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New Mexican-grown Capitol Christmas Tree makes way to D.C.

Luisa Pennington | November 18

Cut out of the Carson, the Capitol Hill Christmas tree is currently en route to Washington D.C. According to the Capitol Christmas Tree website, the tradition of the Capitol Christmas tree began in 1964. Each year since, the Capitol architect pairs with the United States Forest Service in order to provide Christmas trees for U.S. Capitol Building’s lawn. Capitol Christmas trees are selected from a variety of states. This year, a little piece of New Mexico will be represented in the country's capital. New Mexico has been awarded this honor only two times before.

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UNM GEO celebrates international education week

Beatrice Nisoli | November 18

The nation will collectively recognize International Education Week from Nov. 18 to 22. The week commemorates the significance of international education and exchange across the world and celebrates international students on university campuses, American students studying abroad and faculty members teaching and performing while traveling. The International Education Week initiative is government-sponsored and occurs annually, according to the UC Davis Global Affairs website. The International Education Week initiative has its own website, complete with promotional materials to be distributed in local communities.

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Update on UNM football player's death

Alanie Rael and Justin Garcia | November 13

Editor’s note: This updated story contains discussion of suicide. If you’re feeling suicidal, you are not alone. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit Student Health and Counseling at UNM. Nahje Flowers, 21, took his own life on Oct. 5, according to current and past friends of the University of New Mexico football player and Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos. University and Athletics spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment before this story was published. The story will be updated if they respond with a comment

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ASUNM holds final committee meetings of semester

Alyssa Martinez and Alex Heitt | November 13

Throughout the night, over $2,000 was appropriated, seven pieces of legislation were approved and final term senators gave goodbyes to their fellow committee members in the final Associated Students of the University of New Mexico committee meeting of the fall semester. Of the senators not returning in the spring, Wednesday night was Finance Chair Gregory Romero’s final. Romero notably co-authored the recent advocacy scholarship with Senator Ryan Regalado and Bill 6F, the original failed bill that would have raised student fees by $5.

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Campus observatory opened to public as Mercury transited the Sun

Amanda Britt | November 13

Mercury — the innermost planet in our solar system — crossed the sun’s path, a rare celestial event. This occurrence won’t happen again until 2032. Students, staff and the surrounding University of New Mexico community gathered at the University Campus Observatory Monday morning to witness the event. Although the time between Mercury's transits across the sun varies, it only happens 13 times in a century, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA. Mercury is only 1/194 the size of the Sun when observed from Earth. Observers need binoculars or a telescope with a certified sun filter to see it.

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ABQ sees an uptick in undocumented detainments

Alyssa Martinez | November 11

The City of Albuquerque has seen an uptick in immigration-related detainment in recent months, according to Mariela Ruiz-Angel, the coordinator of the city’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. “I think we’ve always seen a lot of detainment — maybe even 5 a month — but we’ve had about thirty plus just in the last month,” Ruiz-Angel said. Ruiz-Angel said although raids have not been happening in the city, “targeted” detainment across the state have become more prevalent compared to previous years.

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Cannabis legalization working group issues recommendations

Beatrice Nisoli | November 11

It has been nearly seven months since New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 406 into law. The bill allowed for medical cannabis in schools and licensed manufacturers to process home-grown medical cannabis. Now, the governor’s office announced they will introduce legalization legislation during the second session of the 54th Legislature in January 2020.

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Democracy Dollars failed in ABQ but money continues to be heavy influence in elections

Alyssa Martinez and Lissa Knudsen | November 11

Albuquerque voters weighed in on a ballot initiative designed to allow every Albuquerque resident a $25 “coupon” to donate to a local candidate of during 2019 municipal elections. The proposition ultimately failed by just 2,039 votes — approximately 2.5%. The goal of the “Democracy Dollars” proposition was straightforward — to increase minority electoral participation, to incentivize candidates to connect with the communities they serve, to pave the way for a more diverse candidate pool and to limit the influence of private funding in politics. The path to attaining these goals, however, was a bit more convoluted.

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Paul Roth announces retirement

Bianca Hoops | November 11

Paul Roth is planning to retire from the University of New Mexico after serving for 14 years as Chancellor for the UNM Health Sciences Center. Roth has also been the Dean for the School of Medicine for the past 26 years and the CEO of the UNM Health System. Roth has made several achievements during his time with UNMH, including helping set UNM’s emergency medicine residency program in motion. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Roth created a disaster relief team for the attacks on 9/11 and natural disasters. Roth is a board member of the Association of Academic Health Centers and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. He also served as chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Deans. Roth is the highest-paid employee at UNM with a salary of $676,127 for this year, according to the UNM sunshine portal.

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UNM Hospital expansion gains traction

Lissa Knudsen | November 10

Although it has been the works for over a decade, a University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) expansion may finally have the momentum it needs to become a reality. HDR Architects and FBT Architects, the firms selected to design the project, posted an announcement on their website which stated the "Replacement Hospital Master Development Plan" is "part of a multi-phase, multi-year project to design, construct and operate a new Modern Medical Facility."

