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Culture

Who’s the fattest bear of them all?

Rodney Prunty | October 14

Fat Bear Week, an event held every year in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve to decide who the cutest and fattest bear is before they go into hibernation, kicked off its voting on Oct. 2. The event is a single-elimination tournament where the highest-voted bear gets to advance to the next round, according to Fat Bear Week’s website. This year, 12 bears competed against each other to be crowned the winner of Fat Bear Week. Notable matchups included 128 Grazer vs. 909Jr. on Oct. 4. Grazer, a mama bear and fan favorite, dominated this race with 73,018 votes, compared to 909Jr.’s 16,688. Grazer rode her dominant performance all the way to the championship, as she earned herself a spot.

Sports

UNM men’s basketball team prepares for the season

Izabella Kubiak-Reseigh | October 14

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team is gearing up for the 2024-25 season, looking to build on a successful previous year in which it claimed the title as Mountain West champion and made an NCAA tournament appearance. The Lobos have bolstered their roster over the off-season with potential key additions, including highly-touted recruits and experienced transfers.

News

Downtown sidewalk obstruction bill fails in City Council meeting

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | October 14

The Albuquerque City Council voted against a bill on Monday, Oct. 7 that would have banned obstructing sidewalks by sitting, laying or sleeping in certain areas of Downtown Albuquerque. Council bill O-24-42 aimed to benefit economic development in Downtown Albuquerque by restricting “visible homelessness” that could deter customers from local businesses, according to City Councilor Joaquín Baca. It would have imposed a $100 fine or community service for obstructing sidewalks. The bill also aimed to address vacant buildings. Baca, who sponsored the bill, was the only one to raise his hand when the Council voted on it; the bill failed 1-8.

News

UNM senior pushes for new crosswalk along Central Avenue

Shin Thant Hlaing | October 14

A senior at the University of New Mexico is spearheading an initiative to get a crosswalk installed on Central Avenue and Buena Vista Drive to minimize risky pedestrian crossing. Jackie Davis is a geography major who regularly crossed at the intersection of Central Avenue and Buena Vista Drive during her junior year. She saw that she wasn’t the only one crossing at the intersection, which doesn’t currently have a crosswalk. The two closest crosswalks are at Yale Boulevard to the east and University Boulevard to the west.

Culture

Balloon Fiesta celebrates the joy of flight

Izabella Kubiak-Reseigh | October 14

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta kicked off Oct. 5, filling the skies with vibrance as hundreds of hot air balloons took flight during the world’s largest ballooning event. The festival ran through Sunday, Oct. 13. Thousands of spectators gathered at Balloon Fiesta Park for the annual nine-day festival, which featured daily mass ascensions, “special shape” balloons and nighttime events. This year’s theme, “Embrace the Sky,” celebrated the joy of flight and community. Each morning during the Fiesta as dawn broke, the iconic sound of the balloonists’ burners filled the air. Some of the first balloons launched at 6 a.m., creating a panorama against the Sandia Mountains. Local families and tourists snapped photos, capturing the event's magic, which draws participants from around the globe.

News

UNM students hold walkout for Palestine

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | October 9

On Monday, Oct. 7, protesters at the University of New Mexico rallied and marched from campus to Nob Hill in support of Palestine. Students, faculty members and community members rallied and marched from the Student Union Building to the Q Station space technology hub in Nob Hill. They marched down — and blocked one side of — Central Avenue, carrying handmade signs and chanting “out of your classes and into the streets” and “UNM, your hands are red.” The walkout was sponsored by 16 UNM student organizations, according to UNM Students for Justice in Palestine.

News

REVIEW: Logical fallacies in the vice presidential debate

Lauren Lifke | October 8

On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz met in New York for their first and only vice presidential debate. Compared to the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the candidates used far fewer obvious logical fallacies — “reasoning that comes to a conclusion without the evidence to support it,” according to Merriam-Webster. Still, Vance and Walz each used their fair share of fallacies this week.

News

Pro-Palestine protests recognize one year of war in Gaza

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | October 7

On Oct. 4 and 5, two separate pro-Palestine protests took place in Downtown Albuquerque as the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel neared. University of New Mexico students, faculty and alums were among those protesting. Friday, Oct. 4 On Friday, Oct 4, pro-Palestine protesters gathered and marched from Civic Plaza to Robinson Park, where members of the group formed a blockade at the roundabout on Eighth Street and Central Avenue. The blockade lasted about five hours.

Culture

Artist Karl Orozco: 'Signs of Life'

Isaac Suarez Flint | October 7

When grappling with loss during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, artist Karl Orozco had nothing to say. “I knew that I could reflect that moment through absence and that would be more powerful than putting anything on a platform,” Orozco said. After moving to Albuquerque from New York City in summer 2020 to teach art at the Albuquerque Academy, Orozco found himself not only wrestling with his role as an artist during a global tragedy, but with being placed in a starkly different environment than where he had begun his professional career.

Culture

UNM hosts AI racial bias webinar with ‘Coded Bias’ director

Addison Fulton | October 7

On Oct. 2, the University of New Mexico hosted a webinar Q&A with filmmaker Shalini Kantayya, the creator of a 2020 documentary about the racial bias of artificial intelligence called “Coded Bias.” “Coded Bias” started with Kantayya’s attempt to empower herself. She intended to make a mirror that would superimpose inspiring images — such as a lion’s head, to channel strength — over her face. However, in trying to make the mirror, she realized that facial recognition technology wasn’t detecting or working on her face. It would, however, recognize an uncanny white mask as a face.

