Free College in New Mexico

Quote of the Week:

“It’s not easy being drunk all the time. If it were easy, everyone would do it.” –Tyrion Lannister

– George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Fun Fact of the Week:

The Philippines consists of 7,641 islands, roughly 2,000 of which are inhabited. The largest of them is Luzon, which has a population of 64 million people.

Sadly, a number of these islands are predicted to disappear in the next half-century due to rising sea levels caused by global warming. In fact, the Philippines is considered the country at highest risk to climate change.

News Update:

Free college is now available to most residents of New Mexico (wherever that is).

Via CNN

That’s right. If you happen to live in “The Land of Enchantment” and are set to attend any in-state public school or tribal college, it will now be tuition-free. On Friday, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, signed the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Act.

“For over a quarter of a century, New Mexico has been a national leader in providing free college to its residents,” Grisham said in a statement. “A fully funded Opportunity Scholarship opens the door for every New Mexican to reach higher, strengthening our economy, our families and our communities. Signing this legislation sends a clear message to New Mexicans that we believe in them and the contributions they will make for their families and the future of our great state.”

According to CNN, “eligible students must enroll in a minimum of six credit hours and maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 during their time in college.”

Not all were on board with the decision, with New Mexico state Sen. David Gallegos, a Republican, leading the dissent.

Back in 2019, when the foundations of these scholarships were being put in place, Gallegos told CNN, “Where do we take the money from? Public safety? Public education? I just don’t know where we continue [sic] the money.”

There has been $75 million allocated to the fund, which could support up to 35,000 students this fall, allowing part-time students and adult learners to take advantage.

CNN contributed to this article.

Sports Update:

March Madness is right around the corner. This time next week, the bracket will be out and your hopes will be high that this is the year you finally pick the perfect bracket. A few days later, you will be crushed-- But let’s not worry about that yet.

Though the NCAA Tournament does not start until March 15th (when two of the “First Four” games are played), the conference tourneys have begun. Several have finished.

Chattanooga reminded us why we love this time of year: In overtime of the Southern Conference final, they hit a deep three at the buzzer to win 64-63 against Furman.

Via CBS Sports and Southern Conference

Bryant University earned their first ever NCAA tournament berth with a commanding win in the Northeast Conference versus Wagner (which included a fight in the stands late in the game that took 30 minutes to resolve), and Gonzaga continued their dominance by claiming the West Coast Conference title.

Meanwhile, the SEC, ACC, Big East and others are just kicking off, so don’t miss the action. For a look at all conference tournaments, check out this link: https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2022-03-07/2022-ncaa-conference-tournaments-schedules-brackets-scores-auto-bids