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UNM biology student looks to lead in conservation efforts

  With a lifelong commitment and passion for protecting public lands in hand, University of New Mexico senior Kai Hollenberg embraces the challenges of conservation. As a biology major with a focus in conservation who serves as the president of the UNM Wilderness Alliance, her ongoing work with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service as well as opportunities to address pressing environmental concerns across the country has prepared Hollenberg for a life of service in the conservation sector. “When I think about how much time the average human spends working, I really want it to be for something I believe in,” Hollenberg said. “Conservation and the health of our planet is definitely at the top of that list for me.”

Comics November 8, 2021

REVIEW: ‘Antlers’ is no fawn

  If you’re looking for a 100-minute long disappointment, a ticket to see “Antlers” is the way to go. From the underwhelming acting of Keri Russell (Julia Weaver) and Jesse Plemons (Paul Weaver) to the excessive gore and misguided use of Native stories, this movie is a bust if there ever was one. Directed by Scott Cooper and produced by Guillermo del Toro, “Antlers” is a horror-drama about drug use and the Native legend of the Wendigo from the perspectives of a child and his teacher. This film attempts to draw parallels between addicts and monsters, but fails miserably in every way. 

Daily Lobo wins 5 NMPA awards

  The Daily Lobo took home five awards from the New Mexico Press Association’s 2021 Better Newspaper Contest as a Weekly Class 1 news outlet. Entries from July 2020 to June 2021 were judged by the Utah Press Association. In addition, two Lobo staff members were selected among five total New Mexico students to report at NMPA’s pilot College Journalism Workshop at the 112th annual NMPA convention from Oct. 29-30. Beat reporter Gabriel Biadora and multimedia editor Shelby Kleinhans won first place in News Writing for their coverage of unhoused Indigenous woman Jolene Nez’s arrest and subsequent death in Albuquerque.

Silent Lights: A raving success

  In a sea of red, blue and green headphones inside Johnson Center, students raved to seemingly inaudible sound and sang aloud to songs no onlooker could hear. Strobe lights pulsed to silent beats and a panel of DJs, all within feet of each other, spun records through the airwaves. The event, put on by the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico and aptly named “Silent Lights,” drew hundreds to the campus recreation center on Nov. 5 for the unique take on a homecoming dance. Control of the party was put in the hands of the partygoers, armed with wireless headphones featuring volume control and the ability to choose between three different music stations at a time.

UNM football crushed by formerly winless UNLV

  Over 14,000 people witnessed the Lobos football team’s devastating 31-17 loss to the previously winless University of Nevada, Las Vegas at University Stadium on Nov. 6. The Rebels’ win ended their 14-game losing streak, which had just become the longest in the nation earlier that day, and handed the Lobos their biggest setback of the season.  Led once again by quarterback Isaiah Chavez, starting in place of the still-injured Terry Wilson, the Lobos went 91 yards on 10 plays and scored a touchdown on a one-yard reception by wide receiver Trace Bruckler at the start of the game. Up 0-7, UNM forced a punt by UNLV on their opening possession and looked to extend their lead. 

REVIEW: ‘Spencer’ beautifully tells a story we already know

  This review contains spoilers The problems that I had with Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer,” the new Princess Diana biopic that was released today, walked into the theater with me. I suppose I was expecting a new vision of Diana Spencer or perhaps something that would comment more on the society that made her so beloved and so controversial. While I may have been disappointed by what Larraín chose not to do, what he does choose to do does fabulously well. This movie is the type of biopic that presents a short, highly consequential moment in the life of its subject, much like Larraín’s 2016 film “Jackie,” which chronicled a pivotal moment in Jackie Kennedy’s life.

City council approves Amazon lease at Sunport

On Wednesday, the Albuquerque city council unanimously approved a 10-year ground lease and development agreement between Amazon and the Albuquerque International Sunport. Amazon’s construction of a 31,000-square-foot air cargo facility and the expansion of the Sunport’s cargo apron are expected to be completed next August. Five acres of vacant land surrounding the Sunport will be leased to Amazon for the air cargo facility that will be completely funded by Amazon. The expansion of the cargo apron is also necessary so there is airside access to the facility. This will cost $11.4 million, $6.6 million of which has already been secured in federal funding, according to Albuquerque Director of Aviation Nyika Allen.

Keller reelected as mayor

  Incumbent Tim Keller was reelected as Albuquerque’s mayor on Nov. 2 after receiving 56% of votes and the highly contentious multi-purpose sports stadium bond failed with  65% of voters against it. Keller will start his second term on Jan. 1, 2022. “Albuquerque, tonight you made it clear that we will not face our challenges with fear tactics or false promises,” Keller said in his victory speech. “We will do it with grit and determination, and bold decisions — from the Gateway Center and the Metro Crime Initiative, to the new Community Safety department to being 100% renewable in just five years. Now in the next months and years we are going to dig deep to build the future of Albuquerque." 

REVIEW: Last Night in So-so: Edgar Wright’s new film proves underwhelming

  Edgar Wright’s latest film, “Last Night in Soho,'' has all of the glamorous edges of the 1960s London cultural scene it seeks to explore the underbelly of, but explores a hollow plot with half-baked themes slathered with Wright’s admittedly skillful knack for dazzling visual effects. The film follows the vintage London-obsessed Eloise “Ellie” Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) as her romanticization of the 1960s is tested. Feeling isolated from her peers at her new university, she moves into a boarding room where she is dragged from the modern day into ’60s London while she sleeps, forced to passively observe the downward spiral of struggling actress Alexandra “Sandie” Collins (Anya Taylor-Joy).

