Daily Lobo 2/23/2026

Daily l obo

Over 100 speak against Blackstone’s PNM acquisition during public comment

By Leila Chapa & Paloma Chapa

@lchapa06 & @paloma_chapa88

For nearly six hours in the University of New Mexico Student Union Building, over 100 people took turns speaking to the New Mexico Public Regulatory Commission during a public comment session, with none being in favor of private equity firm Blackstone’s acquisition of the state’s electricity provider, Public Service Company of New Mexico.

Several speakers at public comment on Tuesday, Feb. 17, spoke about Blackstone’s major investments in AI data centers, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman’s ties to pedophile sex offender Jeffery Epstein and criticized the operation of private equity firms as a whole.

Blackstone Infrastructure and TXNM Energy Inc, which owns PNM, announced the $11.5 billion deal last May, and would result in Blackstone taking ownership of TXNM, according to Source NM.

UNM PhD student Natalie Rojas spoke on the environmental implications of AI data centers

and how the New Mexico House of Representatives unanimously approved to investigate Epstein’s Zorro Ranch property near Santa Fe, hoping the PRC would not support a company with ties to Epstein.

“AI is already using a ridiculous amount of water to allow grown men to create salacious images of minors,” Rojas said, referring to AI features on social media platform X that allowed users to generate non-consensual sexual imagery, largely of women and minors, according to The New York Times.

“Don’t make New Mexicans pay with our dollars and our environment to support that kind of activity,” Rojas said.

In 2013, an email addressing Epstein lists Schwarzman as one of many hosts of a cocktail party in New York City, including President Donald Trump and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein. In 2008, Epstein pled guilty to a state charge in Florida of procuring for prostitution a girl under the age of 18.

PNM spokesperson Eric Chavez wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo that Blackstone Infrastructure and its subsidiaries “do not have any data centers in New Mexico nor are they in

queue for New Mexico.”

“PNM is working with other data center developers, and we respond to those inquiries the same as any other prospective customers. We do not get to choose who our customers are. If they are in our service territory, we are legally required to provide them power,” Chavez wrote.

Chavez also wrote that he encourages community members to “review the filing and learn more about the customer protections”.

“Many of the organized activist comments do not reflect the details of the filing or the way utility rates are regulated in New Mexico. Numerous concerns raised are already addressed within the filing itself,” Chavez wrote.

According to a PNM press release, the acquisition would provide $175 million total to customers and communities in New Mexico, lowering the average residential customer bill by 3.5%.

Regarding the pushback from some New Mexicans, a Blackstone spokesperson wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo that Blackstone has had “a number of productive conversations with customer advocacy groups, businesses, political and community leaders” and that

the $175 million package “directly addresses the needs of New Mexican families and businesses.”

“We encourage everyone in the community to review the application available on PNM’s website to better understand these benefits and protections,” they wrote.

In October 2025, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a protest to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject Blackstone’s application to buy PNM because it’s “contrary to the public interest” and fails to meet statutory requirements by risking cross-subsidization. In this case, the fears expressed by the CBD are that Blackstone’s ownership of PNM would allow them to charge see Blackstone page 3

Bill forbidding state partnership with immigration officials signed

By Penelope Loyd Sment @DailyLobo

On Feb. 5, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the Immigrant Safety Act into law after passing both the Senate and the House, largely along party lines. With the passing of the bill, New Mexico joins eight other states that have recently passed legislation limiting state involvement in federal immigration proceedings, according to ACLU New Mexico.

The new law will go into effect in May, and prohibits public bodies, such as state or county entities, from entering into or continuing agreements with federal immigration officials in detaining individuals for civil immigration violations and prohibits the use of public land for immigration detention centers, like

those existing in Torrance, Cibola and Otero Counties. Also prohibited is the deputizing of local law enforcement as immigration officers.

The act was sponsored by state Reps. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), Eleanor Chávez (D-Albuquerque), Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces), Marianna Anaya (D-Albuquerque) and Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-31).

Romero said she had been in support of similar legislation for a few years before the recent actions of immigration officials under the Trump administration, saying it originally came from her opposition to the private prison complex that allows private companies to operate detention centers in partnership with the government.

All three of the immigration detention centers in New Mexico

are operated by the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement and private prison operators, with the county serving as a passthrough, according to Innovation Law Lab.

“I think it’s our responsibility as communities to deal with detainees in our own community,” Romero said. “We have been looking to try and fix these problems as a value for many years. Now we know what ICE was doing and the public knows how completely egregious their behaviors and activities have been and the way they’ve been violating our constitutional rights. It’s clear they’re just trying to fill beds. The for-profit contractors in our communities were able to operate with impunity and no one held them accountable for the rights violations across the board. It’s important to take this out of our community.”

In September 2025, the New Mexico Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights reported unsanitary conditions and inadequate medical care within the New Mexico facilities and recommended their closure to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In May 2025, immigration officials were told in a meeting with White House advisor Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that the daily goal for individuals deported or detained in deportation arrests would be 3,000, a claim later denied by the Trump administration, according to The Guardian.

Romero said though the bill was passed along partisan lines, a few

Democrats voted against it due to economic development and employment issues.

A bill to reimburse local and county governments for one year of lost revenue caused by the Immigrant Safety Act was passed by both chambers and awaits the governor’s signature at the time of publication.

Because the facility in Otero County is the only of the three actually owned by the county and not a private company, it is in graver danger than those in Torrance and Cibola countries. Otero County Manager Pamela Heltner told the Santa Fe New Mexican that she expected their facility to close as a result.

