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On this week's episode, we’re talking to New Mexico Representative Nathan Small, a Democrat from Las Cruces. We’ll be talking about how he has approached this year’s 60-day session of the New Mexico Legislature. We’ll take a look at many of the big-ticket items lawmakers are discussing as they set about crafting an historically large budget.

Totaling more than $9.5 billion in recurring spending — an 11.9% increase from the last fiscal year — there is no shortage of ideas on how best to spend that money. And that doesn’t include the one-time, nonrecurring funds that will be doled out this year.

Legislators have put forth ideas to improve education, public safety, early childhood development, bail reform, water conservation and energy, just to name a few. We’ll talk to Representative Small about all of those things and more.

We’ll also talk about the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund — sometimes referred to as the “rainy day fund” — which has long been closely guarded by legislators, though that may be changing.

Small, who has served in the House since 2017, is a conservationist by trade and currently serves as chair of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee and is a member of the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the House Printing and Supplies Committee.

This week, I’m pleased to have Representative Small joining us.

In this week’s episode of The Reporter’s Notebook Podcast, we’re joined by Adrian Hedden, who covers energy, oil and gas for the Carlsbad Current-Argus. As you likely know, time is winding down on this year’s 60-day legislative session. As we’ve discussed in several recent episodes, New Mexico is looking at a record-breaking budget surplus; it could very well be the state’s largest budget in history.

And, by and large, we’ve got the state’s oil and gas sector to thank for that. But is the “goose that laid the golden egg” on the chopping block? Several bills put forth this year seek to curb the oil and gas industry — with further restrictions, regulations and oversight.

It has long been acknowledged that New Mexico must find ways to diversify its revenue streams and reduce the state’s reliance on extractive industries. Legislators, however, have failed to reach a consensus on a path forward.

This year, several bills have been put forward that specifically address the state’s relationship with the oil and gas industry. Others focus on alternative energies. With less than a week left in the session, some bills have died and others may have a chance of making it to the governor’s desk. Adrian will walk us through some of the hot-button issues and proposed legislation.

On this week’s episode of The Reporter’s Notebook Podcast, we’re talking to New Mexico Senator Bill Soules, a Democrat from Las Cruces. We’ll be talking about how he has approached this year’s 60-day session of the New Mexico Legislature. We’ll take a look at many of the big-ticket items lawmakers are discussing as lawmakers set about crafting an historically large budget.

We’ll talk to Sen. Soules about many of the state’s most pressing issues — education, public safety, early childhood development, bail reform, water conservation and energy, just to name a few.

Soules, who has served in the Senate since 2013, is a retired educator and currently serves as chair of the Senate Education Committee and is a member of the Senate Conservation Committee.

We also talk about Soules’ bill to make the smell of “green chile roasting in the fall” the official state aroma — a bill Soules sponsored, with expert testimony from some Las Cruces elementary students. Senate Bill 188 passed the Senate on a 31-4 vote on Saturday, Feb. 25. It now must make it through a couple of committees in the House and a full House vote in order to reach the governor’s desk. If passed, New Mexico would become the first state in the nation to have an official state aroma.

This week, we're grateful to have Senator Soules joining us.

This week, we’re talking to Ted Alcorn, a New Mexico native and a freelance journalist who has written for The New York Times, teaches at Columbia University and NYU, and previously worked for the Mayor’s Office in New York City. Ted recently wrote a long series for New Mexico In Depth called “Blind Drunk,” which you may have also read in the Las Cruces Sun-News.

It detailed how alcohol is killing New Mexicans at a higher rate than anywhere else in the country — at a rate that’s about three times higher than the national rate, actually — yet the state has largely neglected the growing crisis. That series recently won an award for Excellence in Reporting from the Association of Health Care Journalists.

House Bill 230 is a proposed tax increase on alcohol. The bill cleared its first committee on Friday, Feb. 10. If passed, it would add a 25-cent tax to every pint of beer, glass of wine or shot of liquor. The bill’s sponsors said increasing the state’s alcohol tax is long overdue.

