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Monday, O c tober 25, 2021 | Vo l u m e 1 2 6 | I s s u e 1 1
Final mayoral debate cements candidates’ visions ahead of election
Scientists predict New Mexico slated for another dry winter By Rebecca Hobart @rjhobart
Liam DeBonis / Daily Lobo / @LiamDebonis
(From left to right) Albuquerque mayoral candidates Eddy Aragon, Manny Gonzales and Tim Keller at the final mayoral debate at the Congregation Albert synagogue on Oct. 24.
By Dan Pennington @DanDangerously On Sunday, Oct. 24, the three Albuquerque mayoral candidates gathered at the Congregation Albert synagogue for their final debate before the election takes place on Nov. 2. The participants, current Mayor Tim Keller, Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzalez and conservative talk show host Eddy Aragon, answered questions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, crime and homelessness.
In the opening statements, Keller talked about how he has handled the pandemic and his prioritization of the health of local citizens. He said he would want to craft a path forward to continue the work he has started in his first term if chosen as mayor again. “During the pandemic, we faced a challenge like we've never seen before,” Keller said. “We made tough decisions to save lives and save livelihoods." Meanwhile, Gonzalez brought up crime in the city, characterizing it as out of control and said
it needs to be solved, which Aragon reiterated. Aragon blamed the poor state of Albuquerque on Keller and Gonzales. "Both of my opponents in this race are responsible for what is happening here in the city of Albuquerque … We have to start addressing these issues,” Aragon said. When asked about the pandemic, Keller said he wants to focus on administering booster shots for adults and, once approved by the FDA, vaccinations for children between 5 and 11 years old. While
the mayoral office can’t enforce a vaccine mandate in Albuquerque, he said they dealt with the pandemic challenges with action despite adversity, and poured $300 million into infrastructure to continue building the city and keep people working. "Leadership during a pandemic is about actually taking action to keep everyone safe,” Keller said. “That's what you have got to do, even if you don't believe in it, even if it's hard, even if it makes other
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Debate page 2
Vigil memorializes Halyna Hutchins
Shelby Kleinhans / Daily Lobo / @realShelbyK
A photo of “Rust” director of photography Halyna Hutchins rests on the stairs of the Albuquerque Civic Plaza at a vigil held for Hutchins on Oct. 23.
La Niña, an event characterized by below-average temperatures and cooling of the Pacific Ocean surface, brought an unusually warm and dry winter to the Southwest last year and is likely to worsen drought in New Mexico for a second consecutive year. Cold water on the equator influences the subtropical jet streams, which are air currents in the atmosphere, and shifts colder weather conditions northward, according to University of New Mexico Professor Emeritus of Earth and Planetary Sciences David Gutzler. The effect is warm, dry air rising in the Southwest. Though La Niña is happening, it’s not a cemented guarantee that this winter will be dryer, but it does tilt the odds in that direction, according to John Fleck, professor and director of the UNM Water Resources Program. “(This year) we’re looking at the prediction of warmerthan-average temperatures and lower-than-average precipitation in the next several months,” said Andrew Mangham, the Senior Service Hydrologist for the National Weather Service of Albuquerque. While there aren’t necessarily hard and fast metrics to quantify when New Mexico will start to endure La Niña’s effects, scientists will know the gravity of a La Niña season beginning in January or February, when the winter snowpack is measured, according to Mangham. “(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) models are indicating that the La Niña that’s developing … is likely to persist and, in fact, intensify through the winter,” Gutzler said. “Once we get into the winter, then it starts to affect North America.” Mangham said major tributaries of the Colorado River, such as the San Juan River and Gila River, will be
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Winter page 2