Early and absentee voting is just days away for many New Mexicans, including in Albuquerque, where voters will be picking a mayor. This week, New Mexico in Focus livestreamed the New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative Candidate Forum with incumbent Tim Keller and challengers Manny Gonzales and Eddy Aragon. The Line opinion panelists break down the race so far, and offer predictions about whether or not the campaign to lead New Mexico’s largest city is headed to a run-off election.

With Balloon Fiesta just around the corner, this is the time of year when eyes are drawn upward to our beautiful fall skies. But, the safety and oversight of the ballooning community is also drawing plenty of attention as a National Transportation Safety Board investigation continues into a deadly crash last summer. Senior Producer Matt Grubs talks with the founder of a local balloon tour company, Rainbow Ryders, about what changes he’d like to see and why some companies choose to monitor their pilots more closely than the industry requires.

Correspondent Russell Contreras (also the race and justice reporter for Axios) speaks with recent “Genius Grant” winner, MacArthur Fellow Monica Muñoz Martinez. The educator and public historian was awarded the prestigious fellowship earlier this week for her work to address racial injustice, particularly anti-Mexican violence in border territories. The pair talks about the common threads between 19th, 20th and 21st century incidents and how the past informs the way America views power.

Line Panel:

Dan Foley, former state representative

Laura Sanchez, attorney

Michael Bird, public health expert

Guests:

Scott Appelman, President & CEO, Rainbow Ryders

Monica Muñoz Martinez, University of Texas Historian

Riley Gardner, Santa Fe Reporter

It's been another challenging year for New Mexico’s farmers and ranchers, who have experienced drought and, in some places, extreme precipitation events. New Mexico Department of Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte spoke with environment reporter Laura Paskus about conditions and what they mean for farmers, as well as consumers. Witte also talks about how what’s happening in the Colorado River Basin, cannabis, climate change, and the “highest and best” uses of water in the arid Southwest.

New Mexico’s premiere fall event is just days away, and we now know there will not be a vaccination requirement to attend this year’s International Balloon Fiesta. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration expressed disappointment over the lack of a vaccine requirement, but Fiesta officials say they are following all CDC guidelines, including social distancing and mask mandates indoors as well as outdoors in large crowds. The Line opinion panel reacts to the decision and discusses how it might set a precedent for other high-profile events in the coming weeks and months.

Plus, we catch up with the chairman of the Citizen Redistricting Committee (CRC), former Supreme Court Justice Edward Chavez, to find out how the once a decade process is going so far, and what comes next. Also joining host Gene Grant are Brian Sanderoff of Research and Polling Inc. and Lilly Irvin-Vitela, the Community Liaison for the CRC. 

Guests:

Jeff Witte, New Mexico Agriculture Department Secretary

Line Panel:

Tom Garrity, The Garrity Group

Martha Burk, political psychologist and author of “Your Voice, Your Vote”

Serge Martinez, UNM Law School

Quannah Chasinghorse is having a moment. The Native model (Hän Gwich’in, Sicangu/Oglala Lakota) walked in several shows during New York Fashion Week and then made a turn on the red carpet at the Met Gala wearing a gold gown and stunning Navajo jewelry. Correspondent Antonia Gonzales speaks with the 19 year old about her environmental activism and bringing more Native voices to the fashion industry.

As passionate as the debate over abortion access can be, there’s little doubt that a new law in Texas will impact New Mexico. Lawmakers in Texas crafted a bill that bans abortions as early as about 6 weeks into a pregnancy. As a result, women are already seeking the procedure in New Mexico. Before the bill, Texas clinics conducted far more abortions annually. Attorney General Hector Balderas recently said the potential impacts to New Mexico women could be significant. The Line opinion panel discusses implications for New Mexico, the coming court challenges, and the impact of local elections.

The Line opinion panel also discusses the final weeks of the Citizen Redistricting Committee’s work to develop recommended maps for the state’s political boundaries and congressional districts. The commission released proposed revisions last week, and now enters a whirlwind tour across the state with 8 public meetings in 11 days. The maps won’t be binding for lawmakers, and the group talks about whether the commission’s maps will carry the weight reformers hope they do.

Guest:

Quannah Chasinghorse, fashion model

Line Panel:

Tom Garrity, The Garrity Group

Martha Burk, political psychologist and author of “Your Voice, Your Vote”

Serge Martinez, UNM Law School

Growing Forward podcast co-hosts Megan Kamerick and Andy Lyman talk to three members of the state’s cannabis regulation advisory board about efforts to provide equitable business opportunities as the state rolls out new recreational cannabis laws.

The Line opinion panel debates vaccine and mask mandates.   Will the federal vaccine mandate make it easier for businesses to lay the blame at the feet of the government? Also, New Mexico has just extended the indoor mask mandate at least through October 15. Will there be more pushback against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public health orders?

