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The politics, impacts of legalized recreational cannabis and sales

  New Mexico is one of the most recent states to legalize cannabis recreationally, jumping on the bandwagon as the 17th state to legalize out of 18 so far. This recent move stems from decades-old political movements and increased acceptance of the drug on a local and national level. “I think over time, the science has evolved in a way and our attitudes have evolved in a way that (has) created political openings for legalizing marijuana at the state level … Legalization of marijuana has become a fairly popular thing,” said Timothy Krebs, University of New Mexico professor and department chair of political science.

Local cannabis growers are the ‘Carver B’s knees

  Carver Family Farm was the first micro producer of cannabis to gain their growing license. Now, it’s full steam ahead for business partners Andrew Brown, Erika Hartwick Brown and Mathew Muñoz as the April 1 start date for recreational cannabis sales has begun, and they open up their odorless storefront. Passionate about providing clean, organic cannabis, they settled on no-till organic growing as the best option for them in their own personal medical growth, according to Hartwick Brown. All of their product is currently grown in-house through the no-till organic method, including their flagship “Carver” strain, which Hartwick Brown said helps her personally with her migraines.

REVIEW: ‘Moon Knight’ premiere eclipsed by MCU staleness

  This review contains spoilers for episode 1 of “Moon Knight” and the “Moon Knight” comic books Since the show’s announcement in 2019 and following confirmation of Oscar Isaac’s casting in May 2021, anticipation for the Disney+ series “Moon Knight” has been steadily building for quite some time now. Personally, Moon Knight is my favorite comic book character and Isaac’s casting as well as the addition of Ethan Hawke as the villain sounded like a dream come true. After watching the premiere, though, I’m not sure that dream turned into reality.  The series premiere introduced us to Isaac’s Steven Grant, a museum gift shop working,  friendless loner who longs to be anywhere other than where he is. 

Family of community member killed by APD continues fight for justice

  Two years after the death of Valente Acosta-Bustillos, family members and community activists gathered together for a press conference on the morning of Wednesday, March 30 as well as a vigil later in the day to continue to call for the reopening of the investigation into Acosta-Bustillos’ death at the hands of two Albuquerque Police Department officers. Officers Joseph Bush and Edgar Sandoval were called for a wellness check on March 30, 2020 when Sandoval shot and killed Acosta-Bustillos in his own home following the discovery that Acosta-Bustillos had an outstanding warrant. 

Comics March 28, 2022

UNM student talks spring fashion

  University of New Mexico student Emma Harrison has always been interested in clothes and has taken her passion for fashion to the next level since beginning college, using her freedom as a means for increased creative expression. Harrison is currently studying design and technology for performance with a concentration in costuming and she shared the top five ways to jump into spring fashion with the Daily Lobo. Creativity Harrison is sad to see layers go with the colder weather leaving but finds that spring can create  opportunities for more creative piece play because of the adaptability of lighter garments. She’s excited to see how people experiment this season.

UNM student takes on American Ninja Warrior challenge

  University of New Mexico student Cassie Dierks will be competing for the third time through the American Ninja Warrior challenge course. Dierks previously competed in 2020 on season 12 and in 2021 on season 13. The course features intricate obstacles, including the infamous warp wall, which contestants must make their way through in an attempt to be first through the first of four courses to win the cash grand prize. In both of her past runs, Dierks has wiped out on the second obstacles, called “Lunatic Ledges” and “Overpass.” Going into her third competition, she has adopted a specific training policy to prevent repeating the same mistakes. 

REVIEW: Pixar's 'Turning Red' is a colorful exploration of family dynamics

  While I was thrilled that Pixar finally returned to making movies with more than one word in the title, I didn’t have much hope for “Turning Red” originally. After all, it’s hard to compete with the classics of the aughts. Despite this, I realized that the film actually leans into the viewer’s nostalgia to soothe the older viewer and draw them into the plot. I immediately enjoyed the setting, color scheme and animation of the movie. The protagonist, spunky Chinese Canadian Mei Lee, isn’t that awkward blend of hyperrealistic and cartoonish character design seen in films like “Encanto” and “Frozen.” 

LETTER: UNM admin needs to meet UA-UNM’s push for livable wages

  I am very pleased that the New Mexico State Legislature, in response to advocacy from the American Federation of Teachers of New Mexico, decided to include higher education employees in their mandated 3% pay raise and subsequent 4% raise for April and July, respectively. However, I am increasingly concerned that UNM’s administration is unwilling to meet in negotiations with our faculty union, United Academics of UNM (UA-UNM), to reach an agreement on the distribution of these funds to faculty, unless the negotiation sessions are closed to faculty observation, which violates our UA-UNM core values of transparency and inclusion. What are they afraid of, the light of day?

ABQ Backyard Refuge program sows homes for wildlife

  When one thinks of a city, wildlife is likely to be the last thing in the mind’s image. But the Albuquerque Backyard Refuge program aims to change that by increasing the presence of wildlife in the city by empowering residents to create sanctuaries for the living creatures who are native to the land.  Through the program, citizens transform their patios, balconies and lawns into diverse environments teeming with life. Residents whose yards meet the standards of the program can apply to certify their spaces as a backyard refuge. “The goal is to create a mosaic of habitats across the city,” said Laurel Ladwig, the program’s director and a graduate from UNM with a master’s in geography.

