Daily Lobo Turns 130, New Historic Designation in University Heights, Atomic 66 This Week and More
Daily Lobo Marks 130 Years of Student Journalism
Anniversary events begin June 13
By Damon Scott
Three days of events begin Friday, June 13, to mark the 130th anniversary of the student-run New Mexico Daily Lobo at the University of New Mexico. The occasion is set to bring out a slew of current and former student journalists and editors who have gone on to establish media careers in the state and across the country.
Lily Alexander, the newly graduated Lobo editor-in-chief, whose term ended last month, said her one-year stint at the helm took place during a “pretty tumultuous time.”
“It was election season, and the pro-Palestinian protests at UNM and the responses to them by campus police, were picking up,” Alexander said. “But that made my staff and I work even harder and value our positions even more.”
She said the staff did their best to localize volatile national issues for the Lobo’s campuswide audience, while not missing stories of local importance.
Alexander remembers working on many stories that had an impact. A few include her collaboration with reporter Lauren Lifke on crime transparency violations at UNM; a controversy involving body cameras and the UNM Police Department; a related body-camera bill that sparked discussion at this year's legislative session; and her report with Nate Bernard on UNM investments in Israeli companies.
Alexander, who first started at the Lobo as a reporter in the summer of 2023, also penned an opinion piece about the coverage of campus protests that she’s particularly proud of.
“All of these stories had an impact on UNM in some way and that's always extremely rewarding,” she said.
Alexander earned a degree in journalism and mass communication and is scheduled to start a fellowship at the Santa Fe New Mexican this month.
“The Daily Lobo is an integral part of the UNM community,” she said. “Also, in a state like New Mexico without a ton of journalists, there isn't always expansive coverage of the universities from non-campus news outlets—but we need it—[because] thousands of people are impacted by what's going on at the school and the decisions it makes.”
‘Amazing people, great friends’
Patrick Lohmann, a reporter for Source New Mexico since 2021, told Nob Hill News last week that his tenure at the Lobo shaped his career. He’s one of three Lobo alumni who will be inducted in the 2025 Hall of Honor on Saturday. The award-winning journalist has also worked at the Albuquerque Journal, Syracuse Post-Standard and for ProPublica.
Lohmann graduated from UNM in 2013 with a degree in political science and a minor in journalism. He worked at the Lobo from 2008 to 2011 as a reporter, news editor and editor-in-chief. He remembers working on stories about the tension between money spent on UNM’s athletics program during the tenure of president David Schmidly, who received a vote of no-confidence by a majority of faculty members.
“There was just a lot of stuff happening that was really kind of making the university defend its approach to athletics taking so much time and energy,” Lohmann said. “And also just administrative spending—spending had ballooned.”
Lohmann also covered state-funding cutbacks and the university’s relationship with the legislature.
“We explored who their lobbyists were [and] what they were trying to get,” he said.
Sports coverage has always been a cornerstone of the Lobo and Lohmann particularly recalls UNM football head coach Michael Locksley’s short-lived run from 2009 to 2011. Locksley was fired for a 2-26 record, a lack of fan support and off-field issues.
“We always tried to hold ourselves to a standard,” Lohmann said. “We did have that chip on our shoulder that we were journalists who happened to be students.”
Lohmann’s gone on to write big feature and investigative stories in his career and credits his time at the Lobo as a formative experience.
“I met amazing people and made great friends,” he said. “We really inhabited the watchdog role. I think it affected real change. [The Lobo has] always been a great testing ground and talent incubator.”
The June 13-15 anniversary events are hosted by the UNM Daily Lobo Alumni Chapter. For more information about the weekend’s events, click here. For more on the Lobo’s 130-year history, click here.
University Heights Historic District Approved
A new area designation—the University Heights Historic District— got approval by the Cultural Properties Review Committee of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs on June 6. The district is now listed under the New Mexico Register of Cultural Places.
While there is overlap, the boundaries do not match exactly with the University Heights Neighborhood boundaries, but are instead roughly between Silver and Garfield Avenues, Harvard Drive and Carlisle Boulevard SE (some of which is located in the Nob Hill Neighborhood).
The designation allows “contributing properties” (i.e., historically significant) to qualify for a 50% tax credit for work like restoration, new water pipes or new heating and cooling. (Work must be approved before it is started.) Contributing properties also qualify for a historic plaque.
The June 6 decision was made on behalf of the state and serves as a nomination to the federally recognized National Register of Historic Places. Recognition at the federal level could potentially include further financial benefits.
For more information on the exact boundaries, tax credits or applying for a historic plaque, email the University Heights Neighborhood Association at info@uhanm.org.
Rainbows and Hilleños
Spaced-themed Events In Nob Hill/UNM This Week
Atomic 66—billed as “a convergence of space, art, tech and culture”—is coming to various locations near UNM and Nob Hill from June 10 to June 13. The Guild Cinema, Qstation, M’Tucci’s Bar Roma, Hotel Zazz, and halflife* will share in hosting tech talks, hands-on science activities, film screenings and a space bootcamp. The main attraction, Space Fiesta, will occur at the Lobo Theater on June 11. Many of the events are free.
Taste of Nob Hill This Saturday
The annual “Taste of Nob Hill” returns on June 14. The event features samplings from neighborhood restaurants as well as music and activities.
Tickets available for purchase here.
Rhythm & Roots This Sunday
For more information and to purchase tickets to the Father’s Day Matanza, visit the event’s OpenTable page.
In Other News
From the coast to Nob Hill: New oyster and raw bar to open this month - ABQ Journal (paywall)