NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Check out community events around New Mexico from November 15-21. Albuquerque November 15 Santa's Arrival at Cottonwood Mall – Welcome Santa Claus to Cottonwood Mall at 10:00 a.m. November 15 Esperanza Bicycle Safety Clinic – The downtown public library will host this event from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. November 15-16 The Show – Albuquerque's longest-running comedy show happens every Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $12. November 15-16 Fa La La La Lavender Holiday Market – Jo's Farm hosts this event from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. November 15-16 Plata: 25 Years of Yjastros – A thrilling production showcasing flamenco is coming to the National Hispanic Cultural Center. The National Institute of Flamenco is celebrating 25 of Yjastros which is a dance company founded in Albuquerque. November 16 Ageless Artisan Craft Fair – The city of Albuquerque Department of Senior Affairs is kicking off the holiday season with the fair from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center. November 16-17 2024 NM Ski Swap – This event at Expo New Mexico runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. November 16-17 Tamale Making – This event at Big Jim Farms happens every weekend until the end of the year. November 17 Los Ranchos Community Yard Sale – This sale boasts nearly 4,000 sq ft of goods from 9:00 a.m. to noon. November 21 Ancora and Albuquerque's Songwriter's Cooperative Open Mic – Every Thursday night at Ancora Cafe and Bakery, try your hand at performing some of your own music. Begins at 5:00 p.m. New Mexico November 15-16 Brews with the Bard – These performances from the Blank Conversations Theatre Company begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Rio Grande Theatre. November 15-21 Holiday Pet Food Drive – The City of Rio Rancho Parks, Recreation, and Community Services is holding this food drive at the Cabezon Park and Community Center until December 13. November 16 Fall Festival – The Alameda Park Zoo in Alamogordo hosts this event from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. November 16 Holiday Craft Fair – This annual craft fair in Gallup will be at Bethany Reformed Christian Church from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. November 16 Chinese Language Class – This event at the Taos Public Library is open to all ages and runs from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. November 16 Alamogordo Farmer's Market – This year-round farmer's market goes from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at 2900 N. White Sands Blvd. November 16-17 Handel's Messiah at Lensic Performing Arts Center – This Santa Fe tradition begins at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. November 17 Intro to Silversmithing – This jewelry class with Mineralbound Silver at Meow Wolf Santa Fe at 1:00 p.m. November 17 Sunday Chess Club – Meet at Popolo's Games in Taos beginning at 1:00 p.m. This free event is all ages. November 21 Duke City Championship Wrestling – This event at the Rio Rancho Events Center begins at 7:00 p.m. with ticket prices ranging from $23 to $43. Albuquerque Notices 🔶 Registration underway for Toys for Tots – The charity, spearheaded by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, provides holiday presents for local kids in need. This year, families with children 14 years old or younger can sign up. Registration will be open through December 8 and can be done online. 🔶 Salvation Army partnering to hold Red Carpet, Red Kettle event – The Salvation Army is kicking off its annual Red Kettle Campaign by partnering with Albuquerque Little Theatre for the Red Carpet, Red Kettle event. The event will be November 23 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 🔶 Artist creates 123-foot-tall mural in downtown Albuquerque – Standing at 123 feet tall, the mural, titled "Windforms," is officially the tallest mural in New Mexico, featuring a vibrant design meant to reflect the beauty of Albuquerque's landscapes. 🔶 Vault Studios ABQ provides post-production for projects – Vault Studios can do post-production for projects of any size from major projects to shorts to small independent films and anything in between. Vault Studios can help with anything from audio to visual effects, motion capture and much more. 🔶 ABQ BioPark to feature Mediterranean plant life in new exhibit – City leaders broke ground on the Lebanon and Beyond garden. While construction is underway, many of the plants are waiting in a greenhouse right now including pomegranate, fig, and pistachio trees. 