The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has brought colorful displays to the New Mexico sky in an international event that attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators every year.
The event started Saturday with a drone light show before sunrise followed by a mass ascension of hot air balloons. Over nine days, local residents and visitors will be treated to a cavalcade of colorful and special-shaped balloons.
The annual gathering has become a major economic driver for the state’s biggest city. The Rio Grande and nearby mountains provide spectacular backdrops to the fiesta that began with a few pilots launching 13 balloons from an open lot near a shopping center on what was the edge of Albuquerque in 1972.
The fiesta has morphed into one of the most photographed events in the world, now based at Balloon Fiesta Park. Balloon designs have featured cartoon animals, Star Wars characters and even the polar bear found on Klondike bars.
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“But they’re still all about the basics,” said fiesta director Sam Parks, who flies a globe-style balloon modeled after one flown by the fiesta’s late founder Sid Cutter. “You add heat to a big bag of air and you go up.”
Nearly 830,000 people from around the world attended last year’s event. Scheduled nighttime events include fireworks and balloon glows, in which hot air balloons are inflated and lit up from the ground.
The launch window opens Saturday evening for what is billed as one of the biggest events in aviation: the Gordon Bennett competition. The winner of the gas balloon race is the one who flies the farthest distance.
Some 550 balloon pilots are registered to fly this year, seeking to take advantage of a phenomenon known as the “Albuquerque box,” when the wind blows in opposite directions at different elevations, allowing skillful pilots to bring a balloon back to a spot near the point of takeoff.
Visitors to the event also can pay to go aloft for views of the Sandia Mountains to the west and New Mexico’s capital, Santa Fe, farther north.
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“It has become part of the culture,” Parks said. “The thread, if you will, of those here.”
Elizabeth Wright-Smith, who is flying the Smokey Bear balloon this week, said she reunites with friends from all over the country at the fiesta that she would not see otherwise. As of early Saturday afternoon, she had already run into 30 people she had met from various balloon races, safety seminars and other events across the country.
“It’s a big reunion,” she said.
Her favorite part of the fiesta is watching and interacting with the thousands of spectators who flock to Balloon Fiesta Park, which grow smaller as she ascends in her balloon. The sky was clear Saturday – a contrast from last year, when off-and-on rain left parts of the fiesta soggy.
“Pictures don’t do it justice, videos don’t do it justice,” Wright-Smith said. “You’ve got to be standing there watching them to really get it.”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The New Mexico Department of Justice released a report on its investigation into alleged cases of sexual assault and hazing within the New Mexico State University men’s basketball program during the 2022-23 season.
The NMDOJ issued a report accusing the NMSU men’s basketball program of failing to protect student-athletes and having a “pervasive culture of misconduct,” leading to the cancellation of the season.
The report stems from an investigation into alleged hazing and sexual assault incidents within the NMSU men’s basketball program back then, which led to the cancellation of the season.
In April 2023, two players sued the school, players and coaches, accusing multiple players of sexually assaulting them multiple times over several months – and accusing the coaches of not stepping in. In November 2023, a grand jury indicted Deshawndre Washington, Kim Aiken Jr., and Doctor Bradley on criminal charges.
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Bradley and Aiken each took a plea deal. Aiken agreed to testify against Washington as a part of his deal.
The NMDOJ blames the alleged assaults on an environment characterized by a toxic culture within the program. They allege people close to the team missed “opportunities to observe and intervene” and that student safety programs didn’t do enough “to deter or address this behavior.” They cited “lax oversight, inconsistent discipline, and inadequate preventative measures.”
“This report is intended to shine a light not only on the specific misconduct by members of NMSU’s basketball team but also the institutional deficiencies that allowed that misconduct to go unaddressed by leaders inside the university,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said. “While NMSU has made commendable progress since these incidents occurred, more must be done to ensure accountability and prevent future harm.”
The NMDOJ called on NMSU to:
Develop written guidelines for collaborations between athletics, institutional equity office and the dean
Institute recurring Title IX and anti-hazing training for all students and staff
Enforce “disciplinary measures for student-athletes based on the severity of misconduct”
Strengthen standards for recruiting practices and coach and player vetting
Ensure senior leadership “prioritizes and adequately funds” safety initiatives and programming
Establish a center “dedicated to sexual violence education, prevention, and victim advocacy”
The NMDOJ is calling on the New Mexico Legislature to pass anti-hazing legislation. According to them, New Mexico is one of six states that lacks this.
They also identified seven critical areas of concern:
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Institutional governance and student engagement
Policies
Reporting mechanisms
Training
Athletics Department culture and recruiting practices
A Penasco least chipmunk is pictured. Jim Stuart /New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Adrian HeddenCarlsbad Current-Argusachedden@currentargus.com A chipmunk the federal government believed could go extinct in southeast New Mexico was given the highest level of protection, while land…
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