Kahlil Ekulona is a familiar face and voice to public media audiences across New Mexico. He has worked on segments here at New Mexico in Focus, and also hosted the Your NM Government and No More Normal podcasts at KUNM. He recently took a new job launching a daily talk show at WPLN, the NPR affiliate in Nashville, TN. Host Gene Grant talks with Khalil about the new opportunity and how his time and experiences in New Mexico will impact how he approaches this new gig. 

Correspondents:

Guests:

Dr. Steve Jenison, physician & former NM medical marijuana board chairman  

Khalil Ekulona, former No More Normal host (KUNM)

Line Panel:

Dede Feldman, former state senator  

Growing Forward podcast

When our homes and our forests are threatened, we all appreciate the federal wildland firefighters who show up for us from all over the country. But they face bigger challenges every year, especially as climate change lengthens fire season and spawns bigger and more severe fires. They also face struggles the rest of us never see, including long assignments away from their families and support networks, low pay, and mental health challenges. In this segment, we hear from three current and former federal wildland firefighters from around the West about those problems and potential solutions.

Crime often tops the list of problems facing New Mexicans, yet cities and counties say it’s hard finding enough police officers and deputies to tackle the issue. In Albuquerque, less than half of the force of 959 sworn law enforcers are patrol officers. The Line opinion panel examines police staffing problems in Albuquerque and the rest of the state.

Teacher’s assistants and early childhood educators are key to child well-being, yet workers in those positions are some of the lowest paid. The Line opinion panelists debate a pay plan for teacher’s assistants and early childhood educators.

Host:

Gene Grant

Line Panel:

Dede Feldman, former state senator  

Correspondent:  

Guest:

Marcus Cornwell, federal wildland firefighter

Jonathon Golden, former wildland firefighter

Kelly Martin, President, Grassroots Wildland Firefighters

For More Information:

Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, https://www.grassrootswildlandfirefighters.com/

Wildland Firefighter Foundation, https://wffoundation.org/

U.S. Hotshots Association, https://ushotshots.com/

Federal unemployment benefits have expired in New Mexico. What other benefits are still out there for people who are struggling economically during the pandemic? What's going to happen to renters? Gene talks to UNM Law Professor Serge Martinez, and Teague Gonzalez and Felipe Guevara of the NM Center on Law and Poverty.

Correspondent Antonia Gonzales talks with U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh about how the workforce is recovering after all the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two also discuss ongoing efforts to help out of work employees, and how the federal government is working with indigenous communities to make sure they're on the road to recovery as well.

The Line opinion panel talks about a proposed mental health hotline, which will be implemented next year after then-President Trump signed a bipartisan bill at the end of his term to create a three-digit help line, allowing people living with mental illness to dial 9-8-8 in a crisis. New Mexico is in the process of planning its rollout.

As thousands of Afghan refugees arrive at New Mexico military bases, the state is prepared to welcome some of them into its communities. Senior producer Matt Grubs speaks with Deputy Human Services Secretary Angela Medrano, who helps oversee the state’s Refugee Resettlement Program, about the next steps and what the federal government is – and is not – disclosing about refugee arrivals.

The Line opinion panel talks through the implications of the now-infamous flashing lights in the cockpit of Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity ship during its maiden crewed voyage. The New Yorker magazine reported that the lights, which indicated the ship would deviate from its designated airspace, represented a major issue. Virgin Galactic disagreed, but the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the ship grounded while it investigates. The incident raises questions about New Mexico’s nascent space tourism industry.

The Line panelists also take up the issue of charter schools. As districts across the state suffer declining enrollment, especially during the pandemic, some are considering whether they should approve more schools that draw funding away from traditional district structures.

Although humans have added satellites, space shuttles, and airplanes to the dark vista of the sky, our species has looked up at the same night skies for millions of years. We’ve navigated by the stars, told stories about the shapes we see, and sought to learn more about what lies beyond our own planet. This episode of Our Land is inspired by Carl Sagan, who wrote in his 1985 novel, Contact, about “cosmic isolationism.” That is, just as we began learning more about the universe, we also began to cut ourselves off from it. This month, we explore what it means to connect with the night sky – and protect it for future generations.

The Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium has been trying for years to get the U.S. government to compensate families who were impacted by the Trinity nuclear test. So far, they’ve been barred from accessing federal money though the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, and the deadline to file a claim is less than a year away. Correspondent Russell Contreras speaks with Tina Cordova about the latest effort, which now has the support of a bipartisan pair of senators representing New Mexico and Idaho.

The Line opinion panel takes a closer look at the implications of a predicted $1.4 billion surplus in the state’s next budget year. Lawmakers and the governor are already rolling out ideas to spend it, while others caution against yet another ratcheting up of the state’s baseline costs. The group weighs the likelihood that crime legislation – and funding – will be a centerpiece of the 2022 legislative session.

New Mexico in Focus searches for perspective on the end of the war in Afghanistan and the resulting humanitarian crisis as tens of thousands of Afghans look to flee Taliban rule. Gene Grant speaks with local café owner Mula Akbar, a refugee from Afghanistan who came to the U.S. in the late ‘80s. He also talks to Jeff Hall, the economic development programs manager of Lutheran Family Services. Both men are working to connect incoming Afghans with needed support as they relocate to New Mexico.