LETTER: New Mexico’s children deserve a landscape free of orphaned wells

  As proud New Mexicans, we know our state has the best scenery and natural beauty in the nation. While we want to keep it that way, that’s hard to when our landscape is dotted with old, pollution-spewing orphaned oil wells. With New Mexico being the second-largest oil-producing state in the country, we’ve been stuck with a multitude of orphaned wells. When the companies who drilled and profited from the wells don’t take responsibility for capping and cleaning them, the rest of us end up footing the bill.  The federal government is distributing money for orphaned well cleanup from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will be a big help. 

UNM women’s tennis falls to Air Force 4-0

  The University of New Mexico women’s tennis team lost to the United States Air Force Academy Falcons on Friday, March 25 in their first interconference match of the season. The Lobos are now on a three-match losing streak but still have a winning record of 9-4 on the season.  The Falcons have a record of 12-3 and are led by senior Vivian Glozman, who is undefeated this season with 11 straight wins. The Falcons got the upper hand early with their doubles matches. Lobos Maria Sodre and Yue Lin Chen lost 6-2 to Glozman and Karina Chao. 

Lobos softball team gets swept in home series against Utah State

  The University of New Mexico softball team suffered a string of tough losses after Utah State University swept the Lobos in a three-game series from Friday, March 25 to Sunday, March 27 at the Lobo Softball Field in Albuquerque. While the Lobos still have a solid record of 20-12 overall, they have had a rough start to their conference season and are sitting at 1-5 after playing San José State and Utah State.   The Lobos almost out-hit Utah State in Friday's game 7-8, and managed to out-hit them 11-7 during Saturday’s game, but Sunday’s game was another story. The Aggies out-hit the Lobos 12-6 and run-ruled the Lobos in the sixth inning. 

7 candidates vie for GPSA president

  Presidential elections for the University of New Mexico’s Graduate and Professional Student Association are being held from Monday, March 28 to Friday, April 1. On Tuesday, March 22, the seven presidential candidates — which are listed in ballot order in this article — met for an online forum highlighting their various platforms with goals ranging from better wages and benefits to equity to outreach and engagement. No. 1: Paul J. Tice Engineering student Paul Tice is running on the platform of Peace Engineering, which “works towards a world where prosperity, sustainability, social equity, entrepreneurship, transparency, community voice and engagement, and a culture of quality thrive,” according to UNM Newsroom.

LETTER: Youth tobacco prevention advocates inform key decision-makers

  No Minor Sale’s growing adult volunteer program, which has garnered strong participation among college students in New Mexico, continues to play a significant role in New Mexico’s youth tobacco prevention education efforts. In February, five No Minor Sale volunteers educated 15 state and local policymakers in New Mexico about their work with the campaign and specific issues in youth tobacco prevention. No Minor Sale’s second annual Take a Stand Day, an opportunity to connect with state legislators, took place on Feb. 2. No Minor Sale volunteers educated state legislators about the dangers of flavors, including menthol, in tobacco products such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and chew.

REVIEW: 2022 presents a weak slate of Oscar-nominated animated shorts

  The nominees for the 2022 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film showcase a weaker set of nominees than years previous. None of the shorts pushed the boundaries of animation particularly far with most being light on any kind of emotional substance. “Boxballet,” directed by Anton Dyakov “Boxballet” is a brilliant little short out of Russia and easily my favorite of the nominees. We follow a boxer, Evgeny, and a ballerina, Olya, after their initial meeting as they get to know each other and try to decide whether anything romantic might happen between them. Through a familiar story, “Boxballet” utilizes no dialogue, with the entire story being told through the animation and its visuals, culminating in a truly riveting experience.

Artist welcomed to UNM faculty, Albuquerque

  Delaney Moghanian is a filmmaker and musician who was brought on as a multimedia development specialist with the University of New Mexico’s Adobe Creative Campus. Moganian recently moved to Albuquerque from Los Angeles with her husband, Trevor Marcotte, to expand their production company, New Angeles Productions, and explore a different industry space. Following more than a decade of working mostly on others’ productions, Moghanian wanted to take a step toward independence in Albuquerque. “I’ve kind of been through the gamut in the industry,” Moghanian said. “My husband and I, we own our own production company so we do freelance work … The industry has been burgeoning here and there are lots of opportunities for filmmakers and creators.”

UNM English professor awarded 2022 Medieval Academy of America Article Prize

  University of New Mexico professor of English Nahir Otaño Gracia was presented with the 2022 Medieval Academy of America Article Prize in Critical Race Studies for her article “Towards a decentered Global North Atlantic: Blackness in Saga af Tristram ok Ísodd” on March 12 during the 97th Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America at the University of Virginia. Having initially been ostracized for her choice to study medievalism, Otaño Gracia was excited, albeit somewhat surprised, to receive the award. “When I started doing this work I was often told it wasn’t a real thing … or I wasn’t taken seriously … I was told, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t be here; maybe you shouldn’t be doing this work.’” 

LETTER: ASUNM provides voice to UNM students

  As students here at the University of New Mexico, there are many opportunities available throughout the campus and schedules to put forward your beliefs on how experiences can be made better and to put forward messages that you believe are important to share. With our undergraduate student government, the Associated Students of UNM, students are elected to use their perspectives and experiences to elevate those of their peers and represent the whole of the student body in many areas. It’s our pleasure to share that whether or not you serve in an elected or appointed position in student government currently, there are strong ways in which you can contribute to the process of communication and making positive changes that students can enact.

Comics March 21, 2022