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ART buses to begin service on November 30

Justin Garcia | November 10

The Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) bus system will begin running on Nov. 30, according to a City of Albuquerque announcement made on Friday. The controversial ART bus lines — which Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller previously called a “lemon” — runs from Unser Boulevard on the west side of the city to Tramway Boulevard near the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. The bus line is set to run buses seven to eight minutes apart from stations placed a half mile apart, according to the City of Albuquerque.

2014 election ballot features three General Obligation Bond questions.

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All general obligation bonds pass in city election

Colin Peña | November 7

During the Nov. 5 Albuquerque municipal election earlier this week, 12 general obligation bonds and two propositions on the ballot. In unofficial results — with all precincts reporting — all of the bonds passed by a 58% or greater margin. The results keep with past Albuquerque election trends that pass most General Obligation bonds. The bonds total $128.5 million towards services provided by the city. The bonds go towards various city maintenance and improvement projects for public transportation, parks, libraries and public safety buildings.

News

Life along the Rio Grande

Amanda Britt and Alex Hiett | November 7

Over the last century, human development and water diversion from the Rio Grande bosque to the Albuquerque community has greatly changed and diminished its natural ecosystem. Historically, the bosque has been a vast riparian forest of cottonwoods and wetlands — an oasis in the arid climate of New Mexico. The ecosystem was in a constant state of flux, and riverbanks could shift or separate within a single season. Periodic flooding reshaped and reinvigorated the environment, creating a dynamic and unique habitat for the plants and animals that called it home, according to National Geographic. The bosque used to stretch as far up as Old Town in Albuquerque, but human development in the river valley during the 20th century thinned the ecosystem. Water diversion projects in the post-war period, like the Cochiti and Abiquiú dams, further decimated the bosque’s vitality, the National Geographic article continued.

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ASUNM elects 10 new senators

Alyssa Martinez and Alex Hiett | November 7

1,053 students cast their votes during the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s (ASUNM) fall Senate election. Of the 20 candidates that ran, 10 first-time senators and one incumbent senator will take their seats in the Senate next semester. Constitutional Amendment 1 — which clarifies senate vacancy appointments — also passed. ASUNM President Adam Biederwolf said the highlight of the night was that they “diversified ASUNM.” “This incoming group of senators is going to be a lot different from the senators we’ve seen from years past,” Biederwolf said. “So many people talk about how ASUNM is so greek-oriented, and I think the numbers show for themselves that this incoming group really does impact every population on campus — and that’s all I really wanted going into this year (as President).”

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Groping on Central; Daily Lobo newsroom burglarized

Makayla Grijalva | November 4

The weekly crime briefs are to give the students, faculty and staff at the University of New Mexico a quick look into the crimes reported on campus. They do not provide all perspectives of the incident. All of the information is retrieved through UNM police department incident reports.

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Innovation Academy allows students to share app ideas

Bianca Hoops | November 4

The Lobo Rainforest Innovation Academy hosted student entrepreneurs who had the opportunity to pitch ideas in the hopes of winning money towards their creation. A total of $1,000 dollars was granted that day to the best 90-second pitch which was determined by the audience. The event took place In Bow and Arrow Brewing Co. and was filled with about 80 patrons supporting the ten pitch ideas.

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The name is bond, G/O bond

Andrew Gunn and Colin Peña | November 4

If past bond election performance is indicative of future results, the City of Albuquerque should rest easy come election day on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Put up to a vote every two years, general obligation (G/O) bonds are part of this year’s consolidated local election. School and college bonds for Albuquerque Public Schools and Central New Mexico Community College will be put to voters, and a measure to continue a property tax for APS building renovation and upkeep appears on the ballot. There is also a proposition that would drastically alter campaign finance, among other ballot items.

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ASUNM Senate election this week

Alex Heitt | November 4

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s fall election is here with twenty candidates vying for ten open seats on the undergraduate-student government senate. Voting takes place over the course of three days — Monday at 9 a.m. until Wednesday at 5 p.m. Voting can be cast through the myUNM website, however physical polling locations will be in the Student Union Building (SUB) on Tuesday and Wednesday. The most recent ASUNM senate election saw a relatively low turnout. The 2018 fall election had 1,048 students participate, or 6% of the fall 2018 undergraduates population. Additionally, only 961 students voted in the spring election earlier this year. Each of these elections had the lowest voter turnouts of the past seven years.

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Guide to City Council elections

Bianca Hoops | October 31

This year, voters within Albuquerque's District 6, which encapsulates the University of New Mexico, will decide between candidates Patrick Davis and Gina Naomi Dennis for a seat on the City Council. In interviews with the Daily Lobo, both candidates said they want UNM students to know that their vote can really make an impact on the community and the University as a whole.

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Johnson Center construction five months from completeion

Justin Garcia | October 31

From its barren skeleton in the spring 2019 semester, the new Johnson Center is beginning to take shape. The Johnson Center renovation and remodel — which began in June 2018 — is scheduled to wrap up in March 2020. The actual open-to-the-public date comes later in the spring, according to the communications and outreach specialist for the project, Sarah Scott. The two-year, $35 million renovation, remodel and expansion of the University of New Mexico’s recreation center is funded entirely by student fees. To pay for the multi-million dollar project, UNM received a bond from the New Mexico state government. To pay back that bond (along with other University debt), UNM has increased student fees 30% since fall 2015, when UNM first started requesting money for the project.