🔶 'Finding that one person is challenging': Albuquerque balloon pilot searches for liver donor – Dave Aley, 55, has been living with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare autoimmune disease that affects the bile ducts in the liver and eventually leads to liver damage. There is no cure for PSC, and now Aley needs a liver transplant to help save his life. 🔶 How New Mexico's film industry boosts local economy from filming locations – The film industry has made New Mexico a star on the global stage. With hundreds of films and TV shows spanning more than a hundred years of production, the Land of Enchantment has doubled as the wild frontier and as the final frontier. 🔶 Tingley Coliseum undergoing seat upgrade soon – Over the decades, Tingley Coliseum has been a staple for Albuquerque. From hosting graduations to monster trucks to concerts, it's seen almost everything. However, as the acts change, one thing has stayed the same: the small seats in a cramped space. 🔶 New Mexico's largest school district continues to see teacher vacancies – The vacancies inside APS mirror much of what the rest of the state is seeing. New Mexico State University's recent educator vacancy report highlighted a 38% increase in vacancies among special education teachers and a 24% increase in vacancies among elementary school teachers. 🔶 City of Albuquerque focus on shelter for winter months – The city highlighted its online dashboard that lists all city-run shelters and available beds. This year, 24/7 emergency drop-off will be available at the Gateway, allowing first responders to bring people in at any time. New Mexico Notices 🔶 Sandhill cranes return to New Mexico – Sandhill cranes are synonymous with the changing of seasons in New Mexico. At Bosque del Apache, the best time to see the cranes is during sunrise or sunset because during the day they're foraging for food. 🔶 Disaster unemployment assistance available for Chaves County flood victims – President Biden has approved federal disaster aid for the state, making disaster unemployment assistance available to anyone whose employment was ended or interrupted by the severe weather events. The state's Department of Workforce Solutions is now accepting applications for disaster unemployment assistance. 🔶 Does New Mexico have crows or ravens? – Recently on social media, New Mexico residents were debating on whether or not there are crows or ravens in the state. Some claimed we only have ravens, others claimed we have both. You know, the internet. 🔶 New Mexico officials confirm 10 cases linked to McDonald's E. coli outbreak – The New Mexico Department of Health recently confirmed five additional cases linked to the slivered onions used in McDonald's quarter pounder. In all, 90 people in 13 states tested positive for E. coli and one person died. 🔶 Helping Heroes grant program accepting applications – New Mexico Gas Company is committing over $400,000 to the program to enhance the operational capacity and improve response times for volunteer first responders. According to NM Department of Homeland Security and Energy Management, almost 60% of fire departments in New Mexico are volunteer based and with over 30% of residents living in rural areas these volunteers are vital. 🔶 Officials, advocates speak on new SNAP work requirements – The new "proof of work" requirement affects 11,939 New Mexicans in specific counties and pueblos. New Mexico had been granted a waiver from the federal rule for more than a decade, and that has now expired. 🔶 8 Santa Fe schools see improvement in state ratings – The New Mexico Public Education Department published the latest school ratings in the state with eight Santa Fe Public Schools previously listed as "needing improvement" moving up to "traditional" status. 🔶 Lea County Sheriff's Office investigating source of human skulls found in Jal – Undersheriff Michael Walker provided this update to our sister station in Lubbock, Texas, Wednesday morning, one day after the sheriff's office announced that it found evidence of 10 to 20 human skulls at a property in the small city of Jal, which shares a border with Texas. 🔶 Santa Fe police increase patrols at schools due to speeding, drop-off violations – The department said they have received requests for extra patrols at schools like Ortiz Middle School, Ramirez Thomas Elementary, and El Camino Real Academy with parents seeing speeding, and cars dropping off or picking up students outside loading zones. 🔶 Governor appoints new division director of New Mexico Film Office – Steve Graham, a native New Mexican, has more than 25 years of experience managing film and television productions, with credits that include "Black Summer" (Netflix), "Walker: Independence" (CBS Studios), and "Z Nation" (Syfy). He assumed the role on Tuesday.