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How Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ could impact health care for New Mexicans

Elliott Wood | July 14

On July 4, President Donald Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a bill that could have major impacts for the people of New Mexico. The bill’s major items include extending tax cuts from Trump’s first term as president, which were previously due to expire at the end of the year, modifying eligibility requirements for Medicaid enrollees, changes to SNAP benefits, changes to student-loan repayment options and increased funding for border security.

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Affordable Housing in Albuquerque; what’s being done

Shin Thant Hlaing | July 9

Lack of affordable housing is a modern-day hydra in many American cities — Albuquerque is no exception. In 2022, the median affordable home price for a renter with a median household income was $163,000. The median home price in Albuquerque that year was $315,000, 93% more than the median affordable home price, according to the City of Albuquerque’s Housing Needs Assessment. The causes of this crisis range from income not keeping up with rent or property prices to low supply of properties available to people, according to Housing New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque.

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UNM archive reveals decades of clergy abuse

Dylan Anthony | July 2

On June 7, the University of New Mexico’s Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections released the first portion of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Institutional Abuse Collection. The documents include personnel files from 1968 to 2016 and depositions collected between 1991 and 2015. These materials show internal Church communications, reports of abuse and the response to decades of allegations from across the state.

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New Mexico National Guard starts assisting Albuquerque Police

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | June 30

On June 5, the New Mexico National Guard began assisting the Albuquerque Police Department with administrative tasks, according to a statement from APD Director of Communications, Gilbert Gallegos. In a statement to the Daily Lobo, Gallegos said the National Guard is helping with “non-law enforcement duties,” including monitoring surveillance cameras at the Real Time Crime Center and helping with scene perimeters. National guard members will not be on the University of New Mexico campus because they are working solely with APD, not UNMPD, according to Gallegos.

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Trump administration cuts LGBTQ+ youth crisis hotline

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | June 25

On July 17, the Trump administration will be shutting down a national suicide and crisis hotline intended to assist LGBTQ+ youth, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The service is provided as part of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and sometimes known as the press 3 option. It has routed nearly 1.3 million calls since its introduction in September 2022. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline will continue to operate without the subnetwork service. LGBTQ+ high school students are over three times more likely to have seriously considered suicide within the last year than cisgender and heterosexual students, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary and Trends Report.

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Hair braiders to be able to practice without a cosmetology license

Shin Thant Hlaing | June 20

Starting July 1, hair braiders will be exempt from the requirement of a cosmetology license to practice hair braiding due to the recently signed “Exempting Hair Braiding from Provisions of the Barbers and Cosmetologists Act.” Four State House Representatives — Rep. Janelle Anyanonu (D-Albuquerque), Rep. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque), Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Albuquerque) and Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Albuquerque) — sponsored the bill. The bill would open up the opportunity for many black people to start small businesses in New Mexico, stimulating the local economy, Herndon said.

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Thousands denounce Trump’s authoritarianism in ‘No Kings’ protest

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | June 16

On Saturday, June 14, a crowd of approximately 8,000 people braved the afternoon heat at Mariposa Basin Park to participate in a “No Kings” protest, organized by local groups including Albuquerque Indivisible and Third Act NM. The protest was part of a national movement of over 2,000 planned protests with over 5 million participants across the country, according to NPR. The protesters aimed to oppose what they see as an authoritarian turn by the Trump administration. The event occurred on the same day as a military parade in Washington, D.C., which celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday. The protest included music, poetry and multiple speeches, which crowds listened to before commencing in a march around the park. Rep. Melanie Stansbury and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller delivered keynote addresses.

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Protesters walk in solidarity with ‘Palestinian right of return’

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | June 16

On June 8, community members marched from the Rio Bravo Riverside Picnic Area to the Rail Yards Market to protest the Israeli blockade of all entrances to the Gaza Strip, where close to half a million people are facing acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death as of May 12, according to the World Health Organization. Protesters carrying signs with scenes from the war in Gaza took one lane along with vehicles supplied with hydration and medical supplies. When the walk concluded at the Rail Yards Market, protesters confronted and questioned Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller about Albuquerque's sister city relationship with Rehovot, Israel.

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Duck Pond to reopen in August

Shin Thant Hlaing | June 13

On Aug. 8, The University of New Mexico Duck Pond is expected to have its long-awaited grand opening that invites students into a lush and vibrant habitat teeming with aquatic life, according to UNM Facilities Design and Construction. The nine month long renovation project is expected to bring improvements in water quality, compliance with ADA guidelines and the return of most of the pond animals. The $4 million renovation project will keep character defining features — the shape of the pond, waterfall and fountains — unchanged from its 2006 condition, according to a Project Overview document provided to the Daily Lobo.

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Wildfire season begins in New Mexico

Maria Fernandez | June 9

Since April, New Mexico has been experiencing a wildfire season with nearly half the state listed in extreme drought intensity or higher, according to a June 3 U.S. Drought Monitor map. Drought symptoms have intensified across southwest New Mexico with fire activity increasing in late May, according to a national wildfire report released by the National Interagency Fire Center on June 1. Due to very dry fuel conditions in the shrubs and trees as well as above-average grass loading, the potential for significant fires is expected to be above normal across southwest and south central New Mexico in June, according to the report.