UNM distance runner shows promise

  Aliandrea Upshaw, a biology major, is a young member of the University of New Mexico women’s cross country team, which is ranked the No. 1 college women’s cross country team nationwide. Although she’s academically a sophomore, Upshaw is classified as a freshman athletically due to NCAA COVID-19 sports reclassifications. Upshaw is one of a number of underclassmen runners who hold the promise to continue UNM women’s cross country’s status as the University’s most decorated athletic program; in Friday’s Mountain West Cross Country Championship race, Upshaw was among the first seven finishers — all of whom were from UNM — and finished fifth.

UNM grad student studies ancient Indigenous group

  Jacque Kocer, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico, is working on a dissertation investigating ancient Indigenous peoples around Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Kocer is a native New Mexican and got her bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Davis on an athletic scholarship playing soccer. She majored in international relations and Spanish, not completely knowing where that would take her. After graduating, Kocer experienced gender inequity in “male-dominated, money-driven industries” at a small financial advisory company in Northern California, which was part of why she left. “I left in 2011 and walked away from this really unfulfilling but high-salary career, and I wanted to pursue this academic career in archaeology,” Kocer said.

Silent Lights moves indoors due to weather concerns

  Due to weather concerns, the University of New Mexico’s Silent Lights — a twist on a traditional homecoming dance — will be held indoors at Johnson Gym on Nov. 5, despite it being at an outdoor venue since its inception in 2016. Attendees will not be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, but only current UNM students will be allowed entry to the event. Students must show either their UNM ID or a government-issued ID along with their UNM ID number to get in, according to Rudy Montoya, student activities specialist. Guests are not allowed in, according Ethan Rule, director of marketing at University Communication and Marketing. 

Comics November 1, 2021

‘Mass’ seeks to find grace amid tragedy

  “Mass” (2021) is the directorial debut of Fran Kranz, who also wrote it, and the film is one of the most effective feats of drama that I have ever experienced. Its reflections on the tragic outcomes of a school shooting left me feeling bare, and yet, remarkably, not for one second did it feel exploitative. The movie boasts four of the best performances I’ve ever seen and its screenplay makes its characters feel devastatingly real. This isn’t a movie to go to in order to learn something, but if you feel open to an honest rumination on grief, guilt and grace, “Mass” is worth a watch.

UNM volleyball rallies to beat CSU

  The University of New Mexico volleyball team beat Colorado State University 3-1 on Saturday at Johnson Center. The win makes UNM 7-3 in conference and 16-6 overall. CSU came into the match No. 1 in the Mountain West Conference having only lost one conference match to California State University, Fresno on Sept. 30. UNM started the first set with a powerful kill from outside hitter Kali Wolf. The Lobos continued the assault, going up 7-1 before CSU was forced to call a time-out. The Rams managed to get their offense together but continued to have service errors and couldn’t dent the lead, calling another timeout at 18-11.

REVIEW: ‘The French Dispatch’ is the quintessential Wes Anderson film

  This review contains spoilers Immediately from the initial casting announcements of Wes Anderson’s latest feature, “The French Dispatch,” public expectations were high. With Anderson regulars like Owen Wilson and Bill Murray poised to go toe-to-toe with newcomers like Timothée Chalamet and Frances McDormand, the film was bound to be a success, which it mostly was. And while “The French Dispatch,” is, for the most part, a success, it still has its shortcomings. It’s Anderson’s most Anderson-like film to date, for better and for worse. The film follows the newspaper the French Dispatch and the publication of its final issue following the untimely death of its Editor-in-Chief Arthur Howitzer Jr., played by an exquisitely deadpan Murray. 

Joe Lee Dunn, former UNM head football coach, dies at age 75

  Former Lobos football head coach Joe Lee Dunn passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at the age of 75. Dunn was battling Alzheimer’s disease and passed away in his sleep at his home in Ohio. A defensive mastermind, Dunn served as head coach at the University of New Mexico from 1983-1986 after three seasons as an assistant coach and eight seasons as an assistant at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dunn then went on to a storied career as a defensive coordinator at several college programs. Dunn is widely recognized as the credited inventor of the attacking 3-3-5 scheme, also known as the spread defense, used commonly by high school and college programs such as the University of Michigan, Texas Christian University and Brigham Young University.

Oil, gas prices continue to rise as supply chain lags

  Gasoline in New Mexico is the most expensive it’s been in seven years and continues to rise. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the market for gasoline collapsed as demand plummeted. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has yet to fully recover production efforts though in-person commitments and adjacent demand for the product have largely resumed. The higher demand, limited supply and elevated crude oil prices have resulted in the increase of gas prices, according to American Automobile Association New Mexico spokesperson Daniel Armbruster. He said the statewide average cost per gallon throughout New Mexico is around $3.31, which fluctuates daily, and continues to increase each week. Armbruster said the price per gallon this time last year was around $2. 

Way OUT West Film Fest celebrates queer stories

The 19th annual Way OUT West Film Fest ran completely virtually from Oct. 15-24, marking the second year in a row it has done so because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike other film festivals that relegate LGBTQ+ content to a specific film genre, Way OUT West only features LGBTQ+ stories told and created by LGBTQ+ filmmakers.  More people than last year were able to “watch queer-flix and chill virtually” as the program for the festival suggests, since streaming access to most of the 88 feature length and short films expanded beyond New Mexico to reach attendees in Colorado, Arizona and Texas this year.