Marcela Johnson - The Daily Lobo

Satire

Ducks vs. turtles: Duck Pond renovations spark $42 billion gentrification feud

Marcela Johnson | March 31

As life should be returning to the University of New Mexico Duck Pond, a drained concrete tub sits lifeless. The Daily Lobo has uncovered a secret document that details renovations at the Duck Pond that will create duck suburbia — a project that is more than $42 billion over budget. “First we deal with swan gentrification, and now this,” Shelly Tortuga, one of the lead Duck Pond turtles who helped stop the 2023 swan gentrification, said. Tortuga feels that the ducks have turned on their neighbors, she said. Before the renovations began, the ducks would tip the turtle logs as they slept, Tortuga said.

News

Small bird, big energy: UNM research could help with land conservation causes

Marcela Johnson | January 27

Research from the University of New Mexico biology department could help show how climate and land use change might affect hummingbirds that migrate through New Mexico. Authored by Shayne Halter, Blair Wolf and Carlos Martinez del Rio, the Jan. 15 study looked at why hummingbirds use torpor — a hibernation-like state. Hummingbirds usually go into torpor at night when it is colder, and this can help them survive, Halter said. “They live at a sort of metabolic knife edge where if they don’t get enough food, they don’t get enough energy day to day, they don’t survive,” Halter said. “They have certain mechanisms they can use to ensure they make it, especially when they migrate.”

News

United Graduate Workers petition for chosen name recognition and neutral gender markers

Marcela Johnson | December 6

The University of New Mexico United Graduate Workers launched a petition on Nov. 20 that calls for UNM to update systems to accurately reflect chosen names and gender markers for their users. According to the petition, components of the University system, including email accounts and the course registration website, are denying the ability for transgender students and workers to use their preferred name. This contradicts UNM’s Policy 2720, which prohibits discrimination based on gender and gender identity, the petition reads.

News

REVIEW: ‘The Crow’ — dream the crow black dream

Marcela Johnson | November 18

Thirty years later, “The Crow,” released in 1994 and directed by Alex Proyas, still holds up. From the moody atmosphere to the perfect soundtrack, I highly recommend it for anyone’s autumn rotation. Based on a comic book by James O’Barr, “The Crow” follows rocker Eric Draven as he comes back to life on the one-year anniversary of his death to avenge his and his fiance’s death. The movie deals with some harsh topics but is unfortunately still relevant 30 years later. For example, Shelly Webster, Draven’s fiance, is killed and assaulted because she dared to speak out against forced evictions.

News

ASUNM passes nine appropriations

Marcela Johnson | September 30

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico passed nine appropriation requests, failed one appropriation request and passed six bills during their full senate meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

News

Bernalillo County begins issuing automated speeding citations

Maria Fernandez and Marcela Johnson | September 30

On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Bernalillo County’s automated speed-enforcement cameras began sending citations to drivers caught speeding. The cameras were installed nearly a year and a half after Bernalillo County commissioners passed an ordinance to bring a software company to the county to curb speeding, according to the county website. When the cameras first started operating in August, they sent warnings through the mail to drivers caught speeding. They were not yet charging fines or sending citations, according to the website.

News

Rudolfo Anaya: Padrino, profesor y autor

Marcela Johnson | September 23

Prolific writer Rudolfo Anaya has deep ties to the University of New Mexico. Known especially for his first book “Bless Me, Ultima,” Anaya received three degrees from UNM and served as a professor emeritus in the English department before his death in 2020. Anaya is a foundational figure in Chicana and Chicano studies, English department associate professor Melina Vizcaíno-Alemán said. “He really put Chicano literature on the map — and I would say even more specifically New Mexico — in the larger national literary scene,” Vizcaíno-Alemán said.

Culture

Lobos y Lowriders: Cultura y comunidad on campus

Marcela Johnson | September 23

The second annual Lobos y Lowriders event on Sept. 18 was one of several events that kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month at the University of New Mexico, bringing New Mexican car culture and community to campus. Sponsored by the Chicana and Chicano studies department and the Student Activity Center, the Cornell Mall held twice as many vehicles as last year. Valerie Chavez, a CCS doctoral student, organized the event — which consisted of 12 cars — for the second time. “My main goal with throwing the event is to have as much representation of the lowrider community as possible,” Chavez said. “So the more people from the lowrider community I can get here, the better.”

News

OPINION: Defiance in definitions: Reflections on the southern New Mexican identity

Marcela Johnson | September 23

I will be the first to admit I grew up confused by the New Mexican identity because it is a mixture of so many different heritages and experiences. Trying to understand myself and my community through the lens of a Mexican American from southern New Mexico feels like a full-time job. I grew up in Silver City, New Mexico, in a very proud Mexican/Midwestern household. My siblings and I were lucky that we were never told to deny our heritage. While I was allowed to be proud of my Mexican heritage, this was in part because I am also white and don’t have racist views directed toward me. Not everyone has that privilege.

News

ASUNM senate rushes to pass legislation

Marcela Johnson | September 16

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico passed six appropriation requests, appointed two new senators and passed one bill during a rushed meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 11.