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Holloway leaves provost position

Elliott Wood | June 6

James Paul Holloway, previously theUniversity of New Mexico’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, was selected by the University of Toledo as its new president on May 22, according to an announcement from President Garnett Stokes. He’s set to begin his duties in the position on July 15. Holloway had been in the role of provost since 2019 after he was selected to replace the previous provost, Chaouki Abdallah, after Abdallah left to lead Georgia Tech’s research program the year prior.

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UNM increases student fees to strengthen Lobo Athletics

Shin Thant Hlaing | June 2

On May 20, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents approved a $45 increase in student fees per semester next year and an additional $60, totaling $105 per semester for undergraduates in two years, to fund UNM Athletics for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years. The fee increase is expected to address the athletics funding gaps between UNM and peer universities in the Mountain West Conference, according to a Board of Regents meeting summary document.

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UNM cybersecurity team responds to Western New Mexico hacking

Maria Fernandez | May 19

On April 13, Western New Mexico University's website and digital system were cyberattacked, leading to a two-week disruption in web-based services, including Canvas, the WNMU website, and the University's email system. In the following weeks, news sources including Searchlight New Mexico and Source New Mexico began reporting that a group of foreign hackers, who identified themselves as “Qilin” in messages displayed on University computers, had taken WNMU’s web services hostage, crippling the University’s ability to process payroll, internet access on campus and jeopardizing sensitive employee information.

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NM public media risks losing millions in federal funding following executive order

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | May 12

On May 1, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a publicly funded nonprofit that supports public broadcasting, to cease federal funding for National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service due to the networks not presenting a “fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens,” the order reads. The CPB distributes taxpayer money to member stations of PBS and NPR, according to its website. This includes Albuquerque-based PBS member station KNME, as well as NPR affiliate KUNM.

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UNM post-docs forewarn threats to research at Stand Up for Science event

Danielle Prokop | May 12

On the last day of classes for the spring semester, organizers for the New Mexico Stand Up for Science tabled at the University of New Mexico, asking more students to join efforts to protest White House efforts to dismantle funding mechanisms for science research. “The intent really is to make sure that people don’t lose steam throughout the summer,” said Nina Christie, a post-doctoral researcher studying substance use. The group is part of a national movement seeking an expansion of research science funding and reinstating research cuts under anti-diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

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Elizabeth Secor graduates with leadership and journalistic skills

Shin Thant Hlaing | May 12

Student journalist Elizabeth Secor has touched most bases when it comes to journalism as an undergraduate. A former multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo, a former editor for New Mexico News Port and a member of The New York Times Corp mentorship program, Secor is graduating this semester with a bachelor’s degree in journalism & mass communication and a minor in professional writing. Secor started writing for the Daily Lobo her freshman year and served as the multimedia editor from January to June 2023. “I’ve always enjoyed being able to write,” Secor said. “In college, unless you’re getting internships, it’s kind of hard to go find stories and be able to write for a publication.”

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Marcela Johnson cultivates community through journalism

Isaac Suarez Flint | May 12

Four years ago, Marcela Johnson walked into the newsroom of her hometown’s newspaper, The Silver City Daily Press, as a summer intern with little interest in journalism and an undeclared college major. Now, four years later, she is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism & mass communication with a distinction in Honors from the University of New Mexico. Johnson has spent three of the last four years at the Daily Lobo as a reporter, making her way up to the senior reporter position. Beyond the Daily Lobo, she has served as the editor-in-chief of Limina: UNM Nonfiction Review, an Honors Pathmaker mentor and as a member of the Association for Jotería, Arts, Activism and Scholarship (AJAAS). Within each of her commitments, Johnson has demonstrated her deep devotion to community.

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Outgoing Daily Lobo editor-in-chief holds power to account

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | May 12

After almost two years of reporting, Lily Alexander will hang up her Lobo News cap in exchange for a graduation cap as she retires from her position as editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. Alexander joined the paper in August 2023 as a freelance reporter, quickly got promoted to a beat reporter and then to news editor in November 2023 before being elected editor-in-chief and assuming the role in May 2024. She graduates this spring from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree in journalism & mass communication to accompany her wealth of experience, collection of invaluable friendships and numerous awards won for her reporting.

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Lauren Lifke signs off

Nate Bernard | May 12

After three years chasing answers from University officials, searching through crime data and helping steer the Daily Lobo newsroom through an era of change, Daily Lobo Managing Editor Lauren Lifke is graduating with a bachelor's degree in journalism & mass communication and signing off. Known for her data-driven reporting, dark humor and fun little beverage in hand, Lifke leaves a legacy of accountability journalism and mentorship that helped reshape how student journalists cover the University of New Mexico. Lifke first joined the Daily Lobo her sophomore year with a piece for the 2023 satire issue — a fake article about celebrating Women’s history month by offering free hysterectomies in front of Chick-Fil-A at the UNM Student Union Building.

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PATS increases parking permit rates

Maria Fernandez | May 5

On Tuesday, April 29, University New Mexico Parking and Transportation Services held a virtual town hall to alert students and faculty about permit price increases and changes to parking lots as UNM moves forward with construction on two new facilities on campus. Motorized two-wheel vehicle passes, pay stations and ParkMobile costs will not increase. Student commuter and proximity parking permit costs will rise $12, student structure parking $27, and campus resident passes will cost $19.50 more.