Sports

Students react to Rio Grande Rivalry win

Paloma Chapa | October 7

For the first time since 2021, the University of New Mexico football team beat New Mexico State University in the match known as the “Rio Grande Rivalry.” UNM and NMSU have been football rivals since 1894, according to Source NM. On Sept. 28, the Lobos beat the Aggies 50-40 at NMSU’s home field. Entering the game with no wins this year, the Lobos were favored to win. Despite this, people had their doubts.

News

Hurricane Helene signals a rocky future as global temperatures rise

Maria Fernandez | October 7

With NASA’s estimated 140 mile per hour winds and the reported 8-foot wall of water crashing ashore in Florida, Hurricane Helene was projected to be the strongest the state had seen since 1851. After it unexpectedly encroached onto Appalachia, conversations sparked about regions that used to be deemed climate “safe havens” — including New Mexico. By the time Helene hit the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 4 storm, it wreaked havoc from the Gulf Coast all the way to North Carolina, flooding neighborhoods and damaging buildings, according to NBC. At least 227 people are dead as of Oct. 5, according to the Associated Press.

News

REVIEW: One album from caving in: How Katy Perry’s career led to ‘143’ flopping

Elijah Ritch | October 7

Editor’s note: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and abuse. Katy Perry is strange. Each of the pop stars who rose to prominence in the late 2000s to early 2010s had their own carefully curated images. Lady Gaga was the eccentric auteur and the one who especially brought in the crucial gay audience. Kesha was the unabashed party animal. Rihanna was the consistent hitmaker who could move through different sounds and styles with ease. Perry was a curious combination of girl next door, bi-curious flirt and campy children’s cartoon come to life.

News

‘Speaking of Genocide’: Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies presents at UNM

Shin Thant Hlaing | October 7

On Sept. 30, Brown University professor of Holocaust and genocide studies, Omer Bartov, delivered a talk at the University of New Mexico about the war in Gaza. Barktov is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on genocide, according to UNM Newsroom. He held the talk, called “Speaking of Genocide: the Holocaust, Israel-Palestine and the War in Gaza since October 7,” at the Anthropology Hall. The hall — designed to accommodate 290 people — was filled with attendees, and more people stood outside in the hallway. The talk was delivered the same day that the Israel Defense Forces began ground operations in southern Lebanon, according to the Washington Post.

News

UNM loses ‘freedom of speech’ lawsuit against conservative student organization

Lily Alexander and Nate Bernard | October 7

The University of New Mexico can no longer enforce its security fee policy for on-campus speech events after the judge made a decision in a First Amendment lawsuit filed by the student chapter of conservative group Turning Point USA. The University is not prohibited from enforcing security fees for non-speech events, like sports, according to the lawsuit. In the initial complaint, the Turning Point USA UNM chapter and the Leadership Institute alleged that UNM’s security fee and free speech policies were unconstitutional, in part citing the First Amendment. The complaint resulted from the security fees UNM imposed last year for conservative speaker Riley Gaines’ event on campus, according to the lawsuit.

Opinion

OPINION: WTF is going on with JD Vance?

Addison Fulton | October 2

It was the donut order heard ‘round the world: On Aug. 22, JD Vance arrived at a donut shop in Valdosta, Georgia. He placed his order in the strangest manner imaginable — at one point ordering “whatever makes sense.” His behavior immediately became the topic of internet ridicule. But it got me curious. Who is Vance, and why is he so weird? So, I decided to go straight to the source. In 2016, Vance published his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” I thought if anything was going to help me make sense of this man, it’d be his book. I steeled my nerves and read it.

Culture

Albuquerque Film and Music Experience brings together filmmakers and musicians

Elijah Ritch | October 2

On Wednesday, Sept. 25, the 12th annual Albuquerque Film & Music Experience began across several venues in Nob Hill, including the Guild Cinema and the Historic Lobo Theater. According to the festival’s mission statement, AFMX brings together award-winning and up-and-coming filmmakers and musicians. The event ended on Sunday, Sept. 29. It provides “a platform for education, collaboration, discovery and the sharing of impactful stories,” its mission statement reads.

News

Campus crime: Sept. 16-29

Lauren Lifke | September 30

From Monday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 29, there were 39 individual entries of crimes reported on or near the University of New Mexico campus that were entered into its daily crime log. There was also a criminal trespass citation issued at Marron Hall, where the Daily Lobo newsroom resides. The incident occurred on Sept. 29 and was not entered into the crime log as of the morning of Monday, Sept. 30.

News

Lobo statue found covered in red paint and keffiyeh

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | September 30

On Sept. 13, the University of New Mexico Police Department discovered red paint had been poured on a Lobo statue near Hodgin Hall. The statue, which stands at the corner of University Boulevard and Central Avenue, was wrapped in a keffiyeh — a symbol of Palestinian identity and solidarity, according to Al Jazeera. In a statement to the Daily Lobo, UNMPD Public Information Officer Larry Bitsoih wrote that when a patrolling officer found the statue, the red paint that had been used was placed next to it. There is no information on who was involved and the case is considered closed, Bitsoih wrote.

News

Suspect drops off gunshot wound victim at UNMH and flees

Lauren Lifke | September 30

On the early morning of Sept. 15, the University of New Mexico Police Department received a call from security at UNM Hospital about a man who had been dropped off from a truck at the emergency room with a gunshot wound to his head. The victim was later pronounced dead, according to the police report for the incident. The driver drove away after dropping the victim off. UNMH security told UNMPD that the truck had “appeared to be riddled with apparent bullet impacts,” according to the police report.