ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Christmas is coming and kids are dreaming of all the gifts on their wish list but some families need help to make that happen.

The Northern New Mexico Toy Drive is back for another year. Santa Fe firefighter Rollin’ Tylerr Jones and his family have made this a yearly tradition since 2010. Recently, they’ve stepped up their efforts.

“The Northern New Mexico Toy Drive has been a nonprofit since 2021,” Jones said. “In 2020, when COVID hit, the Santa Fe Fire Department had a hard time with resources and so they approached my real estate brokerage, Exit Realty Advantage New Mexico in Los Alamos, and asked if we would help out.

“So, in 2020, we started running it. Then in 2021, we became the official Northern New Mexico Toy Drive.”

The toy drive has grown since then. They’re aiming to help 10,000 kids – up from 200 in the first years – all across New Mexico, not just northern New Mexico.

“We’re helping groups in the Four Corners, the Navajo Nation, all the way down. We’re helping foster kids in Albuquerque, Mora, Las Vegas,” Jones said.

Jones’ family helps out with sorting toys, going through the Christmas lists and more. You can learn more about the New Mexico Toy Drive in the video above and on their website.

Since its inception 33 years ago, the New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation has operated with the goal of increasing the number of students who earn science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees. Twenty-five conferences later, the program remains strong.

NM AMP hosted its annual Student Research Conference in late October, bringing together more than 160 students and faculty from across the state and across the border to celebrate student research and promote STEM careers.

Seven universities from New Mexico are part of the alliance, which is housed at New Mexico State University. However, three community colleges and the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, also attend the conference. Along with the university attendees, over 50 students from New Mexico high schools who participate in the NM MESA and TRIO Upward Bound programs also attended this year.

Paola Bandini is the newly appointed director of NM AMP and a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NMSU. Bandini said conferences like these help encourage younger students who may not have thought about a STEM career before.

“The conference provides students the opportunity to network with other students and to meet and learn from successful role models,” Bandini said. “Students present their research in a professional setting and received positive feedback from faculty and graduate students who attended the poster session.

“Students also gain confidence in their research and presentation skills as a result of participating in and interacting with peers and other scholars. Younger students, such as high school and community college students, get inspired by their peers who are working on STEM research projects.”

During the research poster presentation session, faculty and graduate students served as judges to select winners for both the community college and university levels.

NMSU student Francis Silva, Willow Cunningham of the University of New Mexico and Riley Morris from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology were recognized for their poster presentations in the university category. In the community college category, Kayden Robey, Lane Porter and Celeste More, all from Doña Ana Community College, were recognized for their research posters.

The conference also featured New Mexico State Rep. Nathan P. Small, who delivered a keynote address during the luncheon session about education and opportunities in the state, and encouraged students to consider STEM education and career paths.

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez also spoke during the luncheon session about the importance of higher education in improving the lives of New Mexicans.

“We are grateful to Rep. Small and U.S. Rep. Vasquez for their strong support of higher education and student success across New Mexico,” said David Jáuregui, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “The state’s commitment helps ensure that students, from high schools to community colleges and universities, have meaningful opportunities to engage in hands-on research and experiential learning. The continued strength of NM AMP shows the significant impact these investments have on our students and our great state.”

NM AMP has been continuously funded by the National Science Foundation for the past 33 years.

The seven universities making up the alliance are NMSU, Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico Highlands University, NM Tech, Northern New Mexico College, Western New Mexico University and UNM.

Students are supported through a wide range of NM AMP initiatives, including Undergraduate Research Scholars, STEM Pre-Research Exploration Program, the Summer Community College Opportunity for Research Experience, the New Mexico AMP Transfer Stipend, an annual student research conference and community college professional development workshops held alongside the conference.

To get involved with NM AMP and its programs, visit https://nmamp.nmsu.edu/.

