Maria Fernandez - The Daily Lobo

Culture

Stars from ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘Twilight’ and more attend Albuquerque’s Comic Con

Maria Fernandez | January 20

The Albuquerque Comic Con held its 15th annual gathering at the Albuquerque Convention Center this past weekend. Featuring celebrity panels, meet and greets and multiple areas for vendors to sell artwork and memorabilia, the Albuquerque Comic Con sold out of tickets for its Saturday events. Celebrity guests and fans alike were excited to be in attendance, including “Better Call Saul” and “Xena: Warrior Princess” star Patrick Fabian, who made his first Albuquerque Comic Con appearance. He said he was surprised by the large turnout.

News

About 85 students in Coronado Hall to be relocated for spring 2025

Maria Fernandez and Elizabeth Secor | December 11

By Dec. 14, about 85 students in the 200 wings of Coronado Hall will be relocated for the entirety of the spring 2025 semester due to construction to update the bathrooms on each floor to a pod-style layout, according to an email from University of New Mexico Resident Life and Student Housing. Once the construction project’s timeline was confirmed, RLSH provided Coronado Hall residents who had to relocate “as much advance notice as possible,” according to Megan Chibanga, director of Resident Life and Student Housing at UNM.

News

Western New Mexico wolf sanctuary fundraises to absorb Colorado sanctuary

Maria Fernandez | December 9

Hidden among the grassy hills of western New Mexico in a community called Candy Kitchen is the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, a nonprofit that houses wolves, wolfdogs, New Guinea singing dogs, foxes and coyotes. Founded in 1991 as The Candy Kitchen Wolf and Wolfdog Rescue Ranch, Wild Spirit is now in the process of absorbing the Indigo Mountain Nature Center, a nonprofit wolf and wildlife sanctuary based in Lake George, Colorado. Wild Spirit has grown to become one of the largest canid sanctuaries in North America, according to Executive Director Brittany McDonald. It provides sanctuary for animals from across the country and uses their stories to educate the public, McDonald wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo.

Sports

Women’s basketball: Lobos bounce back with a win against Morehead State

Maria Fernandez | November 11

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team took on the Morehead State University Eagles at The Pit on Thursday, Nov. 7. The Lobos won 66-56. The Lobos were fresh off their 80-78 loss against Northern Arizona University on Nov. 4. They came back with improvements on rebounding and defense, Head Coach Mike Bradbury said. The Lobos ran a strong offense for most of the game, thwarting multiple layup attempts by Morehead State, but struggled to consistently put points on the scoreboard.

News

New Mexicans vote to pass all bonds on ballot

Maria Fernandez | November 6

Along with the presidential and congressional races on Tuesday’s ballots, New Mexicans had the chance to vote for bonds. The results are as follows, according to the New York Times: Bond question one, which would issue $30.75 million to upgrade facilities for senior citizens, had a 70% vote in favor as of 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Culture

‘Cuddle a Canine’ returns to Zimmerman Library

Maria Fernandez | October 28

Students may have noticed there were a few more furry faces on Smith Plaza last week. On Thursday, Oct. 24, Zimmerman Library’s “Cuddle a Canine” event returned for the fall semester, bringing therapy dogs from the Southwest Canine Corps of Volunteers to help students at the University of New Mexico relieve stress. Held twice a year during the fall and spring semester midterms, “Cuddle a Canine” is Zimmerman Library’s way to help ease some of the tension around the UNM community that can build up at this point in the semester, according to Tomás González, one of the event coordinators.

News

Bond question three: Public Education

Maria Fernandez | October 21

The Public Education Bond Issue on the New Mexico ballot will issue $230 million in bonds to fund higher education if it passes. The funds would be dispersed among New Mexico’s public higher education colleges, special schools and tribal schools. Institutions — including the University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, Eastern New Mexico University, San Juan College and Navajo Technical University — will split the funding if the bond is approved by voters, according to House Bill 308.

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

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

Santa Fe obelisk trial awaits final decision

Maria Fernandez | September 23

The two-day trial to determine whether a controversial toppled obelisk will be returned to the center of the Santa Fe Plaza concluded on Sept. 13. A final decision has not been made as of Sept. 22. The obelisk displayed a plaque at the bottom that contained derogatory language toward Indigenous people. This caused outrage over the years and ultimately led to the toppling of the monument by protesters on Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2020. The plague originally read, “To the heroes who have fallen in various battles with savage Indians in the Territory of New Mexico,” though “savage” had been scratched off over the years, according to National Geographic.