigate tech companies for infractions, Torrez said during a press conference at the New Mexico Department of Justice office in Albuquerque.

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Grad students seek statewide study on healthcare expansion for higher ed workers

Paloma Chapa | January 19

Members of United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico collaborated on a House Memorial that, if passed, would request the Legislative Finance Committee of the New Mexico Legislature launch a study on the feasibility of expanding health insurance to all higher education educators, including temporary part-time faculty and graduate student employees, according to the memorial. The report requested by the memorial would have a deadline of Oct. 1 of this year. The 2026 legislative session is set to begin on Jan. 20 and end on Feb. 19.

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UNM ARTSLab merges technology and art

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | January 19

Across University Boulevard from the University of New Mexico main campus sits the UNM ARTSLab, a place that many students have not entered, but likely noticed due to the large mural painted on the outside of the building. The ARTSLab provides technology and support to interdisciplinary research conducted within the College of Fine Arts, ARTSLab Director Stewart Skylar Copeland said. “We try to support and maintain cutting-edge equipment and technology that researchers can use and incorporate in the research they’re doing, and we support it and provide access to multiple users to that equipment,” Copeland said.

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Community reacts, hundreds march against U.S. strikes on Venezuela

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | January 12

Within 24 hours of the United States military incursion into Venezuela, code-named “Operation Absolute Resolve,” Albuquerque was among several cities across the country that saw protests against the attack. Hundreds marched from Robinson Park to Civic Plaza on Jan. 3, chanting “stop the U.S. war machine,” and "Venezuela isn’t yours.” On Jan. 3, the U.S. military launched airstrikes on the La Carlota military airbase in Caracas at 2 a.m. local time, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is now being held in federal jail in New York City awaiting trial, according to NPR.

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Lovo no longer a Lobo, Berryman named interim AD

Alex Joe | January 3

After just over one year as the University of New Mexico’s Vice President and Director of Athletics, Fernando Lovo has accepted a job to become the next Athletic Director for the University of Colorado Boulder. The CU Boulder Board of Regents unanimously approved the hire on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. The terms of Lovo’s contract span five years, keeping Lovo in Colorado through 2030. His new contract includes a base pay of $600,000 per year in addition to another $600,000 for media activities and community relations. During his time at UNM, Lovo’s contract had a base pay of $400,000 per year over a five-year term. Lovo may have to pay UNM approximately $800,000 as his contract states that he would owe 50% of his base salary for the remainder of the contract term if he were to terminate the contract.

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United Gradworkers call on law school to reinstate working hours

Paloma Chapa | December 9

During the University of New Mexico’s annual “Hanging of the Greens” on Friday Dec. 5, members of United Graduate Workers of UNM spoke with visitors and handed out petitions outside the UNM Bookstore, calling on the UNM School of Law to reverse a decision cutting graduate student working hours, which would make some law students ineligible for health Insurance. The petition seeks to reinstate the working hours for UNM third-year law student Cam Rosenberg, who developed chronic illness while attending law school. Rosenberg is potentially facing their 10-hour work week being reduced to six hours, which would take away their health benefits, according to the petition.

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Recent UNM graduate calls on local leaders during COP30

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | December 8

The Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change occurs every year in a selected country, during which the United Nations decision making body, represented by nations around the world, convenes with the aim of preventing ‘dangerous human interference with the climate system,” according to their website. This year, the UNFCCC was held in Belém, Brazil, where recent University of New Mexico alum Feleecia Guillen spoke at a press conference organized by US Climate Action Network at the convention, during which she called on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham after having spoken with her in-person at the convention.

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Most New Mexicans face barriers to local news, report finds

Alex Joe | December 8

Two-thirds of New Mexico residents say they do not have access to trustworthy local news, according to a new report by the New Mexico Local News Fund. On Saturday, Nov. 8, the NMLNF released their 2025 Local News Ecosystem Report, detailing choices that people around the state have for getting specialized or general news about their communities. Along with access, there are issues with a lack of staff, as 90% of news outlets statewide were found to have fewer than 10 full-time staff members, and 75% of news outlets statewide have fewer than five full-time staff members, according to the report.