Rayellen Smith, the president of progressive activist group Indivisible Albuquerque, said under the existing agreements between county officials, the federal government and the private operators, there was a clause in these contracts that allowed the county to make sure those people were being held humanely.

“The county commission had oversight rights into how the prisons were treating people and there were so many protests and open comment periods at county commission meetings,” Smith said.

“We are not violating laws or human rights, we are not the purveyor of these prisons, so the accountability, thankfully, is to the federal government if they want to do this. We are no longer in this business practice and it’s important that the states be done with this type of detention. It’s up to the feds to get it right and the scrutiny is up to them,” Romero said.

Romero said New Mexico law enforcement authorities will continue to target criminals and detain them in New Mexico, but not law abiding citizens and people who cause no harm to the community.

“It was a priority for so many of us right in the heart of what we’ve been seeing nationally and it was really critical that we got it done. When it was passed, there was a huge sense of community and unity in what our values are and a celebration of who we are as a state. There’s just a lot of great things that have come out of that type of reunion with our own values that this bill really allowed to shine through,” Romero said.

Penelope Loyd Sment is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo

“I watched immigrant rights groups come to the meeting and people would give testimony as to how their family members were being mistreated in the prisons, that was the oversight we had and now that it’s against the law in New Mexico to contract with private prisons, they don’t have any obligation to report to the county. We’ve just taken ourselves out as the middlemen.” Romero said the state could take pride in the fact the state would no longer be complicit in any ill actions in the facilities or at the hands of immigration officials.

UNM gallops into year of the fire horse

By Addison Fulton @DailyLobo

Tuesday, Feb. 17 marked the Chinese New Year, ushering in the year of the fire horse. To celebrate and share good wishes for the coming year, University of New Mexico students gathered to make red paper crafts in the Language Learning Center.

Peng Yu, a professor of Chinese at UNM, led the workshop. Chinese Lunar New Year is a celebration of the new year as well as the coming of spring, and in many Asian nations, one of their biggest celebrations, he said.

“It’s like Christmas in the Western world. People get together with their family; a lot of people travel thousands of miles to be back home and get together with their elders and their family members to celebrate this cultural event,” Peng said. “It’s very, very important for them. The spring festival is not only celebrated in mainland China. Taiwan also celebrates, and in Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and many East Asian countries.”

Peng said red paper crafts are a Chinese New Year tradition.

“Red paper cutting is an art, and typically people cut red papers with a pair of scissors

or sometimes they carve with a knife on the red paper,” Peng said. “Experienced artists, they do this type of art during Lunar New Year and decorate the house so that people know it’s New Year’s time.”

Traditional red paper craft designs include animals, lanterns and Chinese characters, particularly the fú character, which symbolizes good fortune.

Peng said expert artists often do the designs from memory without patterns. For UNM students, craft kits were provided for participants, with guidelines to follow at the event.

Krishna Hooker, an attendee of the decorating workshop who made crafts in the shape of a lantern and a dragon, said he attended the event in part because he received extra credit in his Chinese class and out of a desire to participate in the culture he is studying.

“I’ve gained more aspects into looking at the culture around the specific holiday as I haven’t really paid attention to it before, and what people in China typically do and just some of the hobbies in events that happen around this time over there,” Hooker said.

In addition to language, Peng strives to teach cultural aspects such as calligraphy and red paper

crafts, he said. Peng said events such as the decoration workshop are important opportunities for students of language to experience culture.

“In class, we study the language, we study how to speak the language, how to communicate and we study the culture, but we rarely have such a type of opportunity to really get hands on, so celebrating languages and cultures in ‘Language Learning Center’ really gives students the first hand experience,” Peng said.

The event provided attendees with Chinese snack foods and a stream of the “CMG Spring Festival Gala,” a roughly five-hour long variety show that airs on the eve of Chinese New Year.

Attendee Claire Johnston, the Chinese Language Culture Club president, said it was nice to enjoy good company and see recognition and celebration of Chinese culture on campus.

“I mean, it’s not new to me, but I like that other people are enjoying it,” Johnston said.

Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo. com or on X @dailylobo

‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ a required watch for non-moms, caretakers

By Shin Thant Hlaing @DailyLobo

“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” is an Oscar-nominated dramedy or tragic comedy, but I feel the urge to classify it as “realistic horror.” The realistic horror of the film thrives on suffocating the protagonist, not in a literal sense, but by brilliantly illuminating the ways responsibility can feel crushing. Through exploring themes of parenthood and escapism, the movie becomes a must-watch for those who seek to explore the struggles of child-rearing.

Directed and written by Mary Bronstein, the film follows Linda, a therapist played by Rose Byrne, who is not isolated in the conventional sense, but rendered helpless by a minimal income, an absent husband and an ailing child. There are no meaningful sources of “help,” and Linda finds herself

feeling past capacity. There are moments in the film where things just don’t let up. It’s like being trapped under a weighted blanket with your worst nightmare. The film stresses its audience out, in a good way. Its portrayal of motherhood is particularly powerful and resonant. The child is unnamed.

To the audience, the child can feel shrill and annoying at times. The daughter’s face is never shown, but she is held, reasoned with and carried out of a flooding home on camera, but she is very clearly an object of affection to the mother. Mothers find their children annoying; they are allowed to find their children annoying and still love them, and they would still be good mothers. The substantive work of motherhood requires energy that sometimes leaves no room for anything performative.

Is Linda a perfect mother? No. In addition to smoking, she drinks in

ways that may indicate addiction, and attempts to purchase drugs from James — played by A$AP Rocky. She swipes the icing off the corner of a cake with her finger. Over the course of the movie, Linda becomes more reckless — truly, inexcusably reckless, and that is the ugly truth of what burnout does.

