In an effort to keep “seasoned officers” on the job protecting this city and its denizens, the Albuquerque City Council passed legislation intended to offer extra income to police officers willing to postpone retirement.
It was damn warm last month in Burque; in fact, it was the third-warmest October in a century in these here parts.
Autumn means our city will soon host wild avian visitors from up north; just don’t feed them.
Albuquerque Little Theater is bringing an Irving Berlin work to life in time for the winter holidays.
Marijuana decriminalization efforts made progress nationally and locally this week.
A Mexican child with a massive tumor on his neck and shoulder is having the ailment treated here in Albuquerque.
UNM Lobo starting quarterback Cole Gautsche has been injured, and Coach Davies said he may be out for the rest of the season.
In more UNM sports news, the captain of the UNM women’s basketball squad was charged with throwing a knife at her significant other.
Here’s this week’s New Mexico fishing report, courtesy of the Portales News-Tribune.
Over at Duke City Fix, New Mexico history writer Ben Moffett reviews Robert Turner Wood’s new book about Burque’s postwar transformation.
When UNM was tossed from the NCAA Tournament, the Big Dance didn't stop. Last weekend, the tourney was whittled down to the Final Four. The University of Florida Gators, the Wisconsin Badgers, the Kentucky Wildcats and the Connecticut Huskies are the the last four teams left in Division I college basketball. Of these last four teams, there is only one number one seed left: the top team overall, Billy Donovan's crew.
Kentucky has proved the pre-season hype to be justified, defying the odds of an 8 seed. Coach Calipari has coaxed the most out of his powerful, notably Aaron Harrison. Harrison knocked in a 3 ball with 2.3 second left to upset 2-seed Michigan on Sunday night. The Wildcats entered the season with hefty expectations but failed to live up on them for the majority of the slog. With 10 losses, the season could have been seen as a letdown; until March Madness began. After knocking out previously unbeaten Wichita State and intrastate rival Louisville, the team seems to be playing their best ball at the perfect time.
The Connecticut Huskies, on the other hand, may have also been ranked for much of the beginning of the season, but never had the expectations of Big Blue foisted upon them. UConn, content to fly under the radar for much of the season, dominated trendy pre-Tourney pick, Michigan State on Sunday. While the final margin was only six points, UConn seemed to be in control of their destiny for the majority of the game. This has been the case since they needed overtime o take out St. Joe's in the first round of the Tournament. Shabazz Napier, the senior guard from Storrs, has put the team on his back, and his free throws seemed to clinch the game.
The aforementioned, overall number one seed Florida cruised past the previous upset-minded Dayton Flyers. This is nothing new for the Gators, who won it all in 2007 and have been to the Elite Eight for the last three years in a row. Florida's coach, Billy Donovan, has been here before and seems poised – at least mathematically – for a run to the championship.
However, the team that the majority of the nation has rallied around by far is Wisconsin. The Badgers have shown tremendous tenacity and the play of Frank Kaminsky is a big part of their overtime victory against the West Region 1 seed Arizona Wildcats. Although Wisconsin entered the post-season as a 2 seed, most pundits overlooked the team in their predictions of who would be left standing at this time of the year.
The semifinal matches will be played on Saturday night, with both games televised on TBS. The final matchup, for the national championship, will take place on Monday, April 7. If your bracket is busted, take comfort in the knowledge that so is everyone else's and enjoy some quality basketball.