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A snapshot of graduating photo editor Liliana Esparza

Addison Fulton | December 8

Anyone who gets the chance to visit the Backshop in Marron Hall, the beating heart of the Daily Lobo, may wonder about the image of Sabrina Carpenter pasted on the door, and the one on the other side of the door, and the one above the door. It’s all the handiwork of Liliana Esparza, Daily Lobo photo editor and University of New Mexico Fall 2025 graduate. She graduates this week with a Bachelor in Business Administration degree and a minor in Spanish. When Esparza began at the Lobo in 2023, she’d already been working as a photographer with the New Mexico United soccer team.

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Valeria Brenes shares passion for photography, movement and individualism

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | December 8

Valeria Brenes will be graduating this fall with a Bachelor of Arts degree, having majored in dance and psychology while at the University of New Mexico. Brenes is a freelance photographer for The Daily Lobo, and said that it was one of her favorite jobs she had while in college. Some of the other jobs she held while working towards her degree were as a lifeguard and as a Spanish-language interpreter, though she said she did not feel like either of those jobs made an “impact,” and she hopes to go into a job in which she can help vulnerable communities. Brenes also said she wants to continue her studies related to art and therapy, perhaps by applying to a master’s program in the future, though she hasn’t applied to any just yet.

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Lobo cartoonist ends a college career slinging paper, be it zine or news

Elliott Wood | December 8

For a year and half, X E Oaks has worked in two roles rarely acknowledged when the topic of newspapers comes up: cartoonist and paper delivery. On the latter, the soon-to-be graduate had nothing but praise. “(It’s) actually really so lovely and meditative,” Oaks said. “It’s like, wake up on Monday at 4:30, get ready, and then go and you have like two hours just completely alone, blasting tunes and driving around campus, and no one’s awake yet.” Oaks will be graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree this Fall.

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Bernalillo County participates in routine elections audit

Elliott Wood | December 1

On Monday, Nov. 24, election officials from Bernalillo County began their voting system check after last month's general election. A post-election audit is required by law for every county in the state and carried out in association with a third-party auditor. Zlotnik and Sandoval, the auditor hired by the state this year, assigned a set number of precincts to each county for review by hand-count. Due to the size of its population, Bernalillo County is typically assigned "the lion's share" of those precincts, Bernalillo County Bureau of Elections Administrator Nathan Jaramillo said. This year, 22 of 70 total precincts were selected from Bernalillo.

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Student orgs introduce roaming recycling cart at football tailgate

Penelope Loyd Sment | November 24

It is easy to imagine the type of waste that is generated at a University of New Mexico football tailgate, with aluminum cans, plastic bottles and cardboard usually sent directly to the landfill. This season, a group of students from environmentally-focused student organizations across campus are banding together to make recycling easier than ever for Lobo fans by debuting a roaming recycling cart at home tailgates. The cart began roaming on Nov. 15 at the Lobo football tailgate to collect and manage the recyclables people had on-hand during the event.

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University seeks community input on next UNM president

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | November 24

As the search for the next University of New Mexico president continues, members of the community were invited to give their input on what qualities they would like to see the next president embody. Held on Nov. 18 and 19 — the first in UNM’s Student Union Building, and the second in the Domenici Education Center on the Health and Sciences campus — staff, faculty, students and community members presented their perspectives on the investigation to members of the search firm Isaacson, Miller, which the University has contracted to conduct the search.

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State and Tribal leaders urge feds to keep Chaco Canyon protections

Addison Fulton | November 24

New Mexico delegation and local tribal leaders gathered to reaffirm their commitment to protecting public lands, firmly stating, “Chaco Canyon is not for sale.” On Friday, Nov. 21, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) hosted a press conference alongside Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D) and Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D), where Gov. Myron Armijo of Santa Ana Pueblo spoke at the Indian Pueblo Culture Center to discuss the U.S. Department of the Interior’s recent moves to repeal Public Land Order 7923, which protects land near Chaco Canyon, including a 10-mile buffer zone, from oil and gas development. In late October, President Donald Trump’s administration notified several tribal leaders about plans to revoke the 20-year ban on oil and gas development across roughly 336,000 federal lands near Chaco Canyon, according to The Associated Press.