James adds a lightheartedness to the film that gives us some breathing room from the back to back tension. He feels like a real, random person that spawns when you’re going through a tough time in life and become strangely comfortable around.

The cinematography is atmospheric. It’s typical of an indie arthouse film, with colors that feel a bit like a moving graphic novel. Sound is used to great effect in the movie, whether the punctuating voices of children, the roar of white noise or voices over the phone and voicemail. It grounds you into realistic horror.

It also shows how her husband, her landlord, her client’s husband and all these various voices are absent, just voices on a phone. The use of instrumental soundtracks is relatively minimal, kept only as couches for when more ambience is needed.

Rose Byrne is phenomenal as an actress. The trembling in her voice when she approaches the hostile parking attendant, the microexpressions; judgment, tiredness, amusement — Byrne nails it all. A moment that encapsulates it all is her reaction to a hamster she bought being run over while her daughter is in the car. Here Byrne executes the urge to laugh, mixed with shock, mixed with “Did I just traumatize my child?”

Seeing Conan O’Brien as an older, squeamish and serious male therapist was hilarious.

The movie also inspires some interesting reflections on therapy. Therapy can feel like a joke.

Yes, you can intellectually know that you need to take care of yourself first, that breathing and mindfulness helps you think clearly. But what were these affirmations, coping strategies and frameworks, when you’re living in a motel, your daughter’s recovery is slower than it needs to be and everyone seems against you? Does therapy work when your problems are not just within your mind?

The film was made because it had something to say. Bronstein captures a lived experience that is so specific, and so important to share with the world. It is one of those rare instances when craft meets a story it can tackle. And the result is a must-watch.

Shin Thant Hlaing is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@ dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo

Albuquerque creative economy

By Penelope Loyd Sment @DailyLobo

For the first time since 2014, a comprehensive study was conducted on Albuquerque’s creative economy, finding 17,680 workers directly employed by 2,457 creative businesses generating $1.1 billion in economic output in 2024. The sector makes up 4.4% of all local employment, the study found.

Administered by the University of New Mexico’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, in partnership with the City of Albuquerque’s Department of Arts and Culture, the study defines the creative economy as the economic growth generated by producing and consuming art and other intellectual property with the value of these goods and services determined by the creators’ level of skill, expertise and talent.

The study was meant to discover what people in the creative economy would need to continue generating economic growth for the city, whether through policy changes,

direct economic investment or other methods, according to Department of Arts and Culture Marketing Manager

Tanya Lenti.

“The creative economy is both an economic driver and a core component of community identity. It contributes to local GDP, supports jobs across a wide range of occupations and generates spending that benefits local businesses and services,” Lenti said. “Creative work supports quality of life, strengthens cultural participation, attracts visitors and residents and encourages crosssector collaboration.”

According to the study, a thriving arts and cultural scene can attract consumers and encourage them to buy goods and services within the creative economy as well as outside of it, making it a significant part of local economic growth.

The creative economy improves UNM, UNM BBER Senior Research Scientist Rose Rohrer said, the University provides education, location and opportunity for local creatives, and in return, artists make the community more vibrant.

Blackstone from page 1 customers higher prices to subsidize the operation of potential AI-related ventures in the state.

George Schroeder, a PNM customer, told the PRC they’re “being duped” by Blackstone.

“There’s no incentive for the people that want to buy this utility to invest in the infrastructure that provides the power,” Schroeder said. “I think rates are going to increase inevitably, okay, but where’s the money going to go? Is it going to go into the quality of the infrastructure so our grid does not collapse like it

has in the state of Texas?”

Associated Students at UNM

Director of Environmental Affairs

Caitlyn Bizzell said the public should have the biggest say when it comes to utility resources.

“A deal with Blackstone will do nothing for the people of New Mexico,” Bizzell said. “It will continue to funnel capital from the New Mexico economy into the pockets of private entities and wealthy individuals.”

Syd Rae Sanchez told the PRC how the oil and gas industry has impacted his community in

“Students come to UNM for creative degrees, instructors teach in creative professions, UNM benefits from the creative economy and contributes to it,” Rohrer said. “UNM is a huge part of Albuquerque’s creative economy. We have multiple theaters, galleries, museums; we offer creative degrees like writing, dance, visual arts; and we partner with local organizations who are also a part of

the creative economy.”

The study included input from creatives themselves that provided insight into their challenges related to affordability, professional development, infrastructure and connectivity that could inform future planning. The analysis also sought to reach part-time creatives and artists in lesser known creative fields, such as costume design, game design, stylists and tattoo artists.

“It is important not to only focus on the creative work in a museum, but the creative work that makes our everyday lives better,” Rohrer said.

Penelope Loyd Sment is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo

Southwestern New Mexico.

“It’s heavily industrialized down there, and it’s a lot different than when I first grew up out there. I don’t recognize the area anymore,” Sanchez said. “We don’t have a lot of water, and that industry is just taking it all. I don’t want that to be the same way over here. We have a beautiful area over here, and I want to keep it that way.

Jonathan Juarez urged the PRC “not to be swayed by promised incentives or carefully crafted corporate messaging.”

“Electricity is not abstract, it is

life-sustaining infrastructure. It powers hospitals, dialysis machines, ventilators, refrigeration for medicine, heat in the winter and cooling in the summer,” Juarez said. “This commission is tasked by law with protecting the public interest, and public interest means more than rates on a bill. It means confidence, legitimacy, and moral authority over systems people cannot live without. Blackstone executives operating from Manhattan skyscrapers are not accountable to New Mexican families when that trust is broken. They do not

live with the consequences.”

