DAILY LOBO new mexico
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
dailylobo.com
Tu e s d a y, J a n u a r y 2 2 , 2 0 1 9 | V o l u m e 1 2 3 | I s s u e 3 7
Women’s March emphasizes inclusion
Museum hosts eclipse-viewing event By Luisa Pennington @_lpennington_
April Torres/@i_apreel/Daily Lobo
A woman raises her fist as she listens to a speaker at the Albuquerque Women’s March in Civic Plaza on Jan. 20, 2019.
By Megan Holmen @megan_holmen Burqueños gathered at Civic Plaza for the 2019 Albuquerque’s Women’s March on Jan. 20. People from all communities and walks of
life came together for a common cause — women’s rights. The rally featured keynote speakers including: Samia Assad the Albuquerque Women’s March chair, U.S. Congresswoman Deb Haaland, Public Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, a
variety of University of New Mexico professors and other speakers. The Albuquerque Women’s March is held in conjunction with other marches held in cities across the nation, including the national Women’s March in Washington
see
March page 8
On Jan. 20, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science opened its doors afterhours for a special viewing of the supermoon total eclipse. Starting at 8:30 p.m., more than 1,000 museum visitors were welcomed into the museum’s campus to view the phenomenon until 11:30 p.m. A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. When this happens a dark red interior color is reflected. They don’t happen often because normally the moon moves slightly over or under the shadow when it’s on the far side of the Earth from the sun, according to The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. At 8:34 p.m. the Partial Eclipse began and guests began to arrive. Crowds began to form on the museum grounds and and on the observatory deck. To get a closer look at the supermoon, telescopes were provided by the museum and Albuquerque Astronomical Society for visitors to enjoy. While waiting for the supermoon eclipse, the crowd happily explored the grounds and picked
up museum distributed flyers with information regarding the night. For quick and easy understanding, the stages of the eclipse were defined and explained. “It’s our job to introduce people to what’s happening in space, science and astronomy, and to interpret phenomena thats happening in the night sky,” Museum Space Science Director Jim Greenhouse said. “Plus we just wanted everyone to come out tonight and learn a little something about the moon, and enjoy seeing the moon turn red during the eclipse.” The inside of the museum was set up with several tables and stations to project the eclipse from other parts of the world. Other attractions included the observatory and, in one room, children were welcomed to color on educational worksheets. People of all ages looked, wide eyed, at projections of the moon. “I love the moon. I love astronomical events… I think it ties in a little bit of spirituality and I think it’s really special for everybody to come out here as a community,” said Sherele Brooks, environmental science major and University of New Mexico Junior. “I love the reinforcement of science.”
NM worst for child well-being By Justin Garcia @Just516garc New Mexico continues to be ranked last in the country in childwell being, according to a report released Tuesday written by New Mexico Voices for Children. For the second time in five years, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count program ranked New Mexico 50th for child wellbeing. The Kids Count also ranked New Mexico 49th in economic well-being, 50th in education and 48th in health. The report cited what it called
the austerity policies of the past decade for the low rankings. “With a brand-new governor,” the report reads, “this is the perfect time to change our course – to turn from austerity onto a road to opportunity.“ In nearly all cases, Hispanic and Native American children were more likely to be experiencing hardships compared to non-hispanic whites. 49th in Economic Well-being The number of New Mexican parents without secure employment, which the report defined as having no job or being employed part-time or seasonally, had been
PHOTO STORY: NM LEGISLATURE
Photo story on page 2 and 3
steadily decreasing since its recent high point in 2010 at 37 percent. It had returned to 36 percent in 2016. The number of disconnected youth, which the report defined as people 16 to 19 years old not working or in school, also rose from nine to 10 percent. One spot of improvement was the slight decrease of children living in poverty, from 30 percent to 27 percent in 2016 and 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However, those numbers are still some of the highest in the country. Another point of improvement in the report was the continuation of the gradual decrease in parents spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing. In 2010, over 40 percent of New Mexico parents were shelling out over 30 percent of their incomes for housing. In 2016, about 32 percent were. 50th in Education From its high point of above 60 percent in 2012, the number of children ages three to four not in school had fallen to 57 percent. About 25 percent of fourth graders were at least proficient in reading, which is more than the 2009 mark of 20 percent. In math, about 20 percent were at least proficient. The national averages for reading and math were 35 percent and 30 percent, respectively.
see
Children page 8
Courtsey Photo
Photo of the blood moon courtesy of Andrew Holguin in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
see
Blood Moon page 8
On the Daily Lobo website Land: UNM offers course on marijuana and communication
Prokop: University Police bill included on “Rocket Docket”