Las Tusas wildfire in Northern New Mexico threatens homes, closes roads
May 10, 2023
A spring storm moved west to east across New Mexico on Wednesday, bringing high winds to the Albuquerque metro area on Wednesday, hail and thunderstorms to the Eastern Plains near Texas and a wildfire north of Las Vegas. The Las Tusas fire near Sapello started Wednesday afternoon and led dozens to evacuate their homes and shuttered roads.

Environmental groups sue state officials over oil, gas pollution in New Mexico
May 10, 2023
A coalition of environmental organizations and New Mexicans living on the front lines of the extractive industry filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing the state of violating its constitutional duty to control oil and gas pollution. The lawsuit seeks compliance with a pollution control clause of the New Mexico Constitution, which states the Legislature “shall provide for control of pollution and control of despoilment of the air, water and other natural resources of this state.” It names Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the Legislature and others as defendants and seeks an order to stop new oil and gas production in New Mexico.

Albuquerque councilor calls on mayor to take more environmental action
May 2, 2023
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – With accusations of too much PR and not enough action, an Albuquerque city councilor is calling out the mayor’s administration about its environmental policies, specifically the fight against climate change. At the May 1 city council meeting, Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn asked administrators one pointed question after another regarding sustainability; and she didn’t like the answers she was getting.

Nizhoni Days Powwow celebrates 64th year of community-making
May 1, 2023
The Kiva Club hosted the Nizhoni Days Powwow on Sunday, April 30. It is the oldest powwow in New Mexico, according to Demetrius Johnson (Diné) a former Kiva Club president from 2015 to 2017. “It does heal the community, and I think during COVID this Powwow was really missed,” Johnson said. “But the other purpose of this Powwow is to show that there is a powwow out there that is for the community, and it is free, and it is by Native people, for Native people.”

UNM visiting artist uplifts BIPOC, queer stories
May 1, 2023
Each spring the painting and drawing department hosts an “Open Studio” event where the public can enter the campus studio and observe the work that a UNM visiting artist has created over the semester, according to Amanda Curreri, an associate professor in the UNM department of fine arts. This visiting artist program began six years ago, Curreri said, and this year’s artist is Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo. “My work is rooted in storytelling and telling stories about survival — primarily of black, brown, Indigenous, queer, trans, gender-nonconforming and two-spirit folks. It’s rooted in how we amplify and tell stories of marginalized bodies in different ways,” Branfman-Verissimo said.