Leila Chapa is the social media and photo editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@ dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06

Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo. com or on X @paloma_chapa88

LOBO SPORTS

Women’s Basketball

Lobos sweep series against Falcons

By Wyatt S. Padilla @wyattspadilla

Senior night in The Pit is always a special occasion for players, coaches and fans, but it was so much sweeter for the Lobos when they put 20 points between them and a conference foe at the same time.

On Saturday, Feb. 21, the University of New Mexico Women’s basketball team, led by guards Destinee Hooks and Nayli Padilla, beat down the Air Force Academy Falcons, winning 73-53.

Before the opening tip of the game, the Lobos celebrated three seniors, guard Alyssa Hargrove, forward-center Clarissa Craig and manager Kaylyn Henry who has been with the program for four years. Hargove and Craig joined the program two years ago when the Lobos had a massive roster turnover that saw them lose nine of thirteen players to the transfer portal.

Hargrove has been a starter for the Lobos for the past two seasons, and Craig has seen injuries plague her time at UNM, though she has recorded nine starts for the Lobos.

Hargrove scored 2 points in the game and contributed to the team’s win with her stellar defense and a stat sheet filled with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

UNM had four players score in double digits as Hooks and Padilla

Men’s Basketball

drilled 12 points, and forward Jessie Joaquim and point guard

Laila Abdurraqib both scored 11, combining for 46 of the Lobos’ 73 points. All 12 Lobos were able to notch some minutes in a win that saw the Lobos drain 35 points from the bench.

Guard Drew Jordon also saw her first career start with the Lobos against the Falcons as she replaced guard Cacia Antonio in the starting lineup.

Lobos Head Coach Mike Bradbury accounted for the change in the lineup.

“Cacia wasn’t ready, and I thought Drew played well,” Bradbury said.

New Mexico seemed to have finally gotten out of its offensive headwind that had cursed the Lobos in the last half of the season, as just in the last two weeks UNM had two games in which they scored 35 points at Boise State and 46 points against Colorado State in The Pit. UNM has scored over 70 points 13 times so far this season and is 12-1 in those games, with the lone loss being at UNLV.

UNM shot 48% from the field and 43% from three while also keeping the Falcons grounded at a measly 29% from the field and 28% from three. During the third quarter, the Lobos held the Falcons to just six points while UNM knocked in 18, a mountain the Falcons couldn’t fly over.

“I’m proud of our focus and

energy, bouncing back after a tough game on Wednesday night. Air Force is a tough team to play against. They always put up a fight. Our players were up to the challenge today,” Bradbury said.

The win puts the Lobos into fifth place in the Mountain West Standings, out of contention for being able to clinch a share of the regular season championship but in a position to still grab a first-

round bye in the Mountain West Tournament if they’re able to jump into fourth place. UNM has only three games left in conference play before heading to Vegas for the tournament, making the last three that much more important.

The Lobos will head back on the road for a two-game stretch starting Wednesday, Feb. 25, in Logan, Utah, against the 11th-place Utah State University Aggies. Then on

Saturday, Feb. 28, the Lobos will visit the 10th-place University of Nevada Wolfpack in Reno before returning to The Pit to finish out conference play against Fresno State University on March 3.

Wyatt S. Padilla is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo. com or on X @wyattspadilla

Lobos mount comeback, hang on against Bulldogs

By Jaden McKelvey-Francis @jadenmckelvey

Despite digging themselves into a 22-point hole, the Lobo men’s basketball team managed to claw its way back bucketby-bucket to come away with a win against the California State University, Fresno Bulldogs, 80-78, keeping their NCAA tournament hopes alive.

The University of New Mexico completed its largest comeback in program history during the Saturday, Feb. 21, game in Fresno, Calif.

To ice the game for the Lobos, guard Jake Hall hit a midrange stepback jumpshot late, a shot nearly identical to his gamewinner against Grand Canyon University the previous week. Hall finished out the night with

20 points and 4 rebounds — his ninth 20-point game of the season.

Guard Deyton Albury had the most impactful performance for the Lobos as he spurred the comeback that started with around five minutes left in the first half and continued till the final buzzer.

Albury finished with a season high 21 points — most coming from aggressive contact-laden

drives to the basket — on an effective 70% from the field.

Just as influential as Albury’s scoring was his rebounding, leading the Lobos with 8, also grabbing 2 steals, both of which led to points for UNM.

The Lobos found themselves in a deficit early due to a mix of poor shooting and defense. UNM shot 39% from the field in the first half, while the Bulldogs made 62% of their shots. Despite the first half woes, the Lobos managed to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 12 points at the half, 44-32.

In the second half, the Lobos managed to correct their poor shooting, making 66% of their attempts. For the Bulldogs, the second half was not as clean, as their shooting percentage dropped heavily, going 44% from the field and 9% on three-point attempts.

One of the biggest downfalls for the Bulldogs was their free throw shooting, going only 5/9 and 56%, even with their home fans cheering them on.

Lobo forward Tomislav Buljan’s defense helped keep the Bulldogs out of the paint in the second half, an area that was effective for Fresno in the first half.

Buljan’s offense, however, was stifled as he went 2/9 from the field and scored 6 points — his average points per game this season is 11.9.

Even with this win, the Lobos have their work cut out for them if they hope to make the NCAA tournament. The Lobos are currently in the last four in projected to make the tournament, after avoiding a loss to Fresno, which would have likely pushed them out of the tournament, according to CBS Sports.

