Albuquerque nonprofit wins national award
By Sevía Gonzales / NM News Port A local nonprofit was nationally recognized last month for its vocational and job training program. AmeriCorps bestowed a 2019 Excellence in AmeriCorps Award for Engaging More People with Disabilities on the Mandy’s Farm VAMOS program. The nonprofit, based in Albuquerque’s South Valley provides life-skills training, social development, and […]
One ABQ woman is baking back to her community
By: Solana Cummings and Dannelle Kirven / NM News Port Queneesha Meyers, owner of Q’s Cakes and Sweets Boutique, creates her own unique spin on traditional desserts and gives back to her community through drives, fundraisers, scholarships, and classes. “I started baking when I was about 11 years old,” Meyers said, “My grandmother had […]
Black sororities and fraternities celebrate unity
By Solana Cummings and Dannelle Kirven / NM News Port Black fraternities and sororities showcased their campus unity and touted their history at a Welcome Back Week barbeque at the beginning of the semester. The event featured a group performance from members of the UNM Divine Nine, the nickname for a University of New Mexico […]
Programs aim to reduce feral cat population
By Kaylee Trainum / New Mexico News Port Some say feral cats populations have long been a nuisance in urban areas—spreading disease and killing wildlife—and now Albuquerque and many other cities are adopting more humane ways to tackle the problem. According to Animal Humane New Mexico, feral cats are not socialized and are removed from […]
Criminalizing disability
Special-needs kids who don’t get help in school are winding up in jail. By Ed Williams / Searchlight NM/ It was right after the fifth-period bell last October that Sebastian Montano lay face down in the grass outside Alamogordo High School, screaming for his mother, as two police officers pinned him to the ground and […]
Monarchs and Milkweed
By Makayla Grijalva and Shayla Cunico / Daily Lobo / Editors Note: This story was originally published in the Daily Lobo. This is under a collaboration the New Mexico New Port has with the New Mexico Daily Lobo. Tatia Veltkamp, owner of Wings of Enchantment, has a home filled to the brim with butterflies — […]
Community works to change views on pit bulls
By Mikayla Nowell and Kaylee Trainum / NM News Port / A large head, stocky chest and cropped ears can be the difference between a life with a loving family or months or years in an animal shelter. Such is the plight of the pit bull. According to the ASPCA, 3.3 million dogs are surrendered […]
Creator of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women database seeks justice
By Amy Byres / NM News Port / When Annita Lucchesi arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it would be under duress — having left her abusers. “I didn’t have any belongings. I didn’t have a car. I didn’t have a job. I was basically living like a refugee and I needed to start my life […]
Dire streets: Roadways and broken promises on the Navajo Nation
By Amy Linn and Alysa Landry / Searchlight NM / SANOSTEE, N.M. — Sharon Begay knows this road by heart. The 43-year-old mother of two has spent a lifetime memorizing the jagged surface and thuggish boulders that define Indian Service Route 5010. Locals just call it “the road” and gauge distances with landmarks: windmills, S-curves, […]
ABQ and UNM partner to help park dwellers
By Ally Rael and Madison Sparrato / NM News Port / When most people wake up for the day, their first stop is the bathroom where the usual necessities are at arm’s reach: toilet paper, towels and a toothbrush. For people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque, waking up and using a bathroom is a luxury they […]