An uncertain future faces New Mexicans who have benefited from additional federal unemployment money. The boost runs out Saturday, and The Line discusses what workers and employers can expect. Many Republican-led states have already ended additional federal benefits in an effort to jumpstart the job market. But they’ve seen modest gains, if any, and a notable drop in consumer spending. This round of cutoffs is likely to impact Democratic-led states. We also had the chance this week to ask U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh about whether or not the state should use other pandemic relief funds to extend those benefits. 

New Mexico in Focus continues its examination of how different groups view the end of the war in Afghanistan. For many in the Southeast Asian community, images of the mass exodus from Kabul bring to mind the end of the war in Vietnam. Matt Grubs speaks with software developer and Vietnamese immigrant Tam Le about parallels between the ends of the two conflicts. Le came to the United States of America as a child in the early 1980s. His family split up to make the arduous journey, and it was more than a decade before they were reunited.

The Line opinion panel digs into a draft plan to address educational disparities raised in the Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit as a state District Court continues to urge reform. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the plan, which some education advocates say is too vague for a developing state response 3 years after a court decided New Mexico’s public schools aren’t providing an equitable education to vulnerable students. A major issue is the lack of reliable broadband internet service across the state, brought to light during the pandemic.

Line Guests:

Rebecca Latham, CEO, Girl Scouts of NM

Sophie Martin, attorney

Edmund Perea, attorney & public safety consultant

Guests:

Mula Akbar, owner, Café Istanbul

Jeff Hall, Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains

Tam Le, software developer and Vietnamese immigrant

Nicole Maxwell, Alamogordo Daily News

Marty Walsh, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor

Resources: 

New Mexico Flush With Cash as Revenues Climb, Oil Recovers – Associated Press

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains

Some don’t know what they’ll do when federal unemployment assistance ends – NM Political Report

New Mexico Asian Family Center

Organizer and activist Kay Bounkeua is taking over for former legislative powerhouse Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, who resigned in the face of alleged financial improprieties. Believed to be the first Asian American woman to hold office in the Legislature, Bounkeua sits down with NMiF senior producer Matt Grubs to talk representation and redistricting.

Plans for the SunZia Transmission Project have been in the works since 2006, with $150 million already spent. That $4 billion project is supposed to someday bring wind-generated power from New Mexico to markets in Arizona and California. This week, correspondent Laura Paskus talks to John Ryan, SunZia New Mexico executive director, and Sandra Noll, who lives in Socorro County and worries how the project will affect migrating birds, ecotourism and the rural communities nearby. We know we need to transition to more renewable energy, but the question is how to balance that with local impacts?

Correspondents:

Laura Paskus, NMiF environmental producer

Guests:

Rep. Kay Bounkeua, NM House District 19

Sandra Noll, Protect Our Rio Grande

John Ryan, executive director, SunZia New Mexico

For More Information:

Kay Bounkeua appointed to fill seat vacated by Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton – KOB-4

SunZia New Mexico project homepage:

https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2011785/510

Fact sheet: https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/2011785/200481766/20041399/250047592/Newsletter1_NOI_6.4_v3_06%20162021_508.pdf

To submit public comment on the project:

https://www.blm.gov/press-release/comment-period-and-public-meeting-update-sunzia-southwest-transmission-project

Two women have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court that argues a vaccine mandate for certain health care workers and for attendance at the New Mexico State Fair violates their constitutional rights. The lawsuit seeks to bar the mandate’s enforcement. Meanwhile, the state’s Youth Livestock Board has moved its annual competition to Roswell in an effort to sidestep the vaccine mandate, which impacted children in FFA and 4-H programs who are too young to receive an approved vaccine. The Line opinion panelists look at continued pushback against the governor’s public health orders.

Fleeing Taliban rule, Afghans who were able to leave their homeland are now arriving in the U.S., including to a part of Fort Bliss Army Base that’s in New Mexico. The Line opinion panel offers thoughts on Democratic leaders reaching out to the White House to accept Afghans and what the state can realistically offer.

The Line opinion panel looks at sobering numbers for pedestrian fatalities in New Mexico. Albuquerque has long had a serious problem – leading the nation for pedestrian deaths four years running – but what does the rest of the sprawling state do for people who prefer or have no other choice than to walk?

Host:

Line Guests:

Michael Bird, public health expert

For More Information:

Lawsuit targets expanded NM vaccine mandates – Albuquerque Journal

ICUs full as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations grow – NM Political Report

U.S. regulators give full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine – Santa Fe New Mexican

Bad mask info puts prep athletes on edge – Albuquerque Journal

Local churches pushback on re-instated mask mandate – KRQE

First Afghan refugees arrive in New Mexico – KRQE

NM leaders offer to help Afghan refugees – Albuquerque Journal

A call to action as New Mexico leads US in deaths of pedestrians – Albuquerque Journal