New Mexico hasn’t raised the alcohol excise tax since 1993 — that’s nearly 30 years. Since then, we have seen inflation strip away the effects of having an alcohol tax to help reduce consumption.

The sponsors said the proposal could decrease total alcohol consumption in New Mexico by 7%.

More than 2,700 New Mexicans died from alcohol last year — more than six people a day – a nearly 50% increase from 2020. That doesn’t include DWI cases and other health impacts.

Despite the lower consumption, the proposed alcohol tax would still generate more than $155 million a year in revenue, according to projections, which could be funneled into prevention and treatment programs long-term.

But… We may not see it pass. On Monday, Feb. 20, the bill was tabled by the House Taxation and Revenue Committee, which voted unanimously to shelve it. This may be a post-mortem on the bill, unless something changes. There’s a chance it could be folded into an omnibus tax bill, according to the bill’s proponents. We’ll talk to Ted about that; he has been following the issue closely.

This week, we're happy to have Ted joining us.

This week, we’re talking to Las Cruces Sun-News Lead Sports Reporter Jason Groves. We’ll talk about everything that has happened in recent weeks surrounding the New Mexico State University’s men’s basketball team — and it’s been a lot.

Jason took over coverage of the team just days after the deadly Nov. 19 shooting on the campus of the University of New Mexico, following the departure of former Sun-News reporter Stephen Wagner. Since then, he has covered the team as they struggled to win games. Then, on Feb. 10, things got even less predictable.

The Aggies were pulled off a road trip and Head Coach Greg Heiar and his coaching staff were placed on paid administrative leave following allegations of hazing among Aggies players. According to police documents, at least three players assaulted a teammate. The incident was reported to New Mexico State University Police Department on Feb. 10; the incident report was made public on Sunday, Feb. 12.

Minutes after the hazing details were made public, NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu announced that the remainder of the team’s season was “suspended indefinitely.” Later, it was made clear that the season was canceled entirely.

On Tuesday, Feb. 14, Arvizu announced Heiar was fired as the men's basketball coach after less than one season.

While both situations are still under investigation, some strong language has been thrown around by university officials since details started coming to light.

This week, I’m excited to have Jason joining us.

This podcast contains discussions of suicide. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, consider reaching out to the National Suicide Hotline by dialing 988. Help is available.

This week, we’re talking to Carissa McGee. In 2006, when she was only 16, she was a star basketball player at Mayfield High School and a Gatorade Player of the Year.

But then, everything changed.

McGee was charged after police say she stabbed her mother and older sister Marie, who tried to intervene. Both were hospitalized but survived. The details are much more complicated and involve issues of isolation and mental health. But, ultimately, she entered a no-contest plea to charges of attempted murder and was sentenced as an adult to 21 years. At age 17, she was incarcerated at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants alongside much older women.

Due to good time and other adjustments to her sentence, she was granted parole after serving about nine years. Since her release, McGee has proven that she has turned her life around. She has returned to her love of basketball — officiating middle school and high school basketball games for the New Mexico Activities Association. She has also created her own nonprofit, Women in Leadership, an organization that helps women whose lives have been impacted by the criminal justice system.

During this year’s legislative session, lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 64, which would prohibit life sentences without the possibility of release or parole for serious youthful offenders. We’ll talk about what’s in the bill, how things are going, and why Carissa has been testifying in the Legislature, urging lawmakers to support it.

We’ll also be joined by Denali Wilson, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico — the ACLU — who has also been advocating for the passage of the bill.

This week, we're happy to have Carissa and Denali joining us.

On this week's episode, we’re joined by New Mexico House Minority Floor Leader Ryan Lane, an attorney who represents San Juan County. We’ll be talking about how he is approaching this year’s 60-day session of the New Mexico Legislature. We’ll take a look many of the big-ticket items lawmakers are discussing as lawmakers set about crafting an historically large budget.

Totaling $9.4 billion in recurring spending — an 11.9% increase from the last fiscal year — there is no shortage of ideas on how to best spend that money. And that doesn’t include the one-time, nonrecurring funds that will be doled out this year.