The Lobos continue their road trip on Tuesday, Feb. 24, against the University of Nevada, Reno Wolfpack, a team that put up a fight in their previous meeting in The Pit, with the Lobos eventually winning 80-73.

The Lobos will then head home to take on the San Diego State University Aztecs in front of a sold-out crowd in The Pit on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey

‘Iron Lung’ is a bloody testimony to the power of hope

By Addison Fulton @DailyLobo

How far would you go for the chance to survive? How long? How deep? And would you do it in the tiniest, grossest submarine known to man?

Mark Fischbach — better known by his online alias and YouTube handle “Markiplier” — asks these questions in his film “Iron Lung.” The film is based on a game by the same title that Fischbach played on his Youtube channel in 2023.

“Iron Lung” takes place in a postapocalyptic world after the “Quiet Rapture,” wherein all stars and planets suddenly disappear leaving only humans who inhabited space ships.

The story follows Simon, a prisoner of an organization called the Consolidation of Iron, arrested after his involvement in destroying one of the remaining space ships. The COI discovers a strange moon made entirely of an ocean of blood, which they tell Simon to survey and search for resources in a rickety submarine in exchange for his freedom.

The submarine is equipped with an X-ray camera, allowing Simon to see only what is immediately in front of the

submarine. Despite his limited vision, Simon, quickly discovers that he is not alone on the blood-caked moon for his tiny vessel is being hunted by an enormous sea monster.

“Iron Lung” is a technical masterpiece. The film uses largely practical effects, breaking the world record for the most fake blood used on a film set, according to the BBC. The filmmakers also built the submarine set so that it could really move and jostle. When the audience sees Simon getting thrown around in his submarine by the tides or the monsters, the set actually moves.

The sound design is also extraordinary, blending otherworldly ambience with the very real tension of being in a rapidly deteriorating environment.

“Iron Lung” is not a second screen movie one might put on as white noise while they do something else.

One look away and you might miss something important. It’s incredibly satisfying to see an artist who cut his teeth on YouTube videogame Let’s Play footage — a platform and genre practically designed to be a second screen — boldly demand and deserve

an audiences’ undivided attention.

Fischbach gets to the heart of what makes elements like giant eldritch sea monsters, the vastness of the ocean and the unending depths of space so frightening. It’s not about how big it is, it’s about how small you are. One repeated line and slogan of the COI is, “This is bigger than us.” Even the snappy inspirational slogan that the COI uses to try to inspire themselves and Simon ties into the horror of hugeness that underpins all of “Iron Lung.”

What scares us is not that something is big, but that it’s bigger than us. Innately, we want to believe that we are valuable, that our lives mean something. The thought of being barely a blip on a radar goes against our feelings of fairness and world-order. It creates a feeling of “wrongness” and unease. The thought of being consumed, be it by a creature or a cause, is terrifying. The biggest difference between the COI and the creature in the ocean is that the COI chews Simon up and spits him back out, while the creature just chews him up.

The thing I liked most was how the film grapples with the themes of hope and survival. It presents a strange conflict

between the crushing weight of hope and the freedom of abject despair. It shows how predatory and exploitative groups and entities prey on hope more than anything else. Most obviously, the monster in the depths of the blood ocean functions like an angler fish. It has some uncanny light that draws in the submarine pilots and it also mimics the voices of previous victims, using the promises of rescue or camaraderie to lure in more prey.

It’s not just the fish, though. The COI also weaponizes hope, using it to goad Simon into going deeper and deeper. They promise him freedom if he just goes down one more time; they promise to rescue him from the depths if he can get one more thing. They dangle a better life in front of him, just like an anglerfish’s light. It works every time.

I don’t want to paint this film as some nihilistic exercise in misery that advocates against the act of hoping. In fact, it’s the opposite. “Iron Lung” shows that, as dangerous as hope can be, it’s also essential and inevitable.

Simon repeatedly wants to give up, declaring that nothing matters and accepting his fate, but at every

opportunity, he still fights. Even the COI isn’t immune to hope; they’re willing to risk humanity’s limited resources to build these ships to search for resources and answers that could help them survive. Despite the fact that literally all of the light in the universe is slowly disappearing because the stars have died, people still have hope.

Birds got to eat, fish got to swim and man has to go on hoping for a brighter tomorrow, against all odds. What makes “Iron Lung” work is that I hoped along with him.

The final image of the film is a gory, but hopeful one. Simon’s life vest, complete with a built-in flashlight, floats on the surface of the blood ocean, supporting the black box with information that could help what’s left of humanity. It’s not a promise of salvation, it’s just a little bit of ghost light and a chance that things could be better. But it’s worth it, it’s all we’re left with.

Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @ dailylobo

HAPS The Entertainment Guide

Birthright

New

Career Services

All Majors Job & Internship Fair March 5: 10am-2pm Location: SUB Ballrooms Visit career.unm.edu for more info!

Quirky Used Books & More Last Monday Poetry w/ NM Poet

Laureate Manuel Gonzalez 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Tuesday

Birthright

Majors Job & Internship Fair March 5: 10am-2pm Location: SUB Ballrooms Visit career.unm.edu for more info! Quirky Used Books & More More than 24,000 Used Books 11 AM - 6 PM | 120 Jefferson St NE

Wednesday

Birthright of Albuquerque Providing love, support, and hope to woman both before and after childbirth. birthright.org/albuquerque

New Volunteers Always Welcome 10AM-1PM; 3228 Candelaria Rd NE

Career Services

All Majors Job & Internship Fair

March 5: 10am-2pm

Location: SUB Ballrooms Visit career.unm.edu for more info!

