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Medical cannabis lawsuit seeks to ensure insurance coverage

Maddie Pukite | June 20

Six medical cannabis patients and Ultra Health Dispensaries have filed a class-action lawsuit against health insurance providers in the state of New Mexico. The lawsuit would require health insurance companies to cover the entire cost of medical cannabis due to its use to treat trauma spectrum disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder. “Legislation was passed which very specifically says that any insurer who offers behavioral health care coverage in New Mexico shall offer it with no copay, co-insurance deductible, i.e. no co-share,” Ultra Health CEO Duke Rodriguez said.

Culture

Albuquerque celebrates Juneteenth

Natalie Jude | June 20

The city of Albuquerque celebrated Juneteenth this weekend in Civic Plaza with numerous speakers, musicians, community leaders and artists. Leading the organization of this event was Nichole Rodgers, the city of Albuquerque’s African American community and business liaison with the Office of Equity and Inclusion. City Council member Klarissa Peña helped introduce the festivities with a proclamation regarding the city’s celebration of Juneteenth and the need for continual support of the Black community.

Culture

‘Neptune Frost’ strikes a ‘unanimous gold mine’

Zara Roy | June 20

Released in the United States June 3, 2022, the Afrofuturist musical “Neptune Frost” is a singular delight, jam-packed with strong political motion, fantastical design elements and powerful, moving music; it is truly unlike anything I have ever watched before. The directorial debut of prolific musician and actor Saul Williams, co-directed by Anisia Uzeyman, “Neptune Frost” follows the interconnected stories of Neptune (Cherly Isheja and Elvis Ngabo) and Matalusa (Bertrand Ninteretse), a pair living under a dystopian totalitarian government known as the Authority whose tales intertwine when their meeting sets into motion an otherworldly technological force.

Culture

18-plus comedy club set to open in downtown Albuquerque

Spenser Willden | June 17

On Thursday, June 23, the Albuquerque comedy scene is set to grow richer with the opening of Dry Heat Comedy Club, a new club owned by comedian and former University of New Mexico student Sarah Kennedy and horror writer Kelli Trapnell. Kennedy and Trapnell, married, decided to rent and open the club together earlier this year, inspired by similar performer-owned spaces in Denver. Prior to this, Kennedy hosted a podcast titled “Comedy Ghost Town” in which she explored the reasons Albuquerque did not have a comedy club — when she started, she had no idea this was where her journey would end up.

Culture

Local community center provides safe haven for queer youth

Zara Roy | June 17

Just over a year after opening its doors, the New Mexico Black Cat Cultural & Community Center is paving paths for community members to find their passion for performance in an LGBTQ-friendly sober space. Partnering with a battery of other local nonprofits in the Albuquerque area, New Mexico Black Cat is working to provide a comprehensive curriculum in the arts to all.

Culture

‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ is a landmark of sapphic cinema

John Scott and Zara Roy | June 17

Released in 2019, Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire'' made waves during awards season, quickly achieving superstar status among crowds of cinephiles. With all of the hype that surrounded the film, it can be easy to forget just why the film has made a name as a queer cinematic classic. For the uninitiated, the film follows an artist, Marianne (Noémie Merlant), commissioned for a particularly difficult wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), who is set to marry a Milanese nobleman she has never met. Prior to the movie, Héloïse had already exhausted one painter by refusing to pose, so Marianne must paint her in secret; romance ensues.

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SHAC affirms voice and identity within trans communities

Natalie Jude | June 15

Through the school’s Student Health and Counseling service, the University of New Mexico is one of only 46 universities across the nation that offers gender-affirming vocal therapy, according to Speech Pathology Master’s Programs. The program follows the World Professional Association for Transgender Health standards of care to provide primarily voice feminization therapy to transfemininine women, as estrogen, unlike testosterone, cannot alter physical vocal composition; only vocal training or a glottoplasty can.

Culture

Sistine Chapel exhibition comes to Albuquerque

Spenser Willden | June 15

The renaissance arrived in full force in Albuquerque last Friday, June 10 with the opening of “Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” at Expo New Mexico’s Creative Arts Center. The exhibit, produced by SEE Global Entertainment Inc., brings life-sized replicas of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes to New Mexico. Since its inception, the exhibit has opened in 53 cities across the world. The goal of the exhibit is to allow those who may not be able to afford a trip to Rome the opportunity to connect with some of Michelangelo’s most iconic works, according to exhibit producer Tobias Lerman Matonte.

News

Students call for increased voter involvement in local, school elections

Natalie Jude | June 15

The unofficial results of the 2022 New Mexico primary elections were released after the election on Tuesday, June 7. Mark Ronchetti won the Rebublican primary and will face off against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who won the democratic primary unopposed. Just over 25% of registered voters cast their ballots in this year’s primaries. Nick Allen, an out-of-state New Student Orientation leader for the University of New Mexico, was pleased to witness the primaries and is happy with the unofficial results, despite the low voter turnout.

Culture

Albuquerque children talk summer fun

Natalie Jude and Spenser Willden | June 13

With the arrival of summer and the ushering in of warmer weather also brings about summer vacation for most students at the University of New Mexico. This summer, consider taking a page from the books of these children; take joy in the time that you have in this broad community with the people that you love.