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CUTLINE: NMAMP_01: Mariana Navarrete Ovalle, a physics major at New Mexico State University, presents her research project the 2025 NM AMP Research Conference, which took place in October at the NMSU main campus. (NMSU photo by Hanna Muñoz Villalobos)

DESCRIPTION: A girl points at a research poster with text and graphics while two people watch her.

CUTLINE: NMAMP_02: New Mexico State Rep. Nathan P. Small was the keynote speaker for the 2025 NM AMP Research Conference that took place in October at the New Mexico State University main campus. (NMSU photo by Stella Aude)

DESCRIPTION: A man on a stage speaks to an audience of high school and college students sitting at tables.

CUTLINE: NMAMP_03: The 2025 NM AMP Research Conference, which took place in October at the New Mexico State University main campus, featured a poster session where students could network and present their work. (NMSU photo by Hanna Muñoz Villalobos)

DESCRIPTION: In a large room, students present research posters to other students, faculty and staff.

PORTALES, N.M. — Art Briles was hired as football coach at Eastern New Mexico on Monday, getting his first college head coaching job since Baylor fired the two-time Big 12 champion more than nine years ago after a review of the university’s handling of sexual assault allegations made against several football players.

“Very excited, very grateful, very happy,” Briles said during his introduction at the NCAA Division II school that plays in the Lone Star Conference. “It’s a great moment for me, I hope it’s a great moment for this university. I’m extremely excited to start this journey, this new chapter, in our lives.”

An external investigation revealed in May 2016 that Baylor had, for years, mishandled numerous sexual assault allegations by students, including some against football players. Briles has said that he didn’t cover up reports of assaults by his players. An NCAA infractions report in 2021 criticized him for failing to look into horrific and potentially criminal allegations, but he was cleared of any NCAA violations.

When asked how his perspective has changed 10 years after his last college season, Briles responded, “I think I’m certainly a lot more knowledgeable about every situation.”

“Really, I’m just more concerned about the next chapter and not the last chapter,” he said. “I’ve kind of learned through the process that a lot of times less said is best said because a lot of times, if you say stuff, it can be construed however anybody wants to look at it.”

Briles, who turns 70 next month, was hired as offensive coordinator at Grambling State in 2022, but stepped down less than a week later, saying he didn’t want to be a distraction at the prominent HBCU. Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson had attempted to hire Briles as the program’s OC in 2019, but the university administration eventually vetoed the move.

After coaching professional football in Italy, Briles returned to Texas and was the head coach at Mount Vernon High School for two seasons (2019-20).

The athletic director at Eastern New Mexico is Kevin Fite, who was the associate AD for compliance and eligibility at Houston when Briles was coach there before going to Baylor. Briles had a 34-28 record at Houston from 2003 to 2007, then was 65-37 with the Bears from 2008 to 2015.

Fite said he and Briles are committed to working together to create the best possible experience for players and the student and university community.

“That will involve winning,” Fite said. “That winning will do a lot for this campus and its students. I understand that this is a unique and surprising hire.”

Eastern New Mexico just completed its second consecutive 3-8 season. The Greyhounds fired coach Kelley Lee, who was 32-34 in his six seasons over two stints (2017-19 and 2023-25).

Fite said he heard from many current and former coaches and ADs, and even pastors, in support of Briles.

“I trust him to lead this football program with a high amount of integrity,” he said. “What I would want our university community to understand is that I know Art Biles. I know his family. I know his commitment to impacting the lives of young people. I know he is a tremendous leader. I know that he has changed the lives of many of his players in a very positive way. I know his former players and co-workers love him. I know he is a winner.”

The university is located about 250 miles from Briles’ hometown of Rule, Texas.

Baylor paid Briles more than $15 million after firing him. He later acknowledged making mistakes and apologized for “some bad things” that happened under his watch.

Briles’ son-in-law, Jeff Lebby, is Mississippi State’s head coach. His son, Kendal, is the offensive coordinator at TCU.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.