Quirky Used Books & More Books, Puzzles, Stickers, Mugs, Etc. 11 AM - 6 PM | 120 Jefferson St NE

Thursday

Birthright of Albuquerque Providing love, support, and hope to

Goatheads partner with Colorado Avalanche

By Elliott Wood @DailyLobo

The New Mexico Goatheads are keeping it close to home in their search for a major league hockey affiliate, as they announced on Saturday, Feb. 21, that they are partnering with the Colorado Avalanche to light a path for their future players to ascend the hockey ranks.

Goatheads General Manager Jared Johnson told the large crowd at The BLOCK, an outdoor food hall in Rio Rancho, that the Avalanche had been the ones to reach out to the Goatheads about a potential partnership.

“We had lunch right here across the street at Turtle Mountain (Brewing Company) that day, and for that first in-person chat, I knew we shared the same vision: grow the game in New Mexico and build something that lasts,” Johnson said.

Also unveiled on Saturday, flanked by the Avalanche’s Bernie the St. Bernard, was Billy the Goat, the Goatheads’ mascot.

When asked by the hosts of the event prior to the reveal about who they wanted to see as their affiliate, the loudest voices from those in attendance were far-and-away for the Utah Mammoth and Colorado, along with other west coast teams like Seattle and Las Vegas.

Leading up to the event, the Mammoth and Avalanche were seen as the two most likely options for the Goatheads, as they

were either presently without an ECHL affiliate or had announced they were ending their previous partnership in the case of Colorado.

Johnson said his “pipe-dream” for the Goatheads, now that the Avalanche deal is finalized, would be getting the team to come down to Rio Rancho to hold a preseason or exhibition game, or even hold a training camp in New Mexico, similar to the long-standing tradition in Major League Baseball of hosting exhibitions and training in southern Arizona.

“We do have a lot of Avalanche fans as season ticket holders, but we have a lot of people that don’t have a team, but we’re going to have new people come to our games that have never seen hockey before,” Johnson said. “And that’s one thing the Avalanche were most excited about, is to really capitalize on not only this market, but all in New Mexico, and kind of make this ‘Avalanche Country’ too.”

With the Avalanche partnership, the Goatheads will also exchange players with the Colorado Eagles, the former’s American Hockey League affiliate, making New Mexico the bottom level on a threerung ladder.

“We see the ECHL franchise here in New Mexico as a crucial development pathway for players to develop here, go to the American League, and then go play for the Colorado Avalanche, and we can’t wait to have the first guy graduate from New Mexico

all the way to the Avalanche,”

Avalanche Assistant General Manager Kevin McDonald said.

Unlike other sports leagues, the ECHL does not hold a special draft when adding expansion teams, forcing new organizations to get competitive for talent and in scouting.

When asked if the Goatheads would turn their focus for players inward, like towards the University of New Mexico’s club team or the New Mexico Ice Wolves junior hockey team, Johnson said they were “excited” to have those teams close to Rio Rancho but stressed the importance of love for the game in their search, regardless of where

the players came from.

“We obviously want the best team on the ice, but we also want good people too. That’s above and beyond the most important thing for us,” Johnson said.

Players from both the men’s and women’s Lobo club teams were in attendance on Saturday, the former of which recently took home the West Coast Hockey Conference title in Division II of the American Collegiate Hockey Association after joining the conference last season, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Johnson emphasized the community aspect in his remarks to the crowd at The BLOCK,

thanking Rio Rancho and the state at large for their show of support for the Goatheads that he said has already culminated in more than 1,200 season ticket deposits.

“If you know New Mexico, you know that when something belongs to this state, people rally behind it, they take ownership of it, and they make it their own. And that is exactly what everyone here has done with the Goatheads,” Johnson said.

Elliott Wood is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo

DAILY LOBO C ampus Calendar of Events Calendar

5:30 – 7:30pm

& Music

10:00am

Ortega, Room 124

1:00 – 3:00pm Conversation group follows. Honors Student Association General Meeting Honors College Forum

Cármelo de los Santos in Concert Keller Hall 8:00 – 9:15pm Violin faculty Dr. Cármelo de los Santos presents a concert for solo violin. Tickets start at $5.

Theater & Film

LLC Film Screening: Rez Ball LLC, Ortega Hall Movie Room 3:00 – 4:00pm The Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team from New Mexico, must band together after losing their star player if they want to keep their quest for a state championship alive.

Lectures & Readings

Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology Seminar

Mitchell Hall Room 101 4:00 – 6:00pm Jinhyo Hwang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presents “Mechanisms and Materials for Organic Semiconductors: From Molecules to Flexible Electronics.”

Latin Verb Timelines & the Subjunctive LLC, Ortega Hall Movie Room 4:00 – 5:00pm Hosted by Greek & Latin conservation group.

TUESDAY

Campus

Events

Student HUB Showcase Anderson Jackson Student Center or Zoom

10:00am – 12:00pm

Bring your laptop with you to practice along with the presentation. Student Hub trainers and power users will be on hand for support. Light refreshments will be served. The daily e-mail calendar will have the Zoom link.

Recovery in Academia

SHAC Workshop Room 16

12:30 – 1:30pm Skills based support for mental health and substance abuse.

ASL Jenga

LLC, Ortega Hall Movie Room

1:00 – 2:00pm Hosted by ASL conservation group.