Culture

Albuquerque families show their pride

Natalie Jude | June 13

Before, during and after Pride Month, conversations on LGBTQ+ rights and history remain relevant in conversations amongst family units. Families walking through the Albuquerque Pride Parade and festival on Saturday, June 11, expressed the importance of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, especially with their children, to ensure that they feel accepted at home. One Albuquerque parent, Celerah Hewes, brought her young daughter, Evie Rutledge, to Pride to celebrate the community and show her support for the community and current politicians who support LGBTQ+ rights.

News

Albuquerque Pride Parade: a celebration of liberation

Natalie Jude | June 13

On Saturday, June 11, hundreds of people gathered along Central Avenue in Albuquerque to celebrate Pride Month with the annual parade and festival. Featuring more than 70 floats and countless artworks, the event promoted unity through acceptance, respect and hope. Friends, volunteers, rainbow-decorated police officers and political figures joined in on the largest event of this year’s New Mexico Pride festivities to celebrate the broader LGBTQ+ community and the work it took to get here.

Culture

UNM filmmaker takes New Mexico by storm

Natalie Jude | June 10

Maliaq Kairaiuak is now entering her senior year at the University of New Mexico, having spent the last four years exploring the local film industry. In this time, she has worked a variety of roles on a handful of sets, even creating her own documentary last summer, titled “STEM’d From Our Ancestors,” which is currently making its way through the film festival circuit. Despite her great successes in the New Mexico documentary scene, Kairaiuak only recently took up an interest in film. Having had a career running cannabis corporations in Alaska, leaping to a new state to pursue a new career has been hard but good work, according to Kairaiuak.

News

Op-ed: Effects of oil and gas on New Mexicans’ health

Paige Knight | June 10

The natural beauty found throughout the Land of Enchantment has so much to offer our children while they grow and develop. Our youngest New Mexicans should also have equitable access to clean air and a healthy environment while they do so. But unfortunately, because so many families in our state live, work, and go to school near oil and gas facilities, that access is anything but equitable.

News

Redistricting Committee nears the end of the recommendation process

Maddie Pukite | June 10

The evening of Wednesday, June 8 saw Albuquerque’s redistricting committee meet for their penultimate meeting, continuing the redistricting process for the city. Members voted in favor of 2 new maps for consideration, one of which being an updated version of citizen map 3, along with what voting method they will use on maps at the next meeting. The “fairness for our future” map, which was adopted as citizen map 5, was presented by Keith Sánchez, a teacher and Ph.D. candidate in UNM’s Chicana and Chicano studies program. The map aims to support the west side of the city by adding 2 additional representatives and includes 4 Hispanic-majority districts.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Crimes of the Future’ is quintessential, classic Cronenberg

John Scott | June 8

“Surgery is the new sex,” says Kristen Stewart in the trailer for legendary body horror maestro David Crononberg’s latest film, “Crimes of the Future.” This line could easily be shoehorned into a number of Cronenberg’s films given his obsession with the intersection of technology and human desire. This doesn’t mean “Crimes” is simply a rehashing of old ideas, though — more accurately, the film sees Cronenberg doing what he does best surrounded by a cast and crew doing what they do best, too.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ spectacularly soars above the competition

Spenser Willden | June 8

The list of legacy sequels that outperform the quality and craft of their original movies welcomed a new member memorial day weekend with Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick” releasing in theaters across the world. With a careful story focusing primarily on character and relationships rather than franchise and easter eggs, Kosinski and screenwriters Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christpher McQuarrie created a film that builds on and lifts the original to greater heights.

News

ABQ group helps host first annual national gun buyback event

Maddie Pukite | June 8

New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, alongside faithbased groups and the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, will be hosting the first annual Guns to Gardens National Buyback Day, on Saturday, June 11 at La Mesa Presbyterian Church. Gun owners turning over guns will recieve gift cards to places like Target, Walmart and Amazon and all guns will be dismantled and turned into gardening tools, according to a press release from NMPGV.

News

Forest fires cause shutdowns in the Cibola National Forest

Maddie Pukite and Alizay Chavez | June 6

On May 19, the United States Forest Service issued a Stage 3 forest closure for the Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands, in effect until July 18 or until rescinded. The closure comes in response to the high fire danger in the forest and grasslands in a continued effort to combat and prevent wildfires across the state. “The primary reason for the Stage 3 forest closure is to protect human life, property and natural resources. Fire danger remains extreme with record conditions,” Cibola National Forest public affairs officer Patricia Johnson said.

News

Weed consumption increases empathy and friendliness, UNM study finds

Maddie Pukite | June 6

Researchers from the Medical Cannabis Research Fund at the University of New Mexico recently published a new study titled “Cannabis consumption and prosociality.” The study found that undergraduates at UNM who had levels of THC in their system, when compared to nonusers, showed more empathy, pro-social behaviors and moral decision making. The data shows the statistical magnitude in the differences between the two mean values of the results of the two respective groups.THC users all scored higher than nonusers in measures of prosocial relations, empathy, a moral foundation of harmlessness and a moral foundation of fairness; THC users did score lower in measures of in-group loyalty, though.