Daily Lobo new mexico
wednesday January 21, 2015 | Volume 119 | Issue 85
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
Pres., Gov. challenge status quo Obama recommends taxing rich, helping middle class to GOP-controlled Congress
Martinez focuses on education reform, attracting more businesses to New Mexico
Mandel Ngan / AP Photo
Eric Draper / AP Photo
President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, in Washington. Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio listen in the background.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez kisses eighth grader Kendal Sanders during her State of the State address at the New Mexico state capitol in Santa Fe Tuesday. Sanders and class mate, Nathaniel Tavarez, right, were shot and injured at Berrendo Middle School in Roswell last year.
By Julie Pace WASHINGTON (AP) — Refusing to bend to the new Republican Congress, President Barack Obama unveiled Tuesday night an ambitious State of the Union agenda steeped in Democratic priorities, including tax increases on the wealthy, education and child care help for the middle class and a torrent of veto threats for the GOP’s own plans.
In a shift from tradition, Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress was less a laundry list of new proposals and more an attempt to sell a story of a national economy emerging from the “shadow of crisis.” He appealed for “better politics” in Washington and pledged to work with Republicans, but he showed few signs of curtailing or tweaking his own plans to meet GOP priorities.
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By Marielle Dent Republican Gov. Susana Martinez focused on education, economy and improving the lives of New Mexico’s children in her fifth State of the State Address on Tuesday. “I ask that, in every decision, we will choose courage over comfort, change over stagnation, reform over the status quo,” Martinez said, opening this year’s 60-day legislative
session. “Choose the courageous route, paved with policies that will outlast each of us and fundamentally improve New Mexico.” During this session lawmakers will come up with a $6.3 billion budget for the year beginning July 1 as well as introduce bills on topics of their choice. Martinez said she plans to seek approval on initiatives that have been
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follow-up
Concussion research team seeks more funds By Sayyed Shah
A team studying the effects of concussions on student athletes is trying to get a three-year approval of funds from the legislative assembly to continue its work and eventually extend the program to other schools.
UNM’s Brain Safe team is now waiting on the New Mexico Legislature to decide whether the project will be funded further, allowing them to expand their research to other campuses, said project director Kent Kiehl. According to a press release, Brain Safe aims “to study and
minimize the impact of brain injury on NCAA athletes in contact sports.” More than 200 athletes from UNM will receive MRI scans to study “brain structure, chemistry, connectivity and function at the beginning of every season,” according to the release.
“We are in a process of talking with several other universities about adopting the same program. It has not been adopted as full yet but we are optimistic that by next year we will have several other schools having the same program,” Kiehl said. As part of the contract with
the University, the organization performs comprehensive brain health checkups of all athletes at the beginning of the school year. If an athlete gets a concussion at any point during the year, he or she returns to the institution for
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