Lectures & Readings

Iran Crisis Awareness

SUB Santa Ana A/B 12:00 – 2:00pm Discussion of current events & human rights inside Iran.

Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars

PAIS Room 3205

2:00 – 3:00pm

Hijas Farook, UNM, presents “A Search for New Physics in Decays of B Mesons to Muon Pairs, Characterization of Radiation Damage in Silicon Detectors at the Large Hadron Collider, and Development of New Particle Timing Technology.”

Discovery Series - Ethics in AI Use

Honors College Forum

5:00 – 6:00pm Ethics in AI Use will be panel discussion led by graduate students studying the topic.

Meetings

Bosque Linguistics Association LLC, Ortega Room 120

4:00 – 5:00pm Study session. Help with coursework, exam prep, any linguistics questions, or just want to hang out.

Art & Music

UNM Symphony Orchestra Popejoy Hall

7:30 – 8:45pm Dr. Karin Hendrickson leads the Orchestra in performing Excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake, two songs by Richard Strauss. (featuring Amanda Rindlisbach, soprano), and Brahms: Symphony No. 1. Tickets start at $5.

Workshops

STEAM & COPH Presents: Writing Accountability Groups

Zoom

10:00 – 11:00am Join Dr. Dolores Guest and Dr. Martha Grimes for one to two hours of focused, independent writing. Each writing group time is designed to support your individual goal achievement. The daily e-mail calendar will have the Zoom link.

WEDNESDAY

Campus Events

7th Annual Anthropology Job and Opportunities Fair

SUB Ballroom C 11:00am – 2:00pm

Learn about jobs, internships, programs and organizations.

Intro to Photonics Experience

Yale Mall 12:00 – 4:00pm Through hands-on learning experiences, the Mobile Photonics Lab reveals photonics applications, technologies, people, and potential careers within the photonics industry.

Crafternoon Women’s Resource Center 12:00 – 2:30pm Hang out, relax, meet new people, and learn a new craft.

Aussprache Ubung: Tongue Twisters and Kinder Schokolade LLC, Ortega Hall Room 120 1:30 – 2:30pm Come practice tricky pronunciations with German conservation group. And enjoy some chocolates.

Crafternoon: Crafting Study Break! Zimmerman Library Room B30 4:00 – 6:00pm Take an afternoon study or work break while trying out a new creative activity.

International Students Social Hour

Louie’s Lounge 4:00 – 6:00pm

Dion’s pizza, and there is pool, ping pong, board games, card games, and video games. There is also mandala coloring pages available to color.

PLF Study Session

Dane Smith Hall Atrium 4:00 – 6:00pm Join peer learning facilitators for studying with pizza and beverages. Theater & Film

Midweek Movies: Five Nights At Freddy’s 2 SUB Theater 6:00 – 8:00pm One year has passed since the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Former security guard Mike has kept the truth from his 11-year-old sister, Abby, concerning the fate of her animatronic friends. When Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy, she sets into motion a terrifying series of events that reveal dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy’s. Free concessions.

DAILY LOBO C ampus Calendar of Events

Zoom 12:00 – 1:00pm

Crafting Study Break!

George Pearl Hall Room 426

1:00 – 3:00pm Take an afternoon study or work break while trying out a new creative activity. Bring your own craft or try out a provide craft like needlefelting or mini-painting projects.

Tierra LLC, Ortega Hall Room 335

2:00 – 3:00pm Spanish poetry event.

Sign & Dine

LLC, Ortega Hall Room 124

4:00 – 5:00pm Have snacks and get to know the CTL conservation group.

Japanese Rock Concert w/ Ryuichi

Nakayama

LLC, Ortega Hall Lab 4

4:30 – 5:30pm Celebrate East Asian Languages Month with the LLC. Don’t miss out on the music, tradition, and fun.

Afro Black History Month Event African American Student Services

6:00 – 7:00pm O is for Overcome.

Lectures & Readings

Department Of Internal Medicine Presentation Zoom

12:00 – 1:00pm Jennifer Grandis, University of California, presents “Barriers to Women in Science and Medicine: Who Holds the Power and Why it Matters.” The daily e-mail calendar will have the Zoom link and password.

OSE Seminar

CHTM Room 103

12:30 – 1:45pm Lynore M. Abbott, Quantum Design, presents.

Biology Seminar Castetter Hall, Room 100

3:30 – 5:00pm Dr. Jeffrey Propster, New Mexico Highlands University, presents.

Chemistry & Chemical Biology Seminar

Mitchell Hall Room 101

4:00 – 6:00pm Georgios Toupalas, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presents “Molecular Precision Control in Multiple Dimensions– From Catalysis to 2D Network Polymers.”

Art & Music

Choral Collage Keller Hall

7:30 – 8:45pm Featuring Concert Choir, Dolce Suono, Las Cantantes, and Something Major A Cappella (SMAC). Tickets start at $5.

Meetings

Disabled Student Union Meeting Women’s Resource Center Group Room 12:30 – 2:00pm

Chinese Language & Culture Club LLC, Ortega Hall Room 229

3:00 – 5:00pm

Family & Friends Cancer Support Group

CCC Education Wing 4:00 – 5:30pm A journaling support group for anyone who has a loved one with cancer, a loved one who has survived cancer, and/or a loved one who has died from cancer.

Workshops

Surviving Midterms

SHAC Conference Room 4

2:00 – 3:00pm A workshop that prepares students for the stresses of midterms with effective study habits, coping skills for test anxiety and more.

FRIDAY

Campus Events

FAF$A-FOR-U Mesa Vista Hall, Room 1119 9:00am – 4:00pm Hosted by the American Indian Student Services.