Unlike 30-day sessions, which happen in even-numbered years and are focused nearly exclusively on the state’s budget, 60-day sessions allow any legislator in the House or Senate to introduce any bill they’d like. As a result, many are pitching their ideas to address some of the state’s most pressing issues — education, public safety, early childhood development, bail reform, water conservation and energy, just to name a few. We’ll talk to House Minority Floor Leader Lane about all of those things and more.

We’ll also talk about the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund — sometimes referred to as the “rainy day fund” — which has long been closely guarded by legislators, though that may be changing. Well, maybe a little, anyway.

Lane, who has served in the legislature since 2021, currently serves as a member of the House Education, House Judiciary, House Printing & Supplies and House Rules & Order of Business Committees.

This week, we're appreciative to have House Minority Floor Leader Lane joining us.

This week, we’re talking to New Mexico Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth. We’ll be talking about how he is approaching this year’s 60-day session of the New Mexico Legislature. We’ll take a look at many of the big-ticket items lawmakers are discussing as lawmakers set about crafting an historically large budget — one Wirth described as larger than any lawmaker, living or dead, has ever seen.

Totaling $9.4 billion in recurring spending — an 11.9% increase from the last fiscal year — there is no shortage of ideas on how to best spend that money. And that doesn’t include the one-time, nonrecurring funds that will be doled out this year.

Unlike 30-day sessions, which happen in even-numbered years and are focused nearly exclusively on the state’s budget, 60-day sessions allow any legislator in the House or Senate to introduce any bill they’d like. As a result, many are pitching their ideas to address some of the state’s most pressing issues — education, public safety, early childhood development, bail reform, water conservation and energy, just to name a few. We’ll talk to Majority Leader Wirth about all of those things and more.

We’ll also talk about the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund — sometimes referred to as the “rainy day fund” — which has long been closely guarded by legislators, though that may be changing. Well, maybe a little, anyway.

Wirth, who has served in the legislature for 19 years, and in the Senate since 2009, currently serves as the vice chair of the Senate Committees’ Committee and is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee.

This week, we're grateful to have Senate Majority Leader Wirth joining us.

On this week's episode of The Reporter's Notebook Podcast, we’re talking to Las Cruces Public Schools Superintendent Ralph Ramos. We’ll be talking about the school district’s priorities during this year’s 60-day session of the New Mexico Legislature. We’ll take a look at the impact proposed legislation might impact LCPS.

As New Mexico’s state legislature began work Tuesday, Jan. 17, to allocate an historically large budget — totaling $9.4 billion in recurring spending, an 11.9% increase from the last fiscal year — school districts around the state will be asking for a piece of that pie.

Some have suggested things like fully funding and implementing the Hispanic, Indian, Black, and Bilingual Multicultural Education Acts, significantly increasing school employee salaries, increasing instructional hours, and continuing to increase targeted funding through the “at-risk” index.

Teachers are asking for more planning time, reduced class size, adequate staffing, an expansion of community schools and a greater voice in the allocation of federal COVID relief funds.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll ask Superintendent Ramos if those things align with the district’s goals and, if so, how?

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to mention that I was once the district’s Director of Communications, though it was under a previous superintendent.

This week, we're glad to have Superintendent Ramos joining us.

We’re talking to NMSU professors Martha Desmond and Tim Wright this week. Desmond is a Regents professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, while Wright is a professor in the Biology Department.

We’re diving into the mystery of a recent die-off of migratory birds in New Mexico. In 2020, possibly hundreds of thousands of migratory birds were found dead across the state. We’ll talk to Tim and Martha about what caused it, what is being done to address it, and a new partnership with Las Alamos National Labs that is designed to help.

Wright explained the program will provide graduate and undergraduate students with research experience, life skills, critical thinking and broader experiences to be successful leaders in the face of rapidly changing biomes. During the academic year, students will conduct mentored research on migratory bird biology. During the summer, they will intern in agencies, present their work at scientific conferences, take core courses in migration biology (with a foreign study component), scientific communication and science and ethics, and work with individualized mentor teams.

But what does all that mean, on a practical level?

This week, we're happy to have Tim and Martha joining us.