Beatrice Nisoli - The Daily Lobo

News

Tiny Home Village to have first five residents by end of the year

Beatrice Nisoli | December 2

Tiny Home Village — a transitional housing complex in Bernalillo County’s Albuquerque Indian Center — is scheduled to complete construction next month. The village is made up of 120 square foot micro-homes that aim to address the unhoused population’s need for affordable housing. According to the project’s website, the criteria for residence is “living at or below the 30% of Area Median Income (AMI) level and (agreeing) to pay no more than 30% of their income or a flat rate of $30 towards village maintenance.”

News

The Daily Lobo election guide: Bonds and the art of city maintenance

Beatrice Nisoli , Alex McCausland , Megan Gleason , Maddie Pukite and Nikita Jaiswal | October 29

With early voting well underway — and set to end on Saturday ahead of Election Day — New Mexicans have a lengthy list of choices on the ballot designed to make improvements to the infrastructure, resources and livability of the city of Albuquerque itself. The following is a breakdown of what general obligation bonds are for, where the money would go if approved by voters and whether or not you should vote for a particular allocation of taxpayer-subsidized funding.

Culture

Best Buddies New Mexico to hold virtual Celebration Week

Beatrice Nisoli | September 27

Best Buddies New Mexico (BBNM) will host a free and easily accessible Celebration Week from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 in an endeavor to minimize the isolation facing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The event will consist of daily activities available on Zoom beginning at 7 p.m., ranging from a jobs social gathering to a multicultural celebration. While registering for the week’s events is recommended — as doing so will enable participants to receive notifications of activities and a bingo card to win prizes — it won’t be mandatory, as interested parties can simply access a Zoom link on BBNM’s website and tune in at will throughout the week.

Culture

Moments Together supports pandemic parenting, early childhood development

Beatrice Nisoli | September 8

Childhood education and care never ceases, especially during a pandemic. On Aug. 10, the Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) launched Moments Together, a campaign intended to provide intellectual and developmental stimulus to children under five as well as support to their caregivers through free and easily accessible online resources. The campaign was adapted from the United Way of Central New Mexico and designed by the Early Literacy Strategy Group in collaboration with the University of New Mexico’s Family Development Program, MediaDesk and New Mexico PBS.

News

UNM getting the bands back together

Beatrice Nisoli | September 8

University of New Mexico bands haven’t practiced in person since August but are set to resume face-to-face rehearsals after Labor Day with the assistance of new, custom-made masks and socially distanced protocols. Associate professor Chad Simons, who is the associate director of bands and director ...

Culture

UNM professors share the highs and lows of online instruction

Beatrice Nisoli | August 30

Life goes on as students and faculty adjust to the University of New Mexico’s hybrid semester, performing small group discussions in Zoom breakout rooms and submitting assignments from the comfort of their own bedrooms. While technological issues and network timeouts may plague students’ academic experience, on the other end of the screen, professors are also having their fair share of remote learning-based woes. Professors were given a few weeks to tailor curriculum to a virtual format last March, when the University officially shut down in response to COVID-19 cases reaching New Mexico. Instructors utilized the following summer months as an opportunity to finesse online instruction for the upcoming semester.

Culture

Sigma Gamma Rho sorority recharters

Beatrice Nisoli | August 23

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., a historically Black Greek-lettered sorority, was rechartered at the University of New Mexico on March 28. The non-profit organization was founded by seven schoolteachers during the perilous thickets of segregation on Nov. 12, 1922 at Butler University in Indiana. According to the sorority’s official website, "Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority's aim is to enhance the quality of life within the community. Public service, leadership development and education of youth are the hallmark of the organization's programs and activities. Sigma Gamma Rho addresses concerns that impact society educationally, civically and economically."

News

Unhoused people in downtown Albuquerque in need of water, PPE and a safe place to sleep

Beatrice Nisoli | July 22

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has cost countless Albuquerque residents their employment and disproportionately affected the existing unhoused population, leaving them scrambling for life-saving resources. As of 2019, homelessness in Albuquerque has nearly quadrupled, launching from 144 to at least 567 people, according to an assessment the Urban Institute released in May. A recent New Mexico Coalition To End Homelessness survey puts the numbers even higher at 1,524 unhoused people in Albuquerque alone. These findings do not account for the pandemic’s impact on housing and employment instability. According to a fact sheet from New Mexico Voices for Children, between the months of March and May, 134,513 New Mexicans filed for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits -- which aim to combat homelessness — out of a workforce of 835,800. UI claims show a dramatic increase of 2,272% since the pandemic began.

Culture

Renowned artist recounts systemic racism within artistic institutions

Beatrice Nisoli | July 17

The recent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has proven that racism is not solely confined to the streets. Its systemic influence pervades all institutions — including artistic ones. Several artists have found that the galleries they sell to on commission are unwilling to accept BLM-themed art out of fear of diminishing customer interest, thus prioritizing business over the racial justice movement. Bruce Carlton (B.C.) Nowlin, a renowned artist and New Mexico local, has been painting since high school and has utilized his Southwestern roots to produce vibrant, culturally significant artwork. Nowlin’s work has never had issues selling — indeed, it has appealed to celebrity circles and album covers for decades — but a recent painting of his has been met with a ringing silence from collectors.

News

CYFD adopts new directives to further its mission of youth inclusion

Beatrice Nisoli | July 12

The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) recently announced two directives to better support all New Mexico children. First, CYFD updated its non-discriminatory policy to include LGBTQIA+ individuals, and second, the institution extended its age of services from age 18 to 21. According to its website, CYFD “provides an array of prevention, intervention, rehabilitative and after-care services to New Mexico children and their families.” This mission is accomplished by enrolling children and/or their families in different categories of services, like behavioral health or early childhood care, on the basis of an initial screening to determine potential abuse, neglect or other similar instances of trauma.