Lobo Day 2026

SUB Lower Level 11:30am – 1:00pm

Celebrating the university’s birthday with cake and the annual photo that is posted in the SUB.

Japanese Slang LLC, Ortega Hall Movie Room 12:00 – 1:00pm Come and learn slang with the help of Japanese conservation group.

Lectures & Readings

CMBD Seminar

Reginald Heber Fitz Hall, Room 303

12:00 – 1:00pm

The Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease (CMBD) Series is the Health Sciences Center’s most prestigious seminar series and is meant to enhance biomedical science education by hosting high-profile scientists to speak on current topics in biomedical research.

Physics and Astronomy Colloquium PAIS Room 110 3:30 – 4:30pm Bryan Butler, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, presents.

Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology Seminar Castetter Hall Room 101 4:00 – 5:00pm Dr. Jeffrey Propster, New Mexico Highlands University, presents.

Hip Hop is Resistance: The Future of America SUB Ballroom B 6:00 – 7:00pm

An interactive conversation with Kevin Powell. Explores hip hop’s role in black oral history, culture and resistance.

Sports

& Recreation

UNM Baseball vs St. Thomas Lobo Baseball Field 2:00 – 4:00pm

UNM Women’s Softball vs UTEP Lobo Softball Field 3:00 – 5:00pm Tickets are free for students but must be acquired online.

UNM Women’s Softball vs Tarleton State Lobo Softball Field

5:30 – 7:30pm Tickets are free for students but must be acquired online.

Workshops

Manage Your Time CENT Room 2080 and Zoom 4:00 – 5:00pm Snacks for in person participants. Focus on time, stress and test anxiety. The daily e-mail calendar will have the Zoom link.

Meetings

Nahuatl Club Weekly Meeting Latin American and Iberian Institute Room 107

3:30 – 5:00pm Nahuatl variant presentation. Everyone is welcome. No previous experience with the language is required.

Japanese Language And Culture Club SUB Sandia 5:00 – 6:00pm

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TUTOR

SWFC: It Was Just An

Calendar of Events ampus

Join the NMPhil and guest conductor Alejandro Gómez Guillén for a vibrant evening of music that moves both body and soul. Tickets start at $41.50.

Highways and Heartbeats

Rodey Theatre

7:30 – 9:30pm

Presented by artistic directors

Marisol Encinias and Amanda Hamp, Highways and Heartbeats is the 2026 UNM Faculty Dance Concert featuring new works by acclaimed artists in Flamenco and Contemporary dance. Tickets start at $10.

SUNDAY

Workshops

Outpatient Applications of Point-ofCare Ultrasound (POCUS) Health Sciences and Services North Wing

8:00am – 4:00pm Learners will receive a brief didactic followed by hands-on training and facilitation on live models by POCUS experts.

Theater & Film

Highways and Heartbeats

Rodey Theatre 2:00 – 4:00pm

Presented by artistic directors

Marisol Encinias and Amanda Hamp, Highways and Heartbeats is the 2026 UNM Faculty Dance Concert featuring new works by acclaimed artists in Flamenco and Contemporary dance. Tickets start at $10.

The Mikado Popejoy Hall

3:00 – 5:30pm

Gilbert’s musical satire of British society blossoms anew in a fantasy 19th-century Japanese setting

with the show’s original beloved characters, beautiful music, and timeless story. Tickets start at $29.50.

Sports & Recreation

UNM Women’s Softball vs Houston Christian Lobo Softball Field 5:30 – 7:30pm Tickets are free for students but must be acquired online.

UNM Baseball vs St. Thomas Lobo Baseball Field 12:00 – 2:00pm Doubleheader. Tickets are free for students but must be acquired online.

CURRENT EXHIBITS

Embracing 6th Street Studio; 1029 6th St NW Through March 1, 2026

MFA Thesis. New works from Dylan Lilla.

Entangled Cultures: How Humans and Microbes Co-create through Fermentation Maxwell Museum of Anthropology Through March 14, 2026

Entangled Cultures presents diverse global examples of traditional vessels used in the creation and consumption of fermented foods and beverages.

Jaune Quick-to-see Smith: All My Relations Tamarind Institute Through April 10, 2026

In honor of the late American artist, an experienced and prolific printmaker, featuring 20 lithographs made in residence at Tamarind from 1980 to 2022, alongside works by artists whose paths and practices were influenced by the

artist, including Jeffrey Gibson, Rose B. Simpson, Duane Slick, Marie Watt and Emmi Whitehorse.

Metal Rules!

Through May 2, 2026

INHABIT Galerie; 4436 Corrales Rd MFA Thesis. Participating Artists: Bailey Anderson, Bruna D’Alessandro, Welly Fletcher, Shirley Klinghoffer, Stephanie Lerma, Iulia Octavia, Karen Yank.

One Earth, One Kin

Spectra Art Gallery, Honors College Through Spring 2026

The exhibit showcases connection and kinship with the earth through the eyes of student artists. Pieces by Arwen Lynch-Poe, Caitlyn Bizzell, Leo Brocker, Loui Burton, Maria Paez, Noheya Behay, and Phaera Fields.

Ancestors

Maxwell Museum of Anthropology

Permanent Exhibit

Ancestors will lead you through those aspects of modern humanity that makes us unique and successful, tracing the path of evolution through the past four million years.

People of the Southwest Maxwell Museum of Anthropology Permanent Exhibit

This exhibition celebrates the cultural history of the Southwest, especially the close relationship southwestern people have had with the land around them.

To