As the Director of New Mexico State University’s Military and Veterans Programs, I’ve worked with many veterans who have chosen to further their education. It’s been both a privilege and a challenge to hear their stories — how they’ve navigated the transition from military service to civilian life and how they’re working to build a better future for themselves and their families through higher education. I appreciate the sacrifice of everyone who has served and I am proud to work every day to honor this sacrifice and make NMSU one of the most veteran-friendly campuses in the nation.

Unfortunately, one of the most common hurdles these student veterans face is financing their education. With the rising cost of a college education, it has become more difficult for veterans to pay for books, supplies, and other essential materials.

I recently had the pleasure of discussing these challenges with Congressman Gabe Vasquez during his visit to NMSU to speak with student veterans and administrators. Congressman Vasquez has shown a deep commitment to supporting our veterans, understanding their unique needs, and advocating for meaningful change.

It was clear from our conversations that he is genuinely dedicated to uplifting New Mexico’s veterans and backing up his words with action. Recently, Congressman Vasquez introduced the Veteran Education Assistance Adjustment Act, a bill designed to ease the financial burden on veterans pursuing continued education.

Like most Americans, every dollar counts for our veterans, especially regarding education. Currently, the stipend for veterans to spend on books and other supplies is $1,000 — a figure that has not been adjusted since 2008. In today’s world, $1,000 does not stretch nearly as far as it once did. Congressman Vasquez’s bill proposes raising this stipend to $1,400, which will adjust based on inflation and provide the funding necessary so our veterans can focus on their education. The bill also ensures that this amount will continue to increase with inflation, guaranteeing that veterans have the support required each year.

During his visit, Congressman Vasquez took the time to meet with both student veterans and university leadership, including myself, in a roundtable discussion. We were able to share our experiences, challenges and hopes for the future. It was clear that Rep. Vasquez was not just there to listen — he was there to understand.

Congressman Vasquez’s proposed stipend increase reflects his understanding of veterans’ challenges. It is not just about the immediate increase but the message it sends: that he values our veterans and is committed to investing in their future. I’m grateful to Congressman Vasquez for his visit to NMSU and hope he will continue his vital work in Congress to uplift New Mexico’s nearly 140,000 veterans.

Shoppers at Albertsons, United and Market Street supermarkets across Texas and New Mexico will soon see a new entity roaming the aisles.

That new entity will be a long rectangle of black, white and red or orange on wheels. It is a robot named Tally, and is part of a new improvement initiative that began in October across these supermarkets, the company confirmed on Friday.

What is Tally, and what does it do?

Tally is an “innovative, autonomous robot that is part of Simbe’s market-leading store intelligence platform.” The robot will travel the aisles of select stores three to four times every day to scan shelves, and can identify as much as 10 times more issues than manual checks.

The scans will alert stores and “business intelligence teams” daily with data, which can be used to show what needs restocking and new price tags. In turn, the release stated this should “positively impact sales as stores see better product availability and pricing accuracy.”

The release also stated that the implementation of Tally is to “complement the work of store team members, not replace them.” By taking care of the repetitive inventory tasks, employees will be free to work on different duties.

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“The Tally robot allows us to address inventory and other challenges withincredible precision, enabling our store teams to focus on what matters most—serving our guests,” said Reyes Jimenez, chief information officer of The United Family.

Tally will operate autonomously, but discreetly. While it works, it will make soft noises to alert customers to its presence. If it encounters a customer, it will either pause, go around or turn around and come back later. Customers will not be photographed or filmed at any point by Tally.

United welcomed customers to provide feedback on Tally during the pilot, with will go from October 2024 through January 2025. At the end, The United Family will review the data and discuss next steps, which could include more stores getting Tally robots.

“We are excited about the improvements this AI and Robotics technology will bring to our stores and are eager to evaluate its potential for expansion to other locations,” Jimenez said.